Dafoe GV 845 G66 1903 ITH THE RS IN CANADA
D. R. GORDON
1,GCESS10N NUMBER t 140.3 i I at! f/ / , :;~ ~
WITH TH E /(1)3 ~.
CURLERS IN CANADA.
D . R. GORDON.
G !\THGATE: ] U NE I<)CJ3. PREFACE.
THE narrative of the following pages is a lecture delivered by Provost Gordon in aid of funds to build a United Free Church in Bathgate. J. A. Robertson-Durham, Esq., of Boghead, Vice-President of the R.C.C. Club, occupied the Chair.
The sum of £4c! secured thereby, after paying expenses, testifies tu the interest in this worthy object, and to the ' widespread desire to hear from one of the Curlers his experiences and impressions of the tour.
If it serves in the slightest to awaken an interest in Canada and its great possibilities, and in our kith and kin under the Stars and Stripes, it will perhaps have done a little to strengthen the lies of affection and goodwill between us and our brethren in the western hemisphere. CONTENTS.
CHAPTER. PAGE. 1. The Send Off, 9 II. Amongst the Blue Noses of Nova Scotia, 16 Ill. The Attractions of St•. Iohn, 23 IV. In Picturesque Quebec, 30 V. The Delights of Montreal, ... 36 VI. In the Capital of the Dominion, 44 VII. Niagara Falls and the Garden of Ontario, 50 VIII. In the Primeval Forest, 56 IX. Farming in Manitoba, 61 X. At the Mecca of Curling, 66 X I. Homeward Bound, ... n LIHT UF ILLUSTHATION S.
OPPOSITE PAGE The Scottish Curling 'ream, ... 7 Group of Emigrants, ... 12 Halifax Curling Rink, 18 Caledonian Kink and Ice Arch, Montreal, 36 Toboggan Slide, Montreal, ... 39 At the Ice Arch, Montreal, , 41 The Governor-General, Lady Mmto, and the Scottish Curler s, 45 Ab the Whirlpool Rapid, Niagara, 51 The Ice Bridge, Niagara, 52 Winnipeg Curlmg Rink, 63 4. Davidson Smith, SecreDary R.C.C.C., 74 1 I 7 TH~ following are the names of the ' team selected by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club to proceed to Canada to engage in friendly rivalry with the Cllrlers there :- No. NAME. CUJB.
1. Rev. J. KERR, - Dirlelon. M .... , F.R.S. E., 1".5 .... ( SCOT.) Captwin. 2. Pmvost BALLANTYNE, Peebles. 3. Major BERTRA'M, Medwin. 4. R. BRAMwELL, Esq., Upper Nithsdale. 5. ROBERT COUSIN, Esq., Merclziston. 6. A. E. CAMPBELL, Esq., Gourock. 7. Major SCOTT DAVIDSON Hercules. 8. Provost GORDON, Balltgate. 9. E. GIBSON, Esq., Biggar. 10. R. HUSBAND, Esq., Dunj'trmline. 11071,. Secy. and IJI'reas. 11. W. HENDERSON, Esq., Kinnoclttry. 12. R. J OHNSTON, Esq., Upper Annandale. 13. Dr KIRK, Batllgate. 14. D. BENTLEY MURRAY, Esq., Airthrey Castle. IS. T. MACMILLAN, Esq .• Glencairn. 16. D. MURRAY, Esq., Kelvind~ck. 17. JAMES M'GREG0R, Esq., - Camperdown. 18. HENRY PRAIN, Esq., Castle Hunlty. 19., D. PROVAN, Esq., Craiglock/lart. 20. G. DEANS RITCHIE, Esq., - Brougltton United. 21. MARK SANDERSON, Esq" Duddingston. 22. A. T. SIMSON, Esq., Me/rose. 23. , J. SIM.PSON, Esq., Orwell. Slennouse and 24. ANn. F. SlIHTH, Esq., { earron. I.
WITH THE CURLERS IN CANADA.
OHAP'rER I. THE Si END - 0 F F. Provost Goro01lJ said-The idea. of a team 0'£ Sootti,sIh Ourlers visiting Canada has long been oherished by Sootsnoon and their dooc!eilli\lants in the lland of the Maple 'leatf. EVe1" since curling was introduced into Canada by the Scotsm~n who adopted Oan ada astheirhrune ,the wish >has o[wn been wafted 3!CTOSS the sea fnr a meeting of de· votees of "besom and' channel stane" of Sootland and CaJIJJadJa. It has not been COOl fined to CaJllad'a, for in many places in thE' United States curliers have also shewn the desire for a visit of Scotsmen.. The mOVf, ment took its rise 8vme two years ago. Its inception was due to a speech made at the anl1lU1aJ. meetring of the Roya,I Club by the Rev. Dr Barclay of Montreal, who 'was for some time minister of Lmlithgow, and af terwa["d(s of St. Cut'hbert's, Edinburgh. After this the' matter wa,s taken up heartily by Mr Davidson Smith, the genial and able ~oretary of the RoyaD Club, assisted by a ha.rid of enthusiasts who warmiy supnocted ilO tJhe moV'eme.nt. It was felt that the full tide of opportunity had come with the splendid response O'f the Canadiams to tfue -neoosslties of the Mother CouIl!try, in send ing such splendidconJtingerut:s of her gal laut sons to fi,ght side by side with the -O'ther sO'ns of Empire for the best of all causes-the broadening oil' the bounds of hll!mllln freedom fO'r Boer, Briton and BIMk a.Li:hce in South Africa. In sending a team to extend to Canadians the hand of curling brotherhood, after such a p'roof of theu ll()yalty and affectio.n, for tihe derur old Mot her Country, we showed :iJn the warmest possible manner our appreciation of their loyalty and devotion, not merely by the symbol of words, hO'wever beautifuHy ex pressed, but by the hearty hand"dasp of brotherly aifectiOO1 and mutual esteem of bTother cur1ers. It was felt, too, that ~n the year of our good King's coronation a visit O'f Scottish curlers would ILo,t only em phaslse the strrong feeling of loyalty to Vhe thro.ne which mrurked the Hd'e of the Can adians, but would serve to draw closer the bonds of still warmer affecticn to the dear home,l>and. Such, bl-iefly, may be Iliccepted as the inc,eption of the movement. At last amLUal meeting of the Royal Club the M tion o,f the Provisional Committee was ap prroved by a grant of nWney towards tJl€ project. SubSCriptions from dubs and ·o'bhers interestcecL and ftrOml member:g of the team IIJIadle tihe suocess of tfue tour as good as assured. Volunteers were caned for and between two aud th'ree hund red responded. The comm~ttee of selec tion thought it advisable to send men lre presentative of the different districts of T
11 the courutry, instead of rinks, who would undo'ubtedly have played better than men thrown together with varying oonceptions of play. The team of twenty-five men ulti mately sel€{)·t-ed was faJrly represent3Jt.ive of variolls wa.lksl · of life. Hathga,te, Cliuh was specialily honoured in the selection "f two ()f its members-Dr Kirk and myse.lf. Many clubs entertained their representa tives before leaving, 3Jnd Bathgate Club was not behind in d~ing us the same hon our. The send-off at Bat hgat e Stabon by a large number of curIe liS 3Jlld t,ownsmen W!IJS most hearty and -entJ1U!siastic, iilie cheers of those assembLed being punetu ated by fog signals exploding as the train steMlled out of the station. A gre!IJt as sem:bD3I~e of curlers !lJnd ot he,r friends fillied the platform of the Caledoni3Jll Princes St.reet St ation, Edinburgh, to· ·see us off, and every good wish was -expressed for the laifety and SU1COOSS of the team. Leaving OUI! warm-hearted friends our tram ')(Jon sped sout hward on the journey. 'We re ceived additional members of the team Olll boalfd our cor-ridor carriag,e, including Mrs and Miss Ballantyne, of P eebles, who ac" oompani-ed Provost Ballanty,ne t'hrolllghout the tour. Thle time Spelllt illJ t he jOThlfney W!IJS p~easant, eVlelrY one be.ing pent up with expectat ion H,nd! .eIIlthumasm. Many s,ettJed down to take a mentaJ lliOte of their oom panions, while others were as happy as school boys let loose from school. Soon LirerpooL woo re3lched,3Jlld there we were met by the =l~TS of the great seaport of Livterpool, who, to the skirl of the bagpipe, formed in proceSSlion 3iIldi led Ull into the ~c!harnge Hotel, where we were after- 12 wa.rds erutertamed to dinner by the Li ver pool C'tubs. Acoomp'anying us to, Liverpool and at dinner w>ere Mr Davidson Smith, the Royal Club seoretrury, Mr Gemmel, and Mr Lirudsay, who made the arrangements for the travelLing. The dinner was a sumptuous one, and! the speechoo made were expressive of ,every good wish fo,r a· safe voyage and good-luck, a very happy and fraternal evenmg bffing spent. As we were timed to emba,rk t he next afternoon the team were conveyed by overhead rail way a.nd other means od' locomotIOn round {,he docks and City in the early part of :he' day, and , ultimatel'Y aH found themselves on board tille s.s. "Bava,rian," of the Allau' Line, a .liplendid steamer of 10,000 tons . After a visit to our quarters and bidding good-bye to friends who had come to wiSl] us bon voyage, many S€nrt l,ette1's or tJ:l!O's,e, interesting love-tipped me~ ,sages on 11lUS-. tra.ted po'st-oards . t,o, relatives or o,thers. The storm cone \~ ' as ' hoisted in the city, ' ill'-'! d~cating a gale raging at sea. and it soon spread among, the passenge;s t hat no at t:cmpt would be made to pass out of d'ock. unt il the, g,ale mod,eraited. The noveJty kept many I'ate on deck in the expectation of seemg the great ship navigated through the , inb-icate . pa,ssage of docks, but uHi mwteIy in the" WOO! short hou ~'s a,yont. t,he tw,a.l" ,we sorught rest, in s~leep . Rising salrl:y to see and catch t.he impres,jo!lLS of life, our team was astir, but many bet-ook tJJem selves to t.he dining-room witho1.1t. g-oing <)n the upper deck. The v,essel never bavmg left. the d-ock, some joloor suggested that their voyage so far had been a very sm-ooth one, jjhat one hundred miles or more m11st GROUP OF E~IGRANTS ON BOARD S.S. BAVARI.\N.
-- ~ 13 now be covel'ed,and if all the VOJllige wel'e' to be as enjo,yahle, t he Eea pasEa,ge would be a delightful experience. This joke, lliS most of you are awa,re through the medium Jf "The West ' Lothian Courier," has boon used a.ga.inst Dr Kirk and myselif, who were reported t.o have had an imlliginaxy con versation over a bottle of champagne. The dialogue \\1a8', of course, a pure invention, a.nd, as you also know, we are bot h given to drinking nothing much stronger than the water from the Bathgate hillll. Our voyage was a plelliS ant one. Some feU v]c t uns to sea-sickness, but t he majority kept weLl. Curling on deck by playing wooden discs in I'inks was a dlaiily oc'cmparli on, the lu,gers contributing to a fund for the Liver pool Hospital. Many a time we witnessOO t 'lle' diol,phin's hurdlling rame w~th the ship. Like schoolboys running allongslde a oar rIage they kept np with the ship for WIDe miles, eyer lea.piug out of the water, diving and swimming, unltiL having satisfied their oU!rlosity , or, as I think, their del'ight with t he'ir passing visitor tJhe "Bavllirian," they disappeared. Our pMlSage' was a very gQod one , the soo-going qUlllhl,ties of the "Bav 'arian" being exoe1lJJent. What must ever 'be a very u.nique e:x;perience Wll!S the hold ingof a Curlillg Court at ooa, where the twm were lUu,tiated in the mysteries of curling, and many Cana.ooaUJ feHiciw-passen ger.s Ilium ship's officers were passed throll~h tihe Court . P,art of this pToced~re is the finill1g of everyone many times for real l ,r imaginary off,ences against My Lord the pr,esidilllg officeIT, Mr P ea:rson of She,ffieM, who, was visiting Gana.da. to witness the CULr lirng of the team. The money collected in 14
the sWup in fines W!a8 then put up for aUlctlOn and so,ld to the highest bidder-Mr Mlllrk Sanderson of Leith, a memoor of the Lothians Rink, who is with us hero to ll!i'ght. The fu.s.t bid fetched fom guineas, the money going to the Liverpool Seaman's Hospita:lJ. In making an the arrangements for the !historic Court, ill ad:ing as iJts ohief offioer, a.nd inist,ructing the new-made cm lers in all the mysteries of th,e ourling oraft and giviiIlg them illre curler's grip, my skip, Mr Robert Cousin, who, I am pleased. to say is also p.esent with us, greatly dis tmguished himself. Christmas WllJS sperut at sea. Mr Kerr, the captain ,of the team, conducted a service, a,nd it woo much en joyred. The collectioiIl, together with the sum l1ai'sed from a suh(s.equent conoort, W!'IS handW OTer to the :ho.spita:Ii fund. About this period oue of our team, :i\1T Smith of OaJ:ron, su:ffiered an aJccident wmch ii!IJCiap amtaood him fmm playing in a,ny of the matclOOs. During the [,arooor part of tbe voywge WIe wel1eeu'Ve~Qped in a fogruear , he NewfouniUand coast, 'ap,d the regular souum. iug of the foghorn m~eat l ed 'a fee,ling of muoh '!liIlxierty, ,wt le3JSt to persons who had had llJO simrulwr experience, but everyone had confidlence tha,t' Captwin WaJJlaoe WIld 'his officers and IIJJeIl were cooing theIr ut most for the saf~y of tlhe pllJSSeugers alud ship. It 'app€ars that observations of the sunaro taken every day wt noon to ascer tain the eXaJCt po'sition of the vessel' alnd the 001N'Sle steered, For three days the SUIlli was never seen on account of the fog, and! it was in this weal1ilier tihat we were run so dooo to the m~iniJ:a,nd. Seeing this the ca.ptaIinJ 'at once knew his nosItion, and
\ 15 steered for his destination. I must say in fuirI1ieS8 to Captain Wallaoo that he was in no way to bllame fo·r the incident which, getting into th~ newspap'lXs, may have caused a flutte r of e~citement at home. OHAPTE!R 1!1. AMONGST THE BLuE NOSES IN NOVA 8COTIA. Our 'diOliight at Ml _rly Land- ingrut Haliiia..'C kielpt us om fue outLook forr tlhose I.ighrts of land which sm·,,.,· as heacons to olUr man ners, and OUT hea.rt'> wiere glad at the pros pect of a safe arrival in Nova Scotia. The harhoUT of Halifax is world-famous, having telll squJa,re mi,1es 0'£ slafe ancharage; the basin terminates at a distanoe of nine mifus from the Clty, and is navigable for the whole dista,nce. Here a thousand s'hips may rest secure but a little way from t he 'hroad ocean highway which unites t he Eastern and the Western worlds. We see the strong fortifications everywhere, and are reminded that this is a British na.val port and a ganison tOiWlIl. Its population lS 40,000, Mld British in a very pronounoed degree. Itscommea:cial' relations with. the mother colliIlltry have boon V'ery extensivt, 'and the fAmily ties between tlhe people I)f Halifax and 1iliose of ScotLand are very numerous. The Citadel, 256 feet above the harbour level, is the orowning height -of Halifax. Its buildings a.re mostly made of wood, but many houses and public edI fices are built of vrettily coloured brick. It is a weaillthy city. andl its business men have iong been nowd fo'r thel!l" r ~tiabil~ty and honoUiraMe .deaJing. The com:uml"ciaJI interests 17 have aJ.w&ys been mast extenMve, and craft of aU kinds and of every naItion are to 00 S€lJlIl in its waters. We ·arrived in Halifax on Sunday. When we approached the qUlay a laa-ge' numoor of curr1ers and othms, a, wa~bed the 'aJrrivaJof the ship, aJUd ma,ny signals, soon in<}i.cated that loved {)lJ1JOO wnd friends were, dilseover,ed. There was one figure In the group who attracted our attenrtioll, namely, Colonel Stevenson, who had come a.l1 the w'ay from t.he beauti fuL oity of Montve.al to offer us a. wa.rm wel come from the ourle,rs of the Pwvince of Quehec. The Sunday arrivat prevented our Oanadian curlers from glvi,ng vent to their ent.husiwstic we1eome, but it wws most hearty a.nd warm m its uaJture, and hullit.'1- reds wev€< rleady to offer us eveTY service. The ga,llant Colonel SteveillSon, who is a " young" ma.u of eighty, wa,s not many minutes in knowing every member of the team hy s~ght as he knew them hy name. His happy and wibty remarks, ma,ny of them: alrea;dy well known to y'ou through the priess, made mm most beloved by e v.~rybody. Se,ated in sleighs we, were d,riven off to the Queen's Hobel, where an exoeHent LU'lllcl:won awaited us. Before leaving the quay, however, we took l'ea:ve of many Cana;dia.n and other frlenda, who had oo'en most companionable, and w'ho we·re leaving for rarious pwrts A Camada, :lome going to V an<:ouve·r. f)!1 Sunday evening Mr Kerr prea.dhedl in one of th'e churd,es, at which our team at,te.ud- 00. Afterwards Provost and Mrs Ballan tyne ,entertained the team and ,some Cana dian gue-sts to supper on the occasion of their silver wedding, when they received 18 many heart'Y OOI1IgITatuil!ations. These 0(){)3- sions 'are the cause of many refleohoillJ& on my pant and raise in my mind a consider a.bTIe dOll,bt of myh€ing present at my own golldoo wedding. We were offered the use of the, rinKs too next day foroUlrling prac tice. Imagine the ,dismay of the team to find they could pIay their new~Iy-I1)Iade sto rues ouly about half - way up t he rink on 3icoount of the sharp rLugs, which cut the ioe. TheillJ we h3Jd to p~ay Qut ofa lhack made in the i'ce inst:ea;d of f'roma cmmnit . Playing in covered rinks whore rjjhe directions could With dtifficulty be heard' through the close proximity of the pl!ayel'S, Hnd al,so of crowds of lad~eS' and' gentllemen, V1ery excited and entihll8lllSmc over thmr Scottish visitors you will see W 8 ,S 1l!0 ea,sy t ask for the lads wiHl the Tam 0' ShaillJters. The rink, it- self, ~et me explThin, oolllsi'sts 'of a main building to the street , cornrtainirng clu b room , commi,ttee-room, IHd'ies' room, read i'lllg-room,smoking and liuncbJeon rooms, and the boot hwwtoryarrangements, Wlth the waJils deoomted with portraits of Presi dOOllbs or other officials or norted! ,curlers, and in hruJJdsome C3iOOS were the trea,sured tro phies of the CLub. ThecTub premises are all nghted by elootrici,ty and heated throughmllt, making '3in aMmctive place of resort, and atl'ording every comfort for both sexes. Inside there is the rmk proper ,a lal'ger huiMing by far than this church, oontairning ice spaJOO for three, four or· ,S IX rinks with platforms, with rails alil round, and galleries with8e3ihs for SIghtseers. This rink was most beautifully decorated, tine IIliOtto, in Gael~ c which lKlrt one man of H ALIFAX CUR LING RINK. 19.
OUlf team couldrlood heing tfranslJated into English, "Five million welcomes from New Scotia to Old Scotia." The decoratIOns' of Scott~s!h J~ions, shi,e]ds, Umon Jacks, and the emblems of Cana.da and the United States most enchawtingly entwined, and numerous :.oroIls with the usual curling ex llI'8&'lions w'ere most gorg'I'OUI! and tasteful. We were driven to 3Jud from the hotel to every appointed rendezvous ; we were of fered the free use of every Club in t,he city; we were entwtamed by the St Andrew's SocOOty, whillch exists to heiLp Scotsmen down in their luck, and' we were t,reated 1Il every way a.'\ distinguished vi,sitoI'S. New Yea The Railway Company offeredi us free t.r~yelJ:ing on theirr trra,ck, and t'IDs offer was lOOCeprted to €Illab1e us to alter our visitmg plan; hut we had mken out and paid' for tickets by another route upon which it may be possihle to get a rebate. Leaving Halifax we bade' adieru to a l'arge concourse of cuders and other friends" including Ladies who had gathered to wish Ull' good-bye. '.I1o use a farrmlial' ,',x pression, we had a struggle wiobh our feel ings to tpar ourselves away from t,he mos,;; hospita.hle peop!e-:-for in odes of wel'come aud great kindnesses a,t their hom.es ,t hey had completely WOll an OUT hearts. In thlS we might have with truth ex,claimed "Kindness in woman-not their b,"auteou~ looks-shall win ou.!' love; but in their case ('hanged to tllis effect--"Killdness in man and woman with their beautiful looks won our ].ove." This jwing our first~experi ence of' a Canadian Pullman ~ar , we weTO muclJ delighted to find ourselves in one of t.hese trav",Uing palaces. The Raitway Company very kindly placed 'a spemal first class ca. at ou·r 'service,. The lluxurianoo', comfo~·t, aUld aocommodation provided in them a.re ast{)nishing. They alre an com fOl\"tabl>y heated, andi afford freedom In tmvelJ[IlJg throughout the traci.n. The ~rs are ada.ptOO for being made into exceUent beds with upper' 24 llillId 110wer herths, ,and h aV'e smoking or Lounge apartments. Rail way travelling in Oanada and the States is most oonvenient and comfortable-·even Luxurious-making short di9tance travelling very agreeable and long distane,e journeys a pleasure. In ordinary trains U1ere IS aLways a dining carriage wthere you dine cm the Bouffet principle. but on the long distance trai"ns there is always a dining-car where t he ser· viCe is a,s perfect as in any first-class hotel. Theoountry pa!ssed en rq.nte for St John was carefuUy scanned. While passmg; many palfts clea1'ed from primeva.]i forest, t here was everywhere to he seen t he sett· l'm·s' wood~ 'ho,use wi,tih ho,using for their animals, and out in the fiellls fairly large barns. all I>t,opp,tn:g a,t ,a sta:tion our tra.in would be boarde d by the ~urlers ' from a more distant pLace, who 'had ootilloe very long distances to meet us and be able toO o,ffer us whilJe travelQing towards their to,,·n or VI] lage their weLoome to, Oanada, SO ilie cx pressing theh' ~·' eat l'egret that we could not wait a day to curl with t.hem and ac· cept t heir hospitality. At Monckt,on 'y,' were ha.nded a photograph of the "Bore" fI r t.haJt pla.ce ,from the curle'rs t here. Leavin,l; Moncktun we pl'Oceed~d tlhrough most in teresting scenery, wluoh time wil.l not allow me to touch upon, and we 3!rriv€d a,t St John's Oity, in N,ew Brunswick. Here ,VI) were met by a IM"ge OOll!cQourse of curl~ rs a.nd New Brunswickers, who extended to us 'a moot enthusiasti{) welcome, a.nd 'a.ft.etr wards driving us to ,a charming hotel. The City (yf St John: on the Bay of Fundy, r.t the I1nOlUtli of the River Sot John, has a pOP'll'lrution of 50,000, and is the wmter port 25 of Canada for the shIpment of western pro ducts to Great Britain and other countn.!s on tJhe other side of the ocean. It presents illsellf to' the eye to,-d,a,y as a most boorutiful, modernly bu,i\'t, eorrumerci!al ood' up-to--da,te city. In 1877 upwards of 200 acres of the city comprising WOO houseos, were destroy· €,d'by fire, but t,he new bmldings now erect ed are all of pretty brkk or stone, and its appearance will bear comparison with an;; . CIty of its size in Canada. St John IS fir~L of all a commercial city, rund a busy one. The days of wooden shipbuilding have passed, and lumber, t hough still a large item, i:s no longer the gr,eat fa,ci,or in the general prosperity. New and varied indus tries' havE' ari;;cn, and, being centrally situ· ated in relation to the population of the M~!nrtime p~'ovi!llces, it is the termiruus of three railways, and these oot as feedE'rs with the rivers in bringing in the produc·,s of a vast area for shipment ,to, BrItain and other parts. Bt John w,a,s the port from "hioh were made the winter shipments of hay, horses, and other supphes for South Africa during the late war The Si John river is navigable for 200 miles. l'he city was founded by the American Loyalists in 1784, at the close of ohe War od' Independ enoo. Some 45,000 crossed into Canada at tJlat time. In the ,centre of the city is the Q6IIl€ltery whera lie those starunch Io'yaJists who gave up everything ex'cept their loy alty to be able to l[ve under the free and protecting folds of the Union Jack. Look lUg to the rapid rise of St J (John after tIle fire and its steady progress in industry, manufactures and commelOO, can it "e ·doubted that those high and noble cnanlc- 2 teristlcs have been transfffi'l'ed into the liiJfe - and oharlWber of the cityrund made lit one ' of the handsomest allldi mostchaJrming spots in Ca.mtda. ? We v1s>itedJ a][u'ige lumber and pulp mill run by an .American firm. Tho ease and facility wit.h which the tamOOr was COIl!vey~d' by endless chains and travelhng benches, andl out lienig;t:hwiise land CirOSS wise until every porlion was relegated to. its · own plaloo, all ~ductJed witih such sIJ6l!'d, premsion, and regu~~r1t.y, ,spoke ()f the immensity of their llumber trade a.nd of the rescurces of the country. Thepultp mill! was next vislted, and here wood pulp is la1T~ly mmllUfaictured fm" the making of paper amd other materials in very large qullJlJbiJties. The mllllliager ·of the I umber miH wa,s one of the pa·rrt:ners. He was most kind in showing uSMli tihe details of the business. We made visIts to wrot are oa1'l1ed th~l Rev·ersible Fa:l!ls The phenome non is easil~ undierstood when the nature of the river iu refereiOOe to· it;si outlet is CQ'll siOOTed . The river St JoIhn r~ rnl Maine . &nd Hows 450 miles ere lt d~scharges into the harbou.IT 0IlJ the Ba;y· of F11lldy. It dl'3lims a.n area of some 17 m~HiOlI1 acres. Yet this .great badlY of W1lJter is em ptiOOJ moo the _ through It rocky chasm a lli'trt~ over 500 feet WIde. There' a :liaiIJi I:S forlned. It is a peollllfur fall. At high tioo the sea has It descent of 1'5 feet moo the river amdJ runs-backwards about 90 miles, andl at lbw tide the river has a l!rke flllH into the se'a. It is on-llYwt; half ti:ooor slack w'ater that this part of the river ca;a. he .ru!JvrgatJed in Sialfety. Across ibhiSlwilld tumrult of warter is SltrerbOOed tihe SUSlpenlsion 27 Bridge, 70 feet above the highest tide, with a Spaill O!f 64 foot. A short distance above is the Cantilever Bridge oonnecting the ruilway systems. In passing out to :;ee the Fal1s we observed a gr8lnite mOllUlllieut in oourse of ereotion on a height overlook mg the riv;er. This was t()· commemorate the braV>(> Canadian soldiers who h8ld fallen for Queen and Empire m South Africa. You see in this one of the .featureS' of Cama dia,n life. l'hey cthink and act quiickly III anything which they a,ppl"ove of. We w,e're told many stories at the dIfferent places. This was one. A hunter and trapper was cornered by a grizzllybea.r. Re was in a prectty tj,ght plaoo, fo,r he ha,d only a howi,e knife wiherewiJth 1,0 defend himself, so he thought it W1aS time for a prayer. Down he went on his moos, and said: -"Oh, Lord, I'm 81 meanouss to ·Olillll on you omliy when I'm fixed up this way with a 'bear' comm' down right on me, but I don't want to be a, meam. cuss any more tham. I can heh, so Lord, all I ask is ,this, you stand on cne side and d'On't y'O,u help that bear and You'll ~ the fineSlt fight You ever S8IW in the Amerioan fmest." 'We p]ayed a good many curling ga!llJes in; St J ·ohn, ,al'bhou'gh not .:so many as had beem arr8lll!ged. The blllrometer ro,se some degrees 81bove freez ing point the first day, and our frilends thought it better to slho:w us some 0'£ the sights of the place, sudh as the FaJ:ls, lum ber '3illd pulp mills,and other parts of the city. Some rinks ·of our team had . pl~yed on the damp 100 and W!OI1; and as this was tIle inv8Iriable lWIuilib on duilll' ice, we. thought a tru.oo quiJte a sensible' aa-:range- 28 ment, and one most enjoya.ble to us. 1h13 grea.t banquet given, to the team was a tllost briUrant affair. Many Cabinet Mini sters and Members of Parliament and re presentative .men of all classes were pre· ~l'nt. The dinuer was first-class. Th~ speeclws especlaify by the Members of t he Government were of the very highest order and werl' never excelled at any other place. The entertainments hy private individualr:; lo variol1s groups of the team were excel lent. Mr Ke,Jty J'ones e l1lt,eil"t a,inecl many memh e~'s of t he t l e ~un alt hi", llovel(y hom e. The Judges of t ihe Supreme Court and the Do·ctors 'VaJkm' &ho,wi,nlg u ssimilm' kind n ess. At. t!hei,' "Sing Son,gs," OIl' smoking cOl1icerts, tlL€) Sit Jothnites introc1uced' a noveLt y to UU[' not.ice. vVheill a gentleman was l()aJUledi upon to ·speak or sing, h~ would s t~nd m but bclure a;llo~v ling him to. pro cee c1i the company would shout out "vVha,t 's the mattc'r with Hushand," foll .. e9 tion. A grea,t crowd of wel'l-wlshers gath ered at the station to bid us farewell, ' and. many 3111usLng scenes lllIUrked OUa' l€13ive-tllk• ing. Ma:ny links of affeotion had ev~d:ently been forged in St John, jlldging hy the ma,ny endearing looks· tha,t were directed to the bmw hds fme aruilid: S!oorbland. CANADIAN IRON PLAYERS. CHAPT~ IV. IN PIOTURESQUE QUEBEC. St J aim was soon ,l:eft hehind, and a'liber 'a lO!l1lg j 0 uru1ey h y train, whrch was a perf,ect rest f'l'o,m the day and mght routine which we had exp'€Il-ienced, we arri;ved at Levirs. T'h·i'S is the mtilway 'Sl tiatioIL on tih~ 'Sourth ha.nk od' the St LawTenoo. From here we a.re tmns ponteda.cross the river, which, onw()count ,of the ioe, is mevt open onJiy hy the oonsiJantli voyages of aSltrongly huilt vessel which conveys passenge·rs. goods, ibOorse;;, cat.tle, and ever" kind Oof vehicle a·cross stream. The el['3;shmg of the ice by the passage flf the steamer gives us qui,t,e an arctic feeling, fOT indeed the barometer hwd faJlen 10 to 15 degrees below 00'1'0. I was attracted by the steam rising off the water, which I at t!l1ibuted to tihe tempell"'ature of the :river being ' higher than the su~' rOl\ltnding air. We· were met by rep'l1eserutlatives of Vlariol\l'soliU!hSl at Levis and waiting our arriV'al at Quehee were numerOllS (', nr~ers a,nd oth'3r friends, who arranged for oonveying all our bag·gage and cur1i.ng S[tones to the 'hate! and curling rink. Sleighs were also in rea,dineSiS a,nti, accom panied by our hosts, we made the steep 81Sce.nt of the heights of Quebec, throl\lgh the Clty to that mo,<;t beautiful and piotur esquJe of hotels, The ChaOOaru FronJi:Jenac, a handsOIIlle fire-proof hotel built in French 31 Rena.isS8,nc(> style oi ar0hitecture, occupy ing a matchless site on Dufferin Terrace; built, owned a.nd conducted by the enter pri~ing Cana.dian Pa.cific RaIlway, where the JiUXUT.Y of traveL is exemplified. Quebec is beyond description. It is unique among the cities of the continent. No picture oon do it justice. It is the Gibraltar of North America. Our thoughts turn natur ally to those grea.t struggJ,es between Bri tain and France for the possession of the North American Continent to th(> plai'l1R 1)£ Abraham, whe pelllceful that the thought of war seems out of harmony with the scene. Poets havf\ bung 'and historians have written of Que bec, but Quebec is a poem tha.t no language oa,II! exp~",'lS; tramway~ are run by elect,rie power gener ated at tlooSle Falls. The dinner was oorveci in a hotel once the residanre of the llrute Duke of Kent. Speeches and sorngs airways t THE, DELIGHTS OF MONTREAL. Wihelll lleawng . HaJira,x we wer,e mId that great aB had!. heen ou~ reception there we had! JUJst tIo wait un til we E>nte!I'ed St John to see how mucll betlter t hey wonld receive us. This kindly <>entImtlnt, howeTIl!!', gatbered fo;ce as we' pTo'c,E)eded, and the gaHant Colonel Steven son had every confide.nce that Montreal 'would rise to, its lrigh e Royaf s1eighs because it ar"'e,ared to me they were tlhe most hallldsomeamd 11Eturi ant of any we saw in Canada, while the price of hiring toom, when any CanadIan would anow you to ~ov for it, which was seldom, was mod~rnte . The drive to Mount Royal, aocoIDpamioo by delightful hosts, whO' point!,d out every notable buildilllg or res~dence, wa,s mos,t enjoyable and interest ing. If Y'OU sota;nd on MDunt, ROY'aJi and IDOk on the beauti~uill ci1t,ysprr:ooidj out be IIJeruth, the eye il3 fHloo. with delight at the magnifiClelllt prospeot. It is:1 view that fills on€' with wonder and clJa.rm. There is muoh' to tempt one mto the widest . realms of fancv,and pDetic description, but I must re strain myself and join III the jubilation that fills the Montrealers, possessing . such a lov;ely pa.nDrama. Here we we:re further 1fl:structoo. in tobog)gan~n.g-perrh!a.ps the mDst popular Df aU their winter SPDrts. ' I should think he wDuld be a ,curious and mdifferent individual who couM WIthout a ' thri11. of delight stand at the h~ of Mou,n tirun Park sl[de and contemploate a fiying trip down the icy dhute. Its head is on the IIJorthern brow o:f the mountain; its f,oot. ha3f 'a mIre down in t~ hollows. At this place mo!l't Df tihe team enjoyed' this most. delightful and invigorlllt,ingexperi en'oo of a tobDggan sllide. 'TIre tobogg!llIls welle llarger and lDnger thml at MontmDr eney and: 'as the til'3·ck was confioodi with snow waJ~s Oille '!Jould go withoult a. part.JIlJer ,a.ctingas a h~lm. AJ!ong with 1Jh~ others I enjoy;ed one of thooe slIdes. The great speed aoo the ga:thering momentum Weil'e a.n e:xperi~.pice one Wl'lil' never forget. It 40 s<. r'ejuv,"ll.{I.t;e,s one, as tu make even 3IIl old p young agajn. Many had repe,ated slides a.nd enjoyed' them with great zest, but others contented then.'l'iel.ve~ with what they would rpckon a record run. The wea- 1!her of IIfontHJ,a1. is sunny and bracing. Their f'amous winter carnivals· with their ice paia,ces, hockey, masquerades, snow-shoe proc~sions by torchlight, thelr bouncing of a frieud, and Qther qu~te unique entertain ment>; m~ke MQutreaJ ,nuter lue most en tertaining, delighUllj aJld health-giving. The Call~donllian mub er,ectedi the m3Jgn,i.fi cent anJh seen in the pid1ure in honour of the I:l cottci.sh visl,tnr&. Lt was" ,indeed, 'a work of ·art, u.ml was grOOJtly adlllired. Within the rink were neatly out Hogs i\rom ioe-blocks whioh were set Uip to keep gUial'd at the Hog soom. Montreal is certa.in.1y a. head-centre of ourl mg. There are six clubs in the city. Ma.ny ()f them have mOl>t exc' where that keen, keen c\1I1~r and eminent divillP thoi'nughly refreshed us with an ex cellent sermun. 0J'l€ speClal featur~ of the service was the urgan yulnntanes O'n a grand u'rgan, played witihexC€:fient taste and f eel~ng . We heard such tuuching tune:;; as " 'f'h~ La,l1!d ,0( the Le'al," "Home" Sweet Hume," "The }<'IO'we'rs 0" the 'i"O'l'€I>t, " and uther Scottish m~lO'dies play- -ed ill th-e sweetest and most endearing tones. rrhe, chuir was a perfect one. Here let me say that thechuir singing, in whIch there al'e invariably O'ne ur mure appropri- ate sol{)s, 'was all thruugh Cana- da must he'Rui:iful. The quality and b alia r.CH uf tone, the intelli gent expr,essiO'n ,aru:! tll'e cm~r eot ,derp.O'rt ment uf the singeTS were, eve~ywhiel'e ex celLent. One uf the ma.ny pJeasant O'utingd WIiS a sleigh dl'lve to Lachine, where the f,arm3inIT mills of the MessTs Ogilvie were vi~ih, d, affording insight intO' the wu,rking uf thelln whieh wasgrmtifying to the ViSl tors. On the way h()m~ ,a de,tour was made O'n the St LaWTe 43 {·reated them to a Soot.ch 'Song which was grerutly enjoyed, as many Oof the vlsitors joined heartily in the chOorus. After a wook of supreme but COonstant hospita.lity and en joyment \I'e weDe entertained to a. farml'elli hanquet in the Wind~or Hotel. The din mg hal1 was bri·lliantly decomted fOol' the --occasion by multi-colom:e.d desIgns in elec tric light t hroughout the gorgeoU's lXlom. 'The RO:>'al Arms, the Scottish Lion, the Map!te Le-af ,. and ot:h~r eff·eouve designs we'l'e most el{l.borate:ly display.eeL at the ends and sides of the hall in a setting of dazzling -brillla:nc€ that I have never ·seen surpassed. The OtJl€ T decoratio;ns of f.oJ!iiag.e, baJ1~ ,1tc"S and flowers, and the whOoLe setting con sLitut.eda seene of beauty that one cannot we'] describe. The company wouilidi IIJutm ·,ber many bundreds, under the geniaL pre ..sidency of ColOonel Stev(msGn. The eurle.rs · of Montreal, bhooe £rom a wide district, and ail t.he men of light 'and leading were gathered in honDur of t,he Seobtislh visitors. At this banquet. the ha.gg)is, betfom betiing ,se.rved tOo the ,eomp'any, ~s carried round the room to a pibroeh llICcOompanment. 'l'his eus,tom was, faithfuIay ca.rried Dut · 'aIDlidist the gTeaibes,t entJ:l!UlS:iasm rut a1l · the nO'babh~ hanqruets dming ilie tour. 1.1he spee()hes and the singIng we.re worthy of the great ocoasion. Ma.ny of the com pany went round soliClting the autographs . .of the team, which were readily given, and 'when "Auld Lang Syneo" WIllS sung by the great gat,hering OThr hearts were deeply touched by the unmistakeable warmth of -Oana.dian love. Yet this or other gathex- -mgs did not melt· a.way until all had feT- ·vently s'Ung "Godl Swve the King." CHAPTER VI. IX THE CAPI'fAL OF THE DOMINION. Next mo,ruing 'a ,great €)aitJheriil1lg allSiembIed a,t t'he ,SltamOl1 'bo wish UlS good - bye. M'any personal soo vEmJirs weT'e given to m~m: bers of the toom indi'cactil1g how deeply some hearls mnstht",ve boon touched. The trraiu SOO!ll steaulIeid off fOIl' Ottawa, the ()u,pitail of the Domjnrion of Canadl1, where we safely ar rived .oUi a Saturday. TIle ba.rometer lmod ril I 45 this country to d~scontinue the use of matches yet for a time. In o.ttawa we played on three rinks, and with fair suc OOSS. o.n the evening of our arrival we at,tended a great hockey matoh between Montreal and Ottawa clubs. This was most keenly coIlltel!ted, the. demonstra.t ive " character of the onJlookers , W1as a,t t he hi~ pitch, and III the fas·t play the ex citement ran very h~gh. Hockey is played iD. the skating rink. It is virtually a game " of shinty on skates, with. goals at ea.ch end, ' w:iJth opposmg teams. We were also invit ed to a skating eniJertainmellit in one of the . rinks anothereve.n1ng. The ladies of o.t- ' tawa sent o·ut the invitations and provided the musi,c and t.h:. refreo:hments in :he cJiub~ rooms. .Ao~l the- eliite, yuut h, and bOOu>bv Of 1;.he Capital!' were there. The piaJl"ty. ,a·re; lea 'on t o ' 1Jh~ waJit~s ruid other d:anoos ·an skarl:es by HIS . E'xcel1en,cy th~ ' Govemorr-Gerreml, LOrd Minrto. Lady Minto and her daughter are most 'accomp liisheq ska~ . Their presen,1OO at these , regu'liar skating oarniv8Js ' gives Il.I1 ·added ' zest to-fthe d!~1ightful pastime. , Along w~tlh aU the ·c:urks of o.ttruwa. tne team were in- ' vited t~ dline at Govern'ment House w~iJh His ' EX'ooHen.c:y: Loi-di MIntO, to pLa:y on the rink there andlon the open po·hd outs-ide, ",here ~ wet'e aH phol\:.ograph,ed , inc'luding : the Governo,!", Lady Minrto., their faniily. and' a rep'l'esentative group. The 1urncheOn at Government House WI!8 very ·exceHent. The table dlO'ooration deserves a special n0- tice. The entIre taMes were set out to represent Oah:aB,a: The centre of the t a'b'hl W'as a\[ snowed to mIuSt~ate · its snow-olad 46 sW!te,. Trees were oot in the snow typical of its forests, while a representJation of the 8t LawOOIlJoo River ran throughout. The eifeL-t W'llJS very p .rett~ indeed. On the Sun d~y night our team weT«) invited to heaJr a special sermon bey Dr Herrid'me of Otta,wa, whO' ]s a curler, and' {)[lJe of the most elo quent of pr~lwhel'E! in Oanad!a. Here 3Jl1lain my observa.tiollil on t.he o'rganandchoir and so11o singimg may be summl!rised in the 'WO'rds, mOiSlt delightful!. Dr He.rridge, be fo.re proceeding with ,the sermon, e~tended to the visiting terum iJhe w'arm welcome of the Preshytenan OhuTch of Canada. It may not be out. of plla()e if I s1Jate what of 'COWl'ge ma" he known t.o many preS>elI1t, that tlhrougho'lllt C!anada there is but one Presbyterian Church, they knowing no~ 3n.y divisiO'n, buta.l from Qine who bOO ooone to see theourlms. At tOOl si()Iciail! meetirJJgs the lapp~afuse offered to· It singer or !lpeakeoc< WaB offe~ed , in ili€li!e WOir-dS : -Sis bO'om bah; Sis bO'om bah; , Otlbawa, OtrtalWa, Ra, Ra, Ra,. Leravin!!l Ottawa we IJIext visited! Peter- borough, Whelre we gQt a magnificent re cept~O''l1. On aorrival we found the statiO'!ll CIl"owd'ed , there were neaTlly It thO''Usand peoplel, a 'Claclelt. c'QIrp(;l was present as a guard' of hO'nO'ur, a hmsls handi was pl1esent to. play us into town, while 'lJadies andi gememen and' ,cihildren CTowdled! tlverypaa't. A cH,d ing boruspieill was in progress here, '3;bO'l1t 300(JUrr~ers with besoms up raised fo,rming II!ll ·escort to a }ong caJvaIcade of sle,ighs, in which we we're driv>eIl. t.O' QUI' hotel ifurO'l1-gh the principall streets. Alt a,long the rO'ute the inhabitants lined up· the pavements in groo,t numbers and nO'dded t heir wel·come. Thls was, in my opiniO'n, the most effusive and demonst.rative wekO'me yet. expen enced, and they entertained us also right rO'~ailily. In Peterih'nl1O'ulgh we visited the EdisoIll Electr~ c WO'rks, The Qua.ker Oats FructO'ry, ·and the GO'Vlernmeni. Oana1 Hy d'l'aul~c WO'rks, a~i giving ev id~ lIl! ce of mQd erl"IlJ thO'ught and applirances' and, faith in the p ·mg~resiS and furt,=e grE'Jatness O'f Oana da.' At the. next pJ1aJce visillte d, Lin:~ :say, we were most enthusiastically l'ec·eived. Here we \VIere entertamerl hy a curling club cO'll1JdlulCt.ed nn t,eetotaJ: I'inelS, ",!hieh wa~ Qne of three we met with SImilarly condu()t ed:. Her. ~, a6 ·at P~terbnI'O'ugh, we, fO'und s'plendid curleriS and right kind> peO'ple . 'Doronto was next l1ea.ched. We were a!c- companied from the station by many meIn be'ts of the Ontiarro Curlling Clubs and curlers of Toronto and pLayed into qua,I1ters by a stalwart band of pipers. We were melt iirll the hoteJ by very many frieruls, offering us every attenrt.ion anrl hOI, pitJahty during our stay. At every pla,ce of' importance our team were offel1ed the froe use' of all tIre best dubs. The Toronibo Clubs ha,a:, however, s'ched'ulleCL all) OUlI' ,tirrre during ou'r three days' sta.y, 'and most of our' team were dJisappointJe,c]I that they lro.d: not JIIIore timo to visit friends. The Mayo'r and Corpora 'tron gave us a drive rou:nil the city, am,d s:howed 11S the Pail'!Ji.ament House" where, we were most kmdly received by the Premier, :Mr Rc.ss, who extended to us a hea,rty wel~ come. The Uni-rersity, Town HMI, and mher pubHo buildin~ were visited, and afterwa.rds we were entertained to lunch in the best remaur.ant in the city. We played in 'alE the olIuh rinks of Torol1to, which ar'8 aim larg€! 'and weU...equipped. The curlers od' Toronto, like their frtienCLs in MontreM, llir€ aN spl€iIldidl p~ayers, and here, 'aB in Mont real:, our team got badly beaiWn. Toronto, freqUJelllt~ caned the Queen Oity, is booruti fuJltysituated on the nOlTi:jh shore of Lake Orutario, and ~s 000 of the Lar~st and mOiSt prosperous cities of tJhe Dominion. Its hoowtiful scenery, lts pictll!reSque parks, its handsome pubHo building,s, its beautiful churches,ooli!leges WIld ,residences, maJre it very attractive. The town is ,up-'to-date, a.nil giV'es me the impression of' being a great brusilreSs city. It, is ~hie great S€'atod' learning. QUlr team visited the lro.,rvesmng madMnery Wlorks of . M'Rssey~Harris, atnd 49 they were delrrghted with an they 'sa.w . A special featUJre of Toronto was the ioo y;achtmg. The yaohts, on roll1ers, are ,sailed on the frozen ~ake up to sixty miles alIl horu!". Ice-ywchting is qu~te as invigorat ing and exoiting as a,n i(le;-slrde ,3Jlld many of OUT team enjoyed the nOve/lty in ioo navigation. In Toronto, as in ,every cit'Y and town visited, we were presented with badges and oostill!ctive souvenirs from evrery; curl~ng club. M!3J1lJy of them are disf tinclJy appropriate and pretty, a.nd will ever be much t.relasuredJ by us as loving links I'n the chain :r>."'1AGARA FALLS AND THE GARDEN OF ONTARIO. Instead Df the llliIIJIly cl!uibsin OI1itJa,riD Province oOoming tiIlIt(» Tor- 0DJt0 to p~ay there with us, our toom spent a week visiting mruny Df the Ooutllyin.g dubs. We were booked t.D p:ll1Y at. Hlaiuuilton Dn MO City of Detroit. I A regular and efficient ferry servi!celof steamers takes usooross t:he riv€ IN TID~ PRIMEVAL FOREST'. Next morning we find ourselveB • a:board t he Oa;nadian Pacifie Ra,il~ way, lrouoo fo'r' Winnipeg. From .TolI'cmJto to Winniipeg, is some 1400 to 1500 miles', and as the journey oecu'Pies more than two days travel1ling day and night, the team £elt grateful for the respite from excRement, and enjoyed a much needed rest in the very luxurious Pullman. IThis rmlway to Winnipeg only opened in 1885 reailised the d:ream of many for 'a roil way aJ[ the way on British so~l from the Atlaintic t~) the Pacific. It W!lJS found t'O be lkJth a poliitical andcomme,rcila:l necessit\y. In this great enterprise, which 18 deSltinled tQ aecompl~sh such grreat resu[ts in the progress of Calltadia andl the Brimsh Empire, Mr R. B. Angrus, a native of Bailigwte, has 'borne an lionoured part a,s 000 of the syndi cate who finanood this great plI'oject. It bm, been a great nnd growing ~ l1(' ('es" 11 11 ([ will yet be the means of securmg grent wealth and prosperity to Its shareholders and to hundreds; of tlhousands of set:t:lers from this and other lands who , utilising their resources, will find their products car ried to the markets of the world and. trans formed into goM. Mr Angus. who showed us great kindne.'>S at h.is hea.utiful home in ~ontreal, ]s a dlrect·or of the Oana.dian I 57 l'acific Railway. He is a brQther of the la.te .\lr ALexander Angus, merohant of this town, who fQ·r s¥,ch a Long tIme tQok an a,e tive interest in the oonduct Qf affairs of t hi s pLace. The s:urveys for t.he Oa.IlJadian Pacific Railway had made knQwn the char acter Qf the country. In the wilderness e~t, north and west of Lake Superior forests of pine and o,ther t.imber find miner al deposits were found, and milliQnlil of acres of agricultural la.nd as well. Vll ,lages and towns and even ciJties followed close upon the heels of the hne builders, the forests were cleared aWl1Y, the Prairie's so il was t.urned over, m ines were opened, and not only the trade trom the golden shores of the PaC:J.fic, from.' California to Alaska, but froom acrQSS that broad ocean the t,e,a a,IlJd ,silk trade of China and Japan are hrought ill exchange fOIl' the fabdcs Oof EUI'ope and NQrth America. Our joucl"ney tOo Winmpeg was not Qnly restfill but very interestlUg. At intervah of fQur OT five hO'urs we, came tOo divisional stations, where there a.re wOorkshops, engine sheds, and q nite a cQllectiQn Qf neat cOottages. Here curlers join the train, bound fQr the grea.t Bon8piei at WinIllpeg, with '\ hQm we fraternise and enjQy eaCon QtJjer's CQmpany. It 18 a IQng journey, but the ever r , ecur~ing rQcky, pine-clad bins, pr,etty lakes, dark forests, glistening streams and cascades keep Qur interest alive; aJl are a.Lert for the sight Qf a bea'r or a deer, but we are not forrtuna,te. We see trains ",ith flour and grain and prQducts of the mines and for,ests on their way t.o the Atlantic seaboard. It WalS thmugh this rQugh and broken. .country 4 58 for a distanoo of about 500 mues that W va!lt regio!l, wh~('h promises unprecedented gr'Owth. The Oanadian N0dh-West has ar~a en'Ough to supp'Ort milli'Ons 'Of pe'Op]e, and Winnipeg' will be the distributing CE'ntre. Ten mam 'Or branch railway litres ram ate from the c1ty, a.nd f'Our different roads enter it-The Oanadif.n Pacific, Oanadi3lIl! Northern, Great NPfchem, rund ,. N'OrtJhern Pacific. Winnipeg is nands'Omely built. Lts wide streets, its imo'Osmg banks, the City Ha.l1, the Parliament Buildings, C'Olleges, Churches, h'Ospita.ls and sch'O'Ols, give it a substantial <1nd imp'Osing appear ance. C'Onsiderable mterest attaches t'O the . City 'Of Winnipeg. Here was established 1<''Ort Giarry, the famoUlS headqua.rter 'Of the Huds'On Bay C'Ompany. Here the O'Ompany and its rival, the N'Orth-West F·ur O'Om pany, met in c'Onfliot. Pictul'esque F'Ort Gaa-ry w.'ts then the rendezv'Ous of sturdy Scotsmen, gay French voyageurs, and dusky warriors. Down the Assinib'Oine River ftoated the grewt boaros laden WIth furs h'Om the f'Orests and plains 'Of the far north, m' in winter the Hudso.n Bay packet came in by dog train 'On the sn'Ow-h'Ound Prairie.. Later came the early settlers and the Red River cart; at Last the railway came through and primitive MlIJlit'Oba his tory ended; p'OpulatlOn rapidly fl'Ocked: in, a Province mas created, and a city built. Winnipeg stands rut the thresh'OLd 'Of a 1and 'Of enl'hantment. The fieJ:d f'Or explorati'On is unJim1ted, game ahounds in nniJi'Ons, there is t,he primeval c'OnditIOn 'Of nature, and man lives in the most primitive style. This ref,ers t'O the great north laind 'Of Canada. The great whe,at belt telJs a different st'Ory. 60 Its milions of acres of cultivable land can f€ed t he world; its vast ranges can Stl[l POTt '~l1l1nt1ess herd:;. In .Manitoba. ; dO ! l ~ ther,e aore 12,000,000 acres od' cultIvable l!and, of wh~(lh hl·tt,le mom than a fourth is under cultivation, yielding a crop of be tween 50 to 60 million bush€ls of wheat. It will not. be ma.ny years before the wheat export. runs in,to hundreds 0.£ millions of bushels. Last ha.rvesrt was so good that not even up till now can the roLling stock of the roil'WI8.Ys carry to ma.rket the great YIeld or \"heat. C \ ,=-L~DIAX Sl";)NE· PT AYE-R'O, 1378. CHAPT'ER IX. F A.RMINB IN MANITOBA. R€,fore I touch UpOJ'l, the Curling Bonspie,l whi,ch brings about 800 ourlers from too dilstant parts of Ma,nitoba and other Provinces to, the Me00a of curling, I propose, fo,r the' benefit of farming friends, to touch as shorlly as possible on the a;gri oulturaJ. aspect of Maniwba. I wilil not touch upon the' other domaJJl.S of that "'!1St continent, whioh offer inducements to every c:lJass as wel'l as fa,rmers, but confine myself to the great ·West. Now, what Oalrwda, requlllOOs is population, There i., a,]lvl'aysan opElmng for good:, steady, in dustrioU1!!, thrifty, an,a sober men and wo men, Those wi work at good' w,a,ges, 'MIla: they have the al- . most oortaall prospect of ,oooner or 1ruter acquiring farms for tiherm-wlvesand becom, ing theiT awn masters. Pe'l'SOru;, of J:imited meansrund hrnited know~edge of a,grLcul ture shouldl feel their way working fOT a t~me to a fmmer to, 0 IYtai!n too koow:l'edge nK"cessary for workIng a, farm, ,then they may either renJt· or purohase Qr take up land as a fl'ee grant. With lless than £50 it is haroly possibIe for a m3iIIJ to sbart fa,rming on his ,own responsibi,l!i:ty; bUJt In a, year or two tbere is eve,ry prospect of his becoming his 'own llrund]ord 'and ma-steT. SettIers illlterudin!g to take up lamd must ha,vesoone fillillIllciaJ. reoo,urces, wit!h cha,uCleS of success in every part of the country from £100 to £200. A farme!r who can invest from £[;00 to £1000 has the best opportunities, as 00 can: purchase the liamd, stock it, huiM hil'Il&elf houses and pmcU:re the hest illlJple- llIJen AT THE MECCA OF OURLING . . When we rffiched Winnipeg a vuy large ga,tihering of crur,Lers and others Mvarirted us 3!D.d grave us • rousing weWoome,. Amongst them were many _ill-known, £aces orf people from Bathgate and district. SOl =y pressed forward w shake 118 by the h3!D.d that it lViIIIS some time ere we we,r,e able to depart in s>leri!!lhs tOl the Club, where we we're handsomely entertained. Many of thOlse . whOl welcomed us ha.d not s~n ea.ch O HOMEWARD BOUND. P8S!JIDg through the vast Prairie lood after leaving Winnipeg we see , .a. grellut vistla of this ·wonder ful:ly resourceful ~d, aJl oovered slightly witlh snow, dotted with homesteads every where, and st.retoOOn:g away to the horiZOiDJ in a long, flat, limit1l'ess pllain. We stop rut Bathgrute Station en rourte, 810 named in oom'pHmenrt to one of the CaJlJlldian PacIfio Railway, Ma- R. B. Anguli, a. lHIImve of BatJhgate, but we pass aJOOg, and after the day and night journey we arrive in Minne apol'is. The M IllYQI!" weJ/oomed: us to' tlhe Flour City, and aftlell'Wlards we were entertained at tlhe COmnwI'Cill,11 Club>. We then visited the fll!lllOlU11 Minnleihaha Failihs, returnIng to pilay iinJ the evening with V'arying suooos!!. St Pau,l, situated on the other side of tIhe River Mississiwii, i~ another J:a,rge city. Here the cUI!"I~ 'ga.ve usa 1).eail'ty welcome, and enrt:iertaiJned U IS ng'ht weM. In OlD" 0I1Tliing here we were· successfuill. The Sit PlIIUJf CIlUib presented a si:Lver cup to om team in to'ken: of tlheir appreci~tilOn of OUT visit. This cup hru! aJl!o been Jm.ndied over 118 'a ~Tk of fui~dlship from! St. Paul' CUIl" lers to be plaood! 0]] exh~bition, not lIB tiro pines won in cudj~g, but as tokelns of lo,ve fl'01lll Call18:d'a and the Stast:€s to the Soottish team.. When you read rut home tJhat we were win:ning' hearts, if not winTIl~ng games, you wiJili und~tJand that phl1lle€ more ft:lt1.y. We now find oUll"selves in the great City of Chicago, where we played a,nd won al[ our games on two od' thcir rinks. We were haLllquetted aLlld entertruned, and saw many Bathgate people who had made Ohio ago their hOillie" They woce succeedmg iu life, and manry sent illieSSlage's with Dr Kirk and myse1f to remtives aal!d friends in the old (J(}uniry. Mr Ro'oert CaMer, SOll! of the J.a.te JaIilles Calcier, and hisestim{thlJe ne, were spec~ly kind to the Batlh,gate repre, sentatives. Our team visiJtedl tlhe Stock yards and many interesting parts of t.ne citv hut I mrust pass on for want of time wiot-'hout referring to thLS huge and ma,ny '~ded oity. I rriay tki!iL asw,ry ,whi,dho ;1 heard, there, however. A genUeIill{j,n said: "One l1~ght I WlaS st·p.ucLing in thest'reet in Gh1cago, just standing on my fehl. ' A panOeman eaillie Up. (Re was usually 'st,aQJJd, ing'too, hllt this tmie 'he was walrkill!g. ) . The policeman 8a;id : ' 'Say 'strange,r, do you un derst'and the galille of dmughts P' I said yes . I p'lay a fQ,it" game of draught s." "Vell,' he . said; 'it',!> your m ove. So . I moV'e,d . you het:" We vre