Morning journal and courier., 1888-08-25
OLD ACADIA AND REYoND.

st. John-Seme History-Fine People
Fertile New BrunsyVick-On the ST.
John River French and English
SettIers-The Grand Falls.
ST. JOHN, N. B., August 20.
To the Editor OF the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
The stars were just beginning to mirror in
the unusually placid waters of the Bay of
Fundy when our staunch Nancy Mary, Cap-
tain Ballast commanding, brought us abreast
of the fine old city of st. John, the chief
commercial and maratime city of New
Brunswick, 'sthe Liverpool of Canada and,
after London, Liverpool and Glasgow, "the
fourth port of the British empire" Passing
the bold Negro Head to the left, We crept
along the dark shores of Partridge Island ly-
ing to the right of the st. John river mouth,
which forms the real harbor. turned sharply
to the left, sweeping past the Beacon light,
and then slowly crept up to the city wharves
but a little distance beyond.
To the left lay Carleton, with grim Martel-
10 Tower on the Heights behind. To the
right stood the olden city upon her lefty
lodges. Nearer the sea were the pleasant
slopes and barracks of the Military Grounds.
And far up the river mouth, along where in
the dim rays stood the little fort in which
that truest of wives and bravest of women,
the unfortunate Madame La Tour, SO grand
ly defended her home and treasure from the
treacherous D'Aulnay, was twinkling vista
of vessel lights, the fire fly flash of ferries.
and the low water line of lights, which
traced the circling sweep of the city around
the rivers bend to the northwest. High
upon the citys heights shadowy outlines of
cathedrals, far reaching spires and huge
structures, taking on added loftiness and
seeming from the night and our sohooner's
low lying upon the waters surface as the
great tide was out, traced cumbrous silhou-
cites against the sky; the whole with the
myriad city and harbor lights, tier on tier
below, from our point of vision, like some
mighty, mystic fortress made brilliant by
| countless tiny bsacons hung upon massive
walls, as if in celebration of some medieval
| victory.
Creeping through and between the dark
| craft OF the harbor, but little time WAS given
| for study of this hne night spectacle before
our schooner had bumped against the mud
of the rivers edge and the Shiny base of the
great piers looming grim and silent above;
and in twinkling we had made fast precise
| ly where history asserts De Monts and Cham
plain landed on st. Johns day June 24th)
| 1904; where, on May 18th, 1888, the five
thousand self exiled ''Uuited Empire Loyal
lists" who could not endure the new Ameri-
| can republic, were set ashore on more con-
genial soil by the British feet; and where, as
tradition obligingly confesses, was once the
Menagwes of the ancient Micmacs, and neal
| which the divine Glooscap, the aborigines
envoy from the Great Spirit, had his mystic
home before removing his domain TO the is
land of Grand Manan. ALI this being Inn
pressively true, we set about the perilous as
| cent of q st. John wharf when the tide 1s
| out, an affair requiring no little bravery and
dexterity; and this being finally accom-
| plished, we came of sudden from the
depths below to the very center OF the night
light and brightness of the pleasant old
town; and secured a supper which in every
detail of service, cuisine and quaint sur
| roundines was an exact counterpart of the
same had it been found in any one of the
| rare and winsome chop houses OF Liverpool
or old London itself.
st. John appeals to the historic and rumi
native mind strongly: Nearly three centu
ries of lights and shades brighten and wrin
kle her sturdy old visage. In the formative
time when France and England sought add
| ed hurts for each other this side of the ses
stirring days were hers. In the revolutions
~ era she was the storehouse Of trans-Atlan
tic English power, the initiative point from
| which sally and sortie were made, and those
days left their mark upon her. She has
| thriyen upon war and suffered from re.
prieve. A depot from whence the greatest
| stores of pine have been sent to all coun-
tries, the savage hordes from behind thu
pines have more than once fallen rslentlesslJ
upon her. Sitting at the very threshold of &
mighty foreign pewer, for every information
| al dispute she has been first to suffer from
patriotism and pillage. And somehow ont
| can trace the consciousness of much of thii
in the faces of the people. They are, as i
were, the outposts of Great Britain, alert fo
feint or attack, eternally on guard for affron
or detraction, ever ready with all sorts O.
| brave and repellant measures, and an hun
dred fold more keenly alive, for their yer.
| naarness to us, to provincial and State patri
otism than all the sluggish mercenaries in al
Canada behind her. This impresses the visi
tor deeply. It may cause smile behin'
your eyes, but you cannot help liking then
all for their good spirit and unnesessar
downright pluck.
Behind all this there also lie rare sturdi
ness and ruggedness that show in form, ply
sique aad' carriage. They are q splendi
people here. There is certain dignit
1
than with any English in England. An
what is better they are truly kind hearte
| and polite. used to know, q quarter of
century ago, some of those grand old Hud
, son Bay company's factors; and fine fellow
they were-brave, cultured, chiyalrous, ger
. tie and good, but with roaring sort of wa
with them that suggested the entrancin
Manitoban Indian summer with a lurkinE
, bowling blizzard element beneath Thea
} | are like them. Climate has had to do wit
, | it; true culture of brain and Drawn NOR
They are near enough to the States to be en-
ulative; far enough from England to abhc
. incivility. They-and all New Brunswic
, foIk-are less pretentious than we; more to-
) Grant than others of their nationality. ]
all that makes sociologic distinction thes
? people are immeasurably better than En-,
9 lishmen, and infinitely less the time servel
t and snobs than some Americans. I shoul
a say they had got further away from the EnI
land we profess to condemn than many of /,
whose cheeks should flame for our Cockne
apings; that they were in moderation, lev
= headedness, clean culture and in the freedol
o from feverish ambitions and vanities, far
il advance of most of our communities; tn
= they possessed the best of old world equ
4 poise and conservatism and of new world v
: rility; and that If by any good fortune of d
3 plomacy or war their country should beeon
our country, we would secure fine bit
possession, g. as admirable class of pc
" pie as are noA within our farthest bound
= ries.
!. The common thought regarding Nc
!, Brunswick is that 1t is . far away, steri
y spot. It's coast lines on the Bay of Fund
= Northumberland strait, the Gulf of St. La
> rence and the Bay Of Chaleurs are frequer