Chambers's Pocket Miscellany (Volume 23-24)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1854. Excerpt: ... employing several hundreds. It would be out of place here to enter into a comparative view of the merits and demerits of the trade as regards its being beneficial or hurtful to the country; upon this, as upon other subjects, there will always be a diversity of opinion: this much, however, I may say, that it has a uniform tendency to the demoralisation of those engaged in it. A long period of restraint is suddenly followed up by one of relaxation; there are few in the common ranks of life of sufficient penetration to see, and still fewer of sufficient energy of character to resist, the temptation to licence and folly. The consequences may easily be understood, and are perfectly evident to those acquainted with the business. I have thus far given a correct view of this branch of Canadian industry; in various circumstances, it may differ in some of its minor details, but this is the manner in which I have seen it conducted, and in which threefourths of the timber exported from Quebec is prepared for the market. STRANGE TRAITS OP RECENT TIMES. The remarkable characteristic of our country is unquestionably the boundless individual freedom, joined to the complete protection given to every personal right. Perhaps it is only the strength and prevalence of this noble feature of our land, which makes any occasional exception from it the more striking. However this may be, there cannot be any harm, but, on the contrary, much good, from pointing out a few traits of comparatively recent times, in which we see the leading principle, as it were, not fully firmed or consolidated. The keeping of such traits in mind, may havo the effect of more thoroughly assuring the consolidation of the principle of the sacredncss of individual rights. VOL. XXIII. II Iii the year 1807, 3...