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The Select Committee appointed to Inqalre into tlie Causes and Importance of the SSRI- lORATIOIf -vrliicli takes place annually from liower Canada to the United States ; the Class, and If possible, the Ifnmber of Persons "who have EEiilgrated during the last five years; the Fate of the Individuals and Families who have Emigrated ; and the hest means to pre- vent that Emigration for the future— have the honor to Report:-^ Your Committee, while occupied in considering the important Questions submitted to their examina- tion by Your Honourable House, were disturbed and retarded by the painful events of the twenty-fifth of April last ; and the mass of interesting evidence col- lected by Your Committee, shared the fate of all the other public documents contained in the Parliament Buildings. Your Committee have procured, however, thanks to the good will of some of the parties to whom they applie(C other copies of their answers to the Questions submitted to them by Your Committee; and al- though they regret that it is not in their power to submit to X our Honourable House and to the Coun- try, all the information and all the suggestions which bad been originally transmitted to them ; Your Com- mittee have, nevertheless, the satisfaction of present- ing to Your Hon(»urable House, annexed to this Re- port, a still sufficiently volumincas Appendix, worthy of the most serious attention of the (jrovernment and of the Legislature. It is a painful task for Your Committee to have to inform Your Honourable House, that the emigra- tion of Her Majesty's SubjfA^ts in this Province, to places out of Her Majesty's dominions, is much more considerable than was generally believed, and threat- ens to become a real calamity for Lower Canada. 1 It is true, that when a country is sufficiently peo- pled, when the whole extent of its territory is in a state of cultivation, when all its agricultund, indus- trial, manufacturing, and commercial resources have become exhausted m nourishing an overflowing po- pulation, v/ithout any other means of existence left than begging, it is true that, under such circumstances, an emigration which has the effect of transforming families, which were a burthen to the older community, into founders of a new one, is a benefit to the coun- try thus afflicted and to mankind in general. But in a new country, a portion only of whose territory is in a state of cultivation, whose population is no where numerous enough to present the painful spectacle of pauperism ; in a country which, instead of having an excess of population to cast off> calls, on the contrary, to its assistance the strength and cf^pi- tal of foreign emigration ; the double fact that this foreign emigration leaves in it very few settlers, and that the inhabitants themselves emigrate in great numbers to foreign countries, must arouse the atten- tion of the Legislator, and lead him to inquire, whe- ther all is right in the order of things which it is his duty to direct and modify ? whether it is na- ture herself which does not offer to the inhabitant of the country, sufficient advantages to induce him to remain ; or whether it is not rather society which has neglected to turn to advantage the field which nature nas afforded ? Allowing to the climate the destruction caused by the wheat-fiy, to the natural movement of the po- pulation from the north to the south, and from the east to the west, and to causes more or less acciden- tal Tuid uncontrollable, their probable share of influ- ence ; Your Committee have still found subjects for very serious reflection on the part of the Legislature and the Executive Government in some of the other causes of this emigration, which fall more particularly within the sphere of action of one or tne other of these authorities. It would, undoubtedly, be absurd to attempt to pre- vent or even to discourage those inhabitants of the country who can find more accessible, better culti- vated, and cheaper lands elsewhere, from seeking out of their country for that which their country denies them. Any proposition of this nature must fail be- 5 t'uic facts ami the instinct of individual wcUare, if it be not accompanied by practical measures calculated to make the advantages afforded by this country balance and compensate those offered by others. But Your Committee sincerely believe, that besides the still very great check arising from the attachment of the inhabitants of the country to its institutions, its societies, its manngj^ and customs, to their father- land, in fine, it would be possible for the Legislator to adopt efficient means of settlement, which should be alike advantageous to the settler and to the Go- vernment, whose duty it is, at all events, to ensure for every part of this Province the best possible chance in the race of rivalry, by which the difiTerent countries of America are incitea to advance in popu- lation, in riches, and in material progress. The public opinion expressed so strongly and unanimously in favour of the settlement of the Town- ships of Lower Canada, and the success which has already crowned some of the enterprizes carried on under the direction of associations formed by the efforts of a few priests and zealous citizens, confirm the opinion of xour Committee, that the evil, al- though greatly advanced, is not incurable, if the re- medy be applied without delay. The first point to which Your Committee had to direct their attention, was naturally that of ascertain- ing the extent, course, and progress of the emigration. The following are the most certain dates which Your Committee could gather from the different evidence submitted to them for examination : — The emigration began principally after the insur- rections of 1837 and 1838, and was then strictly con- fined to the District of Montreal, and to such parts of that District aa had suffered the most from the de- pr^ations carried on at that period. The efforts at settlement and the construction of Railroads which were undertaken in the United States about that period, attracted and retained a great number of workmen who had been driven away by the want of work and the terror of the times. Some farmers, who havins left their country for political reasons, had reached the States of Michigan, Ohio, and Illi- nois, which were then, and are still cultivated with so much activity and success, struck with the fertility of these lands, sent to their friends and relations 6 m whom tlioy luul left in (Junsicla, exaggerated descrip- tions of the prosperity which awaited them there, and spared no means to induce these friends to join them. It was in the Counties of Rouville and Hun- tingdon, that in 1841 and the following years, the first emigrations of any importance w^ere remarked ; and as a great many families in these Counties had originally come from the Counties below Quebec, and had relations there, it is also to the same causes that the origin or perhaps the opportunity afforded for the first emigrations, which at a later period took place from that Districi, may be traced. This emigration, of the agricultural population, hsva been constantly on the increase, as well as that of the working population of the City of Montreal, and soon after, of the City of Quebec, where the want of work consequent upon the falling off of the Lumber Trade, has been sensibly felt during the last few years ; while the disastrous fires of 1845 obliged a certain number of families to emigrate immediately.*' The emigration from the District of Three Rivers has taken another course; it has depended rather upon that which is going on from the Eastern Town- ships by way of the Lower Canada frontier. These emigrants generally go to the Townships, and thence to the United States. A fact worthy of record is, that a great number of persons from the Counties of Yamasku and Nicolet are hired every year to go and work in the brick yards and other American manufactories; they go and return every year — about one fourth remaining behind in the States. A considerable emigration is also going on from the Townships to the United States, but it is more than compensated by the constant emigration of far- mers from the United States, the old Canadian set- tlements, and of Emigrants from Europe. Many Canadian farmers, however, discouraged by the want of roads, the vexations of the large land- holders, and sometimes through their own fault and want of perseverance, abandon the lands they have begun to open, and go and hire themselves as la- bourers to the American farmers. On the other hand, a good number of natives of the United States, Ireland, and Scotland, who have succeeded in the ctiltivation of their lands, sell them, (in many cases after tliey have exhausted the soil,) cither to a new Canadian settler, or to some other emigrant from the British Isles or the United States, and with the pro- duce of the sale they go and purchase other lands in the west. The French Canadians, on the contrary, when they succeed in their settlement, keep their lands and remain. ^ A considerable emigration took place last year from the City of Montreal and the Counties near the Ottawa. This year, it threatens to continue and even to increase. It is almost exclusively composed of mechanics and workmen, and of the labourers knov/Q as raftsmen. Up to the last few years, the emigration from the District of Quebec, was confined to the City and to that part of the County of Dorchester which borders on the frontier. These emigrants went to the United States by way of St. Johns and Albany, or by the Kennebec roaid. It is only for the last two years, we may say, that farmers from the Counties of Belle- chasse, L Islet, and even Kamouraska, have sold their lauds with the view to purchase others in the Western States. They almost all go to Chicago by the canals and the lakes. The first inhabitants who left these Counties for the United States, had, it is said, family connections with the settlers from the District of Montreal, who had settled in the neighbourhood of Chicago, after the troubles. It was on the return of some of them from their expedition, that they and many others decided on leaving ; and as will be seen by the Ap- pendix, this emigration which sends out of the coun- try considerable capital and a class of farmers both respectable and in easy circumstances, threatens to increase seriously; a great number of fathers of fami- lies having already sold their property during the last winter, with the intention of leaving in the course of the summer. It would be very difficult for Your Committee to state, even approximately, the number of persons who have emigrated to the United States, and the amount of capital thus withdrawn from the Pro- vince. As public attention has been only lately di- rectCMl to this subject. Your Committee thought it merely necessary to question persons to whom they applied for information, respecting the statistics of 'heM-^ .1 the latft five years only ; their anawera arc in genoral vcr\ vague and unsatisfictory. The answers of the Clergy of the Diocese of Mon- treal, as analysed and transmitted to Your Commit- tee by the Secretary of His Lordship the Bishop of Montreal, show that one thousand families have emi- grated from the Diocese of Montreal during the last five years ; that about two-thirds belong to the work- ing clarses, and about one-third to the agricultural class, and that nine-tenths are of French origin. Allowing six persons to each family, this makes an emigration of 6,000 individuals ; but the fact that families only are mentioned, shows that the emigra- tion of single individuals, and of young men from the country who go to the United States to get work, is not include in this estimate. The number of these is very great in the Diocese of Montreal, and must be greater than one-half of the above number. Supposing 4,000 to have emigrated during the same space of time, we have an emigration of 10,000 from tne Diocese of Montreal in five years; giving an average of 2,000 per annum, whereof 900 m a uiou- sand are of French and 100 of British origin. The analysis of the answers of the Clergy of the Diocese of Quebec, transmitted by the Semtary of the association for settlement of the Townships, es- tablished at Quebec, gives the number of emigrants in detail, for several parishes ; but gives no approxi- mate number for the whole of the emigration from that Diocese, which includes the Districts of Que- bec, Three Rivers, Gasp^, and part of the District of St. Francis. The parishes mentioned are 13 in number, and the total emigration is 948. To these must be added at least 205 persons, who, according to the evidence of J. N. Bross^, Esquire, Advocate, emigrated last year from the single parish of Cap St. Ignace, in the County of I'lslet, and who are not in- cluded in the statement above mentioned. Several other parishes have been omitted, which Your Com- mittee know to have also furnished their proportion to the emigration from the country parts of tm Dio- cese of Quebec to the number of 2,<500 individuals, being equal to one-fourth of the emigration from the Diocese of Montreal. The emigration of workmen from Quebec during the same period, (that is of those who have permanently settled in foreign coun- 4 tries, for many return after having been absent for a Imiger or shorter period,^ must be estimated, at least, at 1,500. This would gi . e, for the Diocese of Que- bec, an emifipration of 4,000 persons for the last five years ; this number added to that from the Diocese of Montreal, would give a total of 14,000. But Your Committee think this result far below the truth. According to public rumour, an emigra- tion of from 8,000 to 10,000 souls took place during the last year only from the City of Montreal alone. Although evidently greatly exasperated, the very suf^^Kieition is sufficient to show how far the above numbers are ftrom being correct "^ The Reverend Mr. Chiniquy, in his answers (see Appendix) estimates the total of the emigration from Lower Canada to the United States, during ihe last five years at 70,000. Without adopting this esti- mate, which gives a number five times greater than thac which can be inferred from the answers of the Clergy ; Your Committee is struck with the force whi(m such eridence must hav^ coming, as it does, from a priest, who, in the course of his noble and successful missions, has had so many opportunities of observing and i^redating the mov^ents of the people. Perhaps the mere movinj^ji^at of the po- pulaticm towards the book countryi^^;;wfi/emi^tion from the old settlements to the new ones m the Elastem Townships, the Ottawa, Saguenay, and Ri- mouski, the yoyages made by a great number of workmen and labourers, and even of farmers, who absent themselves temporarily only, may have led Mr. Chiniquy into error, and may account for the great difierence between his evidence and that of the other members of the Clergy on this point Taking every thing into conuderatioo, Yonr Committee think thejjT (h not exaggerate in stating that the whole emigration of the kst five years amounted to 20,000 individuals ; which gives an average of 4,000 per an- num. Of this number, 2,000 may belong to the District of Montreal, 1,000 to the Districts of Three Blvers and St Francis, and 1,000 to the Districts of Quebec and Gasp6. One-third of this emigration belongs to the cu»8 of workmen, and the remaining two-thirds to the agricultural class. Thb number of fo,000 souls is already very alarm- ing, forming, as it does, (supposing the population of 2 I hi 10 Lower Canada to consist of 800,000 souIb,) one for" tieth part of the population. The rapid progress which this inclination to emigrate has madej and the preparations for a much more considerable emigra- tion pointed out to Your Committee, lead them to express tb.ir fear that the number of emigrants will increase by at least one-half during the- next five years,. thus forming for a period of ten years an emi- gration of 50,000 souls, that is, one sixteenth pert of the population. As we have already observed, these losses are not compensated by the emigration from the British Isles, which only leaves a very insignificant propor- tion of settlers ; and even the old settlers of British origin leave Lower Canada, though in a sm^le^ pro- portion. The remedies v/hich ought to be applied to this evil, would then be equally advantageous to the two races of men who people this Province. To find out the causes of the emigration, it must be divided into several categories, and the particular causes for the different localities, and the various classes of emigrants must be distinguished and sepa- rated from the general causes. We shall then sec what is the fate of each class of emigrants when they reach a foreign country. It will be easy to discern what are the causes which are beyond the control of the Government, and what those are which the ac- tion of the Legislative or Executive authorities can remove, or at least considerably diminish. The first Class of emigrants consists of the workmen of the Cities of Quebec and Montreal. This class is very numerous, and forms, according to the answers of the Clergy, for the District of Mon^ treal, the two-thirds, and for Quebec mwe than one- half of the emigration.* Cause of Emigration. — The unsettled state of trade and industry in these two Cities for several years past, — the want of manu&o- tories to employ the workmen formerly engaged in the lumbering ef^tablishments, — the increase of wages in the United States, and their decrease here, — ^uie * The emigration of workmen was given alMve, as l>eing one-third of tlie wliole emigration, beaause tbe emigration of young men from the country, in the District of Montreai, was not tnlcen into con- sideration, and because the emigration horn the Districts of Three Rivers and St. Francis must comprise Irat few worlcmen. ! II want of ptiblic works, whick Lower Canada strongly requires, and which would give employment. Thetr lot in foreign parts, — They find employment on the public works ^ the canals and railroads in the United States, the lumbering establishments of Maine, and the manufactwies of the State of Vermont. Their wages are high enough, but dieir expenses are so heavy that they seldom save money. A great many return, but very fow with money. Some, according to the evidence adduced before Your Committee, succeed, and settle in pretty good circumstances, either as workmen in the cities, or as purchasers of lands in the west, with the produce of their earnings. Unfortunately, the greater number fall into a social condition, inrerior to that in which they were in Cp>- nada, and fre(|uently perish in vice and misery. Al- most all the Canadian families which one meets in the States of Maine, Vermont, and New York, are very poor. SECOND Class. — Workm^i who had settled in the villages and country parts. Cause <^ EmigraUon, — Our villages are generally smill, — the farmers are clever as mechanics, uid do themselves almost every thing the^ might require from a tradesman. The workmen who establish themselves in the .country have little employment and lose courage, — the want of manufactories and works, which might keep these workmen employed. This class is not very numeroup.< Their lot in foreign parts. — The same as that of the preceding class, with this difference, that, as they are generally less skilful, they have less chance of suc- cess. Third Class. — Persons employed as labourers or rafltamen on the Ottawa. Causes of Emigration, — The falling off in the lumber trade, — want of em- ployment for the reasons above stated. Their lot in foreign par ts. — The most deplorable. They only find employment as labourers or stokers on board of steam- boats. Sometimes they find none at all, or will not accept of any.; and ^ey have recourse to unlawful means of existence. They associate with the worst class of the American population. Having already contracted bad habits m their ajinual visits to By-o towD, Montreal, and Quebec 4 their morals, which had already suffered by debauchery, suffer more seri- ously by the loss of every principle of honesty. A !■■■ IS freat many of them are considered in the United tates as the refuse of the population, imd disgrace the country of their birth. -v^-v Fourth Class. — Young men belon^ng to good farmers' femilies. Causes of Emigration, — Difficulties which their parents experience in procuring lands for their children to settle on. The ni^h rate at which the Crown lands have been kept until now. The re- fusal of certain Seigniors to concede the lands of their Seigniories at reasonable prices. The exactions of landed prc^rietors who impose even heayiw condi- tions tmin Uie Seigniors. (See Appendix ) The want of roads and means of communication. The want of instruction, and the credibility resultii^ therefrom, on the part of many young men who will at all hazards roam about the world. The contagion of example. The indifference and wmt of rare- thought of certain parentsVho, even when they can do it with facility, do not try to procure new lands for their children, but distribute tneir farm to them piece-meal. Their lot in foreign parts, — These young men sometimes return with money ; several acquire knowledge and industry ; a great number settie in the United States and live respectably. The majo- rity, however, are in an inferior position, eepedally wnien compared with the independent and honourable position tney^ might occupy in their own country aa heads of families, and b^onging to that respectable and hitherto happy class of proprietors called habir- tants. They almost all hire tnemselvee in the manu*- factories, or as fiurmers' men with the American hus- band-men. A great many of them, unfortunatdy> share the same rate as those of the preceding dass. ^ ""^ttra Class. — ^Poor families settled in tt» Seig- niories. Causes of Emigration. — These families are forced, through debt, to emigrate, after having sold their lands and moveables, or seen them s^ by the officers of the law. The bad crops in consequence of the wheat-fly, and the backward state of agriculture, and sometimes of intemperance on the part v f the head rf the family, — indulgences disproportionate to the means of the fhrmer, and which makes him run into debt with the storekeeper of the place, often greedy and unscrupulous,— -the distance from the market, want of means of communication, absence of fltcam iiiivi^rjition wliicli, by brinnrinj; the farmer \3 nearer to the market, would enable him to turn his labours to aooount, and encourage him to improve his system of agriculture — the high rate of rents im- posed by some Seigniors in their new ccmcessions, and wh^cb bear heavily on the tenants {censitaire) ; these various causes, and in many cases all these causes t(^ther, bring these families into distress, and thus force them to emigrate. JTieir lot m foreign parts, — They work on the lands of farmers of the United States, sometimes in the manufactories, and frequently at heavy, hard, and badly paid labour. When they can realize enough money by the sale of their property, to go to the Western States uid pur* chase lands, they sometimes happen to succeed. But their prosperity is due to lessons of misfortune, to the greater energy which they shew in economis- ing more strictly than they would do in their own country, to the uaprovements which they introduce la their system of agriculture, after the manner of their neighbours; and many have acknowledged, (see Appendix), that if they had made the same efrorts and foUowed the same line of conduct when they were in Canada, they would have succeeded equally well. Sixth Class. — Settlers in the new Township set- tlements. Cattses of JEmipratiun. — ^Want of means of communication, or when such do exist, the bad state of reptur and keepmg up of the roadS;, the insuffi- ciency of the road laws. The insurmountable diffi- culties resulting therefrom. " The settler ca^ neither bring his produce to market nor procure the thing<; necessary for cultivating his land. He must carry every thing on his shoulders, across the swamps and waste lan& belonging to the Crown, or to large neighbouring proprietors. He is isolated and unpro- tected. If he has taken lands from one of these large proprietors, the rate of rents, the dues and reserva- tions which are even higher than those of the Seig> niories, force him to sell Discouraged in every way, and little disposed withal, from his character and ha- bits, to toil alone in the desert, he abandons after a while a settlement which, with more encouragement on the one hand and more perseverance on the other, might have become more productive," (see Appendix.) Their lot in foreign parts. — Nearly the same as that of the preceding class. ,..,..,. .J. .'i ,■•- ■ 14 i Seventh Class. — Farmed in easy circumstances who sell their lands and leave for the West Causes of Emigrction, — Bad crops in Lower Canada for seve- .1^ years past; want of instruction and knowledge, especially in the art of agriculture}. Want of means of communication and centres of population, and in fact of protection for the agricultural interest, which has either no market or a very bad one. Active and interested proselytism carried on by the emigrants already settled in the West, who wish to create another fatherland, by attracting their relations, friends, and fellow-countrymen. Exaggerated re- ports of the welfare enjoyea in these far countries. The uneasiness and restlessness of the agricultural population, resulting from the instability of the new municipal institutions. The speeches of wiseacres and extinguishers {eteignoirs) against every thing in the shape of progres.), founded on the horror of taxa- tion. Their fate in foreign parts. — They generally prosper ; but it is not long enough since the greater number of them have settled in those parts to enable us to ascertain whether the change will turn out ad- vantageous to them in the end. It is probable that, with voQ same efforts and the same changes in their mode of cultivation, their condition would have equally improved in their own country. From what is stated by several persons who have travelled in the West, a great number of Canadians fall victims to endemic^ diseases (ague and other fevers) which in- fest those localities, or before they become accustomed to the climate, contract infirmities which last during the remainder of their lives. This class of emigrants has only become numerous during the last two or tliree years ; it threatens to in- crease rapidly. This would indeed be a subject of regret for the Province, for those who compose this class, constitute, according to the happy expression of the Reverend Mr. Ferland, (see his answers,) " the " sinews and riches of a country." Eighth Class. — Young men of education belong- ing to respectable but poor families. Causes of Emi- gration, — ^o variety in the career open to young men — no army or navy which might afford to some of them a mode of life in conformity with their taste and inclinations, — the crowded state of the libe- ral professions, resulting from the deplorable facility 15 with which parties are admitted who are unfit to exercise them, — the ui\)ust preference which has un- til now been given to young men of one origin over those of another, and n^quently to persons born out of the colony over persons born in it, in the various public departments, — ^the precarious state of com- merce and trade, which prevents young men from . entering either of these branches, — social prejudices, which fortunately are beginning to disappear, and which place those who follow these callings in a po- sition beneath that which they ought to occupy, — up to the last few years the want of practical instruc- tion in our colleges and educaticmal establishments, which have improved, and which every day improve in this respect, — the difficulty which young Cana- dians find in obtaining situations in commercial houses, as almost all these establishments send for their clerks from Scotland or England. Their lot in foreign parts, — A good number of young Canadians have succeeded in the United States both in trade and in the liberal professions. Some have entered the American army, and have behaved in such a man- ner as not to disgrace the blood of their ancestors. A great number of these young men, however, de- prived of the salutary effect always exercised by the surveillance of their pcrents, and the respect for the opinion of their fellow-citizens, abandon themselves, especially in New Orleans, to excesses which ruin both their health and fortunes. Many of them perish on their arrival there, victims of the climate and yellow fever. J: ?jii^'C.;::^lii:??;;(> <_■* y^iu.ii'jv' , '..r^Y This class of emigrants is not, as yet, very nume- rous. They genersJly direct their course to New York or New Orleans* MEANS WHICH OUGHT TO BE ADOPTED TO REMEDY ■•--;•*',- ■ • ■— • W'- THIS EVIL. "., "V"" ""*•■". '" V;^ ", A There b no one who will not, ailer readmg the preceding remarks, agree that this emigration, as re- spects all classes of emi^nts, is in general prejudi- cial both to the prospentv of the Province and the welfare of the emigrants tnemselves. . » •i-vM-.-'Vi ^ ; . wer Canada, and easier terms of pay- fnent granted to the new settlers. — The free grant of fifty acres of land to each settler who ffives sufficient proof of morality and good intentions, is undoubted^ a great advantage which has already been productive or ^)od results. — The rate of one shillii^ per acre for the Saguenay lands, is moderate, and lour Com- mitter trust that the Government will not increaoe it in that locality, considering the great difficulties which the settlers encounter there. It is not for Your Committee to dictate to the Government the price at which the Crown lands should be sold ; but Vour Committee must observe, that it is a fidse "'X)- nomy, and a miscalculated speculation, to grant tnem in any locality on conditions which have only the effect of discouraging the settlers. The country has a great deal more to lose by the emigration of its in- habitants, and the carrying away of its capital to foreign parts, than it has to gain by the sale of a few arpents of land at the highest rates. Besides, it is not so much the reduction of prices as the facility in the terms of payment, which will enooun^e the Ca- nadian farmer to decide upon encountering the hard- ships of settling on wild lands. He seldom has suf- ficient money to pay the price of the land on pur- chasing it. The settlement of the seignioriea only 17 succeeded eo well at first, because the seignktf re* quired no money in adrance irom the tenant, but was content with light annual duets, which were al» most always payable in produce. The more the con- ditions of the sale of the Crown lands approach this system, the more favorable th^ will be to settlement and thereby profitable to the Province. Four lai^ tracts, which may be said to be situate at the four comers of Lower Ounada, are now ready for settlement. The Eastern Townships, that extent of fertile land, where the climate is milder than on the borders of the river, extending between the fron- tier and the Seigniories in the Districts of Montreal, St. Franois, and partly in the Districts of Three Rivers and Quebec. The Rimouski territory, whidi comprises the uncultivated part of the vast and fertile county of the same name, and to which may be added a laige extent of land in the rear of the Coun- ties of Kamouraska and L'Islet. The Saguenay ter- ritory, which comprises the cultivable portion of that river, the Peninsula of Chicoutimi and all the space comprised between the Laurentides Mountains, the Saguenay and Lake St Jean. The excellent cxotob gathered last year and the preceding year, by the new settlers, justify what has been said of the fertility of this territory and its dimate, which is not colder, nor even as cold as that of the north shore of the St. Lavnrence, in the District of Quebec ; and lastly, the Ottawa territory, as large and fertile as any of the preceding, and where settlement has al- ready made great progress. /< v ,!: I .^i? ^iL': These three last portions of the country have al- ready attracted the attention of the Government which has erected them into separate Districts (as the Eastern Townships were long since by the Legisla- ture of Lower Canada), and has taken the necessary steps to establish judicial centres in them, thereby providing one of the means which Ypur C^Qopnjii^t^ would have suggested, ininm hhuy^^r lAa/^ •»? <^ But Your Committee, in accordance with all the evidence which forms the Appendix of this Report, must remark to Your Honourable House, that in vain would the Crown Lands be offered at low rates, or even gratuitously, in vain would the greatest sacri- fices l^ made by mdividuals or associations to encour- age the surplus population of the Seigniories to settle 3 i 18 on these landa, while the want of roads and means of communication, and the bad state of the existing roads, remain an unsurmountable obstacle to all pro- Your Committee believe then that the most press- ing ' remedy is to make roa ds to communicate with the territories above mentioned, and to establish a communication between the different parts of these territories^ Your Committee are aware of the finan- cial difficulties of the Province, and also that they have no power to recommend any vote of money to Your Honourable House ; but they must direct the attention of Your Honourable House and of the Go- vernment, to the advantages which would result from the opening of the means of communication herein- after mentioned: — 1st. County of Dorchester. — There is a considerable emigration from this county, which is owing, principallv, as it is every where else, to the want of roads and the bad state of the existing roods ; even the great route leading to the United States, called the Kennebec road, which must be considered as one of the main channels of communication in the Province, is greatly in need of improvement, and is interrupted in several places, by the want of bridges^ Your Committee are informed, moreover, of the bad 8ta>e of the road in the Seigniory of Joliet, lead- ing to the Township of Frampton ; from the foot of the hills known as the Mimeau hills {cdtes de Mim-- eav,) to the road called Ste. Maiguerite, and thence to the Church at Frampton, and which is in need of repairs and improvement. The same remark may be applied to the roads along the Etchemin River, on the south-west side in the Township of Frampton, and to the road firom the boundary line of Ste. Ma- rie, between the second and third ranges of Framp- ton, to the Biver Etchemin. The improvement of these roads and the re-building of the bridge on the River Etchemin, which would not cost, in all, more than £1,500, would contribute powerfully towards the settlement of the Crown Lands in that direction. 2dly. County of Bellechasse : The back settlements situate in this county, espe- cially in the parishes of St. Gervais and St. Lazare, are already tolerably densely populated. A road from this last parish, through the wild lands in Buckland, would lead with very little difficulty to the flat lands 19 of the valley of the River St. Jean ; this route being . too much out of the way for the population of the lower part of the county;, the inhabitants of that section intend penetrating into the interior by an- other road) for tne laying out of which steps have al- ready been taken by the Crown Land Office, to wit, in the rear of the township of Armagh, across the section of " la fourche du PutJ" These roads would be equally useful. . : ,: 3dly. County of rislet : There b in this county, about four leagues from the river, a very fine tract of uncultivated land ; a road starting from die division line between the Parish of St. Jean, Port-Joli, and the augmentation of the Township of Asliford, near Lake Trois Sau- mons, and running easterly as far as the division line between the Township of Ashford and its augmenta- tion, and continuing thence along this line, would open out this tract of laud for settlement 4thly. County of Kamouraska : The continuation of the road called " the Govern- ment Road," at the back of the Township of Ix- worth, as prayed for by the inhabitants of tnis coun- ty, in their Petitions, would contribute much towards tthe secilement of the Crown Lands in this direction. 5thly. County of Rimouski : A mi^ificent valley, probably one of the most fertile and best watered parts of the country, extends along the rear of the existing' settlements of the county of Rimouski, and towards it a considerable emigration flows every year. Four Townships are already being settled, and the active pioneers who wish to take this direction, require only the means of reaching the said valley; these Townships are the Townships of Whitworth, Viger, Macp^ and Neigett ; routes leading from the roads now open to the rear, or at least as far as the second range of these new settlements, would greatly facilitate the popu- lation taking that direction. Two roads of much greater and moce genertd im- fortance have already occupied the attention of the iCgislature of the country ; one is the road which u to lead from M^tis to Matane, along the river, pass- ing through important lumbering and agricultund establishments in progress ; the House of Assembly voted a sufficient sum, about two years ago, and tlie 20 road was traced, but nothing else has ^et been done. The other means of communication is intended to place the Province of New Brunswick in direct com- munication with the St. Lawrence, by a road lead- ing from Lake Temiscouata to some point near to the line separating the Parishes of I'lsle-Verte and Trois-Pistoles ; the Executive Council ordered this road to be constructed in the course of last summer ; but it seems that nothing must be done this year. This road would be so much the more important, as it would be the commencement of a most important line of communication, the construction of which now occupies the attention of capitalists of the Pro- vince (^ New Brunswick. These two last great improvementa are objects of the greatest anxiety on the part of the inhabitants of this fine county, and of the neighbouring counties who partly send a portion of their surplus population there ; and the legislature of the country having re- cognized the great importance of both these under- takings. Your Committee cannot too strongly re- commend their being completed. All these improve- ments have been successively pr^ed for by Petitions to the three branches of the Legislature^ several whereof containing important documents have been referred to Your Committee. The opening of these roads would cost an insigni- ficant sura compared with the immense public works of the Province, and would have the effect of stop- ping the emigration which is only just commencing m the counties on the south side of the St. Law- rence, below Quebec ; indeed it is the only measure which can prevent the immediate increase of this emigration. The certtunty that it is intended to do something for them, and the little money which might be provisionally expended for this object, would keep in these counties a great number of farmers and la- bourers who inf«nd mostly to emigrate. So urgent is the necessity of these improvements, that \ our Committee hope that the Government will give them its most serious attention at an early period during the recess. -' As Mr. BoBs^ judiciously observes in his evidence, the sale of Crown Lands, which would be made in the neighborhood as fast as the work should progress, would soon make up the money expended. It would 21 not even be necessary to lay out much money, as most of the workmen employed would not wisn for anything better than to become settlers themselves, nor the settlers for anything better than to be em- ployed OS workmen, and both would willingly give the whole or part of their labour as an instalment on the price of the lands conceded to them. This has already been offered by the inhabitants of several localities. — (See the evidence of Messrs. Boss4 and Letellier^ Your Committee believe, that the settlement of the Saguenay territory, already so happily commenced by the settlers from the parishes on the north of the Bivor St. Lawrence, in the Counties of Saguenay, Montmorency and Quebec, will also powerfully con- tribute towards preventing the emigration from the south shore to foreign parts ; especially as a great number of young men from the Counties of Hslet and Kamouraska intend settling at the Saguenay, and have alreadpr taken steps for that purpose. Your Committee recommend particularly to the favourable attentiou of the Government and the Legislature, the projected road from Chicoutimi, across the whole peninsula as far as Lake St Jean, and that already in part open by the enterprising and industrious inhabitants of St. Agn^ and the neighbouring parishes, from Chicoutimi toSte. AgnSs, ana thence in the rear of the mountains of Les Eboule- mens as far as St. Urbain. Your Committee must also call the attention of Your Honourable House, to the suggestion made by all the gentlemen who have answered the questions submitted by Your Committee, to extend for a cou- ple of years more, the privil^e granted by persons settling in the Townships of the Saguenay, before the 1st of May, 1850, of paying only one shilling per acre for the Crown Lands. Your Committee have mentioned these improve- ments which should be made in the District of Que- bec, in the first place, not with a view to prejudice in any way the suggestions which follow and which have reference to otner sections of the Province, but solely because as the emigration has only just com- menced in the Counties above-mentioned, it is easier to stop or prevent it there than in localities where it has been going on for a long jjcriod. The construe- ^2 tion at littlu cost, if not of all, at least of a part of the means of communication suggested, would be of the greatest advantage, providea it were undertaken at once. In order to conclude at once this important part of the subject, Your Committee think it their duty at the same time to call to the recollection of Your Honourable House what has already often been ob- served, the necessity of connecting the Saguenay Territory and the South shore of the St Lawrence below Quebec, with the remainder of the Province, by means of steam navigation. Without this, the isolated position of both tnese portions of the country will always prevent their making that progress which they ore by nature capable of. Although this isola- tion is not so sensibly felt on the South shore, steam navigation from Quebec to one or several points on the North shore, will not for some time yet remu- nerate those who undertake it, unless the steam ves- sels touch during their trips at some points on the South shore. From the remark just mode, it will appear that the construction of wharves and jetties, so as to form safe Harbours at different points of the South shore, will be as useful to the inhabitants of the North shore as the work done in their own lo- calities. This subject has already attracted the attention of the Government ; explorations were made two years ago by the officers of the Board of Works, and i our Committee, without recommending in particular any of the localities explored, will content themselves with remarking, that it is of the greatest necessity that wharves should be constructed at least at one point on the North shore, and at three or four points on the South shore. It is not only as regards the colonization of the new settlements that these improvements are called for, but also for the prosperity of the old settlements. Besides, they are intimately connected with the com- mercial prosperity of the whole Province, and parti- cularly of Upper Canada, inasmuch as they T;ould contribute much towards the improvement of the navigation of the lower part of the River St Law- rence. The want of harbours of refuge is in great part the cause of the numerous shipwrecks which each autumn are so afflicting to humanity, cause such fm heavy losses to commerce, and tend to increase to so great an extent the rate of marine assurance, and consequently of freight, and prevent the Canab along the upper part of the River St Lawrence and the Lakes from being as productive as they might be. These numerous shipwrecks prevent the route of the St. Lawrence from attracting the Western trade, the object for which this Province has made so many sacrifices. Your Committee regret that it is out of the power of the Committee appointed by Your Honourable House to enquire into the best means of removing the obstacles in the navigation of the Gulf and River St. Lawrence below Quebec, to make their Report, in consequence of the destruction of the evidence, maps, and ^lans produced before them, as they would not have failed to furnish to Your Honourable House valuable information and useful suggestions on this subject, to which Your Committee can only allude. The Ottawa territory, so important by its Lumber trade, is not the less so by its Crown Lands : a tract of cultivable lands, in a state of progressive clearance, equal in extent to that of any other part of the country, awaits the care and labour of the husband- man, who, in furnishing the necessitie;? of life to the workmen employed in the lumber trade, finds an advantageous and ready market for the sale of his produce. Your Committee have learned with satisfaction, that the reduction of the price of the Crown Lands to three shillings an acre in this fertile region has greatly facilitated the establishment of settlers, and that the right of pre-emption granted to persons al- ready settled on the Crown Lands, and the long terms of payment which have been granted them, have had the most advantageous results. Your Committee can only recommend that this system be extended and continued. ,.:rK! \ i:.l.. Your Committee take this opportmuiy to observe, that the praiseworthy effjrts of the Reverend Pbres Oblate in this part of the country, for sometime past, have greatly contributed to improve the moral and social condition of a great number of young men employed in getting out timber, and in making and conducting ruts on the Ottawa. Many of them snatched from their habits of debauchery and intem- I ' 24 perance) which have been so fatal to this class, with what they have saved from their wages (which are generally high enough to allow them to economize when their conduct is regular,) have bought lands which they cultivate with success, and they genemlly become excellent settlers. In order to prevent the emigration from this part of the country, and to cause the surplus population of the northern part of the District of Montreal, whose natural patrimony it is, to settle there, it is necessary to open new means of communication there, as in the localities already mentioned. A road has already been commenced in the direc- tion of the Grand Calumet. By so improving it as to render it practicable at ail seasons of the year, and continuing it through Petite Nation, the l^wnships of Lochaber, Buckingham, Templeton, Hull, Eardly, Onslow, Bristol, Litchfield, as far as Grand Calumet, and thence to the lies aux Allumettes, through the Townships of Mansfield, Hudderfield, Chichester, and Watham, more than two hundred miles in extent of the finest lands in the country will be opened to cul- tivation. The Eastern Townships actracted particularly the attention of the Government during the recess pre- ceding the present Session, with a view to their co- lonization. Several new settlements have been made there under the direction of a special agency, and im- portant means of communication have been opened. In addition to what has already been undertaken in this direction. Your Committee are informed that the improvement of several roads, and the opening of several new routes, are indispensable to the work of colonization. The cause of the emigration to the United B'^rtes from the sonthem part of the District of Three Rivers, for instance, is the want of direct communi- cation between these parishes and the ungranted Townships. The Board of Public Works has recom- mended the opening of a road from the Parish of Gentilly to the Township of Blandford, and has es- timated the cost at £1800. This undertaking, which Your Committee considered to be one of tne most pressing, would offer to the young men of Gentilly and the neighbouring parishes an opportunity for settling at a very short distance from vheir parents i" 25 aud friends. Settlements which can thus be made close to others, seem to Your Committee to demand a more immediate attention, because they are more practicable, require less sacrifice, and have more elements of success than those made at a greater distance. A road leaving Drummondville on the Bi^^er St. Francis, passing by Grantham and the Gors of Up- ton, where it v/ould meet the St. Lawrence and At- lantic Railroad, and continued through the Townships of Milton and Granby, would cross the great post road of the Eastern Townships. This road, which is partly made, would have the effect of opening an easy communication between the Kiver St F:\ tjcis aod Yamaska, and would open to agricultural industry one of the most fertile plains in the country. Your Committee having thus stated the most ur- gent and at the same time most easy means, must pass to those of the second class, which are also direct means, but connected with considerable enter- prises or particular projects of legislation. Several of the improvements to which Your Com- mittee have just drawn the attention of Your Honour- able House, are either begun or already suggested in reports of the Board of Works. Another means of comnmnication, the possibility of which has been disputed, must now oe mentioned by Your Com- mittee. The inhabitants of the County of Quebec, by their petition referred to Your Committee, have prayed for the opening of a road from Quebec to Lake St. Jean, or from some point in the Counties of Quebec, Montmorency, or Portneuf, to Lake St Jean or to any point in the new settlements of the Saguenay, so as to afford a direct eommunieation, by land, between Quebec aud these settlements. Your Committee rcgTet that they have been unable to obtain the nscessaiv information on this important part of the subject reierred to them ; but thejr are of opinion that however great the difficulties which may appear to be in the way cf this project, it is of the greatest public importance that it should be carried into effect as soon as its practicability shall have been aacerf Ined. Your Committee arc persuaded that Your Honour- able House, taking into consideration all the advan- f M; tages to be derived by the young and interesting settlements on the Saguenuy from their being brought into direct communication with the City of Quebec, and thereby with all the rest of the Province, will be ready to vot« the necessary funds when the state of the public finances and sufficient exploiations allow the Executive Government to recommend this project to the favourable consideration of the Legislature. There is another great national enterprise which Your Committee cannot pass over in silence, and which more than anything else will prevent the tide of emigration of Canadians to foreign parts, and will attract and retain in this Province the emigrants from the British Isles, by furnishing employment to thou- sands of workmen, by drawing considerable capital into the Province, by developing all the resources of the country, and enabling it to participate in those of the two neighbouring colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The measures adopted by two branches of the Le^slature, during the present Ses- sion, to facilitate the execution of the noble project of a Railroad from Quebec to Halifax, and the in- terest which the Government of this Province, to- gether with that of our sister colonies, take in this measure, lead Your Committee to hope that the well understood interests of the Mother Country and its colonies will not be compromised by the indefinite postponement of an enterprise calculated to draw more closely and render more lasting the ties which bind them to each other. One of the obstacles to the progress of new settle- ments, and which is most strongly insisted upon in the evidence forming the Appendix to this Report, is the bad state of the roads, for the construction of which the Government has already incurred so much expense, an expense indeed which will frequently have to be renewed, and will become a real burthen on the public chest if no other means be adopted to remedy this evil. "^he Road Laws, which have become insufficient even for the old settlements, as well on account of the change that has l;aken place in the habits and cus- toms of the people, as on account of the complication of these laws with the new municipal institutions which work with difficulty, and have been and for 27 several years to come will be still subject to be greatly modified, — these Boad Laws are still more difficult to enforce, and in fact remain a dead letter in the new settlements, where there is no sufficient organization, — and where the work which would fall on one settler alone could never be performed by him without taking all his time and exhausting all his resources. It has been suggested to Your Committee by several of the persons questioned, to recommend the levying of tolls on the great lines of communication made and hereafter to be made by the Government, as being the only means to provide C^v their repair. Your Committee think this suggestion worthy of the con- sideration of Your Honourable House. The answers of the members of the Catholic Clergy in particular, hold up to public indignation, in very strong terms, the conduct of a great number of proprietors of waste lands, whose vast domains re- main an unsurmountable barrier between the old and new settlements. These proprietors either remain unknown, or when they make themselves known re- fuse to concede, or concede only on very hard condi- tions, very frequently too hard to be performed. These conditions are detailed in the Appendix to this Report ; and one may become convinced that they yield in nothing to the obligations formerly imposed by the hardest and most rapacious feudal systems ; the expressions are difierent, it is true i but the facts are about the same. Besides, it is not only in this respect that these extensive proprietors are to blame ; they refuse, almost in every case, to contribute to- wards opening roads on th':^r lands, or towards keep- ing them up, or repairing them, when they have been once made at great expense. After having throw ^ every possible obstacle in the way of the clearing of the neighbouring lands, they quietly enjoy all the advantages resulting from their improvement, and sell their property when they think its value sufficiently increased by the labour of their neigh- bours. Your Committee are well aware that this is a very difficult subject to enter upon as a legislative qu^tion. The right of property is certainly sacred and invio- late : but the soil only belongs to man on condition that he shall work and cultivate it ; and possession i v.. 28 carries wilh it the obligation to make use of what one possesses in such a manner as not to injure others. jProperty should have its duties and obligations as well as its rights. It gives to the proprietor the rights of a citizen under the constitution by which we are governed ; it imposes on him the obligation to contribute to the support of the State. If the example of the Government, which is now selling the public lands at such low rates ; if the ef- forts of good citizens for the improvement of the condition of their fellow-subjects and the i)rosperity of their country ; if the voice of public opinion which has been rused from one end of the Province to the other ; if, in fine, their own well-understood interests do bot lead these great proprietors to change their system, the Legislature must have the power, and will, it is to be iioped, have the courage to remedy so great an evil. It is urgently necessary to provide for the sale of such lands for the payment of local and municipal taxes, and for repairing and keeping up the roads in cases in which the proprietor is absent or unknown. The delay of five years, now granted by law, is much toogreat. The greater part of the Patents granting these lands — those principally which granted them gratuit- onslv for services more or less certain — must contain conditions under which, if they have not been ful- filled, or if they are not fulfilled within a certain time, the lands ^ould be subject to forfeiture. It is the duty of the Government to see that the conditions imposed are fulfilled : and if there are not sufficient means to establish the facts or to pronounce the judg- ments required, a measure ought to be shortly intro- duced to supply such defects in our systr-^ of admin- istration. The abuses of which certain Seignioxs are guilty, are also strongly adverted to in the Appendix. — Public attention has of late been frequently drawn to this subject, and Your Committee think it merely their duty to point out these abuses as one of the causes wnich contribute most powerfully towards emigration ; feeling certain, as they do, that the re- form, if not the abolition of the feudal tenure, will shortly occupy Your Honorable House. 29 Among the means of the third class, public instruc- tion and the improvement of agriculture must occupy the first place. The latter of these objects will al- ways be difficult to attain, so long as the first has not been completely successful. There is nothing then so deplorable as the obstacles which are thrown from every side in the way of the education law, obstacles . which it is always endeavoured to disguise, and to attribute to errors or defects in the law, or to some defect in the observance of the formalities prescribed, on the part of those whose duty it is to carry it into execution. No law, however perfect, can work with- out the co-operation of the people, and especially without a strict determination on the part of the au- thorities to enforce it. Those who, through any motive, create obstacles in the way of the oi)eration of so necessary a law, are very guilty towards their country, and retard, as much as it is in their power to do so, its advancement and prosperity. Ignorance is the heaviest tax which can weigh upon a people ; and the only possible cause of in^riority in the age in which we live. The stationary position of agriculture, and the little energy shown by the farmers in some of the parishes, has been pointed out as one of the causes of their poverty and of their emigration. The Province has encouraged the establishment of Agricultural Societies for each District and each County, the principal object of which is to excite emulation by premiums and annual shows. Great efforts have also been made by the Lower Canadian Agricultural Society towards publishing an Agricultural Journal. These means have succeeded to a certain extent, but have not had that effect which model farms established in the different localities would have. The agricul- tural prizes are generally won by those who are least in want of encouragement; and, until instruction shall have made more progress, agricultural journals will have but very few readers. Practical demonstra- tion, examples laid before the farmers, are the only thin^ which will cause them to make rapid progress. In those localities where persons in easy circum- stances and well informed have made improvemen is on their lands, they have already been im'+attd by their neighbours, as far as their means would permit. 30 I I ifij I*. It ia more easy to persuade our farmers to make alterations in what is called the routine than is generally thought, provided one takes the trouble, and adds example to instruction. A reasonable mis- trust prevents them from making experiaients which, with their means, might be ruinous if they were not crowned with success ; but they are not, as generally represented, enemies to every species of improve- ment. A proof of this is found in the promptness with which they adopt, when they settle in the Eastern Townships and United States, the system of cultivation followed by the American settlers. Persons established in the country parts, and who are rich or in easy circumstances, particularly the Cur^Sy can then do much for the improvement of agriculture. Your Committee think it right here to render a well deserved testimony to the memory of a zealous and generous priest who, in *he various parishes in which he performed the duties of his ministry, considerably increased by his efforts the welfare of his parishioners, both in an agricultural and in every other point of view : besides Your Com- mittee learn with pleasure, that the example of the late Rev. Mr. Dufresne has been followed by a great number of his colleagues. Your Committee think it also their duty to men- tion here, with gratitude, the interest which His Excellency the Governor General, since his arrival in this country, has taken in the different Agricultural Societies, by the liberal and active patronage whidh he has given them, as well as to all other philanthropic societies, encouraging them himself by his presence and by his speeches. The zeal lately shewed by every friend of agricul- ture in this noble cause, will lead the Government, Your Committee hope, to take up this important subject more than ever, and to adopt the necessary measures for the establishment of model farms. Among the numerous suggestions made to Your Committee for procuring employ meet to the super- abnndant population. Your Committee have remarked those which have reference to the establishment of manufactures, and to the protection which should be granted to products of local, industry. Without en- tering upon a discussion of the principles of political 31 economy connected with this question, Your Com- mittee remark with pleasure that important modifi- cations to this end have been made and accepted in the draft of the Tariff presented to Your Honorable House at another period of the Session, and which has now become law. Your Committee cannot, no more than Your Honorable House, be blind to the fact that Lower Canada, by its geographical position, its wants, its natural advantages, is destined, as well as the Northern States of the American Union, to become a great manufacturing country ; and all that can tend to encourage the establishment of local ma- nufactures, provided at the same time too narrow limits be not prescribed to our commercial relations, will have the effect, not only of retaining in this country the labour and capital which are leaving it, but also that of attracting those of foreign coun- tries. The want of local manufactures, the fact that few public works are at present underL'^.ken in Lower Canada, have been several times pointed out by Your Committee, in the course of this Report, as one of the most active causes of emigration, especially of the working classes. Were some, if not all, the projects above mentioned to be realized, especially the speedy completion of the roads already begun, whether granted by the Legislature or recommended by the Board of Public Works, and mentioned in the first class of means which have been suggested the effect would, in the opinion of Your Committee, be prompt and decisive, at least for many localities. An undertaking frequently mentioned by the press and the Legislature, and alluded to in the answers annexed to this Report, would be the construction of Docks and Basins in the River St. Charles at Quebec, and the improvement of the Harbor of Quebec. If the Province wishes to derive any advantage from its immense Canals, and to profit by the new commercial liberties which the Home Government seems disposed to grant it in repealing the Naviga- tion Laws, it will become necessary to improve the navigation of the St. Lawrence below Quebec, and the Port of Quebec. In case vessels of all nations should be admitted to this port, there is not the 3^ sli<^]ito£«t cluulit thnt this undertaking, far from being burthcnsome to the Province will, on the contrary, be most profitable. With reference to the emigration of young men of education, Your Committee, in pointing out its causes, think they have sufficiently pointed out its remedy, which is entirely in the hands of the Go- vernment. Your Committee conclude their Report by the fourth class of means suggested ; those which depend upon the impression to be made on public opinion. If this impression were not already created, the in- formation contained in this Eeport and the Ap- pendix would be sufficient to do so. Fortunately the Catholic Clergy of Lower Canada have taken in their hands the work of coloni. nation, and will persevere in it. While the Reverend Mr. Chiniquy was commencing his praiseworthy missions in favor of temperance, the Reverend Messrs. O'Reilly and Bedard were giving an impulse to the settlement of the Canadians on the public land& The formation of associations among zealous citizens is a certain means of success ; and your Committee cannot too highly praise a society composed of per- sons of means, but who having no taste nor time to clear their lands themselves, advance a capital to the poor but industrious man, who returns it in work on the land of another member of the society. Several heads of families, in easy circumstances, have entered into similar associations, and have thereby procured to their children the means of having lands already cleared, without any great trouble, and aiForded assistance, at the same time, to their poorer fellow- countrymen. The spirit of association is all powerful at the present day ; and when once public opinion is directed in the right course, it tnimiphs over every obstacle. ► ^. M Your Committee are persuaded that Your Honor- able House, in adopting as speedily as possible the most urgent of the above suggestions, and in giving to all their serious consideration, will lend Your as- sistance to the spontaneous efforts of a great number of priests and citizens to obtain the success of a cause whicli must carry with it the consent and good wishes 33 of every friend to the country, without distinction of religion, origin, or political opinion ; this subject being fortunately one which interests the welfare of every one in such a manner that all parties can meet as upon neutral ground, and lay aside the enmity and discord which threaten to be the cause of so much evil to our fine country. The whole, nevertheless, humbly submitted, (Signed,) PIERRE J. O. CHAUVEAU, ^ _ _ Chairman. J. C. TACHE. « it U u « M C. R FOURNIER, R. CHRISTIE, PIERRE DAVIONON. T. FORTIER. F. LEMIEUX. (Signed,) J. P. Lgprohon, Clerk to Committee. Legislative Assembly. 29th May, 1849. m m f 35 APPENDIX. The analysis of the letters of the Missionaries, Curds, and Vicaires in the Diocese of Montreal, gives the following information relative to the questions submitted by your Committee : — 1«* Question. — Can you furnish any data as to the importance of the emi^tion which takes place from Lower Canada to foreign parts? Answer. — It is difficult to obtun any certain data from which one may judge of the number of persons who emigrate to foreign parts ; but there is reason to believe that it is very considerable. 2Hd Question. — To what country do these emi- grants direct *h«ir course? Answr-. — The greater part of the emigration is in the direction of the Umted States, ^rincipdly to- wards Chicago, St. Louis,, and the ne^hbourhood ; a great number also go in the direction of Illinois and Wisconsin. . - ^ ^rd Question. — To what dass do these emigrants belone, and what is the comparative numj^ of agriculturalists? Answer. — The greater number of emigrants be- long to the working class; about one-third belong to the agricultural class. 4th Question. — If you cannot, or have not furnish- ed any details as to the total number of emigrants, be so kind as to fumidli the details of your locality ? Answer. — It would ap|>ear that more than one thousand families have emigrated during the last four or five years. 5th Question. — What proportion of this emigration is of French origin, and what proportion is of British origin ? Jif., 36 Answer. — It nmybc said tliat nine-tentlis of the emigrants are of French origin, which forms the majority in Lower Canada. 6th Question. — Can you give a proximate and com- parative statement of the emigration during the lost five yeai-s, whether for the country in general or your locality in particular ? Answered by the answer to tb« fourth question. 7th QuestioH.^-tlaye you travelled in the countries towards which this emigration directs its course, and in what state have you found the emigrants ? Answer. — Several of those who have given the answers here analysed, have travelled in the United States. They have met Canadians in mnny of the States. They fbund some on board tjtie steamboats in the prairied, the mills, and manufactories; but always, or almost always, in inferior sttuations. 6^ Quei^7i.-^What is the state of tlM morals, health) and psraeperity of the Canadians who emi- grate to foreign parts, and what is their i«»ployment and means of subsistence? Angwet. — It may be said that more than three- fourths of the Canadians who are in the United States belong to the working class, earning their daily bread, employed in the mills, manufactories, &c., most of them as simple labourers. All those who travel in the United States generally see the Canadians in a state of d^radation really humiliating for our country* Some, it is true, gather from our oeighbonrs better and more extensive notions on ag^ riculture, commerce, and the branch of industry to which the^ have applied themselves ; but alU or al- most oil) live in a state of demoralization which it is difficult to imagine, and which leads one to hope that effective measunes will be adopted without delay to prevent so great an eviL 9th Question. — Can you specify thd ceases of this emigration, and are they the same in e^ery locality ? i^nmw.^-^These causes are niunerous, cspec^Uy those resulting firom the various situations in life, the viois^tudes of trade, the failure of the crops during the last years, private mis^tunes ; besides which, our political troubles began to point out the road to the first emigrants. Ist. The great decrease in the lumber trade, caused by want of protection on the part of the Home Government. This has ruined a great 37 many Cuntiacluiti, uiid overthrown coiiHiderable estab- lishments which were kept up by this branch or tradf^. 2ndly. The want of employment on the part of a great number of young men whom this trado kept busy, and who, finding no employment from which thoy can derive the same advantages, seek their foiv tune elsewhere. 3rdly. The luxury which is spread- ing most deplorably in our country parts, where ar- ticles of foreign manufacture have been poured in with a profusion unheard of in this country, and which are for the most part useless to us ; and espe- cially a quantity of stuffs which our halntans could very well do without, as formerly, and content them- selves with objects of domestic manufacture. The tendency to purchase objects of luxury on credit, en- couraged by the fearful number of those who carry on trade in our country parts on a small scale, and who, encouraged as they are by the laws which protect them to the prejudice of society, and espe- cially by the " Small Causes Act," force upon the people, by every means, the sale of their wares, and throw into debt the poor fiirmers and mechanics of our country parts: — the latter, not being able to pay their debts, are sued and ruined : — they lose courage, and go to foreign parts to seek their fortune. 4thTy. The backward state of agricultural science ; the little improvement made by most of our Agricultural So- cieties, who, instead of directing their efiforts and employing the means of encouragement at th'^ir dis- posal towards improvements of the first iicoessity, eopy in their organization and their manner of acting that which is done in very different countries from ours, and where agriculture has reached a high state of perfection, and «ven the luxury which fr(»n na- tund causes we can never attain. Improvements in our agriculUiral system would considerably increase the produce of our soil, require an increase of work, «nd consequently of employment for the young men, who, finding means of subsistence near the patermil roof, would give up the idea of leaving their country. For ^ere is no other people more attached to their family and their country than the French Canadians. They never like to lose sight of the steeple of their parish ; and numerous causes must have been required to oblige so many Canadians to leave their country. 5thly. The very few domestic manufactures which I !l 38 n we have, even for wants of tiie first necessity, espe- cially those which we might establish by means of our numerous and excelleni water-powers, and which might be kept up by the substances wb' ^ the country fu'-nishes in abundance — such as wood, iron, &c I'his is due, it is very true, in the first place to the want of spirit of enterprise and asscciation among our population, but which might also be attributed to the abuse of privilege ; an abuse v/hioh destroys all in- dustry, and v/hich the Government ought to remedy. How many of our Seigji-iiois of Fiefs have refused, and still refuse every day to encourage the establish- ment of profitable works and useful manufactures for the country, in order to retun es^clusively, without profit to themselves or the puLij^o, the numerous water-powers owned by them, and for which they are offered reasonable prices. lOth QuestiuiL — Has it not been represented to the inhabitants of the country, that a better fate awaits them in foreign parts ? Answer. — The Itihabitants of tl e country parts have certainly been induced to emigrate in the hopes of 9 more favorable destiny in foreign parts, which, from deceitfal reports, they were led to entertc'a ; but this illusion has a little disappeared in several localities. A certain iiumber who have returned, others who have written to their families, have made known *he real state of things, which is far from be- ing as favorable as others would make us believe. Wth Q:.eation. — Are you aware of the means for preventing this emigration ? Answer. — The means of remedying the emigration consist in adopting every step calculated to destroy its causes, some of which &re pointed out in the answer to the ninth question, with this addition, that the Canadians might be employed more than they are at present on the public works, where one gene- rally finds oniy strangers, from the first employ^ to the last workman. I2ih Question. — To what excess of the popuV.lion of directed ? Anstoer. — The most perfect which are the nearest to the settlers are obtained. The Canadians, as it has been remr.rked in the answer to the ninth question, do n )t localities might certain parishes the be settlements are those place from wbich the 39 like to go far from the place of their birth. It wouKl, therefore, be much better to commence the new settlements in the townships nearest to the popuIoii.i parishes; and, for the same reason, on all the neighbouring points of the parishes formed in the seigniories. 13th Question. — Hoi^ many persons in your locality have expressed a :vish to settle on new lands ? Answer. — It is very difficult to answer this ques- tion with exactness ; but what is very certain is, that if there were lands to be granted, of easy excess, and on conditions both liberal and proportioned to the means of our population, a good number of fathers of families, still youn?, or of sons of families, would be found in each parisn of this District, ready to settle on them. Has not a celebrated writer said, that wherever there were lands of easy access, there were always men, women, and children ready to cultivate tnem. I4:th Question. — By *• '^t means could the Govern- ment interfere, in ordb* tQ put a stop to this emi- gration, and support the settlement of the waste lands? , ^ Answer. — The means which the Government might adopt to prevent this emigration are partly shown in tne answer to liie ninth question : thus, let a premium be granted as an encouragement to the - merchants of the country who will be the first to own vessels with which our produce may be brought to the most advantageous market, now that England has deprived us of the protective duties. It will be the means of enlivening our lumber trade, and of encreasins the exportation of our ashes, our fish, and our animu oils, &c. We would besides gain thereby, by turning to our profit the costs of exportation and importation, besides commencing a small Canadian zi»vy -t^here a great number of our young men would find employment. Let the laws be repealed which en- courego the small trade of the country parts to the disadvantage of society, a trade both ruinous and demoralizing for the rarmers and mechanics. Let agriculture be encouraged b^ giving to the societies a management more proportionate and more appro- priate to the present and immediate wants of the country, by establishing model farris, changing and improving our grain and seeds, the race of our ani- m 40 trnxh, and the agricultural utensib and instrumonts. Let the importation of all these objects be facilitated, by taking off the taxes which raise their price too high for the poor husbandman. Let the domestic manufactures mentioned in the answer to the 9th question, be encouraged. Let the Legislature abolish the system of exclusive privilege which prevents their development. The public good, the circum- stances in which we are placed, the urgency of our situation, render it a necessary duty. It is said that a wise Government should never in- terfere directly with trade and industry ; it would often have tne effect of destroying them; but it ought strongly to help them by enooun^ng them icdirectly, and giving them that impulse which they never would have without its support Sometimes a Government has only to remove a few obstacles which impede the movements and the spoutaneous efforts of the agricultural, industrial, and oomroeroial classes, and these will soon do what is Mt. Above all, and in the first place, what every one agrees upon, ought to have been pointed out ; that is, Education. Nothing ought to be spared for this ob- ject, which has become at the present day more than ever indispensable. Every means ought to be used to endeavour to destroy the unfortunate impressions which have been made by men full of ttmbition and pride, dangerous enemies to their countrymen* among the ignorant class which they have made use of ^ some with a view to make money, and others to obtain a shameful popularity. As to the latter part of the question, the answer would call for details which it would be presumptuous to point out to on Administration which has alr^y done so much for the settlement of the r^w lands. It may perhaps be observed, however, that the greatest obstacles in the way are the Crown and Clei^ Reserves. By keeping together families ac- quainted with each other, the settlements at a dis- tance from inhabited places would be greatly facilitated, as the Canadians are fond of society, and like to as- sist one another in their work. Let the new settlements be encouraged by giving •A premium to the most industrious settler, whose clearings arc the best made, and who has derived the most advantage from thorn . Might not this premium 41 consist in a discharge for the whole, or for a portion of the sum remaining due and owing by the indus- trious settler as the price of his land. I5th Question. — What principal means of com- munication would you recommend to be opened for this object, and if you recommend any, what would be the probable cost ? Answer. — It is not easy to answer this question. It might be observed, however, that it becomes more and more urgent to have public and easy meansof com- munication in the northern part of the District of Mont- real, in which there is no other communication than that expensive and difficult one of the Ottawa River ; and the inh'-bitants of which are at so great a distance from the market, that they carnjt dispose of their produce with advantage. It might be remarked here, that one of the greatest obstacles to the establishment of means of communication, proceeds from the fact that between the old and new settlements there are great extents of unoccupied lands, the proprietors of which are for the most part unknown or absent, and consequently cannot furnish their share of work on the roads. The Government ought then to interfere to have these intermediate lots occupied. In order that the roads may be opened and maintained. 16th Question. — Do you think the present Road- laws well calculated or sufficient for the settlement of the Townships, and if not, can you suggest any im- provement in them ? Answer, — From what is known of these laws, they might be thought sufficient; it might perhaps be observed, that in the Townships and new settlements a ntoif, concentrated and expeditious power is re- OT fiKJ, This might be the subject of by-laws under n ,''>'' i^ duotion of threshing machines. A great number of persons employed every year in the lumber yards ha- ? been left without work, and consequently, with- out means of subsistence. For about seven or eight years, threshing-mills have been brought through our couutry parts, from bam to bam, and by means of which the work of two or three months is done in four or five days; a number of poor people, who earned their livelihood by this work, are now out of employment, and starving. Tired of leading a miserable life here, without any hopes of ever having a better fortune, our country people were obliged to abandon the soil which gave them birth, to seek else- where an existence which it refused theno. They went, therefore, to the Townships, with the intention of settling there ; but the difficulties they met with obliged them to continue on to the nel ;hbouring States. The principal obstacles to the settlement of the Canadians in the Townships, are : Ist The want, or bad state of the roads. 2nd. The too high price of lands. 3rd. The oppression of large landholders. 4th. The absence of persons of education among the settlers. " In order to have an idea of the great misery ex- perienced by the settlers on first settling, from the vrant of roads, it is only necessary to remark, that during eight months of the year they are obliged to carry on their backs all the goods and provisions th^ are in want of, through forests more or less denscv and through savanes where they sink to the waist If they have a half owt. of potash to take to the merchant, a bushel of wheat to carry to the mill, 50 lbs. of sugar to take to market, it must be carried ia their arms. Now, for a young man worn out by heavy and continual work, and by a Ion j fast, it is a task which exceeds the limits of the strength of human nature. " It would be easy to give the names of rumbers of persons who have died in consequence of excessive fatigue undergone in making such journeys. 44 << & What is tlie result ? It is, tiiat tlie settler uot feeling strong enough to cany his produce to market, takes it to the resident merchant to whom he sells it for half price, and who in return gives him goods for which he charges four times their value. " In several localities, the government has opened large roads which have not a Tittle contributed to the advancement of the settlements in the Townships ; but since these roads have been made, they have neither been kept up or repaired; they are in so shocking a state that in the very middle of a Provin- cial road, persons have been obliged to take out of mud-holes, with poles, animals who had stuck in ; this has not only happened once, but a hundred times. The misfortune is, that the government, after having opened the roads in the Townships did not take effective steps to keep them in good order. " As to the price of lands, it is exorbitant ; they are sold at 10s. 15s. and even 20s. per acre. The settler, it would seem, might at least hope to be free at this price ; but no, this is not all. When, after having been cheated by the false promises of the large landholder he will have cleared 10 to 12 arpents of land, he will be politely invited to come and pass a deed. The proprietor begins by reserving to himself, the wood, stone, mines, water-courses, besides the right of passage, through the land sold, at all seasons of the year ; he points out to the purchaser the mill where he must carry his gr^n ; he leaves to the purchaser all the public and party expenses ; and after all this he gives him his land for 15s. or 20s. an acre. If the settler does not feel courage enough to submit to what is required of him, he has no alternative but to pack up his things and take his household gods else- where. He in fact does so ; but before attempting a new settlement on land where he may reasonably expect the same inconveniences, he will go and try a little life in foreign parts. No person can find fault with this. Some other proprietors absolutely refuse to sell their lands ; they wait until the ueighbourinfj lands are settled, so as to exact a higher price for theirs. *' The absence of persons of education, especially Missionaries, among the settlers, is another great obstacle to the progress of colonization. The settlers avs generally uneducated ; they are little capable of 4.5 struggling with the harpies who devour them ; no- thing is easier than to dupe them ; it is a necessary consequence of their ignorance. If there is not in the midst of them a disinterested person to protect them, they will find it difficult to avoid the snares laid for them on all sides by cupidity and personal interest. " The settlers have been persuaded, that among the Americans a fortune can be made at little cost. In effect, a sober and economical young man can, in a short time, lay by a handsome sum. They receive from $20 to $30 per month ; the misfortune is, that they earn a great deal and spend a great deal. Flea- sure, luxury, and debauchery, absorb, in a few weeks, the fruit of a whole years labour." N. B. — Mr. Marquis has travelled through most parts of the Union. To the 9th and lOth. — The Missionary at King- sey, answers as follows : — " This emigration has, I think, two general causes affecting the whole Pro- vince, and several local causes : 1st. general cause, the difference between the pay in the United States and in Canada. 2nd. The want of manufactories and of employment for the working classes who have no skill in agriculture ; this class is numerous, even in the country parts ; and also the want of lands to be opened in the Seigniories : as to my own neigh- bourhood, the young people there are possessed with a sort of madness to go to the upper country. It is a real epidemic which seizes them. Many leave for the sake of saying, they have travelled." Poverty is also a great cause of the emigration of families, and so is the want of employment in this locality. The inhabitants here have often been told that a better lot awaits them in foreign parts. To the nth. — Mr. Marquis, agreeing in opinion with most of the gentlemen, a recapitulation of whose letters is here made, in answer to this last question : says, that " in order to prevent emigration, the po- sition of the settlers must be made supportable and to attain this end: 1st. Roads must be opened through the principal townships intended to be open- ed for settlement : 2nd. The keeping up of these roads must be provided for in an effective manner. In my opinion, the most proper way would be to es- tablish turnpikes on every one of the provincial routes, I !1 46 until the lands bordering on them are o^<^upied ; for it is not reasonable to expect that the Government, after making the roads, will also undertake to maintain thetn : Srdly. An end must be put to the tyranny of large landholders, by obliging them to assist in public workd, by annulling the excessively burthen- some contracts dictated by them, and by obliging them to concede or sell their lands : 4tnly. I will add, that for the Catholic settlers, means should be provided to establish Missionaries among them to en- courage them and direct them in their labours. For the Catholic settler, a Missionary is of the greatest necessity, especially at the commencement of a set- tlement ; he is the only man who can render them great services gratuitously. The Government, if it really wishes to see the system of colonization suc- ceed, should assist the Missionary to establish himself as soon as possible nmong the settlers, not in his quality of Catholic piiest, but as the leader of the settlement. The sacrifice of a few dollars or of a few arpents of land, would soon be compensated by the rapid progress of this noble work of coloniz- ation ." To the \2th and \^th. — Hundreds of families would be disposed to settle on the new lands. Ae to the inhabitants of the parishes below Quebec, they would prefer the Saguenay, but the sale of Crown lands at one shilling per acre, should be extended be- yond the 1st of January, 1850. The inhabitants of the parishes above Quebec, would follow the direction of^the Eastern Townshipe. To the I5th. — See letters of Messrs. Marquis, B^- dard, D^Iage, and Grifiith, which accompany this recapitulation. To the IQth. — Every one finds the Bead-laws in- sufficient and faulty. 4 is- Answer of Messire J. B. A. Ferland, Director of the College of Nicolet, to the questions transmitted to him : — ' " I cannot oflTer any remarks on the four first ques- tions which relate to the country in general. The observations I have to submit, have re^rence princi- pally to the District of Three Rivers, and a part of the District of St. Francis." '1-7 To the 5th. — As the British race forme, according to the census of 1844, only one-fourth of the popula- tion of the District of Three Rivers, its movement is scarcely perceptible. In this District, the emiffra- tion may be considered as almost entirely supplied from the ranks of the French Canadian population. To the 7thf 8th^ 2th, and IQth. — Among the causes of emigration, some are peculiar to certain classes of emigrants, while others are common to all classes. The general causes are: 1st. The state of poverty in which the country is at present: 2ndly. The difficulty of forming new agricultural settlements. These two causes touch and depend on each other at several points. It is acknowledged by all, that for the last two or three years. Lower Canada has been noorer than it has been for half a century. Money das disappeared ; there is no credit ; landed property is mortgaged ; bankruptcy is the order of the day ; commerce is dead and agrioulture threatens to share the same fate. What is then left us? Manufac- tures? They have been nipped in the bud. The manufacturing of lumber from our forests? Thb has been the ruin of the country. I will state what is left to us ; it is poverty ; it is regret at hav- ing followed a wrong course ; it is perhaps the future and hope. Our fathers could live in easy circum- rdtances ; the seigniories afforded them lands in abun- dance ; the seigniorial dues were nominal ; in spite of a bad system of agriculture, the virgin soil returned a hundred-fold for the seed which had been confided to it. Instead of wasting their strength and losing their morals in the lumbering establuhments, their vigorous youth occupied themselves in the labours of husbandry. Luxury was yet unknown, few objects were imported from abroad; the cloths and stuffs made in the country were sufficient for the rural po-^ pulation. Trade, it is true, was not in a brilliant state, shin-plasters and the bankrupt law had not yet come into existence. But there was money to be seen ; objects of the first necessity were not scarce, and cost little. The Canadians lived happy, strongly attached to their country, and did not feel the wish to emigrate to their neignbours the Americans. The poor as well as the rich man had his share of sunshine, and found means to feed, warm, and clothe himself; this was the age of prejudices in which people thought 48 it possible to be eatiafied witli what was strictly ne- cessary. But we, more enlightened, have altered all this. The present generation saw the brilliant era of trade commence, it may now contemplate its end and taste its sweets. ** The greater quantity of foreign merchandize Canada imports, the richer it will become. Let us create new wants ; the desire of satisfying them will give an impulse to trade, and force us to produce objects for exportation." Such were the dreams of our Smiths and Says on a small scale. '^ Trade for ever!" was the cry of our economists; "Trade for ever 1 " was repeated by Old England, whose im- mense depots were filled to excess with waste mer- chandize. Not being able to find a market for them elsewhere, she took the opportunity of swamping Canada with them. Commerce advanced with rapid strides ; but it was a sickly and unnatural commerce. At the same time, a luxury without bounds, and ruinous habits were introduced among the higher classes, and thence rapidly descended to the lowest fudes of society. In return for the shipments from ngland, Canada could only offer her promise to pay and a little wheat. The balance being constantly against her, she was obliged to find money to preserve her commercial credit. In order to obtain it, tne trade ran into debt with the banks, the professional man increased his bills of costs, the Government employ^ got his salary doubled, the husbandman pledged his future crops and hypothecated his lands. On him, as the only producer, fell the burthen of paying the expenditure of all the other classes. And now the picture darkens. Worn out by a system of cultivation which is always taking some- thing away without giving anything in return, the old lands yield only miserable crops, hardly sufficient to supply food for the labourer. It is almost im- possible to open other lands in the seigniories, as the new concessions are charged with rents and reserva- tions too burthensome for the Censitaire. It is use- less to think of the Townships : the minions of power who have divided them among themselves want gold for their title-deeds. Besides, they cannot bear to see French Canadians settle on them. ' In a time of dearth, how is the husbandman to get rid of the dsbts he has contracted during years 49 of abundance ? For it must be remarked, that our countrymen really plunged into debt when they had the most ma^ificent harvests. " * Well I England wants lumber ; the vast forests of Canada are before you; make use of them and you will pay your debts.' Speculators receive ad- vances of money, and open lumbering establisb- laents, to which the most vigorous portion of the agricultural population go and lose their taste for husbandry. From Lake Temiscaming to Lake Saint Jean all the tributaries of the St. Lawrence pour into it their tribute in the shape of innumerable and endless rafts of lumber. After some years, the markets are glutted ; there is no demand for lumber ; both speculators and lumber-makers fall together into the abyss of bankruptcy." This is an outline of the course we have pursued ; a wild commerce, luxury, debt, bankruptcy, misery, and emigration. It is high time to ^' put the ship about," and try another tack. In truth, it would be difficult to recognize in us the children of those Ca- nadians, of whom General Murray said, after the Conquest : " They are a prudent and frugal race of men." The second general cause of emigration is the dif- ficulty of founding new agricultural settlements. Here I will only refer to the Districts of Three Rivers and St. Francis. Between the River St. Lawrence and the United States frontier, the cul- tivable lands may be divided into three belts, running parallel to the River for the length probably of 20 to 25 leagues. The nearest belt to the St, Lawrence includes the seigniories, in which there are still lands to be had. Under the French government the seigniors were in a manner the agents of the Crown; whose duty it was to invite the settlers into their respective Dis- tricts, and to concede lands to them at almost nomi- nal rates. The right of having grist mills and the lods et ventes formed the greater part of the seigniorial revenues. Since then, things have greatly altered. Assuming that they are the unconditional proprie- tors of the land, the seigniors only concede at nigh rates, and with numerous reservations. It naturally follows from this change, that young men are afraid to take the lands on these conditions, when they see 7 50 numbers of old proprietors sinking under the weight of seigniorial dues, selling their lands at low prices in order to go and settle in foreign parts. The 2d belt, which adjoins the seigniories, is 12 to 15 leagues in width. Divided among a small number of large landholders, it has become the do- main of monopoly. The labourer there is made use of with admirable patience and intelligence; and when his last drop of sweat has been gathered, and his last rag torn from him, he is sent back to the seigniories, or driven towards the United States. He is at liberty to go forth at the head of his family to increase the crowd of French Canadian beggars. Of the large landholders, some remain unknown and keep themselves quiet until extensive clearings have been made on their lands. They then shew themselves ; and fortunate is the settler, if while the fruit of his labours is taken from him, he is not forced to pay heavy damages. Some make themselves but too well known, by the length of their deeds of con- cession. They sell, but they do so for a douceur of 15 to 20 shillings per acre. At this price, they con- tent themselves with reserving all the lumber, quar- ries, mines, mill-sites, roads leading thereto, &c. &c. So that after struggling for a few years against the forest, borne down by such conditions, the poor set- ler is obliged to return his half-opened land. Lastly, there are proprietors who will neither con- cede, nor sell, nor work, nor furnish their contribu- tion towards any improvement. They are waiting till their unfortunate neighbours shall have become impoverished, by opening roads, doing such works as are required between neighbour and neighbour ; con- structing bridges, erecting school houses, building a chapel. Untu then, their vast property will remain a public nuisance. It is impossible to oblige them to pay local taxes, to give air to their neighbour's clear- mgs, to assist in making party ditches, or to keep up the roads ; for they have a thousand means to shelter themselves from suits at law. And even when they are condemned, the law only allows their lands to be sold after five long years have elapsed. Altogether, this region offers to the labouring man disappoint- ment, dejection, misery, and as an end to all these evils, emigration. 51 The third belt extends from these places of deso- lation to the frontier. It is this portion which has been thrown open by the patriotism of our Ministers to the superabundant population of the seigniories. May they succeed in attracting and establishing our fellow-countrvmen there. Immense difficulties are in the way of the accomplishment of the Ministerial project. Between the old settlements and the Town- ships the domain of monopoly intervenes, and can furnish no assistance to the nardy pioneer of civiliza- tion. Being at a distance of 25 leagues from the St. Lawrence, he will long have to submit to innumer- able privations. If he wants a pickaxe, a cwt of flour, or a bundle of straw, he will have to go 15 to 20 leagues to procure thenk Hence loss oftime, fa- tigue, exhaustion, and consequently dejection. Such will be his situation, as long as the monopolists shall not have improved the state of the land they keep uncultivated and uninhabited ; and thus it nappens that out of a hundred young men who left for tnese places last autumn, ninety nave returned, disgusted with the new settlements and meditating emigration. Connected with the general causes of Canadian emigration, there are particular causes which have an mmediate action upon each description of emigrants. The emigrants may be divided into four classes, com- posed as follows : — 1st Class, very numerous : families reduced to poverty by hwxl times, laziness, drunkenness, or thoughtlessness. They go to the Northern States to beg, or perform the vilest offices. In certain towns of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, their reputation is such, that no honest man would dare to call himself a Canadian. Causes of the emigration peculiar to this class: hunger, nakedness, and too frequently thirst 2nd Class, very numerous : young men who go to earn money in the Northern States. Their intention in leaving, is to return to Canada to purchase or open new lands. Many finbh by settlmg among our neighbours. Some hire themselves to farmers, others manufacture bricks, or are employed in the Lowell and Manchester manufactories. Feculiar causes of emigration ; scarcity of money in Canada and high price of lands. 52 M 3rd Class : young men who have received an edu- cation. Finding all the liberal profesc^ions crowded with n'^merous candidates, they e»^riigrate towards MiflBOuri and Louisiana, with the view of making 3omething by their talents and education. St. Louis and New Orleans contain a great many individuals of this class. They always succeed when sober and industrioup. Peculiar causes of emigration; the small number and insufficiency of the career open to the educated youth of the country. 4th Class ; numerous and important, constituting the sinews and riches of a country ; farmers in easy circumstances, with large famiJ'.es. Many eiicellent fathers not wishing to allow their children to seek refuge in the towns, or to go and work in the manu- &otories of the United States, try and £nd lands for them to settle on. It is useless to think of obtaining them on easy conditions in Lower Canada. They sell their property, and with the price of their lands, they furnish their children with the means of opening BetUements in the midst of the fertile plains of Wis- consin, Illinois, or Iowa. Peculiar cause of emigra- tion ; difficulty of procuring lands in Lower Canada. To the Mth and I4kth. — The causes of emigration being known, it is easy to point out the proper reme- dies for this evil which is gnawing the vitals of the country. The wisdom of our l^islators will discover them ; may it also find physicians who have the willi and courage to appl^ them ! Nevertneiess, if i were permitted to offer, upon this important question, my humble advice Lo our statesmen* I would say to them, after asking pardon for taking the liberty : — " Gentlem3jD_, you have been called upon to replace the country in the road to prosperity ; your task is difficult. The Government IS on the verge of bankruptcy ; trade is extinct ; the impoverished and terrified population are flying to a foreign land to ask for bread and for repose. Save the coimtrv by restoring confidence in the future. Be-cstablish order in the public finances. The peo- ple's money hao been wasted ; be saving ; reduce the exorbitant salaries ; place useless officers on the re- tured list ; dimmish the cost of legislation. Thirty years ago, a law cost only forty pounds ; now, not a single one can be obtained for less th?,n £400, al- though the new ones are not better th.u» tho old. ' 53 Reduce them to the former rate8, and in one single Session of the Legislature, you will have saved to the country, more than £30,000. Place trade on a sounder footing ; let the importations and exporta- tions be again equally balanced. I was going to add, Srosoribe luxury and intemperance. But no ; Messrs. lailloux and Chiniquy will undertake that duty. At all events, lend them your assistence in their noble and patriotic crusade. But this is not the whole of your task. Provi- dence has liberally distributed three sources of riches to Canada ; men, earth, and water. I say nothing of the air, b'^cause wind-mills are not destined to suc- ceed in this country. Nor shall I mention fire, which it ia better to leave to the management of blacksmiths and proprietors of steam-engines. Well, gentlemen, you have in your hands three elements of prosperity ; let them be uced for the com- mon good, and you will have given the death-blow to the disastrous emigration of late years, and merited the blessing of your fellow-countrymen. The inhabitant of a northern country is active and well adapted for labour. In our country, however , thousandia of hands remain unoccupied, or are obliged to seek for laboiu* abroad. Do you wish to employ them ? The earth and water wiU furnish you the means of turning these productive agents to account. Protect the fisheries and the coasting trade in the Gulf of St. Lawrence ; establish a achool of naviga- tion, and Canada will produce good seamen as she formerly did. You will thus create a Provincial navy. The rivers offer you motive power to an in- calculable extent. Take possession of this power ; employ it for manufactures, which you will encour- age by allowing the importation duty free of the raw material necessary to feed them, and by taxing ar- ticles of foreign manufacture when they can be pro- duced here with advantage. The water wi" thus have furnished you the meaas of occupying use- fully the one half of the hands now condemned to idleness. The earth will afford employment to the remainder. Make use of your fine forests, but do so wisely ; do not give them to speculators who nip in the bud the fruit destined to feed your children. 54. i Agriculture will not escape your care, for agricul- ture is the food of the people. You will instruct and enlighten the farmer by establishing model farms. With all your books, you cannot make him alter his old and ruinous practice, while he will understand and imitate the proceedings he will have seen in actual practice, and the success of which he will have seen. It is also important to do away with the obstacles which by an infamous monopoly prevent the progress of agriculture, and to prove that you will not sacrifice the future destinies of the country to satisfy the cu- pidity of a few individuals. You have offered the Crown Lands at prices to suit the feeblest purses ; but the useless domains of the Seigniors and large landholders forbid approach to these lands. Make these men follow your example, and the forest will be changed into fertile fields sufficient to feed a numer- ous population. Common sense will convince them that their individual interests will suffer, if, by exor- bitant demands, they drive away settlers who offer to give value to the land, pro\ided they are permitted to reside and bring up their families on it. If they remain deaf to these prudent counsels, there are means to bring them to reason. We ask not for laws a la Proud/ton ; on the contrary, we wish justice to be rendered for and against all. When the Crown gave up its territorial rights to the Seigniors and large landholders in favor of agri- culture, it surely imposed certain conditions. Let the duty of seeing these conditions fulfilled fall not upon the poor laborer, who would be laughed at by the rich man, but upon the Government, the natural protector of the feeble. If these guarantees have not, through neglect, been stipulated in favor of the settler, give oim, at any rate, the means of obliging the large landholder to open his lands and pay the local taxes. When the possessor cannot be reached, allow recourse against his land, not after five years, but at the end of three months. A delay of five years is a denial of justice ; for five years are the life or death of a new settlement. Besides, as these great reservations of waste lands are a public nuisance, the Legislature evidently has the right of imposing on them a tax, which would be a slight indemnification for the damage caused , by them to the general interests cf the country. 1 1' I 55 If you appif these remedies wisely and sagaciously, as you can do, gentlemen, our fellow-countrymen will willingly remain on the paternal soil while you make the attempt; they can still bear a few years of misery for the service of taeir country. But if you are wanting in courage and skill at this decisive mo- ment, in fifty years you will find no more French Canadians, unless it be on the banks of the Missouri and of the Mississippi.. Answers of Messire 0. Marquis, Priest, Vicaire of St. Gregoire, to the preceding questions trans- mitted to him, annexed to the Circular of the Archbishop of Quebec : — 1st. Travellers say that Canadian families may be found settled, in great numbers, in that part of the States which borders on the frontier. 2nd. To all parts of the American Union, but especially to those on the frontier. 3rd. Those from our locality all belong to the agri- cultural class. 4^/t. Eight families left St. Gr6goire last year to go and settle in the Stales ; before that period young men only had thought of leaving the place — about 130 to 140 are absent from the Parish in each year, working with the Americans. The greater numl r return after a few years' absence ; for if it be true that the Canadian likes his Church stee , it is much more true of the Acadians. 5th. They are all French Canadians. 6th. The number of young men who left the parish for the United States has been about the same for each of the last five years ; but families caught the emigration fever last year only. And if the pros- pect ofrered by colonization does not promise any real advantage, we must expect to see a great num- ber leaving nieir native soil to seek elsewhere for a subsistence which they cannot find here. 7th. Yqs ; I met some as far as Virginia. There are people from St. Gregoire in the State of Missouri, at the Kocky Mountains, and it may be said in all the Northern States. I found them in a pitiable state of inferiority. A fortnight since, a man re- 56 I } ■■ turned to us who Imd left the parish twenty-eight years ago. During that period he had " roamed over Africa and America," {couruFrique etMerique,) as the saying is, and has not saved a single sixpence for his old age. This week we received news from another man who had left the pa^-ish for twenty years ; he is sick and reduced to the greatest misery, and lives on public charity. These are two examples out of a thousand. 8th. Their principal means of subsistence is to serve as labourers, either with private individuals or in the manufactories ; some learn trades ; others have managed, through their industry, to create a certain income, and do honor to the name of Canadians. Unfortunately they are very few ; the ignorance un- der which they generally labour, will sdways be an obstacle to their advancement. The Canadians are generally sought for by the Americans, for their intelligence, their activity, and their natural frankness. When they do not remain too long among the Americans, they retain sufficiently the principles of honesty and virtue they have received in their infancy. It is not so with those who reside several years in those localities. When once they have become acquainted with the English language, a complete revolution takes place in their morals. Not being able to occupy an honorable rank in so- ciety, they frequent persons of the lowest class, and contract the most vicious and degrading habits, such as roguery, debauchery, and drunkenness. They are employed in the hardest work, ^d soon waste their strength and ruin their health. They agree in saying that they would live well if they worked here as they do among the Americans. 9th. Several reasons may be given for the emigra- tion to foreign parts ; the two principal ones are poverty and the difficulty of settling in the Town ihips. The poverty of our people is caused by the ;h1 harvests and the want of work. It would be Bupei-fluous tr speak here of the bad harvests, it is a chapter which every one is acquainted with, if not in its origin, at least in its consequences. The want of work is caused by the depression of the lumber trade, and the intro- duction of threshing machines. A great number of f)cr8ons employed every year in the lumber yards mve been left without work, and consequently, wit: 57 out means of subsistence. For about seven or eight years, threshing-mills have been brought through our country parts, from barn to barn, and by means of which the work of two or three months is done in four or five days; a 2U!riber of poor people, who earned their livelihood by this work, are now out of employment, and starving. Tired of leading a miserable life here, without any hopes of ever having a better fortune, our country people were obliged to abandon the soil which gave them birth, to seek else- where an existence which it refused them. They went, therefore, to the Townships, with the intention of settling there ; but the difficulties they met with obliged them to continue on to the neighbouring States. The principal obstacles to the settlement of the Canadians in the Townships, are : 1st The want, or bad state of the roads. 2nd. The too high price of lands. 3rd. The oppression of large landholders. 4th. The absence of persons of education among the settlers. In order to have an idea of the great misery ex- perienced by the settlers on first settling, from the want of roads, it is only necessary to remark, that during eight months of the year they e ."e obliged to carry on their backs all the goods and provisions they are in want of, through forest-- more or less dense, and through savanes where they sink to the waist. If they have a half cwt. of potash to take to the merchant, a bushdl of wheat to carry to the mill, 50 lbs. of sugar to take to market, it must be carried in their arms. Now, for a young man worn out by heavy and continual work, and by a long fast, it is a task which exceeds the limi*, of the strength of human nature. It would be eusy to give the names of numbers of persons who have died in consequence of excessive fatigue undergone in making such journeys. What is the result? It is, that the settler not feeling strong enough to carry his produce to maiket, takes it to the resident merchant to whom he sells it for half price, and who in return gives him goods for whidi he charges four times their value. In si'veral localities, the Government has opened large roads which have not a littb contributed to the advancement of the settlements in the Townships ; but since these roads have been made, they have 8 5S r I 1 i neither been kept up nor repaired ; they are in so ehockinff a state that in the very middle of a Provin- cial road, persons have been obliged to take out of mud-holes, with poles, animals vrho had stuck in ; this has not only happened once, but a hundred times. The minbrtune k, that the Government, after having opened the roads in the Townships, did not take effective steps to keep them in good order. As to the price of lands, it ra exorbitant ; they are sold at 10s.) 15s. and even 20s. per acre. The settler, it would seem, might at least hope to be free at this price ; but no, this is not all. When, after having been cheated by the false promises of the large landholder he will have cleared 10 to 12 arpents of land, he will be politely invited to come and pass a deed* The proprietor begins by reserving to fcmself, the wood, stone, mines, water-courses, besides the right of passage, through the land sold, at all seasons of the year ; he points out to the purchaser the mill where he must carry his grain ; he leaves to the purchaser all the public expenses and those of vicinage ; and after all this he gives him his land for 15s. or 20s. an acre. If the settler does not feel courage enough to submit to what is required of him, he has no alternative but to pack up his things and take his household goods else- where. He in fact does so ; but before attempting a new settlement on land where he may reasonably expect the same inconveniences, he will go and try a little life in foreign parts. No person can find fault with this. Some other proprietors absolutely refuse to sell their lands ; they wait until the neighbouring lands arc settled, so as to exact a higher price for theirs. The absence of persons of education, especially Missionaries, among the settlers, is another great obstacle to the progress of colonization. The settlers are generally uneducated ; they are little capable of struggling with the harpies who devour them ; no- thing is easier than to dupe them ; it is a necessary consequence of their ignorance. If there is not in the midst of them a disinterested person to protect them, they will find it difiicult to avoid the snares laid for them on all sides by cupidity and personal interest. To the loth. — Yes, the settlers have been persuad- ed, that among the Americans a fortune can be made 59 at little cost. In effect, a sober and economical young man can, in a short time, lay by a handsome sum. They receive from $20 to $30 per month ; the mis- fortune is, that they earn a great deal and spend a great deal. Pleasure, luxury, and debauchery, absorb, in a few weeks, the fruit of a whole year's labour. To the 1 \th. — In order to prevent emigration, the position of the settlers must be made supportable ; and to attain this end: 1st. Roads must be opened through the principal townships intended to be open- ed for settlement : 2ndly. The keeping up of these roads must be provided for in an effective manner. In my opinion, the most proper way would be to es- tablish turnpikes on every one of the provincial routes, until the lands bordering on them are occupied ; for it is not reasonable to expect that the Government, after making the roads, will also undertake to maintain them : 3rdly. An end must be put to the tyranny of lai^e landholders, by obliging them to assist in public works, by annulling the excessively burthen- so-ne contracts dictated by them, and by obliging them to concede or sell their lands : 4tnly. I will add, that for the Catholic settlers, means should be provided to establish Missionaries among them to en- courage them and direct them in their labours. For the Catholic settler, a Missionary is of the greatest necessity, especially at the commencement of a set- tlement ; he is the only man who can render them great services gratuitously. The Government, if it really wishes to see the system of colonization suc- ceed, should assist the Missionary to establish himself as soon as possible among the settlers, not in his quality of Catholic priest, but as the leader of the settlement. The sacrifice of a few dollars or of a few arpents of land, would soon be compensated by the rapid progress of this noble work of coloniza- tion. To the I2tk. — For St. Gr^goire, Aston, Bulstrode, and Wendover would unite all the requisite con- ditions. To the IStk — 200 at least. It would be an advan- tage to have an Agent at St. Gr^goire, or in the vicinity. To the liith. — Same answer as to the eleventh. To the 15th. — A road starting from the south-west angle of the Seigniory of Becancour, in the Parish of St. Gr^goire, crossing the Township of Aston, ( 1 !< 60 along the Godfroy grand-line to the Biver Nicolet, or at least to the 12th range, thence turnmg towards the north-east to cross Bulstrode, and to join the Provincial route which crosses the 10th range of Stanfold. This road would give a shorter outlet to the inhabitants of the Bois Francs. It would cross several tracts of excellent lands, in which a couple of very good parishes might soon be formed. It would certainly not cost more than the Provincial road which crosses Somerset and Stanfold. To the IGth. — The large landholders are in fact exempt from all expenses of vicinage, and from all expenses for public works ; and a great number of them refuse to sell their lands on reasonable condi- tions. The shortest as well as the most infallible means of remedying the enormous existing abuses, is to impose a tax of l^d. to 2d. on each acre of waste land in the Townships. The proprietors of waste lands should be obliged to enregister with the Clerk of the Municipal Council, or the Government Agent for the locality, their names and those of their agents, their places of residence, and the numbers of the lots of land held by them . The delay of five years granted to large landholders, after the expiration of which only, judgments rendered against them for the re- covery of assessments, &c. &c., can be executed, should be reduced to three months. The Courts should be authorized to cause the timber to be sold, and then the land itself, if the proprietor does not pay the amount of his absessment for public works, or does not contribute to expenses of vicinage. To the \7th. — Not being acquainted with every- thing concerning these road laws, I am unable to make any more detailed suggestions on this subject. The Township Missionaries will be able to satisfy you more amply than I can. St. Gr^goire, 2l8t March, 1849. Answers of Messire P. J. Bedard, Priest, Missionary at Kingsey, to the preceding questions trans- mitted to him, annexed to the Circular of the Archbishop of Quebec : — To the 1st. — The data which I possess with refer- ence to the importance of tlie emigration from Lower 61 Canada, sliow that it is considerable, if we may be- lieve the travellers who go to the United States via Stanstead. The families who arrive there^ especially in the dead season of winter, are so numerous, that they cannot find lodgings, and are obliged to crowd together in the same houses, and often in out-build- ings. To the 2nd. — The families generally go towards the Manchester and Lowell manufactories. The young men take different directions. To the 3rd. — For the greater part, to the laboring class, with the exception of a great many sons of good families, who leave parents in easy circum- stances ; they leave half-cleared lands. The want of energy on the part of the greater number, renders them incapable of continuing their settlements ; all they care for is, to earn their daily bread. This an- swer admits of happy exceptions. To the 4ith. — I can only speak as to my locality. The number of emigrants in each year, is great. More than fifteen fanulies leave every year ; most of them return after one, two, three, or more years of absence. As to the young men, I can venture to say, that more than one-half emigrate, and scarcely two- thirds of them return. To the 5th, — Almost all are of French origin. I do not know what is the emigration of the other races. To the 6th. — I cannot answer this. To the 7th. — No, never. To the 8th. — I will speak from what I have heard from persons who have resided in these localities, and from what has fallen under my own observation. The Canadians in foreign parts are mere mercen- aries, in the factories, in the public works, or with private individuals who pay them heavy wages which they well earn. The incessant work wastes their strength ; they die young, or become prematurely infirm. The greater part of those who return, are ruined in healtn. Their heavy wages give them the means of living high, and they generally do so. But it may be said that every evening sees the end of what they have earned during the day — they are in fact poor. Their morals suffer the most. The want of edu- cation on the part of the greater number, places them i 62 In a degrading inferiority, and makes them blush at their nationality. They must needs ape their mas- ters ; but like true apes, they can only imitate their grimaces, they cannot imitate their character. They adopt their faults without adopting their virtues, while they lose all their own better qualities. They affect their independence without having their public spirit ; this renders them perfect egotists, and nothing more. They have the elastic conscience of the Yankee, without his generosity. They shake oiF every religious restraint, and m this respect they greatly surpass the liberties the Americans allow themselves, or their indifference. The morals of the family become also greatly af- fected ; the children are independent of their parents, who have no more the authority either to correct or instruct them. The marriage bond has also taken another form. What is only the habitual manner of the American, degenerates into vice with his Cana- dian guest. The wife becomes less dependent upon her husband, who only sees in her a necessary in- strument in the family, of which, so to speak, he disposes at his pleasure, instead of considering her as another part of himself, as a minister, a second au- thority after him ; she has no share in his projects or his confidence ; he has all the indifference of the Yankee for her, without taking the same care of her. To the 9th. — This emigration has, I think, two general causes affecting the whole Province, and several local causes : 1st. general cause, the difference between the pay in the United States and in Canada. 2nd. The want of manufactories and of employment for the working classes who have no skill in agricul- ture ; this class is numerous, even in the country parts ; and also the want of lands to be opened in the Seigniories, and the difficulty of reaching the Townships which surround the Seigniories. In my locality it is a mania for the young men to go into the upper country. It is a sort of epidemic which seizes them. Many leave, to say they have travelled. Poverty is also one of the greatest causes of emigration, especially of families, and the want of employment in this locality. To the lOth. — Yes, and often. To the llth. — The best means would be to favour colonization to whatever point of the country it might 63 direct itself, but I think the Eastern Townships should be preferred. The great point is to know the most eifective way to encourage this colonization. I give my private opinion, which is founded on the little experience I have acquired. In my opinion, 1st. Lands should be sold at cheap rates, and for an- nual rents during a certain period ; 2dly. Manufac- tures and trade should be encouraged in the new settlements ; 3dly. A proper Road system should be established; 4thly. Religion and education should be provided for ; ')thly. The greedy covctousness of large landholders, should be repressed. I say, 1st. Give lands at cheap rates and at annual rents. Four shillings per acre would not be an ex- orbitant price if it were not demanded on purchasing, but left a constitut as a rent, for at least twelve or fifteen years, with easy terms of payment at the end of that period. This price would be within the reach of every one, and would greatly assist the opening of lands by persons who have a little cash in hand ; a laborious and industrious man might also live and make both ends meet ; 2dly. Encourage manufac- tures, &o. ; mills of every sort, foundries, &c., are absolutely required. Who is to establish them? What means should be adopted to encourage them ? I leave it to the public to decide. As to commerce, this object is of the greatest importance. There should be in each Township at least one store, fiu*- nished with everything necessary for a new settlement, such as food, clothing, working instruments, &c. &c. With a manufacture of potash, to purchase from the settlers the ashes and salts in exchange for the neces- saries of life, which should be furnished to them at the most moderate prices. By this means we should prevent the schemes of speculators of every sort, which are a real nuisance in a new settlement. One potash manufactory would not be sufficient. I could procure sufficient pearl-ash makers to meet any de- maud which might be made to me for them. The store should give a certain credit to the settler, in order that he might pay in produce ; 3dly. Establish a proper Road system. Grovemment has already disbursed at a dead loss considerable sums for the opening of communications, which, for want of being kept up, have become impracticable after a few years. To remedy this evil toll gates would be required, the (i4 revenue whereof would serve to keep up the Roads. I speak of the long Roads through waste lands, such as those which serve as a communication between the Townships and the Seigniories. Those already opened should be repaired ; others should be opened at the request of the parties interested in the different localities ; toll gates should be established, or, what is still better, bridges should be erected on the large rivers instead of those inconvenient vessels, which retard the traveller and cannot be used during one fourth part^)f the year. It has been calculated that £2,000 to £3,000 would be required to repair the (Company's) Road from Port St. Francis and to make the bridges, both of which together would yield an annual revenue of not less than £400, taking the rate which is paid to the scows. This case may serve for the whole. 4thly. Provide for the support of religion. It is to be regretted that it is not in the power of the Legislature or of the Government to grant the two hundred acres of land asked for in each Township containing a Catholic population, for the support of the missionary. And yet this might have a happy result ; it would give a great impulse to emigration towards the uninhabited townships if the Government, conjointly with the ecclesiastical authorities, could assure the people that they will be accompanied there by the pnest. The priest is ab- solutely necessary to the prosperity of a new settle- ment. He is the soul of every thing; persons of education are scarce there ; and vsrhere every thing has to be created in order to give an impulse to a community, it requires a man of intellect, enjoying public confidence, and self-sacrificing. The priest unites all these qualities. In a new settlement it is impossible for the people alone to maintain the priest ; this should be provided for by the Government. As to education, I shall not enter upon the merits of this question ; it has already been decided. 5thly. Put a stop to the greediness of the large landholders. This has reference to Townships sold under Letters Patent, or rather given away. For more than a year a great deal has been said in the public papers touch- ing the covetousness of the large landholders in the Townships, and yet much remains to be said on this subject. There are a great many hidden extor- tions which it would be a pleasure to expose ; but our 65 Eublic men know enough to have the matter at iieart. t is a difficult point : let us hope that their know* ledge and wisdom will not f{ul tnem. To the I2t/u — I will mention the Townfihips of Horton, Simson, Wendover, and Warwick, which belong to private individuals for the most part un- known, or who renuun (purposely, I believe,) inac- tive. I will also mention Walton, and the greater part of the tract included in the agenc> jf the East- em Townships. To the ISth. — More than twenty families have manifested that wish ; and I have heard i',. stated that a great many young men who have gone to foreign parts, intend to return and take lands. The above are my ideas, touching the subject of colonization, which the committee have under con- sideration. It would be desirable to turn some at- tejit'on also to the Townships already settled, and which are now a prey to the large landholders, and to devise some remedy for the evil pointed out. Answers of Messire D^lage, Priest, Cur^ of the Parish of rislet, to the preceding questions transmitted to him, with the Circular of the Archbishop of Quebec : — My Lord, Having only last week received, through four Grace, the questions proposed by a Conmiittee of the House on the subject of Emigration, I avail my- self of my first leisure moment to answer them. I regret that the numerous occupations of Lent do not alkw me to give to these questions all the attention I might desire, nor io procure all the information I might require, in order to satisfy the wishes of the Committee. I will, therefore, confine myself to the following answers and reflections : — I am unable, for want of sufficient information, to answei in a satisfactory manner to questions 1, 2, 3, 7 and 16. To the 4:th and 5th. — I answer, that to my know- ledge only one family of French origin, and a young man, also a French Canadian, emigrated to Illinois last autumn. 66 i ■t To the 6th. — D«tring the Istst five years there has been, properly speaking, no emigration of my pa- rishioners to foreign parts. Only a few young men went to the States to earn a little money, but they soon returned. To the 9th and lOth. — In my opinion, the princi- pal cause of the em^ration of our fellow-countrymen to the United States, has been the diiBculty of pro- curing new lands, added to the uninterrupted suc- cession of bad harvests in the old settlements, and to the hope of a milder climate, an easier cultivation, and more abundant harvests in the country to which they emigraii.e, and which, frotii certain reports, per- haps a little exaggerated, they have been led to con- sider in a very favorable light ; and if I had leisure, I would point out especial^ the want of agricultural instruction, which leaves the Canadian husbandman to follow an cM routine which has more than ex- hausted the soil. I would also state the little en- couragement as yet giyen to agriculture, to which, in my opinion, the L^slature have not piid suffi- cient attention. To the llth and I4ttb. — The means which seems to me would be most effective in preventing emigration, would be to obtam lands from the Crown oa the most adv^mtageous conditions possible, and especially to procunt easy means of communication; and if it were possible, a law sh^ald be passed, which, while it should put an end to monopoly, would, at the same time, favor the formation of societies for the purpose ofdearing he new lands. To the I2th. — The Sa^enay appears to me to be the locality towards whi , both on the south and on the north side of the St. Lawrence, might be directed with the greatest advantage -, in the first place, because there 18 no locality behind these parishes in which it would be possible to settle a population of any extent, and it would be too expensive to procure means of com- munication to a population scattered over a lai^er extent of land; and, in the second place, because it is easy enough to go from our parishes to the Sagne- nay, the fertility of the lands on wiiich, and the ad- vantages of the climate there, are known to every one. If the facility of transport were still more in- creased by the construction of the wharves, which 67 have been so long asked for by our population ; I am convinced that before a few years had gone by» the excess of the population of our parishes would have gone to the Saguenay in a body. To the mth. — On the proposal which I had made to my parishiont^-rs, to form with some other panshesi a society for the purpose of settling lands on the Saguenay, one hundred and forty persons imme- diately presented themselves to go and settle there ; but then we expected to get lands at Is. per acre. When we learned that the Government intended to sell them at 2s. per acre, after the 1st of January, 1850, th^ ardor of our settlers greatly cooled down, notwithstanding the advantageous terms of credit of- fered by the Government. I am even afraid that nearly the one half of those who had put down their names at first, will be prevented by this increase in the price of lands, and that the greater part will turn towards the United States, from which their atten- tion had be<^ for a moment withdrawn by the hopes I had given them. For although emigration has hardly yet begun in my parish, it was strongly mooted at die time I drew off the attention of my parishioners by "ipeaking to them of the Saguenay. To the I5th. — The principal means of communi- cation which I should recommend in order tc facilitate the settlement of the Saguenay lands, would be, — ^a road from Ohieoutimi, crossing the whole of the Peninsula to Lake St. John; the im- ^ovement of the road made h^ the inhabitants of the Sa^enay from Chicouttnu to St. Agn^, and thence m the rear of the Eboulemei^ Mountains, as far as St. Urbain ; the ooi struction of wharves at a certain distance from each other, along tiie south shore of die River St. Lawrence, so as to establish a more esrsy communication by means of the steamboats which ply between Quebec and Ghicoutimi; this would connect all our parishes with both these im- portant posts. I can say i^othing as to the probable eost of these improvements. Answers of J. N. Boss^, of the oity of Quebec, Esq., Advocate, to the preceding questions transmitted to him by the clerk: — To the 1st.— I think that the Counties of Belle- chaesc, L'lelet, Kamouraska, and the city of Quebec, >ii 68 are the only parts of this District from which any emigration worthy the attention of the Government, has t^ken place. To the 2nd. — The emigrants who leave the city of Quebec, being almost all workmen, remain in the first towns they come to in the United States, where they can find employment ; those from the country, being almost all farmers, seek fertile lands and gene- rally go and settle in the State of Illinois, where the larias appear to be cheap, and where there are already a number of Canadians. To the 3rd. — I refer to my second answer. To the 4:th. — It is impossible for me to state the exact number of persons who left the city of Quebec last year, to go and settle in the United States. I think it considerable, however, for notwithstanding the great number of habitants, who, from the failure of the crops, have been induced, during the last three years, to sell their lands and establish themselves in the city, the number of electors has increased but very little during the last four years. As to the country, I know that the parish of Cap St. Ignace alone, furnished 205 persons to the emigration which takes place tow«\rds Illinois. To the 5th. — All the emigrants whom I knew, were of French origin. To the 6th. — I am not aware that before 1847, any habitants emigrated from this District to the United States, at least in numbers of any importance. To the 1th. — I have never travelled in the Stat« of Illinois, towards which almost all the em^grantfl firom the country parts have gone ; but from several letters which I have read from Canadians who had settled there, I think they are very well off; for all agree in congratulating themselves in having left Ca- nada, and they invite, in a very pressing manner, their relations and frieudt; to sell their property and go and join them, giving them the most flattering hopes respecting the country in which they are. To the 8th. — I can add nothing to what I have stated in my seventh answer. To the 9th. — All the shipbuilders of Quebec closed their ship-yards last spring, for the vessels which they had sent to Europe had only fetched five pounds per ton, so that the workmen employed in the construction of 50 to 70 vessels, yearly, remained without work. 69 Few labourers have been employed in loading the Vessels ; for this work, now that the sailors are kept on board, is almost all performed by the crews. The falling off in commercial busii^oss prevented the construction of the numerous buildings which had been commenced since the two large fires of Quebec. The exportation of timber was less last year than in those preceding ; the workmen employed in preparing it for shipment suffered greatly ; those of this class who had no work, came and added to the thousands of indigent persons who were already suf- fering ; indeed a great number of them left Quebec on the approach of winter to go to the United States. Such are, I think, the causes of the emigration which took place, last autumn, from Quebec. As to the emigration from the country parts, it is caused by an evii of longer standing, but which I think could be put a stop to. Every person who knows this District must have been struck, while going down from Quebec to Riviere du Loup, with the subdivision of the lands. All the parishes in this part of the country have been cleared for more than eighty years ; the strip of woodland remaining in the rear of the Seigniories has beeii taken by the pro- prietors of lands in the first Concession, and is care- fully kept by them for their own use. Some thou- sands of young men have sought an outlet in the Gulf fisheries, where they are employed during the summer, and the remainder have settled in the first Conces- sions, subdividing the old lands; hence the vast number of emplacements bounding the two and three first Concessions from the River, and the cutting up of all the old hnds ; hence also the decrease of the riches of the inhabitants of this side of the River, whose lands were generally four or six arpents in front, while the present proprietors have generally only one arpent in front, and sometimes less. In the panshes of St. Jean Port Joli, I'lslet, and St. Roch des Aulnets, formerly so wealthy, I do not think that twenty habitants couid be found who own a portion of land of four arpents wide. As long as the crops continued good, these small farms were sufficient for the wants oftheir proprietors; but for about ten years past the wheat crop has failed. In no one of the parishes in this part of the country has a sufficient crop been gathered to feed one half of 70 its population, which increases every year. They had no outlet for this increase, which existed for a long time, for they were in some sort cut oiT from the lands behind the Seigniories, so that they were obliged to leave the country. It was under these circumstances that two or three rich habitants went to see some relations they had in the State of Illinois. The flattering reports which they made, immediately spread through the whole of this part of the country, and 205 individuals emigrated from one parish alone, (as I have already said,) to Illinois. From the transactions I have heard mentioned, I think the emigration will be considerable this year. Unfortunately it is the habitants in more easy cir- cumstances who sell their property, and take with them the little cash which remained in these parishes. If the evil continues, it will certainly be incurable. To the \Qth. — Not being acquainted with this part of the United States, I cannot say if there be any exaggeration in the reports touching it, made by the persons who have settled there ; but if the soil is as fertile and the climate as mild as I have heard it stated by respectable persons, the Canadian emigrants will be infinitely better in their new country than they are in that which they abandon. To the Wth. — It would be rather late to banish the idea of emigration, which has spread in the Counties I have mentioned. Many will emigrate certainly, but I think that by opening a road in each of the parishes of the three Counties I have just men- tioned, to extend into the Crown Lands as far as the American line, and by disposing without delay of the splendid lands there, the emigration would take that direction, and the idea of going to the United States would disappear in a few days. To the \2th, — As I have already said in my last answer, it is to the waste lands of the Crown that the population which the country is on the point of losing, should be attracted. Two or three leagues of road in the rear of each parish would be sufficient for the first year ; as soon as those who intend to emigrate know that they can settle near their relations, they will give up the idea of going to foreign parts. It would be very difficult to give the exact number of persons who intend emi- grating next summer to the United States, but as I 71 have already stated above, it is certainly very great ; I know several habitants personally, who have sold their lands, and are waiting for the opening of the navigation, to leave. Not a single person has expressed to me his desire to settle on the Crown lands, for it has never been known that the Government would furnbh the means of reaching them ; but I think that these lands would be immediately purchased if there were roads leading to^ them, and I will cite a single fact in support of this opinion. The respectable Cur^ of Kakounahas found means to obtain lands from Government in the rear of the Seigniory of River du Loup which comprises the pa- rish of Kakouna. i From the river towards the interior, there are now nine Concessions settled ; the five last have been so for about ten years. And not a single individual from K!akouna frequents the fisheries of the Gulf, although this parish is 25 leagues nearer to Gasp6 than L'Islet is. To the lith, — I think that a few thousand pounds ezpcnded in the parishes in which the evil is the greatest, would be sufficient for this year ; the sale of Wda which would take place as fast as the roads progressed, would furnish more than would be re- quired to continue them and to reimburse the first expenses ; Government would in a few years draw lar^e sums from an immense territory from which it derives nothing at present Although these roads would be costly, for at the height of land about seven or eight leagues from the river, there are mountains and savanes, they are nevertheless practicable; the inhabitants of I'lslet have opened one which extends as far as the River St John, and which is good in winter. From the height of land to the American line, the lands appear magnificent. As long as the Government does not open roads to reach these lands, they will never be cleared ; and the population inha- bituig the seigniories will never be able to make them at their own cost, for they are becoming poorer every day. I think that several ohanges might be made in this system, with advantage. r .i 72 Answers of the Rev. Mr. C. Chiniquy to the above questions : — To the 2nd. — It flows towards the States bordering Canada, but raoreparticularly towards Chicago. To the 3rd. — The emigrants are generally hus- bandmen who are obliged to sell their lands to pay their debts, and go and seek their fortune elsewhere. To the 4th. — The information I have procured during ray missions in all the country parts of the District of Montreal, and in a part of the District of Quebec, lead me to believe that the number of emi- grants to the United States, of French origin, is rather above than under one hundred thousand. To the 5th. — My observations have been confined to the French Canadian population, but I am inclined to believe that the proportion of the emigration of persons of other origins, is much less. To the eth.—l do not think that less than 70,000 Canadians have emigrated during the last fivb years. To the 7th. — I have gone by the American ronte as far as Detroit. I met a great many Canadians everywhere, and the greater portion appeared to me in the most deplorable state, as well as respects their fortune as their morals. To the Stii. — The Canadians in the United States are generally employed in the lowest work ir; the manufactories ; they either become carters, or la- bourers. To the 9th. — Its causes are various, but the most general and most deplorable is the error committed by the Government in having ceded to a few jobbers the lands which should have belonged to the people. Tliis emigration would certainly not have taken place if the young men had been encouraged sooner to go to the Townships. The abominable acts of injustice of certain Seigniors have had no small effect in bringing on this emigration. I could point out Seigniories in which tne Seignior refuses to concede lands at reasonable rates, and from which the young men emigrate, maddened as they become by being refused lands on which they might live so happily near their families and in their own fatherland. To the lOth. — The emigrants send thousands of letters to their friends and relations in Canada, in which the advantages of emigration arc greatly ex- aggerated. 73 To the llih. — The means of preventing this emi- gration are, to give the Crown Lands at the lowest rates and on the eadeet poi^ible conditions. The Se^niors should be deprived (on being indemnified) of certain odious rigbti^ which some at least abuse; manufactures should be encouraged, in order to give employment to the poor. To the \2th. — This emigration should be directed to the points nearest to the different localities. For instance, at a short distance in the rear of the large parish es of St. Esprit and St. Jacques de VAdiigaiiy there are magnificent lands, on wluch a population of several hundred thousand souls might live happily. To the ISt/i. — An incredible number of persons in different parishes in which I am h^ourins, state to me every day their desire to settle on new lands. To the 14fA. — Lands should be given on the easiest ccmditionS} and good roads op^Md every where througk the forests to which it is denred to direct the setUer. To the }5tL — The missianaries at Kingsey and Sherbrooke hare, I suppose, assweved these ques* tions ; but I will add, that I shoidd like to see two new roads made behind Rawdon and SL Jacques de TAchigan, which should esKtend at least 4 or 5 leagues beyond the furthest settlem'mts. To the IGtk. — The Grranby road is excellent; but it ought to be continued ,iii Answers of L. LetelEer^ of thedty of Quebec,. Esq.« Notary, to the questions transmitted to bun :-^ To the Ut, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6tk — I have ne> precise data as to this emigration whidi iii:creases evexy year; it generally draws to the States of Main^ VemM»it, New x ork, Ohio, Illinois, Michi*- gan, and Wiseonmn, a great number of Canodiansy all of French origin, smi belonginr to die agricul- tural and working ckisses. As I have only been residing at Quebec for » short time, I do not know the extent of the em^ra- tion whkh takes place from that city. The only do- tails I can furnish, I have obtained from a long resi- dence in the County of Kamouraska, and the fre- quent intercourse I have had with the adjoining Counties. 10 74 i: During the last five years, the emigration from these localities has increased to an extent which can only be ascertained from inquiries to be made on the spot. At the present moment, whole families are preparing to leave for the central States of the Union, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois ; during the last year, this emigration has considerably increased. To the 7th and 8th. — I have been to the United States several times, and I have seen French Cana- dians there in every degree of the social scale, from the lowest to the most respectable, and from the poorest to the most lucrative employment. In general, Canadians who were servants in Ca- nada, do not alter their position on reaching the United States, where their services are very much sought for and handsomely paid. Workmen easily find employment there, in the workshops, the manufactories, or the public works, and always at high wages. As to their moral character, it remains unchanged in the United States ; and such of our Canadians as are immoral or debauched there, were as bad when they left Canada for the United States. It is after having been at school in the lumber shanties above Bvtown, among persons of a debauched character, wno work six months in the shanties of Upper Ca< nada, and spend the other half year in drunkenness and other excesses, that they go to the United States where their small number, when looked upon with the microscopic eye of prejudice, causes an unfavor- able judgment to be pronounced against our Cana- dian emigrants generally, in which the Americans do not coincide. 9. — The causes of emigration are nearly the same in every locality. With the agricultural class they proceed from the great length and severity of our winter ; from the bad crops and the impossibility of an easy transport of products from the country to the towns, or to the villages ; and with the working class, they must be attributed to the want of work. 10. — No other persons that I am aware of, ercept those who now reside in foreign parts, have represented to our habitants that a more favorable destiny awaits them there. 11. — I think that the means of remedying this evil would be: 1st, to give to the agricultural class a I 15 knowledge of agriculture, by opening model schools (model mrms) in each locality, which would convince them that our soil is rich and fertile, but that we neglect and wear it out by a bad system of cultiva- tion; 2dly, to open easy means of communication from the Townships to the country parts, and from the country parts to the cities, to which produce could be brought at a cheap rate ; 3dly, to facilitate the emigration of our fellow-countrymen to the Townships on each side of the river, and more par- ticularly towards the waste lands on the south of the St. Lawrence, by the clearing of which a better temperature would be secured to us by destroying the barriers which retain the warm winds which blow from the south and lose themselves in the forests. One important point is, to facilitate the means of communicating by good roads to these waste lands of the Crown. As to the working class, the principal cause of their emigration is, that no public works have been undertaken for a very long time in the District of Quebec. Finding no work, they have gone in the direction of Upper Canada, and being employed there for want of equally competent work- men of another origin, they nave proceeded on to- wards the United States to seek for bread, for work, and perhaps for liberty. The opening of the Quebec and Halifax Railway, the construction of wharves and landing places on the shores of our fine River, a regular line of Steam'- boats plying to and from all the intermediate ports between Montreal, Quebec, and the lower part of the River, and a school of Navi^tion, would be the means of arresting this evil which is daily increasing, and which drives far from their native soil children who only ask to possess it, and who might so easily be retained if something like justice were rendered to this part of Canada. 12. — I am of opinion that the emigration of our surplus population to the Townships, ought to be encouraged and directed as follows, that is to say : the population on the South shore of the River to- waros the waste lands on that side known as the <* Valley of River St. John," and the population of the North shore towards the North, on the banks of Lake St. Jean and its vicinity. - 70 13. — Hundreds of persons in each pari»h ure de- sirous of settliog elsewhere, and will direct their stepe towards these mnds if they are encouraged by the Qovemment. 14. — In order to favour the settlement of these waste lands and to prevent emigration to foreign parts, the Government oucht immediately to \mder- tfdce the opening of roads leading from the River to- wards the interior, and towards the localities above mentioned, on each side of the River, and to com- mence without delay, some public works on both shores. This would revive a little hope among all classes. 15. — I am not aware of what the cost of these works would be, but"^ I am persuaded that a great number of persons who wish to settle in these Town- phijps would work on these roads, on condition that their ^y should be deducted wholly or in part from the price of the lands which they would like to be- come proprietors of. 16. — The present Road Law is insufficient for our country parts, and h fortiori for these new settlements, for which an office analogous to that of the la Irand Voyer, to be held by a man of integrity anu ^now* leqsey would be lureferable. .0 this I would add, that it is in the interest of all that the divisions of these lands should be correctly madcb in order that each lot may be shown in a plan by a oorresponding number. This will always en- sure the advantage of avoiding the difficulties arising in the allotment of work or of taxes in road matters, and will, moreover, be always of the greatest advan- tage in the enregistering of hypothecs. Answers of O. Martineau, of Ste. Anne de la Fo- cati^re, Esquire, N. P., to the above ques- tions: — The subject on which I am called upon for my humble opmion being one of the highest national in- terest, I will merely remark, that I have so far civen very litUe attention to this question. I will, there- fore, cite principally the reasons alleged by the greater number of the farmers of these localities who emigrate to foreign parts. 77 I have the honor to statO) therefore : 1st. — That the present crisis in money matters, and consequently the unfortunate state of commerce in this Colony, have obliged the importers in the towns to call upon their debtors, the country store-keepers, who, in order to meet their engagements, have on their part obliged their debtors, who belong almost exclusively to the agricultural class, to pay their debts without delay. This being the case, many of the latter have sold their lands, and not being able to settle with advantage in these localities, have emi- grated to New Brunswick and the United States, where, as they are told by the Canadians who have already settled there, a happy and more favorable lot awaits thum. 2dly. — That such Canadians, of the agricultural class, as were not suffering from this state of things, and have emigrated to the United States, have only done so in order to better their condition in life. 3dly. — That the Government, in order to prevent this emigration, and to favor Uie settlement of its waste lands, ought to accede to the demands for grants of mon^ to facilitate the means of communi- cation on the Crown Lands in the rear of our Seig- niories. For in vain would the Government grant these lands on easy terms, if it do not make these grants of money ; as the emigrants finding it impossi- ble to reach these lands, will always take another di- rection. X will take the liberty of remarking here, that for nearly eight years, the inhabitants of St. Anne la Focati&re have applied at each Session of the Pro- vincial Parliament for the trifling grant of £600 currency, to continue in the rear portion of the Townsmp of Ixworth, and with a view to its settle- ment, the road known as the Government route; and that the Government has not yet taken any ac- tion in the matter. 4thly. — That the Townships of Ixworth and Ash- ford, according to a recent exploration, contain very advantageous arable lands throughout the whole of uieir depth, as far as the American territory. 5thly. — That the inhabitants of almost all the pa- rbhes composing the large and populous County of ICamouraska, have expressed at several public meet- ings, a desire to settle in both these Townships; 78 untl an easy means of coinmunicution would be af- forded by this Government route, if it were continued as above mentioned. 6thly. — That the Government ought, moreover, to grant the Crown Lands at one ehilling per acre, on the terma of payment already established, to every settler who should belong to an Association for tne settlement of the Townships. And on this principle, it is my humble opinion, from the knowledge I have of the disposition of the inhabitants of this County and of certain parishes of the County of 1' Islet, that the Government will suc- ceed in putting a stop to this Canadian emigration, which has been very considerable during the last five years, in these localities, and has withdrawn im- mense capital from us. i Answers of B. Maurault, of Gentilly, Esquire, to the above questions : — The principal cause of the emigration of young Canadians from their native country which is poor, to another which is richer and which is represented to thexn as much richer than it really is, is owing, it cannot be denied, to the fact, that the paternal estate could not be divided and subdivided without impo- verishing the father and threatening his children with the same fate, to avoid which, the latter go to a foreign country to seek their fortune. Peo;^e used to say a few years ago, that it was only adventurers who left the paternal roof for Upper Canada and the United States ; and this was true, for the population being small, the soil produced a great deal, and moreover, hunting and fishing could be had in abun- dance, so that the children of the soil were imder no necessity of emigrating. But now, the cause above mentioned is not that which leads to emigration. I can see nothing but poverty which forces us to seek elsewhere suflScient wa^es to live upon, and make a little money to settle with. During the last five years, not less than five hun- dred souls left Gentilly for the Saguenay, the Town- ships, the United States, and Upper Cfanada. Out of this number, more than one-fifth and a half went to the United States and Upper Canada, all sons of 79 farmers or farmers themselves, or tradesmen, the lat- ter forming about one-fourth of the emigration to the United States and Upper Canada, and the remaining three-fourths being with very few exceptions, far- mers. St. Pierre les Becquets and B6cancour can shew as large an emigration to the localities I have just mentioned. How do our countrymen live in the United States and Upper Canada, and what is the state of their morals *? Those who return, and I have conversed with many, say that money is more plentiful there than here, and that one lives better tnere. And if you ask them whether they have brought anything with them and if they intend returning, they answer, that everything is so expensive there that they like to remain here just as well, and others that they even prefer doing so. After several years' absence, they return, therefore, just as they had left, and some of them much poorer ; and after having become old, and wasted their strength in the service of strangers, they return to commence clearing the lands in our Town- ships. If their morals have not become worse, thoy have certainly not improved. Now, the means of arresting this tide of emigra- tion of the Canadians to foreign parts, would be to procure for them the privilege o^ settling on the waste lands of Canada. Maiiy of our inhabitants express a wish to go and settle in the new Town- ships of Ham, Winslow, Walton, «S;c., which the Government has been kind enough to give up to the young Canadians ; several families have already gone there. But one of the greatest obstacles to the set- tlement of the Townships, is certainly the want of roads to get there. The road leading from Gentilly to Blandford, a distance of six leagues, and the only means of communication with the Townships of Somerset, Blandford, Stanfold, Arthabaska, and the new Townships I have just mentioned, world require speedy improvement ; for before two years are past, it will be impossible to use it. This road is really dangerous, especially in the aucumn and spring. I have gone over it myself very frequently, and have more than once nearly broken my neck and lost my horse in it. Only lately, the horse which carried the mail was taken out half dead from a bad spot on this road. Seventeen or eighteen hundred pounds 80 wouMf I think, ue i>l>out sufficient {or its improve- ment. Gentilly, 20th May, 1849. m I I- ''*i 11 Answers of J. Joutras, Esquire, and others, of Becancour, to the above questions, which were transmitted to them : — To the Gentlemen of the Committee appointed to enquire into the causes of Emigration, &c &c. Gentlemen, Before answering for the second time the questions proposed to us a few weeks ago, we have to submit to you a few remarks respecting the notice issued from the Crown Lands Office on the 2d Mu*ch last. It has caused great discouragement. It imposes on the settlers a condition which it is morally impos- sible to fulfil. They are required to clear in four years one-tenth of the land acquired. Thus, in Mad- dingtoi in which the lots are of 100 acres each, and the soil vhat is called savanne, the pooi* settler, with- out any capital, must clear in four years ten acres of land on which the trees touch each othe" — land re- quiring long and costly drains, and whicli it is im- poesible to cultivate befce all the stumps aire ex- tracted. And is it not a known fact, that land after the trees are cut down and burnt, cannot be deared of its stumps in less than four years ? It is then supposed tnat the poor settler will cut down and bum ail the wood on his 100 acres during the first year. We defy any practical floriculturist to state that it is possible for the generality of settlers to ful- fil this condition. Another source of annoyance is the interest of the purchase money which is required. If it were poi- sible t abandon this interest, and diminish the num- ber of acres which must be cleared, our hopes would be very great. If it be otherwise, it ie much to be feared that the emigration to the United States will again follow its sad course in the Spring. Rest assumed, gentlemen, that no question excitep more interest in the country paits than tiiat wbicb occupies your attention. We cannot close these remarks, gentlemen of the Committee, without mentioning to you the patriot- 81 ism and generosity by which Mr. Arcand is guided in the performance of his duty. It is only just to declare, that he greatly contributes to the rapid set- tlement of the Eastern Townships. Of this we have many proofs, and we wish to bear testimony to the fact. Answers to questions. To the 1«^.— Yes. To the 2nd. — Vermont, New Hampshire, Massa- chusetts, New York, and other States of the Ameri- can Union. To the Srd. — All to the agricultural class. To the 4th. — The average is from 40 to 50 in each year. To the 5th. — All French Canadians. To the 6th. — See answer to fourth qucouju. To the 7th. — In a pitiable state of inferiority. To the 8th. — The Canadian has scarcely trod upon the soil of the Union before he casts off all laws, both human and divine. He learns with ease the tricks of the Americans ; drunkenness and debauchery frequently complete his demoralization. He is sought for by the Yankees for his intelligence, his activity, and his natural frankness. He earns large wages. Some return with money, many with nothing. Few learn trades ; much fewer still occupy positions of any respectability. To the 9th. — The high wages paid to daily labor- ers in the United States. The want of roads in the Townships ; the high price of lands ; the insufficiency of the Koad Laws, and the want of a missionary. To the lOth. — We do not know. To the nth. — See answer to 16th question. To the I2th. — The superabundant population of B^cancour and the neighbouring parishes would take the direction of Maddington, Wendover, and War- wich, if the road which crossed the Township of Bulstrode were improved. To the Idth. — By removing the obstacles pointed out in the 9th answer. To the 14th.— More than 200 settlers. To the I5ih. — Improve the Maddington road as far as its junction with that prayed for by the inhabi- tants of Aston and Bulstrode. This road is already drained. 11 82 To the 16^/i. — As the principal efficient means to be adopted for the settlement of the Townships and for preventing emigration, we would suggest, Ist. That at least 200 acres of land should be granted for the use of each missionary in the Townships ; 2dly. The privileges of the Crown, the Clergy, and the large landholders should be abolished ; 3dly. Certain, prompt, and cheap, and, in one word, practicable, means should be burnished to small proprietors to force the large landholders to assist in making the roads, and in all other expenses of settlement ; 4thly. The price of lands in the Townships should be fixed at 2s. per acre ; 5thly. All waste lands should be taxed at Id. per acre, the proceeds to be applied to public works ; 6thly. A local resident agent either at St. Gregoire or Becancour to fficUitate arrange- ments and render them easy to our habitants ; for it is well known that when they have to go far to trans- act business, this is a sufficient obstacle to discourage them. I" Answers of the Rev. M. Griffiths, of the Parish of Valcartier, to the questions transmitted to him with the Circular of the Archbishop of Quebec : I have nothing to state until I come to the 11th question, and my answer to that question is, that the Government should make grants of land. To the \2th. — In the parish of St. Gabriel de Valcartier, about six miles from the Church, on the north side of the River Jacques Cartier. There are Bome good lands in this direction, immediately ad- joining the limits of the Ist. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Con- cessions of the above parish, and bounded on the west by the lands of Mr. Duchesnay, Seigneur of St. Ca- therine. To the l^th. — The majority of this parish, par- ticularly such as have large families without any other means to provide for them, have expressed that wish. To the lAth. — The Government could, in my opinion, greatly check the emigration which is going on from this locality, by permitting poor and indus- trious subjcctf* to settle on these lands in the rear ; S3 and I really think that it would be a humane and charitable act on its part. To the \6th. — The erection of a bridge on the River Jacques Cartier, close to the Church of St. Gabriel ; the opening of new roads ; the repairing of those which have been opened for several years, but which are in a very bad condition ; for the poor in- habitants are not able, or rather, have not the means to make them passable for carts, &c. Probable cost : I think that £600, if well managed, with some man- ual aid on the part of the settlers, would be of great benefit to this locality — it would enable them to be- come good and loyal subjects. Suggestion of my own. — What money might be due or in hand for the use of the Valcartier schools, might be employed, if the f^overnment or Board of Education were willing, as an aid towards building the bridge. This would, in my opinion, be of more service to the settlers and their children, than em- ploying it in any other manner; foi', to my own knowledge, there has been nothing but trouble and discord as to the manner in which it ought to be di- vided. SRRATA Which occur in thia pamphlet Page 5, line 29, for dates, read data. ^ " ' ' '| •' b, " 35, for Brosafe, read Bo«^. .. . •« 14, " 19, for fate, read /o<. 30, " 30, for by, read and. *' • > ■* 44, •• 13, for who, read which, 44, •• 30, for and party expenset, read expen$ea and thote of vicinage, 58, " 4, for who, read wUch. •< (I «' 58, " 25, for goods, read gods. ' 1 ^ I i ROLLO CAMPBELL, PRINTBK. ■Mi