MUSEUM OF Foreign Literature, Science and Art. JULY, 1836. From the Monthly Review. which includes many notices of matters beyond the immediate field of the Missionary's office, the Six Months of a Newfoundland Missionary's whole being so artlessly, faithfully, and sincerely Journal, from February to August, 1835. Lon-communicated, as to afford the reader a valuable don: Smith, Elder, and Co. 1836. treat. The information given, and the simple and natural style in which it is given, are not THE author of this journal, we believe, is one the only grounds of delight derived from this voof the most simple-minded, pious, and laborious lume; perhaps the unstudied and full exposure Archdeacons that ever existed, and probably of the author's pure and zealous heart and chathe least skilled of all his class in the art of writ-racter affords the most pleasing object to which ing. We wonder that the editor through whose the work introduces us. We shall at once prohands these pages have passed, did not prune ceed therefore to present a pretty ample account them of some glaring errors in point of gram- of its contents. mar, and polish or correct some of the sentences; which the reader could not have conceived it of Newfoundland, and remote from St. John's, It appears that the settlements in the interior possible for a dignitary of the Church of England are so difficult of access to the inhabitants of the to indite. Here is a specimen taken from the dedicatory letter, which is addressed to his wife. resident in it, have not so much knowledge of capital, that many who have been all their lives "To whom, lastly, could I more fitly dedicate it, than to them as they have of the more distant provinces one who so deeply sympathized with me when I was pre- of North America. It also appears, that travelvented, in the visit which I was obliged to undertake, two ling over the snow in the month of March is less years ago, to England, for the restoration of my shattered difficult than walking on land at any other seahealth-from urging upon the members of the church at son of the year. The author, therefore, in fulfilhome, the need which there is for some larger provision for ment long entertained of an extensive visitation the accommodation of the poor protestant emigrant, with tour, set out about the middle of February of last the means of protestant worship in the capital of the island year, with a guide who had at one time lived -and who are now so deeply concerned at witnessing the for four years among the Micmac Indians, which same want, that you have resolved to forego, for a time, all it was natural to be concluded must have given the comforts of your home-to rend yourself from the him an acquaintance with the best mode of trasphere of your interesting dutics here, and to expose your-velling in what the author calls an untractable self to the discomforts of a voyage across the Atlantic, at island. He also informs us that a greater quanthis most inclement season, that you may lend your aid to tity of snow had fallen there last winter than had superintend the urgent appeal which I am about to make been remembered for twenty years, which had led from hence, before it be too late, through the public press him to expect a more easy journey than is usual in England, for aid in the erection of the new church, in winter. But the most favourable season would which, after having painfully witnessed the want of it for be found to offer inconveniences and labour more than five years, I feel it, at length, my imperative enough to most archdeacons, as we shall soon duty to undertake, in faith, for the protestants of St. John's, learn. who to a greater number than 3,000, are without any means whatever of assembling to worship God, after the manner of their fathers ?"—pp. 7, 8. Our author carried a knapsack, in which were 14lbs. weight of luggage, to which his guide had restricted him. They were not long, after leavThe whole of this dedication is remarkable, ing a regular road, in missing their way, but however, for its sincerity, and serves as a very some time after dark regained it, by observing good explanatory introduction to the succeeding the inclination of the topmost branches of the journal, which possesses an interest and an ex-juniper trees, which always, he says, point to the cellence we never dreamt of finding in a volume east. After many falls, owing to the slippery of this character. wood-path, they reached, on the night of the 17th This journal contains an account of the reve- February, the house of a Mr. Miller, a respectarend author's visitation tour to the scattered mem-ble planter on the south shore of Conception bers of the episcopal church in Newfoundland, Bay. The man had retired to bed; but, says the VOL. XXIX, JULY, 1836.-1. A author, "I assembled the females of the family, the coast into the interior. Why, it is but soven miles, and read and explained a chapter of the Bible, my friend, as the crow flies,' observed a judge to a remonand offered up prayers with them before I retired strant petty juryman, who pleaded the difficulty and the to bed; and the next morning the men, before distance. That may be,' replied he, but as I cannot go their work, joined us in the same employment." as the crow goes I make the distance fifteen or This was a portion of the journalist's labour —pp. 16—19. which he seems never to have overlooked, wherever and whenever he entered a house or a hut in the course of his tour. But he never fa sixteen.' About two or three days afterwards"Assembled two dozen people, all who had not gone into the woods for their work before our arrival, for full service, at Where do our readers suppose, did the reveHe does not inrend gentleman pass the night? tigues his readers with any attempt at magnify- the tilt of William Pollett. As we passed a point in our ing exertions; on the contrary, he passes from one thing to another, when the circumstances would boat, I got sight of a black fox close to the water's edge, and was informed by the people, that I might expect afford some tourists matter for a long chapter, shortly to see an otter, which I soon did; and, on going to with a rapidity and a cheerfulness of manner the spot, found several holes which the otter had made on that is perfectly delightful as well as unusual.the slob-ice when diving for fish, which the fox, at this peFor example, after being prevented by a snow-riod of scarcity of other provisions, would monopolize on storm for one day from travelling, on the morn-his bringing it up, or share with him. The otter and the ing of fox, consequently, at this season, are generally to be found “Friday, 20—We took a heavy mallet, with a long han- very near each other. I had a cliff pointed out to me at dle, which the people called an ice-pounder, and escaped Norman's Cove, not far from hence, a part of which, from some hours of very laborious walking, by crossing in a boat its losing the power of cohesion, (no uncommon event here to Bay Roberts. I regretted to find that Mr. Joyce, an ex-after our long winter) had fallen down a few springs since, ceedingly kind friend to the church and clergy, whom I and had buried several men, friends of my present guides, had found here on former visits, had paid the debt to nature. in its fall. The 'barber,' a vapour so called from its cutMr. Blackman had been engaged to attend a funeral at ting qualities, was distinctly visible upon the water this Bay Roberts yesterday; but the storm had made all close morning. It arises, I believe, from the air's being colder prisoners to their houses. It may give some idea of the than the water. I was glad, on the approach of day, to difficulty of communication in the winter, even in the turn myself towards the sun, which rose most brilliantly neighborhood of St. John's, if I state here that gentlemen at this cold morning. No description can convey an idea of Port de Grave had not seen a St. John's newspaper for a the beauty of the overfalling stalactites of ice, some white month, when I arrived amongst them; and that in Trinity through, some transparent, which hung down from the rugBay, I found that the sum of twenty-five shillings had been, ged cliffs on the side of this fine arm of the sea, till they on a late occasion, demanded, and twenty-five shillings ac- nearly touched the water."-pp. 23-25. tually paid, for the casual conveyance of a single letter, overland, by one of the cross-country guides. I found that Ridout, a respectable young man, who had been used to keep a congregation together upon the south shore of Con- form us; but we shall soon hear of other nights, ception Bay, had died last spring, from the exertion and ex- which were, no doubt, got over in a similar and posure consequent on going round the head of the bay at extraordinary manner for dignified churchmen. that inclement season on foot; and Hodge, the For a scene of splendour, and one felicitously packet-man of Killigrews, was just recovering from a most delineated, where yet, there is only a plain enusevere cold caught a few days before, from his having been meration of facts, followed by a pious reflection washed overboard in a gale. The Reverend John Burt, the we cite the following example. Protestant episcopal missionary at St. Paul's, Harbour "The country at this time presented an appearance Grace, was dangerously ill, and I wished much to go to quite different from that presented by the vegetation when see him; but as the Reverend William Nisbet, of St. Mary's affected by the moisture of the atmosphere which is afterChurch, Heart's Content, Trinity Bay, was within him, as-wards operated upon by sudden frosts, and is improperly sisting him in his duties, I did not delay my journey to visit denominated here, a silver thaw. The present appearance him. Mr. Blackman kindly accompanied me to Spaniards' was much more beautiful, although that cannot but be Bay Beech. Here my guide and I struck into the woods much admired. The under current of air had been sufat eleven, a. M., and crossed the neck which divides Con- ficiently cold to freeze rain upon its reaching the earth, or ception from Trinity Bay. I broke into the ice of one brook alighting upon any exposed vegetable object, although the on my way, and by half-past seven, P. M., reached the house upper media, through which it had passed, permitted it still of Mr. Charles Nieuhook, jun., of New Harbour, a late to fall as rain. As soon as this transparent liquid had worthy parishioner of the Reverend William Bullock, at St. alighted upon a branch of evergreen, or on a blade of grass, Paul's Church, Trinity, whose father is of French Hugue- which projected above the snow, it had congealed; giving, not extraction. The distance is not more than fifteen miles through its transparent covering, a brighter tint to every by my compass, but the necessarily circuitous course which colour of the objects which it enveloped. As the rain had we were obliged to take to avoid a steep hill in one direc- continued to fall very fast for several hours while the lower tion, a running brook, or a thick wood, in another, made it air was in this state, this bright incrustation had collected at least twenty. The distance which persons, liable to on every object, even on those which were most minute, serve on petty juries, may be obliged to travel that they may and offered the least firm support to such a weighty girdle, meet the circuit judges in this island, is, from these circum-to the depth of at least an inch. The splendour of the stances, not very easily defined. I have met with places in spectacle which was presented by woods, shrubs, and underFortune Bay, two or three miles only from each other, to brush, thus brilliantly illuminated in a morning of un. visit which by land in winter, it might be necessary to clouded sunshine, was greater than any effort of art could make a circuit of fifteen miles, to get round the decp prc- come near to imitate. It left all the spectacles of scenic cipitous chasms or 'gulshes' and ravines, which cross from Jillusion, or the imaginative creations of fairy descriptions |