| Title: | Robert Peel Dawson, Quebec to his parents. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2100 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Peel Dawson, Robert/97 |
| Year | 1838 |
| Sender | Peel Dawson, Robert |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | army officer |
| Sender Religion | Protestant |
| Origin | Quebec, Canada |
| Destination | Ireland |
| Recipient | |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | son-parents |
| Source | T 850/1: Obtained from Mrs Brackenbury, Moyola Park, Castledawson, Co. Londonderry. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 8950007 |
| Date | 24/08/1838 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 25:10:1993. |
| Word Count | 2455 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Quebec, August 24th, 1838. My dearest Parents, I have been absent from Quebec a month. On my return here I found several letters from you. I was shocked to hear of the loss we have sustained. I hope my Father has by this time recovered from the misery he must have felt at the death of the nearest and dearest tie on earth - a Mother. In the middle of July I got a month's leave of absence and most fortunately Leicester, Jodrell, Goulbourn, Percy and myself of the Grenadiers and Boyle & Tollemache of the Coldstream Guards composed the party. During the month we travelled fifteen hundred miles and not a single event occurred that did not contribute to the enjoyment and amusement of the Tour. Our destination was the Falls of Niagara. We left Quebec by a steamer for Montreal on Monday the 16th of July. The distance between these towns is 180 miles and the stream of the St. Lawrence being very strong, we did not reach Montreal till Wednesday morning. The North American Steam Packets are built on a different principle to ours. They have always two sets of Engines and Boilers - two chimneys. They consequently pass through the water more expeditiously than ours do, and with less motion. The cause of our lengthened passage was the number of vessels we had in tow, the steamers are much more convenient than ours and the eatables provided on board are of the best description comprising even the delicacies of the Season. Between the towns of Quebec and Montreal, the river St. Lawrence is on an average two miles in breadth. The banks are as you proceed upwards assume a more cultivated appearance but lose height and grandeur. The part which is most interesting is that where the River St. Lawrence forms itself into a lake called St. Pierre. It is as large as Lough Neah [Neagh?]. There are several islands upon it which add to its beauty. The only Towns of importance between Quebec and Montreal are Three Rivers and Sorel (formerly called William Henry and so often mentioned in the Last of the Mohicans). We remained two hours in each Town. Wednesday morning we anchored at the Wharf of Montreal and immediately disembarked. The Streets of Montreal are well paved and generally exceed in cleanliness and regularity those of Quebec. The town is larger, though the population is not greater than that of Quebec. But there is more attraction, more bustle, and the inhabitants are better looking, more lively and more agreeable. There are some good shops in the Rue Notre Dame and in the other principal streets. The Roman Catholic Cathedral is the only thing of the kind in British North America and is a specimen of the taste & generosity of the Roman Catholics who built it at their own expense. We dined each day that we remained in Montreal at the Messes of the different Regiments quartered there and so we did at every other place we stopped. One advantage of belonging to the English Army is the Free Masonry which exists in all its branches. Every Regiment we met with, vied with each other in shewing [showing?] us hospitality & civility. We dined at Montreal with the 7th Hussars and 1st Royals. From Montreal to Prescott the St. Lawrence is so dangerous for navigation that we were obliged to go part of the way by water, part by #PAGE 2 land. You will be able to trace upon a map our journey. I will put down the places we stopped at and our mode of travelling to them. Miles Montreal to Lachine by land 9 Lachine to Cascades by Steam 24 Cascades to Coteau du Lac by land 16 Coteau to Cornwall via St. Regis, an Indian village by steam 41 Cornwall to the Long Sault Rapids by land 12 Long Sault to Prescott by Steam 38 _____ 140 Miles _____ The land conveyance is a very indescript kind of omnibus and over the corduroy roads not a little jolting and very slow in progress. The scenery on Lakes St. Lewis & St. Francis is uncommonly grand. The luxuriance of the foliage & extreme generosity of the soil surprised me. We visited Mr Ellice's place Beauharnois. Its situation is its chief beauty. During the night Lake St. Francis presented a curious appearance. The whole face was covered with lights proceeding from the Canoes of the fishermen which they carry to attract the fish to the surface to enable them to spear them. The lights looked like glow worms. In the morning we found English land on one side, land belonging to other states opposite. We stopped at several Yankee towns during the day and took in more passengers from the Foreign than the Canadian side. Ogdensburgh was one of the chief towns we stopped at. At the Cascades we entered Upper Canada & then a great change takes place in the appearance of the Country. Upper Canada is entirely inhabited by Settlers from England, Scotland & Ireland and looks civilised as our own dear land. The wildness and also rugged grandeur of the Lower Province is no longer seen. We passed the regularly built towns of Brockville, Prescott, Maitland (called after Sir Peregrine Maitland). About fifteen miles from Brockville we came in sight of the Lake of the one Thousand Islands, the most beautiful part of the river. In the short space of forty miles the River St. Lawrence is studded with islands covered with woods to the number of 1680, according to the survey made in the year 1831. They are of different sizes and shapes and the channel through which the River (here three miles in breadth) winds itself, renders the scene curious and pretty. The Islands are equally divided between our Government & that of the States. In Wells Island the notorious Bill Johnston, the Pirate & Burner of the Sir Robert Peel Steamer establishes himself. He cruises amongst these islands and is the terror of them all. A few strokes of the oar takes him into American Water where we cannot touch him. It is a place admirably adapted for Piracy & the steamers have always arms on board, this part of the Country is so disaffected. Immediately after leaving these Islands we reached Kingston, situated on Lake Ontario, the second town of importance in Upper Canada. We remained here one day but there was little to be seen & we determined to journey over the lake the next morning. It is 250 miles #PAGE 3 long and 60 broad & possesses every feature of a large sea. The steamer which conveyed us was called the Great Britain, she belonged to the English Government and is the largest in this quarter of the globe, with the exception of the Great Western & the Sirius. We went at the rate of fourteen miles an hour. We stopped six hours at the Yankee Town of Osuego. It is an imposing place & has a reading room in which I first read the account of Queen Victoria's Coronation. In the morning a little bay which was pointed out to us in the horizon afforded us the first view of the Niagara River. we soon passed through the narrow opening and saw the Standards of England & the United States flying from two Forts on each side of the River scarcely a musket shot distance. The Niagara is not nearly so broad as the St. Lawrence, but is evidently a continuous chain of the same great river. The adverse banks seemed to vie with each other in the profusion and luxuriance of their forest lands. In a course of seven miles we found ourselves at Queenston where we finally left the Steamer, further navigation being impossible, the waters are so disturbed by the Grand Falls though yet so distant. Queenston is exactly opposite the American town of Lewiston, the hotbed of Yankee bad feeling. It is celebrated for the battle which took place there in the late war & in which Sir T. Brock whilst charging up the Queenston heights, fell. A monument is erected in honour of the day & to his memory. We stopped to look at it though we were burning with impatience to see the "Great Falls". We sent on our baggage and walked to the place of our destination. How shall I describe our sensation when we first saw this stupendous fancy of Nature - We were lost in wonder and delight. At the height of one hundred and eighty feet the water rolls down in an immense body. The English Fall is in the shape of a Horse-shoe and goes by that name. It is the most imposing side of the Falls. On a right angle with it is Goat Island, part of the American Territory & then the American Fall, equally high & perpendicular as the other but not so broad or rugged. The front is uniformly horizontal, and the Water reaches the edge of the Precipice without excavating the bed of the river as it does on the English side. There is a small Island on the left side of the American Fall which divides the channel of the River into two parts, but one is five times the size of the other. The Falls of Niagara are distant about 1300 miles from Cape Roziere the entrance of the River St. Lawrence from the Gulph [gulf?] and 600 from Quebec. The shoot of Water comes down from the Horse-Shoe Fall with such rapidity and from such a height that a cavern is formed behind the Cascade extending about one fourth of the breadth of the sheet of Water. There is a rock called Termination Rock (you can go no further) which is difficult to attain on account of the Spray & Wind which prevent your seeing your way easily. There is a Certificate given to those who penetrate so far. I enclose you mine. Niagara Falls, U.C. [Upper Canada?] This is to certify that Robert Peel Dawson Grenadier Guards #PAGE 4 has passed behind the great falling sheet of Water to Termination Rock, 1st of August, 1838 Isaiah Harkin During our stay at Niagara we visited Navy Island and Buffalo, an American town 25 miles distant on Lake Erie. There is a good rail-road to it from the Falls. We were anxious to see the Liverpool of the United States though the Authorities in these uncertain times had forbidden English people to go there from the Falls. It is an excellent Town, full of places of amusement and with an air of bustle and commerce in it. We went to the English Town of Niagara, about fifteen miles distant from the Falls to witness the Execution of Morreau, the Hero of the Rebels at Short Hills. A rescue was expected. Jack Ketch levanted an hour before that fixed for the execution and so unpopular was the Office considered that though one hundred pounds were offered no one would undertake it. The Sheriff drew the bolt himself and to secure immediate death, caused the rope to be eighteen feet in length. The fall from such a height nearly severed the head from the body We were admitted inside the Court. I was close to Morreau and could have touched his legs when he was dead. The face was not covered, he died bravely and as a Man. We remained a week at Niagara and had the good fortune to see a severe storm. It occurred at midnight and the effect of the lightning upon the Falls was curious and grand. The Hotel faces the Falls. A short day's journey over the Lake took us to Toronto (formerly called York) the Capital of Upper Canada. We spent three very pleasant days there. It is a nice Town and has a fine Park in its neighbourhood. I should rather reside in Toronto than any Town I have seen in America. To vary our route we took the steamer to Coburg and from thence by land to Bathville at the top of the Bay of Quinty. We made this detour to enable us to see the scenery on the Bay which is justly admired. This part of the Country contains many Irish settlers and I met with many who knew Magherafelt, Moneymore & Castledawson. We were a whole day in going down the Bay of Quinty (and slept at Kingston). We thought of going by the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River, but there was no steamer going for three days & we could not wait. We had fixed to spend some time at Montreal on our return, and as it is much easier to go down than up the River we performed this part of our journey very expeditiously. When we arrived at les Cascades thirty miles from Montreal, we found that the Steamboat which was to have taken us to the other side of Lake St. Lewis gone. Leicester and myself determined not to lose a day and we took a boat and man to carry us across the Lake. The man who had secured a bottle whiskey got very tipsy and nearly upset us, he steered so badly. We pulled as well as we could, but we were uncertain whether or not we were in the right direction, we were out of sight of land. We at last saw a light and fortunately it proceeded from Lachine, the place we were making for. The boatman was asleep & we were glad to leave him & find ourselves on shore. We walked to Montreal (nine miles) and arrived there at four o'clock in the morning. Our companions followed us the next day In the district of #PAGE 5 Niagara we had seen a good deal of the Yankees and had had many opportunities of judging of their characters. The men are proud, vulgar, envious, but unless offence is given to them, not, I think, quarrelsome. They have evidently a great respect for England & the English but they do not like to avow it. Their jealously they cannot conceal. The women are very handsome but still more vulgar than the men. They like admiration & deserve it more than any females I have seen except the English. We returned to Quebec at the expiration of our month's leave, delighted with our Tour. I am become more reconciled to Quebec, the country around it is beautiful and the society of my Brother Officers most agreeable to me. The separation from those I best love is the great drawback to my happiness. God bless you all. Believe me, my dearest Father and my own Mamma, ever your most affecte [affectionate?] Son, Robert Peel Dawson |
