impenetrable barricade, I satisfied myself with frequently inquiring if my companion felt cold, to which at first I received a bold and clearly pronounced negative; but as we progressed, these replies became fainter and fainter. We had not proceeded more than about two or three miles, when Alves replied so inaudibly to my anxious questions, that I had a presentiment that he would be nipped (as we called it in Canada), upon which I pulled up my horse and turned round to examine him. His appearance was truly distressing his eyes were half closed and nearly immovable, the whole of his face quite purple, but from the edge of the jawbone to his leather stock, which had greatly impeded the circulation of the blood, was much swollen, and frozen as white as hog'slard, and as hard as china. He was now nearly speechless.

My first step was to turn the sleigh round from the wind; I then snatched up a handful of snow, and applied it to the frozen part, which in about five minutes was fortunately thawed. I soon after this rigged out poor Alves in a fur cap, great coat, and tippet round his neck, and covered his feet well, then

drove off back to town with all speed. I put my patient to bed, and sent for the regimental

surgeon.

Major Alves had a severe illness and a narrow escape from death, for the frost had seriously injured the glands on each side of his neck, and had even damaged the roots of his tongue, all of which became greatly inflamed and finally ulcerated, requiring a treatment very similar to that for a severe burn. He remained confined to his bed during a considerable time; frequently, on seeing me enter his room, he would declare that if I had not been so provident in carrying spare clothing, he must have lost his life.

On another occasion, when going to dine at the Falls of Montmorency, the weather being very similar, immediately upon my entering the room where our party had assembled, they exclaimed that I was frost-bitten. This was so common a joke, that I treated the matter accordingly; yet when I observed that every one seriously insisted upon it as a fact, I felt my left nostril, to which they all pointed, and immediately perceived its hardness. I had often been desirous of watching the progress of the

freezing of living flesh. I therefore took a small shaving glass hanging up in the room, and went out into the open air, holding up my face towards the slight current of air. In a minute I perceived from the frozen nostril several shoots like needles extending into the cheek, and which I felt very acutely. I did not, however, allow my philosophical researches to proceed any further; a surface about the size of a sixpence in connection with the nostril having become quite white was rapidly extending across the cheek; I deemed this a satisfactory investigation, and immediately applied a handful of snow, which in a couple of minutes thawed the part frozen; but this was followed by a very sharp pain, and the part became so sensible to the cold air, that I was obliged to cover it in returning to town. On the following day a complete blister had formed, and I was subjected to all the inconveniences of a severe burn. That part remained ever afterwards exceedingly tender, and required constant attention as often as I went out even during moderately cold weather.

I

go

CHAPTER VII.

to the Cascades-Lieutenant Johnson and Captain Bruyers-Mr. Boardwine and I go down the Trou in a wooden canoe-New line of canal-Split Rock— Côteau du Lac-Miss McDonnell-Dr. Jacobs-The corn-bee-The lunatic-Captain Digby and his hatIllumination of the officers at the peace of AmiensThe beef-steak club-Officers severely beaten.

TOWARDS the return of the spring, Colonel Gothen Manor, my commanding officer, gave me a hint that I should be employed during the following summer in superintending some extensive repairs and widening of the locks at the Cascades, Split Rock, and Côteau du Lac ; and also that a new canal or cut was to be commenced that year, to form a junction betwixt the river St. Lawrence and the Ottawaw

at about a mile above their natural junction, by which the use of the locks and canal of the Cascades would be superseded; and he further said that, as much difficulty had been hitherto experienced in tempering the miners' tools, I must immediately make myself master of that subject.

This was the first time I had had any verbal communication from the Colonel on professional matters. I attended to his orders; and early in the month of May I was directed to proceed in a bateau with a detachment of the 6th regiment under my command as a guard and escort, being charged with the due transport of sixty thousand pounds, all in Spanish dollars excepting about ten thousand pounds in gold. duty thrown upon me, and one to which I was quite a stranger. It was a heavy responsibility to be charged with the transport of such a sum of money, particularly when I reflected that the soldiers forming the guard were all of them wild Irish boys from Vinegar Hill, who had distinguished themselves during the Great Rebellion of 1798. Although only twenty years of age, I fully felt the difficulty of the

This was a very unexpected