my friend had formerly
held a situation under Government, and had lived in London all his
life.

Only the first three concessions of this township were settled at this
time, the remainder of the land being generally in the hands of
absentee proprietors. I am happy to say, the absentee tax has had the
effect of throwing vast quantities of these lands into the market.

This township, like Whitby, is now well settled, and though not
generally equal in regard to soil, is still considered a good township.
Bowmanville is the principal town, containing about twelve hundred
inhabitants. In 1825 it only boasted a grist-mill, saw-mill, a store,
and half-a-dozen houses. I mention this, merely to show how much the
country has improved in a few years. This is not an isolated fact it
applies to nearly all Canada West.

My intention was, to stay with my friends till the ensuing spring, and
to get a little insight into Canadian farming, clearing land, &c., that
I might have some experience before commencing operations on my own
account.

The situation of my friend's house was close to the Toronto road,
partly built of logs and framework: it had been designed by the former
Yankee proprietor, and could certainly boast of no architectural
beauties. We lived about a mile and a half from the lake shore, and I
took advantage of my vicinity to the water to bathe daily. I found
great refreshment in this, for the weather was very hot and dry. The
drought lasted for some time, and among its consequences, I may mention
the prevalence of extensive fires.* Several broke out in our
neighbourhood, and, at last, the mischief reached our own farm. It
destroyed several thousand rails, and spread over forty or fifty acres
of meadow land. We ultimately stopped its further progress in the
clearing, by ploughing furrows round the fire and a thunder-shower in
the evening completed its extinction. Fire seldom runs in the woods on
good land, and where the timber is chiefly deciduous, but on sandy,
pine, or hemlock lands, or where evergreens chiefly prevail.

[* Fires in Canada are of frequent occurrence, and are generally caused
by the burning of brush-wood or log-heaps by the settlers. In dry
weather, with a brisk wind, the fire is apt to run on the surface of
the ground in the bush, where the dry leaves are thickest. In clearing
the land a good deal of brush-wood and tops of trees are thrown into
the edge of the woods. It follows, as a matter of cours