During The Week Occupied By The Session There Will
Be A Number Of Receptions, Entertainments, And Excursions, And A Day
Will Be Set Apart For The Examination Of The International Electrical
Exhibition, To Be Held At Philadelphia Under The Auspices Of The
Franklin Institute, And Commencing September 2.
By an arrangement
between the Canadian and United States Trunk lines, members of the
British Association will be conveyed between Montreal and Philadelphia
at specially low fares, while the hotel charges at the latter city
during the meeting are not expected to exceed three dollars a day.
We
believe the number who have already promised to be at the Montreal
meeting is about seven-hundred and fifty, so that with those who will go
without promising, added to the many Canadian and United States
scientists who are sure to be present, the meeting is likely to be in
numbers more than an average one.
Letter No. 4.
_September 17th, Toronto, The "Chestnuts."_
My beloved Mother. - I forgot to mention your birthday when I last wrote,
but you know how glad I am that you were born! And how much I prize
every year that is added to your life; and now as this will find you at
dear Mary's, please give her my fond love and best wishes for this day,
and I shall drink her health to-day, and call upon my sons to do the
same. I posted my last letter at Montreal on Thursday; Dick was quite
ill that day, and after seeing him twice and shopping, I bid good-bye to
Mr. Angus, who went to New York, and then Miss Angus drove me to see
poor Mrs. Walter Brown, whose husband was dying at the Hospital. I sent
my card in and she asked to see me. I did not know her much, but it was
very touching, and I felt my heart quite drawn to the poor young woman,
who came out with her husband on a pleasure trip, and now has to leave
him buried in a far land. He got typhoid fever, and inflammation of the
lungs, and was lying unconscious on a hospital bed, while she sobbed on
my shoulder, and said "Oh what shall I do? what shall I do?" I asked her
if she had any difficulty about money matters, but she said Captain
Douglas Galton had called and kindly arranged everything for her with
one of our kind hosts at Montreal. Her father was coming out to her as
fast as he could, but could not be at New York till the 12th, and her
poor husband died that night, and was buried yesterday. After this,
which upset me much, I went to the Stephens' and met John and E - - and
told them, and John went off also to see Mrs. Brown, for Mr. Brown had
been a friend of his. The Stephens' house is very gorgeous, and full of
beautiful satin-wood walls, and the staircase finely carved mahogany.
Mr. Angus' house, too, has much beautiful carved wood about it, but the
houses are kept so dark on account of the heat and flies, that one can
hardly see well enough to appreciate these beauties. Excepting in this
respect, and the amount of carved wood, the style is very like the
houses of the middle class of well-to-do men in Scotland.
_Friday_. - I got up at six, and walked to see Dick, and found him
better, and he arranged, if well enough, to follow us to Toronto; then
we breakfasted and all the family were up to see us off, and we joined
John and E - - at the station and arranged ourselves in the Directors'
car (Canadian Pacific Railway), a drawing-room with beds (sofas),
dining-room and table in centre, a little kitchen, private bedroom, and
two lavatories. We had a very hot and dusty journey but were otherwise
comfortable, and arrived at Ottawa about twelve. John and E - - went off
to lunch with Lady Melgund at Rido, but as she did not know we were
coming I was not invited, and so Hedley and I lunched in our car, and
then drove to lionize the Claudiere Falls, where the Ottawa River falls
about two hundred feet. The quantity of wood piled about is amazing
(lumber they call it) and it chokes up and destroys the effect of the
river, but it is not in itself ugly, for they arrange it so beautifully
and the colouring is bright. Then we drove to the Government buildings,
and there I was agreeably surprised by the beautiful view, not so grand
as Quebec certainly, but very fine - the Ottawa, with headlands, well
wooded, frequently breaking the line of the river, and the far reach of
country with blue mountains in the background, and then the air so
deliciously sweet and pure, and reviving. We returned there again in the
afternoon, and sat reading till half-past seven, when we returned to our
small house and John and E - -, and the conductor gave us a capital
dinner - champagne and all sorts of good things, and we all enjoyed it.
Then we chatted and played whist, and then to bed. Hedley and I in the
drawing-room, and John and E - - in small room, the maids in dining-room.
I can't say I slept well for they moved our car once, causing our
conductor to storm at them for their impertinence, and the arrival and
departure of various trains and fog signals, &c., were not calculated to
favour one's slumbers! Hedley declares that a fog signal in the morning
did not awake me, but he slept through all. About twelve, Dick arrived
from Montreal, much better, and our car was fastened to the train and on
we went to Toronto. We all tried to read, but oh! the shaking, and dust,
and heat were overpowering; still it was interesting to see what
appeared a primitive country with forests half burned, with stations at
"cities" consisting of apparently two or three wooden houses in the
wood - I say apparently, for Sir D. Macpherson told me there were
splendid farms near the railway.
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