| Title: | Samuel Bruce Junior, Mingan, Quebec, to James Bruce, Belfast. |
|---|---|
| ID | 373 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Bruce, Samuel Jr/6 |
| Year | 1862 |
| Sender | Bruce, Samuel Jr |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | fisherman & hunter |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Quebec, Canada |
| Destination | Belfast, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Bruce, James |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | T2919/1/29: Copied by Permission of Michael R. Bruce, Corriewood, Castlewellan |
| Archive | The Public Record office, Northern Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9501039 |
| Date | 23/06/1862 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT/JW, 05:01:1995. |
| Word Count | 1623 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: James [Bruce?] [Belfast?] [County Antrim?] [Ireland?] From: Samuel Bruce, Junior Camp on the River Mingan, Quebec, Canada Camp on the River Mingan. June 23rd. (1862). My dear James, I have an opportunity of sending a letter tomorrow by the Hudson's Bay schooner which is going from their Fort here to Quebec. My last letter to you was very hurried and I was not able in it to give you a very full account of my arrangements, but I can do so now much better than before and tell you how I am settled and what sort of life I had. I will begin at when I left Quebec which I did in a steamer along with Dr. Adamson's party on Tuesday 10th. She brought us to Moisic [Moisie?], a fishing station on the coast 100 miles from this, having first dropped Dr. A. [Adamson?] and his party at Goodbout [Godbout?] which is their river. The way we managed about getting the steamer to come on to Moisic [Moisie?] was that the Crown Land Fisheries Surveyor was on board and indeed it was through him we managed to get here at all. He is a very decent fellow and after he has done his business at Moisic [Moisie?] I am in hopes he may come on and join me here. I have also the chance of another man joining me, which I think I told you of, a Captain Howson of the Canadian Rifles, a friend of Dr A's [Adamson?] and who is sure to join me if he can get a schooner coming down. Dr. A. [Adamson?] says he is a capital fellow and a first-rate fisherman. If neither of these men come I am alone for all time I will be here, unless Ld. [Lord?] Monk comes down; I think I told you that this river is reserved for him, but he sent a message to me before I left Quebec that I was welcome to fish it as much as I like till he comes and the A.D.C. [Aid De Camp?], who told me this said, and when he does come, which is doubtful. the first thing he will do will be to ask you to join his party, so now you know all about that part of the case. I had great difficulty in geting on to Mingan from Moisic [Moisie?]. I could not get a schooner to run me down at any price so I had nothing for it but to wait for the B.B.Co.'s [Hudson Bay Company's?] schooner which - left Quebec the same day we did in the steamer and which was to call for me at Moisic if I wanted it. So I had to stay at Moisic with a Mr. Holiday a very good sort of man who has the net fishing of the river and has a lot of cod fishing boats also; the Crown Land man introduced me to him and with the usual hospitality of all the people living in these uncivilised regions he made me welcome to stay at his house as long as might be convenient to myself. However a chance turned up sooner than we expected and after having been 4 days with him I got a passage down to Mingan in a schooner which was going to bring up some of the shipwrecked goods saved from the North Britain and I got to the Hudson's Bay Port, about 4 miles form this the next day (Tuesday 17th). I had sent my letter to the head office at Montreal and had got a very civil reply from the Chief Factor there, enclosing a letter for me to the Mingan post but telling me that the chief of the Post was in Montreal and was going down in the schooner and would call on me in Quebec, which he did and offered me a passage in the schooner, but as I was going in the steamer I did not accept it. But he promised as I said before to call for me at Moisic [Moisie?] if I had not got on it the meantime. He also gave me back my leter to him with a line to the officer in charge of the post to act on it as if he was there, which he did, (indeed no letter of introduction could have been better, for it said that I Was come out from England with letters commending me to their care and that the officers at Mingan & all the officers of the Co. must endeavour to make my visit to Canada as agreeable to me as possible). Well the officer at the Fort got a lot of men and got all my traps carried across a narow strip of land to the river, and by doing so saved me 6 miles going round by the mouth of it, and then sent up a boat with heavy things, I going on before in my own boat to get my tent pitched so that on the evg. [evening?] of Tuesday 17th June I commenced camping out. I need not describe the river and the situation of my camp to you as I have done so to Robert and I am sure he will show you that part of my letter to him, but I may say that it is in as beautiful situation as can be and the river is spendid, both for scenery and appearance of salmon, but I am too soon for fishing yet, as the fish are very seldom up this river till the 25th (day after tomorrow) and then they come in shoals. Prince Alfred last year within 50 yards of my camp hooked 20 salmon one morning before breakfast and he can not fish a bit they say. But I must now give you description of camp arrangements &c. And I will commence by saying that if I had known as much before as I know now I would not have done the thing in half as expensive a manner as I have, but I was guided altogether by Dr. Adamson, and never took into account that he was at the same thing every year and that what he had for one year would do for another, and also that he has a party and I am alone. My fishing tour alone cost me over £80; however my Far West trip will cost very little as I have every thing except horses and there is no way of carrying luxuries into the Prairies. My tent is as you know a simple one - a ridge pole suported on crossed poles at each end - and made to open behind and before. It is made of American cotton and lined with Calico, the same sort of striped stuff as window blinds are sometimes made of at home. It is 9 ft. long, 7 1/2 ft. high, 7 1/2 ft. broad. There is a coarse canvass [canvas?] floor cloth, and my bed is made of a strip of coarse canvass [canvas?] slung on two poles and resting on boxes at each end. This with a [supply?] of blankets makes my bed and very comfortable it is. I have an old rough table left here by Prince Alfred last year and a box makes a chair. I have another tent for my men and stores and there is an old wigwam for cooking in. My principal stores are tea, sugar, coffee, chocolate, salt pork, corn beef, ham and tongues. I have some light claret, sherry, a lttle brandy in case of illness and a few bottles of whisky for the men. I have also a tremendous supply of biscuits and pickles, which latter I never touch; however there they are. My days are of course all much the same; I generally get up between 7 and 8 and go out to fish after breakfast. I sometimes take a cast before. I have had no salmon fishing yet; at least I killed one spent fish but that was nothing. I have however had some of the best white trout fishing I ever heard of; one day I killed 9 1/2 dozen of which 6 dozen were over 1lb., and about 4 dozen of 2lbs. Yesterday I killed 8 1/2 dozen and threw in evrything under 1lb. I suppose I threw in 10 dozen. The largest were over 3 lbs. I hope however in a few days to get lots of salmon fishing. I think I shall go over to the island of Anticosta [Anticosti?] for a few days before I go back to Quebec to shoot bears; they say there are lots there. Write soon and tell me all about what is going on at home, and tell me how things are going on a [at?] L.wood [Longwood?]. Is there any chance of Robert coming out for the winter; I think it would be fisrt-rate for him. I hear the hunting in the far west does not commence till Sept. [September?], so I will have lots of time to see about me before then. I suppose there is no hope of Jasper McAuley coming out. I must set off down the river to the Fort with this as hard as I can or I will be late for the schooner. I must begin the circular letter system or I will never get on at all, for I never know when I have told everything in the same letter or not; however Robt.[Robert?] will I suppose show my letter to him and between the two you will be able to make out pretty well what I am about. Give my love to all the Farm people & to Wm.[William?] Robt.[Robert?] Mention Sam when you write. Have you got a horse yet? Goodbye; your affectionate brother Saml [Samuel?] Bruce jun [junior?] You had better direct after this care of Edwd [Edward?] M. Hopkins esq., Hudson's Bay Co. Place d'Armes, Montreal |
