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CANADIAN GUIDE BOOK. 105 and charged a small fee for the liberty of using the waters. They now assumed the character of a Spa, and attracted invalids from some distance. A house was erected for the accommodation of visitors, and the wonderful efficacy of the waters was more and more acknowledge ed. In 1835 they were purchased by Mr. Lemuel Cushing, who erect ed a Hotel in the hope that a better class of visitors might be induced to resort thither. Up to this period little had been done towards im proving the roads leading to Caledonia, and still less towards attract ing visitors to prolong their stay by doing somewhat for the surround ing locality. At length the property in 1836 came into the possession of William Parker, Esq., who immediately commenced improve ments by clearing and building. The springs were secured from the drainings of the land, cleaned out, and encased. In 1837 the land in the vicinity was laid out in lots for a tillage, having a large pub lic square in the centre. Besides the erection of a well stocked store, and of a large hotel, a post-office was established, and a carriage-road opened through the poods to the Settlement. In June of 1838 the Hotel, called “ The Canada House,” and capa ble of accommodating one hundred persons, was opened under favourable circumstances, and received a great influx of visit ors. A bath house also was erected, and an octagon temple over the Gas-spring. The value of the land had now advanced fifty per cent, several shops had sprung into existence, and the Caledonia Springs held out most encouraging prospects of success, when a most untoward event occurred, which seemed to have inflicted a mortal wound on the proprietor’s enterprising exertions. 1 he new hotel was entirely destroyed by fire in a single night, a* little more than a month after it was opened. So convinced, however, were the visit ors of the benefits they had received from the use of the waters, that most preferred to remain and put up with such lodgings as could be hastily prepared, than to forego these benefits by returning home. The proprietor was thereby so encouraged that, when winter set in, the entire frame of the new hotel was completed upon the site of the one destroyed. In order to have the means of suitably finishing and furnishing the hotel, and continuing further improvements, he had re course to the sale of one hundred building lots, that had been already
