YORK EMIGRANTS. 147 



every inch of surface being crowded with reposing indivi 

 duals ; the lower decks and passages were crowded to excess, 

 and a great part of the upper deck, which is uncovered, was 

 also occupied. The aged and infirm sought shelter below ; the 

 boys clustered round the chimney stalks for heat, while the 

 more hardy stretched themselves on the upper deck without 

 almost any covering, surrounded by forms, or under lee of 

 large packages. Near the stern of the vessel a young woman, 

 perhaps with a view of avoiding danger, placed three infants 

 on her outspread mantle, with their innocent faces towards 

 heaven ; and as they gradually sunk to rest, the motion of 

 their slumbering eyelids seemed mimicry of the twinkling stars 

 in the firmament. 



The Great Britain reached York about six P.M., previous 

 to which the passengers were mustered on the upper deck, and 

 paid their passage-fares on going below. Many of the emi 

 grant deck-passengers had not, or affected not to have, money ; 

 and I saw two middle-aged respectable-looking females place 

 part of their wardrobe in pawn for their fares, and luggage 

 had been credited from conveyance to conveyance all the way 

 from Montreal, with the fares of its owners. Steam-boat pro 

 prietors do not lose much in this way, as the friends of emi 

 grants generally relieve the pawned effects. 



The meeting of emigrants and their friends at York was an 

 interesting sight. In particular, a group of Scotch High 

 landers, consisting of old women and half-a-dozen of innocent- 

 looking girls, incapable of speaking the English language, 

 appeared in ecstasy at joining their friends on the pier, who 

 seemed to have arrived in the country some time before. 

 They laughed, embraced, and saluted each other on the 

 cheek, which is rarely witnessed in America. 



To accommodate a gentleman, I lodged in the Steam-boat 

 Hotel at York, which I found an indifferent establishment in 

 the sleeping department. I could not have remained a second 

 night, or gone to bed the first one, had light enabled me to 

 see the actual state of things. 



A friend having agreed to accompany me in a tour through 

 the western part of Upper Canada, and who was waiting my 

 arrival, we left York together, in the John By steamer, for 



