On Monday, the 10th of November, the new Governor, Sir John Colborne, is at the Falls, making explorations there, while the steamer Canada is taking the luggage on board at Lewiston, preparatory to the passage over to York. The Niagara Gleaner, quoted in the Loyalist, says:—"On Monday last His Excellency Sir John Colborne paid a visit to the Falls. His own elegant carriage, drawn by four spirited horses, furnished by Mr. Chrysler, carried his Excellency's lady, her sister Miss Yonge, and five children. His Excellency went on horseback, accompanied by Capt. Phillpotts, of the Royal Engineers. In the meantime the steamer Canada went to Lewiston, took in His Excellency's luggage, and was ready to receive His Excellency and family at an early hour on Tuesday morning. On the departure of the vessel a salute was fired from Fort George. We have been informed," the Gleaner adds, "that His Excellency was highly gratified with the first view of the Province and the friendly reception he met with; also of the good things he partook of at the hotel, much of which was the produce of the Province."
Capt. McKenzie died August 27, 1832, aged 50. At the time of his death he was engaged in the construction of a steamer at the head of the Lake, and of another on Lake Simcoe. In 1832 Capt. Elmsley is offering for sale his yacht the Dart. In the York Sapper and Miner of Oct. 25, 1832, we read the notice:—"For sale, the fast-sailing cutter Dart, 22½ tons burden, with or without rigging, sails, and other furniture. For particulars enquire of the Hon. John Elmsley. York, 24th May, 1832." There is an accidental prolepsis in the "Hon." He was not appointed to a seat in the Upper House until after 1837. Capt. Elmsley, with his friend, Mr. Jeffrey Hale, afterwards of Quebec, left the service of the Royal Navy about 1832. In 1837 Captain Elmsley was appointed to the command of a Government vessel carrying two swivel-guns on the Lower St. Lawrence. He subsequently settled for a time on his estate known as Clover Hill, where he expended considerable sums of money in farming operations. Later he again undertook the command of a vessel, the James Coleman, trading on his own account between Halifax and Quebec. He afterwards, for a time, commanded one of the mail steamers on Lake Ontario, the Sovereign. (In several other connections we have had occasion to give particulars of Captain Elmsley's career.) The Dart, above named, was built at York by Mr. Purkis, a well-known shipwright there. In 1834, we notice, in MacKenzie's Advocate of March 13, a marine item following an observation on the mildness of the season:—"The weather is very mild for the season," the Advocate says: "occasional showers; plenty of sunshine and slight frosts. A schooner sailed last Tuesday for Niagara, and is expected back to-morrow."
It was in 1834 the grand old name Toronto was recovered by the harbour and town, whose early marine we have sought in some degree to recall.
We have evidence in the Toronto Recorder of July 30, 1834, that, at that period, at least seven steamers were frequenting the harbour of Toronto. In the paper named we read in succession seven rather long steamboat advertisements. "The splendid low-pressure steamboat the Constitution, Edward Zealand, master." She runs from Hamilton to Toronto, touching at Oakville; thence to Cobourg, touching at Port Hope; thence to Rochester, and vice versa. It is stated that "the Constitution will afford a safe and expeditious opportunity for merchants from New York and other places to forward their goods by way of Rochester to the head of the Lake Ontario." Agents at Hamilton, Messrs. E. and J. Ritchie; Oakville, Mr. Thomas; Toronto, James F. Smith, Esq.; Rochester, Mr. Greene, forwarder; Cobourg, E. Perry, Esq.; Port Hope, J. Brown, Esq. Captain Zealand had formerly been in the command of an ocean-going merchant ship. "The steamboat William IV., Charles Paynter, Commander, propelled by a Low-Pressure Engine of a Hundred Horse-power." She runs between Prescott, Niagara, and Lewiston, touching at Brockville, Gananoque, Kingston, Cobourg, Port Hope, Toronto, Hamilton, and vice versa. "For freight or passage, apply at the Post-office, Toronto, or to the Captain on board." Four smoke funnels rendered the William IV. recognizable at a distance. "The fast-sailing steamboat, St. George, Lieut. Harper, R.N., Commander." She runs between Prescott, Brockville, Kingston, Toronto, and Niagara, and vice versa. "This beautiful vessel," the advertisement says, "is propelled by a Low-Pressure Engine of Ninety Horse-power, is schooner rigged, and has accommodation for sixty cabin passengers. The St. George will wait the arrival of the passengers who leave Montreal by Thursday morning's stage." "The splendid fast-sailing steamboat Cobourg, Capt. Charles Mcintosh, Master, propelled by two low-pressure engines of fifty-horse power each." She runs between Prescott, Brockville, Kingston and Toronto, and vice versa. "This boat will be found by the travelling community not surpassed by any on Lake Ontario for elegance, comfort and speed. The Cobourg will wait the arrival of the Montreal stage before leaving for her upward trip. For freight or passage apply to the Master or Purser on board." "The Queenston, Capt. James Sutherland." This is the Queenston of which we have heard already. She runs, according to the advertisement in the Recorder, between Toronto and Hamilton. "Cabin passage each way, two dollars (meals extra). Deck passage each way, one dollar. All baggage and small parcels at the risk of the owners, unless delivered to the Captain and entered as freight. Freight payable on delivery. As the boat will be punctual to the hour of sailing, passengers are requested to be on board in due time." Captain Sutherland has been chief officer of the first steamer which crossed the Atlantic to Quebec, the Unicorn. He had before been engaged in the Hudson's Bay trade. "The splendid low-pressure steamboat Great Britain, Capt. Whitney." She runs between Prescott, Brockville, Kingston, Oswego, Cobourg, Port Hope, Toronto, and vice versa. "The accommodations on board the Great Britain have been much enlarged and improved during last winter, and every exertion will be used to ensure regularity and comfort to the passengers. The above boat will await the arrival of the passengers that leave Montreal on Monday by the Upper Canada stage. Emigrants and others desirous of taking this conveyance are requested to call at the Ontario Steamboat Office in this town (Prescott), and procure tickets."
Finally, the Recorder displays the usual advertisement of the Steam-packet Canada, Hugh Richardson, Master. She leaves Toronto daily for Niagara, at seven in the morning, and Niagara daily for Toronto, at one in the afternoon. The fares continue unchanged. "Passengers returning to either of the Ports within the week will only be charged half-price for the return. Accommodation for Horses, Carriages, and Cattle." About the same period the Oneida, of Oswego, the Hamilton, the Sir Robert Peel, and the Commodore Barrie, are other steamers entering the harbour of Toronto.
Near the landing place at Niagara, a row of capacious warehouses is still to be seen, disused and closed up, over the large double portals of which, respectively, are to be dimly discerned the following inscriptions in succession:—Great Britain; William IV.; St. George; United Kingdom; Cobourg; Commodore Barrie; Canada; Schooners. This is a relic of the period to which we are now referring. These warehouses were the places of deposit for freight, tackling, and other property appertaining to the vessels named, with a compartment for the accommodation of Schooners collectively. Niagara was then the headquarters of the shipping interests of the Lake, and the place where the principal wholesale mercantile houses were situated.
Sailing craft visiting the Harbour in 1835, and later, were:—the Three Brothers, the Superior, the Emily, the Robert Burns, the Prosperity, the Fanny, the Perseverance, the Matilda, of Oswego, the Elizabeth, of Lewiston, the Guernsey, the Peacock, the Caroline, the Fair American, the Sovereign, the Jessie Woods, the Erin, the Charlotte, the Winnebago, the Lord Nelson, the Enterprise, the Boxer.
The Three Brothers was so named from the three brothers McIntosh—John, Robert, and Henry. John commanded the Three Brothers; Charles commanded the Superior, named second above; Robert commanded the Eunice, of which we have heard already. Two other brothers of this marine family were early owners of contiguous building lots on the east side of Yonge street, south of Shuter street. Prosperous descendants of the same name are still to be found in business on a portion of this property. Modern improvements have caused the removal of many of the original buildings of this locality; but one of the McIntosh family residences yet remains, at the present time converted into the show rooms of a carriage manufactory. (Capt. Wm. McIntosh, of the Minerva Ann, a schooner of this period, was of another family).
The Fanny is noticeable as having been the first craft commanded by Captain Dick of Toronto, who speedily afterwards became distinguished in connection with the steam marine of Lake Ontario, not only as a builder, large proprietor, and sailing master, but also as commander of a Despatch vessel in the Public Service, especially during the troubles of 1837. The Fanny was the property of Mr. James Lockhart of Niagara, as also were the Sovereign and the Jessie Woods. The Boxer was commanded by a veteran Lake captain, Wm. Peeke. Capt. Peeke, it is stated, supplied lime burnt at Duffin's Creek before the close of the last century, for the foundation of the Lighthouse on Gibraltar Point, and other structures in York.
In 1835, the harbour was visited by Capt. George and his barge from Quebec. Capt. George—for so he was styled in these parts, although, as we shall see, not a professional navigator—was a combined nautical and mechanical genius, who vigorously urged on Government and the forwarding community the adoption of a scheme of his for enabling loaded vessels to overcome the rapids of the St. Lawrence, and reach the upper ports without breaking bulk. Pulleys and chains were to be anchored at points in the river, or along the banks of the stream. He contrived to get his own barge in this way up to Toronto, well filled with merchandize, and made the return trip with cargo of the upper country products, possibly more than once, but the undertaking, being found too expensive for a private individual, was abandoned; and soon after, the construction of canals round the rapids rendered needless all such ingenious projects. Mr. George had been long a merchant in Quebec; and it was simply his inability to secure a satisfactory person for the superintendence of his experiment, that induced him to take the command of his own vessel in her perilous venture up and down the St. Lawrence. Mr. George continued to reside at Quebec; and for an annual stipend of £200, he offered the corporation of the city to create for them every winter a "pont," or ice-bridge, opposite the city. From the action of the tides, the "pont" fails occasionally to form, to the great inconvenience of the inhabitants. Here again Mr. George gave ocular proof of the practicability of his plan. Proceeding up the river above the influence of the tide, he cut loose a vast field of ice and floated it down whole to Quebec, where it fixed itself fast between Cape Diamond and the opposite shore, and formed a "pont." It did not, however, prove sufficiently durable. Some eccentricity in language is remembered as characterizing Mr. George. A person conversing with him occasionally found himself addressed in rhyming couplets, as if, of their own accord, his words would run into doggerel. "Some chance of wreck between this and Quebec! Mishap befall ere I reach Montreal! You're a fool! go to school!" &c. His barge likewise is described as possessing a peculiar rig. Its masts, or rather the two spars which served to support his sails, formed above the deck, as we are told, a sort of large St. Andrew's cross, such being, according to him, the most convenient arrangement for working the leg of mutton or triangular sails which he used. (We note here the two heroic captains who were the first to encounter appalling risks on the waters of the St. Lawrence in vessels propelled by steam. Captain Maxwell, in the employment at the time of Messrs. McPherson and Crane, first discovered and navigated in a steamboat the deep channel of the Long Sault; and Captain Hilliard, on board the steamer Ontario, first descended the rapids at Lachine.)