HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1940-08-30, Page 6CRNADA COMPANY
ID' ANTHONY 'Va]"MOND
e Story of 1837 inHuron .County
By WILFRED BRENTON ItERR. MAN, Ph,,.D.
• Attsp+eiate Professor of- History, Univei lty of Buffalo, N. Y., 1940.
Chapter III
VAN EGMOND IN THE HURON
TRACT, 1828-37
ee 'biter gVlkea. he» comets nd, 1'n
need' _ of �r� 16iYia' 1naA ova Oaiatn a (. t3top�t$li, dig f> eutel�ng the
'were given ottt,' there were Only four rete, Ming lagedea Which a z .. act.el Tiff ad least iso •Class's+ ac-
eett'eee bpoveep Qod'std elei el d SOPS, meeamed a Pergen 'had 'depos'ite'd W 4 uwt of the matter. The Comedny
is i>Z'$Ierth'eine and; Irene between 'With, the note Varve Edmond ignored the 0la'im and Via'*Mend
Goderich and London. No, one et the was to bey a rtaiau property and .cat -
four was theta 'raiebee a quarter of tie 'in Huron, the cattle from a man
the provisions uecessery for the sup- 'named Clark. Clark was not to de-
part of his family. Fryfogle had one liver the netble+ until August 1, 1837.
yoke of workbag cattle; Van Esmond and Lachlan :toted he would not re -
two; the others (Helmer and See- thin them in; hie possession after that.
each). none, The roads by which pro- date as this' (Clark's) word was en-
visions came in were so bad that at trustworthy and .the owner of the'
one time Van Egpiond had to pay money wanted Lachlan to get secur-
$270 in cash for six barrels of flour, sty. or. the cash' back. Lachlan press-
i.e. $45 each,. His son, Constant, Went ed Van Egmond to get delivery of
to Oxford for the flour with two men, the cattle at once if he had not done
each 'driving a wagon and a yoke of ee before; • but we know no more of
strong oxen. They paid for the flour the affair. Vara Egmond' was acting
there, loaded it, three barrels to a here only as an agent. In 1835 he
wagon,, .and- had to buy two other found a 'bond of £ 20,000 for the arbi-
yokes of cattle. Now it took, the car- tration case, which we shall describe,
avan of • double teams twenty-one and we must assume . that the value
days' "hand travel to reach home., of his property was appreciably more
When the roadwork began, the con- than that figure. 3n November, 1837,
tractors found laborer reluctant to he wrote of !himself ass with property
come and work in, the "dark, gloomy of. large amount, very lame on the
and pathless forest" andid' torment dollars' foot, 'harassed for want' of
night and day by millions of insects, ready money. In 1835 the hostile cor-
and demanded "very high" pay.10 respondent of the Toronto Patriot de -
The contractors were .compelled to scribed him as the wealthiest man in
pay the 'price,' and to buy . working the Tract, whish was no doubt cor-
cattle, vehicles and tools, and their rect. We know no more of his fin -
one -third allowance in cash lasted for ancial affairs and can only sum up
the first year and five-eighths of the what we have already stated, that he
second. The rest of their obligations had 13,400 acres' or 'thlereabout, a
they discharged ix) credit orders for mill and -stores, a house and tavern
land on the company. But the labor at Ross and many teams of horses
ers and the merchants who sold sup- and that the total value of hie pas -
pees would take these only at die- sessions in 1835 must have ,exceeded
counts, at first 75 per cent. of face £ 20,000. In the next two years he
value, later. at 50 or 40 per cent., or probably lost something, but he was
would attain the same result by rais- still the richest man in the Tract in
ing then prices if they accepted the 1837. e
vaine of the face. The worth ,af the
It is possible to make a rough cal -
land orders was reduced by the duffI culation of Van Egmond's 'holdings in
rutty of finding persons interested in
land from the 'payment to him by the
Canada, Company land, which occu- Company for the road work, £10,703
pied. time and energy.ii InPite of ,odd. Two-thirds of thepayment was
,
all these trouble the word was done in land, roughly £7,1:40. The rate of
and Van Esmond became the largest ; payment was from 79. 6c1. to 15s'. an
landowner in Huron as a result, as acre. If we suppose an' average of
we have said. Another result was a lOs. an acne he 'would have received
difference of opinion with Jones, bat twice 7,140 sores, or 14,280. No doubt
this we shall postpone unt:t we. con-' he sold someof this and perhaps
aider Jones hime.e.If. I made purchases of other land, so that
This was not the only contract Van the 13,000 acres attributed to him by
Esmond made with the Canada Coral Mackenzie is probably not far wrong.
pany. In 1829 when ,he was twenty•
miles from a neighbor to the• east and H'e •dad not confine his' assistance to
18 from Goderich, he made an agree- matters of settlernenpt and loans'. 'One
'went with the company's officers to of hie sons, apparently. Constant, car -
procure the beginning of a gdod set- i.,ied the first mail from Galt to Gode-
'tiement about his home and to pro- rich and made good time. • over logs
vide a church and school, for which and through Swamps with the mail -
he received a solemn promise, as hebags on hisck,17 Van Egmond
says, of 260 acres and hopes of 200 kept open ouse .for divine ' service
more. He cleared four acres of, this `and on occasion accommodated .sixty
block, built a school on the promised to a hundred persona when a clergy -
200, paid the master's salary for two man 'was available:is One such wg
years, held divine service in his house the Reverend William Proudfoot,
and considered the 200 acres his owin.. Presbyterian missionary, . who was at
But the Company, now took no heed Ross, January 27-28, 1835, with an -
of the proxgis'e, which had never been other man of the cloth, Thomas'
set on paper, and repossessed itse,f Christie. Van Egmond himself was
of the 400 acres. This was» a misfor- Dot at !home, but Constant went out
tune for Van Egmo'nd, but one for with two sleighs, for the people and
which the had himself partly to blame, gathered about seventy, to whom Mr.
and in 'any case it was not serious Christie preached. They are people
Tl ' 'school, of course, was closed; it who cannot live without the gospel.
had:' been the first in Huro'n.l2 says' Proudfoot, and who are zealous'
Public works were by no means 'his for it and love it. From this we may
only interest, and from the first he conclude that the missionary had a
helped the people about him in ev- warm reception. Shortly afterward,
cry way at his disposal. Onhis ar- Van Egmond took a petition from the
,-ival at Guelph he found Galt short 'people` about his home to 'the Canada
of ready money and the clerks short Company .f or a lot 'of 'land for a
of their salaries, "starving and desti- church. But when he reached Toron-
tote" '+by one report. He advancedto he found J_9nes. absent and could,
money and credit to the company, do nothing. Proudfoot met him in
saved the clerks and dissuaded' Toronto in the middle of February
"many" from leaving the Tract. Whiles and found 'him "exceedingly, well ills -
he had settled at Ross he and hie posed" toward .the church. Van Eg
son, Constant, induced innkeepers at mand thus made possible the first
Hamilton and along the road west to church services 'outside Goderich.,
recommend the Tract to prospective promised to build a brick 'church for
code
winter atHarpurhey.
firstpeople of Ha
In the theuse of the eo e y
ttler•s•. p p , rp
rich, 1828-29, there was a shortage of He had rather ambitious plans for it;.
food for several days; not a morsel he wanted a "tin ,iron" roof, two bells
on bread'" was 'left, if the • report is . and a stove. He foresaw delay as he
correct, and only potatoes' of a low told. the .people that the wood need -
grade were 'available, sown in Aug- ed to be seasoned and the bricks
ust and° unfit for consumption, and made which would take time,' and he
Galt 'had 'not a cent. Van, Egmond was. unable to carry outthe .promise
.beard of ' this trouble, went to Guelph but he 'may 'receive credit for good
or Galt and bought two loads `of flour intentions:ra
with his own cash. He transported
this to God'erich, some 90...mmil'es, and
saved the people. In' the third 'win-
ter, 1830-31, high, prices again pre
vaeed in Goderich and a barrel of
'four sold at £3. Van Egmond once
more came to the rescue, laid in a
stock of 500 barrels and' sold on cre-
dit at £ 10s. a° barrel, payment to be
made next spring or fall. Apparent-
ly he made 'money by these ventures,
and some. time later he laid in a
large stock of grain for the use of in-
coming
ncoming settlers. :But only a few
came and he obtained not six pounds
cash for. his outlay losing thereby a
slim which he does not define. A
any rate he relieved the people of
Goderich from difficulties on . two oc-
casions.'is
potatoes were some seveuepot eders.
%bi,d a Were placed 00 exhibit At all
the iimee s We may conclude with
certainty that Van Egmond was as
Note to Chapter III—The author is good a fanner as a tavern -keeper, and
certainly he !has the honor of beteg
eanch indebted to 'Mrs'. Edith ,o re'll', the pioneer in ap
iculture in the Her-
eof Seaforth, for ppermissiontto read on Tract. The incidents of this first_
the letters of the Scotts of McKilloP harvest show him in a happy light, a
and their relatives, which have two genial and successful host, on gond
references . to -Van' Egmond. It is terms wa't>b.. the officers of the corn -
worthy of note that these letters, of pang in Goderich. This, unfortunate -
1834 and 1835, 'have no complaints of ly, was not a condition which ender -
the Canada Company, and thereby ed.
confirm our conclusion that there was In succeeding years Warn Egmond
no great friction, between the tom- completed his tavern ands surrounded
piny and he rank and file settlers, it with building's. SShirreff describes
especially of the interior, even under Van Egmtond's in 1833 &s "a wealthy -
the regime of T. M. Jones. A long looking place •for the country with .a
double of letter from Robert Scott, store of miscellaneous goods, large
the elder, and his son, Robert, Mait- barna and a tolerably good garden."4
land Wells, McKillop, August 21, 1835, The Reverend William Proudfoot,
to Joseph Scott (cited as Scott letter who stayed at the tavern in January,
in the feot'notes) is of great interest 1335, has nothing to say about the
and importance for the study of Pio 'buildings, 'but admires , the family.
neer life in McKillop.] Van Demand, he says, is• the chief
The departure of Galt did not alter man of the dice and his family
Van1n' the
attachment to his new seem well fitted to be of. great use
home in Ghe Horan Tract. He made to the district; they are really fine
the acquaintance of Gilt's successor, o
yo people.5 It will be seen that
and'Ch Mercer Jones, of Salslanui'. the travellers have a. uniformly good
and Charles Prior, who were also of report of the 'bui'ldin'gs• and the faro
-fibers of •the company, and he be- ily. Van Egmond's holdings of land
came a good friend of 'the popular increased greatly after his 'contract
Dr. Dof, : He continued' with the for road work vyith the Company, and
w building of, his house' and tavern, by one account they rose to 13;000
dieh was sa'i'l. unfinished in the mid- acress.s. The precise location of his
die of 1829, though doubtless tom- property is not known;' butit seems
plated shortly after that date, and: he to have been along both ,sides of the
pushed on the clearing of his land Huron Road east from 'his home, and
and sowed oats and turnips. By July it' certainly included a block of land
of that year be hadcleared nearly in Tuckeremdhh Township, about the
one, hundred ; acres- and had fifty of present Egmondville. 'Family tradi-
these in, wheat, the first crop of tee tion gives •him large holdings on. the
spectable size in the Tract. The be -
sites of Stratford and Mitchell. At
occasig of the harvest seemed a good any rate, Van Esmond was easily the
he
for a formal celebration, and greatest proprietor' of land •in the
e invited Dunlop, Jones, Strickland Huron Tract in the 1830's.
and Prior to be his guests and wit- While improving his home and his
nese the cutting of the first sheaf. land, Van Ecl threw himself
The four set out one morning trout heart and soul into the business of
C.-ode/doh, 0 , at 11 a.m, The tempera- developing the Huron Tract. His
ture, e0 degrees .in the shade, tom- work on the Hurons Road is, of course,
polled them to carry coats and neck- the best known of hi's efforts to the
cloths over their 'arms at the time peQple of the county at the present
and induced Strickland to apologize day. That road was merely a track
for this An:formality in his account of through the woods -in 1828 and 1829,
the journey. But the, shade of the and it required a' levelling and sur -
trees and the "particlar civility" of facing. A man named Absalom
the mosquitoesf'the'herelieved', the disco e- Shade stated at a later date that he
' fort of the heat and the genial! doe- had• 'made an offer to Galt to do the
tor's stories and anecdotes made the job for £40 a mile cash and ten
18 -mile journey seem short. ' When shillings a rod far the crossways or
the travellers'' had covered almost corduroy, 'and to guarantee complex
half the distance, they found a mail tion in a year. Thomas Mercer Jones,
rill which crossed the road, and by 'succeedin'g Galt, claims that he knew
this' they stopped Fora rest and for . nothing of dee,' 'and proceeded to let
refreshone nrts of' beef sandwiches, the contracts for improvement of the
' brandy and • water. After an hour road. Van Egmond and his son, Con -
they resumed the journey and about start, took one contract for 45% of
five - o'clock they reached Van ED th•e 59 miles from Wilmot to Code=
moil's tavern: The Colonel received rich, the rest going to, a number of
them with "every 'mark of respect petty operators. The Van Egmmonds
and !hospitality'° and showed them up- were to do, the 45% miles at 248 a
I stairs °-into a newly furnished room, mile, and 7,024 rods of crossways at
the . only apartment yet complete in 15 sh'i•llings a rod., The entire width
,the tavern. He had an excellent sup- or one chain was to be well cleared
ger .for 'them,, to which they did ample of all • timber; every stump not over
justice. The Colonel's tavern -keeping a foot in' diameter was to be levelled
was' of a thigh enough standard to to the ground; every stump of what-
please these men who had had much ever dimensions for the twenty -foot
r' experience of the world, width of the road was to be cut and
- In• the morning the visitors walked grubbed level'with the round. The
over .the farm with their hest and 'hillocks er cradle knolls were to be
were "much gratified" with the con- leyeliied and the , road sown with
dition of the crops. "I think I never Vass -seed, timothy or red -top, well
saw a finer crop of oats or better harrowed ie. The crossways or cord -
promise for turnips in my life," writes uroy.'in the centre were to be fifteen
Strickland, adding, "the wheat also feet in length and covered' 'with six
looked extrem'el'y well." About noon inches ' of earth. The. contract' was
the mhos't, Madame Van Egmont and signed February 9, 1830, and three
+ ' the fair daughters of the family„ led years were allowed for the perform -
,the way to' the harvest field again, to ance. The various contractors were
re
arry cut- the little ceremony. When 'to receive one-third of their pay in
all, were ready, a sickle was placed cash, the rest in land' at the rate of
in the hands of Madame' Van Egmond from 7e. 6d. to 15e. an acre. The
with which 'she might cut "the first final account, as stated by Jones, al-,
sheaf of wheat ever harvested" in lowed the Van Egmonds and others
the Tract: The good lady took the £ 10,289 1s. 1041Fo4• the road, Van
sipckle, wielded it with skill better Egmond received £2,175 7s. Od, and
than an amateur's, and duly bound £8,532 14s. 7d. for the crossways, a
ber sheaf. Then the men gave three total of £10,708 is. 7d.- This much
hearty cheers for the Canada Com- exceeds the amount to be reached by
pany. Last, a horn of whiskey was reckonli'ng for 45% miles at £48 and
served', around, with whfeh the guests 7,024 rods of crossways at 15 shill-
rled'ged their host, the hostess and ings (27,452); and it is not clear how
the success of the settlement: The the account was 'made up. The cross -
ceremony over the party returned to ways, contracted for at the • rate of
the tavern to a dinner for which Van' 15s., are put down for about 24s. and
Egmond had 'spared "neither pains it would' seem that the company mi-
nor exee'nsd." After the cloth had lowed Van Esmond a margin above
been removed, the dessert appeared: the contract figures.
almonds, raisins, oranges,red and The work was, done' 'by the fall of
and black raspberries. The berries, 1832, but soon most of the corduroy
Strickland found', "a 'delicious fruit, was found unsuitable for use. It was
Particularly, grateful on a hot day. to therefore tarn up, and replaced by
the weary traveller." They were, no turnpike at a cost of £7,409 15s. 3d.,
doubt; a product of the locality, bee- and. the total cost of the Huron road
the '' almonds, raisins' and oranges 'W'ould seem to be £26,231 11s , 8d.8
cause us same surprise, as they 'must There was no 'doubt an error of Jones
(have been unique in the Tract at the in ordering the corduroy at all and
time. There followed an evening's' it proved expensive to the company.
entertai'n!ment' disinissed by Strick- A later criticism arose about the lack
land with anew few phrases : ". . we of drainage; was there ever before a
ate, drank and' Were merry; it was 100 -miler road without a single . drain?
difficult to be .otherwise with Dr. asked the Cavern* men, claiming
Dunlop as one of our companions:"2' that drainage would have made cord
-
S 'Mpore details of this 'occasion ' are uroy unnecessary at the start. If the
preserved by the Misses Lizars, who criticism ie valid it reflects again on
say, that after . the ceremony the Jones, not on Van Egmond who did
guests ' viewed a field of potatoes what was expected of him within the
among the stumps, one acre ofwhich time allowed 9 • .
was later found to have yielded 724 In his papers he hag left 'us an ae-
bushels and three pecks, Among the- count of bias troubles during the work
was the loser,
That he' helped ;frig p eighbo a to the
limit of his'. purse appears' from two
instances at our command. Richard
Lowe, who seems' to have been an
Irishman, arrived in, the Tract in the
summer of 18.32. ;with a wife, eight
'children and three domestic%, bought
land apparently in Tuck+ersmith, and
set •about *aril* it. After twoyears'
work the was' informed that the great-
er part of the land he 'had cleared
was not on hts own lot but on that of
a neighbor. He consulted' the, com-
pany'e agents, who assured hii,'Lt that
he would' receive .Pay for the work he
had done. Soon the neighbor sold the,
land., The purchasers set a surveyor
at work and proceeded to claim
Lowe's house, stables, gardenand
nearly all of his cleared land, refus-
ing to pay for any, of it." Lowe 4 -
pealed to the company's agents and
conimissioneers, who declared that
they could no nothing. By Van Eg-
mond's account the new owners rout-
ed' Lowe, ',his sickly wife, the eight
small children and a female servant
out of their .beds without giving them
time for' breakfast, turned them by
force out-of-doors and 'strewed their
beds and •furniture on the p1ipblic'high-
way, ignoring' the tears of the wife
and children. Lowe had lost. all but
an acre of his cleared, land, all the
fruits of his three years' labor and
expenditure, and he himself was by
that time a cripple and unable to
earn sixpence a day by manual labor,
while note of"the family could earn
a penny a day. He turned to Van
Egmond and not in vain. The Colonel
gave him a house in a good situation
for a tavern, making it rent free for
ten months, and provided money to
start the business. Then he wrote to
the Reform Journal Correspondent and•
Advocate in Toronto,`' describing the
case as .one "of unparalleled hardships'
in the annals of 'emigrants' misfor-
tunes and appealing to the readers
for. donations. The editor, however,
pointed out that Lowe was at„ fault;
first, for not 'having ascertained the.
proper boundaries of his land; sec-
ond, for having depended on the
word of the. •.eommmissloners and ag-
ente when he had discovered his mis-
take: We shall meet this' same Rich-
ard Lowe, again, and it seems that
the assistance he 'received from- Van
Egmond and 'possibly others, set trim
on his feet for the time. Certainly
the Dutch Colonel 'had been good to
him when 'he needed a friend.
The second instance of his benevo-
lenoe 'is that of Dr. Verret, a' friend
of. hie since 1833 and+ a near neighbor
from 1836. He had 'had a farm but,.
had sold it on credit. He bought a
lot from Van Egmond' and proceeded
to build a tavern and storehouse on
it, and he wanted .to establish a store
of low-priced goods not obtainable
within twenty-four miles, presumably
-to the east. His prospects enereJ'`geod
as the Crops' were satisfactory in Hur-
on
uton in 1837, and the farmers would
'soon be disposing of their grain, pork
and beef. In fact, he might sell. the
lot and storehouse during the fall or
winter for three or four hundred
pounds cash or produce easily con-
vertibleo'into cash. An be needed was
a stock of merchandise or the money
with which to procure' it. He applied
to Van Egmond, but the Co'lonel's
losses had been so severe that he,
could not give the --assistance. He
wrote, however, to Messrs. Buchanan
and Company, Toronto, to introduce
old do,
c
• toSee what the o
Verra'1 and e
they
'could
h '
Of the •sequel the w ter asbeen
able to find no .record, and' indeed,it
is possible that the letter was never
spent, as it is' in the an 'Esmond pa
pers in Ottawa. But again, it illus-
trates the. Colonel's willingness . to
'h'elp ;his friends' and neighbors in the,
Tract.
There is no doubt that Van As the experience of Proudfoot's Eg-
mond had a genuine sympathy 'for
indicates, Van Esmond was host to the,farmers,of Upper Canada and was
Huronites and travellers ',alike. Dr. indignant to" hear, them -doubt called peas-
e
Dunlop found his first .cabin, 'nick ants, nor is there any that is
named "The Castle," too 'cold in 'the was a. good neighbor and friend. ion,
nameds, he took to living at Ross, efforts did not fail of appreciation,
enjoyed' himself'•- immensely,': drank and the meetings 'of the Huron Un -
great quantities of milk and said, ion Society resounded with has praise:;
At the first ma
"The pigs, Madame Van Egmond, will im lhe Nestor of the
in January, 1335,
be glad when I'm away back to the Lowe called him t
Castle." . The Belgian baron denoel,Tract; at the meeting of September,
1836,
founder of Bayfield, also spent much .am unnamed speaker referred+ to
time at Van Demand's, house and no tum as "the most deserving of our
doubt found very, congenial company •eset settlers" and related 'his ser-
vice
s, after Winch aidither speaker de -
in the Dutch home to say, as he did during the Van Esmond had vicescribed 't.low this genuine merits At the last
hese • ecomiums 'as "far be -
a rhe
first election, that he kept the best
tavern on. the Huron Road.2o
spoke pin November, 1837, someone
spoke of him as "our venerable pat -
In 1832 'some parts of the province riarch, originator and promoter of all
were visited by the cholera, and Wa- that was once good in this tract,
terloo among. them. Van Egmond was -without whose great practical knowl-
in ill health at ,the dime, but he and edge and strenuous exertion they (i.e.
his son, Constant, went at once to the company) could have done moth
th'e aid of the stricken settlers,. They, ing . . ." The address to the com-
rodeday and night to•procure a irhys- piny which -the' society had printed
rcran and medicines and stayed until in' November, 1837, echoed and ex -
all were cured or buried, while the . paneled these sentiments. He and
agents of the ,Company held 'aloof. Constant were suggesters and pro -
Van Egmond took the opportunity to waters of what was good and fair in
ivrite to the Western Mercury of the Tract... They had a practical
Hamilton about the disease and its knowledge of the condition's of open -
treatment. He tad'doubto that it was' ing and settling wild land, and' they
the European cholera which was af- had the moral qualifications of ben-
flictin'g Upper Canada, and he sug- evolence and honesty and the asset
gested that it w'as only a bowel come of popularity. There is nro doubt that
plaint, a common disease of emi- Van Esmond was a party to this blow -
grants, the result of salt food on the ing of his' own horn, but this ought•,
voyage and its displacement, by too not to +obscure the fact 'that he was
much fresh meat and vegetables atter indeed the philanthropist of the Tract
the landing. Bad water, he thought, in the 1830's. That he laid out his
was 'a contributory cause. Professor own 'stoney so lavishly with no as-
Wid'ekind, of Danmtadt, the Boer- surance, or even prospect of return
heave of Germafly i.e.,(most famous from either settlers or company, indi-
phymsician) who was a Specialist in Bates a vein of Quixotism in his char-
consumptions,
harconsummptions, bloody flux and bowel ' acter and an Insufficient care of his
complaints, prescribed a diet to avoid own interests. • But it does him cred=
eemplieations in ease of this ailment. 'it ea a friend to .people In difficulties -
The fleet day the patient must take in a strange land, and it was not for -
rhubarb, the seemed day nothing, the gotten a generation later when. the
third day one quart of sweet milk author of Belden's Atlas could write
boiled and a quarter ounce of rhe.- of hime es a gallant soldier, an enter -
bark, the fourth and' fifth days, the prising pioneer, a g'e'nerous friend, and
milk and nhubdrb as 'on the third. an educated gen leman.24
Van, Egmond believed that, he had We. may add a note on bass family.
prescribed this remedy to fuly a thou- Yee Egmond had five sone and three
sand people and that all who used it daughters. The ,sons were Oonstan't,
recovered. Anyone Who Would 'take 'Edouard, poli, August and Wil -
it before mortification of the bowels Hain'; the daughters:,
became Mrs. An-
'hpad set in would be assured of re- drew Heiner, of Waterloo; Mrs.
covery', 'he continued.' Only in two Thwaitte, of Clinton, and limits. Thos.
cases did he find it necessary to re- Govenlock, of Meltiilop.25 Among his
peat the dose Or milk and rhubarb pap'ere is a note froth, I:Weiin:er, :eippar-
on the sixth day.. From all thin• it catty of November, .,137, addressing
Would 'Sevin that VOA Egmond write a the Colonel and bit* wife as "dere
successful doctor, for the people of . father and +mother'' and pmot'seeding::
,Weteiloo 111.1831. 'What he had, done "We were blest With another sea and
had been at his .dwunt expense, and M all wni'l, hoping yeti all the same'."
conclusion he billed the Company for Vttlt Egiootind•AVON a grandfather, acid
£21.000 on 'the ground that be bad riot for the fiisit iirli'e lin, that M'en'the
11: ao!4o4i ti , tM
Wt.ofn 'WI. VoaA ! ft
and '. r1, 'ty , 9
tike father: R VO6 t
d'ren, 04 wan & , having obi -
ed the society lGex
*me ,,. , She kit sWe- .
1For Iatt Dnmia& sc Ifl the. Days lal�rw pts
of tl4e Cane law Oy," d-63. Prior ;Adneed011,11ysp,'thou'unitif.FI'lla
of GerwasanEur, f d, a sacra
tary to Gol Ostia;` m uch1 :trusted by `susget e4Ro4.ls
him, a cbrilfl'g.1, "In thN Days," p. 61, , nay P'. At cage
but there is, a dt;1[e ea i account bf took s, 4
him below, was ieei
2S. 5fe1eklan ,, Twenty`s'even years was soon replaced by
in18' 53. Cama Vi'em, 1. 3054, London, .' clear headed a tilt'
Headache. backache. lasar�ade Orli slhee
8"In the Pays . of the -C? ,a Isom- : ."t o i fatdty ladeeya .1 i3
pa4nly,' ilhim+el[, �"d1 Tour Through North Ii ick i' ►li,�neyP1 i
Amaerica," Ed%41;ur>)!r 188'5,. p. 170. ...
'60w'tario Historical Sopiety.. Papers den's A tleao, p- 3, Toronto, ] 879; tlx
and Records, vol. 28, p• 86 88, full title is "New Historical Atlas' of
sThe' statement is W. L. Macken-: Huron County, Ontario, H. Belden 4.
zie's; Mackenzie's own narrative of Company .,
the rebellion, p. 2L 25Huron Expositor, August 9, 1940.
7T. M. Jones to editor of the British
Shade, issue of April -•i, 1840. Li-mrs for the family.
Colonist, February 23, 180, in issue of
March .11, 1840; reply of Absalom
LONDON and WINGHAM
(Report p.12) confirms Shade, adding NORTH
that he had' offered two fine sureties ��
for his contract Shade was' M.P. for. Exeter 10.3!
Halton in 1840. The Loudon road was 10.
done by William McConnell and Chas. Ei ensall '
Ingersoll, of Oxford, 19 miles by the KdPpen' ' 10.40
10.58
first, 16 by ;the second. Brucefteld , 11.00
sTh 6 cost of the turnpike from' the � 11.47
Company's account, given ' in W. H. Londesboro 12,OS
Smith, "Canada, Past, Present and Blyth .12.16
Future,". II., page 157. (1851). Shade's27
Belgrave
1 27
letter gives it also. Wingbam
letter -book. By 1843 certain altera- W1mghem
aCdlb�e men to Canada Company, SOUTH
October 2'7, 1843, in Collector Galt's " P.M.
1.50
tione had been Made en the road; 10 Redgrave vI 2'00
w
miles were abandoned and replaced Blyttth . ' 2.17
by 'new road, including the, entrance Lonidesbore 2.26
Goderirhe Clinton ,,. - S.OS
10"In the Days' of the Canada Com- Brucefield 3.22
palsy.'," 78-79, describes Vane Egmond's AiPPen ' 3.88
men at work. Hensall . 3.45
iilessay on Galt, V.E.P.Exeter
isi 3.53
lelay on' Galt, V.E.P.
18M•inute's of meeting Huron Union C.N.R. TIME TABLE
Society (November, 1837), V.E.P. . EAST'
14"Iu the Days of the Canada Com- A.M. P.M.
pa;'. P. , 418 O 6.15 2.30
15Angddress82to board. (printed)', V. E. Hurlwodericheseille 6.31 2.43
P. Clinton 6.43 3,00
isLetter to Messrs. Buchanan and Seaforth' :.. o, 6.59 3.16
Co., November 2; 1837; letter from eSt. Columhan ' ' 7.05 3:28
M. Lachlan, October, 1837, V.E.P.; Dublin 7.12 3.911
'the In 77, Canadian ole iog Cohical Vao�y, M•itehell 7.24 3.411
Eg- !
1i.06 9
mond, Ontario volume, Toronto, 1880, Mitchell - , Y,
Toronto Patriot, issue of July 14, 1835. Dublin , ........W.....EST.. 11.14. 9.35
Canada .Company, report for 1832, Seaforth 11.30 6,47
dated May 8, 1833, mentions the loan. Clinton r 11.45 10.00
17"In the Day's of the Canada Com- Goderich 12.05 10.25
pany," ne:may2on Gait, V.E.P. C.P.R. TIME TABLE
l9Proudfoot Papers, Ontario Histor- EAST
ical Society, Papers and Records, vol.
P.M.
p., 86-88., 96. Scott letter for. the Godeldch 426
church af• Harpurheg. Menet 4.24
zo"In the pays of the Canada Corn- M w 4.32
pang;" 82 for Dunlop, 109 for de Auburn 4.42
T„yyl. Bly,th,. 4.52
21Western Mercury, July 5, 1832 ;. Walton, 6.06
Toronto Patriot, July 14, 1835, letter .McNaught 5.15
from Huron on the election, for Liz- Toronto 9.00
ars' comment. " WEST
=Correspondent and Advocate, July' .._..., A M.
9, 1835. ,. Toronto 8.30
zaThis letter is dated' November 2, McNaught - 12.03
1837; and there is no way of telling Walton•>, 1233
whether it is the original or a cedy B]yt>bi W 1232
made by Van Egmlond for his own ' Aubura . 12.32
convenience. V.E.P. McGawm 12.40
24The minutes of these meetings Menset 12.46
are in the Van Esmond papers.. Bel- GoderiCh . 12.56
•
tH E WORLD'S GOOD NEWS
will come to your home every day through .
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
An Inestnattonal Deify Newspaper • ,
It records for you. the world's olbso, n detsgs.. Tbti Iltontter
doss not malt ' .c rime or sedation doss It *sore theta,
ant duns corrective* with tihist, doors. toll busy men dud W as
family. Itiottidine tate Weekly ti esdiliiiC`,4Mtlsllw
The du' flab tfefi ko t5 ify
.One. ,;etritt. 'Wept! awtltl
matter tta
iriyrtra ens ,�! Its i :1w.t't1w+
Y1�i�d f� Tei �,..it
_ t lid (ld olseindinv
eiontbt,N iNsy
"d:{ee ei/ii,riilY,W,. •.' +•.Wi4Y,s1W
He was, of course,, keenly interest-
ed in settlement. He and his son,
Constant, induced innkeepers at '$am
ilto'n and along the roads west to re-
commend the Tract to migrants. For
the first four years' the Company's
agents did little to bring settlers, he
says, but ah.e°did this duty for them,
brought people to 'the Tract and sup-
plied to them provisions, raiment,
cattle; tools ,it of hi's own purse,
w+h"le the agents gave hardly a word
of encouragement. The Misses Liz -
ars confirm, the Colonel's estimate of
his achievements and say that he had
twenty four -horse teams on the road
for the incoming settlers and their
property, and t'ha't at Heltmer's Inn
there 'was a special bark -bottomed
chair for his use when he was en-
gaged in this bueiness,14 He claims
that as a result of his work, in 18$5
lands In the interior were selling at
four times the price of lands near
.Goderich and the lake, ,and we can-
not 'doubt that he did more' than any
other man 'to promote settlement of
the Hm-on Tract in Its first ten years.
He advanced; much money to the set-
tlers, £3,000 by his. own, account,
which she was unable to collect, and
so be suffered a considerable loss and
the settlers' drew • a corresponding
benefit.n5
He did something far himself dur-
ing •titresee years, as one would expect.
In 1832 be borrowed £450 from the
Company and it may have been with
this 'Money that 'he built the mill at
Egmondville. He bad a store •or
steres a•Iso'a id' his se'n described him
much later as occupied in, farming,
milling and 'storekeeping. His liusi-
nests was extensive, but' we have few
Mraces of ' it. He knew, enough of
'easrs. Bu hana.•n and Company, of
ToroiY& or Hamilton. to recommend
his neighbor Verret to. theft. Ile knew
a nein M, Lachlan, of Port boner,
l
eSNAPSNOT GUILD
To get erose -ups like this, use fine grain film and a portrait attachment
—then have just the best' part of the picture enlarged, with surplus areas
masked out.
• °LOSE -UPS of wall subjects
l•c make fascinating pictures for
your allium=and many snapshots
of this type can be taken, even
with fixed -focus cameras, that ordi-
narily must be used five, six, or
eight feet front a subject.
The trick, of course, is to use a
supplementary lens or "portrait at.
tachment," that slips on over the
camera' lens. Such attachments' are
inexpensive, and.don't let the name
mislead you. They are useful eat.
only for 'close-ups of people, but
also for shots of any fairly small
Subject.
Per example, consider the pic-
ture Of the butterfly* above. At a
..distance of eight feet from the
camera, the, butterfly would be lit-
tle more than a speck, on the film.
However, with a portrait' attach
went, the catalera could be,.brotXht
closer—In ' meet `'+cases, oto Within
in
three feet Of the subject; dt less—
thus gi; iiig 'you a. Much larger
image.
If you need a focusing camera,.
you could get even nearer by
means of the attachment. For, et,
ample. with a ca'inera formed for
three and one-half feet, the correct
distance would only be twenty-
three inches with the attachment
in use. You could thus get almost
twice as close!
However, the short "taking dis-
tance" Is just the beginning. If you
get an image of reasonable size on
the film, it can be increased cord
siderably when ,enlargements are
made—especially if you itse a mod-
ern fine grain film. And you . don't
need to show the whole picture • in
the enlargement. You can haVe
any surplus material at the top,
bottom, or aides "masked off," to
that y6ur picture shows only' the
portion of most interest. The•btt-r
tardy picture was enlarged in tha
manner, and greatly improved.
In taking close-up shots, remem-
ber two, points: measure the cor-
rect distance very carefully, and
Wm a :•rather' small • lens opening.
Also, whenever possible, use tine
grain film .for better enlargements.
These pictures are just about as
easy to take as any other kind --
and big, dramatic close-ups certain•
ly do lend interettt to your snapshot
colleetiOU.
295 John van Guilder
0
5'