IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4^ ^ 1.0 1.1 122 Ml US lU lit 14.0 2.0 K^l Hi ^^ Mil 6" PholQgraite ^Sdaices CarporatiQn <^ k 23 \MlfT MAIN STIHT «y|lim,N.V. MSM (7U)l7a-4S0S 4^ 4r \. 8^^ CIHM/ICMH Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Inatituta for Hiatorical Microraproductions / Inatitut Canadian da microraproductiona hiatoriquaa Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notos tachniquaa at bibliographiquaa Tha Inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. F«aturaa of thia copy which may ba MMIographically uniqua. which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may aignificantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chaclcad balow. 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Government having taken measures for making known to the labouring classes its intentions in detail, should direct all volun- teers to register their names, ages, occupations, and general cha- racter (which every appUcant should bring, signed by his land- lord, clergyman, or priest), with the emigrant agent of the port nearest to their dwellings. Thus, Government would be in possession of the numbers desirous to avail themselves of its assistance iu the autumn, and preparation made accordingly against the ensuing spring. All the volunteers are supposed to be landed in New Brunswick, without expense to the country. It is believed that upwards of 100,000 souls were so landed in Canada, in 1847, but no arrangements having been made for them, great numbers perished miserably, weakened as they were by starvation, and struck down by fever; and most of the survivors went to the United States. T 23 *he y. m M occupy. Out of the 20,000 families of 100,000 souls, we may calculate on 30,000 labouring men. It is proposed that the labour performed on the railway should be paid one-half in land, the other half in money. Each settler should be compelled to work four days a week on the railway, and be allowed to devote the remaining two days to his own land, until he had earned by his labour from the Govern- ment his twenty-five acres of land at 5«. an acre (the probable average price). Being paid one half of his wages in money, and supposing the wages of labour to be 35. per diem, he would earn a credit each day of \$. 6d. ; at which rate he would pay for his 25 acres of land in 83 days ; or, as he only works four days in the week, in little more than twenty weeks.* It is not too sanguine to expect that such ener- getic measures would lead to the employment of British capital in the scheme under consideration. The first settlements once made, they would re- ceive every year, nay, every month, large accessions of labour, and it is to be hoped also of capital ; and The service of forwarding the emigrants to their destinations on arriving in New Brunswick, necessarily involves considerable detail, which will not be entered into here farther than to sug- gest that the river St. John's, intersecting the Province from south to north ; and the rivers Restigouche, Mirimachi, Richibucto, on the eastern coast, might be the p'^ints of dis- embarkation of the different ships and the means of forwarding their passengers to tbair respective stations. * Three shillings sterling are equal to 3s. 9d. of the current money of the province; and 35. Od. currency will purchase at least double the quantity of provisions in New Brunswick that 3s. 9d. sterling will purchase in England. T tS I i l! I « i;. 24 Ibc railroad would probably be constructed in five years time. Under such circumstances it is not too much to expect that the £400^000. would be repaid to the Government within that period ; the debt with which each family would be saddled being £20. and this sum being of course a mortgage on the land until its repayment. Having considered in detail the facilities offered by New Brunswick for colonization under the im- mediate superintendence of Government, let us now turn to the Eastern Townships of Lower Canada, r.* presenting the most favourable field for private enterprise (still assisted by Government at £4. per head) at the present moment. They present the most favourable field for the following reasons. That district is already flourishing, possessing many thriving villages, and only requiring to become a rich country, markets and good communications. It lies on the south of the river St. Lawrence, comprised between the strip of the French Seigno- ries on that river and the boundary of the United States, and is within a general radius of 130 miles from Montreal.* A flourishing little town called Sherbrooke is the capital of the district now under consideration ; it is * That is, the portion of the Eastern Townships most eligible for present settlement; for a Inrgc district, still being the Eastern Townships, stretches away to the east and north-eaat a distance of 200 miles, having a mean breadth of loO miles, with very few settlers, and much of it still unexplored, or at least still «niiurveyed. •j5£ 25 100 miles distant from Montreal to the east; it boasts a cotton factory, a woollen factory, grist mills, saw mills, kc. The cotton factory was established for the manufacture of the coarser fabrics of cotton, in which commodities the manufacturer of the United States has long undersold the English workman in the Canada market. A railroad has been projected to connect Montreal with Portland on the sea-board of the State of Maine ; the line is already surveyed and determined upon ; it passes through Sherbrooke. A portion of the line is already constructed and open for traffic, viz. from Montreal to St. Hyacinthe, a length of thirty miles or thereabouts, and the work will be continued unless want of funds should bring it to a stop. Land, that is, wild land, is still very cheap in this fertile and beautiful district. Good land in the neighbourhood of Sherbrooke is to be bought for I5s. an acre. The wild land along the surveyed line of railway would probably be purchased for the same sum, excepting that part of the line nearest to Montreal.* In a political point of view, if England is desirons to strengthen her power in the North American provinces, she cannot take a more effectual step for that purpose than by fortifying the weakest frontier she possesses, and that is the frontier of the Eastern Townships, by pouring into that district a tide of British emigration ; which would, at the same time, * The first wild lanf^ which the railroad strikes, in proceeding from Montreal, is the township of Jlptouy about forty-five miles from that city ; and the value of land in that locality is, of course, considerably greater than about Sherbrooke. Probably £2. per acre ia the averag m 26 give the British population a numerical superiority over the French in Lower Canada. There is little doubt but that our enterprising cousins across the " Canady lineSf'* as they caU them, will be ready to flock into the Townships, as soon as their abundant resources shall be opened out by the railroad ; and though their presence would be welcome as tending very greatly to the go-a-head- edness of that part of the country, it is at least desirable that we should have, there, four Britons to one Yankee. Let private enterprise, then, proceed to form set- tlements along the surveyed line of railway, between the township of Upton (the first wild land the line strikes in its progress from Montreal) and the town of Sherbrooke ; in the same manner as proposed for colonizing the line through New Brunswick. Suppose six gentlemen, with capitals of £5000. combine to establish one settlement, choosing as its site a tract of land of 12,000 acres, situated on or in the neighbourhood of the railroad line, and having a road passing through the heart of it. Such a tract might be bought within sixty miles of Montreal at the rate of £1. per acre, each member of the asso- ciation contributing £2000. for the purpose. Its selection must of course depend on local circum- stances ; and the annexed diagram is only given to The lubdiviiionit of each Townbhip Lot conilitof 20 acres— the black tu be flrat occupied. I > \i 27 illustrate the general plan. It is proposed, that if the road should cut the breadth of the lots* into which each township is divided, following their boundaries, as is the case in general ; 6000 acres should be selected on each side of the road, having on it a length of 240 acres frontage, and extending back from it twenty-five acres (the length of the township lots). It is proposed that 240 families should be settled on 6000 acres, giving twenty-five acres to each family, for \vliich payment is to be exacted as will be shewn. The provision to be made for their arrival, of which the details have been given, would cost £3. per head, or £15. per family, making in all £3600., to which each associate would contribute £600. The frontage of each family lot on the road, or parallel to it, would be two acres, running back twelve and a half acres. The lotsf which touch on the road to be charged to the occupant bs. per acre more than those which are retired. It will be seen from the diagram tiiat a vacant lot of twenty-five acres between every two families is retained in the hands of the Association, or one half of the whole tract ; and the principal profit of the adventure will arise from the increased value * Each township lot consists of 200 acres, twenty-five in length by eight in breadth generally ; which proportion gives each acre a frontage on the road of forty yards, and a back bearing of 121 yards. t The frontage of each acre on the road would be forty yards, its extension back from the road 121 yards. Thus each family lot would have a frontage of eighty yards on the road and would extend back a distance of 1512| yards. d8 ! II t i conferred on the reserved lots by the occupation of the rest. Although the tract selected may not be im- mediately on the surveyed line of railway, still, if it is not far from it, and no natural impediments of consequence intervene, there is no doubt but that the railroad engineers would make a small deviation from their original direction to establish a " station" on a settlement which should give promise of con- tributing towards the traffic of the line. Let us now consider what prospect the poor settler would have of being able to pay for the land which he occupies, as well as to repay the sum expended in preparing for his reception ; and it is well to state the circumstances which, it is expected, would enable the poorest emigrant, if industrious, to pay off his debt to the Association within a limited time. Each gentleman would probably, by degrees, build a separate house for himself and clear a certain portion of land about it. This would either afford work to the settlers, for which they would obtain credit ; or other labourers would be employed, and their wages circulated in the little colony. It has been supposed that out of the capital of £5000, each gentleman has devoted £260 J to the purchase of the land and preliminary arrangements ; £2400 remain to him, which, if invested in Bank Stock would give an income of £144 per annum ; to this must be added the interest of the £2600 at the same rate ; which it is proposed to shew, the settleis will be enabled to pay annually ; viz. £160 per annum : making in all an income of £300 a year to each member of the Association. With- drawing £100 a year to be required probably else- where, each member would have £200 to circulate 29 yearly in the settlement, and the aggregate circu- lation would be £1200 per annum, or at the rate of £5 for each of the 240 families. Many elements must enter into the choice of a tract of land ; the possession of a good water power is one of the most essential : with a water-power the erection of saw-mills, grist-mills, &c. may be under- taken by the Association, or left to the enterprise of others ; they will always be established by some one, if the prosperous condition of the settlement should make it a good speculation. In some of the villages which dot the surface of the Eastern Townships, mills have been established with machinery worked by water, for the purpose of making ornamental furniture out of the beautiful varieties of wood which abound in that district. It is evident that every new work undertaken, which is to be paid for with money, adds to the circulation of the settlement, and to the ability of the emigrant to pay off his debt; which will stand thus : — Preparatory outlay at £3. per head, or j€15. per family £\5 Twenty-five acres of land at ^1. .... d625 Total debt of each family ...... ^40 It is confidently believed that the settler will be enabled to pay off this debt by instalments, in five years* time, together with the legal interest of the province in the following manner. 1st year, interest on j640. at 6 per cent 2nd year, instalment of . Interest on j640. . . . Total payment, 2nd year . . £. £. $. d. 2 8 2 8 7 8 1 (j , i 1 ■, 1 J \ l\ i ,i> i m 30 £. 10 2 f. d. 2 12 2 10 1 10 11 10 15 18 15 18 40 3rd year, iDstalment of Interest on ^40. less £5. Total payment, 3rd year . 4 th year, instalment of Interest on ^640. less ^15. Total payment, 4th year . 5th year, last payment of . Interest on ^40. less ^25. Total payment 5th year . Sum paid up The land then becomes the property of the settler and his heirs for ever. The above calculation has been made in reference to the most disadvantageous case, that of an emi- grant who has not even a few pounds to start with ; it is evident that if the bulk of the emigrants were of the upper class of farm labourers, as is anticipated, who had been able to bring with them £30 or £40 the question would be much simplified. It must be remembered also, that no account is taken of the railroad in the above calculation ; if it pleased them, the emigrants might work on the line, and so be enabled to pay for their land ; and it is certain tha^ as soon as there should be a railway communication between the settlement and Montreal, the latter place would afford a never-failing market for all the produce that could possibly be raised on it. Large and yearly increasing quantities of pro- visions will pass from the Eastern Townships to England when their resources shall have been 31 18 thrown open by such a means of communication ; for if not destined to be the granary of Great Britain, they certainly seem intended by their position, extent and natural fertility, to supply that country with a large proportion of the food yearly imported into it. Instead of a gentleman farming his own land, the breeding of live stock is recommended. For this pur- pose the land requires at first very partial clearance ; the cattle range through the woods feeding by day, and return at night to their homes. Horses of an excellent description for farming pur- poses may be purchased in the Eastern Townships for £10; a superior description well-bred for £15; and for £20 as good as would sell for £50 in England. Good milch cows cost about £5. sheep 15s. A great improvement in the breed of the above animals could be effected by men having a practical know- ledge of the subject, and with the power of occasion- ally spending a little money for the purpose. The price of hay per ton, is in the Eastern Town- ships, in average years, 30«. ; that of oa*s, per bushel. It may be mentioned here, that sterling money is worth one-fifth more than the currency money of the North American Provinces ; 45. 2d. sterling, being equal to the dollar, or 5s, currency ; and though all the money to be expended in Canada has been put down as sterling money, the real expenditure would be the same nominal sum in currency money ; but this has been done in order neither to overstate the advantages, nor underrate the necessary outlay. In the foregoing pages it has been the endeavour to awake attention to the advantages of an enter- ^p i f 11 32 prise such as is advocated,— without over estimating them. Probably all who take the trouble to read will suggest difficulties; it is impossible but that difficulties will arise in practice which cannot be foreseen, and no man should join in such an under- taking who would not be fully prepared to encounter many obstacles ; the question is, are these insur- mountable, or likely to prove so ? and is the end to be obtained of sufficient importance to induce enter- prising men to embark ia the adventure ; well aware that many will be the difficulties, many the dis- appointments, many the vexations; but all to be overcome, it is firmly believed, by stem spittts resolute to succeed. In conclusion, the author casts this little pamphlet on the favour of the public, like " bread upon the waters," in the hope that he may " find it after many days ;" and that if its suggestions are con- sidered capable of being acted upon, it may be productive of something more than a barren ac- quiescence ; that it may induce a few of his country- men, whose time and money are both unprefitably employed at home, to join in the endeavour lie is determined to make (if left in the world a few years longer), viz. to demonstrate practically, that capital employed in ^colonization will obtain an ample remuneration, and confer incalculable benefits both on England and her colonies. a •■a 4- i THE END. O. NORMAN, PRINTSB, MAIDEN LANS, COTBNT OAROkM. •r