ingly serviceable. "
At Sackets Harbor it was feared the British would cross
on the ice. On the 9th of March, 1813, General l)earl)orn, wiio
greatly feared a surprise, thus wrote to the secretaiy of war :
I have not yet had the honor of a visit from Sir G. Pre-
vost. His whole force is concenti'ated at Kingston, })robably
amounting to six or seven thousand, about three thousand of
whom are regular troops. The ice is good and we ex])ect him
every day and every measure for preventing a sui-prise is in
constant activity. The troops from Greenbush (upwards of
400) have arrived. I have heard nothing from Tike; he
128 WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS.
should have been here yesterday. I have sent three expresses
to meet him ; neither has returned. I have suspicions of the
express employed by the quartermaster-general to convey the
orders to Pike. The earliest measures were taken to convey a
duplicate of his orders. By the 13th, the apprehensions of at-
tack had nearly subsided, and General Dearborn again wrote :
From the most recent and probable information I have
obtained, I am induced to believe that Sir George Prevost
thinks it is too late to attack this place. He undoubtedly
meditated a coup-de-main against the shipping here. All the
apprehension is now at Kingston. Sir George has visited
York and Niagara and returned to Montreal. Several bodies
of troops have passed up from Montreal ; but such precautions
have been taken to })revent their number being ascertained, as
to render it impossible to form any accurate opinion of their
forces, or even to imagine very nearly what tliey amount to.
From various sources I am perfectly satisfied that they are not
in sufficient force to attack this place knowing, as they do,
that we have collected a fine body of troops from Greenbush
and Plattsburg and that the militia have been called in. We
are probably just strong enough on each side to defend, but
not in sufficient force to hazard an offensive movement. The
difference of attacking and being attacked, as it regards the
contiguous posts of Kingston and Sackets Harbor, can not be
estimated at less than three or four thousand men, arising
from the circumstance of militia acting only on the defensive.
Brigade orders : The unoffending citizens of Canada
are many of them our own countrymen, and the poor Cana-
dians have been forced into the Avar. Tlicir property, tliere-
fore, must be held sacred ; and any soldier who shall so far
neglect the honor of liis profession as be to guilty of plundering
the inhabitants, shall, if convicted, be punished with death.
WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS. 129
But the comniaiuliiig genoral assures the troops that sliouM
they capture a large quantity of public stores he will use his
best endeavors to procure them a reward from his govern-
ment.
On the 14th of June, 1813, Lieutenant Wolcott Chauncey
received orders from Commodore Chauncey to proceed on a
cruis(,', and having reached tlie vicinity of Presc^ue Isle, in the
schooner Lady of the Lake, on tlie morning of the 10th fell in
with and ca})tured the English schooner Lady Murray from
Kingston bound ior York, and laden with provisions, powder,
shot and tixed ammunitions. One ensign and fifteen privates,
belonging to the 41st and lOlth regiments, were taken. The
prize was taken into Sackets Harbor.
( )n the 2d of July a secret expedition was fitted out from
Kingston, with the design of firing the Pike and the naval
stores at Sackets Harbor in the night. On arriving at the
isthmus of Point Peninsula they drew their l)()ats .>ut and con-
cealed them in the bushes till circumstances might fa vor them,
but a deserter from tlieir lunuber having escaped to Sackets
Harbor, they returned back. Lpon receiving intelligence of
this, a force was sent to intercept the detachment, but without
success.
The Sylph, pierced for 24 guns but carrying 20. and
schooner-rigged, was built and ready fbr scrviic in thii'ty-
three days from the time her timbei- was growing.
On the night of .May 2."), 1S14. Lieutenant Du.llcy with
two guard l)oats fell in with three of the enemy's in the hay.
who were haih'd, hut not heing pi'operly answered, were tiivd
upon when the hitter lied. .\ reiiitbrcenient was hastily ..h-
tained but nothing was seen or found oi'the enemy except six
130 WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS.
barrels of powder, slung in pairs to be carried on the shoulders
of men, and doubtless intended to fire our vessels stealthily.
This accounted for their hasty retreat when fired upon, for
fear of accidental explosion. This insidious plan of the enemj'
could scarcely have succeeded, as, l)esi(U^s two lines of guard
boats, all the approaches were secured ])y booms, and a marine
guard boat and numerous sentinels were posted near. The
guns of the Madison that was close to the stern of the Superior
were kept loaded with canister and bags of musket balls, to
rake under if necessary.
The M6]uiwk, a frigate of 44 guns, was lannclied at Sack-
ets Harbor, having been but 34 days in building. The indomit-
able Mr. Henry Eckford, the energetic shipbuilder, who directed
this department, acquired a large fortune in the war, but was
subsequently reduced by some stock oi)erations. He died at
Constantinople, November 12, 1831, where for several years,
he had been chief director of the dock yards in the Turkish
Empire. No higher compliments to his talents could be paid
than that of the sultan, who, in s])eaking of him said tliat
America must be great, if it could si)are such men as Eck-
ford.
On the 9th of August, Al)ram Shoemaker, with liis brother
and a Mr. Sergeant, in a boat, bound from Oswego to S;!ckets
Harbor, was attacked off Stony Point by a British barge, un-
der a lieutenant of marines, and after a valiant resistance was
captured. After securing the prize, the lieutenant sent all his
men to join another boat's crew, except four, which number
he deemed sufficient to secure her. Seizing a propci- moment,
and without waiting for a concerted signal, Shoemaker pushed
the lieutenant overboai'd, knocked down a sailor, and, calling
upon his comrades to help, soon found himself the master of
WARS AND RUMOKS OF WARS. 131
the boat, but severely wounded l)y a cutlass. Tlie niovcincnt
being seen by the other boat, they were obliged to al»an(h)n
their prize, but succeeded in reaching Sackets Harl)or in a
small boat.
Great a|)[)rehensions were felt for the safety of thi' Ilii-bor,
which led to an application to the executive for aid. ("olonel
A\'ashington Irving, aid-de-camp to the governor, arrived at
this station October 5, 1814, with orders to the commanding
officer to make such requisitions on tlie militia as he might
deem necessary. After consultation with (olonel jNIitcliell,
General Collins called the militia, en masse, fi'om the connties
of Herkimer, Oneida, Lewis and Jclferson. The two former
produced about 2,o00 men, the latter not more than KlO,
which made the force at the harbor between five and six thou-
sand men. Great difficulty was experienced tVoiri the want
of suitable Cjuarters for so great a body. Many were (piai -
tered in dwellings and barns, and from twenty to thirty were
often assigned to a single room. The discomforts attending
these accommodations very naturally e.xcited uneasiness, and
at the expiration of the draft, it was appivhendi'd that the mi-
litia would be with ditficulty prevented from going home, and
that it would become necessary to supi)ly their places with
regulars. The aj)prehensions were not justified by th<' events
that followed, and the militia were allowed to return home.
Two frigates of the largest class, one on Navy Point,
in Sackets Harbor, to be called the New Orleans, and
anotlier of the same class at Storr's llarboi-. faither u|i the
bay, to be called the Chij)pevva, were begun and their iiulls
pai'tly completed, when the news of peace put a stop to the
war.
Up the St. Lawrence, 1796.
Mr. Isaac Weld, an Irish refugee, as he was leaving Mon-
treal in September, 1796, for a journey up the St. Lawrence,
had as his first concern to provide a large tent and some camp
e(juipage, buffalo skins, a store of dried provisions, kegs of
brandy and wine, and, in short, to make every usual and nec-
essary preparation for the journey. Except for about fifty
miles, there were roads and scattered settlements at no great
distance from each other all the way up to Kingston ; but no
one ever thought of going by land, as there would be great
difficulty in hiring horses and in crossing streams without
l)ridges, says Dr. Hough.
The bateaux were never laden until the boats had been
got up the Lachine Rapids. Three men could take an empty
boat of two tons up these first rapids, keeping as close as pos-
sible to the shore and using poles, oars and sails, as found
most advantageous. 7t was a very laborious task ; but from
long observation they had been able to find places some times
half a mile or in others two or three miles apart, where they
could take breatb. I^aeh of these places the boatmen called
" nue pipe, " because tliey were there allowed to fill their pipes,
and this term had come to be a sort of itinerary measure, as,
UP THE ST. LAWREXCE, 170G. 133
such a place is - three pipes off. " The '• pipe " was about
equal on an average to three-quarters of an English mile.
The passage up the rapids was so tedious that travelers
often proceeded on fbot, by the roads along the n..rth s]i„re.
Coming up from Lower Canada in 'midsunnner, by the
tedious water passage, which had tlum been sonn-what re-
lieved by canals and locks for bateaux, he iioticr.I, as lie
reached the level of lake navigation, enormous flocks ..f pig-
eons, "which during particular years come down frcm tl'c
northern regions in flights that it i.s marvellous to tell of "
Weld's description of the voyage to Kingston is as fol-
lows : The current of the St. Lawrence from Oswegatchie up-
wards is much more gentle than in other parts between Mon-
treal and Lake Ontario, except only where the river is consid-
erably dilated as at Lakes St. Louis and St. Frances ; however,
notwithstanding its being so gentle we did not advance more
than twenty-five miles in the course of the day, owing to the
numerous stops that we made, more from motives of pleasure
than necessit}^ The evening was uncommonly fine and tow-
ards sunset a brisk gale sprang up, tlie conductor judged it
advisable to take advantage of it and to continue the voyage
all night, in order to make up for the lime we had lost during
the day.
We accordingly proceeded, but towaids midnight the wind
died away. This circumstance, liowcver, did not alter th,' de-
termination of the conduct(u-. The men wei-(> ordered to lh<"
oars and notwithstanding they had hahored hai'd during
the preceding day and had no ivst, yet they weiv kept closely
at work until daybreak, except foi' one hour, duiing which
they were allowed to stop to cook their j.iovisions.
Where there is a gentle current as in this j.art of the river
the Canadians will work at the oars many hours without in-
134 UP THE ST. LAWRENCE, 1796.
termission ; they seem to think it no hardship to he employed
in tliis instance the whole night ; on the contrary, they plied
as vigorously as if tliey had but just set out, singing merrily
the whole time. Tlie French Canadians have in general a
good ear for music and sing duets with tolerable accuracy.
They have one very favorite duet amongst them called the
" rowing duet, " which as they sing they mark time to with
each stroke of the oar ; indeed, when rowing in smooth water
they mark the time of most of the airs they sing in the same
manner.
AI)out eight o'clock the next and eighth morning of our
voyage, we entered the last before you come to that of On-
tario, called The Lake of a Thousand Islands, on account of
the muUiplicity of them, which it contains.
Many of these islands are scarcely larger than a bateaux,
and none of tliem, except such as are situated at the upper and
lower extremities of the lake, appearing to me to contain more
than fifteen English acres each. They are all covered with
wood even to the sn:iallest. The trees on these last are smaller
in their growth, but the larger islands produce as fine timber
as will 'bo found on the main shores of the lake. Many of
these islands are situated so closely together that it would be
easy to throw a pebble from one to the other. Notwithstand-
ing which circumstance, the passage between them is perfectly
safe and commodious for bateaux and between some of them
tliat are even thus close to each other is water sufficient for a
frigate. The water is uncommonly clear as it is in every part
of the river from Lake St. Francis upwards. Between that lake
and the I'tawas River downwards it is discolored, as 1 have
Ijcfore observed, by passing over Ijcds of marl.
The shores of all these islands under our notice are rocky,
most of them rise very boldly and some exhibit perpendicular
UP THE ST. LAWRENCE, 1706. 135
masses of rock towards tlie water, upwards of twenty fed liioh.
The scenery presented to view in passing between these ishnuls
is beautiful in the highest degree. Sometimes in passing
through a narrow strait you find yourself in a basin, hind-
locked on every side, that appears to have no (M.ininunicaticn
with the lake,except by the passage through wliieh you have
entered. You are looking about, perhaps, for an outlet to en-
able you to proceed, thinking at last to see some little channel
which will just admit your bateaux— when suddeidy an ex-
panded sheet of water opens upon you, whose l)Oundary is the
horizon alone. Again in a few minutes, you find yourself
land-locked, and again a spacious |)assage as suddenly pre-
sents itself; at other times, when in the middle of one of these
basins," between a cluster of islands, a dozen different cliannels,
like so many noble rivers, meet the eye, perhaj.s e(|nally un-
expectedly, and on each side the islands appear regularly I'e-
tiring till they sink from the sight in the distance.
Every minute during the passage of this lake, the |)ros-
pect varies. The numerous Indian hunting encam])nients on
the different islands, with the smoke of their tires rising uj)
between the trees, added considerably to the beauty of the
scenery as we passed through it. The Lake of the Thousand
Islands is twenty-five miles in length and about six in breadth.
From its upper end to Kingston, at which we arrived early in
the evening, the distance is fifteen miles.
The length of time requiied to ascend the Rivei- St. Law-
rence, from Montreal to Kingston, is eonunoniy found to be
about seven days. If the wind snould Im' siron- and very
favorable the passage may be pei-romied in a less inne; but
should it, on the contrary, be adverse. mikI blow \eiy strong,
the passage will be protracted somewhat longvi'. .\n adverse,
or favorable wind, however, seldom makes a dillerence of more
136 UP THE ST. LAWRENCE, 179G.
tliau three days in the length of the passage upwards, or in
each case it is necessary to work the bateaux along by means of
poles, for the greater part of the way. The passage downward
is performed in two or three days, according to the wind. The
current is so strong, that a contrary wind seldom lengthens
the passage in that direction more than a day.
Kingston, as seen by Mr. Weld, just before the beginning
of the present century, contained a fort, barracks for troops,
an Episcopal church, and about a hundred houses, mostly in-
habited by persons who had emigrated from the United States
at the close of the Revolutionar}^ war. Some of the houses
were of stone or brick, but for the most part they were ot
wood .
From sixty to one hundred soldiers were usually quar-
tered in the garrison. The town had a considerable amount
of trade, and was growing rapidly in size, the goods and
peltries of traders being here transferred from bateaux to
vessels. The principal merchants were mostly partners of
old-established houses in Montreal and Quebec, and the
stranger, especially if a British subject, was sure to meet a
most hospitable and friendly reception among them.
Kingston was then the principal station for shipbuilding
on the Lakes, and at that period, several decked merchant
vessels, schooners, and sloops, of from 50 to 200 tons each, and
numberless large sailing bateaux, were kept employed on Lake
Ontario. Tliere were then no vessels larger than bateaux owned
on the south side of the Lake, and the British vessels that plied
between Kingston and Niagara, rarely touched at any other
])lacc.
The heaviest item of ship-building at that period was iron,
which came from England, but great hoi)es were founded upon
UP THE ST. LAWREXCE, 1790. 137
the copper of the Lake Superior country, which was then
known to exist, but had not yet been worked to. much extent.
The estabhshed rate of passage across the Lake was tluMi
two guineas in the cabin, and one guinea in the steerage, in-
cluding board. Freight was 36 shilhngs Sterhng i)vr tun, or
nearly as much as then charged across the Atlantic.
Down the St. Lawrence, 1818.
John M. Diincjin in 1818 dosceiided the St. Lawrence,
and recorded his observations. Another day or two might
have been agreeably spent here, [at Kingston,] but October
was closing upon me, and I feared that frost might set in,
which would make traveling both difficult and disagreeable.
It was, therefore, with pleasure that I learned that some
bateaux were to go down the river the following morning,
and I did not fail to be at the w^ater side in time to secure a
passage by them. * * * The Durham boats of the St.
Lawrence are similar to those on the Mohawk. In smooth
water they use a sail or oars, but are forced up the rapids by
incessant and laborious exertions with the pole. They are
generally navigated by natives of the United States. The one
in which 1 sailed in May, was according to the information of
tlie Captain, (VI feet in keel, and 11 feet 4 inches in beam. She
carried aboiil '_!(; tons, and drew only 2S inches of water. She
had on bonrd ahoiU "JTO barrels of Hour, which sunk hei' gun-
wale within a few inches of the watei' : and to defend us in
]»assing through the ra})ids, a couple of stout planks, about a
foot in breadth, were nailed along the sides ; a precaution
DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE, 1818. 139
wliich, as we aftei'wards experienced, was no more than
needful.
Bateaux are flat-bottomed boats, about half tli(> size of the
others, tapering to a point at each end, and so substantially
constructed that they will endure a great deal of hard knocking
on the channel without danger to the passengers. They do
not sink so low in the water as the boats navigated by Canadian
voyagers, — veterans ^^■ho liave been trained from their youth
to the use of the paddle and the setting pole, and who know
every channel, rock, and l)reaker, in the rapids, from the
Long Sault to Montreal. If a traveler going down the River
has his choice, let him by all means prefer the bateaux ; it
does not sail as fest as a Durham boat, and he may be a day
longer in making the passage, but in ordinary cases he is far
safer.
Passengers by either of these vessels must take with them
a moderate supply of provisions, for it is not customary to go
on shore except to sleep ; and if the wind is ahead, four or five
days may be spent between Kingston and Montreal. Going
uj) the river is a far more tedious process. They should also be
well provided, even in summer, with cloaks or other coverings,
for the night dews on the rivers are excessively cold.
The bateaux sailed from Kingston with a favorable
breeze, between ten and eleven in the forenoon, and while the
wind lasted got on gallantly ; but towards the afternoon we
\V(>re almost becalmed ill the Lake of a Thousand Isles, and
our voyagers were coni[)cll(Ml to lug away at the oai-. We had
four rowers, besides the conductor, who steered with a snudl
paddle. The scenery of this Lake, as it is called, is very
picturesque, but the succession of islands becomes at last tire-
some, the more so that you find them take the wind out of the
uail, and wofuUy retard your })rogress. 1 had made allowance
140 DOWN THE ST. LAWKEXCE, 1818.
for a reasonable proportion of exaggeration in its poetical
name, but the Islands crowded upon each other in such
numerous groups, and we were so long in getting clear of
them, that I began at last to doubt whether there might be two
thousand of them instead of one.
They are of all sizes ; some of them bare rocks, a few
feet square, others two or three miles long, and thickly
wooded. Loch Lomond, with her two dozen islets, has long-
sheltered the manufacturers of the genuine peat reek from the
scent of the Revenue officers ; but this must be the very para-
dise of smugglers, should such a trade ever become profitable
in Upper Canada — and a hopeless business it will be for excise
men who are sent to ferret them out.
Towards evening it began to rain ; but some of the com-
pany on board were more disagreeable than the weather.
* * * * But for their presence, I could have endured the
rain for an hour or two, to listen to the boat songs of the
Canadian voyagers, which in the stillness of the night had a
peculiar pleasing effect. They kept time to these songs as
they rowed ; and the splashing of the oars in the water,
combined with the wildness of their cadence, gave a romantic
character to our darksome voyage.
In most of the songs, two of the boatmen began the air,
the other two sang a response, and then all united in the
chorus. Their music might not have been thought extremely
fine, by those whose skill in concords and chromatics forbids
them to be gratified but on scientific principles. My conven-
ient ignorance of those rules allowed me to reap undisturbed
enjoyment from the voyagers' melodies, which like many u})oii
Scotch airs, were singularly plaintive and pleasing.
Our conductor expected to have reached Brockville that
evening, a sm.iU town about 50 miles below Kingston, but we
DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE, 1818. 141
began to be somewhat impatient to get on .shore. The evening
was so dark, that we could with difficulty distinguish even tlie
shadowy outline of the river ; not a sound was heard around
us but the echo of the voices of those on board, or the splash
of the oars ; and we were gliding along with no other convic-
tions of safety than what arose in firm confidence in our
l)oatmen. About eight o'clock a twinkling light by the river's
side broke upon our view ; we hailed the cheering spark, and
urged the conductor to haul in to the bank, in the hope of
obtaining lodgings. It was a farmer's house ; a crackling fire
of pine logs blazed on the ample hearth, festoons of sliced
apples for winter pies, hung around it to dry, and the com-
fortable kitchen contrasted most agreeably with our situation
in the bateau in darkness and rain. The inmates made us
welcome to their fireside, and although not much used to
entertain strangers., very soon provided for us a most comfor-
table supper. Hot steaks, fried bacon and potatoes for those
who preferred it, tea and toast, were served up with an alacrity
tliat would have done credit to a regular inn. It scarcely needs
to be added, that we enacted wonders with the knife and fork.
When the time of retiring came, every bed in the house was
surrendered for our use ; but finding that I could not
])artieipate in one, unless I accepted a bed-fellow. 1 jircferred
my l)ox-coat and the fioor.
About two o'clock next morning, we were aroused to
resume our voyage. The boatmen before starting swallowed
a plentiful allowance of .soup thickened with meat and bread,
very similar to what sailors call lobscoss ; the players fortified
themselves for the water 1)y an antijihogmatic of rum.
The wind had shifted dui'ing the night, and was now
right ahead. It was a genuine American North-wt'ster, and
blew as if it were re8olved to take the skin off our cheeks. The
142 DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE, 1818.
water froze upon the oars, as they rose above the surface ; aud
I never appreciated better the comforts of a thick traveling
coat, and a fur cap. Our boatmen had to row without inter-
mission ; and although they did not always pull very hard,
they tugged away with amazing constancy. About nine
o'clock in the morning, we reached Prescott, sixty-seven miles
from Kingston.
Jbr
Captivity of Hrs Howe, 1755.
Tlie narrative of Mrs. Jemima Howe's ca})tivity was first
published in a booklet, and later was popularized in tlie school
readers of 80 years ago. The copy from which this is repro-