the canadian dominion-第9章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


n　attacks；　of　Stony　Creek　and　Lundy's　Lane；　Chrystler's　Farm　and　Chateauguay；　the　memory　of　sacrifice；　of　endurance；　and　of　courage　that　did　not　count　the　odds。

Nor　were　the　evil　legacies　to　last　for　all　time。　Three　years　after　peace　had　been　made　the　statesmen　of　the　United　States　and　of　Great　Britain　had　the　uncommon　sense　to　take　a　great　step　toward　banishing　war　between　the　neighbor　peoples。　The　Rush…Bagot　Convention；　limiting　the　naval　armament　on　the　Great　Lakes　to　three　vessels　not　exceeding　one　hundred　tons　each；　and　armed　only　with　one　eighteen…pounder；　though　not　always　observed　in　the　letter；　proved　the　beginning　of　a　sane　relationship　which　has　lasted　for　a　century。　Had　not　this　agreement　nipped　naval　rivalry　in　the　bud；　fleets　and　forts　might　have　lined　the　shores　and　increased　the　strain　of　policy　and　the　likelihood　of　conflict。　The　New　World　was　already　preparing　to　sound　its　message　to　the　Old。



CHAPTER　II。　THE　FIGHT　FOR　SELF…GOVERNMENT

The　history　of　British　North　America　in　the　quarter　of　a　century　that　followed　the　War　of　1812　is　in　the　main　the　homely　tale　of　pioneer　life。　Slowly　little　clearings　in　the　vast　forest　were　widened　and　won　to　order　and　abundance；　slowly　community　was　linked　to　community；　and　out　of　the　growing　intercourse　there　developed　the　complex　of　ways　and　habits　and　interests　that　make　up　the　everyday　life　of　a　people。

All　the　provinces　called　for　settlers；　and　they　did　not　call　in　vain。　For　a　time　northern　New　England　continued　to　overflow　into　the　Eastern　Townships　of　Lower　Canada；　the　rolling　lands　south　of　the　St。　Lawrence　which　had　been　left　untouched　by　riverbound　seigneur　and　habitant。　Into　Upper　Canada；　as　well；　many　individual　immigrants　came　from　the　south；　some　of　the　best　the　Republic　had　to　give；　merchants　and　manufacturers　with　little　capital　but　much　shrewd　enterprise；　but　also　some　it　could　best　spare；　fugitives　from　justice　and　keepers　of　the　taverns　that　adorned　every　four　corners。　Yet　slowly　this　inflow　slackened。　After　the　war　the　Canadian　authorities　sought　to　avoid　republican　contagion　and　moreover　the　West　of　the　United　States　itself　was　calling　for　men。

But　if　fewer　came　in　across　the　border；　many　more　sailed　from　across　the　seas。　Not　again　until　the　twentieth　century　were　the　northern　provinces　to　receive　so　large　a　share　of　British　emigrants　as　came　across　in　the　twenties　and　thirties。　Swarms　were　preparing　to　leave　the　overcrowded　British　hives。　Corn　laws　and　poor　laws　and　famine；　power…driven　looms　that　starved　the　cottage　weaver；　peace　that　threw　an　army　on　a　crowded　and　callous　labor　market；　landlords　who　rack…rented　the　Connaughtman's　last　potato　or　cleared　Highland　glens　of　folks　to　make　way　for　sheep；　rulers　who　persisted　in　denying　the　masses　any　voice　in　their　own　governmentall　these　combined　to　drive　men　forth　in　tens　of　thousands。　Australia　was　still　a　land　of　convict　settlements　and　did　not　attract　free　men。　To　most　the　United　States　was　the　land　of　promise。　Yet；　thanks　to　state　aid；　private　philanthropy；　landlords'　urging　and　cheap　fares　on　the　ships　that　came　to　St。　John　and　Quebec　for　timber；　Canada　and　the　provinces　by　the　sea　received　a　notable　share。　In　the　quarter　of　a　century　following　the　peace　with　Napoleon；　British　North　America　received　more　British　emigrants　than　the　United　States　and　the　Australian　colonies　together；　though　many　were　merely　birds　of　passage。

The　country　west　of　the　Great　Lakes　did　not　share　in　this　flood　of　settlement；　except　for　one　tragic　interlude。　Lord　Selkirk；　a　Scotchman　of　large　sympathy　and　vision；　convinced　that　emigration　was　the　cure　for　the　hopeless　misery　he　saw　around　him；　acquired　a　controlling　interest　in　the　Hudson's　Bay　Company；　and　sought　to　plant　colonies　in　a　vast　estate　granted　from　its　domains。　Between　1811　and　1815　he　sent　out　to　Hudson　Bay；　and　thence　to　the　Red　River；　two　or　three　hundred　crofters　from　the　Highlands　and　the　Orkneys。　A　little　later　these　were　joined　by　some　Swiss　soldiers　of　fortune　who　had　fought　for　Canada　in　the　War　of　1812。　But　Selkirk　had　reckoned　without　the　partners　of　the　North…West　Company　of　Montreal；　who　were　not　prepared　to　permit　mere　herders　and　tillers　to　disturb　the　Indians　and　the　game。　The　Nor'Westers　attacked　the　helpless　colonists　and　massacred　a　score　of　them。　Selkirk　retorted　in　kind；　leading　out　an　armed　band　which　seized　the　Nor'Westers'　chief　post　at　Fort　William。　The　war　was　then　transferred　to　the　courts；　with　heart…breaking　delays　and　endless　expense。　At　last　Selkirk　died　broken　in　spirit；　and　most　of　his　colonists　drifted　to　Canada　or　across　the　border。　But　a　handful　held　on；　and　for　fifty　years　their　little　settlement　on　the　Red　River　remained　a　solitary　outpost　of　colonization。


Once　arrived　in　Canada；　the　settler　soon　found　that　he　had　no　primrose　path　before　him。　Canada　remained　for　many　years　a　land　of　struggling　pioneers；　who　had　little　truck　or　trade　with　the　world　out　of　sight　of　their　log　shacks。　The　habitant　on　the　seigneuries　of　Lower　Canada　continued　to　farm　as　his　grandfather　had　farmed；　finding　his　holding　sufficient　for　his　modest　needs；　even　though　divided　into　ever　narrower　ribbons　as　le　bon　Dieu　sent　more　and　yet　more　sons　to　share　the　heritage。　The　English…speaking　settler；　equipped　with　ax　and　sickle　and　flail；　with　spinning　wheel　and　iron　kettle；　lived　a　life　almost　equally　primitive　and　self…contained。　He　and　his　good　wife　grew　the　wheat；　the　corn；　and　the　potatoes；　made　the　soap　and　the　candles；　the　maple　sugar　and　the　〃yarbs；〃　the　deerskin　shoes　and　the　homespun…cloth　that　met　their　needs。　They　had　little　to　buy　and　little　to　sell。　In　spite　of　the　preference　which　Great　Britain　gave　Canadian　grain；　in　return　for　the　preference　exacted　on　British　manufactured　goods；　practically　no　wheat　was　exported　until　the　close　of　this　period。　The　barrels　of　potash　and　pearl…　ash　leached　out　from　the　ashes　of　the　splendid　hardwood　trees　which　he　burned　as　enemies　were　the　chief　source　of　ready　money　for　the　backwoods　settler。　The　one　substantial　export　of　the　colonies　came；　not　from　the　farmer's　clearing；　but　from　the　forest。　Great　rafts　of　square　pine　timber　were　floated　down　the　Ottawa　or　the　St。　John　every　spring　to　be　loaded　for　England。　The　lumberjack　lent　picturesqueness　to　the　landscape　and　the　vocabulary　and　circulated　ready　money；　but　his　industry　did　little　directly　to　advance　permanent　settlement　or　the　wise　use　of　Canadian　resources。

The　self…contained　life　of　each　community　and　each　farm　pointed　to　the　lack　of　good　means　of　transport。　New　Brunswick　and　the　Canadas　were　fortunate　in　the　possession　of　great　lake　and　river　systems；　but　these　were　available　only　in　summer　and　were　often　impeded　by　falls　and　rapids。　On　these　waters　the　Indian　bark　canoe　had　given　way　to　the　French　bateau；　a　square…rigged　flat…　bottomed　boat；　and　after　the　war　the　bateau　shared　the　honors　with　the　larger　Durham　boat　brought　in　from　〃the　States。〃

Canadians　took　their　full　share　in　developing　steamship　transportation。　In　1809；　two　years　after　Fulton's　success　on　the　Hudson；　John　Molson　built　and　ran　a　steamer　between　Montreal　and　Quebec。　The　first　vessel　to　cross　the　Atlantic　wholly　under　steam；　the　Royal　William；　was　built　in　Quebec　and　sailed　from　that　port　in　1833。　Following　and　rivaling　American　enterprise；　side…wheelers；　marvels　of　speed　and　luxury　for　the　day；　were　put　on　the　lakes　in　the　thirties。　Canals　were　built；　the　Lachine　in　1821…25；　the　Welland　around　Niagara　Falls　in　1824…29；　and　the　Rideau；　as　a　military　undertaking；　in　1826…32；　all　in　response　to　the　stimulus　given　by　De　Witt　Clinton；　who　had　begun　the　〃Erie　Ditch〃　in　1817。　On　land；　road　making　made　slower　progress。　The　blazed　trail　gave　way　to　the　corduroy　road；　and　the　pack　horse　to　the　oxcart　or　the　stage。　Upper　Canada　had　the　honor　of　inventing；　in　1835；　the　plank　road；　which　for　some　years　thereafter　became　the　fashion　through　the　forested　States　to　the　south。　But　at　best　neither　roads　nor　vehicles　were　fitted　for　carrying　large　loads　from　inland　farms　to　waterside　markets。

Money　and　banks　were　as　necessary　to　develop　intercourse　as　roads　and　canals。　Until　after　the　War　of　1812；　when　army　gold　and　army　bills　ran　freely；　money　was　rare　and　barter　served　pio