In October, 1825, about a hundred and forty miles in extent, and a vast breadth of the country on the north, and from sixty to seventy miles on the south

Near where the foregoing road parts off for Fredericton, an American, possessing a full share of the adventurous activity of the citizens of the United States, has established himself. He told me, that when he planted himself there, seven years before, he was not worth a shilling. He has now more than three hundred acres under cultivation; an immense flock of sheep, horses, several yokes of oxen, milch cows, swine, and poultry. He has a large dwelling-house, conveniently furnished, in which he lives with his family, and a numerous train of labourers; one or two other houses, a forge, with a powerful trip-hammer worked by water power; fulling-mill, grist-mill, and two saw-mills - all turned by water. Near these, he showed me a building, which he said he erected for the double purpose of a school and chapel, the floor of which was laid, and on which benches were arranged, so as to resemble the pit of one of our theatres. He said that all preachers who came in the way were welcome to the use of it. An English parson, a Catholic priest, a Presbyterian minister, or a Methodist preacher, should each, he said, get something to eat at his house, and have the use of the chapel, with equal satisfaction to him.

He then showed me his barn, and in one place a heap, containing about ninety bushels of Indian corn, that grew on a spot, scarcely an acre, which he pointed out to me. This man could little more than read and write, — his manners were quite unpolished, but not rude; yet he had wonderful readiness of address, and as far as related to his own pursuits, quick powers of invention and application. He raised large crops, ground his own corn, manufactured the flax he cultivated, and the wool of his sheep, into coarse clothes; sold the provisions which his farm produced, and rum and British goods, to the lumberers, kept a tavern, employed lumberers in the woods, and received also timber in payment for whatever he sold. He made the axes and other tools, required by the lumberers, at his forge. He ate, gambled, and associated with his own labourers and with the lumberers, and all others, who made his house a kind of rallying point. He appeared, however, to be a sober man, and a person who had in view an object of gain in every thing he engaged in.

side of Miramichi River, became a scene of perhaps the most dreadful conflagration that occurs in the history of the world.

In Europe we can scarcely form a conception of the fury and rapidity with which fires rage through the forests of America during a dry hot season, at which period the broken underwood, decayed vegetable substances, fallen branches, bark, and withered trees, are as inflammable as the absence of moisture can render them. To such irresistible food for combustion, we must add the auxiliary afforded by the boundless fir forests, every tree of which contains, in its trunk, bark, branches, and leaves, vast quantities of the most inflammable resins.

When one of these fires is once in motion, or at least when the flames extend over a few miles of the forest, the surrounding air becomes highly rarified; and the wind consequently increases till it blows a perfect hurricane. It appears that the woods had been, on both sides of the north-west, partially on

He talked much in praise of the rich interior country, and how rapidly it would be settled and cultivated if possessed by the Americans. He complained of the alien act, as he was born a citizen of the United States, and consequently held his lands only by sufferance, as he did not find his conscience (I doubt if that monitor troubled him much on this subject) would allow him to take the usual oaths, or, as he added, to receive the sacrament according to the forms of the Church of England. I have noticed the condition of this man merely as being strictly characteristic of thousands of Americans who settle on wilderness lands. He would, however, willingly sell his improvements, and commence de novo in the interior. The New Brunswick Company would find it a desirable nucleus for their operations on the rivers Texas and Miramichi, and I believe the Directors have offered a fair valuation for this property.

fire for some days, but not to an alarming extent until the 7th of October, when it came on to blow furiously from the westward; and the inhabitants along the banks of the river were suddenly surprised by an extraordinary roaring in the woods, resembling the crashing and detonation of loud and incessant thunder; while at the same instant the atmosphere became thickly darkened with smoke. They had scarcely time to ascertain the cause of this awful phenomenon, before all the surrounding woods appeared in one vast blaze; the flames ascending from one to two hundred feet above the tops of the loftiest trees, and the fire, rolling forward with inconceivable celerity, presented the terribly sublime appearance of an impetuous flaming ocean. In less than an hour, Douglas Town and Newcastle were in a blaze, and many of the wretched inhabitants, unable to escape, perished in the flames. The following account was obtained and printed in the papers for public information a few days afterwards:

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"More than a hundred miles of the shores of Miramichi are laid waste, independent of the northwest branch, the Baltibog and the Nappan settlements. From one to two hundred people have perished within immediate observation, while thrice that number are miserably burnt, or otherwise wounded; and at least two thousand of our fellowcreatures are left destitute of the means of subsistence, and thrown at present upon the humanity of the Province of New Brunswick.

"The number of lives that have been lost in the remote parts of the woods, among the lumbering parties, cannot be ascertained for some time to come; for it is feared that few are left to tell the tale.

"It is not in the power of language to describe the unparalleled scene of ruin and devastation which the parish of Newcastle at this moment presents. Out of upwards of two hundred and fifty houses and stores, fourteen of the least considerable only remain. The court house, gaol, church, and barracks; Messrs. Gilmour, Rankin, and Co.'s, and Messrs. Abrams and Co.'s establishments, with two ships on the stocks, are reduced to ashes.

"The loss of property is incalculable; for the fire, borne upon the wings of a hurricane, rushed on the wretched inhabitants with such inconceivable rapidity, that the preservation of their lives could be their only

care.

"Among the vessels on the river, a number were cast on shore; three of which, namely, the ships Concord of Whitby, and Canada of North Shields, together with the brig Jane of Alloa, were consumed; others were fortunately extinguished, after the fire had attacked them.

"At Douglas Town, scarcely any kind of property escaped the ravages of the fire, which swept off the surface every thing coming in contact with it, leaving but time for the unfortunate inhabitants to fly to the shore; and there, by means of boats, canoes, rafts of timber, timber logs, or any article, however ill calculated for the purpose, they endeavoured to escape from the dreadful scene, and reach the town of Chatham: numbers of men, women, and children, perishing in the attempt.

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" In some parts of the country, the cattle have all been destroyed, or suffered greatly; and the very soil is in many places parched and burnt up, while

scarcely any article of provisions has been rescued. from the flames.

"The hurricane raged with such dreadful violence, that large bodies of timber, on fire, as also trees from the forest, and parts of the flaming houses and stores, were carried to the rivers with amazing velocity, to such an extent, and affecting the water in such a manner, as to occasion large quantities of salmon and other fish to resort to land; hundreds of which were scattered on the shores of the south and west branches.

"Chatham at present contains about three hundred of the unfortunate sufferers, who have resorted to it for relief, and are experiencing some partial assistance; and almost every hour brings with it great numbers from the back settlements, burnt, wounded, and in the most abject state of distress."

Great fires raged about the same time in the forests of the river St. John, which destroyed much property and timber, with the governor's residence, and about eighty private houses at Fredericton. Fires raged also at the same time in the northern parts of the province, as far as the Bay de Chaleur.

It is impossible to tell how many lives were lost, as many of those who were in the woods among the lumbering parties had no friends or connections in the country to remark their non-appearance. Two hundred have been computed as the least number that actually perished in the flames.

The destruction of bears, foxes, tiger-cats, martens, hares, and other wild animals, was very great. These, when surprised by great fires, are said to lose their usual sense of preservation, and becoming, as it were, either giddy or fascinated, often rush into the face of inevitable destruction. Even the birds, except