Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-09-07
M@istellaueuns &eading.
Correspondence of the Yorkville Enquirer.
NOTES OF TRAVEL.

| HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, Aug. 3d.
During my stay in Prescott, avaled myself
of every opportunity offered to visit as many
of the adjacent towns and cities as possible,
and also to spend some time on the beauti.
full river of st. Lawrence At Prescott this
river is mile and half wide and very deep.
Canadians aver that it is a much larger river
than the Mississippi, and that great deal
more water passes down it than flows down
any other river in America. l was not pre-
pared to admit this; but so many affirmed it
to be fact did not strenuously insist upon
the opposite theory.
Prescott was settled by wealthy Scoth and
Irish tories who left New York and other
Northern States during the Revolutionary
war persons who had no faith in the ability
of our fathers to secure their independence.
The English government erected at that time
large fort and had it we'll garrisoned, near
the river, the fort and garrison being under
command of Col. Prescott. These faithful
Scotch and Irish tories had influence enough
to induce the government to donate to them
large grant of land, on which they hastened to
build up a town which they named in honor
of their friend, Col. Pescott. 1t is now city
of some seven thousand inhabitants. 1t is
neatly and substantially built, and the streets
are well shaded, the favorite tree for this pur-
pose being the sugar maple. 1t is city of
considerable wealth. 1t has six magnificent
churches. But the only manufacturing or
industrial enterprises of note are three extern
sive breweries and one colossal distillery. l
was told that the whole city virtually belongs
to few wealthy individuals whose only ambi-
tion is to collect their rents and loan the money
at the most exorbtant rates of interest. Con-
sequently the city does not improve 1 saw
more dissipation in Prescott than in all the
other towns and cities visited in Canada.
The country around Prescott, as every 9TH
er portion of Canada / visited except the
place from which now write, is exceedingly
level and fertile. The soil is dark and pro-
duces all the grasses, rye, barley, wheat, oats
and Irish potatoes in great abundance. Tim
othy, clover, barley, rye and potatoes are the
principal products, and dairying is the chief
business of all the farmers. Further north
wheat is grown successfully. I was amazed
when learned the extent to which they culti-
vate the Irish potato both in Western New
York and Canada. In Canada this esculent,
prepared in some manner, but most usually
fried in some kind of grease, forms a promi-
nent feature of every meal. Morning, noon
and night-breakfast, dinner and supper
never come, without the inevitable accom-
paniment of watery, tough and insipid pota-
toes, closely resembling the artichoke of our
Southern States-a product which we feed to
hogs. But these bad potatoes are relieved by
good beef, mutton, butter and cheese, while
attention is paid to having good quality of
bread Cheese, however, rarely comes to the
Canadian IS table. Il is to the Kainuck what
cotton is to the Carolinian-the cash staple
and these cheeses are shipped in large quanti-
ties to London and Liverpool.
From my observations while in the Donain-
ion 1 feel constrained to say that the Cana
dians are by no means epicurians, though, ac-
cording to their way of thinking they live
well-having plenty around them. The soil
is generally productive. Adjacent to the
towns and cities land readily commands from
fifty to one hundred dollars per acre though
there are plenty of localities in which it can
be bought at from 50 to IS. At the present
time a heavy immigration is pouring into
Canada, induced by the extraordinary efforts
of the Great Trunk Railroad and it's rival,
the Great Western, to sell the lands which
they own as subsidies.
Gananoque is considerable manufactur
ing city-the productions being principally
of iron. One establishment is devoted eX-
clusively to the manufacture of steel car
springs, and employs large number Of hands.
Blackwell is also a beautiful and growing
city, pleasantly located on the st. Lawrence
river. Belleville and Port Hope are also large
and thriving towns. Among the oldest cities
in Canada is Kingston. 1t is also one of the
handsomest, but contains much to carry one
back in thought to other days. There is con-
siderable business done in Kingston, though
not nearly SO much now as formerly. With
the competition it now has, the city will have
to struggle or it will retograde.
The towns and cities of Canada contain
many houses built of kind of slate procured
from the ground on which they stand. This
slate is found, some few feet under the ground
almost everywhere, in stratas differing in
thickness as they underlie each other. The
top strata is usually about three inches thick
and each underlying strata al inch thicker,
until the stratas become two feet or more in
thickness This rock formation is one Of the
striking peculiarities of the country, furnish
ing solid slabs of rock of any length, width or
thickness that may be wanted. The reader
would miss it greatly, however, if he should
come to the conclusion that where such splen-
did slabs of slate can be so easily procured,
that the streets and walks of the towns and
cities are beautifully paved with them. saw
no side walks in Canada laid with any other
material than the softest u inch white pine
boards. The streets are paved with cedar
blocks six inches long, placed closely together
on end. The truth is, they cannot use stone
on account Of the great severity of the freezes
that SO often occur in that latitude. I no.
ticed many houses, the stone steps of which
had been literally shattered by the frost, and
not unfrequently may be seen the strong walls
of large buildings shattered near the ground,
parts crumbinG off and falling down, present
ing the appearance of having been washed
away by the chatting of a fast flowing current
of water.
Oshama lies about two miles from the Great
Trunk line, and is a beautiful and growing
place of some three thousand inhabitants. 1t
is noted for it's beautiful, well-shaded streets.
| In the suburbs of this town is situated the
largest manufactory of steam engines, &C., in
the Dominion The buildings of this estab-
! Eshmant covpr several acrps of grOund and