comprising his garden chiefly, so there is no chance of his taking
either of us. Holloway and Darwin are our two next best men; they
are both young, and both back us up most energetically. We are going
to spend the evening to-morrow with the Darwins, and on Sunday
evening we dine with the Holloways, which is a great improvement on
a crowded boarding-house. The latter is a partner in a well-to-do
hardware establishment, which means to say they import all sorts of
saws, chisels, axes, hammers, etc., from Sheffield; and the latter
is accountant in a bank here. He has got a mother and two sisters,
both possessing every claim to amiability. Holloway went with me on
Wednesday to the Grand Trunk Railway Works, and introduced me to
several people, and "boosted" me all he knew, but it was no go, they
sacked seventy-five men last month, and are going to do the same
again this month, things are "that" slack. Yesterday he took me down
to the Canadian Pacific Works, but the man we wanted was away, so we
are going again on Monday. There is also another man I am going to
see on Monday, who has a good-sized iron-foundry. I went down there
to-day, but he was out of town. Also I am going to see another
engineer to-morrow, so you see I am not done yet. I saw the son of
President Arthur, of the United States of America, this afternoon,
at the club, where he was detailing his sporting adventures, having
been away all summer in California and the Rockies, fishing and
shooting, which he seems to have done in a very luxurious manner, to
judge from his conversation. He talked about having engaged a Pulman
Hunting Car for his trip, &c., and, apropos of fishing, said he had
seen two natives netting salmon in some river or other, so he
"stopped the train" while he went to look on and try his hand at it.
By-the-bye, tell old Daddy that the pocket-book he gave me has
turned out the most useful thing in my possession, barring coin; in
fact, without it I should have been stumped, and had to buy one