The French Settlement, Upper Canada

Thursday, September 18th, 1823 – I set out in the morning in company with Dr Richardson for Sandwich, on the east bank of the River Detroit. For three miles up from Amherstburg the ground is thickly covered with woods. Passed a long settlement, intersected by natural ditches. On passing the swamp, which is fully four miles long, we came to what is called "The French Settlement" [in Upper Canada]. The fields are well cultivated and divided by fences; attached to each house is a neat garden laid out & kept with taste.

Upper Canada, the predecessor of modern Ontario, was created in 1791 by the division of the old colony of Quebec into Lower Canada in the east and Upper Canada in the west. A wilderness society settled largely by Loyalists and land-hungry farmers moving north from the United States, Upper Canada endured war with America, an armed rebellion, and half a century of economic and political growing pains until it was merged again with its French-speaking counterpart into the Province of Canada.

 The first leader of this new wilderness society was Lt-Gov John GravesSimcoe, whose avowed purpose was to create in Upper Canada a "superior, more happy, and more polished form of government," not merely to attract immigrants but to renew the empire and by example to win Americans back into the British camp. Governmental institutions were established, first at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) and then at the new capital at York (Toronto). Simcoe used troops to build a series of primary roads, got the land boards and land distribution under way, established the judiciary, grandly abolished slavery and showed a keen interest in promoting Anglican affairs. When he left the province in 1796 he could take pride in his achievements — although he had failed to convert Americans from republicanism, and to persuade Britain to turn Upper Canada into a military centre. 

 During the war [of 1812] Upper Canada, whose inhabitants were predominantly American in origin, was invaded and partly occupied. American forces were repulsed by British regulars assisted by Canadian militia. The war strengthened the British link.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/upper-canada/

It's easy to see that Douglas is travelling in an uneasy and to some extent still-disputed borderland.  Tread carefully, Mr Douglas.

There are a few pears, which are scarcely seen in the western part of the State of New York; probably the emigrants took them from France at the first settling of the country. They have a few peaches, in appearance the same as in the States. I am informed they ripen in ordinary seasons; they have not that sickly appearance which they have in the States, occasined probably by excess of heat

Four miles from Sandwich the ground rises of a brown loam on gravel

Friday, September 19th, 1823 – [Douglas is botanising all day and his journal is essentially a catalogue of the plants he found.  Link is in the sidebar]

Shoot them down

Wednesday, September 17th, 1823 – This morning I made a visit to a small island in the River Detroit opposite to Amherstburg. It appeared to be a spot worthy of notice, as I found before evening. The whole island is low and I was told frequently overflowed by the water from the upper lakes. The soil is very rich black loam, covered with trees of large size [Quercus sp]. 

With a shot from my gun I cut some branches, leaves and acorns. They seem to me to be fine, and different from any which I had seen before. With a few more shots I secured specimens and paper of seeds. 

On the south end of the island the trees are much smaller; it probably is not a distinct species, as it was growing on sand on the margin of the river.

How glad I am to see my rose of yesterday growing in perfection – very strong growth. I lost no time in securing plants and seeds. In the middle of the island, in rich soil, I found Lonicera [honeysuckle sp]; the birds had devoured all the berries, which prevented me from having it in my power to carry it in that state. I then secured plants of it. I crossed the river and secured the plants of Rosa and Lonicera, and put away my specimens and seeds.

In the evening I called on Mr Briscoe for the purpose of soliciting his advice as to the most likely places of affording a harvest. He strongly recommended a visit to the River Thames, as also did his friend Rob. Richardson MD, physician for the Indian department. He kindly offered to take me in his car as far as Sandwich, which is fifteen miles from Amherstburg. As there was no time to lose, I proposed to start in the morning. These being agreed to, we parted at 10 o’clock pm.

Here we see Douglas starting to fulfill the second part of his remit on this trip. He has already been looking at new and improved varieties of fruit trees, and will continue to do so on his return to New York and Philadelphia. But here he has broadened his scope and is plant collecting more generally for species not known in Britain which he might profitably introduce for the Horticultural Society. And I love the image of him roaming free on an island in the Detroit River, blasting away with his gun to secure specimens. I guess in those rough-and-ready times the sound of gunfire wasn't uncommon.

"My First Day in America"

Amherstburg, Tuesday, September 16th, 1823 – This morning at daylight I called on Mr Briscoe. We took breakfast at 6 am [another early start!] and set out northeast of Amherstburg. He took his dogs and gun and proved himself, before we had been out two hours, a marksman of the first sort.

This is what I might term my first day in America

The trees in the woods were of astonishing magnitude. The soil, in general, over which we passed was a very rich black earth, and seemed to be formed of decomposed vegetables. On the southeast of the town, near the margin of Lake Erie, the soil is of a reddish cast and produces fine crops of Indian corn; and now for the last four years, I learn they have cultivated tobacco with great success for the Montreal market.

Towards mid-afternoon the rain fell in torrents, urging us to leave the woods drenched in wet.

Interesting, this. Douglas's ship dropped anchor on August 3rd, he has been active in New York and Philadelphia, but it is only now, on September 16th that he considers himself as having his first day in America. I guess that is because this is the first day on which he considers himself properly 'in the field' and ready for plant collecting. Ironically, on modern maps he isn't actually in America at all but in Canada!! And here we see another reference to rain falling in torrents, a description which will become all too familiar a few years later when he is in the Pacific North West!

Working hard in Buffalo

Saturday, September 13th, 1823 – Early in the morning I wrote to Jos. Sabine Esq., [Secretary of the Horticultural Society back in London] and then called on Oliver Forward, Esq., a gentleman of considerable wealth and friend of Governor Clinton. I took a walk around town and returned to breakfast. 

Went on board the steamboat at 9 o’clock am and sailed at 10, and after a pleasant passage of sixty hours landed at Amherstburg. As soon as I got my trunk on shore I waited on Mr Briscoe, from whom I received great kindness; he readily pledged his exertions for the furtherance of the Society’s objects. I spent the [Monday] evening with him and should tomorrow prove a good day we intend to make an excursion in the woods.

Two things strike me about this latest entry from Douglas. Firstly, just how hard he is working. He didn't arrive in Buffalo until midnight Friday. By 9am Saturday he has written to London, walked round the town, paid a schmoozing call on Oliver Forward, who is actually Judge Oliver Forward and THE leading citizen of the area, had breakfast and boarded the steamboat for a voyage down the whole length of Lake Erie. It leaves you out of breath just reading it. 

And secondly, there is an interesting paper in the US Library of Congress describing the life of Judge Oliver Forward, which gives an interesting insight into the condition of the territory around Buffalo in the early 1800s. It's well worth a read. And, incidentally, Amherstburg is on the now-Canadian side of the Detroit River, directly opposite modern-day Detroit. Back then, that whole area had only recently been disputed territory between Britain and the USA. 

 

The paper above gives an interesting description of Buffalo in 1811, only twelve years before Douglas arrived.  Although Buffalo had grown to be a settlement of some 2500 souls by 1823 it was doubtless still very similar to the 1811 description:

 

 

 The difficulties of operating vessels out of Buffalo Creek are well described.  In short order they became intolerable and Judge Forward led a Committee charged with constructing a harbour.  It was not without difficulties and almost went to the neighbouring settlement of Black Rock:

But, despite last minute problems, the harbour was built, a new steamer - The Superior - was built, and Buffalo's future was secured.  It's highly likely that the newly-built Superior is the steamship on which Douglas sailed Lake Erie to Amherstburg.