their interested representations and those of the land speculators
settled in Toronto, Cobourg, and Hamilton, the greater portion of
the emigrants possessing capital were thrown into these towns, near
which they were led to expect desirable locations. In the same
manner the agents of the Canada Land Company, who were to be found
on every steamer, were actively employed in directing the emigrants
to the Huron tract.
By a simple inspection of the map of Upper Canada, it will be seen,
that as the Bay of Quinte was out of the general route of the
steamers, and too near the lower end of the lake navigation, it
did not suit the views of the parties most interested to direct
emigration to its shores. Thus the beautiful Bay of Quinte, with
the most fertile land on its shores, and scenery which exceeds in
variety and picturesque beauty that of any part of Upper Canada,
Hamilton and Niagara alone excepted, has been passed by for years
for situations much less desirable or attractive to European
settlers.
The forbidding aspect of the country near Kingston, which is
situated at the entrance of the bay from the St. Lawrence, where
the soil has a rocky and barren appearance, has no doubt deterred
emigrants from proceeding in this direction.
The shores of the Bay of Quinte were originally occupied principally
by U.E. loyalists and retired officers, who had served during the
late war with the United States, but the emigration from Europe has
chiefly consisted of the poorer class of Irish Catholics, and of
Protestants from the North of Ireland, settled in two very thriving
townships in the county of Hastings. There is also a sprinkling of
Scotch and English in different parts of the county. Comparatively
few possessing any considerable amount of capital have found their
way here, as the county town, Belleville, is not in the line of the
summer travel on the lakes.
The scenery along the shores of the bay is exceedingly beautiful all
the way from Kingston to the head, where a large river, the Trent,
discharges itself into it at a thriving village, of about a thousand
inhabitants, called Trent Port. A summer ride along the lower
portion of this river presents scenery of a bolder and grander
character than is often met with in Upper Canada, and it is
enlivened by spectacles of immense rafts of timber descending the
rapids, and by the merry chorus of the light-hearted lumbermen,
as they pursue their toilsome and perilous voyage to Quebec.
Belleville was originally a spot reserved for the Mississagua
Indians, and was laid out in 1816 for a village, when there were
only two or three white men settled among them as traders in
the place. It was only during the last year that the two frame
farm-houses, situated about a quarter of a mile apart, were
removed to make room for more substantial buildings. Belleville
remained nearly stationary for several years, during which a few
persons realised handsome fortunes, by means of large profits,
not withstanding the limited extent of their business. It at
length began to grow in importance as the fine country in its
neighbourhood was cleared and rendered productive.
In 1839, when the county of Hastings was set apart from the Midland
district, under the name of the District of Victoria, and Belleville
became the District town, the population of the county, including
Belleville, was about 12,000, and that of Belleville about 1500. In
1850 the population of the county had reached 23,454, of which that
of Belleville was 3326. By the census just taken, on a much more
correct principle than formerly, the population of Belleville in
1852 appears to be 4554, showing an increase of 1228 in two years.
During the same period, from 1850 to 1852, the population of Cobourg
on Lake Ontario, which town formerly enjoyed the full benefit of a
large emigration, has risen from 3379 to 3867, showing an increase
of only 488. The town of Dundas in the same time has increased its
population from 2311 in 1850 to 3519 in 1852, showing an increase
of 1208. The population of the city of Hamilton in 1850 was 10,312,
and now, in 1852, it is said to exceed 13,000. In 1838 the then
TOWN of Hamilton contained a population of only 3116. When I first
visited that place in 1832 it was a dull insignificant village,
which might, I suppose, contain a population of 1200 or 1500. I can
hardly describe my surprise on revisiting it in 1849, to behold a
city grown up suddenly, as if by enchantment, with several handsome
churches and public and private buildings of cut stone, brought
from the fine freestone quarries in the precipitous mountains or
tableland behind the city.
Little need be said of the capital of the province, the city of
Toronto, the progress of which has been less remarkable in the
same period, for the obvious reason that its merits were sooner
appreciated or known by the emigrants from Europe. The population
of Toronto, then called Little York, in 1826 was 1677, while that
of the now city of Kingston was 2329. In 1838 the population
of Toronto was 12,571, and that of Kingston 3877. In 1850 the
population of Toronto was 25,166, and that of Kingston 10,097.
These few facts will enable the reader to form some idea of the
comparative progress of different towns in Upper Canada, under
circumstances similar in some cases and different in others. When
it is considered that all of these last-mentioned towns have for
many years reaped the full benefit of the influx of emigration and
capital from the mother country, while the shores of the Bay of
Quinte were little known or appreciated, it will appear that the
progress of Belleville has been at least equal to that of any of
them. The prosperity of Belleville may in fact be almost entirely
attributed to the gradual development of its own internal resources,
the fertility of the lands in its vicinity, and a large exportation,
of late years, of lumber of all kinds to the United States.
Having no desire unnecessarily to trouble the reader with dry
statistical tables, I shall merely quote the following facts and
figures, kindly furnished me by G. Benjamin, Esq., the present
warden of the county of Hastings, to whose business talents and
public spirit the county is largely indebted for its progress in
internal improvement.
The increase of business at the port of Belleville has been most
extraordinary. In 1839, the total amount of duties paid at this port
amounted to 280l; and in the year (1850) the amount reached 3659l.
12s. 4d. The total arrivals at this port from the United States are
as follows:
No. of Tons Hands
Vessels employed
British propellers ........... 8 2,400 104
British sailing vessels ...... 81 4,140 375
Foreign do. do. .............. 124 12,643 730
------- -------- -------
Total ........................ 213 19,183 1209
This in addition to our daily steamers.
Our exports to the United States are ............ L52,532 17 5
And British ports below Belleville .............. 153,411 16 6
-----------------
L205,944 13 11
L s d
Total imports from United States 25,067 2 6
Total acceptances from United States 17,435 0 0
Total importations from lower ports,
including drafts and other resources 130,294 0 0 172,796 2 6
------------- ----------------
Showing the balance of trade in
favour of this port to be ........................ L33,148 11 5
Our exports to the lower ports are made up as follows:
3,485 barrels of Potash .................... L27,880 0 0
33,198 " Flour ..................... 33,198 0 0
357 bushels of Grass seed ................ 133 17 6
1,450 " Barley .................... 181 5 0
4,947 " Peas ...................... 594 14 0
4,349 " Rye ....................... 434 18 0
37,360 " Wheat ..................... 7,472 0 0
198 barrels of Pork ...................... 396 0 0
54 " Beef ...................... 74 5 0
1,141 Sheep-skins .......................... 114 2 0
4,395,590 feet square Timber ................... 74,903 2 6
173 kegs of Butter ....................... 540 12 6
Furs ................................. 716 0 0
Fatted Cattle ........................ 1,840 0 0
High Wines ........................... 3,098 0 0
Whiskey .............................. 1,830 0 0
-------------------
L153,411 16 6
Our exports to the United States are made up as follows:
30,686 bushels of Wheat ..................... L6,137 4 11
3,514 " Rye ....................... 351 8 0
3,728 " Peas ...................... 466 0 0
90 " Barley .................... 9 0 0
316 " Grass seed ................ 118 10 0
18,756 barrels of Flour ..................... 18,756 0 0
338 " Potash .................... 2,366 0 0
1,000 bushels of Potatoes .................. 62 10 0
92 M. Shingles .................. 23 0 0
117 M. Laths ..................... 43 15 0
18,210 lbs. Rags ...................... 190 0 0
9,912 lbs. Wool ...................... 481 19 6
466 Sheep-skins .......................... 57 10 0
61 kegs of Butter ....................... 122 0 0
19,648,000 feet sawed Lumber .................... 21,296 0 0
513 Cows ................................. 2,052 0 0
------------------
L52,532 17 5
The River Moira passing through Belleville, where it discharges
itself into the Bay of Quinte, is one principal source of its
prosperity. The preceding statement will show the quantity of sawed
lumber exported, most of which is furnished by the saw-mills of
Belleville, or its immediate vicinity. Besides saw and flour-mills,
there are cloth and paper manufactories, a manufactory of edge
tools; pail manufactories, where great quantities of these useful
articles are made at a low price by machinery; planing machines,
several iron foundries breweries, distilleries, &c., in almost all
of which establishments steam-engines, or water-power from the
river, are used. A remarkable feature in Belleville, in common
with other towns in Canada, is the great number of tailoring and
shoe-making establishments, when compared with towns of an equal
population in Great Britain. This shows, more than anything I am
aware of, the general prosperity of the people, who can afford to
be large consumers of such articles.
There is very little difference to be observed in the costliness of
the clothing of the different classes of society in Upper Canadian
towns and cities, and much less difference in the taste with which
these articles are selected, than might be expected. With the
exception of the lower class of labourers, all persons are well
and suitably clad, and they can afford to be so.
Twelve years ago there were not more than five or six piano-fortes
in Belleville. Now there are nearly one hundred of a superior
description, costing from 80 to 150 pounds.
Another remarkable circumstance in Upper Canada is the number of
lawyers in all the towns. In Belleville there are about a dozen,
which seems to be a large number for a town containing only 4554
inhabitants, when in an English town of the same size there is
often not more than one. Of course, I do not mention this as any
particular advantage, but to show the great difference in the
amount of transactions, and of subjects of contention, in an old
and a new country. The same may be said of the number of newspapers,
as indicative of commercial activity. Two newspapers, representing
the two political parties, are well-supported in Belleville, both
by their subscribers, and the number of advertisements.
The mouth of the Moira River, which widens out at its junction
with the Bay of Quinte, is completely covered with saw-logs and
square timber of various kinds during the summer months. This river,
at Belleville, is often dammed up by confused piles of timber. No
sooner are these removed than its waters are covered over by vast
quantities of oak staves, which are floated down separately to
be rafted off like the squared lumber for the Quebec market.
The greater proportion of the saw-logs are, however, cut up for
exportation to the United States by the various saw-mills on the
river, or by a large steam saw-mill with twenty or thirty run of
saws, erected on a little island in the mouth of the river. Several
large schooners are constantly loading with sawed lumber, and there
are two or three steamboats always running between Belleville and
Kingston, carrying passengers to and fro, and generally heavily
laden with goods or produce. The Bay of Quinte offers more
than common facilities in the summer months for rapid and safe
communication with other places; and, in the winter time, being
but slightly affected by the current of the river Trent, it
affords excellent sleighing.
Large quantities of wheat and other farm produce are transported
over the ice to Belleville from the neighbouring county of Prince
Edward, which is an exceedingly prosperous agricultural settlement,
yielding wheat of the finest quality, and particularly excellent
cheese and butter. The scenery on the shores of Prince Edward is
exceedingly picturesque, and there are numerous wharfs at short
distances, from whence the farmers roll their barrels of flour and
other articles on board the steamers on their way to market. I have
seen no scenery in Upper Canada presenting the same variety and
beauty as that of the shores of Prince Edward in particular.
The peninsular situation of this county is its only
disadvantage--being out of the line of the land travel and of the
telegraphic communication which passes through Belleville. The
county of Prince Edward having nearly exhausted its exportation
lumber--the people are thus freed from the evils of a trade that
is always more or less demoralising in its tendency and can now
give their undivided attention to the cultivation of their farms.
Certain it is, that more quiet, industrious, and prosperous
settlers, are not to be found in the Province.
A few miles below Belleville, on the south side of the bay, is a
Other sites:
db3nf.com
screen-capture.net
floresca.net
simonova.net
flora-source.com
flora-source.com
sourcecentral.com
sourcecentral.com
geocities.com