[Gorham—Saturday, 6 July 1867]

Saturday. Rain pouring. Alas! for the poor people who went up Mt. Washington yesterday. I saw some of the women were fatigued before they started. The housekeeper went with them. She however has returned at an early hour today. The report is of terrible winds there last night. I dread to see the poor tired people who went up.

Went in the evening to see two sisters of Gov. Andrew who have purchased a small house in the village of Gorham. The children of the Gov. are here too and we were enchanted to see the affectionate family these two unmarried sisters had gathered about them, taking a Dr Wight & his family as boarders because they cannot afford to live otherwise and have a house of their own.

It was so difficult to write at all on the steamer that I find I have omitted writing down even the baldest account of the hour or two we passed at Ha! Ha! Bay but the place was so unique not only so unlike what we had known before but unlike any other place that I hope never to forget its qualities of strangeness. It could have been scarcely later than seven o’clock when we found ourselves awakened at the shore of Ha! Ha! in a bay of deep waters which makes the head of navigation in the Saguenay. The sun was shining brightly and warm when I came from my state-room and found Mr Hale sitting at one end of the boat surrounded by a crowd of French Canadians who had come to sell us fresh wood-strawberries in cones of birch-bark, & flowers. But I think a sight of the travellers who have been enough to induce them to come without hope of gain, for some women dressed in their best and a few young men came on board timidly to find a good place to watch our doings. After making his purchases I found our friend had organized a class in arithmetic, as well as his french and their’s would allow, and he was putting them through a lesson much to their mutual amusement, and let us hope, edification. At this point I joined them and asked a few questions in my turn about their teacher whose name was Madlle Duchêne, the winter wh had been very cold and the like, but Mr Hale was delightfully indefatigable on the arithematic question and one of the elder boys endeavoured to make the others respond. His tone of exhortation made us all laugh—“dites le Yank” he said in his most persuasive manner. The “Yanks” were sufficently entertained in this way and I know not how long we might have continued had not the breakfast bell warned us that we were expected in the cabin for that, by no means unwelcome, meal.

Immediately, beakfast over, and the excellent strawberries eaten therewith, we went ashore—bleak, scanty vegetation, “très ventôse” in winter, the place looked as the natives had said. There was a Maison Pension wh. looked clean enough but I could not help wondering who was found to make even a summer harbor in what looked so forlorn a place. Nevertheless one or two adventurous Canadian English women appeared to have found there [sic] way thither and I saw one in true English fashion walking up and down the piazza in the distance. We strolled away from the landing to the cliffs where we found the purple vetch growing luxuriously. Sat down on a log while Mr Hale descended to the shore to talk.


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