The Cruise of the Breeze

The Victorian soldier-artist, Henry Edward Baines, has left us a unique legacy of his time in North America — his lively and descriptive journal of a pleasure cruise around Lake Ontario in the summer of 1863, illustrated with dozens of vibrant watercolour paintings and simple pen-and-ink sketches.

THE CRUISE OF THE BREEZE is an annotated version of Henry’s journal reproduced in its entirety, together with the story of his early life, a discussion of his artwork, and the details of the events leading to his tragic death in 1866 in the Great Fire of Quebec, all set in the context of the British Empire of the mid-19th Century.

     War between the United States of America and Great Britain seemed imminent in December, 1861, when the young Royal Artillery officer, Lieutenant Henry Baines, was dispatched to Canada along with thousands of other British troops. While war was averted, Henry remained on duty in Canada for the next five years.

     In August, 1863, while stationed at Toronto, Henry joined several friends aboard the private yacht, Breeze, for a cruise around Lake Ontario. The illustrated journal that Henry kept includes his entertaining views on colonial Canada, comments on events of the American Civil War and encounters with the U.S. Army, as well as many other adventures he had and people he met at places like Cobourg, Prince Edward County and Kingston on the Canadian side of the lake, and at Sackets Harbor, Oswego and Rochester on the American side.

THE CRUISE OF THE BREEZE brings a unique perspective to a fascinating and turbulent period of Canadian and American history, and gives us a glimpse into the life and times of this remarkable Victorian soldier, artist, yachtsman and hero.

284 pages, 44 colour illustrations, 28 black & white images, 4 maps, appendix, bibliography, index

www.ontariohistory.ca