The Settlers in Canada

The Settlers in Canada, by
Frederick Marryat

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Settlers in Canada, by Frederick
Marryat
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Settlers in Canada
Author: Frederick Marryat

Release Date: September 3, 2007 [eBook #22496]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
SETTLERS IN CANADA***
E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, storm, and the Project Gutenberg
Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)

Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which
includes the original illustrations. See 22496-h.htm or 22496-h.zip:
(http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/2/4/9/22496/22496-h/22496-h.htm) or
(http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/2/4/9/22496/22496-h.zip)

SETTLERS IN CANADA
by
CAPTAIN MARRYAT
Author of "Children of the New Forest," "Peter Simple," "Little
Savage," "Newton Foster," "Privateersman," "Monsieur Violet," etc.,
etc.
With Illustrations

George Routledge and Sons London: Broadway, Ludgate Hill New
York: 9 Lafayette Place

[Illustration: BEE-HUNTING.]

THE SETTLERS.
CHAPTER I.
It was in the year 1794, that an English family went out to settle in
Canada. This province had been surrendered to us by the French, who
first colonized it, more than thirty years previous to the year I have
mentioned. It must, however, be recollected, that to emigrate and settle
in Canada was, at that time, a very different affair to what it is now.
The difficulty of transport, and the dangers incurred, were much greater,

for there were no steamboats to stem the currents and the rapids of the
rivers; the Indians were still residing in Upper and many portions of
Lower Canada, and the country was infested with wild animals of every
description--some useful, but many dangerous: moreover, the
Europeans were fewer in number, and the major portion of them were
French, who were not pleased at the country having been conquered by
the English. It is true that a great many English settlers had arrived, and
had settled upon different farms; but as the French settlers had already
possession of all the best land in Lower Canada, these new settlers were
obliged to go into or toward Upper Canada, where, although the land
was better, the distance from Quebec and Montreal, and other populous
parts, was much greater, and they were left almost wholly to their own
resources, and almost without protection. I mention all this, because
things are so very different at present: and now I shall state the cause
which induced this family to leave their home, and run the risk and
dangers which they did.
Mr. Campbell was of a good parentage, but, being the son of one of the
younger branches of the family, his father was not rich, and Mr.
Campbell was, of course, brought up to a profession. Mr. Campbell
chose that of a surgeon; and after having walked the hospitals (as it is
termed), he set up in business and in a few years was considered as a
very able man in his profession. His practice increased very fast; and
before he was thirty years of age he married.
Mr. Campbell had an only sister, who resided with him, for their father
and mother were both dead. But about five years after his own marriage,
a young gentleman paid his addresses to her; and although not rich, as
his character was unexceptionable, and his prospects good, he was
accepted. Miss Campbell changed her name to Percival, and left her
brother's house to follow her husband.
Time passed quickly; and, at the end of ten years, Mr. Campbell found
himself with a flourishing business, and at the same time with a family
to support, his wife having presented him with four boys, of whom the
youngest was but a few months old.
But, although prosperous in his own affairs, one heavy misfortune fell

upon Mr. Campbell, which was the loss of his sister, Mrs. Percival, to
whom he was most sincerely attached. Her loss was attended with
circumstances which rendered it more painful, as, previous to her
decease, the house of business in which Mr. Percival was a partner
failed; and the incessant toil and anxiety which Mr. Percival underwent
brought on a violent fever, which ended in his death. In this state of
distress, left a widow with one child of two years old--a little girl--and
with the expectation of being shortly again confined, Mrs. Percival was
brought to her brother's house, who, with his wife, did all he could to
soften down her grief; but she had suffered so much by the loss of her
husband, that when the period arrived, her strength was gone, and she
died in giving birth to a second daughter. Mr. and Mrs.