with assurance. The imputation was well aimed; every one instantly responded to it; for, indeed, the noble lord has no unnecessary modesty in speaking of himself or his services. He is assiduous, and altogether unrestrained by delicacy, in trumpeting his own exploits as foreign minister. All the wars he didn't and all the wars he did bring about; all his dexterous manoeuvres by which, while proclaiming peace, he was countenancing a kind of war in disguise; these have been paraded session after session, upon all imaginable pretexts, before the House of Commons, till Lord Palmerston's pertinacity has become proverbial. His amour propre, in fact, on the subject of his foreign policy almost takes the shape of a mania. His constant references to it, and the extent to which he has trespassed on the patience of the house, have detracted, to a considerable extent, from the influence which his undeniable talents as a

the context. There are no maxims or aphorisms, nor any poetical illustrations or passages of declamatory vehemence; but, on the other hand, the language is choice, the style pure and simple, the construction of the sentences correct, even elegant, and the general arrangement of the topics skilful in the extreme. The speeches seem not to be prepared with art, yet they are artful in the extreme; and there is a general harmony in the effect, such as might be expected from the spontaneous outpouring in argument of a highly cultivated and well-regulated mind. And although, as has been said, he is chargeable with inordinate garrulity on the subject of his foreign administration, yet you will sometimes find him speaking on topics personal to himself in a high and gentlemanly tone, quite unaffected, and which is extremely impressive. It is because his party speeches are a sort of serious pastime that he can at will throw aside all party feeling, and speak in a manly and elevated tone on great public questions. One of his amusing peculiarities is to identify himself with his party in all their great proceedings. "We" acceded to power; "We" brought in such a measure; 66 We" felt this or that; a sort of "I-and-my-king" style, which, in the somewhat selfimportant tones of the noble lord, and associated with his reputation for dictatorship in his own official department, sometimes borders on the ludicrous.

speaker, and even his admitted abilities as a foreign minister, have long since entitled him to and secured for him. He is so easily excited on this topic, that whatever subject he may be talking on, however much his speech may necessarily be confined to subjects of a domestic nature, his mind seems, by a natural affinity, to glide into the one great theme which occupies his thoughts. At a guess, it might be hazarded that, taking the average of his speeches during the last ten or twelve years, four-fifths of them, at least, have consisted of self-praise, or self-defence, in connexion with his foreign policy.

It must not, however, be supposed that Lord Palmerston is, therefore, held in any contempt by the house. Quite the reverse. They may think that he shews a want of taste and tact in thus yielding so constantly to the ruling influence of his mind; but they are not the less prepared to award him the full amount of praise, and, what he more values, of attentive listening, to which his position, whether officially or legislatorially, entitles him. They are willing to admit that, as the foreign minister of England, he has shewn himself animated by something of the spirit of the great Earl of Chatham, in his magnanimous determination to up

However much Lord Palmerston may fall into the sham-patriotic vein in his usual party speeches, there is one subject on which, as we have said, he is inconveniently in earnest. Touch his foreign policy, and on the instant his soul is in arms. Nay, he does not wait till it is touched, aspenlike though his vanity be on that theme. So intimately possessed is he of the absolute excellence of his foreign administration, and of its importance to mankind, that he is unceasingly, and without being asked, expounding and explaining it. He defends himself spontaneously, without having been attacked; and he never defends himself without gratuitously attacking some one else. Sir Robert Peel once charged him, in well-sugared parliamentary phrase, hold, at all hazards, the national

honour. His task was to make a peace-at-any-price party, pursue a war-at-any-price policy. It was his duty, as well as his ardent desire, to make the English name respected throughout the world. He took a high tone with foreign nations; and they felt that, while Lord Palmerston was at the head of our foreign affairs, they could not insult us with impunity. The House of Commons were fully aware of these things, and were disposed to respect him accordingly; but while listening to his perpetual explanations and justifications, they could not help feeling that a minister who was thus paltering between peace and war was very likely to illustrate the old adage, concerning the ultimate fate of him who tries to sit on two stools. They saw that his manly policy, instead of shewing itself in quiet dignity, was detracted from by a restless spirit of intermeddling, a habit of provoking the irritability of foreign nations, as if for the mere purpose of shewing our strength to disregard it. An opponent characterised his proceedings by the terms, "restless activity and incessant meddling." Lord Palmerston seems conscious that such is the opinion entertained of his conduct; for he has himself quoted the terms and deprecated such an application of them.

But the verdict seems to have been pronounced by the House of Commons, that the foreign policy of Lord Palmerston has been more spirited, vigorous, expert, than politic, dignified, or wise. It is confessed that he has enlarged views, which, perhaps, he has scarcely had a fair opportunity of developing; but, at the same time, it appears to be felt that

the steps he took to carry out those views acted as so many obstructions. He was for universal peace and free commercial intercourse, but he thought to obtain them by bellicose demonstrations. He had Peace in his mouth, but War in his right hand.

Out-of-doors, Lord Palmerston is pular idea of him represents him as very much misunderstood. The po an antiquated dandy. He is really nothing of the sort, but a man of body, upon whom time has made less unusual vigour, both of mind and impression than usual. He is not more particular in his dress than are and if he be charged with sacrificing most men of his station in society: to the Graces, all we can say on the subject is, that we could point out a hundred members of the House of Commons, of all ages, who are more open to ridicule on this score than Lord Palmerston. Any pretension he may have is, in fact, not personal but mental. His bearing is eminently that of the gentleman, quiet and unassuming, but manly. As a speaker, his physical powers are scarcely equal to what his mind prompts him to achieve. There is a help observing; but this impression kind of faded air which you cannot may, after all, only arise from a constitutional languor of manner, and from the peculiar intonation of his voice, which has a hollow and fluty sound. With all his talents as a debater, he wants that special combination of personal dignity with popular qualities, which alone could qualify him to be the sole leader of his party, should any cause bring about the secession of Lord John Russell.

as

THE VILLAGE OF LORETTE, AND THE NEW SETTLEMENT OF
VALE CARTIER.

THE VILLAGE OF LORETTE.

my first inquiries, and here that I saw the first Indian I ever encountered. He was a young hunter, scarcely more, I should fancy, than sixteen years of age, finely made, and but for the half coppery tinge of his dark skin, would have been acknowledged handsome in any country. He leaned in the entrance of his log-hut with the half-lazy, halfgraceful ease of his people; one leg at the half bend, the head slightly inclined forward, as he listened to and answered my questions, whilst, with the rough blanket coat hanging about his shoulders in all the elegance ascribed to the loose robe of the Asiatic, he might have stood for the picture of "the savage."

The best view of the fall is to be obtained about half way down the bank, which is upwards of a hundred yards high; but the spray, rising in a cloud from the cascade, renders the descent so slippery as to require great caution in making it, and is quite sufficient to wet the spectator to the skin, should he be unprovided with a great-coat.

To return, however, to the entrance of the village, which has been already described.

An Indian house, formed of sprucelogs, planed and roofed by rough slabs of deal, something like a large "shanty," or Irish cabin, stands to the left of the bridge, and consequently on the right bank of the river. It was at this house I made

children as the squaws), the father en-
tered, and lo! he was one of the
purest Indians in the village.

The Indians have seldom large families. The conjugal passions (if we may so speak), such as love for their wives, &c., are by no means powerful; indeed, with the exception of jealousy and anger, which at moments break out with the more violence from their ordinary state of quiescence, these people appear almost passionless, and, strange as the assertion may sound, nature appears to have placed barriers against the increase of their race, as if she intended that the forest should fall and the Indian with it.

An anecdote I know to be authentic occurs to my recollection as I speak of these traits of Indian character.

About fifteen years ago, Colonel G-, of Montreal, in crossing the bridge of Lorette was attacked by five Indians, who (instigated by jealousies) had lain in wait for him. They rushed at once upon the object of their revenge, intending to throw him over the bridge and into the rapids below; but, being an extremely powerful man, he succeeded in beating them off bare-handed, and escaped after a desperate struggle.

The circumstance will appear less surprising when it is remembered that the Indians are so little an athletic race that the Canadians themselves, by no means so robust as Englishmen, are apt to boast that one of their men will fight three Indians. The latter, indeed, are generally more the size and make of the Bengalees, and though capable of enduring great fatigue, are endowed with but little bodily strength, and appear utterly unable to labour, as well as indisposed to do so.

For the Indian women, many of them are decidedly pretty, though they require to be taken at an advantage-rigged out in their Sunday best, with clean blankets by way of shawls, coarse blue cloth short gowns, and leggings of the same material, trimmed with yellow silk, mocassins ornamented with beads, and last, but not least, with their jet-black

hair (of which, being very good, they appear somewhat vain) neatly parted in the middle of the head. The time, however, to see the "squaws" in their

glory is just after mass (for they are all Roman Catholics) when they remain assembled for a short time in front of their church, previous to dispersing to their different habitations. They are small, neatly made women, with uncommonly little hands and feet, and would be graceful were it not for the peculiar form of the latter, which turn in as much as those of a soldier on drill turn outward. This conformation of the foot is more peculiar because no defect can be observed in the bone; on the contrary, the ankle is small, the joints appear well set, and indeed all the parts in proportion; but the muscles of the leg are twisted in the direction of the foot. This defect unfortunately spoils their walk, which would otherwise be graceful, as their short springy step, with the heel just sufficiently raised not to expose too much of the sole of the foot, would be considered highly becoming, were the feet turned, according to our notions of beauty.

The "Indian trot," which has so often been remarked upon, was, as near as I could estimate, a pace of about six miles and a half to the hour. In this trot the Indian makes a sort of half lurch from the hips, swinging his body from side to side, the step at the same time being short and quick. I have observed when I have been in the north of France the march (for it can hardly be called a walk) of the Norman peasants, a race renowned for their pedestrian powers; but in them the step is long and regular, and they carry their bodies firm and erect. The Indian trot, however, would certainly dis tance them, whilst the appearance of a party of Indians, their curious swinging walk, the mingling of straw and felt hats, long hatchets, and long sheath knives guns, light stuck in leather belts, bound round red shirts, with blanket and cloth yellow mocassins, is certainly very coats, and their blue leggings with striking; and their slight, nimble, well-proportioned forms, which seem to be framed by nature upon the model of the beasts of prey; ion, slightly prominent cheek-bones, dark, half copper-coloured complexand strongly marked features, are no less picturesque than their dress.

their

The Indians are seldom tall; the

#

few whom I observed to be above the usual stature of ordinary men ap peared thin and gaunt, as if they had outgrown their strength. They are all Roman Catholics, and have a good church in the centre of their village. They speak the same sort of French, or rather patois, as the Canadians, except when talking to each other, and then they make use of their own language, which in the mouths of the women (who have usually pretty voices) sounds soft and musical. The men, however, have a harsh, growling mode of speaking, which, it seems to me, they cultivate from a notion that it is manly, though they are generally taciturn, seldom speaking but in monosyllables, and then only when spoken to. For the honour of the Indian, I that his name never figures in the gaol register or the kalendar of crime, circumstances like that of Colonel G being very rare; nor is he ever ashamed of his race; unlike the black, who detests the name of negro and is pleased to be addressed as a mulatto, even should it cast a slur upon his parents. The Indian, on the contrary, being asked what he is, will growl forth the word "Indien," as if indignant at being mistaken, and boasts of pure Indian blood, though only of a half breed. To the white man in distress, whether poor or rich, he is hospitable and obliging. And now, with one parting trait of the Indian's loyalty, I leave him to the mercy of the "pale faces," who may glance over this description of a short acquaintance with him.

must say

During the rebellion a party of Canadians, being desirous of seducing the Delawares to their cause, crossed over (armed and organised) to the Island of Cocknewaga, belonging to those Indians situated between the St. Lawrence and the Ottawa, not far from Montreal; and commenced their operations on a Sunday, just after mass, when the Indians (according to the custom I before mentioned) were assembled in the open space in front of their church, with their women and children about them, and of course without arms. The leader of the rebels explained the intention of their visit in a long harangue, to which the Indian chief gave not the slightest reply, but listened, as they are in the habit of doing, in dead silence. As the oration proceeded, the Delawares kept mingling in closely with the Canadians, until each man had an Indian by his side; and then the chief waiting only the conclusion of the rebel's speech, quietly tripped up his heels, and wrested his gun from his hand,his example being instantly followed by his people. In a moment of time, the Canadians lay upon the ground disarmed and prisoners; for so completely had they been surrounded, and so sudden had been the onset, that not a man could move an arm to his musket, or get an instant for defence. A few hours after this they were on their march to Montreal, where, uninjured, the rebels were delivered up to the authorities, by an escort of armed Indians, painted, and in their war-dress.

THE NEW SETTLEMENT OF VALE CARTIER.

The Irish out-settlement of Vale Cartier is situated in the midst of the low, wooded mountains to the north of Quebec, from which it is distant about fifteen miles, ten miles of the way being through the level country near Quebec, called the Valley of the St. Charles. After crossing this valley there is a somewhat abrupt ascent, and on attaining the summit of the high land above the valley, the distance to the settlement is about five miles, lying entirely through a dense pine-forest, and over a "corduroy road," which is a path made through

the forest, by felling a line of trees, and covering the trunks with earth.

Vale Cartier is the farthest settlement north of Quebec; beyond it, the whole country (if this word can be used to describe such a hideous waste) is a mere desert, up to the posts of the fur company, in the extreme north of America. I did not reach the settlement until nearly eight o'clock in the evening, having been accidentally sent, by the misrepresentations of those to whom I made my inquiries, five miles out of my road, which had also the disadvantage