dians, and had to depend entirely upon what it carried with it. Nothing that was lacking could be procured, and neither boats nor stores could be replaced.

Before leaving Thunder Bay Col. Wolesley received a visit from a deputation of Indians from Fort Francis, headed by Chief Blackstone. A powwow was held and a great deal of talking indulged in. The Indians wished to know the intention of the expedition and why it was about to proceed through their country without first obtaining permission. They were assured that there was no intention to take any of their lands, that the expedition simply asked for right of way, and that the government would subsequently treat with them respecting a transfer of their rights to the soil. A few presents to their head men, and a few good meals, had a wonderfully soothing effect, and after vigorous protestations of loyalty to the Great Mother they promised that the force might have all the wood and water it

required for the journey.

The expedition therefore met with no obstruction so far as the Indians were concerned.

The daily routine was as follows:At or before daylight reveille was sounded and every man was quickly astir. A snatch of the Expedition Song, the shout "On to Fort Garry," or the cry," Arms, Men and Canoes," a free translation of Virgil's opening line in the Iliad, "Arma virumque cano," might be heard. After some hot tea all were on board and pulling hard at the oar. A halt was made for breakfast at 8 a.m., another for dinner at I p.m., not more than an hour being allowed, camp for the night about 6 or 7 p.m. No guard was mounted unless there were Indians in the neighbourhood. It was remarkable to see the rapidity with which the men learned to cook and to perform their various duties. All were anxious to push on and to reach their destination as soon as possible.

T is always well to think while we

read; and I do not know but that it is well for us, at least sometimes, to think while we eat. I have not in mind at the moment the advisability of thinking of the nutritive properties of the food we eat, or of its peculiar fitness or otherwise for our digestive capabilities. I merely have in mind the contemplation of what we eat, how or where it is produced or grown.

Just now grocers throughout the Dominion are receiving their supplies of foreign dried fruits, such as currants, raisins, figs and dates, the chief raw materials from which our mothers, wives or cooks will in a few weeks hence produce those fearfully and wonderfully made cakes, plum puddings and mince pies which delight children and torture dyspeptics.

Of all the foreign dried fruits consumed in this country, raisins stand first as to quantity. Included in this classification of raisins are the Valencia, Malaga and Sultana descriptions. The importation into Canada last year was 9,005,939 pounds, nearly two pounds per capita of population. While this is in quantity larger than twenty years ago, yet in value the advantage is the other way. In 1877 the quantity was 8,055,421 pounds, and the value $401,807. In 1897 the value was $327,509. The quantity has already been stated.

Each variety of raisin is of some variety of grape, and in course of preparation the clusters are cut and laid in trays, where, exposed to the sun, they are dried.

VALENCIA RAISINS.

The home of the Valencia raisin is in

Spain. Poor Spain; but good raisin. What would our plum pudding do without it?

The Valencia raisin may be termed

the old standby among dried fruits, for not only is a larger quantity of it used in Canada, but it is one of the chief ingredients in the plum pudding of the poor man as well as in that of the rich

man.

Valencia raisins come upon the Canadian market in four grades, viz., offstalk, fine offstalk, selected, and layers, the first named being the lowest, and the last named the highest-priced. Each grade is packed in 28-pound boxes.

CALIFORNIA RAISINS.

California raisins have during the past few years been a competitor of the Spanish description on the Canadian market, but the extent of their competition varies according to the market value of the respective growths. Most of the California raisins brought into this country have been for table use, although quite a few in one-pound cartoon boxes for cooking purposes have been imported. With both quality and price right they may in time prove popular with the house wife. But like begets like, and this season an enterprising Canadian is seeding. Spanish raisins and putting them up in one-pound boxes a la the California article.

MALAGA RAISINS.

Malaga raisins, like Valencia raisins, come from Spain, and are packed in paper boxes of an attractive appearance. "London Layers," Extra Dessert Clusters," ""Connoisseur Clusters," "Blue Baskets," "Black Baskets," are the grades under which they commonly come upon the market. is the Malaga raisin which has so far most keenly felt the competition of the California raisin. The peculiar subtle. flavour of the Malaga raisin is due to the fact that its source of supply is the muscatel grape.

It

SULTANA RAISINS.

The Sultana raisin, the delicateskinned and the delicate-flavoured raisin, to which most of us are partial, whether it be in or out of the cake, comes nearly altogether from Smyrna in Turkey, although other countries bordering on the Mediterranean produce a few. As a factor on the Canadian market the Sultana raisin antedates the Valencia raisin, although the latter has been a staple commodity on this continent for half a century or more.

CURRANTS.

The land that gave to the world a Homer, a Socrates, a Plato, an Aristotle, an Euripides and other worthies celebrated in literature and philosophy, also gives to us the currant.

Currants, unlike wheat and whiskey, cannot be produced in every clime or in every country. They are essentially a product of Greece. True, California essays to produce currants, but whether the soil, aided by a high protective tariff, will ever be able to bring forth a worthy competitor of the Grecian product remains to be seen. But whatever may be in the "lap of futurity," or in the possibilities of California, Greece has so far had a monopoly of the currant industry, although monopoly and all as it has, the industry is in some seasons anything but a profitable one for the grow. ers. Indeed for a couple of years preceding the last, the returns scarcely yielded them sufficient to pay their harvesting expenses let alone the cost of cultivation. But we in Canada, as well as the people in other consuming countries, were in the meantime getting currants cheaper than we ever got them before. Few, if any of us, then, probably realized that while we were feastins on " curranty cake" ruin and starvation were staring the Grecian farmers in the face, and inducing them to consider whether it would not pay them better to stop growing currants and try raising wheat, notwithstanding the low price of the latter commodity at the time.

ca.

What was in ancient times called the Peloponnesus, now Morea, is the part of Greece where currants are chiefly cultivated, although this fruit is also produced in such of the Ionian Islands as Zante, Cehphalona and IthaCultivation is confined to fringes of territory along the coasts of the Corinth and Patras gulfs and the Ionian and Mediterranean seas. The choicest currants are produced in the Vostizza, Gulf and Patras districts lying along the shores of the two gulfs mentioned. The medium qualities are from the districts skirting the Ionian sea, while the poorest are produced in the districts dipping into the Mediterranean sea.

In

Currant production in Greece has gradually expanded during the century, though the political status of the country has of late years contracted. Two years ago the production was 177,000 tons, the largest on record. Last year it was somewhat less. 1816, the earliest year in the present century for which I have been able to get figures, the production was 8,542 tons, although since then, in times of political disturbances, the yield has at times been slightly less.

Currants now chiefly come to us in cases and half-cases, although barrels and half-barrels are also a good deal in evidence. It was not always, however, that currants came forward in the handy packages they now do. It is within the memory of a few of the oldtime grocers remaining to-day when they were brought to our shores in halfton packages, known as caroteels. And not only were the packages big in those days, but the prices were as well, the cost to the wholesaler sometimes running up to twenty-five cents per pound.

The importation of currants into Canada does not show much variation from year to year. In 1897 the quantity brought in was 5,739,031 pounds, and seven years before it was 5,671,334 pounds. Twenty years ago the aggregate importation was a little over 44 millions pounds.

Currants, like Sultana raisins, come from a seedless variety of the grape.

The vines are planted four feet apart, and the fruit, when ripe, is placed in layers on drying ground for curing.

FIGS.

The figs consumed in Canada, and all other countries for that matter, are chiefly the product of Turkey and Portugal. The Eleme or layer figs, used largely as table fruit, are from Turkey. From the domain of the Sultan we also get the natural figs which are turned to good account by the cook. Portugal supplies the Comadra tapnet figs, which also furnish the cook with raw material for various table delicacies. The trade returns show that a few figs are imported from Spain and Greece.

This year the crop of Eleme figs is almost a total failure, being only about 7,000 tons, or not more than about one-fifth of an average one, while the price, about 100 per cent. above the figures of 1897, means that only the affluent, except at the risk of being termed extravagant, are likely to have them upon their table. Comadra figs, while not relatively as high as the Eleme description, are also much dearer than usual.

The importation of figs into Canada last year aggregated 1,254, 289 pounds, valued at $51,005. Of this quantity 691,976 pounds came from Turkey, 303,206 pounds from Portugal, 95,771 pounds from Spain, and 14,849 pounds from Italy. The balance, Elemes and Comadras, all told, came via Great Britain and the United States. Twenty years ago Canada's imports of figs aggregated less than half a million pounds.

California cultivates figs to some extent, but while an occasional sample is to be seen in Canada, it is seldom if ever that a shipment has come forward. It is quite possible these figs may be on the Canadian market before the present season closes, owing to the high price of the Turkish and Portugese growths, offers having lately been submitted to importing houses in this country.

It may perhaps not be generally known that attempts to cultivate figs

in Canada have not proved altogether abortive, a gentleman at Niagara-onthe-Lake having for about twenty-five years successfully grown them in his garden. He has several trees and they stand about twelve feet in height. His aspirations are not commercial; he is merely giving vent to a hobby. But hobby or no hobby, it is proof that figs can be cultivated in at least one part of Canada.

DATES.

Dates, the fruit of the towering palm tree, are chiefly the product of Arabia, although they are indigenous to Africa, the Canary Islands and to India.

Canada's imports of dates last year were 669,544 pounds, valued at $23,379. Seven years ago the quantity was 1,134,660 pounds, and twenty years ago it was 220,983 pounds.

PRUNES.

The supply of prunes for the Canadian market comes chiefly from Austria, France and the United States. Forty years ago prunes were seldom seen in this country, but now we import over 11⁄2 million pounds. At least we did last year, although in 1890 the quantity was over three million pounds. Twenty years ago it was only 671,398 pounds.

Within a comparatively few years prunes came to hand in ponderous hogsheads, but now in convenient boxes which a man can carry under his arm, while the very finest are in tins and bottles.

Until last year Austrian and French prunes monopolised the Canadian market, but then the high prices prevailing for them and the low figures ruling for the United States product, led to this market being nearly altogether supplied by our neighbours. This year

the Austrian and the French prune is getting back some of its old-time trade owing to the smaller crop and higher prices in California, but the product of the Pacific States is still a very formidable competitor.

In France are produced both dried plums and prunes, and it is curious to