98 EMIGRATION, OR 



With a little of the downright hearty good-feeling of my 

 countrymen, I also witnessed some of the haughty super 

 ciliousness of aristocratic pride, and the impudence of pam 

 pered menials. The market is well supplied with meat, fruit, 

 and vegetables. Potatoes very fine, and only 10c?. per bushel 

 now, they have been higher. Apples Is. 6d. per bushel. 

 Peaches dear, 6s. 9d. to 9s. ditto, brought from Niagara and 

 the Genessee river. Melons of various prices, from 6d. to 

 2s. 6d. each. Plums, pines, &c. Beef 4d. per Ib. Great 

 quantities of the tall European thistle hereabout, and seed 

 flying in all directions. If there be no means taken to pre 

 vent them spreading, by mowing them before their seeding 

 time, they will prove a curse to this country in a few years, 

 as they increase surprisingly, and here literally cover the 

 ground in places. Durham boats, with produce, run from 

 here to Montreal, and large rafts of staves and lumber from 

 the bay of Quintie. The Rideau Canal is commenced a 

 little above Kingston, which it will greatly benefit, particu 

 larly if reduced to a boat canal only. It at first was in 

 tended to be made large enough for schooners and steam 

 boats. It has been unusually sickly hereabouts : fevers and 

 ag-ues. and what are called dumb agues, which are the 

 worst, and sometimes fatal, have been very prevalent. The 

 work on the above canal has been entirely stopped by them 

 for the present, until the cool weather comes on ; the neigh 

 bourhood where they are now cutting is swampy, with a 

 number of ponds and small lakes. 



Aug. 29. The last two or three nights the aurora bo- 

 realis, or northern lights, have been remarkably brilliant 

 and grand. The assizes are now holding in the new built 

 court-house, which is large and spacious, with a dome in 

 the roof, and is well constructed to convey the sound of 

 the pleaders voices to the audience. The gaol is contained 

 under the same roof. Court-houses and gaols in this coun 

 try are mostly large, and well constructed and convenient. 

 A number of Irishmen, Orangemen and Catholics, under 

 trial for rioting. The land in the immediate vicinity of the 

 town is but inferior, indeed in many places nothing but bare 

 rock, and large loose uncovered stones; but I am told there 

 are very fine tracts a few miles back. No gardens of any 

 account, for the above reason. Peaches, I am informed, will 

 not thrive here. 



Sept. 10. Left Kingston in the steam-boat for York, cabin 



