John Howison (1797–1859)

A very lively account of the oddities of life in Canada (with a short excursion into New York) by an English traveller in the early 19th century. Sometimes it was witty or bitingly critical, sometimes bemused or simply misled but always interesting. I found myself reading bits aloud until my family begged me to be quiet, finish the book, and pass it along to them. You're still here? Listen to this paragraph about Toronto: "The town of York [now Toronto] in which there are some good houses, show more contains about 3000 inhabitants. There is but little land cleared in its vicinity, and this circumstance increases the natural unpleasantness of its situation. The trade of York is very trifling; and it owes its present population and magnitude entirely to its being the seat of government, for it is destitute of every natural advantage..." show less