No Ordinary Man. Lois Winslow-Spragge

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      My Dear Anna

      I must confess that writing (as I am now) with nothing to say is a sort of ceremony more than anything else. About the only observation which I made on the way down was one which I have often made before: namely the very curious way everyone, the moment they get their foot on board claim proprietorship in the steamer and always talk about “Our steamer” and funnier still the way they take credit for all the steamer does well, saying for example, “We are gitting up steam” but if anything goes wrong then it is all the “captains” fault. Just as the steamer got to Murry bay it began to rain furiously and all the people who landed there got wet to the skin or even deeper; it fortunately however held up while we were landing.

      The house is just about what I expected it to be, the worst of it being that but one pane of each window opens. The first flat of this house is arranged so: [illustration in letter]

      We have a very good view and might have had a much better but that “the man” (on the principle no doubt that we may have too much of a good thing) <had the> has put the F’house between us and the best view, and the milk house in the same position relatively to us and the next best.

      Now I have got a conundrum for William to puzzle out in what part of the house can you you see into every room in the lower flat at once?

      “The man” is just now making “des ameliorations”³⁹ in front of our house before he began the strata or rocks (Ahem) were all sticking up among a medly of chips and stones, at an angle just as if they wanted to look in at our front windows.

      The musquitoes here are abundant, at home when you see anything flying along in the dusk you look twice at it to see if it realy is a musquito, but here you never need to do that; hit at any thing you see flying, even a flock of dust and when you get it down it is sure to be a musquito. Mama says she wants part of the back of this sheet so I must pull up short. [Note added by Margaret Dawson] Please tell papa that I took those moths down here and that there are two moths out now, one of whom has laid some eggs so I want him to send me the American Naturalists. Or at any-rate the one which gives an account of the management of the eggs and young caterpilars by the earliest opportunity. I sent the A. N.’s down with some other books to the library before leaving. You may distribute <a little of> my love, but only to those who will value it as I am saving it all up down here.

      I suppose I need not mention that I still remain.

      George Dawson to Anna Dawson, Cacouna, Quebec, 24 June 1867.

      My Dear Anna

      I had just finished Williams letter and was going to begin yours when (astonishing phenomenon!) an old man with a smiling face, a towsy wig, and a peep show walked in, so after being refreshed by the sight of “fifteen dirty pictures of palaces &c for deux sous par tete” I now commence yours.

      I hope you have got on well with your examinations I suppose that they will be over by the time this reaches you.

      It is awfuly dull down here I do wish that you would come down, tell Nina if she will come down we will be eternally obliged to her. By the weather we are having here I should think you are having it very hot in Montreal.

      Meat is pretty scarce here just now but fish is plentiful we have already had Salmon, Shad, herring, sardines, smelts, and tom cods.

      Sophia and Rankine went to the little English church yesterday where there was just a bakers dozen including the preacher.

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