There was a large entourage of pressmen reporting the Royal progress; one American correspondent when writing up his report asked me among other questions how many people were in the torchlight procession. I told him 500, that being the number of torches purchased by the town council. Oh! he said, I’ll make it 5,000, and sure enough he did and I sent this over the wire.
The whole population, men, women and children, at that period was a trifle over 4,000. This man afterwards became a famous correspondent during the American Civil War.
The fearful and wonderful reports received from the seat of war as to the extraordinary numbers of killed, wounded and captured, especially during the early stages of the trouble were something incredible; the experience narrated showed the need of a large discount being made.
The carriage the Prince of Wales drove through Brockville, and owned by a private gentlemen until his death, is now, or was until lately, doing duty as a public conveyance.
Should this meet the eye of some wealthy American, it might be a good thing for the cabby.
The Trent Affair.
It was on November 8, 1861, that Admiral Wilkes, in command of the United States frigate San Jacinto intercepted the British R. M. Steamer Trent on her way from the West Indies to England and forcibly removed therefrom the two confederate States Commissioners Mason and Slidell. When the outrage became known there was a universal burst of indignation felt at the affront in Great Britain and all the British possessions. Every one believed that unless the men were given up and the act disavowed war between the two countries was inevitable. A large military contingent was despatched from England on the Steamship Persia which arrived at Rimouski on Christmas day, Dec. 25, 1861. A Queen’s messenger was sent to Washington bearing an ultimatum from the British Government demanding that the men be at once released.
The American Government were in a dilemma. Several members of the Cabinet were in favor of resisting this demand, but President Lincoln, with his characteristic common sense said “One war at a time, gentlemen, one war at a time,” and the commissioners were surrendered and transferred to a British man-of-war at New York on January 1st, 1862, and amende honorable made.
While the negotiations between the American and British Governments were in progress, the government and people of Canada were watching the trend of events with the keenest interest, and preparations were made for possible eventualities, flank companies at the respective military districts were ordered to prepare for active service.