NO EMIGRATION. 101 



a partner, erecting a saw mill, to saw black walnut-tree for 

 furniture. 



The summer of 1828 various and changeable ; some very 

 hot days, but generally pleasant, with showers. The wheat 

 crop, throughout the two provinces, and the northern and 

 western States, is a very inferior one, and I believe, in some 

 measure, so in England, which has caused it to rise here to 

 4s. 6d. in the west, and 6s. or 7s. in the east and Lower 

 Canada. Indian corn is excellent, and also all other spring- 

 crops, and hay. The scarcity of wheat has caused cash to 

 be given for it by the merchants in all parts of the province ; 

 and in the London district, where the crops of wheat are 

 tolerably good, numbers of fresh storekeepers have started, 

 the consequence is, the fall of merchandize full one-third, 

 particularly in dry goods. A general election this summer, 

 which occurs every four years, if not sooner dissolved. At 

 the one for the county of Middlesex, where there was a 

 Spirited opposition continued the whole week (which is the 

 Atent allowed bylaw) without any great advantage on either 

 :ide, no vulgar abuse was used; in other respects it was 

 -arried on similar to ours in England, drinking, occasional 

 fighting, &c. ; the latter of which arose not from political 

 quarrels, but private drunken squabbles. 



I have sometimes read of travellers in this country 

 being in danger of their lives, through the woods being on 

 fire all around them ! but I believe they have, fortunately, 

 always been able to escape to tell the wonderful stories. 

 The fact is, it is only the leaves, and rotten logs, that take 

 fire in the woods ; and it is almost needless to add, there is 

 no personal risk from them whatever, the smoke only being 

 a little annoying. But if the wind should be brisk in a dry 

 time, fences, and sometimes buildings, are in danger of these 

 running fires. 



Bees thrive remarkably well, often producing three or four 

 and sometimes more swarms from one hive ; they gather a 

 good deal of honey from the woods, and there are often 

 swarms fly into the woods and take up their abode in a 

 hollow tree, which the settlers chop down, and take their 

 honey at the proper season. Honey is worth from three 

 pence half-penny to five pence per pound. Many of the 

 Canadians, Americans, and settlers are rather improvident 

 and wasteful ; this, I think, may be traced to habits, in 

 duced by the peculiar circumstances in which they were 



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