The Diary of David Ross - Excerpts ■ damages. Stewart danced and whole crowd of adversaries rejoiced... July 7 - Went with oats and wheat to McDonald's Mill - had altercation with John, schoolmaster. July 8 - McR. gone to town to get motion of non¬ suit in Pig case. July 11 - Duncan Fergusson down today and cleared our potatoes. Cabbages destroyed by grubworm. McReath fixing gun in evening to kill grub - he had been consulting the weird sisters for this remedy. July 13 - At McDonald's Mill with Jn Fergusson, Capt [horse] to get meal out of 5 Vi bushels oats we received. 19 lbs. meal and seeds including weight of bag. This is the only quantity of our own meal got from farm and we also go 9 Vi bushels of barley ground into flour. July 15 -... to get Pig nonsuit disposed of - repairing larboard side of boat. August 1 - In town with boat. News of K. W. IV 's [King William IV of England ] death came to-day with steamboat from Mirimichi. October 20 - Assisting removing Gibson's house. October 31 - Took in 29 bushels which completes the potatoes making in all 231.13 lbs. December 22 - People upon ice with sleighs. December 26 - Making door betwixt room and kitchen. Threshing oats. 1838 January 25 - Fine day people afraid of it. very little traffic up ice January 27-28 - Fresh driving gale from SE getting around to south - the highest tide we have yet seen here - 3 or 4 feet up at Bridge - the water going into wood at marsh. Ice under boat quite afloat. February 13 - Took in part stack oats... February 17 - The wind still continued to blow and the snow to drift with frost at 4° for this day. February 18. 19. 20th - rather abated the wind - on looking down to cellar found potatoes hard as stone. Archie's suffered too. Roads all blocked up. February 23-24 - Cutting and hauling firewood. February 26 - Assisted Archie all this day with horse and sleigh to haul down from Kelly's 4 cords wood. Hard work. February 27 - Cutting and hauling firewood for ourselves. February 28 - Cutting wood. Asked last week by overseer Robertson Shoemaker to meet him at school house with shovels to break road. He may go to .... answered R. Did not go. Oldest settler never knew of this quarter being called out for this purpose. Hard enough to break road for selves. March 12 - Elize gone with McR. to see after his and my shoes - took in three chickens to the Mason's Mother. Fine day - good deal of traffic on the river today. April 22- Fine spring day. Channel all open in front of farm and ice broken into cakes along shore. April 30 - Ice all gone. 2 boats on river. Vickerson began ploughing. None other commenced. May 12 - Sa. [sic] Ann went to town on foot for seeds from D. Cumming . May 17 - Mother Goose died poor thing. June 1 - Shipped this morning early on board the Fanny bound for Quebec on a account of Tremain Storekeeper 80 bushels potatoes of which 15 early white @ 1/4 - 5 pounds - 6.8 and took obligation for pay three months after date. June 2 - Brown horse bad with cold. A. Stewart down and took 2 quarts blood from him. August 5 - Su. [sic] Sisters in town at church. August 18- A grand company of Yanker Equestrian performers in town, 14 of a Band the like was never seen. -139-