_ 150 OUR ISLAND STORY

France, Spain, Germany and Italy inspired his later efforts and accelerated the continuous artistic improvement of his work. Though portraiture was his chief occupation and delight, many very beautiful landscapes, large and small, were the product of his artistic skill. Wherever he was the more striking features of nature were for him subjects of delineation. In Prince Ed- ward Island, in British Columbia, in England, in France and in the United States, as well as in the neighborhood of Montreal and in Other parts of the Province of Quebec and Canada at large

’ many points of interest were portrayed by him as the employ-

ment of his hours of leisure. He was indeed “never less at leisure than when at leisure.” . With him the “hours of recreatiOn" were

hours for the production of beautiful landscapes and artistic de-

signs.’ His pictures, particularly those of his later years, were .

highly appreciated by his contemporaries. ‘ Not the least admired

were those which he painted for the mural and altar decoration ' ' of the Hodgson Memorial Chapel, in connection with St. Peter’s

Cathedral, Charlottetown. He was awarded a medal ' at the World’s Fair, in Chicago, a gold medal at the Pan American Exhibition, held in Buffalo, gold and silver medals at the Louisiana

. Purchase Exhibition held in St. Louis, and honourable mention

at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. That his pictures, portraits and landscapes alike will survive the lapse of ages there can be no'dou'bt ; and it will be'the verdict of the connoisseurs of a later day that will establish his position in the realm of art- ’

When at leisure he frequently amused himself by writing 4

poetry. His poems were for the most part, of the pictorial order. As he was apt to draw pictures 'of things which struck his fancy, so he was apt to set forth in verse the .features and conditions in which he happened to be interested. . Here is a poetic description of winter, as he saw and felt it in Prince Edward Island in the

. year 1875:

Cold, cold, the wild winds blow, ' And dancing whirls of eddying 'snOW Sweep through the lonely vale;

Fast falls the twilight gloom