Canada for Gentlemen | Page 4

and knows the ropes well. He
took us to an exchange office where he said we should get the most
value for our money, which turned out to be $4 86c., about par I believe.
He and everyone else that I asked said that the idea of a premium on
English money was a myth, that $4 86c. was the highest, and that only
in gold; for a fiver that Dr. Marsh exchanged he only got $24 instead of
$24 30c. Well, we shall see when we get to Montreal and deliver the
circular notes. The landing and all the Customs business was a great
nuisance, though we got through capitally. I waited quietly till the
hoorooche was all over, and then went and collared the most
benevolent-looking old chap to come and stir up our baggage. I had
them all unstrapped and ready, and he just looked into one or two and
then asked me if I had anything in them that was not my own wearing
apparel, or that had not been worn. I said no (there were lots of things
that hadn't been worn, but then they were my own wearing apparel), so
he chalked them all up without even desiring that Henry's big box
might be opened, which was very lucky, as it would have been a great
nuisance to have to knock those plates off the keyholes. I think it is a
great mistake to put them on; there is no fear of the things getting wet
down in the steerage deck where they are stowed, and they may

possibly cause a lot of delay going through the Customs House. Then
came our first experience of Canadian Railways, not a pleasant one. We
were told the train would start at 2.15, accordingly we dispensed with
dinner and were on the platform at the stated time, but the train never
moved till nearly five o'clock. Then the baggage chequing business
turned out a great nuisance, the men went down to cheque it while I
was away getting the tickets, and when I came back they had all gone
away. In this democratic country they could not be put to the
inconvenience of coming back again, so I had to wait about till they
came to cart it up to the train. I do not mean to say there would be any
of this bother in travelling about from station to station, it was only
during the confusion of landing when a lot of people all wanted their
things done at the same time, and the baggage all had to be brought up
from the wharf, still it was an item in our first railway experiences
which, coupled with the delay in starting, put me out of temper with
Canadian travelling, though there is not a shadow of doubt but what the
chequing system is a great deal superior to our own. However, when
we did get fairly under weigh it was not so bad. It is certainly very nice
to be able to get up and walk about when one gets tired of sitting still,
or go and stand on the platforms outside. Then, their rules are far less
strict than ours. If a man likes to jump on or off while a train is going
full speed ahead he can, nobody has the least objection to his coming
down on his head if he likes; or if he feels inclined to jump off and run
alongside he is perfectly at liberty to do so, only the Company will not
bind themselves to stop and wait for him if he can't run fast enough. In
fact, a man here is entirely his own master, and as such is just as good
us anybody else. There is one thing which seems to me a great
disadvantage, that is so few of the railway officials are in any uniform
at all. They may have a badge, or something of that sort, but I did not
see any, consequently one never knows who to ask for information
about the trains, etc. When we got to Richmond last night, where we
had to change for Sherbrooke, a chap told us we should start in about
twenty-five minutes; the next man told us that we should not start till
two or three in the morning; and while we were endeavouring to arrive
at the truth somebody shouted out to know if everybody was "on
board" for Sherbrooke, Portland, etc., and he told us they were going to
start right away, which they did--in about half-an-hour. Next we took

two hours to go the twenty-five miles between Richmond and
Sherbrooke, though I will forgive them for that as we were really in a
goods' train, to which they had attached a passenger car for