THE

FAMILY MAGAZINE.

AUGUST, 1836.

EMIGRATION.

tion; the church, with its lowly spire, an emblem of that humility which befits the Christian-and the burial-ground, where the weeping-willow bends mournfully over the headstone which marks the parent's grave; nor do the children forget their playground, nor the white schoolhouse where the rudiments of education have been instilled into their minds.

THE frontispiece of the present number represents a halt for the night of an emigrant with his family one, perhaps, who has left his natal soil and the inheritance of his fathers, and seeks in the far west for that independence in his worldly circumstances which he has tried in vain to gain from the stony and barren patrimonial homestead: or perhaps one who has looked on his rapidly-increasing family, and, The road is at first comparatively smooth, and ambitious of doing something for his children while their journey pleasant; their way is chequered with he is in the prime of life, or anxious to see them divers little incidents, while the continual changes settled comfortably around him, that his old age may in the appearances of the country around them, and be cheered by their presence, has resolved to go to the anticipation of what is to come, prevent those the far west, the land which is represented as flow-feelings of despondency which might otherwise ing with milk and honey, the land which repays arise, on leaving a much-loved home. When the with an hundred fold the labour expended on it, and roads are bad, or hilly, the family quit the wagon, and the riches of whose bosom far exceed those in the plod their way on foot; and at night they may be mines of Peru. seen assembled round the fire made by the roadside, partaking of their frugal supper. The horses are unharnessed, watered, and secured with their heads to the trough; and the emigrants arrange themselves for the night, while their faithful dog keeps watch. Or if the close of the day finds them near a tavern or farm-house, a bargain is struck for the use of the fireplace and part of the kitchen, and the family pass the night on the floor, their feet to the embers and their heads pillowed on the saddles. Amid all the privations and vicissitudes in their journey, they are cheered up by the consciousness that each day lessens the distance between them and the land of promise, and that the fertile soil of the west will

Resolved to migrate, the emigrant collects together his little property, and provides himself with a wagon and with two or three horses, as his means permit;—a rifle, a shot-gun, and an axe slung over his shoulder, form part of his equipments, and his trusty dog becomes the companion of his journey.In the wagon are placed his bedding, his provisions, and such cooking-utensils as are indispensably necessary. Every thing being ready, the wife and children take their seats, the father of the family mounts the box, and now they are on the move. As they pass through the village, which has been to them the scene of many happy hours, they take a last look at the spots which are hallowed by associa-recompense them for all their trials.

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At length our flitters, as they are called, reach the banks of the Ohio, whose placid bosom seems to invite their embarkation, while countless boats of every description meet their astonished gaze. We have resided many years at the west, and during this period have been with hundreds and hundreds who have seen the Ohio river for the first time, and we have never known an individual who has gazed upon its broad expanse of water with a feeling of disappointment or regret, on the contrary, like pilgrims to the Holy Land, they forget all their pains and privations, and view it as indicating that the object of their journey is nearly attained.

The road through the woods now becomes intricate, the trees being merely felled and drawn aside, so as to permit a wheeled-carriage to pass; and the emigrant is often obliged to be guided in his route only by the blaze of the surveyor on the trees, and at every few rods to cut away the branches which obstruct his passage. The stroke of his axe reverberates through the woods, but no answering sound meets the woodman's ear, to assure him of the presence of friend or foe. At night, in these solitudes, he hears and sees the wolves stealing through the gloom, and snuffing the scent of the intruders, and now and then the bloodshot eye of the cata Our travellers, after resting themselves for a few mount glares through the foliage. At length, the days, again take up their line of march; for the Ohio emigrant arrives at the landmarks which indicate to river, which was formerly the termination of all pil-him the proximity of his own possessions. A locagrimages, is now but the frontier of a new country, tion for the cabin is now selected, near a small stream and but the starting-point for the far-distant west. of running water, and, if possible, on the south side The roads soon become more and more rough; the of a slight elevation. No time is lost; the trees swamps and little forest-streams are rendered passa- are immediately felled, and in a few days you can ble by logs placed side by side, and the bridges thus perceive a cleared space of ground, of perhaps a few formed are termed corduroy, from their ridgy and rods in circumference; stakes, forked at the tops, striped appearance. The axe and the rifle of the emi- are driven into the ground, on which are placed logs, grant are now brought daily and almost hourly into and the chinks between these are stopped with clay, use: with the former, he cuts down saplings or mixed with lime, if these can be obtained. An enyoung trees to throw across the roads, which in closure is thus thrown up hastily, to protect the inmany places are almost impassable; with the lat-mates from the weather. The trunks of the trees, ter, he kills squirrels, wild-turkeys, or such game as the forest affords him; for by this time his provisions are exhausted. If perchance a buck crosses his path, and is brought down by a lucky shot, it is carefully dressed, and hung up in the forks of the trees; fires are built, and the meat is cut into small strips, and smoked and dried for future subsistence. This is the mode of preserving the game of the forest, and these are the game-laws of the western pioneer.

are rolled to the edge of the clearing, and surmounted by stakes driven crosswise into the ground; the caps or the tops of the trees are piled on the trunks, and thus is formed a brush-fence, as it is termed. By degrees, the surrounding trees are girdled, (a circle of bark being removed from them,) and they die : such as are fit to make into rails, are cut down and split; those unfit for this purpose, are left to rot, or are logged up and burned.

The next season, a visible improvement has taken place; several acres have been added to the clearing; the woodman's residence begins to assume the dignified appearance of a farm; the brush-fence is replaced by a worm-fence, or one which runs zigzag, as is seen in the cut; the temporary shanty is transformed into a comfortable log-cabin; and although the chimney is built of mud or clay, instead of bricks and mortar, and occupies one end of the house, it only shows that the inward man is duly attended to; and the savoury fumes of venison, of the prairie-hen, and of other good things, prove that the comforts of this life are not forgotten, and that due respect is paid to that important organ in the human economy, the stomach.

once so solitary, becomes the nucleus of a little settlement; other sections and quarter-sections of land are entered at the land-office by new-comers; new portions of ground are cleared, cabins are erected; and in a short time our youthful city can turn out a force of eight or ten efficient hands, for a raisingbee, a logging-bee, &c., &c. A sawmill is soon in operation on one of the neighbouring streams, the log-huts receive a poplar weather-boarding, and, as the little settlement increases, a schoolhouse and church appear; a mail is established, and, before many years elapse, a fine road is made to the nearest town; a stage-coach, which runs once or twice a week, connects the frontier with the populous country to the east of it; and the traveller has thus an opportunity In a few years, or even months, the retired cabin, of viewing another evidence of American enterprise.