Morning journal and courier., 1888-08-25

western, southern and southeastern valleys,
the beauty of villages, shaded highways and
outlying farms cannot be surpassed in the |
States or in any part Of garden like England. |
All this will especially come to you as a
surprising revelation if you will pass but
one day upon the st. John river, between the
cities of st. John and Fredericton; and If
you have, as I did, the added pleasure of
lazy sail in spanking little craft SO trim
that all envy who behold, you are ready to !
ascribe to this portion of old Acadia all win-
some delights. At st. John itself the falls
or rapids of the river, which at high tide are
sufficiently covered for the passage of any
vessel, are at low tide as fine sight as one
would wish to see. Boar's Head, q splendid
promontory, at once comes in view above.
Shortly Grand Bay (the French in 1898 gave
the entire stream the name, La Riviere de la
Grande Baie) is entered, and the lesser arm,
South Bay, sweeps down to the southwest
behind. In an hours time we were abreast
that noble and romantic expanse Of water
which spreads grandly to the northwest for
twenty miles or more, where
Out of the evergreen forests.
That stretch to the north away.
The winds come sobbing and sighing
Ger Kennebeccass bay
whose every mile of shore is rife with tradi-
tion, and whose every mood and seeming has
for centuries prompted to the spirit of song.
Then, after the craggy and picturesque Mere
pis Hills are passed, a sharp turn to the
northwest brought our gay Nancy Mary into
the noted Long Reach. And rightly named
it is. The river runs straight as an arrow
for sixteen miles, and the entire distance
is from two to three miles broad. This
splendid reach of water of majestic flow
and noble suores, and half dozen more
broad, estuary like expRnses of river, are
every whit the peers of the Mississippi at
Lake Pepin or the Hudson at Pappan Zee.
Indeed the st. John may be aptly called
the Hudson of the maratime provinces. 1t
has not the Hudson's continuous grandeur.
But it has, besides its frequent bold and
lofty shores, imneasurably broader out
reachings, a more ample sweep and large-
ness, and all that exquisite pastoral beauty
and tenderness to farthest range of vision
beyond it's grassy banks, which take hold of
the very heart beside the Mohawk and Sus-
quehanna.
At Long Reach head splendid granite
ridge turns the river to the northwest, where
it passes for several miles with much force
through picturesque narrows. Emerging
from these little ship building and produce
shipping hamlets are seen; and beyond them
and Spoon Island the noble elmg and fertile
prairies of Long Island were co&sted beside
for miles, and the village and river mouth at
Otnabog LETT behind. Soon Crimson Neck,
the level shores of Cambridge and historic
old Jemseg were successfully reached. The
latter point was once an important place.
The territory roundabout was an ancient
French seigniory, known as the Seigniory OF
Jemseg, and was granted by the French
crown to the noble Breton family of Damour
des Chaffour In 1892 Jemseg was made the
capital of old Acadia under NJ de Vi1lebon
and the remains of its old fort in which were
twelve iron guns, six "murtherers" and q
ffchapei six PAGES square, with a bell weigh
ing eighteen pounds" are still easily traced.
From this point to Fredericton, five hours
sail against the current the broad river flows
past the parishes of Sheffield, Marlborough
and Maugerville, whose reaches behind the
shore of grass lands and farms have been
compared with the English Twickenham
maadows. Maugerville has especial interest
to the traveller from the States. This settle
ment was the first made by the English colo
nists on the river st. John. They came from
Connecticut and Massachusetts,, and at the
outbreak of the Revolution the inhabitants
of Sunbury county assembled at Maugeryille
and stoutly protested against British sggres-
sion. They attempted to attach the county
to Massachusetts,, which then owned all
Maine and automatically contsnded for the
possession of old Acadia, and boldly con-
veyed their purpose to their brethren in Bos-
ton in these words: "We are ready with our
lives and fortunes to share with you the
event of the present struggle for liberty,
however God In his providence may order
It'll" And somehow I felt like sailing by
Maugerville with uncovered head; while it
seemed to my perverted American eyes that,
for these stirring words, and though the
Maugervillians were shortly silenced, the sun
shone fairer, the grasses grew richer, the
birds sang sweeter and the Nesting farm
homes seemed dearer and nearer in old Sun
bury's restful Wales and intervales.
On arrival at Fredericton Captain Ballast,
Tom and the Nancy Mary were sent back to
st. John to await my return, while loitered
bit about New Brunswicks capital and its
environments. Built on an almost level
plain, with it's fine government buildings,
churches, cathedrals, libraries, universities,
| its wide streets and spacious habitstions, it
possesses a restfulness and dignity which
strongly contrasts with the distinguishing
characteristics of our smaller American
cities. In every direction about 1t stretch
green fields, shaded roads and lanes and no.
| Bile farms. Above and below in the river are
mighty booms of logs such as were formerly
| seen above st. Anthony's Falls in Minnesota,
| and upon the river shores at intervals are
splendid groups of elrns. There are much
| wealth, learning and culture here, and one
| feels drawn to the place as to homes where
content and peace abide.
But at the Grand Falls of the st. John
| above one comes upon encIoaching summer
| resort peculisrities and the sublime in nature
uncomfortably combined. The place was
| formerly British garrison. To the north
| aud east in New Brunswick, and to the west
| in Maine, the cid Acadian French possess
| the country, ana Inese nap1banS nave all the
| quaint characteristics and mellow ways as
the Acadians of "Evangeline," or the de-
| mure peasants of Normandy. All told per-
| haps ten thousand of these simple and up
/ right people, descended from the Acadiane
of the Basin of Minas, live hereabout and in
| the Madawaska region above. The Falls
| themselves are more beautiful and impres.
| siye than Americans have any notion Of
| For some distance above the st. John broad
| ems into grand expause of water. This
seems to gather in mighty force and volume
for preparatory rush through a frightfu
rock bound chasm, and then leaps grandlJ
over @ precipice of slate sixty feet in height
The latter is wildly jagged and uneven, eaus
ing some wonderful displays of intermin
Cling cascades. Below this, for fully hal
mile of gorge whose walls are from one ii
three hundred feet high, the river is madl,
hurled down an uneven incline of fully sixty
feet more, through masses of wild upreach
| ing rocks, and in the entire distance the wa
ters ssethe and blanch in furious foamings
All about the falls are majestic and awe-in-
| spring scenes, and from the near mountain
the grandest perspectives are gained. On
may long for adventures of the wilderness II
the Grand river trip with guides to Chaleur
and the Gulf of Newfoundland, or gaze will
wishfuI eye towards the hunting grounds o
the upper st. John and the primeYal pine
of Maine: but there is enough of the Wilt
and savage mood of nature in day at tn
J Grand Falls of the ST. John to prompt on
of moderate wish and temperate habit +
, turn, with contented spirit, back toward civ
| ilization and the sea.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAE.
/