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'W ' ?/". ,"' ' ?i,-^>f '.^^,-:;i " ,<% (■ iiiraa»«Bit4»waf^] >Al A /' '^j^'j.T Ll***^fe«'"* 1 1^ -..t t.Jr ■t' vr-^-A/ ' > M ' < ♦ . ^1^ S «' A-- » 'Hiin %. ''' p A>,>*j' BY »'^RV:A?^^feAj>i>': 1(#i ■' Sr- / ! M H I A PLEA FOR EMIGRATION; •<■■ «i-i»vi ■'■> ■i* ■#*■ ■' 0R«^ ■■;*' NOTES OF CANADA WEST, IN ITS '*-:^^ M ■A a MORAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL ASPECT : WITH SUGOESTIONS RESPECTING MEXICO, WEST INDIES; ■S-:-cv;;.?¥^->- M,: AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND, ■-.>• ■J 4 FOB THE INFORMATION DF COLORED EMIGRANTS. :.'?'"{PH",- * BY MARY A. SHAD^I^. #. .1' ) ♦ -,t DETROIT: IPRINT^D BY GEORGE W. PATtlSON. 18d2. • j^*^* M « .<^ ii »^., a-r^,.//} ■']<) >i'A'1^^\f: Ms V 1 *«!5 » i f',' ■>'=;• •# K, ' i ■A:;'y- Is, !^ .^ ; / ' ^ .' S /^ , f ' " A- V- ,.#■ ,. '*■ \'f ■»'■ k''?'' .i.-^i.ir;'i ?'^ ;-! a 'H? '*;'' (vi^^jrf- •'■.■<;.■' »;i.-.' ' »• .1 ■j.'.fi'-v^il'ni !■**■ .' m'j^jw ,t»;Wji INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 1 " \i ^tM*M<.U:^>V u- l; . '>i5><.frV'- ii !^n >■{.,< The increasing desire on the part of the colored people, to become thoroughly informed respecting the Canadas, and particularly that part of the province called Canada West — to learn of the climate, soil and productions, and of the inducements offered generally to •emigrants, and to them particularly, since that the passage of the odious Fugitive Slave Law has made a residf nee in the United States to many of th«m dangerous in the extreme, — ^this consideration, and the absence of condensed information accessible to all, is my excuse for offering this tract to the notice of the public. The people are in a strait, — on the one hand, a pro-slavery administration, with its entire controllable force, is bearing upon the^l with fatal effect : on the otlier, the Colonization Society, in the garb of ChrktianUy alld Philanthropy y is seconding the efforts of the first named power, by bringing into the lists a vast social and immoral influence, thus mak- ing more effective the agencies employed. Information is needed.';— Tropical Africa, the land of promise of the colonizationists, teemifl]^ «|f as she is with the breath of pestilence, a burning sun and fearful mal- adies, bids them welcome ; — she feelingly invites to moral and phys- ical death, under a voluntimy escort of their most bitter enemies at home. Ag»in, many look with dreadful forebodings to the probabil- ^i.%||^^lty of worse than inquisitorial inhumanity in the Southern States,. 4 H*' I IV PREFATOUV UKMAUKS. from the operation of the Fiifijitivo Law. Certain tliat neitlier a home in Africa, nor in tlic Soutliern States, is desirable under present dte* cumstances, inquiry is made respectinff Canada. I liave endeavored to furnish information to a certain extent, to that end, and believinii- thai more reliance would be placed upon a statement of facts obtained in the country, from reliable sources and from observation, than upon a repetition of current statements made elsewhere, however honestly made, I determined to visit Canada, and to there collect such infor- mation as most persons desire. These pages contain the result of much inquiry — matter obtained both from individuals and from doc- uments and papers of unquestionable character in the Province. , , M. A. S. i-,)! fii -'/■■■■.■v-y.',}--.) iH'tl:'\^< ffiKiu i 'iit U_ -sA,;y ■j;;f4i:.. ^ •;; ,rn
  • ^}^, HMItei;iih^^ r' tw0f Jl^-^)^U' .'' . ) riii tJ/;iu BRITISH AMERICA. ..-^mM me mi Ji9^ British America, it is well known, is a country equal in extent, at least, to the United States, extending on the north to the Arctic Ocean, from the Atlantic on the cast, to the Pacific on the west, and the southern boundary of which is subject to the inequalities in lati- tude of the several Northern States and Territories belonging to the United States govemment. This vast country includes within its limits, some of the most beautiful lakes and rivers on the Western Continent. The climate, in the higher latitudes, is extremely severe, but for a considerable distance north of the settled districts, particular- ly in the western part, the climate is healthy aftd temperate : epidem- ics are not of such frequency as in the United States, owing to a moi'fe equable temperature, and local diseases are unknown. The province claiming especial attention, as presenting features most desirable in a residence, is Canada, divided into East and West ; and of these Can- ada West is to be preferred. THE CANADAS— CLIMATE, ETC. . i>'-H^m'''imii ^IT»-^«J ^-ri. tig il.' ':^-hm, iim ul. Canada East, from geographical position and natural charaeterie^ tics, is not so well suited to a variety of pursuits, as the more western, part of the province. The surface is generally uneven, and in many- parts mountainous; its more northern location subjects the mhabitantfti to extremely cold, cheerless winters, and short but warm summers^ The land is of good quality, $kd vegetation is of rapid growth, but the general healthiness of the country is inferior to. some of the other ^islricts. Th%; State of Maine presents a fair sample qC Lowjec Canr * * 6 NOTIH OF CANADA WK8T. It ■ i «da in the general. Population (which is principally French) is confined chiefly to the valley of the St. Lawrence, and the conlitfy contiguous. In Canada West, the variation from a salubrious and eminently healthy climate, is nowhere suflicient to cause the huist solicitude ; on the contrary, exempt from the steady and enfeeblin/^* warmth of southern latitudes, and tlie equally injurious characteristics of polar countries, it is highly conducive to mental and pliysical en- ergy. Persons living in the vicinity of the Great Lakes, and the neighboring districts, say that their winters are much less severe than when, in past years, vast forests covered that region — that very deep enows are less frequent than they were, and that owing to the great body of ice that accumulates in the Lakes, the people living in the States bordering, suffer more severely from the cold than Canadians, — the ice making more intense the north winds sweeping over it. If these statements admit of a iloubt, we well know that many flourish- ing towns in Canada are farther south than a large portion of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan and Oregon, and should, m considering this fact, have the full benefit of geographical position, I have thought proper to allude to the cold, at first, for the reason that it is the feature in the climate most dwelt upon — the so- licitude of friends, ignorant on this point, and of persons less disinter- ested, often appealing to fears having no foundation whatever, when the facte are fairly set forth. ,^^^,, «Hiiv,r,.u 7,he products of a country make an important item, in all cases in whicli this question is being considered; so in the present instance. In Cana- da we find the vegetation of as rank growth as in the middle and north- , lem United States. In order to promote a luxuriance in the products .i.|j of » country equally with another, the conditions necessary to that * •eml^ttst be equal, — if by reference to facts, an approach to similar- -. itTjr ean be made, that part of the subject will be settled for the present. Ji^early as March there are indications of permanent Spring weather, ,.asid in June and July, the summer will compare with the same sea- SOD m»ik of the line. In January ^d February there are always < 1 tatioa U rapid, m that whatever deficiency may be atiributeU to ilr britf firiod. may be fully compensated for in tfte steady and equal tetnpcrature auer the warm season has fairly set in; though it ii late beginning, it is prolonged into what is the autumn with us, and far- mers harvest their crops of wheat, hay, &c., at a later perioil thaa in the Middle Stntes, generally, — August and September being the months in which hay, wheat, and some other crops are gathered in. Taking this circumstance in connection with the regularity of the seasons, and uniform heat or cold when they have such weather, the superiority of many products, as wheat, fruit, &o., may be aooountod for. I say superiority, because, in its place, I hope to give such evir dence as will substantiate the assertion. Annexed is a table setting forth the greatest degree of cold and heat, — in the years mentioned, as indicated by Fahrenheit's Thermometer, together With tbe higheet and lowest range indicated in the months of September ami Deceia- ber of 1861, which last has been said to be unusual, (the lowest ka twenty years) by the "oldest inhabitant." ii GREATEST DBO. OV HEAT. 1840. . 82 « 4' 1841. • 93 ®r 1842. . 91° 1843. - 89° 1844. • V 86® 8' 1845. - 96® 1846. - 94® 6' 1847. - 87® LOWEST DBO. -fiifl, H fu, OF COLD. «18®6' • ■ '.'.tTSi - - - 1® - - - 9® - , - 4® |:1 Jfetflfe ?) ''■ sr«> ' jf Catechism of Information for Intended Emnmnis of all Ci * *••» jit ' ^P>iuiii4 7t r a» a*: r * 'These are the extreme ranges of cold and heai indicated at the Observatory, an one day during the seasons, but wliichi do pot la9^ beyond a few hours ; the mean temperature of the four months of summer and four of winter for the last eight years have beea TespwH' tively : Summer 76 ® 6' < Wmter 26 ® T, Fahrenheit."* Jjk a^- tion to the usual state of the weather of the last year, as contiraete4 with former periods, the last summer and first autumn months wef? very warm, and in the month of September indicated 96 ® Fahren- heit, in the shade, without eliciting remarks other than a si^ajUi^ state ?^: I, 1:1 a t rfer^ ••v <- - "ife^ 8 NOTES OF CANADA WEST. of weathef, at that seftsbn, would have in the United States. In short, from much corfrersation with persons of many years re^»i?'ttf ^t^'iiil }>ij;yvti:>'^lVH(} J^JiJit.firndvy^id^t %i^'» clay^ and sand, but a blacl^loam is the predominating kind. I speak now of the cultivated districts, and those in process of clesuing, as far north «s Lord Selkirk's settlement, for the country beyond the present limits of civilization, I do not feel warranted in speaking, nor to give in other than general terms, the testimony of those acquaiiited with that region. It is said to be equally fertile, but the products not so varied, because of its more northern situation. Tbe^ general appearance of the province is undulating, though there is much level country. Numerous and beautiful rivers, and smaller streams, run through the country, in all directions, so that there is no lack of wa- 2 . ' 10 HOTSS OF CANADA WBST. i? ter power. " The plains," a term applied to level oountry, **a|0 generally sandy, and yield regular average and certain crop8,^iip- out reference to the seasons."* Tbey are similar to the westcnrn pt^ries, but more capital is necessary to cultivate them than for tim- ber lands. The advantage of timbered land, to purchasers of small capital, over plains, is considerable. On cultivated, or plain lands, on which timber is thinly scattered, the earliest return for labor spent is deferred to the growth of a crop ; besides the mode of tillage is different. Not so on ihe timbered lands ; wood ever meets a ready and cash sale, and more may be realized from firewood than to three times pay the cost of a farm. Wood land will average seventy cords to th0 acre, eveYy cord of which can be readily disposed of at two and two and a half dollars, cash, in the towns. The regularity of the seasons tends, ailso, to increase the farmer's security, so that of all other men, be is least apprehensive of want. ''If the fall wheat fails," says the little book referred to, "he replaces it with spring wheat ; and our seasons are so peculiar that some crops are always certain to be productive." * * * Those whose capital invested in it is their own, are sure to increase their means and wealth. * * ^ * • If a farmer determines to keep out of debt, and be satisfied with what/his farm yields, independence in a few years will be the result." The above extracts are intended for the benefit of the emi- graQts in general, — ^men of small means, or with no capital, — and fihow what maybe expected by generally the least wealthy who set- tie in a new country. From the many instances of success under my observation, (particularly of formerly totally destitute colored persons,) I &rm\y believe that with an axe and a little energy, an independent position would result in a short period. The cost of oler*mg wild lands, is also an important item ; by that is meant put^ ting 3aad in a state to receive a crop, — it includes clearing of trees, fencing>, ^Icc. This can be done at less cost near the settled districts. <*In moderately timbered" lands, ten dollars the acre is the least for which it can be done, — ^more remote, the price varies from that to ih.%\ Catechism. mtiy, rops,' he western an for tim- rs of small lain lands, abor spent f tillage is its a ready in to three enty cords of at two afularity of that of all kll wheat ith spring re always i\ invested 1th. <»^" e satisfied ill be the ■ the emi- tal, — and whoset- sss under 3 colored lergy, an le cost of 3ant put^ of trees, districts, least for that to NOTBS Oil' CANADA WEST. u ^Muty dollars. Though tlie prevalent opinion in the province, is, that th%soilis second to none for agricultural, purposes, yet it i» hardly possible to state the actual productiveness of the soil, as the attention has not been given to* farming that the land admits. There are, and must be for a time, few experimental and scientific faimers^ as it IS more as a means of present subsistence, than to* test the ci^paciiy of different soils, that the farmer labors te procure a crop ; though the conviction is irresistible that mdigence and moderate*competenoe must at no distant day, g;ve pkce to wealth, intelligence, and their conco«aitants. nS^^t.^'-^- *^'"''-■'■■"*''•v^ , .K GRilNS, POTATaES, TURNIPS, &C. fi^'W^.' ..A ...^.,'i ... ..r ^.„ >V .T/ 4-4- Ikv^.f ■ I ^(^ ^ Hie accompanying tat)!e ezliibilis t^e average yield' to the aere', 61 the several grains mentioned, in fallow land : \ ¥ ■:ril; ■'/.. ^^5, "I'Tp' ARTIOLES. Wheat, - - , - - Buckwheat, i^ l^" * Rye, • mtiki..i:-i^ VO. BWSH. 15 31^ ABTIOLESw Oats, - - Bariey, -' ^^ Indian Com, KG. BUSH. - - - 70 Other products yielding a profitable return, and that fontt a part of the crop in well cultivated farms generally, in the United States, are potatoes — white or Irish and sweet, — carrots, turnips, {pumpkins, (several kinds, and the best I ever saw,) squashes and tobacco. These vegetables grow very large, and are not included in what we term garden plants. I have never seen in the lajrge markets of our northern cities, vegetables of the class here mentioned, to equal them in the general, except the sweet potato. The Irish potato grows much larger, and is in every respect superior j so of the others. Tobaeeo grows finely, and meets with ready sale at what would be called a high price with us. These articles, I repeat, areol the finest des- cription, and have not, of oourse, the pithy and stringy charaoteris- tics so general in the same kind with us. It is dii&3ult to get «t the average yield of such things, except potatoes^ and ti^niips, but a 6itt c^op will convey the MjUik. 12i NOTES OF CANADA WEST. iitf^J ..; >,*,.=^-r«'^ GARDEN VEGETABLES, fee. -;,r>ffT • . i| yThe most abundant are tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, be^ts, cm- bage and cauliflower, egg-plants, beans, peas, leeks, celery, lettuce, asparagus, melons, (water-melons and musk-melons,) cantelopes and spiinage. There are other vegetables, but they have been mentioned elsewhere. These articles, excepting- water-melons and cantelopes, are cultivated with as great success, at least, as in the United States, and the specimens ^nerally seen in the gardens and market-places are decidedly superior. ■ '^'*^ **^ '^^'^ ^^^ ,^^h'immh Oif ^iMm FRUITS— VINES— BERRIES. Canada is empbatically a fruit country. The fruits of New York, Michigan and New Jersey, have long been famous: but if comparison is fairly instituted, pre-eminence will be the award to the Province.^ Apples grow in abundance, wild and cultivated, from the diminutive crab to the highly flavored bell-flower and pippin ; and pears, plums and clierries, in many varieties. The extent to which fruit is culti- vated> and the yield, are incredible. Egg and blue plums are raised with ease, and strawberries, raspberries, grapes, whortleberries, and in fact all of the fruits seen in our markets, are plentiful. Other ideas thai! those of a barren soil, and scarcity of products, are induced when visiting the market-places of Toronto, Hamilton and other large towns. At Toronto> may be seen one of the best markets in America in every way — the supplies furnished by the farmers of their own agri- cultural districts. At the State Fair, held in Detroit, Michigan, 1851, the first prizes, for fruits, fowls, and cattle, were awarded to Canada farmers ; so of the Fair held in Western New York during the sam^ ki **■*! ^ IK)MESTIC ANIMALS— FOWLS— GAME. V^ Iti the general, the horses are not of that Jarge siz6 found in the ' 3lidd!e and Western States, but are of medium size, particularly those wised by the ; French ; yet, occasioually, one may, see larg6 horses^ am^ng them, and cattle, sheep, etc., also. The size 6f cattle seems jiot to afiect their market value as beef and mutton, it being thought by epicu/es to be of the best quality. I speak of the French in this tbe^ ipric ;mai I hei\ h »*ons, beets, cig- celeiy, lettuce, )cantelopesan(t been mentioned and cant«Iope8, United States, market-place* of New Yoi],, t if comparison the Province, he diminutive pears, plums fruit is culti^ 'ns are raised eberries, and Other ideas aduced when We towns, "^erica in ir own agri- %an, 1851, ■ to Canada g: the same ^d in the ariy those r^ horses tie seems r thought li in this NOTES OF CANADA WEST. 19 tion, because it is well known, they form no inconsiderable part le ptffmlation. Among English, and other farmers, more atten- tion is paid to improving stock — competition is as spiritedly carried )n as in the States, consequently cattle and horses of the finest kinds, sas to size and repute, are owned by them. The Canadian pony, with them, gives place to the fine English draft and carriage horse, and Durham and other kine of celebrity are justly appreciated. The ^ pride of Canadian farmers, as shown in a fine selection of such ani- [mals, is not at all less than that of their * 'American'* neighbors : a& before said, the highest premiums given, for superior cattle and sheep atBochester and Detroit, in 1861, were received by Canada farmers. To understand fully the resources of the Canadas in this particular, both as to quantity and quality, for labor or other purposes, a view of the well stocked farms, with their swarms of horses, oxen, cows, sheep and hogs, would well repay a visit to the country, to those skep- tical on these points, or to see the excellent beef, mutton, veal and pork, exposed for sale— unsurpassed any where for quality and abundance. Prices vary as elsewhere, according to demand, but ordinarily they are : ■■*f^i^mm^^^i^'m . :-.^ ^- .^^ ♦Beef, ^, Muttons Pork, 5 4 6 and 6 " «< i-:-^if>''i^f^i^m-^'i. (( :M m-' hii.W Again, the butter and cheese, derived directly from these animals, must be* and are, superior, from the nature of the pasture and other food eaten; though, from the circumstance of recent settlement, means cf disposal and abundance, matters in the housewife's depart- , ment are not generally so thoroughly conducted as in more populous and older settled countries, where a competition of tastes and judg- ment, in managing these articles and arranging for the market, is freely indulged. The comparative cost of keeping stock is little, the summer pastures affording ample hr that season ; in winter, many mark their horses, and turn them out in the woodlands and open *Fric^ of meat are not nniform, as before said, and owing to the increased demand prices have risen very recently, to the ordinary price in the States. That, of conrse, wiUnotbethB.nttehence£(»ih,batwill be determinedly thesupply. 14 KOTSa OF OANADA WEST. country, wbero they never fail of a supply of roots ahdi git|iiM||. Numbers are seen in mid- winter, looking as well as those h/MMed 4P fed. The snow» protect the grasses, and from their peculiar length and frequency, animals subsist well on the matter they are thus en- abled to get by removing them, and from the early giowth of shrtdtw in the woods. The farms generally, have chickens, turkeys, gees*, and other fowls, in great numbers ; and they meet with a ready sale -^prices are generally for poultry twashtUings and two and siz-penc« the pair, when in great plenty ; eggs 10 cents and t3^ cents the doz^ en, and may be disposed of in any quantity to the traders without leaving the farm : niunerous hucksters go< in all directions through the country to purchase, to sell again in the large cities. In the winter, these articles, in common with vegetables and other commodities, are often sold at a rate that in the United States would be called higjby the rapidly increasing population making the ordinary simply insuf- ficient. Geese uniformly command two shillings ; turkeys one dol-^ lar, domesticated or wild. There is an abundance of game, snd turkeys meet with ready sale. Hunting is much the custom of all classes, and ducks, squirrels, (black,) pigeons, (^er, hares, quails,, pheasants, and other game, are brought down in great nunkbers. Wild animals are not troublesome, though in remote districts, an occasional bear or wolf is seen ; foxes also*make depredations ^.ttones^ but not frequently. at a ma) ace fan 'A:.- Hat 'H >£l i'X PmC^lS OF LAND IN THE COUNTRY— CITY PROPERTY, &C. *"^e country in the vicinity of Toronto and to the eastward, beihg thickly settled, (farms being advertised "thirty miles on Yonge street,") the price of property is, of course, very much higher than in the western districts^ City property varies according to location — two hundred dollars the foot, is the value of lots in good position in Toronto : in the suburbs very fine lots may be had at reasonable rates. Farms, at a few miles distant, range from thirty to* fifty dol- lars the acre— fifty dollars being thought a fair Jrice for the best quality of land with improvements ; but in the western districts, farms may be bought for one thousand dollars, superior in every way, to- «* JNOTSS OF CANADA W.BBT. i hMned^gl iliar length tre thus en- 1 of shrubs eys, gees*, ready 8a]» i six-peno» ts the doz- ers without irough the ^e winter, xiities, are «ed high, )ply insuf- 's one dol- rame, and torn of all >s, quails,, nuinbers^ itriets, an rattimes^ •di t>eing s Yonge lier than ■ ■ 1 ». ;ation->-» sition m sonable % dol- .■V'.-.- ihe hest » farms yay, to«^ 16 • fami9 near the city of Toronto, that are hold at fire thousand. Im- WptlMli^iaBds, near Chatham, London, Hamilton, and other towns Hmk, mMil^e bought at prices varying from ten up to one hundred : at a few miles distant, uncleared lands, belonging to Government, may be had by paying one dellar sixty -two cents, two, and two fifty, according to locality — well timbered and watered, near cultivated farms on the river and lake shore. Thousands of acres, of the very best land in the Provmce, are now in the market at the above prices, and either in the interior, or weU situated as to prospect from the lakes, and near excellent markets. The land i& laid out in what are called concessions, these concessions, or blocks, being sub-divided into lots. There is, therefore, a TLuiformity of aj^^earanoe throughout in the farms, and no contest about roads 4»n individual property can result— the roads being designed to benefit equally contiguous prop* erty, and under jurisdiction of "Government One hundred acres is the swallest quantity to be had of Government, but individual holders sell in quantities to suit purchasers. Large quantities of land are held by individuals, though at a higher rate generally than that held by Government ; and their titles are ssdd to be often defective. In every respect, the preference should be for purchases of Government — ^land is cheaper, as well situated, and below a specified number of acres, may not be bought ; a prohibition of advantage to many who would buy, as there is induced a spirit of enterprise and competition^ and a sense of responsibility. Too many are now indepeitdenUy drag- ging along miserably, on the few acres, ten, twenty, or such a mat- ter, bought at the high rates «f individual holders', in a country in which the prices must, fot a long time, require more land in process of culture, to afford a comfortable support. There is every induce- ment to buy, (near or in towns, as well as in the country, as land is cheap, business increasing, with the steady increase of population, n^ lack of employment at fair prices, and no complexional or other qucd- ification in ezisteaice. - LABOBr-TRADES. In Canada, as in other recently settled countries, there is much to *do, and comparatively few for the work. The numerous to^T.;.i and 16 aOTES OF CANADA W£8T. villages springing tip, and the great demand for timber and aglicul' turul products, make labor of every kind plenty : all trades. Ihat are practiced in tlie United States, arc there patronized by y^tSff^o^j^ carried on — no man's complexion affecting his business. If a colored man understands his business, he receives the public patronage the same as a white man. He is not obliged to work a little better, and at a lower rate — there is no degraded class to identify him with, therefore every man's work stands or falls according to merit, not as is his color. Builders, and other tradesmen, of different complexions, work together on the same building and in the same shop, with per- fect harmony, and often the proprietor of an establishment is colored, and the majority or all of the men employed are white. Businesses that in older communities have ceased to remunerate, yield a large per centage to the money invested. The mineral resources of the Canadas not being developed, to any extent, for fuel wood is generally used, and a profitable trade in that commodity is carried on ; and besides lumber for buildings, the get- ting out of materials for staves, coopers' stuff, and various purposes, affords steady employment and at fair prices, for cash. This state of things must increase, and assume more importance in Canada mar- kets, as the increasing population of the western United States bum and otherwise appropriate their timber. Kailroads are in process of construction — steamboats now ply between Toronto and the several towns on the lakes ; and in process of time, iron and other works will be in operation, it is said, all requiring their quota, and of course keeping up the demand. Bbards for home and, foreign markets, are successfully manufactured, and numerous mill-sites are fast being appropriated to saw and grist mills. In some sections, colored men are engaged in saw mills on their own account. At Dawn, a settle* ment on the Suydenham, (of which hereafter,) and at other points, this tradfe is prosecuted with profit to them. To enumerate the dif- ferent occupations in which colored persons are engaged, even in detail, would but fatigue, and would not further the end in view, namely : To set forth the advantage of a residence in a country, in which chattel slavery is not tolerated, and prejudice of colw has no 1 ■^-rt:^.'*** •^"'*<*^' ' and Agrienl- If a colored atronage the > better, and y him with, nerit, not as omplexions, >» with per- is colored. Businesses sM a large 5ed, to any ade in that s, the get- purposes, (lis state of nada mar- ates bum process of © several rorks will 3f course •tets, are «t being >i*ed men a settle- f points, the dif- even in in view, ntry, in has no KOTES OF CANADA WEST. 17 exUtence vlHitcver — the adaptation of tlmt countr}% by climate, soil, and politiw character, to their pliysical and political necessities ; and .,i^iy||i|dpny of a residence there over their present position at kome. It will sufficie, that colored men prosecute all the different trades ; are store keepers, farmers-, clerks, and laborers ; and are not only unmo- lested, but sustained and encouraged in any business for Avhich their qualifications and means fit them ; and as the resources of the coun- try develop, new fields of enterprise will be opened to them, and •consequently new motives to honorable effort. CHURCHES— SCHOOLS . In the large towns and cities, as in similar communities in other Christian countries, the means for religious instruction are ample. There are "Costly churches in which all classes and complexions wor- ship, and no ** negro pew," or other seat for colored persons, espe- cially. I was forcibly struck, when at Toronto, with the contrast the religious community there presented, to our own larg^^ body of Ame- rican Christians. In the churches, originally built by the white Ca- nadians, the presence of colored persons, promiscuously seated, elicited no comment whatever. They are members, and visitors, and as such have their pews according to their inclination, near the door, or remote, or central, as best suits them. The number of colored persons, attending the churches with whites, constitutes a minority, I think. They have their *' own churches/' That that is the feature in their policy, which is productive of mischief to the entire body, is evident enough ; and the opinion of the best informed and most in- fluential among them, in Toronto and the large towns, is decided and universal. I have heard men of many years residence, and who have, in a measure, been moulded by the better sentiment of society, express deep'sorrow at the Course of colored persons, in pertinaciously refusing overtures of religious fellowship from the whites ; and in the face of all experience to the contrary, erecting Colored Methodist, and Baptist, and other Churches. This opinion obtains aii^ojgst many who, when in the United States, were connected with colored churches. Aside from their caste character, their influence on the 3 . 'm'ij wl < . NOTES OF OANAnA WEST. li ■■ 'II » '■ inOnii- 9m stored people ib fatal. The chak'acterof the exclusive ol rla tends to perpetuate ignorance, both of their true posit Hiibjects, and of the Christian religion in its purity. If to observe thoughtfully tlie workings of that incipient Canadian African Church, of whatever denotfiination, ) in its present ittiperfect state, without seriously regretting that it should have been thought njBcessary to call it into existence. In her bosom is nurtured the long-standing and rankling prejudices, and hatred against whites, Avithout exception, that had their origin in American oppression, and that should have been left in the country in which they originated — 'tis that species of animosity that is not bounded by geographical lines, nor suffers discrimination. A goodly portion of the people in the western part of the Province, (for there are but few in the eastern,) are enjoying superior religious opportunities, but the majority greatly need active missionary efiort : first, to teach them love to their neighbor ; and. again, to give them an intelligent and correct understanding of the Sacred Scriptures. The missionary strength, at present, consists of but six preachers — ;§etdv« and efficient gentlemen, all of them, and self-sacrificing in the last degree ; and several women engaged in teaching, under the same ^fyi^spices. Much privation, suffering, opposition, and aorrow await /l^e Kiissibnaiy in that field. If it were possible^ for him to foresee lifdat is in store f6r him there, a mission to India, or the South Sea Islands, would be preferable ; for, in that case, the sympathy of the .^^t\e, community is enlisted, and his sojourn is made as pleaisant as j^ssibie — the people to whom he is sent, are either as little children, ^ipapliB apd confiding, or out-right savages ; and in that case, deadly tHlveinies. In this less remote field — almost in speaking distance — ]|t f'cxclasiveness." The colored people of that section petitioned, when the Schod Law was under revision, that they might have separate schools : there were counter petitions hy those opposed, and tO' satisfy all parties, twelve freeholders among them, can, by following a prescribed form, demand a school ^or their children ; but if other schools, under patronage of Government, exist, (as Catholic or Protestant,) they can cliemaiid admission into them, if they have not one. They are not compelled to hare a colored sehool. The following is that portion of the School, law that directly reliates to them :. "And be it enacted, That it shall be the duty of the l|umoil{)i^> Council of ai^y township, and of the Board of School Trustees olfi^f city, town or i^C)p)orated village, on th^ application in wftlwg 0f twelve or more remdent heads of families, to authorise the e8||Mi||i- me|it of one or more separate schook for Protestants, Boipm Q(i#^ lies or (Bolor^ people, and, in such case, it shall prescribe th# lii^inl the divisions or actions for such school, and shfill ms^ ^^ sa^^ proyisions for the holing of the first meeting for the;elec<«Qn|Of Tfm- tee^ of each suph separate school or schools, as is pm^^^^ in tlie fourth section of this Act for holding th6 fira^t school meMiog in a new scho<>l section : Provided always, th»^e?ich 6epar|kt(|j «j)iool sha^go < ■ !>!<■ i »wi i ' ii»a" N0TI8 or CANADA \yj£8T. into operation at the same time with alterations in Hchooi shall be under the same regttlations in respect to tht whom such school is permitted to bo established, as a1 schools generally : Provided, secondly, tliat none but c( lore'! •^'=?oplo shall be allowed to vote for tlie election of Trustees cX iiie eparate school for their children, and none but the parties petitioBing for tho establishment of, or sending children to a separate i^rotestant or Ro- maii Catholic school, shall vote at the election of Trusteean attendance of pupils for both sum- mer and winter being taken, ) as compared with tho average attend- ance of pupils attending the common schools in such city, town, vil- lage or township : Provided, fourthly, that no Protestant separate "chool shall be allowed in any school division, except when the teacher of the common school is a Roman Catholic, nor shall any Ro- man Catholic separate school be allowed ci^jcpt \v>.on the teacher of the common school is a Protestant." Afl before said, the facilities for obtaining a liberal education, are ami>^« in the larg^ towns and cities. In Toronto, students of all com| i'^arions associate together, in the better class schools and colle- ges, 7b<: o^=jratioi» of missionaries being chiefly among colored, pecp'iv;;, thty haveeiiablished several schools in connection with their laboc J, yei. they are open to children without exception. The colored o^iiiliAon schools have more of a compknonal character than the pri- vile, id^iiefa, with no exception that I have heard of, are open to all; Tti# Aet of Parliament above refert^ to, was designed to afford the IttlfesSt and ttiost equable facilitieis for instruction to all, and that par- tiottlir clause was insei>ted with the view to satisfy them, though less .iol)jeel^onablerto'the body of them, than what they asked for. <^l fugitives, in some instances, settled on Government land be- ^Mri it came into market, cleared away and improved it. Their friends eHfliHUshed schools which were flourishing, when they were obliged to tip, and the|NK>pleto disperse, because of inability to purchase iona, and NOTEB OF CANADA WK»T. tf U; C( !or*"' ^oplo r the 'Cparate m'mg for tlio testant or Ro- iiste<'s f'f such mt, or Homan in the school ttending each for both sum- 'erage attcnd- ity, town, vil- itant separate ipt when the shall any Ro- he teacher of iducation, are udents of all ols and coUe- nong colored, on with their The colored than the pri- open to all; to afford the nd that par- though less or. ent land be- rheir friends re obliged to to purchase i; I ether Jlons buying. This cause luis, in a rrraKMrc', rc-tnrdeift jjjllllljJMpgeneral informutiun amongst tlu'm. |g3Hp|K, twenty or jnoro families arc often settled near on(^ an- other, or interspersed among the French, Dutch, fcjcotcb, Irish and Indians, in the woodland districts: often, English is not spoken. There may not bo an EngJish school, and all rcA el Ujgether in happy ignorance. Nothing but the sound of the nxe, ; iwl their own crude ideas of independence, to inspire them, unless it .>e an Indian camp tire occasionally. This may be rather an uninvitin ; state of aflfairs to tliose living in crowded cities, but it is true there arc numerous grown up families, of white and colored, who do not know 1' But as uninter- esting as is the detail, in this particular aspect of rhisc affairs, t^io signs are encouraging. If they went to labor honenily, in a region semi-barbarous, tliey have eut their way out, and are now able to^ make themselves heard in a demand for religious in^ ructors of the right kind, and schools. Many efficient persons have devoted their time and talents to their instruction, but there has not been anything like an equal number to the work : neither are they often found to have materials to work with. Individuals in the United States often send books to those most needy, yet they are usually of sueh a char- acter as to be utterly useless. I have often thought, if it is really a bene- volent act w send old almanacs, old novels, and all manjior of obsolete bouks to them, what good purpose was accomplished, o* even what sort of vanity was grtitilSed, by emptying the useless their Canadian holmes/ i^ i; ' M I ! P \ ? ■I li il f ' Is h 22 KOTBS OF CANADA WEST. SETTLEMENTS,— DAWN,— ELGIN,— INSTITUTION,— FU( Much has been said of the Canada colored settlemei liave been expressed by many, that by cncouragiog ments, the attempt to identify colored men with degraded men of like color in the States would result, and as a conSeC|tienee, estrange- ment, suspicion, and distrust would be induced. Such would inevita- bly be the result, and w^ill be, shall they determine to have entirely proscriptive settlements. Those in existence, so far as I h^-ve been able to get at facts, do not exclude whites from their vicinity ; bat that settlements may not be established of that character, is not so certain. Dawn, on the Siiydenhara river, Elgin, or King's Settle- ment, as it is called, situated about ten miles from C^iatham, are settlements in which there are regulations in regard to morals, the purchase of lands, etc., bearing only on the colored people ; but whites are not excluded because of dislike. When purchase was made of the lands, many white families were residents, — at least, lo- cations were not selected in which none resided. At first, a few sold out, fearii|g that such neighbors might not be agreeable ; others, and they the majority, concluded to remain, and the result attests their superior judgment. Instead of an increase of vice, prejudice, im- providence, laziness, or a lack of energy, that many feared would ch9ff|cterize them, the infrequency of violations of law among so many, is unprecedented ; due attention to moral and intellectual culture has been given ; the former prejudices on the part of ike whites^ has given place to a perfect reciprocity of religious and social iAteroomiiiunieati(m. Schools are patronized equally ; the gospel is common, and hospitality is shared alike by all. The school for tliQ^ettiers, fit Elgin, is so far superior to the one established for white cjhijblrenr that the latter was discontinued, and, as before said, all send together, and visit in common thie Presbyterian church, ther€ estsb*; U^d. , Soof Pawn ; thftt settlement is exceedingly flourishing, and %\^ moiral influence it exerts is good, though, owing to some recent arrangeinents, regulations designed to further promote its importance are being made. Land has increased in value in those settlements. .f*fbpei'ty that was worth but little, from the superior- culture given be % NOTSfi OF CANADA WEST*. S3 I J)y colored! creftsing di fmaded men of nee, estrange- -I "ouW inevita- Bare entirely I h^vebeen vicinity; bnt ^r, ia not so Jng*8 Settfe- -"hatbam, are > morals, the people; but »Qrchase was -at least, lo- *» a few sold others, and attests their Bjudice,im- ared would among so intellectual art of the and social he gospel school for [ for white U all send Jre estab- hiiig,and ►e recent poftance fements. fe given sons over the method before practiced, nn^thein* es for country homes, is held much higher. Another rth a passing notice, is, that a spirit of competition is eir vicinity. Efforts are now put forth to produce more to the acre^ aind to have the land and tenements present a tidy appear*^ ance. That others than those designed to be benefitted by the or- gaaizatiosn, should be, is not reasonable, else might persons, not meHi- bers of a society justly claim equal benefits with members. If Irish- men should subscribe to certa^ regulations on purchasing laDid, no neighboring landholders could rightfully share with them in the re- sult of that organization. But prejudice would not be the cause of '' *-' ^"^ »"« ania!it8favoy, all the objec- good ag^aiBst i' k weJI hem eolored *th,--*eoase- States, aad naained had 'S, or where rifice; they ettleonthe *1 freedom, Isgrace at* 'ortunities^ ions north, itemptfor ^^^y have ot rooted w free or ot be as discord 1 made, >t likely in the n, with bases ; 'm neither dcMK contemplate large blocks, exclusively, but, as in the rst purchiip land, wherever found, and in small parcels also. From nature of the many settlements, (as fugitive homes,) enTr*s!iall be known for what use it is wanted, individual holders will not sell but for more than the real value, thus embarrassing poor men who would have bought on time, and as an able pwchaser from government, the society must have a first choice. The objections in common with other settlements, are : the individual supervision of resident agents, and the premium indirectly oflfered for good beha- vior. **We are free men," say they who advocate independent ejQfort, ** we, as other subjects, are amenable to British laws ; we vish to observe and appropriate to ourselves, ourselves, whatever of good there is in the society around us, and by our individual efforts, to at- tain to a respectable position, as do the many foreigners who land on the Canada shores, as poor in purse as we were ; and we do not w^irt agents to beg for us." The accompanying are articles in the Con- stitutions .' « 1 >,.M < fi;'.^_f"i;' Tti.jjr- -■. ./ '.Wf?(w.'«V*/ ■if.^%^ Article 2. The object of this society shall be to obtain permanent homes for the refugees in Canada, and to" promote their moral, so- cial, physical, intellectual, and political elevation. Article 11. This society shall not deed lands to any but actual settlers, who are refugees from southern slavery, and who are the owners of no land. • Article 12. All lands purchased by this society, shall be divided into twenty-five acre lots, or as near as possible, and at least one-tenth of the purchase price of which shall be paid down by actual'sMer^ before possession is given, and the balance to be paid in equal annual instalments. i^m^'M*.: Article 13. One-third of all money paid in for land by settlers, shall be used for educational purposes, for the benefit of said settlers* children, and the other two-thirds for the purchase of more lands for the same object, while chattel slavery exists in the United States. BY-LAWS. No person shall receive more than five acres of land from this so: ciety, at less than cost. , ft' 26 MOTBS OF CANADA WEST;- •tp: '■ I' ( Article 4. No person shall be allowed to remove anj^limber from said land until the j have first made payment thereon. These are the articles of most importance, and, as will contemplate more than fifty thousand acres continual purcEases, slavery shall cease ; and other terms, as will be seen by Art. 13 of Con., and Art. 4, By-Laws, than most fugitives just from slavery can comply with, (as destitute women with families, old men, and single women,) until after partial familiarity with their adopted country. This, say many colored Canadians, begins not to benefit until a man has proven his ability to act without aid, ^nd is fit for political equal- ity by his own industry, that money will get for him at any time. * POLITICAL RIGHTS— ELECTION LAW—OATH— CURRENCY. There is no legal discrimination wl)atever effecting colored emi- grants in Canada, nor from any cause whatever are their privileges sought to be abridged. On taking proper measures, the most ample redress can be obtained. The following " abstracts of acts," bearing equally on all, and observed fully by colored men qualified, will give an idea of the measures given them :* " The qualifications of voters at municipal elections in townships, are freeholders and householders of the township or ward, entered on the roll for rateable real property, in their own right or that of their wives, as proprietors or tenants, and resident at the time in the township or ward." " In towns, freeholders and householders for rateable real property !n tbdr own rames or that of their wives, as proprietors or tenants to the amount of £5 per annum or upwards, resident at the time in the ward. The property qualification of town voters may consist partly of freehold and partly of leasehold." In villages it is £3 and upwards, with freehold or leasehold ; in cities £,Z. The Ittws regulating, elections, and relating to electors, are not ^»milar in the two Canadas ; but colored persons are not affected by mk more than others. '^Scobies' Casadian Almanac for 1653. NOTES OF CANADA WEST. £7 urchaees, y Art. 13 of sl&Tery can k» and single ed country, until a man tical equal- ^ time. ■ 3NCY. ►lored emi- privileges Qost ample /* bearing U "will give ownships, I. entered r that of 3Ae in the property enants to le in the »t partly- old ; in are not ted by « No p9iM| )3ball be entitled to vote at county elections, wf o has not vested^MPhim, by legal title, real property in said county of the 4^l^l^yg||rl| value of forty-four shillings and five pence and one far- g, currency. Title to be in fee simple or freehold under tenure of free and common soccage, or in Jief in raiure, or in f ram alien, or de- rived from the Governor and Council of the late Province of Quebec, or Act of Parliament' Qualification, to be effective, requires actual and uninterrupted possession on the part of the elector, or that he should have been in receipt of the rents and profits of said property for his own use and benefit at least six months before the date of the writ of election. But the title will be good without such anterior pos- session, if the property shall have come by inheritance, devis3, mar*' riage or contract of marriage, and also if the deed or patent from the Crown on which he holds to claim such estate in Upper Canada, have been registered three calendar months before the date of the writ of election. In Lower Canada, possession ofi^he property under a writ- ten promise of sale registered, if not a notarial deed, for twelve month* before the election, to be sufficient title to vote. In Upper Canada, a conveyance to wife after marriage must have been registered three calendar months, or husband have been in possession of property six months before election." "Only British subjects of the full age of twenty-one are allowed to vote. Electors ma^'^ remove objection by producing certificate, or by taking the oath." These <}ontain no proscriptive provisions, and there are none. Col- ored men comply with these provisions and vote in the administiratioii of afi'airs. There is no difference made whatever ; and even in the slight malter <^f taking the census it is impossible to get at the exact number of whites or colored, as they are not designated as- such* There is, it is true, petty jealousy nianifested at times by individuals, which is made use of by the designing; but impartiality and strict/ justice characterise proceedings at law, and the bearing of the laws. The oath, as prescribed by law, is as follows : ■ " I, A. B., do sincerely promise and swear,* that I will bear fai^- ful and true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, as laV^I ■n. t' 28 . NOTES OF CANADA WEST. Sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britian ailplreland, and of this Province of Canada, dependent on and belongirillto the said United Kingdom, and that I will defend her to the utt^|pni||^Jr power against all traitors, conspiracies and attempts whatever shall b6 made against Her Person, Crown and Dignity, and that I will do my utmost endeavor to disclose and make known to Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors all treasons and traitorous con- spiracies and attempts which I shall know to be against Her or any of them, and all this I do swear without any equivocation, mental evasion, or secret reservation, and ,renouncing all pardons and dispen*- sations from persons whatever, to the contrary. So help me God.'' * "The Deputy Returning Officer may administer oath of allegiance to persons who, according to provisions of any Act of Parliament, shall become, on taking such oath, entitled to the privileges of British birth in the Province." ** Persons knowing themselves not to be qualified, voting at elec- "tions, incur penalty of £10 ; and on action brought, the burden of proof shall be on the defendant. Such votes null and void." *' The qualifications of Municipal Councillors are as follows : — Township Councillor must be a freeholder or householder of the township or ward, * * * as proprietor or tenant rated on the roll, in case of a freeholder for j£lOO or upwards ; householder for £200 or upwards : Village Councillor, in case of a freeholder, for £10 or upwards ; a householder for £20 and upwards : Town ' Councillor, in case of a freeholder £20 per annum ; if a householder to the amount of £40 and upwards. The property qualification of Town Councillors may be partly freehold and partly leasehold." A' tenant voter in town or city must have occupied h"^ actual resi- dence, as a separate tenant, a dwelling house or houses for twelve months, of the yearly value of £i 1 2s. l^d. currency, and have paid a year's rent, or that amount of money for the twelve months imme- diately preceding the date of election ivrit. A person holding onfy a shop or place of business, but not actually residing therein, is not en^tled to vote. And a voter having changed his residence within, the^^wn during the year, does not aiOfect his right to vote, but must vot4;in the ward in which h^ resides on the day. mff freland, and ^to the said tever wIM and that I 5wn to Her orous con- fer or any )n, mental md dispen- me God." allegiance arliament, of British gatelec- t)urden of Hows : — 3r of the d on thf» >lder for Ider, for Town ieholder ■ation of [d." al resi- twelve ' ve paid imme- only a is not Within. ; must N0TB8 OP CANADA WE8T. 29 -^ ARTICLES EXEMrT TROM Dl'TY. The foUoiiJiig arc some of the articles exempt from duty on impor- lode^ of machinery and other inventions and improvements in the arts. Horses and carriages of travelers ; and horses, cattle and carriages and other vehicles when employed in carrying merchandize, togetiier with the necessary harness and tackle, so long as the same shall be bona fide in use for that purpose, except the horses, cattle, carriages and harness of persons hawking goods, wares and merchan- dize through the Province for the purpose of retailing the same, and the horses, cattle, carriages and harness of any circus or equestrian troop for exhibition ; the horses, cattle, carriages and harness of any to be free." " Donations of clothing specially imported for the use of or to be distributed gratuitously by any charitable society in this Province." " Seeds of all kinds, farming utensil« and implements of husbandry, when specially imported in good feith by any society incorporated or established for the encouragement of agriculture," *' Wearing apparel in actual use, and other personal effects not merchandize; horses and cattle; implements and tools of trade of handicraftsmen." * * * " Trees, shmbs, bulbs and roots ; wheat and Indian com ; animals specially imported for the improvement of stock ; paintings, drawings, maps, busts, printed books, (not foreign reprints of British copy- right works,) ashes, pot and pearl, and soda." * ' CURRENCY OF* CANADA. OOLD. The British Sovereign when of full weight, U. S. Eagle, coined before 1st July 1884, U. S. Eagle, between 1st of July, 1834, and 1st of July CURRENCY. £1 4s 4d. £1 13s ^d 1851, SILVER, British Crown, Half cr^wn, Shilling, Sixpence, The dollar. Half " U. S. qutfrier dollar, Other •' U, S. eighth << Gs 3 1 5 2 1 1 Id 2 H 1 H s u £2 10s Od SILVER. Other eighth silver dollar, Os 6d U. S. sixteenth dollar, Other « " a Five franc piece, 4 COPPER. British penny, ^ , halfpenny, farthing, (« 3 8 30 NOTES OF CANADA WEST. •ABSTRACT OP LAW OF SUCCESSION IN UPPErCANADA. ♦ * * "Be it therefore enacted, &c., That wtilpMiver, on or after the first day of January, which will be in the yeaihllf ^^gfjM^^ one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, any person shall die siezed in fee simple or for the life of another of any real estate in Upper Can- ada, without having lawfully devised the same, such real estate shall descend or pass by way of succession in manner following, that is to say: Firstly — ^To his lineal descendants, and those claiming by or under themt per stirpes. Secondly — To his fatlier. Thirdly — ^To his mother : and Fourthly — ^To his collateral relatives. Subject in all cases to the rules and regulations hereinafter pre- scribed. . 2. " That if the intestate shall leave several descendant^ in the direct line of lineal descent, and all of equal degree of consanguinity to such intestate, the inheritance shall descend to such persons in equal parts, however remote from the intestate the common degree of consanguinity may be. 3. " That if any of the children of such intestate be living, and any be d6ad, the inheritance shall descend to the children who are living, a^d to the descendants of such children as shall have died, so that each child who shall be living shall inherit such share as would have descended to him if all the children of the intestate who shall have died, leaving isi^ue, had been living, and so that the descendants of each child who shall be dead shall inherit the share which their pa* rents would have received, if living, in equal shares. *' 18. That children and relatives who are illegitimate shall not be entitled, to inherit under any of the provisions of this Act." THE THIRTY THOUSAND COLORED FREEMEN OF CANADA. The colored subjects of her Majesty in the Canadas are, in the general, in good •ircumstance^, that is, there are few cases of positive ^,M and 15 Vic. Cap. 6—1851. Scobie. i destitution i settled pr NOTES OF CANADA WIST. f 31 found among those permanently settled. They are uously in cities, towns, villages, and the farming dis* equal number of colored men in the States, north or south, can produce more freeholders. They are settled on, and own portions of the best farming lands in the province, and own much val- uable property in the several cities, etc. There is, of course, a differ* ence in the relative prosperity and deportment in different sections, but a respect for, and observance of the laws, is conceded to them by all ; indeed, much indifference on the part of whites has given place to genuine sympathy, and the active abolitionists and liberal men of the country, look upon that element in their character as affording ground for hope of a bright future for ihem, and. as evidence that their sympathy for the free man is not misplaced, as more than compensa* tion for their own exertions for those yet in bonds. I have said, there is but little actual poverty among them. They are engaged in the different trades and other manual occupations. They have a paper conducted by the Rev. Henry Bibb, and other able men, white and colored, are laboring amopg them, and in view of the protection afford* ed, there is no good reason why they should not prosper. After the passage of the fugitive law, the sudden emigration of several thou- sand in a few months, destitute as they necessarily were, from having, in many instances, to leave behind them all they possessed, made not a little suffering for a brief period, (only among them,) and the report of their condition had an injurious bearing upon all the colored set- tlers. Clothing, provisions, and other articles were sent them, but often so disposed of, or appropriated, as not to benefit those for whom intended. Distrust of agents, indiscriminately, and altogether but little real good has followed from the charity. The sensible men among them, seeing the uad results from a general character for pov- erty a,nd degradation, have not been slow to expj^ess their disappro- bation in the social circle, in meetings, and through the public papers. The following extracts express fully the sentiments of nine-tenths of the colored men of Canada ; they think they are fully able to live without begging. There are others (very ignorant people,) who think "»•« 32 N0TE8 OV CANADA WEST. clifferontly, as ihem will bo in all communities, though ^thiyy ore in the minority. There are those, also, and they are a rcspect|ble minority^ (in point of numbers,) who are in favor of distinctive oliurfli^M |^ schools, and of bein^ entirely to themselves ; they will conno in for especial notico^but first, let us hear the people of Buxton and othar places : - ^ "if facts would bear out the statements made, the fugitives wouW have little to choose between slavery on one side of the line, ami starvation on the other: but we rejoice that he is noi reduced to the alternative. The man who is willing to work need not suffer, and unless a man supports himself he will neither be indep v dent nor re- spectable in any coun.try." * * * "The cry that has been often raise'J, that wo could not support ourselves, is a foul slander, got up by our enemies, and circulated both on this and the other side of the line, io our prejudice. Having lived many years in Canada, we hesi- tate not to say that all who are able and willing to work, can make a good living." * * ♦ Itis time the truth should be known con- cerning the relief that has been sent to the "suffering fugitives in Canada," and to what extent it has been applietl. The boxes of clothing and barrels of provisions which have been sent in, from time to time, by the praiseworthy, but misguided zeal of friends in the Uni- \ed States, has been employed to support the idle, who are too lazy to work, and who form but a small portion of the colored population in Canada. There are upwards of thirty thousand colored persons in Canada West, and not more than three thousand of them have ever received idd, and not more than half of them required it had they been willing to work. We 4o not think it right that twenty-seven thousand colored persoaas, who are supporting themselves by their own industiyi should lie under the disgrace of being called public beggars, when they receive nothing, and don't want anything. * * We wish the people of the United States to know that there is one portion of Canada West whiaw the colored people are self-supporting, and they wish them to s&nd neither petticoat nor pantaloons to the county of Kent. * "t ♦ ,The few cases of real want which arise NOTES QF CANADA WK8T. as ( from sickneM or old age, can, with a trifling eflfort, be relieveil here, without inaUing it a pretext for a system of wholesale bogging in the United Statei." "^^ EDWARD R. GRANTS, ) SAMUEL WICKHAM, } Committee. . ROBERT HARRIS. ) "As to the state of things in Toronto and in Hamilton, I can say, from actual observation, that extreme suflfering is scarcely known among the black people, while some who are far from being as indus* trio us and deserving as they ought to be, receive aid to which they would hardly seem entitled." — S. R. Ward'sLetUtrto the Voice of iha Fugitive, - Notwithstanding the prosperity and liberal senVunent of the ma* ^qrity, there is yet a great deal of ignorance, bigotry, prejudice* and idleness. There are those who are only interested in education to far as the establishment of separate schools, churches, 6lc., tend to make broad the line of separation they wish to make between them and the whites ; and they are active to increase their numbers, and to perpetuate, in the minds of the newly arrived emigrant or refugee, prejudices, originating in slavery, and as strong and objectionable in their manifestations as those entertained by whites towards them. £v* ery casual remark by whites is tortured into a decided and effective negro hate. The expressions of an individual are made to infer the existence of prejudice on the part of the whites, and partiality by the administrators of public affairs' The recently arrived fugitives, un- acquainted with the true state of things, is "completely convinced by the noisy philippic against all the "white folks," and all colored ones who think differently from them, and he is tlms prepared to aid dem- agogues in preventing the adoption of proper measures for the i^read of education and general, intelligence, to maintain an ascendency over the inferior minds around them, and to make the way of the missionary a path of thorns. Among thaf portion, generally, may those be found, who by their indolent habits, tend to give poiailto what of prejudice is lingering in tke minds of the whiteii; aod it is to be feared that they may take some misguided step now,;tiie^n- sequences of which will entail evil on the many who will hereafter 34 f . "!•■' T ': - -- •- NOTES OK CANADA WEST. settle in Canada. The only ground of hope is in the native good sense of those who arc now making use of the same ifi^iirumentaU- ties for improvement as are tlio whites around them. THE FRENCH ANt) FOREIGN POPULATION. The population of Canada consists of English, Scotch, French, Irish and Americans ; and, including colored persons, numbeis about 1,582,000. Of the whites, the French are in the majority, but the in- creasing emigration of Irish, Scotch, English and other Europeans, is fast bringing about ajn equality in point of numbers that will be felt in political circles. In Canada West the French are in the minority. The disposition of the peoph generally towards colored emigrants^ that is, BO far as the opinions of old settlers may be taken,, and my own observation may be allowed, is as friendly as could be looked for under the circumstances. The Yankees, in the country and in the States adjoining, leave no opportunity unimproved to embitter their miiids against them. The result is, in some sections, a contemptible sort of prejudice, which, among English, is powerless beyond the in- dividual entertaining it-»-not even affecting his circle. This grows out of the constitution of English society, in which people are not obliged to think as others do. There is more independent thought and free depression than among Americans. The affinity between the Yan- kees and French is strong ; said to grow out of similar intentions with r^pect to polHical affairs: and they express most hostility^ but it is not of a complexional character only, as that lerves as a mark to identify men of a different policy. Leaving out Yankees — having but little practical experience of colored people — they, (the French,) are pie-dispocfed, from the influence alluded to, to deal roughly with them; but in the main benevolence and a sense of justice are elements in their character. They are not averse to truth. There is a prevailing hostility to chattel slavery, aikl an honest cepresentation of the colored people : their aims and progressive character, backed by unifoncKi good conduct on their part, would in a very short time des;roy every veftig© of.prejudice in the Province. /** The public mind literally thirsts for the truth, and honest listi-rt- I NOTES OF CANADA WEST. Sd ers, ond anxious inquirers will travel many miles, crowd our country chapels, ail4 remain for hours eagerly and patiently seeking the ligh(. # » ♦ ♦ Le^ ti^y ignorance now prevalent on the subject of slavery be met by fair and full discussion, and open and thorough in- vestigation, and the apathy and prejudice now existing will soon dis* appear." — S, R. Ward. Colored persons have been refused entertainment in taverns, (inva- riably of an inferior class,) and on some boats distinction is made ; but in all cases, it is that kind of distinction that is made between poor foreigners and other passengers, on the cars and steamboats of the Northern States. There are the emigrant train and the forward deck in the United States. In Canada, colored persons, holding the same relation to the Canadians, arc in some cases treated similarly. It is an easy letter to make out a case of prejudice in any country. Wc naturally look for it, and the conduct of many is calculated to cauae unpleasant treatment, and to make it difficult for well-mannered persons to get comfortable accommodations. There is a medium bo* tween servility and presumption, that recommends itself to all per- sons of common sense, of whatever rank^ or complexion ; and if colored people would avoid the two extremes, there would be but few cases of prejudices to complain of in Canada. In cases in which tavern keepers and other public characters persist in refusing to entertain them, they can, in common with the traveling public generally, get redress at law. ^ Persons emigrating to Canada, need not hope to find the general state of society as it is in the States. There is as in the old country, a strong class feeling — lines are as completely drawn between thq different classes, and aristocracy in the Canadas is the same in its manifestations as aristocracy in England, Scotland and elsewhere. There is no approach to Southern chivalry, nor the sensitive demc^ racy prevalent at the North ; but there is an aristocracy of birth, of skin, as with Americans. In the ordinary arrangements of socijj from wealthy and titled immigrants and visitors from tl^en^ot country, down through the intermediate circles to Yankees an^ dians, it appears to have been settled by common consent, till 'ite> ,"iV 36 NOTES OP CANADA WEST. /,j'...- ctasfi should not "see any trouble over another ;" but the commoti ground on which all honest and respectable men meipt, is that of innate hatred of American Slavery. RECAPITULATION. The conclusion arrived at in respect to Canada, by an]^impartial person, is, that no settled country in America offers stronger induce- meilts to colored people. The climate is healthy, and they enjoy as good health as other settlers, or as the natives ; the soil is of the int quality ; the laws of the country give to them, at ^rst, the same pTOtecfion and |)rivileges as to other persons not bom subjects ; and alter compliance with Acts of Parliament affecting them, as taking Oftlli, 6tc»f they may enjoy full *' privileges of British Jbirth in the Province." The general tone of society is healthy ; vice is discoun- MttAtlCed, and infractions of the law promptly punished ; and, added to this, there is an increasing an ti -slavery sentiment, and a pro- gTBttsiVe system of religion. _ . U^^^l - -^fi n « ■H. THE BRITISH WEST INDIES— MEXICO- AMERICA— AFRICA. -SOUTH htducemonts have been held out by planters to colored men, to tettte in the British West Indies, and agents have been sent particu- lai^y from JamaiojBi and Trinidad, from time to time, to confer with theih on the subject. The most prominent feature in their efforts, has beki thto dii^6ct advantage to the planter from such emigration. The advaritdgeil to be derived by settlers, in a pecuniary point, from any system of emigration originathig with proprietors of estates, will be dlbitfufbi, so long as the present mode of planting, managing ^nd in- khiilg estates, continues, if the emigrants consent to be mere labor- i^tllte^ of owners of the soil. But from a system of voluntary itidh to thoio islands, di|[eirent results may be looked for. The list miiih6d would but degrade them, the latter materially elevate lire vicinity of thdse islands to the southern United States ^H necessary that they should be peopled by colored men, and w KOTES OF CANADA WEST. 37 under British protection ; in short, that thoy should be British sub* ject». The |rolicy of the dominant party in the United States, is to dtivefree colored people out of the country, and to send them to Afri- ca, only, and at the some time, to give the fullest guaranty to slave- holders, for the continuance of their system. To fulfil, to the letter, this latter, they make large calculations of a future interest in the West Indies, Honduras, and ultimately South America. They wish to consecrate to slavery and the slave power that portion of this continent ; at the same time they deprecate the vicinity of freemen. To preserve those countries from the ravages of slavery, should be the motive to their settlement by colored men. Jamaica, with its fine climate and rich soil, is the key to the gulf of Mexico. It is not distant from the United States, Cuba, nor Hayti ; but, as if pro- videntially, is just so positioned that, if properly garrisoned by col- ored free men, may, under Britain, promptly and effectually check "foreign interference in its own policy, and any mischievous designs now in contemplation toward Cuba and Hayti. So of that portion of the Isthmus now under the protection of Great Britain. In view of the ultimate destiny of the southern portion of North America, it is of the first importance that colored men strengthen that and similar positions in that region. They are the natural protectors of the Isthmus and the contiguous country : it is said by medical miein, that those of the human family, physically capable of resisting tk6 influences of great heat, are also capable of enduring severe cold ; and the varied experience of colored persons in America, proves that they live to as great age as whiter, whether as whalemen in the northern seas, and settlers in the British provinces, (far north of the United States,) or in the West Indies. The question of availabiH- kty, can never be raised, for at this time there are those who conduct with great ability the business of the Islands. Colored men^ greatly in the majority, not more than one -sixth are whites, are legislators, lawyers, physicians, ministers, planters, editorsj chants, and laborers ; and they demonstrate clearly their for self-government, and the vartooilr tlBpartments of dvil' the great change in their condition since emancipatidA. Tl „* 38 NOTES OF CANADA WEST. of loss from the emancipation act, is a gross misrepresentation, got* ten up by interested parties for the benefit of slavery., True there may not be so much exported as formerly, for the very good reason that there are more purchasers at home. The miserably fed slave of former days, is now the independent /ree man, with the ability to buy whatever his judgment prompts him to. Neither is the demand for laborers for large estates evidence that the peasantry are idle. There are more small farmers and cultivators on their own account, more store-keepers and traders, and they of the emancipated class. More attention is, of course, paid to education, and the children are thus relieved, in a measure, from out door duties. Much has been done by the colored people of those islands to improve their condition, and much more may be done conjointly with emigrants from the States, to perfect society, strengthen the British in that quarter, and thus keep up "the balance of power." It needs no prophet to foretell the establishment of an empire formed out of the southern United States and Mexico. Tlie settlement by colored pe9ple of those countries, with their ftiany sympathizers, is but a preparatory step : that step has been taken, slavery and republican rapacity will do the rest. Under what more favor&ble auspices could emigration to the West Indies be made than the present, now that a general wejlcome would be extended by the people to those who would like a milder climate than the States ? What government so powerful and so thoroughly impartial, as Her Majesty's ; so prac- tically anti-slavery, and so protective? None. The objectipj^ that "we wish our own government, to demonstrate our capacity for self- government, is done away with at once, for there are colonies con- trolled, so far as their immediate affairs extend, by colored men. JThe assertion that white men universally degrade colored, is dis^ jved by the facts. There is no aristocracy of skin ; every ^ive to honorable effort is kept before them. It is of the first tance, then, that the government of those islands should be anti- and that only governments, an ti -slavery in spirit and tenden- having a liberal religious policy, should be sought out by people from the United Stages. They, of all others on this I \" KOTKS OF CANADA WEST. 39 conlineiit,^ave drank plentifully of the cup of degradation, made more bitte* from the never ending parade about freedom. They Ivould be pOtverful auxiliaries of the present inhabitants, in forming a wall of defense, or available for oflfensive operations, as a decided protest, for instance, as the best interests and policy of the British government might demand. Those who oppose emigration from the United States, say, "you (colored people,) will not desire to be the laborers in other countries ; to dig the canals, work on rail roads, ditch, and the like, but you will prefer tp engage in trade, and that others will forestall you." Men who are honest in their desire for a change, who love liberty better than slavery, or who are unwil- ling to await the tedious, process by which, in •the United States, their rights will be given, if ever, will not be fastidious on emigra* ting to a country. Emigr?ints to any country, who should aim at a monopoly of the. so called respectable occupations, exclusively, would be looked upon with distrust, as well as contempt, and the result to the emigrant would not be far different from a monopoly of menial employments. There will be no scarcity of land, and a me- dium, between the extensive operations of capitalists, and the de- grading occupations of colored people, generally, in the crowded cities of the United States, thus opens to them a certain road to fu- ture eminence, in every way preferable to the sudden changes and chances of trade, exclusively. Allusion is at times made to South America, and plans for a grant of territory from governments in that country, in which to form an "in- dependent government," have been proposed. Othei6 say, "unite with existing governmei^ts." Neither plan can recommend itself to prospective emigrants generally. In the first place, there is no pre- *^ cedent on record of a grant, similar to the one sought, and the polL cy of independent governments, with respect to each other, wt always be opposed to unqualified grants. The great objectj] uniting with those governments at present, would be their * toleration ir. matters of religion ; so long as the iMimate cc of the State with the Romish Church exists, those countries* but a poor asylum for the oppressed. Tlie liberals, with th( • M«V: 40 KOT£S OK CANADA WEST. H^ a minority, struggling for life against the exactions of popery» and ihe ambition of military chiefs. Would colored men be piepaied to adopt the religion of the country ? That with them would J^lJ^ only guaranty of protection, such "protection as vultures give to lambs." "Let us seize upon Africa, or some other, unapprepriatedterri- while we raay,"say others, "and establish our own governments." But Africa has already been seized upon ; the Ei^glish, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Turks, have long since shared heroyt among themselves, and little Liberia may yet revert to some heir-at-law, who has purposely been unmindful of her. There is yet Mexico, to be spoken of here- after, and a southern continent, but that belongs to the United States, it may be by right of discovery ; so there seems to be no safe alterna- tive left but to be satisfied with that government now existing that is most reliable and most powerful. That government is Great Brit- ain ; her dependencies form a secure home for the American slave, and the disgraced free man. The last of her possessions to which I shall call attention in this place, is Vancouver's Island. MEXICO. The vicinity of Mexico to the United States, and the known hos- tility of Mexicans to the institution of slavery, weigh strongly with 0me persons in favor of emigration to that country ; but on careful consideration, it will b^^ seen that that country does not present the features, in the main, that the States of South America do. The hankering of the old Castilians after lost power, is much greater in Mexico than farther south ; and to regain that there would not be scruples about a coalition with American Slaveholders, even. The spirit of democracy has never so thoroughly pervaded that country, as those under the shadow of Simon Bolivar. Mexico was called ^ Spain. In her was remodelled the prominent features of Span- )licy in Europe. There was the grand centre point of Spanish r, religious intolerance, and regal domination, for the New In the Stages, of South America, a change of policy was a growing QUj^of the relations of the Church of Roma to generally. In M^.^aco, it was an earnest demand of the ma- I VOTSS OF OAKADA WEST. 41 I jority to throwijoff the Spanish yoke. This is shown in the relative poution of %0 Church in those countries. In Mexico the Roman C^l^hpt^ fihuikch. is in undisputed supremacy, and the Pope is to them me ultimatum. In the tates of South Amenca, though that religion prevails, yet concession has been made, by Rome, in the person of a dignitary of equal powers there with the Pope elsewhere. With them the Pope is but little more respected than the Greek Patriarch. In those States, except Peru, (in which there is but one idea generally among Natives and Spanish,) there was no pre- viously civilized class, continually brooding over Spanish wrongs : the natives came to terms, and threy and Creoles combined to de- stroy Spanish tyranny backed by Rome ; consequently, after victory over Spain was achieved by them, their remaining enemy was and is the Church in its modified form. It yet has, a? before said, suffi- cient influence to make those countries undesirable for colored people from the Uiiited States in the present phase of things. We want a strong positiori ; Mexico does not offer that, even though the majority are anti- slavery. The Southern United States have " marked her for their prey," which she will be for a time ; and combining with the minority, the probability is a contest for the su- premacy of slavery for a long time. If it were certain that slavery would not be tolerated but for a short period, still the move would be inexpedient, as direct contact with revolutionary movements, or other plans of progress, in her present state affecting it, would be inevitable. The position of colored Americans must be a conserva- tive one, for a time, in any foreign country, (from the very nature of their relations to foreign nations,) as well as for themselves in the United States ; and it were folly 'in them to voluntarily enter the breach between any two hostile natioirs until stronger in position ; their efforts, to be rational, should be to gain strength. People wJio love liberty do not emigrate to weak governments to embroil thei selv;^8 in their quarrels with stronger ones, but to strong ones, to to thei^ strength and better their own coi^iition, and oreigners fig| for others, are, generally, either hirelings, or isolated adveiilu^ striving after fame. Whatever people go to Mexico '|nd adof 6 "/■ -^.y y 42 KOTIS or OAKADA WEST. instittitioRS, must calculate before hand, to set aside the liftlbits of independent civil life — must for a long time repudiate4he plough, the arts, and trade, with their concomitants^ in a greatt^ouiltJy, or make them but secondary in importance to the, there, paramount idea of military life, and the certainty of frequent attacks from abroad and at home. The weakness, or rather the internal feuds of Mexico, invite attack from unscrupulous parties, is it meet then that emigrants of any nation should make haste to " settle there ?" We look in vain for the precedent of emigration to a country, distracted even to bloodshed, with internal feuds, by any people ; and we may look in vain for prosperity. In advocating this, we would leave out of sight, the check that a fortifying of the West Indies with our emi- grants would give to depredations on the contiguous countries, and only gratify the love to fight, without Immediate advantage. Let Mexico,at present, take care of herself, by the efforts of her own mixed population rightly directed, and let our emigrants bo aholitionize and strengthen neighboring positions as to promote the prosperity and harmony of the whole. This can be done without compromising away honor; in fact, the sentiment " liberty or death," is never realized but by 80 proceeding as to secure the first permanently, and only courting the latterwhen life is no longer of utility. I know that the recollection of innumerable wrongs, makes the de»re for payment in 'like coin the necessity of some men's natures, but no real end is jtttained after all : the Indians have learned sense from frequent defeat, the con- sequence of going to war before they were prepared, and whole tribes now cultivate the ar{s of peace and progress. Let us learn even of savages ! We can get up a fight at any time, but who is the wiser for the sight ? No one, honest men would but try to suppress it; so woald a coalition with any nation, and especially a weak one, to carry out retaliatory measures, result. [^The pro -slavery party of the United States is the aggressive party this continent. It is the serpent that aims to swallow all others. I meet then to make strongholds, and, if need be, defend them; tvill be the most effeetive check to greediness of land and roes* k MOTES OF OAVADA WIST, % 43 VAKCrcWtER'S ISLAND—CONCLUDING REMARKS. ^IslflifiEl is situated between 49 ® and 61 ® nonh latitude, or orrmi Winhern boundary of British America; and between 122 ® and 12*7 ® west longitude. It is about three hundred miles long, and between ninety and one hundred miles broad, and contains about twenty-eight thousand square miles. Though remotely situated, and comparatively uninhabited, (there being not more than twenty thousand persons on it,) it will, it is^ said, be the first island in im-« portance on the globe. It has a fine climate, being in the same lat- itude as the south of England, Germany, and the north of France: the soil is also of the best description. But it is not as an agricul- tural island that it will surpass all others. The Western Continent^ and particularly the r orthern part, say " wise men of the east;" must eventually leave the eastern far in the distance, (a fact that should not be lost sight of by colored men,) and that over tho Pacific will the trade with eastern nations be prosecuted. Ic is important now as a stopping place for whale ships visiting the Northern Seas, and is directly in the route to the East Indies, Japan Isles, and China, from Oregon and British America. The overland route to the Pacific terminating near that point, the great Atlantic tvade of Western Europe and America will find there the most practicable outlet and the shortest distance to Eastern Asia ; consequently the" people there settled, of whatever complexion, will be the "iffirchant princes of the world," and under the protection of Great Briiain. Now, there are two weighty reasons why the people settled ther^ should be colored principally; the first, because by that means they would become more fully involved in the destiny of this Cohtineht ; any eastern move of magnitude, as for instance to Africa;, if possible, would appear a retrograde step, now that the current of affairs is so clearly setUng west : and, secondly, in no more eiectual way coiild ' a check be given to the encroachmeilts of slavei^ on free, soil.' ^ 'S^^ purely American eympeAhy fot ** kith ahd kin- " only,- Would eitii*^-- rience unmistakc^i>le' obstacles^ to its free exere^,iti^e event 'c contempittted ^exatioh of that deli^^tful Wmmt^mmifi -u w mf-- »-■»» .^ '«^- ;M- N0T18 OF CANADA WIST, M ', »■ \ ; ;^ It will be seen, that the possibility of a pretty exteo|^e raajgratioa t those countries has been the prominent feature t)iv<^B|^oiit ihls ct, and for that reason direct reference has been n]|d^i |i^j|;|i^r points, under British jurisdiction, than Canada. The ^ p m^ l ne '**' given to these, (Oanada, West Indies, and Vancouver's Island,) over British Colonies elsewhere, has been because of their strong position and availability in every way. There would not be as in Africa, Mexico, or South America, hostile tribes to annoy the settler, or de- ^stroy at will towns and villages with their inhabitants : the strong arm of British pow6r would summarily punish depYedations made, of whatever character, and the emigrants would naturally assume the responsibility of British freemen. The question whether or not an extensive emigration by the free colored people of the United States would affect the institution of slavery, Ivould then be answered. I have here taken the affirmative of that question, because that view of the case seems to me mOst clear. The free colored people have steadily discountenanced any rational scheme of emigration, in the hope thit by remaining in ^^he States, a powerful miracle for the overthrow of 'slavery would be wrought. What are the facts. More territory has been given up to slavery^ the Fugitive Law has passed, and a concert, of measures, se- riously affecting their personal liberty, has been entered into by several of the Free states; so subtle, unseen and'effective have been their mdftments, that, were it not that we remember there is a Great Britain, we would be overwhelmed, powerless, from the force o( such successive shocks } and the end may not be yet, if we persist in remaining for targets, while they are strengthening themselves in the Northwest, and in the Gulf. There would be more of the right spirit, and infinitely more of real manliness, in a peaceful but de- cided demand for freedom to the slave from the Gulf of Mexico, than iu a miserable scainpering Lorn state to state* in a vain endeavor to V^l^er the crumbs of fireedom ikeA a pro-slavery besom may Sweep 'W^lm^ pi my momeKi. May a selection for the best be Made, now ^^ "^?we,450!mtrid« between whitb and ^0 United States a com- n|$f l>« iiptituted. Alit^i i»lding#thehtttd$Y aiid^^^^^^^ V V t { i' i .;i«^^