[BURPEE] CHARLES HEAV YSEGE 21 
An interesting and graphic description is that given by one of his 
fellow-poets in Montreal—the only surviving member of a small con- 
temporary group in which Heavysege was the most striking figure. 
“T first met Charles Heavysege” (he says), “in the summer of 
1858. He was then living on St. Constant Street, Montreal, and pur- 
suing his occupation as a carver in the firm of J. & W. Hilton, cabinet 
makers and upholsterers. I was introduced to him by a Scotchman 
who had been a friend of Charles Swain and other poets, and whose mind 
was a rare treasure-house of quotable, and especially recitable, verse. 
During the last two years many a time has the roll of his voice as he 
recited Pringle’s tribute to wild South Africa —‘ Afar in the desert I 
love to ride —come back to me over the distance of years. We called on 
Heavysege together and had a pleasant chat. 
“ Heavysege told me that he was accustomed to compose while he 
was engaged at work, the occupation of his hands not interfering with 
the efforts of his mind. Speaking especially of Saul, he said that in 
this way he had elaborated some of the liveliest scenes. It was the 
mistake of his life to give up his place in Hilton’s factory in order to 
undertake what must, to a man like him, have been painful drudgery. 
It must be borne in mind that his gift as a poet was rather a hindrance 
than a help to him in the writing of reports for the daily press. He 
was most conscientious with his work, but, entering late in life on a 
career that demands facility in the use of the pen, much concentration, 
and occasionally great rapidity of thought and expression, he had to 
waste precious time in acquiring an accomplishment in which he could 
never really excel, and which, under the circumstances, must ultimately 
ruin his prospects as a poet. I never saw him spending his intellectual 
strength in that way without feeling how lamentable his choice had 
been. Whether such a course was suggested to him by some of his 
friends, or was adopted without such prompting in the hope that he 
might in a few years make a fair living, besides winning a reputation 
as a man of letters, I do not know. He was much respected by all who 
had the privilege of his acquaintance, though, as might be expected 
from his character and habits, his range of interests was not very 
comprehensive, and he liked most to converse with those whose tastes 
enabled them to appreciate his poetry. He was not a widely read man 

which have appeared from time to time in print, as to Heavysege’s poverty, 
his employment having been that of a carpenter, etc., adds that no unpub- 
lished poems of his remain in existence, as it was his habit to destroy anything 
that he did not think would live. This latter statement has some biblio- 
graphical interest, as it has been several times stated in magazine articles 
that Heavysege left a number of unpublished poems. See Appendix B. 
2 John Reade, F.R.S.C., now literary editor of the Montreal Gazette. 
