158 COMPARISON OF THE TWO TOWNS. 



names of the town on the one side of the stream, and of 

 a principal street on the other, carrying the mind far 

 away, to scenes very different on the whole, but where 

 frontier towns and rival populations were also vis-a-vis 

 with each other. 



I took a hurried walk along the river through a long 

 street of St Stephens, and, after crossing the river, 

 through a longer one in Calais. My general impression 

 of the New Brunswick town was, that it exhibited 

 greater signs of commercial activity and prosperity than 

 any other in the province, with the exception of St 

 John; that it had more of a settled and English character 

 also ; better and more numerous shops ; and displayed a 

 greater division of labour, so to speak, among the shop 

 keepers, than is to be seen anywhere else, except at 

 Fredericton and St John. Calais appeared larger, and 

 not less prosperous than St Stephens ; while the more 

 numerous shipping at its wharves showed it to possess 

 some element of prosperity which was either wanting 

 altogether to its rival, or was not possessed by it in an 

 equal degree. The most imposing buildings in St 

 Stephens are, its Episcopal and Presbyterian churches ; 

 in Calais, its Unitarian and Independent churches, and 

 its newly-erected common school. 



Saturday, Nov. 10. The river St Croix or Scoodic, 

 as it is also called communicates, through its many 

 tributaries and interior lakes, with an extensive still- 

 uncleared interior country, both in the province of New 

 Brunswick and in the State of Maine. It is, therefore, 

 the natural outlet for the produce of immense forests, 

 and has hitherto been the seat of an extensive lumber- 

 trade. This trade is the main source of the prosperity 

 of these rival border towns, and it is the peculiar condi 

 tions of the two in reference to this trade that have 

 hitherto given that advantage to Calais which, as I have 

 said, its more numerous shipping especially suggests. A 



