kingston r nec reoe nec populo sed utroque vol x saturday march 141829 poetby 4t the spirits land jt y john malcolm the spirits land where is that land of which our fathers tell u whose mysterious viewless strand earths parted millions dwell beyond the bright and starry sphere creations flaming spaa remote beyond the measureless career the phautom flight of thought there fadeless flowers their blossoms wave beneath a cloudless sky and there the latest lingeriog tear is wiped from every eye and soul9 beneath the trees of life repose upon that blessed shore where paio and toil and storm and strife shall never reach them more and yet mcthiuks a chastened wo een there may prompt the sigh- sweet sorrows we would not forego for calm unmiogfed joy when strains from angelharps may stray on heavenly airs of mortal birth that we have heard far far away amid rite bovrers of earth ah then perchance their saddening spell that from oblivion saves may wander like a lorn farewell krura this dim land of graves and like the vision of a dream shed on the disembodied mind of mortal life a dying gleam and loved ones left behind yes yes i will i must believe that natures sacred ties survive and to the spirit cleave immortal in the skies and that imperfect were my bliss in heaven itself and dashed with care if those i loved on earth should miss tne path that leadeth there transplant being able such full uteriry e from the london literary gazttte ltftrntts of the lakes or sayings and do ings at killarney colltcta ckiejlyfrotn tht mss of it adolphus lynch esq ths kings gtrman legion by t crofton croker 2 vols lxmo london 1839 i libera co to vary these extracts we beg to copy here a spirited account of a dream in which the author his miud impressed with the visions of the day indulges on retiring to rest waiter says he a chamber candle i am a bachelor therefore am allowed to dream odonoghuc mounted on his milkwhite steed with all his train arc huutiug oo the waters fuan mac cool agaiu is turuiug all the mountain streams into whiskypunch for the refreshment of the hunters brau from twenty fathoms deep bays upon the wooded side of glena or rushes through the valley of cliffs how the lake sparkles a thousand boats dance upon its fairy billows their streamers flut ter in the breeze their white sails glance to the sun like the snowy wing of some beautiful bright seabird ha that barge is overturned the crew are struggling with the waves i hear their cry they sink one is clinging to an oar it is a fe maleshe floatsshe reaches the shore of iiiutsfalleo she is she is my own ray earliest love ab slio stirs not she is dead no uo she breathes she revives uok up my love my own sweet love look up oh happiness unspeakable we wanderthrouph the island in theen- tle moonlight the trees wave above our heads with a light murmur the calm lake litters to the broad moon through the eafy screen and delicious music dimly heard floats around she the first love of my young heart leans ou my arm and looks in my face with unutterable tender ness she speaks but oh what means that crash hark thunder storm whirlwind he comes the prince of the lakes odouoghue he snatches her from me ho bears her away oh misery see be has left her on a rock amid the foam of furious billows she stretches forth her sleuder arms to me for aid i come i come and bow i struggle with the waves 1 have gained lb rock i just touch her trcnabliug hand ah she is snatched from piy grasp- she sinks with odooogbue a thousand demons laugh in my ear with fiendish triumph ob this mockery is too much to boar- the waters roar hiss- growl they close over me confusion- darkness ah here is light aod music again but where is my lost love yes i know that strain yoicks yoicks tallyho riley really youre the boy riley yoicks yoicks tallyho down fan down you slut get along pompey roused by such exclamations i jumped from my bed and poking my nightcap out of the window found they proceeded from gorham who dressed in a green huntingfrock was mounted on bis famous black horse which being not a little vain of bis skill he caused to curvet and prance like the horses of phidias on the frieze of the parthenon and then he rode from the door followed by his dogs arid the shouts of a crowd of waiters boatmen and runners exclaiming well done gorham tis youre the fine horseman ny how there are two excellent stories of pad dy byrne the nutcracker and billy thompson which we regret we cannot to our pleasureground not like sir j stewart to move grown productions aod like him disliking to lop and disfigure them we must therefore content ourselves with a smaller removal sure every body has hard tell of the blessed saint patrick and how he druve the sarpints and all manner ofvenemous things out of ireland how be bother ed all the varmint entirely but for all that there was oueould sarpint left who was too cunning to be talked out of the country aod made to drown himself st patrick didnt well know how to manage thib fellow who was doing great havoc till at long last he bethought himself and got a strong iron cbost made with nine boults upon it so one fine morning he takes a walk to where the sarpint used to keep aod the sarpint who didnt like the saint in the least and small blame to him for that began to hiss and shew his teeth at him like any thing oh says saint patrick says he wheres the use of making such a piece of work about a gon- tleman like myself coming to see you tis a nice house 1 have got made for you agin the winter for im going to ci vilise the whole country man and beast says he and you can come and look at it whenever you please and tis myself will be glad to see you the sarpint hearing such smooth words thought that though saint patrick had druve all the rest ofthe sarpints iuto the sea ho meant no harm to himself so the sarpint walks fair and easy up to sec him aod the house he was speaking about but when the sarpint saw the nine boults upon the chest he thought he was sould betrayed and was for making off with himself as fast as ever he could tis a nice warm house you see says saint patrick aod tis a good friend lam to you i thank you kindly saint patrick for your civility says the sarpint but i think its too small it is for me meaning it for an ex cuse and away he was going too small says saiut patrick stop if you please says he youre out in that my boy any bow 1 am sure twill fit you completely aud ill tell you what says he ill bet you a gallon of porter says he that if youll only try aud get in therell be plenty of room for you the sarpint was as thirsty as could be with bis walk and twas great joy to him the thoughts or doing saint patrick out ofthe gallon of porter so swelling himself up as big as he could in he got to the chest all but a little bit of his tail there now says he ive won the gallon for you see the house is too small for roe for 1 cant get in my tail when wbat does saint patrick do but he comes behind the great heavy lid of the chest and putting his two hands to it down he slaps it with a hang like thunder when the rogue ofasnr- pint saw the lid coming down in went bis tail like a shot for fear of being whipped off him and saint patrick began at once to boult the nine iron boults oh mur der wont you let me out saint pa- j trick says the sarpint ive lost the hot fairly and ill pay you the gallon like a man let you out my darling says saint patrick to be sure i will by all manner of means but you see i havent time now so you must vait till tomor row and so he took the iron chest with the sarpint in it and pitches it into the lake here where it is to this hour forcer- tain and tis the sarpint struggling down at the bottom that makes the waves upon it many is the living man continued picket besides myself has hard the sar pint crying out from within the chest un- itwyuio it tomorrow yet which to besureit never can be and thats the way saint patrick settled the last of the sarpints sir as another variety we insert a rale shoemakers bill which dropped from the pocket of its writer his honur mr trant esquire dr to jamesbarret shoemaker d to clicking and sowling miss clara 0 2 6 to strappingand welting miss biddy 010 to binding aud closing miss mary 0 1 6 0 5 0 james barret paid july 14th 1828 to be continued for the kingston chronicle the lowercanada watchman no ix too short to enable you to investigate with that truth and accuracy for which your re searches have ever been remarkable every subject claiming the attention of the phi- losophick traveller and there being few topicks which require a more penetrating eye a keener spirit of investigation or a more intimate acquaintance in order to be able to draw a true representation of their various degrees and shades than the character and manners of a strange people i have therefore as an eye and an ear witness of several years had the boldness to attempt giving you a sketch of the manners ano customs of the french canadians but i beg of you always to remember that it is only a sketch and the very feeblest of sketches for al though few indeed i may say no one has treated the subject as i with due humility propose to do yet i shall only look upon my reminiscences as a sort ofdsdalean clue for extricating a greater stranger than myselfoul of that most intricate of all la byrinths the erring and winding ways of man it becomes me at the same time to assure you that nothing shall be stated but with the utmost possible deference to truth that no trait shall either bo heigh tened or shaded in its colouring beyond the bounds of its legitimate and peculiar characteristicks that no sentiment shall willingly or maliciously be distorted or exaggerated that foibles and blemishes if and intrepidity but when i behold tome upon tome and quarto upon quarto fall of thricetold savage wonders and indian le gends and descriptive of rocks and stones of rare birds and wild animals with which the learned world has been familiar for ages while scarcely an authentic page can be produced on the subject of the mo ral and physical character of nearly balfa million of british subjects a subject of all others the most important to an enlighten ed nation j positively marvel at the great waut of judgement which it discovers in a quarter from whetfte better things might be expected and become really amazed that the consequent myopy has not been productive of far greater evils than those which we so justly complain of let me ask you ifsuch a state of things be not for once at least an ample and decisive proof ofthejustice of a maxim in the last book of aristotles physicks which says that whatever was below the moon was aban doned by the gods to the direction of na ture and chance and necessity you are of opinion that whatever pre judices exist among the canadians to the general character opinions manners and public institutions of their neighbours of the united states ought to be fostered as the surest pledge in the time of need that they will not fail in the most faithful dis- operation in order to render them produc tive of any good effects even such effects as are only calculated to administer to their own personal interests and feelings but is not this a most melancholy feature in the character of any people is it not a most deplorable circumstance nay dis- wk xx vii allies in order to tivert the approaching danger and it is not by trucking higgling and bartering for the services st her own sons that england has attained her present elevated station and in a great degree become the protectress of the civilization of the world let the canadians perse- graceful to human nature itself tothink verc j calling themselves a nation if pro patria u the tcetlbeing of a state is wholly de pendant on the character of a people to j g esquire in fulfilment my dear sir of my pro mise to communicate to you whatever in formation i might deem of importance re specting this distant but interesting por tion of his majestys dominions i have often revolved in vain on a subject befit ting both your own superior talents for in quiry and those means of improving them which you could not fail to have enjoyed during your residence in the country this residence however though of the utmost consequence to the future glory and pros perity ofthe empire must necessarily be charge of tbeir duty to themselves and their country i believe i bad the plea- they do exist being inherent to every class j sure verbally of convincing you howcor- and vuuinii iimuuind hnll not i dinlly i agreed with you upon this point tt i rl jl to a certain extent and it will be my duty in tbe sequel to show you how far these prejudices at present obtain but if you will maturely consider this important sub ject in all its bearings i think you will in your turn agree with me in the conclu sion that the more you promote and fos ter these prejudices without at the same time inspiring those who entertain them with sentiments of national pride and pa triotism of wider bounds than those of ca nada and almost extending to the utmost verge of the british dominions the higher and tbe thicker you will build that fatal wall ol partition which has so long divi ded the interests ofthe english and french inhabitants of canada and entail upon the country those very evils which by a more extended field of information we as sure ourselves would inevitably and irre mediably be destroyed tbe prejudices of an enlightened people against foreign ers such for instance aa those entertained by the british against all foreigners but particularly against the french do not appear to me to arise so much from hatred and contempt as from that conscious su periority that unalterable love of country and that flattering self confidence which as being the most acceptable unction to tbe vanity of human natureit would be as easy as it would be prudent to instil in to tbe minds of every independent uatioo these prejudices if they may be called such seem to be the true foundation of be brought forth io order to be treated with contemptuous severity but merely to elu cidate more forcibly the sources whence they spring and the evils to which they lead that folly and presumption will be pitied rather than blamed that if crime or immorality should unfortunately meet us on our way they shall not indeed be either shunned or palliated but neither will they be treated in any other way than as the fatal engine of tbe ruin and destruction of society and in a word that however much the pencil may be wanting in art and dex terity it will be my endeavour to make it up in an undeviating love of truth and per severing effort at accuracy so far as tbe means of my information extend and here i cannot help expressing my surprise at the extreme paucity ofour in formation regarding tbe customs and man ners of the french canadians who with respect at least to the british publickare at this moment a people almost as much de tached as they were when wolfe planted the british ensign on the heights of abraham or even as much so in several instances as it is possible for tbe savages of the woods to be whosa estrangement is not so very unconquerable as it is generally imagined and whose aversion to englishmen in par ticular is mt loaded with half the prejudi ces that are to be found among the cana dians tl want of information insigni ficant as it day at first appear has been the source ol nnuv national and localcvils as well as political bluuders for had the genuine patriotism but how h this ge- love of freedom susceptibility of improve- nerous and chivalric passion to be culti- ment respect to british institutions and vatcd in the bosoms of a conquered or col in numerou so uatural to understood ring that eventful period from the conquest confined to what i may terra the exclu- till tbe passing ofthe canadian magna sive system of a corporation that has no charta in 1791 our legislators and law-giv- interest and desires to enjoy neither in- ers should not at this late season bave to j terest nor iufluence beyond theboundsof encounter many stumblingblocks as you must b we aware daily spring up in their waj to reformation and improve ment thfe enlargement of the book of knowledge would not only extend their views but gi an impetus and a proper direction tq ni t plans but without jlijl bo have the wipomten donee its own contracted sphere simply in my humble opinion by a strict and im partial inquiry iuto the general character springs of action susceptibility of change bias to any particular order or system of society capability of instruction natural love of country fondness of general know- iffl fni in i wiiril uitn anprominent of national affair especially those of colo- 1 feature characteristick of a free and iudus- that in order to render any particular vice serviceable and what is lo prejudice of ignorance hat a vice it is necessary to call it into active existence by the applica tion of another vice equally if not more debasing yet who will deny the fact in all the eventful emergencies of war and invasion to which we have been almost unremittingly exposed on this continent either by our own folly or the avidity and ambition of others by what means did we prevail upon the indians to take an inter est aud a part in our affairs why by imposing in the first place on their cre dulity aod in the next flattering their va nity and corrupting their native love of country their prejudices were strong hut not so strong as to enable them to re sist the more powerful grasp of bribery for our own lakes not on account of any love we bore to them we approached them as we would a man out of his reason or half distracted with rage easily seducing them from theirown more natural and legitimate allegiance by those means which give to knowledge in all circumstances the superi ority of ignorance thus the poor unfortu nate creafme become a sort of cis-atlan- tic swiss ready to barter to the highest bidder those services which their rudeness ignorauce aod prejudices prevented them from applying to the salvation of their coun try it isjusitso with tbe canadians whose prejudices as i said before are in many respects a narrow and deeply rooted as those of the indians and whose notions of patriotism if they have any notions at all upon the subject are solely confined to their own narrow circle and circumstances the ridiculo us jealousies ofthe canadians prevent them from extending their views this prevents them from associating with their more enlightened lellow subjects by whom alone they can be taught those gene- rous sentiments by which all great nations are almost spontaneously actuated they are thus strangers to their most important duties as members of this great empire in time of danger therefore a sense of this duty must of necessity be forced upon them but bow uit possible to do this except by that identical process which was used with respect to the poor savage it is therefore but reasonable to suppose that a people of such confined views and such unseemly sentiments should become at times the prey of those most dexterous in plying them with those hopes and fears most congenial to tbeir prejudices indeed the strongest whether friend or foe will become their master and they will cry out like the ita lians god save the conqueror passing io all probability from one allegiance to ano ther in the course of a campaigns thus our duty at once to ourselves and this sprightly but rude people becomes plain aj must he inspired with and british feelings- to retain the free exer cise of their- manners language and religion they must be taught to look upon them- selvesuot s a distinct people having no community of interests or feelings with the restof the country but as an integral im portant ami substantial part and portion of tbe nation they must not be taught as they have hitherto unfortunately been by nies situated at a distance from the mother country must always he groping in the dark and blind leaders of the blind till some fearful catastrophe meet them in their way aod plunge them into irretrievable ru in it will then be too late to look for tbe proper path or for careful guides to lead them through it for tbe quagmires and vortices of the slough of political despond may have already swallowed them with all their ambitious but illdirected hopes and projects i do not assert that any thing of this has as yet taken place in canada and i sin cerely hope it never may because i perceive many things going on around me which betoken tbe most auspicious im provements nay which i trust will ulti mately avert the fears of the most solici tous regarding this part ofthe british em pire yet who can look upon the beggar ly fund of information which a briton can boast of with respect to this country aod the difficulty which he always experiences in drawing upon it for however small an amount without absolutely hesitating as to the actual dependency of such a vast territory upon the british crown and loud ly exclaiming against that false and short sighted policy which should thys by a piece of the most cruel and culpable negli gence sacrifice the best interests of a large body of the finest people in the em pire and perhaps the ultimate welfare of tbe empire itself 1 am no stickler about voyages and expeditions to tombuctoo the sources of the niger the north pole or even to the moon if such a trip could be accomplished of which by the way we need not despair considering tbe mauj wonderful things that are done in this our day and generation provided such expedi tions and voyages would either add to our knowledge of science or serve to maintain unsullied and undiminished british valour trious people such an inquiry conducted under the auspices of such a government as ours by such men as yourself no flat tery believe me would afford to the phil osopher and the politician a son of moral chart which would enable them to carry with safety and success into the bosom of the canadians any measure calculated to promote the general welfare of society or the political prosperity of the empire and enable them to lay the foundation of al most eveiy public and private virtue by this means vyithout entering into ma ny particulars the somewbirt useful hut i fear rather dangerous prejudices to which i have been alluding would certainly be eradicated but i hope you perceive that they would gradually be replaced by pre judices far more important and enlighten ed ifl may say so we should exchange the prejudices of gross and barbarous igoo- ranee for the more raanly and useful ones of education aod real love of country the one species of prejudices that of rudeness and barbarism though deeply rooted caq only be nourished by sloth and brought into useful operation by flattery while the other because it contains the principle of action within itself is always ready to be brought into operation when ever circumstances may render it necessa ry the one in short degrades while the other exalts human nature the one debases the soul of man to a level with tbe brutes that perish while the other cherish es every noble sentiment and serves to raise the mind to the highest aud the proud est pinnacle of the temple of fame i bave said that the prejudices of ignorance must always be flattered before they can be made to produce any useful results let me be more plain and say that the prejudices of my fellow subjects the cana dians as they are of tbe worst possible kind must always uudergo this degrading those claiming influence over them to look upon englishmen as foreigners and in vaders of their country but as brethren vjnhi kb j r rior to theirown and whose prosperity is not a whit dearer to government than theirs they must not be allowed to ima gine that the sole business of englishmen in coming to this country is to crush and extinguish them but on tbe contrary to improve their own condition io life and in doing which they are always willing that the canadians should go along with them side by side they must he taught that our laws are equitable humane and salutary that government especially such a government as ours aud which we have most liberally imparted to them in its full est vigour is not the engine of tyranny or despotism like that from which we have emancipated them but of freedom the most perfect aud of power tbe most ex tensive that our protection is in every respect unquestionable and that instead of loading them with public burdens for that purpose we doit gratuitously and re lieve them from every imposition except those calculated to promote their own im mediate impiovement and prosperity but above all tbeymust be mentally instructed the iron barriers of ignorance and super stition must be broken down 60 as to admil the genial rays of education and learning the miud must be illuminated if all this be done we shall soon discover the canadians to possess all the virtues that we can reasonably desire and a strong dis position to amalgamate with every thing laudable in british sentiments and feelings when we have occasion for their services instead of finding it necessary to address ourselves to the prejudices of a poor and selfish people in a state of semibarbarism we shall find them meeting us half way mutually fraught with indignation at the countrys wrongs and inspired with every sentiment becoming a great aod free peo ple we shall no longer he obliged to treat with them for their assistance as with foreigners whom we wish to become our there is any charm io the title let them enjoy it in its fullest extent but let it bo enjoyed as an integral part of that of bri tain in the same way that the inhabitants ofihe roman provinces while they pre served their own national appellations claimed and were proud to obtain the more important and dignified title of bo- man citizen this i dare say you will say is still ministering to those local pre judices which i am so anxious to see des troyed it is so but if we permit any kind of prejudices to exist and there is no nation and god forbid there should be any nation without certain prejudices this harmless one ought to be tbe first to he tolerated and fostered there is as you well know a peculiar cbarro in tbe nick names which different countries sometimes give themselves w ith what electrifying emotions do the various appellations of john bull donald sowney and faddy strike the ears of the different inhabitants of england scotland and ireland no one will deny but this is a prejudice but who would he so eruel as to seek its de struction if therefore the canadians can be made happier by an indulgence so couiujuu aumug uloitr- tbuumfeemtijfcotlii ibv them enjoy it in the same manncrthat they do the mere emblem of goodhumoured distinction but at the same time of true hearts united courage and undeviating loyalty but it has been objected to the toother countrythatit is neither her right nor her policv in any manner to interfere with the canadians 6o as to force npon them any change of manners customs or laws however conducive to their moral aod po litical improvement nor is this tbevague and idle surmises of a day it has as you partly know become of late the business of a very influenzal party and a party it is in every sense ofthe word to instil such dangerous doctrines into the minds of a people whose proverbial ignorance and credulity render them above kii others the easy dupes of political intrigue and factious principles it is daily uttered in pam phlets newspapers aud all those other po pular means of corruption by which wiek- ed and dissolute men have in all ages been able to poison a certain portion of the public mind as to this country such in describable enormities have been commit ted on the glorious liberty ofthe press that great palladium of british freedom that it is now scarcely possible for it to disgorge any thing that can disgust however much it may contaminate for every liberal and generous act of government every act cal culated to raise this colony in dignity and importance has the misfortune to encoun ter in almost every direction a mountain of resentment and abuse sufficient to astonish if not horrify any reasonable icing but that the pure press of england should be sullied as it has of late occasionally been by tbe slime and filth and putrid salivpav leprous bile of canadian factions is rather too mucb for onr patience and fortitude to hear and is a convincing proof that neither place nor time is too sacred or unsuitable for the purposes of those who have no bu siness but error and no ambition but to be distinguished as the raisleaders and cor rupters of mankind it was in this man- i it ner that what is fashionably termed the american revolution commenced it was fat tke ipfcw f viis identicaldoctritf that the apostles of confusion and rebel lion prepared the minds of weak and unin formed men for despising the parental au thority of the mother country and of dri ving britoos to the madness of imbruing their hands in each others blood it is vident to every impartial beholder that canada is fast approaching some import ant crisis and that too a crisis not the most satisfactory to the lovers of order and good government a political storm has for years been gathering io this country which if longer submitted to must inevi tably carry us down the tide of inextrica ble ruiu but which if resisted in time and manfully stemmed must yield to our perseverance and burst harmless long he- fore it approaches to that destructive ma turity which it at present portends it is therefore ofthe highest consequence both to england and canada that their true relative situations should be distinctly traced out that the authority ofthe one aud the duty of the other should he im pressed on every mind and made legible to every capacity and that in short the rights of sovereign aud vassal should he so as certained as to render the least deviation from them as dangerous to the one party as to tbe other in the event of revising our present constitution for the purpose ei ther of remodelling it or devising better means for pronvting the peace and im provement of this part ofthe british domi nions this i mean a clear and distinct understanding ofthe relation subsisting be twixt us and the parent state is the first thing that ought to he done for whether we know our own interests or not and whether knowing them we pursue them in the right or the wrong way nature her self will teach us to resent and that in no very mild or delicate terms every re primanding voice and every mow of cor rection except those alone which proceed from recognized and welldefined authori-