TORONTO or OLD. 17o 



evening last, pursuant to puljlic notice given in ttie Upper Canada Gazette, a meeting of tlie sub- 

 scribers, and other inhabitants of the town of Yorli, was held at the house of Mr. Phair, in the 

 Market-place, for the purpose of taking into consideration the circumstances in which the engi- 

 neer had been placed by constructing a bridge, the charges of which were to be defrayed by 

 voluntary subscriptions, over the mouth of the river Don." Eesolutions were passed on the 

 occasion, approving of Mr. Angell's proceedings, and calling for additional donations. A new 

 committee was now appointed, consisting of H. J. Boulton, Esq., Dr. Widmer, S. Heward, 

 Esq., Charles Small, Esq., and Allan McNab, Esq. — The editor of the Weekly Register (Fotlier- 

 gill,) thus notices the meeting: "It is satisfactory to find that there is at length some proba- 

 bility of the bridge over the Don in this vicinity being completed. We are, ourselves, the more 

 anxious on this account, from the hope there is reason to entertain that these and other rnqsrove- 

 ments in the neighbourhood will eventually lead to a draining of the great marsh at the east end 

 of this town ; for until tliat is done, it is utterly impossible that the place can be healthy at all 

 seasons of the year. The public are not sufficiently impressed with the alarming insalubrity of 

 such situations. We beg to refer our readers to a very interesting letter from Dr. Priestly to 

 Sir John Pringle in the Philosophical Transactions for 1773 ; and another from Dr. Price to Dr, 

 Horsley in the same work in 1774 ; both on this subject, wliieh throw considerable light upon 

 it. We have it in contemplation to republi.sh these letters in this work, as being highly inter- 

 esting to many persons, and applicable to various situations in this country, but particularly to 

 the neighbourhood of York." 



The desired additional subscriptions do not appear to have come in. The works at the mouth 

 of the Don proper were brought to a stand-still. The bridge over the Lesser Don was not com- 

 menced. Thus matters remained for the long interval of ten years. Every inhabitant of York, 

 able to indulge in the luxury of a carriage, or a saddle horse, or given to extensive pedestrian 

 excursions, continued to regret the inaccessibleness of the peninsula. Especially among the 

 families of the military, accustomed to the surroundings of sea-coast towns at home, did the 

 desire exist, to be able, at will, to take a drive, or a canter, or a vigorous constitutional on the 

 sands of the peninsula, where, on the one hand, the bold escarpments in the distance to the 

 eastward, on the other, the ocean-like horizon, and immediately in front the long rollers of surf 

 tumbling in, all helped to stir recollections of (we will suppose) Dawlish or Torquay. 



In 1834, through the intervention of Sir John Colborne, and by means of a subsidy from 

 the military chest, the works on both outlets of the Don were re-commenced. In 1835 the 

 bridges were completed. On the 22nd of August in that year they were handed over by the 

 military authorities to the town, now no longer York, but Toronto. Some old-world formalities 

 were observed on the occasion. The civic authorities approached the new structures in prooes- 

 sian ; a barricade at the first bridge arrested then' progress. A guard stationed there also for- 

 bade further advance. The officer in command, Capt. Bonnycastle, appears, and the Mayor and 

 Corporation are informed that the two bridges before them are, by the command of the Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, presented to them as a free gift, for the benefit of the inhabitants, that they 

 may in all time to come be enabled to enjoy the salubrious air of the peninsula ; the only stipu- 

 lation being that the bridges should be free of toU forever to the troops, stores, and ordnance of 

 the sovereign. The mayor, who, as eye-witnesses report, was arrayed in an official robe of purple 

 velvet lined with scarlet, read the following reply : "Sir, — On the part of His Majesty's faithful 

 and loyal city of Toronto, I receive at your hands the investiture of these bridges, erected by 

 command of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, and now delivered to the Corpoi-ation for 

 the benefit and accommodation of the citizens. In the name of the Common CouncU and the 

 citizens of Toronto, I beg you to convey to His Excellency the grateful feelings with which this 

 new instance of the bounty of our most gracious sovereign is received ; and I take this occasion 

 on behalf of the city to renew our assurances of loyalty and attachment to His Majesty's person 

 and government, and to pray, through His Excellency, a continuance of royal favour towards 

 this city. I have, on the part of the corporation and citizens, to request you to assure His 

 Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor that His Excellency's desu'e and generous exertions for 

 the health and welfare of the inliabitants of this city are duly and gratefully appreciated ; and I 

 beg you to convey to His Excellency the best wishes of myself and my fellow-citizens for the 

 health and happiness of His Excellency and family. Permit me. Sir, for myself and brethren, 



