Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-11-12
The Lumberer and the Settler In the
Bush,


The Lumberer and the Settler In thu
Bush.
Lumber ia the general name in America fo
timber, and it is the business of the lumbere
to penetrate into the primeval forests, and oc
cupy. himself during one period of the year il
hewing down the trees, which at another pc
riod he conveys, by the lakes and rivers, to tn,
settlements of men. Such an employment, i
may be supposed has no beneficial effect upor
the character. Buried among the woods dur
ing the entiro winter with his desperate com.
rades, the lumberer has only one task-chop-
pingi and only two MISUNDERSTANDING
and smoking When summer comes, and til,
rivers, loosed from their chains, begin anew tc
bound, and rush, and roar, he forms his acqui.
sitions into RATS and the monotonous labors
and equally monotonous pleasures, of winter
are followed by course of wild and desperate
adventure as he punges down the rapids
The third phase in his existence is presented
by the town, where he browns the recollection
of his tolls and dangers in the lowest debauch-
cry, and is perfectly satisfied if his hard d-earned
dollars last till it is time to betake himself to
| the woods again.
| The lumbercr is of great Importance to the
trade or Canada; and being likewise the pio-
neer of the settler, he must form one of the
prominent figures in any general picture of the
country. Sir r. II. Bonnycastlc, in his anus
ing work recently published, gives some par
I N.A., .sUL .ANsx
wards portrait; and we propose extracting as
much as we think Of any interest," and append
ing to II a similar sketch Of the settler in the
bush.
"Picturo to yourself child of luxury, sitting
on cushioned sofa, in q room where the vel
vet carpet renders football noiseless, where
art is exhausted to afford comfort, and where
even the hurricane cannot disturb your peru
sal of this work, wood reaching without limit
excepting the oceans, either salt or fresh water,
which surround Canada and where to lose the
track is hopeless starvation aud death figure
the giant pines towering to the clouds, gloomy
and Titan-like, throwing their vast arms TO
the skyey influences, and making twilight Of
'itu-u"!i ~ "hoeo ono'iiou' ioeV " 'nieA's "
bushes, almost as hlgh as your heau, prevents
your progress witnout the pioneer aAei OF
deep ana plack swamp lot miles together rem
ders it necessary TO crawl from one fallen
monarch Of the wood EDWARDS to the decaying
and prostrate mole OF another' with an occa-
sional plunge into the mud and water which
they bridgei eternal silence feigninB, disturbed
only by your feeble ehorts TO advance-and
you may form some idea OF RED pine land,
rocky ana uneven, or cedar swamp BLACK as
night, dark, dismal, and dangerous.
mere ater you nave neWed or crept your
toiiing way, you sec some yards or some nun
dred YARDS as the iorest Is close or open, pc
fore you, light-blue curling smoke amongst
tne dafk ana luguprlous scene you near a
duli, distant, heaYy, sudden Diow, frequent
ana deadened, 1oilowed az long intervals py
tremendous renuihg, crashihg' overwhelming
rushi then all IS silent, tiii 'ne voice OF tne
guardian OF man Is hearu growing, sharhng'
or barking outright, as you ADVANCE towards
the blue smoke, which mas now, oy an eddy OF
the WIND, hiied aiarge space petween tne trees
You STAND before the hre' made under tnree or
four STICKS set up tentwise, TO whicn large
cauldron IS huns' puooiing ana seeming, WIN
very strong odor OF lat pork BOY, dirty ana
lil-iavored, with sharp gltering axe, looks
very suspiciousiy at you, put Calls on MS VOL
hsh dog which sneaks away
"a moment shows you o long nut formed OF
logs Of wood, with root OF branches, covered
by birch-bark, and by its side, or near the hre,
several nondescrpt sites or pens, apparently
for keeping pigs in, formed OF branches close
to the ground, either like boat turned
upside down, or literally as pig-sty is formed,
as to shape. In the large hut, which is occa-
sionally more luxurious, and made OF slabs OF
wood, or of rough boards, il saw-mill is with
in reasonable distance, and there is passable
wood road, or creek, or rivulet nayigable by
canoes, you sec some barrel or two of pork, |
and Of -four, or biscuit, or whiskey, some tools,
and some old blankets or skins. Here you are
in the lumberer's winter home-I cannot call
him woodman it wouid disgrace the ancient
and ballad-sung craft; for the lumberer is not |
a gentle woodman, and you need not sing |
sweetly to him to spare that tree
"The larger dwelling is the hall--the COM
mon hall-and the pig-stes the sleeping-pla- |
ces. presume that such a circumstance as
pulling off habiliments or ablution seldom oc-
ours they roll themselves in blanket or skin,
if they have one; and as to water, they are so |