north america-1-第26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　completed。　And　now；　like　all　friendly　critics；　having　bestowed　my　modicum　of　praise；　I　must　proceed　to　find　fault。　　I　cannot　bring　myself　to　administer　my　sugar…plum　without　adding　to　it　some　bitter　morsel　by　way　of　antidote。　　The　building　to　the　left　of　the　quadrangle　as　it　is　entered　is　deficient　in　length；　and　on　that　account　appears　mean　to　the　eye。　　The　two　side　buildings　are　brought　up　close　to　the　street；　so　that　each　has　a　frontage　immediately　on　the　street。　Such　being　the　case；　they　should　be　of　equal　length；　or　nearly　so。　Had　the　center　of　one　fronted　the　center　of　the　other；　a　difference　of　length　might　have　been　allowed；　but　in　this　case　the　side　front　of　the　smaller　one　would　not　have　reached　the　street。　　As　it　is；　the　space　between　the　main　building　and　the　smaller　wing　is　disproportionably　large；　and　the　very　distance　at　which　it　stands　will；　I　fear；　give　to　it　that　appearance　of　meanness　of　which　I　have　spoken。　　The　clerk　of　the　works；　who　explained　to　me　with　much　courtesy　the　plan　of　the　buildings；　stated　that　the　design　of　this　wing　was　capable　of　elongation；　and　had　been　expressly　prepared　with　that　object。　　If　this　be　so；　I　trust　that　the　defect　will　be　remedied。　The　great　trade　of　Canada　is　lumbering；　and　lumbering　consists　in　cutting　down　pine…trees　up　in　the　far　distant　forests；　in　hewing　or　sawing　them　into　shape　for　market；　and　getting　them　down　the　rivers　to　Quebec；　from　whence　they　are　exported　to　Europe；　and　chiefly　to　England。　　Timber　in　Canada　is　called　lumber；　those　engaged　in　the　trade　are　called　lumberers；　and　the　business　itself　is　called　lumbering。　　After　a　lapse　of　time　it　must　no　doubt　become　monotonous　to　those　engaged　in　it；　and　the　name　is　not　engaging；　but　there　is　much　about　it　that　is　very　picturesque。　　A　saw…mill　worked　by　water　power　is　almost　always　a　pretty　object；　and　stacks　of　new…cut　timber　are　pleasant　to　the　smell；　and　group　themselves　not　amiss　on　the　water's　edge。　　If　I　had　the　time；　and　were　a　year　or　two　younger；　I　should　love　well　to　go　up　lumbering　into　the　woods。　　The　men　for　this　purpose　are　hired　in　the　fall　of　the　year；　and　are　sent　up　hundreds　of　miles　away　to　the　pine　forests　in　strong　gangs。　　Everything　is　there　found　for　them。　　They　make　log　huts　for　their　shelter；　and　food　of　the　best　and　the　strongest　is　taken　up　for　their　diet。　　But　no　strong　drink　of　any　kind　is　allowed；　nor　is　any　within　reach　of　the　men。　　There　are　no　publics；　no　shebeen　houses；　no　grog…shops。　　Sobriety　is　an　enforced　virtue；　and　so　much　is　this　considered　by　the　masters；　and　understood　by　the　men；　that　very　little　contraband　work　is　done　in　the　way　of　taking　up　spirits　to　these　settlements。　　It　may　be　said　that　the　work　up　in　the　forests　is　done　with　the　assistance　of　no　stronger　drink　than　tea；　and　it　is　very　hard　work。　　There　cannot　be　much　work　that　is　harder；　and　it　is　done　amid　the　snows　and　forests　of　a　Canadian　winter。　　A　convict　in　Bermuda　cannot　get　through　his　daily　eight　hours　of　light　labor　without　an　allowance　of　rum；　but　a　Canadian　lumberer　can　manage　to　do　his　daily　task　on　tea　without　milk。　　These　men；　however；　are　by　no　means　teetotalers。　　When　they　come　back　to　the　towns　they　break　out；　and　reward　themselves　for　their　long…enforced　moderation。　　The　wages　I　found　to　be　very　various；　running　from　thirteen　or　fourteen　dollars　a　month　to　twenty…eight　or　thirty；　according　to　the　nature　of　the　work。　　The　men　who　cut　down　the　trees　receive　more　than　those　who　hew　them　when　down；　and　these　again　more　than　the　under　class　who　make　the　roads　and　clear　the　ground。　　These　money　wages；　however；　are　in　addition　to　their　diet。　　The　operation　requiring　the　most　skill　is　that　of　marking　the　trees　for　the　axe。　　The　largest　only　are　worth　cutting；　and　form　and　soundness　must　also　be　considered。　But　if　I　were　about　to　visit　a　party　of　lumberers　in　the　forest；　I　should　not　be　disposed　to　pass　a　whole　winter　with　them。　　Even　of　a　very　good　thing　one　may　have　too　much；　I　would　go　up　in　the　spring；　when　the　rafts　are　being　formed　in　the　small　tributary　streams；　and　I　would　come　down　upon　one　of　them；　shooting　the　rapids　of　the　rivers　as　soon　as　the　first　freshets　had　left　the　way　open。　　A　freshet　in　the　rivers　is　the　rush　of　waters　occasioned　by　melting　snow　and　ice。　　The　first　freshets　take　down　the　winter　waters　of　the　nearer　lakes　and　rivers。　　Then　the　streams　become　for　a　time　navigable；　and　the　rafts　go　down。　　After　that　comes　the　second　freshet；　occasioned　by　the　melting　of　far…off　snow　and　ice　up　in　the　great　northern　lakes；　which　are　little　known。　　These　rafts　are　of　immense　construction；　such　as　those　which　we　have　seen　on　the　Rhone　and　Rhine；　and　often　contain　timber　to　the　value　of　two；　three；　and　four　thousand　pounds。　　At　the　rapids　the　large　rafts　are；　as　it　were；　unyoked；　and　divided　into　small　portions；　which　go　down　separately。　　The　excitement　and　motion　of　such　transit　must；　I　should　say；　be　very　joyous。　　I　was　told　that　the　Prince　of　Wales　desired　to　go　down　a　rapid　on　a　raft；　but　that　the　men　in　charge　would　not　undertake　to　say　that　there　was　no　possible　danger；　whereupon　those　who　accompanied　the　prince　requested　his　Royal　Highness　to　forbear。　　I　fear　that；　in　these　careful　days；　crowned　heads　and　their　heirs　must　often　find　themselves　in　the　position　of　Sancho　at　the　banquet。　　The　sailor　prince；　who　came　after　his　brother；　was　allowed　to　go　down　a　rapid；　and　got；　as　I　was　told；　rather　a　rough　bump　as　he　did　so。　Ottawa　is　a　great　place　for　these　timber　rafts。　　Indeed；　it　may；　I　think；　be　called　the　headquarters　of　timber　for　the　world。　　Nearly　all　the　best　pine…wood　comes　down　the　Ottawa　and　its　tributaries。　The　other　rivers　by　which　timber　is　brought　down　to　the　St。　Lawrence　are　chiefly　the　St。　Maurice；　the　Madawaska；　and　the　Saguenay；　but　the　Ottawa　and　its　tributaries　water　75；000　square　miles；　whereas　the　other　three　rivers；　with　their　tributaries；　water　only　53；000。　　The　timber　from　the　Ottawa　and　St。　Maurice　finds　its　way　down　the　St。　Lawrence　to　Quebec；　where；　however；　it　loses　the　whole　of　its　picturesque　character。　　The　Saguenay　and　the　Madawaska　fall　into　the　St。　Lawrence　below　Quebec。　From　Ottawa　we　went　by　rail　to　Prescott；　which　is　surely　one　of　the　most　wretched　little　places　to　be　found　in　any　country。　Immediately　opposite　to　it；　on　the　other　side　of　the　St。　Lawrence；　is　the　thriving　town　of　Ogdensburg。　　But　Ogdensburg　is　in　the　United　States。　　Had　we　been　able　to　learn　at　Ottawa　any　facts　as　to　the　hours　of　the　river　steamers　and　railways；　we　might　have　saved　time　and　have　avoided　Prescott；　but　this　was　out　of　the　question。　Had　I　asked　the　exact　hour　at　which　I　might　reach　Calcutta　by　the　quickest　route；　an　accurate　reply　would　not　have　been　more　out　of　the　question。　　I　was　much　struck；　at　Prescottand；　indeed；　all　through　Canada；　though　more　in　the　upper　than　in　the　lower　provinceby　the　sturdy　roughness；　some　would　call　it　insolence；　of　those　of　the　lower　classes　of　the　people　with　whom　I　was　brought　into　contact。　　If　the　words　〃lower　classes〃　give　offense　to　any　reader；　I　beg　to　apologizeto　apologize；　and　to　assert　that　I　am　one　of　the　last　of　men　to　apply　such　a　term　in　a　sense　of　reproach　to　those　who　earn　their　bread　by　the　labor　of　their　hands。　　But　it　i