®l)c Jfavmcv's ittcmtljln ilioitor. 



Orleans county. Below Magog is the Cuaticook 

 lake, which discharges itself through the Mas- 

 sawhippe river and lake into the St. Francis, 

 coming in farther to the north-east and running 

 down circuitously until it unites with the St. 

 Lawrence half way between Montreal and 

 Quebec. 



The course of the Portland and Montreal rail- 

 road is across the highland westerly from Con- 

 necticut river, through Hereford and Barford, by 

 Compton toSherbrooke, and thence to Montreal. 

 The actual survey over a distance of some thirty- 

 five miles above Canaan, shows a rise not to ex- 

 ceed six hundred feet to be encountered by no 

 very difficult grade. The Canada survey for this 

 part of the road has been made. The road com- 

 mences in Canada one and a half miles below 

 the mouth of Hall's stream, and takes its way 

 up another stream called little Leach river. 

 Such is the regularity of the ground, in com- 

 ing up the valley to the summit dividing the 

 Connecticut river waters from the St. Francis, 

 that no more than two considerable fillings are 

 to be made, and those not large. The ridges 

 and the vallies of the lower Canada townships 

 all seem to be favorable for the easy and cheap 

 construction of the railroad in this direction. 



As our object was to gain a way home some- 

 where through the woods to near the sources of 

 the Connecticut, we took the stage from Stan 

 stead to Sherbrooke, a two-horse vehicle with 

 several passengers. The driver, an intelligent 

 man, pointed out in answer to inquiries whatever 

 might be interesting on the way. The Canada 

 townships, each ten miles square, are nearly 

 three times the size of the common six mile 

 American townships. Their soil for luxuriant 

 crops, especially for grass and the feed for graz- 

 ing of cattle, is very similar to the best Vermont 

 lands, and much better than the lands in New 

 Hampshire and Massachusetts down farther to 

 the north-east. Yet for good cause some of the 

 first cleared laud in the townships has been 

 abandoned. Such was the place of first resi- 

 dence of the noted Stephen Burroughs, who once 

 had a farm and buildings at a point north-east, 

 about twelve miles from Derby line at the corn- 

 ers of Stanstead. Hatley and Hereford : the cel- 

 lars of the buildings only remained here to show 

 that it was once a flourishing habitation. Before 

 the arrangement between the two governments 

 authorized the arrest of fugitives, this was a fa- 

 mous place for the first resting of culprits flee- 

 ing from the States: Burroughs at one time had 

 his counterfeiting establishment in the caves of 

 a mountain, supposed to be the Jay mountain 

 situated to the west of the Magog lake, looking 

 upon the valley of the Mississque, which turns 

 round from the north-east towards the south- 

 west, running into and out of Canada, before it 

 unites with the waters of Champlain. Later in 

 life, he moved down to Shipton, seventy-five 

 miles from the line in the direction of Quebec. 



Approaching another town while sealed on 

 the out side with the driver, he was met and 

 hailed by a Hush-faced gentleman in a gig, with 

 the inquiry if he had brought on the scythes ex- 

 pected, for which it was said the farmers were 

 all wailing to do their haying. He was answered 

 that the number of passengers and heavy bag- 

 gaga prevented. The inquirer halting behind, 

 the driver says, " I suppose you know the scythes 

 expected were smuggled from your side: but 

 this lot and this route is a mere decoy. The 

 smuggled articles of value at this time are com- 

 ing in a different manner and from a different 



direction. All the people here know how to 

 blind the custom-house officers: in fact, after a 

 little training in, the officer himself knows how 

 innocently to be blinded." The highest amount 

 of duty of articles from the American side, on 

 inquiry, we found not to exceed fifteen per cent. 



Passing on some ten or fifteen miles beyond 

 the old Burroughs stand, we came to a very 

 handsome village, being the centre of Compton. 

 Here we made it our business to inquire if we 

 could of a Saturday afternoon procure a private 

 conveyance through the woods to Canada. The 

 authorities of the town were collected here; 

 and very soon we found that it was not possible 

 to pass without a discovery of our face and resi- 

 dence. Esq, S was of the town magis- 

 trates, who had lived in New Hampshire many 

 years ago, by whose splendid farm of 370 acres, 

 turning out sixty or seventy head of cattle for the 

 market in a year, we passed further on. The 

 British officer of the customs was also here of 

 the public men collected for the occasion. We 

 had not a suspicion how many were keeping an 

 eye upon him until he should turn his course 

 homeward some two or three miles before the 

 loads of smuggled goods should make their way 

 into the village. We found politicians in the 

 Canada townships at the village inn as we had 

 found them within our own lines. 



A man somewhat of a forest exterior spoke in 

 the hearing of the landlord that he had come up 

 to carry home his carded wool to Barford, and 

 that his house was half the way over to the line 

 on the Connecticut liver. We asked him if he 

 could not take a passenger, and take us to the 

 line that night. He would accommodate us; 

 but he must wait to have a wheel of his wagon 

 tired by the blacksmith, which would occupy 

 some half hour. Waiting for the welcome 

 chance, soon the inquiry was made for news of 

 the Mexican war. The custom-house officer 

 asked if we had any confirmation of the defeat 

 and rout of Gen, Scott and bis army on the way 

 to Mexico, which was but then received through 

 the New York papers by way of Montreal. 

 Coming with the mail stage that left Burlington 

 the day previous, we had heard no such report — 

 we expressed our doubts of the truth of the 

 news; hut the officer seemed to be evidently 

 disappointed that we did not give him credit, 

 and took apparent gratification in the anticipa- 

 tion that the American army would he, if it had 

 not been, cut up and defeated by the Mexicans. 

 He continued still further his resentment by 

 charging that the war was waged only for the 

 purpose of feeding President Polk's desire for 

 aggrandizement and an increase of territory. 

 We could scarcely help telling him our own be- 

 lief that President Polk and a majority of the 

 American people would gladly have avoided this 

 war; that least of all did the Americans want 

 new territory so much as to make that alone the 

 cause of war; and we reminded the gentleman 

 that the same charge was made against the 

 American government of a desire to conquer 

 Canada ad the prevailing motive for a war into 

 which our country was reluctantly drawn with 

 his country more than thirty years ago. We 

 asked the gentleman how much he thought we 

 wanted Canada now, and whether he believed 

 the American government was ready to pick a 

 quarrel with queen Victoria to procure its an- 

 nexation to the United Stales? 



The afternoon was well nigh expended before 

 our forest friend with the slouched white hat had 

 his wagon wheel attired. He came up to the 



door for us about six in the afternoon of a long 



summer day : with the wool rolls wrapped up 

 and our travelling leather trunk loaded in, we 

 found the wagon without springs; and starting 

 off the spavined animal half-hipped from long 

 service and hard drawing, it seemed as if we 

 might not gain a mile before dark. Our friend 

 assured us that tho horse was much better than 

 he looked, and that he would not fail in the per- 

 formance. Presently, after a warm and sultry 

 day, a black cloud in the west denoted the ap- 

 proach of rain. We passed on over a beautiful 

 ridge of land on which lay the farm we have 

 just noted : farther on was another fine farm, 

 first settled by the late Peaslee Badger from Gil- 

 manton, N. II., and still further on, another by a 

 son of that gentleman. For the first four miles 

 out we found the first settlers from the Granite 

 State; and the man himself who was giving us 

 the accommodation came there with his father 

 from Plymouth, some twenty or more years ago 

 as one of the settlers and owners of Compton, 

 not being able to stand civilization, but removing 

 farther into the woods as it approached 1 . 



As we understand this country, far to the 

 north-east is an extended forest uninterrupted 

 only by sparse settlements : this is in the direc- 

 tion of Quebec and the St. Lawrence. Barford, 

 the next town east of Compton, has very 

 tew settlements on the road cut out by the Cana- 

 dian land company. In a valley south of the 

 ridge there is a road going up as far as the set- 

 tlements have opened, and ending with them. 

 The road we were travelling found its way diag- 

 onally through Barford and Hereford, coming 

 out at Canaan, opposite the falls of Connecticut 

 river at Stewartstown in New Hampshire. 



The storm approached, and just as we were 

 leaving the settlements upon the ridge, our 

 mountain friend insisted that for our protection 

 against the rain he would stop and borrow for 

 our*use an additional outer garment. The Cana- 

 dian cloth was made to shed the rain complete- 

 ly: under its cover we encountered the '-'pelting 

 of the pitiless storm," dry in all of our accus- 

 tomed outward exterior. The lightnings flashed 

 light as the darkness approached, and the thun- 

 ders littered their voice. With these we were 

 even less moved than by the conversation of our 

 companion driver. We had settled the matter, 

 that, deficient as were his accommodations, we 

 were to tarry in his log-house for the night when 

 we arrived half way. 



Then commenced an interesting conversation 

 of the customs, the pursuits, the habits and the 

 manner of living in this larger wilderness suffi- 

 cient to conceal the purposes, the ends and aims 

 of those who had Occupied the pass-way for 

 years. As true and faithful to their calling was 

 every man in his business as the clan M'Greg-or 

 or any other clan in the highland fastnesses of 

 Scotland ; and we cotdd scarcely for the mo- 

 ment fancy ourself any other than Bail lie Jervie 

 on bis journey into the highlands. 



The story of continued smuggling carried on 

 for years without a single loss or interruption 

 was very well; but we will confess that when 

 our forest friend in bis dialect began to open the 

 matter of Cogni traffie^-a contraction of the 

 old Burroughs dialect of the "Cogniac Den," 

 (Cogniac being the term to designate counterfeit- 

 ers) we was truly staggered. "You are among 

 the Romans," said our conductor, "and you must 

 do as the Romans do. The most of the people 

 coming here come to trade. 1 expected it of 

 you. I have, you know, nothing to do with this 



