In 1833 William Conger moved to the town of Cobourg, east of York. Cobourg was the district town for the Newcastle District. Paul Kane followed his employer to Cobourg. When Conger was appointed sheriff, Paul found employement with F.S. Clench, furniture maker.

Cobourg was growing rapidly with the influx of emigrants at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. When Paul Kane arrived in 1833 the village boasted mills, carpenters, inn keepers, blacksmiths, stables, lawyers, cabinet makers, several churches and schools.

The furniture that Clench manufactured was good quality, simple furniture, with clean lines. It was made from local works but made to resemble the furniture found in Europe.

F.S. Clench was not only Paul Kane's employer, he also took Paul into his home and treated him as one of the family.

Paul Kane met many well travelled people while he lived in Cobourg. He planned to travel to Europe, the traditional training ground for young artists. He travelled to Europe through New Orleans, painting portraits to pay his way. Paul's father Michael worned him that if he did want to pursue art as a career, he should not marry too early.

Michael may have known that Paul had grown fond of his employer's younger daughter Harriet Clench,

Paul travelled through Europe from Italy north to England. In London he saw paintings of North American natives. After three years of wandering through Europe visiting museums and galleries, Paul was ready to return home and begin his travels to the west.

Paul Kane and Harriet Clench kept a correspondence during the time that Paul travelled. These letter and his diaries would become the basis for his later book about his travels. His handwriting was so poor that Harriet had to transcribe his notes.