7th Sep. 1903
My dear Magie,
Thanks for yours of the 18th ulto which I found waiting for me on
my arrival last Thursday afternoon from Winnipeg - I wrote you from
that Town and so will continue my narrative from date of last letter.
I like Winnipeg most of all the towns seen so far. It is so
manifestly going ahead and seems so certain to become a very
important centre, but there is an awful amount of speculation going
on in land - which is bound sooner or later to lead to a "set back"
and much less to the foolish.
On Thursday morning I started for Glenella by a rotten railway
called the "Canadian Northern" which brought me in due course to
Tenby Siding where it was specially stopped to set me and my
belongings down about a mile and a half from my brothers' shanty.
At Tenby siding there is absolutely nothing at all, no shanties,
nor people nor anything but a water hole and a gravel pit. All the
country round is flat covered with patches of bush (small) and
patches of cleared ground under cultivation, a few settlers huts
planted here and there and vast marshes (now dry) lying somewhere
around. The soil is thin and by no means first or even second rate,
it thinly covers strata of gravel and sand under which comes clay of
unknown depth. In my poor opinion an undesirable location from
nearly all points of view - And now that you may understand how Uncle
Francis comes to be vegetating here, I will outline his story as told
to me since my arrival.
In 1868 Uncles Francis & Ernest with a young friend, Bowling, and
with our old servant Anne, sailed from Liverpool for Quebec nominally
to settle in Canada, really to look for adventures and to live as
wild a life as Mayne-Reid or any other Novelist has described in
exciting stories. The party went out elaborately equipped with
clothes, arms, saddles and everything necessary or unnecessary the
Colonial outfitter suggested to them. They travelled the whole way
FIRST CLASS - in those days a very expensive business, they took
plenty of money with them and credit on a bank in Canada. The best
of health and spirits and anticipations of glorious shooting and
fishing and hairbreadth escapes etc far away from civilization, the
making a home etc. were evidently quite secondary considerations.
From the time they landed at Quebec until their cash had been wasted
they were evidently the prey of harpies and hangers-on. Always
travelling in the most expensive style and always acting upon the
advice of the obliging friends and Counsellors around them, they
finally got to Toronto and stayed at an Hotel there some time - it is
inconceivable how thoroughly green and credulous the whole party
appear to have been in those days.
One of their advisers, and much believed in, assured them he knew
every part of the Country and had "slept under every bush in it".
Mysterious friends of the "friends" turned up with offers of
"improved lands" which would "just suit" our party - and loudly
rejoiced that they had refused tempting offers for same - thus
enabling them to do a great favour to their friends' friends etc etc
etc. Well it was not long before your uncles found themselves
landowners having purchased an "improved farm" near Owen Sound, North
Ontario. Read the description of Eden in Martin Chuzzlewit, my
dear, it would serve for "Larawak", allowance being made for
differences of climate, vegetables etc etc and for there being no
other settlers near.
In fact they found themselves master of a piece of land on the
shores of Georgian Bay -- thickly covered by enormous cedars, maples,
oaks and other trees, Bears, wolves, Deer etc, birds of all kinds
abounded on the land; the water was full of splendid fish - all
evidence of civilisation was left far behind and your Uncles thought
themselves in Paradise. It was the late summer and the weather
glorious so they camped under their own trees and rejoiced
exceedingly, they had provided themselves with a waggon and trap and
beasts and stores of all kinds. Game and fish were plentiful and
all went merry as a marriage ball - they had been warned of the
approaching winter and the need to provide solid shelter from the
cold - so armed with axes they valiantly attacked the big trees and
after a time learned to get them down - they seemed to have worked
very hard at this tho' at first their blistered hands and ignorance
of the art made it a Herculean labour to cut down a tree four feet or
more in diameter and often 150 feet high.
Anne seems to have enjoyed it all as much as your Uncles and their
friend. After a time older settlers and people from Owen Sound came
on an appointed day and had a "bee" - that is all helped to build a
log Cabin some 18 feet by 15 feet made of trunks of trees notched at
ends so as to lie closely one on the other, the interstices being
filled up with clay - a wooden roof of shingles and a rough floor of
split logs with openings for a door and windows. The clay plaster
inside is whitewashed, a big stove of iron with iron chimney set up
at one side of Cabin and the mansion is complete.
Fancy the jubilation when possession was taken of this real
hunter's home in the middle of a dense forest on the shores of a real
lake with an inexhaustable supply of game and fish at one's door, and
bears and other wild beasts around to exercise your skill upon.
The three masculines in the intervals of sport used their axes
manfully and cleared several acres of all but the big stumps of the
fine trees which had been cut down and burned, but there was no
possibility of cropping the ground until these stumps could be got
rid of and this took about three years or more. I am surprised at
the courage and perserverence of your Uncles in sticking so doggedly
to the hard work of cutting down the timber with so distant a
prospect of getting any return from the cleared land, but as Uncle
Francis says they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and had never been so
happy in their lives. In capital health, money to buy what they
wanted and the kind of existence they had longed for - what more
could they want? Francis was 23, Ernest was 21, and their friend
Bowling about the same age. Well clothed and always in the open air
they laughed at the cold winter and delighted in their exciting
adventures amongst the ice and snow after bears, fish etc. From the
first they had made and kept up a good garden and so had plenty of
vegetables etc, whilst the wood furnished any amount of wild
rapsberries, strawberries, cranberries, cherries, plums, apples etc.
etc. etc. The potatoes of this country are excellent. So our
party had plenty of good things about them and bought whatever else
they wanted at the stores at Owen Sound. This place then beginning
to develop is now an important centre. The second year Bowling left;
he liked the life very much; all but the chopping away at the big
trees; he said he couldn't stand any more chopping.
Then Anne began to grow discontented, up to then she had made the
log hut and everything about it as pleasant as was possible in all
ways but the solitude and absence of cronies and silence around her -
for of course she remained at home when the men were out - began to
effect her seriously and she developed alarming symptomes of mental
disturbance. The third year began in the same fashion - the
shooting and fishing and chopping continuing as before. Now there
were several acres (some forty I believe) cleared of timber and a few
ready for next years first crop (fourth year).
But your Uncles had become seriously alarmed by the changes in
Anne who was melancholy or violent by turns, the faithful old friend
of the family seemed to have disappeared and a virago taken her
place. They began to feel unhappy and anxious and their comfort was
gone altogether, so they bought and furnished a very nicely situated
little house in Owen Sound and moved into it. Anne recovered her
old spirits and all seemed right again, and soon had plenty of
cronies to talk to, bossed everything and appeared perfectly well and
happy - so your Uncles returned to their forest and began
preparations for their first crop, continually driving into Owen
Sound to their house there.
But tho' they expected great things from their land they had been
clearing with such toil and perserverance and tho' all their
surroundings were the same as at first, Bowling's departure and the
change in Anne and the rapid ebb of their cash resources had
manifestly cast a shadow over their old feelings. It is wonderful
how much care and thought these boys devoted ensuring poor old Anne's
comfort and happiness. So time went on but it was not the light
hearted care-free time of old - for Anne again began to give evidence
of mental trouble and the boys did not care to leave her alone, so
one would remain in Owen Sound whilst the other was away on the farm.
The crop was a failure and other things went wrong money was getting
scarce now and was required for the farm but there were the expences
to provide for at Owen Sound. When our Mother died Francis, Ernest
and I had given Anne £100 each in recognition for her long services
in the family and these £300 she apparently carried about with her.
In an evil moment your uncles asked her to lend them some of this
money for some pressing purpose or another and she most willingly and
gladly did so, and very probably because the poor woman felt she had
been able to be of service on a special occasion, she changed back
again to all appearance and for a short time was once more the Anne
of old.
Thinking it a good thing for both, your Uncles then invited Aunt
Eva out to join them and to live in their house at Owen Sound with
Anne going to far etc when she pleased. Aunt Eva was living in
rooms in London, liked the idea and went out to Canada. Now she had
been Anne's special pet from babyhood and the poor woman was
enchanted at the idea of having her out with her etc. In due course
Aunt Eva arrived and is welcomed right royally, but alas! dissension
arises at once between the two women over the veriest trifles and
what should have been a happy home for my brothers became a place
they dreaded and were most unhappy in, for quarrelling between the
women was the order of the day. I fancy both wanted to be mistress
of the place in all things great and small - both resented the
pretensions of her rival and both appealed constantly and
passionately to your Uncles who were far too good-natured and kind to
do as they could and should have done; so while the viragos were
spitting and scratching, two loyal men were suffering intensely and
longing for release. The women joined rival churches which did not
act like the pouring of oil on troubled waters. Poor old Anne seems
to have got the worst of it in the wordy warfare that was incessantly
carried on - and the two women used to recount their wrongs to their
sympathising friends, such "friends" are always to be found in such
cases. The effect of all this on Anne was disastrous and she began
to threaten suicide and was clearly going out of her mind so that
detesting "home" as they well might, your Uncles decided to let their
farm and to live in Owen Sound. They let the place to a man for
three years on condition that he built a barn there simply - no rent
whatever to be paid, so all the money time and labour expended was
lost. In Owen Sound they took any work they could find and stuck
loyally to what they considered their duty to the women who made
their home wretched. Things went from bad to worse. One morning
Anne tried to cut her throat and thence forward had to be closely
watched. The doctors strongly advised her being put under
restraint, your Uncles would not hear of it. Foolish fellows!
They could only think of old times and past happiness! Anne seemed
to get better again and there was a dreadful fear on your Uncles and
I am ashamed to say the wicked jeering, taunting, snarling still went
on. One night your Uncles were waked up by Anne creeping into their
room with a knife in her hand - she was quite mad. Next day she was
removed to the Asylum, was regularly visited by your Uncles, whom she
besought to remove her and appeared cured before a year was over.
So she was taken home again but the strife commenced at once and
things rapidly became intolerable, then she went on a sudden
inspiration to lodge with one of her cronies but your Uncles were
still as miserable as ever, everything seems to have been lost or
sacrificed to preserve this place which should have been a home for
them but was made a hell by two quarrelsome, spiteful, unreasonable
women - Then Eva went to lodge with some friend or another, then poor
old Anne's imbecility took another form, she began to tell her
neighbours your Uncles had borrowed her money and would not pay it
back.
This was the last straw, as soon as they heard of it, they went to
a Lawyer and transferred their title to the property to Anne and would
listen to nothing the Lawyer and the local Magistrate said to dissaude
them. These gentlemen declared the act the most foolish thing they had
heard of - that Anne was mad and consequently incompetent to make a Will
so that on her death the property would lapse to the Crown. My dear, it
was all eloquence thrown away! The deed of gift was executed, your
Uncles realised all their other belongings and left Owen Sound for ever.
As far as I can make out when Anne died shortly afterwards and
the property lapsed to the Crown it sold for several times the amount of
her loan to your Uncles - So you can see quixotism is still to be met with
occasionally. Eva had gone to see the United States. I confess to
feeling great indignation and disgust at the way your Uncles were treated,
their expectations defeated and their happiness destroyed - I only heard
these details here as they were too loyal and kind to declare the
truth to me when they were being made wretched. I think they were
foolishly weak to put up with such conduct. So considerably poorer and
several years older the two left Owen Sound disgusted with town life and
everything in it and possessed with a very strong feeling against women
and their ways - Foolish fellows! ---- Now you'll say, taught by past
experience and with a good knowledge of the Country and how to get on in
it your Uncles will apply for a large farm, a free gift from the State
(buy no more improved farms
) and settle steadily down to making a future
for themselves for they will certainly succeed and in due time become
great men in the land. My dear, they did the very reverse! Francis
says they went away from Owen Sound with such feelings of relief from care
and responsibility and such a strong sense of absolute freedom - They
would have a real good time of it - a time after their own hearts far away
from the white man (and especially the white women). So they marched
away into the unknown Countries, rode or walked, paddled in canoes or
crossed rivers on rafts camping out at night and living on game and fish
they shot or caught when their stores were exhausted, making long journeys
to the nearest settlement for more - spending some time with the Indians
and learning still more of woodcraft etc. Losing things by fire or flood
often in real danger of life or limb, escaping many times by the skin of
their teeth they saw a lot of wild Canada and had what Francis declared
was the happiest life one could wish for!! But now the funds had
fallen to a very low ebb and money is wanted to replenish exhausted stores
so your Uncles took to trapping and fishing and selling furs and were very
successful too - only they would not or could not stick to anything long.
Then times became harder and Francis left Ernest on some land they had
taken on the shores of Manitoba Lake and went away to the states to get
work. He found it at once, 10/- a day and every possibility of a rapid
promotion for he could do anything from helping to unload timber to keeping
books and corresponding in French. He writes to Ernest to suggest that he
should join him at Duluth, Ernest replies to the effect that Manitoba
lake and its fish are finer than ever but he is lonely and Francis must
go out and visit him. So Uncle Francis asks for a holiday (after a few
months of employment) and comes merrily back over the lakes to see Ernest
and get him to go back with him. It ended of course as might have been
expected; the fascinations of the wilds couldn't be resisted and the old
life began again, and it was necessary at times when fishing and trapping
were bad to go and work for farmers who were now settling nearer the
hunting grounds. Then your Uncles obtained grants of land from the State,
did some work on them and selling them, obtained fresh grants but always
in the wildest and most distant wildernesses, getting away to still more
distant places directly the work of settlement approached.
Working their own land or for their nearest neighbour some little
progress would be made until the land next to their own is taken up -
then away. I believe they had seven or eight farms in this fashion
and this one I write from was the last specially chosen years ago because
it was so far away from any railway, road or settlement - was surrounded
by marshes and not likely to have neighbours, but good lands being
discovered further north a railway was run up to them right through this
farm and one day new settlers appeared not far away - Francis says they
were very surprised and indignant at finding people presumptuous enough
to disturb their privacy. Probably because years had now passed your
Uncles had begun to attach some value to a settled home. Anyway it
was decided to stop on and almost directly afterwards poor Ernest
began to sicken. But it was only a sort of temporary compromise and
Ernest went all the way to the West and explored British Columbia to see
if some happy and thoroughly secluded valley could not be found in the
mountains wherein to set up an ideally lonely home! He came back and
reported against the place because it was being settled fast - but he was
charmed with its beauty and so charmed Francis - who is full of it now.
And then, before fresh plans of migration could be matured poor Ernest
died and left Francis a very lonely man indeed on this farm.
I hope the foregoing will give you a clear idea of your Uncles
and of the wild roving spirit which ruined their lives from a worldly
point of view whilst procuring for them what Francis talks of as a most
happy and glorious time! They invariability refused or threw away every
chance, and they had many - as an instance I may tell you they did their
level best to oppose the railway now running thro' their farm and they
were vainly pressed to sell some plots of land to the Railway Company
so that the station of Glenella might be built on the farm. Francis
says they ingignantly refused!! My dear, all this farm would now have
been sold or leased in building plots! Indignantly refused!! So
Glenella has been built four miles away on the other side of the marsh
and this farm remains a very poor farm in all respects with Uncle Francis
leading a most lonely life on it. He is careless of all appearance
and comfort and quite startled me when I first saw him but he is strong
and well, his hair untouched, and beard just beginning to turn grey. He
is burnt or frozen to a chestnut brown almost. But he is the same man he
used to be always; nobody's enemy but his own, chivalrous and high
principled to a degree. He is liked and respected by his neighbours
evidently tho' they call him Francis
and suspect he is half mad to do as
he has done with his life and chances. He seems to know all about
agriculture out here and has made a study of its theory whilst practising
it - He has a certain knowledge of scientific subjects and I believe his
keen pleasure in designing and using various complicated instruments to
follow up his theories has saved him from falling into a slough
intellectually as well as bodily.
Poor Ernest was very fond of reading and discussion. He made a
magic lantern himself drew and painted the necessary slides and used to
deliver lectures in the Owen Sound days. Francis says they were always
successful and ahlf the proceeds were given to some charity or other.
Then he was very fond of making speeches, presiding at meetings etc, no
matter what the object might be, led some big agitation in connection with
labout disputes etc etc. He was much interested in theological matters
and ready to argue with anyone on the subject. It surprises me how
such men should decide to hide themselves from Science, Literature and
everything else they were fond of!
We were very glad to meet again tho' I felt sick at heart to see
Francis so; especially as he took things as a matter of course and so
takes them now - His log cabin is the one put up when they took
possession of the place, dirty and dilapitated - everything in it
resembles it! I have begun to make a change but it is impossible to do
much; I suppose any man living alone would become careless of lots of
things; but it is painful to see this in the case of one's own brother.
I don't believe he can do any good here and if anything promises in some
other part of Canada I will settle there and have Francis out of this place
at any cost - He could readily sell the farm.
As one listens to the story of all their adventures one marvels at all
they have gone thro' -Generally profusely supplied with game fish etc.
they have starved for two days in some desolate place or another where
nothing could be shot or caught. Thrown from carts, upset from canoes,
saving only themselves when sudden floods carried all their belongings
away they seem to have always found something enjoyable in their
experiences. Fancy during a blizzard Ernest sitting down on the ice to
die! He had travelled many miles to the nearest store for provisions
and got them late the night before then started back again across a pathless
waste of snow and ice with part of Lake Manitoba to cross. The blizzard
had ridged and frozen the snow into icicles and these destroyed his foot
gear almost. He could hear and see nothing but felt he could go no
further and had determined to set down and rest - that is die - just then
he heard a shout in the distance and replied as best he might - It was
Francis anxious because Ernest was late, had come out to look for him and
found him just in time.
In reply to my enquiries - they never discussed the advantages
of a return to civilized life. They were absolutely happy and laughed
at these hardships and dangers directlly they were over. They could get
employment anywhere and at any time - but preferred the wild life of
hunters and only took to working occasionally at last so as to be able
to clear their new farm etc. etc. In fact they took a view of life very
few would appreciate, I fancy.
And now my dear, we will have a rest - this will go to Hal who
will send it to you. Do you send it on to Nan and ask her to let Saint,
Rowie and Jeanie have it in turn.
As to your question about ice, no I saw none at all and asked
agent of C.P.A. for a return of some of the passage money obtained on
false pretences
but he wouldn't hear of it!! I will write again
very shortly - am very well indeed and much interested by all I see and
hear. The neighbours are hard working plain people who have done well
to come here as they will get on better than in the old country. But
I wonder they didn't choose a better sort of land.
Goodbye and best love to you all
Your loving father,
HENRY BERGH.
The purchaser defaulted and eventually all that was available from the
disposal of the farm was under £100! (January 1930) F.R.B.
