The River Moira passing through Belleville, where it discharges
itself into the Bay of Quinte, is one principal source of its
prosperity. The preceding statement will show the quantity of sawed
lumber exported, most of which is furnished by the saw-mills of
Belleville, or its immediate vicinity. Besides saw and flour-mills,
there are cloth and paper manufactories, a manufactory of edge
tools; pail manufactories, where great quantities of these useful
articles are made at a low price by machinery; planing machines,
several iron foundries breweries, distilleries, &c., in almost all
of which establishments steam-engines, or water-power from the
river, are used. A remarkable feature in Belleville, in common
with other towns in Canada, is the great number of tailoring and
shoe-making establishments, when compared with towns of an equal
population in Great Britain. This shows, more than anything I am
aware of, the general prosperity of the people, who can afford to
be large consumers of such articles.
There is very little difference to be observed in the costliness of
the clothing of the different classes of society in Upper Canadian
towns and cities, and much less difference in the taste with which
these articles are selected, than might be expected. With the
exception of the lower class of labourers, all persons are well
and suitably clad, and they can afford to be so.
Twelve years ago there were not more than five or six piano-fortes
in Belleville. Now there are nearly one hundred of a superior
description, costing from 80 to 150 pounds.
Another remarkable circumstance in Upper Canada is the number of
lawyers in all the towns. In Belleville there are about a dozen,
which seems to be a large number for a town containing only 4554
inhabitants, when in an English town of the same size there is
often not more than one. Of course, I do not mention this as any
particular advantage, but to show the great difference in the
amount of transactions, and of subjects of contention, in an old
and a new country. The same may be said of the number of newspapers,
as indicative of commercial activity. Two newspapers, representing
the two political parties, are well-supported in Belleville, both
by their subscribers, and the number of advertisements.
The mouth of the Moira River, which widens out at its junction
with the Bay of Quinte, is completely covered with saw-logs and
square timber of various kinds during the summer months.
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