to pass unheeded, while every subsequent proposal for an arrangement of the question seems only to have proved the hopelessness of the attempt, and the utter impracticability of negotiating to any purpose, with the jarring and complicated machinery of a federal republic; and we are now manifestly reduced to the alternative, either of abandoning our claim in toto, or of sustaining it with something stronger than old documents and maps, however incontestably they may support its justice. One more effort should be made upon the fair principle of an equal division, with a stipulation that the half to be surrendered may be paid for in money, at the market price of land. This outlay might be met by making over the property upon liberal terms to a land company; and should the proposal be again rejected,—should Maine and Massachussets still recklessly insist upon the cession of the whole territory, I really see nothing for it,-much as I should deprecate the necessity, -but to tell these doughty States, in the language of the Spartan of old, "to come and take it." Seriously! the adjustment of this protracted question can no longer, with safety, be delayed; it has in more than one instance brought us to the very verge of war; and there is no telling how soon the vapourings and threatenings of the "sovereign people" may " eventuate" (to use a word of their own coinage) in aggressions, which can only be repelled by force of arms.* I must now bid adieu both to you and to New Brunswick for a season, I have, I hope, fulfilled my promise, by giving you a tolerable "notion" of the country you are likely soon to visit, and should I meet with anything worth relating in my intended ramble through the States, you may probably hear from me again. In the mean time believe me your affectionate brother soldier, PETER PIVOT. *Since the above was written, these border troubles have been renewed to an extent that must have convinced Lord Palmerston, that whatever object America (by her inadmissible pretensions) may have in keeping the question open as a "bone of contention," to be taken up at a fitting opportunity, it is clearly the policy of England to adopt immediate and decisive measures for its settlement. An agent from Maine, of the name of Greely, was twice during the last summer arrested by the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick within the disputed territory, where he was employed under instructions from the state authorities, in taking a census of the population, and in tampering with the ignorant Acadians of Madawaska. In the execution of his duty, Sir John Harvey appears to have evinced both moderation and forbearance; and the early release of Mr. Greely, at the request of the federal Government, ought to have satisfied our neighbours that the provincial Government was disposed to maintain its jurisdiction over a district, which, from its first settlement, has been subject to its laws, without unnecessary harshness or severity. This forbearance had, however, little effect upon the inflammable populace of Maine, who loudly proclaimed their intention of marching to Fredericton, to resent the insult offered to the republic in the person of one of its citizens. The State Government, as in duty bound, followed the example of the mob, and a general order was published requiring the militia to hold themselves in readiness for service. It was at the same time deemed expedient to make some corresponding demonstrations on one side of the line:-detachments were stationed at Woodstock and the Grand Falls, and things looked rather warlike for a time. But although the storm has again passed over without bursting, the thunder-cloud may still be seen lowering to the westward, and the slightest breeze may bring it back upon us with redoubled fury, at a moment, perhaps, when we are least prepared to meet it. The States have a numerous and efficient militia at all times disposable for service. It has been our policy to permit these provinces to abrogate the laws under which a respectable constitutional force might have been maintained, and to trust in Provi dence and patriots for their defence. JOURNAL OF The movements of the 43rd regt. in north AMERICA. AN intelligent and interesting Journal of the march of the 43rd Regt. from Fredericton to Quebec, and of the subsequent movements of that corps, having been placed at our disposal, we offer the latter portion to our readers, as the former goes over the ground already described in the Narrative of an Officer of the 85th Regt. which appeared in this Journal for April last. Having narrated the events of the Overland March to Quebec, which occupied a period of eighteen days from the 10th to the 28th of December, with great spirit, the writer proceeds as follows: We had fondly flattered ourselves that our labours for the winter would terminate at Quebec: reports, however, of gatherings of the rebels on the rivers Richelieu and Yamaska, backed by an application for troops from the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, quickly undeceived us. The 43rd and 85th Regiments received orders to hold themselves in readiness to move forward to the disaffected quarter, and an officer was despatched to hasten the 34th from Halifax. During the week we passed at Quebec I contrived to visit the Citadel, the Monument to Wolfe and Montcalm, and the plains of Abraham. You will admire the scroll on the monument of the antagonist heroes "Mortem Virtus communem. Monumentum Posteritas, dedit." When the gallant Wolfe fell, the 28th Regiment was on his right, the 43rd on his immediate left. It was singular enough that the second division of the regiment, in crossing the river yesterday, were carried down by the floating ice to "Wolfe's Cove," the very spot where the 43rd, then styled Kennedy's Regiment," landed in 1759. On the spot hallowed by the death of the General stands a plain, solid column, with the simple inscription-"Here died Wolfe, victorious." The joint monument of Wolfe and Montcalm is within the town. I deferred my visit to the famous "Falls of Montmorency" till a more genial opportunity-iced cascades not suiting my taste. The old dilapidated citadel looked proud of the wholesome, and by no means premature, repairs it was undergoing. I know nothing like a little national danger as a cure for national parsimony in the military line. Behold an instance. The barracks at Chambly were sold not long since by Government for 150l. This year the purchaser, having pulled down and sold the materials of one half of them, has resold to Government the remaining buildings, which the officers of the 43rd now occupy, for more than double that sum. Nuts for H-me, eh? During our stay at Quebec we were daily entertained by the chief gentry of the city. Lord G- was most prominent in his kindness towards us the parties, however, were entirely confined to the rougher sex, the ladies motiving the absence of their lords at the wars as the cause of their seclusion. Mrs. the charming daughter of Sir J. C, was the only lady I became acquainted with. We were not favoured by fine weather at Quebec. Indeed, we had need to be thankful for the unusual share of that blessing during our march. We were assailed by only one snow storm, and experienced none of those disas trous northern blasts, during which no human being can presume to quit his shelter. It is curious how little a cold of many degrees below zero affects one, if there be no wind. Yet in this country the houses are so levened with the heat of stoves and their ramifying pipes, that the step which takes you from the inside to the outside of your halldoor gives you a plunge of 70 or 80 degrees of Fahrenheit. Whilst I write this, my room is at the cozy temperature of 62°, yet in an hour I shall pull on my buskins and fur-cap, and, with the thermometer below zero, shall toddle contentedly through the snow to visit the guards by night. The first division of the 43rd reached Quebec, as I have said, on the 28th of December, 1837, and, with orders to move to Chambly, on the river Richelieu, quitted that city on the 5th of January, 1838. Unaccompanied, as we were, by any comforts-without baggage, mess, women, and children, or any other military impediment-we felt willing and ready for further work, and, at least, as well qualified for service as any regiment in the field; and as the Americans, favouring the rebel Mackenzie, had shown their teeth pretty unequivocally at Navy Island, on the Niagara frontier, we had every chance of being pushed on to the scene of action. But I must not dwell long upon the march from Quebec to Chambly-indeed, it was not marked by anything very notable, though the country and people through which we passed are well worth description. The head-quarters, with E's and my company, escorting a large convoy of arms and ammunition for the Volunteers of the Montreal district, trotted out of Quebec, on the 5th of January, in 114 carrioles, a cavalcade covering, at least, half a mile of road. Following the road to Montreal, on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence, we halted on the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th, at Cap Santé, St. Anne, Trois Rivieres, Maskinongé, and Sorel, crossing the great river to the latter town by the head of the islands of the lake of St. Peter. On the 10th of January, having procured fresh carrioles, we drove forty-five miles to our destination, Chambly-the whole day's journey being on the crystal surface of the river Richelieu. So perfect was the ice, that there was no draught for the horses; and, indeed, the great difficulty was to prevent the realization of the old nursery metaphor-" the cart before the horse," so constant was the slewing." My sleigh more than once described a perfect circle, the pony's fore-feet forming the pivot on which the wheel was made. This contingency involves a certain upset if the runner of the carriole encounters sideways any obstacle, and, when happening near open water, is, of course, very hazardous. We ran past many very beautiful villages, with their tincovered spires shining in the sunbeams like silver. Some of these were interesting in our eyes as the scene of the late encounters between the Queen's troops and the rebels. First, the pretty hamlet of St. Ours, through which the discomfited detachment of Colonel Gore retreated after their reverse at St. Denis. The approach to St. Denis was distinguished by a line of tall chimneys, sole remains of the houses destroyed in the retributive visit of Colonel Wetherall. The blackened and roofless house and distillery of the rebel Nelson (what a name for a traitor!), and the ruins of the fortified building so resolutely defended by the insurgents, proved that the Royals had well avenged the wounded Markham and the murdered Weir. In the midst of the desolation stood a tall white crucifix, stretching its arms as though in vain appeal to human charity. In each "paroisse" one of these crosses may be seen on the roadside, shaded by a pavilion of wood, with not uncommonly a figure of the natural size remarkably well executed. The effect is, I think, wholesome even to the Protestant. I can fancy even the most hardened foregoing his desperate purpose whilst within sight of the emblem of man's salvation. But, after all, how much depends upon the artist. Wolfred Nelson, the chief of St. Denis, is now in the Montreal gaol. There are in his character the redeeming traits of bravery and humanity. I called a halt opposite the village, in order that the men might have an opportunity of warming themselves (in this country the traveller must stop occasionally to lay in a store of caloric), intending to pay a flying visit to the scene of action. The rush of the carrioles, however, to one spot, split the ice, and I got the cavalcade again into line just in time, I suspect, to prevent immersion. The next of the sainted villages was the noted St. Charles, where "ce brave Vetherell," as the loyal Canadian Journal termed him, gave General Brown a taste of British discipline and Sheffield steel. Lunching with the detachment of the 66th, stationed there, we had an opportunity of wandering over the field of battle. The choice of his post proved the ignorance of the rebel leader. The house of a Mr. Dubarty, just outside the town, was, with some out-buildings, loopholed for musketry, the avenue of trees was felled, and formed into a miserable breastwork. No part of the house was cannon proof, and even musket balls had pierced its thin walls. Warned by the fatal consequences of the spirited but premature attack of St. Denis (if such warning were necessary for an officer of such experience), Colonel Wetherall, without exposing a man, made the artillery batter away the courage of his opponents, and the first glitter of the bayonet sent them to the right-about. On hearing of the St. Denis disaster, Sir John Colborne sent an order to Colonel Wetherall to retreat. This dispatch was fortunately intercepted, or most probably all Lower Canada would have risen, and the 43rd would not have jogged quite so tranquilly as they did along the banks of the St. Lawrence. Chambly is situated on the left bank of the river Richelieu, looking over a splendid basin, now a sheet of "glare ice" (how you would enjoy the skaiting!). The old French fort, which served them as a defence against the Indians in former days, is now half ruined. The barracks are on a desert plain, half-way between the French and English parishes. I will say nothing of our accommodations, for I have nothing good to say of them. Thanks to stoves and thick raiment, I can always keep myself warm, though I must confess that I have sometimes a secret yearning for my relinquished Turkey carpet. The 43rd are likely to remain this winter in Chambly.* In case of a war with the United States it will become a post of great importance. When the St. Lawrence becomes more strongly frozen, two hours' drive will take us to Montreal. I went to Montreal the day after our arrival *The 43rd were soon after sent forward to the town of St. John, on the Richelieu river. Captain M-'s company occupied St. Athanase, a village on the opposite side of the river, having a serjeant and fifteen men in advance on the Isle aux Noix. here, and but for the dangerous illness of our good Colonel (now better), should have been the bearer of the joint request of the officers to the higher powers for our immediate removal to the frontier of Niagara. No regiment can beat us in the lightness of equipment for service. I lodged with Captain Markham at Montreal: he is wonderfully recovered of his wounds. Returning from Montreal, with two officers of engineers, an incident occurred of rather an exciting nature. I must first mention that in going there the St. Lawrence was not passable on the ice in carrioles, and that we walked across with some risk, led by a guide, trying the doubtful spots with a pole. On our return, however, finding that horses had already passed over the ice, we ordered our drivers to attempt the passage. The river bore us very well, and we were going along merrily, my carriole leading, when we suddenly heard a shout from a group on the shore parallel to which we were driving, at the distance of about two hundred yards. "Sauvez vous! sauvez vous! La glace part," rang in our ears, and in an instant our horses were in full gallop. Looking towards the bank, we heard a crashing noise, and saw the ice breaking up in large masses, and rolling perpendicularly against the inequalities of the shore. The ice on which we were was in motion down the stream. My driver galloped straight for a little promontory of land, some distance down the river, where a road ran down to the stream. The ice had parted from the land about two feet, and thick fragments, three or four feet in height, stood on end, barring our retreat. However, my driver put his horse's head gallantly at the fence, but not liking the look of the chasm, I skipped out of the carriole, and taking the whole at a flying leap, dropped safe on terrâ firmâ. The equipage knocked the icy barrier all to pieces, and the other voiture following, both reached the shore safe. I need not tell you that we abandoned the notion of traversing the river in carrioles, performing the passage on foot. And now, my dear friends at home, I think I have given you enough of my "hauts faits" of the last month. Our march from Fredericton to Chambly was five hundred and fifty-three miles. Our detachment from St. John's travelled ninety miles more. I assure you I greatly enjoy the recollection of the trip, whatever I may have thought of its performance. It was not accomplished with quite so much ease as certain comfortable functionaries at Fredericton, legislating from behind their desks, foretold it would." Simplest thing in the world!"-" Mere pic-nic expedition !"--being their favorite phrases; yet the arrangements made beforehand (excepting only those wretched log cabanes) were so excellent, that the asperities inseparable from a winter's march in the coldest climate in the British dominions were rendered trifling in a military point of view, the country through which we passed being peaceable. Resistance would of course have rendered our position very different. The gentlemen (or some of them at least) who travelled through the line of march, bringing dispatches from Quebec to Halifax, were also prone to undervalue the difficulties of the route. They forgot that the movement of troops differs essentially from a personal trip. No price could tempt me to retrace my steps by the same road, hampered with a hundred soldiers, all fellow-sufferers with myself, and objects of one's constant solicitude and anxiety; but inclination alone would quickly |