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PRACTICAL INFORMATION UKSPECTIN'G NEW BRUNSWICK, INOLUDINr, DETAILS RELATIVE TO ITS SOIL, CLIMATE, PRODUCTIONS, AND AGRICULTURE, PUBLISHED FOR THE USE OF PERSONS INTENDING TO SETTLE UPON THE L/vNDS OF THE NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA LAND COMPANY. > WITH MAPS. ' I % J LONDON: PELHAM RICHARDSON, 23, Cornhill ; Sold also by Sowlbr, Simms and Dinham, and Mrs. IIeywood, Manchester; Robinson, Liverpool ; Cross, Leeds ; Black and Co., Edinburgh ; and Murray, Glasgow. Price Gd.Ji 1843. NE No. NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA LAND COMPANY, Incorporated by Royal Charter, 1834. Capital ^200,000, With power reserved to the Proprietors by the Charter to increase the Capital to £400,000. 2)ttC(tOt0. Henry Blanshard, Esq. Gkorge Nicholls, Esq. Thomas Butts, Esq. T. P. L. Hallett, Esq. Ambrose Humphrys, Es(i. S. E. Magan, Esq. John Moxon, Esq. Thomas Newnham, Esq. J. W. Ogle, Esq. George Palmer, Esq. Thomas Potts, Esq. Newman Smith, Esq. John Norbury, Esq. Edward Stewart, Esq. TSanlfeetiS. Messrs. Williams, De,»con, Labouchere, and Co., Birchin Lane. Commissioner at Stanley. Lieut Col. R. Hayne, P.R.A. Agent at the City of St. John, New Brunswick. John V. Thurgar, Esq. Office op the Company, No. 5, Copthall Court, Throgmorton Street, LONDON. m CONTENTS. PAGE Some account of the Province 5 Particulars relative to the New Brunswick Company and their Tract of Land 6 Residence of the Company's Commissioner 7 Outfit required for a Settler 8 Passage from London or Liverpool to St. John's, New Bruns- wick 9 Mode of clearing and cultivating 10 Forest land in British America 11 Climate and seasons 12 Government of the Provinc j 16 Extracts from a Report, by E. N. Kendall, Esq 17 Extracts from the Report of the York County Agricultural So- ciety, by L. A. WiLMOT, Esq., 1841 20 Extracts from Account of the River St. John and its tributaries, by Edmund Ward, Esq., 1841 24 Letters from persons settled on the Company's Tract of Land 26 PAGE 5 ir 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 16 17 20 24 d 26 NEW BRUNSWICK. It is important to those who contemplate leaving their native land, to establish themselves in a distant part of the globe, that they should possess every possible knowledge of the preparations necessary for their outfit and voyage ; of the character of the country to which they are about to bend their way ; and, after their arrival, such informa- tion as will govern their proceedings in respect to settlement. Settling in the New World is only characteristic of the state that existed originally in Great Britain. In America it is universally ad- mitted that those who with persevering industry and frugality have applied their labour to the cultivation of forest lands, with few excep- tions, have succeeded in acquiring the means of comfortable indepen- dence, and all that is necessary to render rural life happy. New Brunswick possesses the advantages of easy access ; a salu- brious climate ; a rich soil ; vast tracts of fertile land ; valuable forests, abounding with a variety of game ; plentiful fisheries within its bays and rivers ; mines of coal, iron, and copper ; salt and sulphureous springs ; innumerable rivers and streams to carry the productions of the Interior to the Sea. It extends from 63° 45' to 67° 30' west longitude, and from 45° to 48° 10' north latitude ; comprising in its area 16,500,000 acres. The CHmate of New Brunswick is most remarkably healthy, and congenial to the natives of Great Britam and Ireland. It does not generate those periodical epidemics so coramon in the Southern and Western States of America. Along the coasts nearly all the kinds of Fishes caught in the North American Seas are abundant. As we proceed from the coast up the Rivers, the rich fertility of the Lands claims our admiration. Timber of diflferent descriptions covers the whole face of the country. High hills rise occasionally in ridges in various place. ; but no part of New Brunswick can be con- sidered mountainous. " The natural advantages of New Brunswick are certainly equal to any country in America ; and it requires only a great addition of industrious settlers to secure its prosperity, and make it one of the most important of Her Majesty's colonies. Its resources are great, and it is capable of maintaining at least three millions of inhabi- tants." — M'' Greg or, vol. ii. book 2. OBJECTS OF THE COMPANY. To encourage people of enterprize, industry, and capital, who may wish to remove from the parent country, to settle on the uncultivated fertile lands in the Province of New Brunswick, with a view to their n 1} 6 THE COMPANY. future benefit and advantage, and in the liope to unfold the latent re- sources of that valuable British Colony ; The Company purchased from the Crown, in 1834, a Tract, con- taining upwards of half a million of acres of the most fertile Land in New Brunswick, situated in the County of Youk, between North Latitude 45° 55' and 46° 50' ; Longitude West G7° in the centre of the Province, on which they have expended considerable sums in making roads, clearing land, building houses, mills, bridges, 8(C. ; all parts of the Tract are easy of access from the sea-ports, by means of rivers and roads. By reference to the map affixed, its relative position in the Province may be distinctly seen. The Rivers Miramichi, Tark, and Nashwauk flow through it, and the cultivated farms on the banks of the River St. John bound it on the South- West, the tributary streams of these rivers spreading over it in all directions. Tliese Rivers admit of active Inland Navigation, and form so many high- ways through this rich territory ; the Miramichi flowing, on the one hand, into the Gulph of St. Lawrence, and the St. John, on the other, into the Bay of Fundy. The chief part of the Company's Tract consists of rich mellow al- luvial land, or upland intervale, with a moist black vegetable mould on the surface. It is covered every where with fine Forest Trees, standing wp^l apart, and no underwood, unless it may be a few bushes here and there close to the banks of the rivers. Such Land, when cleared of the timber, will yield a succession of crops of wheat, bar- ley, oats, Indian com, potatoes, 8(C. equal in quality to the same kinds of produce raised in England. It is peculiarly adapted for the growth of Hemp and Flax, which could be produced there to any extent. The Company will encourage Farmers of small capital, and others, who emigrate to their Lands. Vessels from the principal Ports of the U ited Kingdom are con- stantly sailing to the Port of St. John in the Bay of Fundy, where cargoes and passengers are landed on the wharves in the middle of the City. The Harbour is open all the year. St. John is the principal Port of the Province ; the City contains about 20,000 inhabitants. It is one of the leading points of access to the Company's Lands. Settlers, on arriving there, will inquire for the Company's Agent, John V. Thuhgar, Esq., who will direct them to the station of the steam-boats from the city, as well as from Indian Town two miles distant, which ])roceed daily from thence up the River St. John to Fredericton, 90 miles distant. The River St, John, called by the Indians Loosh-tork, or the Long River, is, next to the St. Lawrence, the finest river in British America, and is navigable for vessels of large burthen many miles above Fre- dericton. Fredericton is the seat of government, and contains about 4,000 inhabitants. His Excellency Sir William McBean Colebrooke, the Lieutenant-Governor, resides there ; where also assemble the Provin- cial Legislature, and the sittings of the Supreme Court are held ; it is situated on a pretty point of land formed by a bend of the River, nearly i)0 miles above St. John's, and in front of as richly wooded hills as ■ RIVERS AND FISHES. 7 ever eye beheld. For soft and picturesque scenery it is not surpassed by any part of the Province. In front, the River St. John, nearly a mile in width, flows past, sometimes smoothly, but often in overflow- ing grandeur ; and immediately opposite it receives the Nashwauk, a rapid Ltream which winds from the North- West many miles through the fertile Lands of the Company. The Company's Commissioner, Colonel Haynb, resides at Stanley, their chief town and settlement, about 25 miles from Fredericton, and has an office for the sale of Lands, granting licences to cut Timber, and transacting the general business of the Company. Persons ap- plying at the office will receive immediate information of the situation of the surveyed Lands. Small vessels, called scows, navigate the Nashwauk, by which passengers can go to the Company's Lands at small expense from Fredericton. Some other Rivers rise in the Company's Lands, and empty into the St. John above Fredericton, the banks and vicinity of which offer very desirable situations for immediate settlement, the land being in- variably good. The River Miramichi admits ships of any size from its mouth to the principal towns of Chatham and Newcastle. Small craft, scows, and lighters proceed from thence to the Upper Boundary of the Com- inmy's Lands upon the South- West Branch. PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF THE RIVERS WHICH FLOW THROUGH THE COMPANY'S TRACT. The River Miramichi stands first in importance. Chatham, situ- ated upon the South-East Bank about twenty-five miles from the shores of the Gulph of St. Lawrence, is the principal sea- port, and contains about 2,000 inhabitants. Seven miles above Chatham the two great branches of the River, called the South- West and North- West, unite. The best Fishing Ground in the whole River is at this Point, and an extensive Fishery of Gaspereau and Bass has in consequence been long established there. The Tide extends up the South-West Branch about fifteen miles or more beyond the Establishment, and vessels of any burthen can discharge and load there. The Banks are settled nearly all the way for about forty -five miles further from the Tideway, where the River Tauk joins it, and there the Company's Lands commence. Small craft, lighters, or barges come from Chatham and Newcastle, and proceed up the Miramichi South-West Branch more than forty miles above the junction of the Tauk, entirely through the Company's Trad. To enable the reader to understand this, it may be simply stated that the River contains more water from the Junction of the Tauk, entirely through the Company's Lands, than the Thames from London upwards. The Tauk is a small River, having its source in the Company's Tract, navigable for about eighteen miles from its mouth for Barges and Canoes. The Land on its Banks is of the very best description, with here and there small islands of rich Alluvial Deposite, with every variety of aspect and pretty scenery. S OUTFIT FOH A SETTI.ER. Tlie Miramichi is stored with a variety of excellent Fishes, In greater abundance than any river in Europe, owing to its discharge being into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, — that great nursery for all the kinds of fishes in the North American Waters. The River Nashwauk, as may be seen by reference to the Map, flows across the Company's Land, and joins the River St. John, at Fredericton. It is navigable for Barges, nearly to the extent of the Company's Upper North- West lioundary from Fredericton. At the Portage Road, 24 miles North of Fredericton, where the Company's Lands commence in that jjart, this fine Stream has a Wes- terly direction, and for eighteen miles both lianks offer every induce- ment for immediate settlement. — The Land is extremely rich, covered with Cedar, Maple, and other deciduous trees. On the Banks of this River, and in the vicinity, a variety of minerals abound, viz. : — Coal, Iron-stone, various kinds of Clay, Sandstone for building. Slate, S(C. About the middle of the Company's Lund the Tay, a l>ranch of the Nashwauk rises ; upon the upper part of which there is a small Settlement on Lands previously granted by the Crown. Below this Settlem'jnt towards the Nashwauk, the Land upon the Banks is ex- tremely fine, a large portion being Intervale. The several smaller Rivers which water the Southern Division of the Company's Tract, and tvhich flow into the St. John above Frede- ricton, are the Keswick, the Maknaquak, the Nakawick, and the rivulet Nashwaasis. The Lands upon all of them are good : and, owing to their uniting with the noble River St. John they present great encouragement for settlement. OUTFIT FOR A SETILER. A Fanner, to be enabled to establish himself at once on his Farm, should take out with him, if his means will admit, as much clothing, bedding, and linen as he and his family will require for one year at least ; culinary utensils, a set of light cart harness, a few spades, sho- vels, and scythes, half a dozen sickles and strong hoes, two pair of plough-traces, the iron-work of a plough and harrow of the common kind used in Scotland, the cast machinery of a corn-fan, one hand one jack and one jointer plane, one draw -knife, six socket-chisels, six gouges, one hand-saw, two or three hammers, three or four augers assorted, none larger than one and a quarter inch, a dozen gimblots, a few door-hinges and latches, and a small assortment of nails, a whip, and a cross-cut saw. Articles of useful furniture, if they can be got to the ship, and freight be obtained at an easy rate, it would be desira- ble to take. He should also have a few pounds to purchase seeds and some provisions for his family for the first six months, and the sum requisite to pay the first of Five Instalments for his Land. The best kinds of Sheep, as well as of horned Cattle, and of the dif- ferent kinds of Grain, have been introduced into New Brunswick from Great Britain. The great returns from new seed oats and barley, the first year, is almost incredible ; and it is therefore advisable for set- tlers to take out peas and beans, timothy, rye-grass, red and white clover, ar I any other luxuriant hardy kinds of grass seed; carrots, t PASSAGE. 9 turnips, S(C. ; also a little winter wheat : spring wheat can be got in New Brunswick. Potatoes (li the proper kinds cultivated in the pro- vince are as good as any in the world. CONVEYANCE OF MONEY. Owing to the high rate of Exchange on England, a great advantage will be derived by leaving money in this Country, and drawing for it when required. The Court of Directors of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Company will, in consequence, agree to receive monies from persons going out to the Company's Lands, who may think it more advantageous or safe to transmit their Capital to the Province through the medium of the Company, than to carry it Avith them in specie, and will undertake to honour their bills. OF THE PASSAGE. The voyage to St. John's, New Brunswick, is al)out 2,700 miles from England, and varies from four to six weeks by sailing vessels. Owing to the number of ships which go out in ballast for timber, passages are generally more moderate to St. John's or Chatham on the Miramichi, than to any other part of America. The average rate of Passages in the Steerage from London, inclu- ding provisio7is, may be stated as follows, varying however a little under or over : per man ^4 10 to 5 per woman 310 to 4 ;?er child under 14 2 to 2 10 Passengers generally find all their own provisions, the ship then providing bed-berths, fuel, and water ; the price in that case is 21. to 3/. ; Children half price. From the Oufports passages may be somewhat lower. Besides the requisite provisions found by the ship-owner, passengers should have a few other necessaries in case of ill health at sea, particularly a little tea, sugar, and aperient Tiedicine. Settlers should leave England by the tenth of April at latest, so as to have the whole of the Summer Season before them. Emigrants possessed of good means, say of 100/. or more beyond the passage-money, and who are therefore able to maintain a family with but little aid from the produce of their land in the first season, may defer sailing until 20th June. CULTIVATION OF FOREST LAND, 5fc. It is curious and interesting to observe the progress which a New Settler makes in clearing and cultivating a Wood Farm, from the period he commences in the Forest until he has reclaimed a sufficient quan- tity of Land to enable him to follow the mode of Cultivation he prac- tised in his native country. As the same course is. with little variation, followed by all new settlers in every part of America, the following description may be useful to those who are about to emigrate. After the settler has selected a Farm among such vacant lands as are most desirable, and af:er obtaining the necessary tenure, he com- mences by cutting down the trees on the Site of his intended Habita- 1 Vfc..-.r.-'^;-ft,BOi(a.*- .^^v 10 CULTIVATION. tion, and tlioso growing on the ground immediately adjoining. This operation is performed with the axe, by cutting a notch on each side of tlie tree, about two feet above the ground, and rather more than half through "n the side on which it is intended the tree should fall. The trees am all felled in the same direction ; and, after lopping off the principal branches, cut into ten or fifteen feet lengths. On the spot on which the house is to be erected these junks are all rolled away, and the smaller parts carried off or burnt. Tlie Habitations which the new settlers first erect are all nearly in the same style, and are constructed in the most simple manner. They consist merely of round logs, from fifteen to twenty feet in length, laid horizontally over each other, the logs being first notched near the ends, to jiermit their sinking into and resting on each other at the corners of the walls. One log is first laid on the ground or foun- dation on each side, to begin the walls ; then one at each end, and the building is raised in this manner by a succession of logs, crossing and binding each other at the corners, until seven or eight feet high. The scams are closed with moss or clay ; three or four rafters are then raised to support the roof, which is covered with boards, or with the rinds of birch or spruce trees, bound close with poles tied down with withes. A wooden frame-work, placed on a foundation stone roughly dressed, is raised a few feet from the ground, and leading through the roof with its sides closed up with clay and straw kneaded together, forms the chimney. A space large enough for a door, and another for a window, is then cut through the walls ; and in the centre of the cabin a square pit or cellar is dug for the pur- pose of preserving potatoes or other vegetables during winter. Over this pit a floor of boards, or of logs hewn flat on the upper side, is laid, and another over head to form a sort of garret. When a door is hung, a window-sash, with six, nine, or sometimes twelve panes of glass, is fixed, and a cupboard and two or three bed-stocks put up, the habitation is then considered ready to receive the new settler and his family. New settlers, who have means, build much better houses at first, with two or more rooms ; but the majority of emigrants live for a few years in habitations similar to the one here described ; after which, a good comfortable house is built by all steady inductrious settlers. Previous to commencing the cultivation of woodlands, the trees, which are cut down, lopped, and cut into lengths, are, when the pro- l)er season arrives (generally in May) set on fire, which consumes all the branches and small wood. The logs are then either piled in heaps and burnt, or rrlled away for making a fence. Those who can afford it, use oxen to haul off the large unconsumod timber. Men, women, and children nmst, however, employ themselves in gathering and burning the rubbish, and in such parts of labour as their respec- tive strengths adapt them for. If the ground be intended for grain, it is generally sown without tillage ov .r the surface, and the seed covered in with a hoe. By some a triangular harrow, which shortens labour, is used instead of the hoe, and drawn by oxen. Others break up the earth with a one-handle plough, tht >V Dutch plough, which CULTIVATION. 11 lias the share and coulter locked into each other, drawn also by oxen, while a man attends with an axe to cut the roots in its way. Little regard is paid, in this case, to make straight furrows, the object being no more than to work up the ground. With such rude preparation, however, three successive good crops are raised on upJ'inds without any manure ; intervale lands, being fertilized by irrigation, never require any. Potatoes are planted (in new lands) in round hollows, scooped with the hoe four or five inches deep, and about forty in cir- cumference, in which three or five sets are planted and covered over with a hoe. Indian corn, pumpkins, cucumbers, peas and beans, are cultivated in new lands in the same manner as potatoes. Grain of all kinds, turnips, hemp, flax, and grass seeds, are sown over the surface and covered by means of a hoe, rake, or triangular harrow. Wheat is usually sown on the same ground the year after potatoes, without any tillage, except merely covering the seed with a rake or harrow, and followed the third year by oats. Some Farmers, and it is certainly a prudent plan, sow timothy and clover seed the second year along with the wheat, and afterwards let the ground remain under grass until the stumps of the trees can be easilv got out, which usually requires three or four years. With a little additional labour these obstructions to ploughing might be removed the second year. The roots of beech, birch, and spruce decay the soonest : those of pine and hendock seem to require an age. After the stumps are re- moved from the soil, and those small natural hillocks, called cradle hills, are levelled, the plough may always be used, and the system of husbandry "^ollowed that is most approved of in England or Scotland. Let no one be discouraged by his slender means. Industrious care- ful men, with families trained to thrifty habits, have nothing to fear in emigrating to New Brunswick. Thousands may be found who, in the period of a few years, by frugality and industry, have secured a good farm of 100 to 200 acres, with ten to fifty acres cultivated, and stocked it with horses, oxen, cows, sheep, hogs, poultry, 8iC. A young American back-woodsman, with his axe and gun, one or two hoes, and a common kettle or pot, will start with his newly mar- ried wife, and make his way thi'ough, and plant himself in, the midst of a most dreary forest, and secure at the same time the means of sub- sistence, and soon after those of comfortable independence. As an instance, among the many, of what laudable ambition, per- severing industry, and sobriety will do, an individual who a few years back settled from choice on the banks of the Miramichi river, at the lower boundary of the tract of land at present belonging to the New Brunswick (vompany, is thus noticed by Mr. M*^Gregor. " On coming down the South- West Branch of the River Miramichi, in the autu nn of 1828, where the Road from Fredericton and the River St. John joins the Miramichi, I was astonished," he says, " at the unexpected progress made during so short a period (about four years) in the cultivation of the soil. " An American told me that when he planted himself there, seven years before, he was not worth a shilling. He has now (1 829) more tliun 300 acres under cultivation, an immense flock of sheep, horses, 12 AGRICULTURE AND SEASONS. several yokes of oxen, milch cows, swine, and poultry, a large dwell- ing-house, a numerous train of labourers, one or two other houses, a forge with a powerful trip-hammer worked by water power, fulling mill, grist mill, and two saw mills, all turned by water. Near these he had erected a building for the double purpose of a school and chapel, and which he said was open to all persuasions. He raised large crops, ground his own corn, manufactured the flax he cultivated, and the wool of his sheep into coarse cloths ; and sold the provisions which his farm produced. In his barn was a heap containing about ninety bushels of Indian corn, that grew on a spot scarcely an acre, which he pointed out to me. He talked much in praise of the rich interior country." This individual (Mr. Boies) has now (1834) probably the best culti- vated, and as well a stocked farm as there is in the province. He raises, in some seasons, about 1 000 bushels of wheat ; a large quantity of oats, Indian corn, peas and beans, turnips, S(C. ; cuts 200 tons of hay ; keeps thirty or forty oxen, all reared on his farm, employed in the forest hauling out timber ; has an extensive dairy ; a piggery, in which the hogs are reared, fattened, and cured, agreeable to the most approved and economical methods ; and every other concomitant to an exten- sive farm ; also a mill for the manufacture, separately, of flour, oat- meal, barleymeal, Indian curn, meal and flour ; a carding mill, SfC. AGRICULTURE, SEASONS, Sfc. Agriculture and the raising of cattle have, all over the province, ad- vanced rapidly in the districts where the timber trade has declined. " Horses, black cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry, thrive as well as in England. All kinds of grai'i nr>d vegetables that grow in England, beside some others, ripen in perfection, and on alluvial lands yield great returns. The average return of Indian corn is eighty bushels per acre ; wheat eighteen to thirty bushels ; oats, buck-wheat, barley, and rye, are always certain crops." Beans may be raised in vast abundance, they are often sown with Indian corn, and we often see pumpkins and cucumbers intermixed with them. Vast quantities of hemp and flax, for which the lands are well adapted, might be raised. Good land will produce about 300 bushels of potatoes or more per acre ; turnips, mangelwurzel ; red and white clover, and timothy, are the grasses most cultivated ; two to four tons per acre is the usual crop. " The spring season may be said to commence soon after the first of April, or as soon as the ice disappears in the bogs, lakes, and rivers. " Ploughing begins in the end of April or the beginning of May, at which time summer wheat and oats are sown. " In May the weather is generally dry and pleasant ; but it rarely happens that summer becomes firmly established without a few cold days occurring after the first warm weather. " Vegetation now proceeds with surprising quickness ; the fields and deciduous trees assume their verdure : various indigenous and exotic flowers blow, and the face of nature is truly delightful. " All the birds common in summer now make their appearance. AGRICULTURE AND SEASONS. 13 " Gardening commences early in May ; and generally combines the different departments of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Cucumbers, salads, cabbages, cauliflowers, asparagus, and indeed all culinary vege- tables common in England, arrive at perfection. Apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums, damsons, black red and white currants, goose- berries, raspberries, strawberries, ripen perfectly, and are large and delicious. Many fruits that will not ripen in the open air in England will grow in perfection in this province ; grapes, when sheltered, will also ripen in the open air, although scarcely any attempt has been made to cultivate them. Potatoes are planted about the last of May, or before the middle of June. Barley will ripen if sown before the end of June, although generally sown much earlier. " Turnip seed is sown about the middle of July. " i/ay -making commences in the latter end of July, and, as the weather is commonly very dry, it is attended with little trouble in securing. Hay is sometimes put away under cover, but oftener made up into stacks or ricks. Barley is reaped in August. " In June, July, and August the weather is excessively hot, some- times as hot, but never so oppressively, as in the West Indies, the mercury being 90° to 100° Fahrenheit. The nights at this season exceed in splendour the most beautiful in Europe. The air, notwith- standing the heat of the preceding day, is always pure ; the waters of the seas, rivers, or lakes, generally unruffled. " The wheat and oat harvest commences sometimes before, but generally after, the first of September. Some use an American imple- ment, called a cradle, for cutting down their grain, and afterwards make it up in sheaves and stacks ; but the common way is to reap and lay it up in sheaves, and then gather and stack it in the manner followed in England. In September the weather is extremely plea- sant ; — the days are very warm until about the middle of the month, but the evenings are agreeably cool, usually followed by dews at night ; and about, but generally after, the autumnal equinox the se- renity of the weather is interrupted by high winds and rain. " Potatoes and turnips are left underground until the middle or end of October ; parsnips may remain in the ground during winter, and are finer when dug up in spring than at any other period." Winter wheat, if sowed deep enough, say five inches, so as to secure the tender roots against being thrown out upon the surface by the spring thaws, and thereby exposing them to be killed by the first succeeding frost and sunshine, will succeed well. " The end of October is generally a continuation of pleasant days, moderately warm at noon, and the mornings and evenings cool, at- tended sometimes witii slight frosts at night. Rains occur but seldom, and the temperature is perhaps more agreeable at this time than at any other, being neither unpleasantly hot nor cold. About the end of this month the northerly winds begin to acquire some ascendancy. " Rain, sunshine, evaporation, and slight frosts succeed each other; and the leaves of the forest, at this period, change their verdure into the most brilliant and rich colours, exhibiting the finest tints and shades of red, yellow, and sap-green, blended with purple, violet, and I ••i- w«,»rt*uic,' fi^m 14 AGRICULTURE AND SEASONS. brown. The peculiar charm and splendoin- which this clmngt imparts to American scenery produces one of tlie richest hmdscapes in nature. " Aftcrthis crisis the air hecoraes colder, hut the sky continues clear, and a number of fine days appear in November. There are slight frosts at night, but the sun is warm in the middle of the day ; the evenings and mornings are cool, and a fire now becomes very agree- able. This period is termed all over North America the ' Indian sum- mer,' and always looked for and depended on as the time to make preparations for winter. November, and often the whole of December, pass away before severe frost and snow becomes permanent, which, the old inhabitants say, never take place until the different ponds and small lakes are filled with water by the alternate rains, frosts, and thaws that occur, or until the wild geese depart for the south. " Milch cows, and such horses and cattle as require most care, are housed in November ; but December is the usual month for housing cattle regularly. Sheep thrive best by being left out all the winter, but they require to be fed, and it is necessary to have a shelter without a roof to guard against the cold winds and snow-drift." "Towards the end of December, or the beginning o{ January, the winter season becomes firmly established : the rivers and lakes are frozen over, and the ground covered to the depth of from eight inches to more than a foot with snow. The frost is extremely keen, with mild interruptions occasionally, during the months of January, Fc' bruary, and the early part of March, the mercury being frequently several degrees below zero. A thaw and mild weather generally occur for a day or two about the middle of January, and sometimes in February. When the frost succeeds, the ice becomes as smooth as glass, and affords a source of delightful amusement to all who are lovers of skating ! Driving from place to place in cabriolets or sledges, picnic parties, dancing and visiting, now form the enjoyment and amusements of the inhabitants, who on this account alone would deeply regret the absence of frosts and snows. " The deepest snows fall in February or early in March ; at which time boisterous storms sweep the snow furiously along the surface of the ice and lands, leaving some places nearly bare, and raising im- mense banks in others. These storms are not felt in the woods except by the snow falling quietly among the trees. The duration of snow- storms is seldom more than one or two days at most. " The Vernal Equinox commonly brings on strong gales from the south, accompanied by a mighty thaw, which cUssolves all the snow on the cleared lands, and weakens the ice so much that it now opens wherever there are strong currents. Clear weather, with sharp frosts at night and bright sunshine during the day, generally succeeds, and continues to the end of March or the first week in April, when a snow storm usually comes on, and disagreeable weather lasts two or three days. This is the final efibrt of expiring Winter, and is immediately followed by a warmth of temperature which breaks up the ice and dissolves the snow. The heat of the Sun, which now becomes power- ful, dries up the ground iu a few days ; after which ploughing begins, and the summer season conuncnces. 1 AGRICULTURE AND SEASONS. 15 "Although the foregoing outline of the general system of the cli- mate is as near the truth as can be stated, yet the weather, as in Eng- land, is often different at the same period in one year from that of another. This difference arises chiefly from the Winter season setting in earlier or later, and the same may be observed as regards the com- mencement of Summer. Thus, the winter has been known to set in with unusual severity in the beginning of December, and sometimes not till the middle of January. In some Winters thaws occur oftener than in others, and deeper snows are known in one season than for some years before. Mild Winters are succeeded by cold Springs. " The climate of America is colder in Winter (that is, it freezes more intensely,) and hotter in Summer, than under the same paral- lels of latitude in Eui'ope ; and the daily variations of temperature, which depend on the winds, are also greater. But the transitions from dry to wet are by no means so sudden as in England ; and we may always tell in the morning whether it will be fair all day or not ; except in the case of thunder-showers, which occur during hot wea- ther, in the evening, when not the smallest appearance of a cloud can be seen before midday. The only disadvantage to the farmer, which the Winter brings on in New Brunswick and the other North Ameri- can colonies, is the consequent provision required for feeding live- stock, about a ton of hay with straw for each being necessary to winter horned cattle properly. But the Winter season, on the other hand, has also many advantages. Wood and fencing poles are more easily brought home from the forest ; agricultural produce is, with little difficulty, carried to market over the smooth slippery roads made by the frosts and snows ; and distances are at the same time shortened by the lakes and rivers being frozen over. The Winter is also a sea- son of visiting and amusement, among all classes, in a country where horses and sledges are possessed by all the inhabitants. " The ground, it is well known, is mellowed and fertilized by the frosts and snows, and consequently does not require half the plough- ing necessary in other countries ; and the vast bodies of snow which fall during the Winter, by covering the whole face of the country, protect the herbage and winter grain from the severity of the frost. It will be found that many farmers from the province consider the Winter no impediment to agriculture ; for although the Spring open- ing so suddenly causes an astonishing rapidity of vegetation, yet full seven weeks or more are left for ploughing, sowing, and planting ; and it is rare indeed that a day occurs in Winter, in which work cann'^*' be performed in the open air. Wlien we consider also that the autumn and fall are much finer and of longer duration than in these kingdoms, the farmers have in reality no cause to complain of the seasons, as they have abundant time to plough all their grounds in the dechne of Autumn, which is, at the same time, the best season for American tillage. " It cannot, with all the variations of climate, be said with pro- priety that the full duration of winter is more than four months. Though the cold is intense for nine or ten weeks, the air is dry and elastic, and free from the chilling moisture of a British winter." ^'•SIBBHiai.tat n a. » »»T^„um ;. 16 GOVERNMENT, RELIGION, EDUCATION, S>;C. In the Bay of Fundy fogs are very prevalent, and also upon the contiguous sea-coast ; but they never extend beyond three or four miles from the sea-coast, and are unknown to any portion of the lands purchased by the New Brunswick Company. GOVERNMENT, LAWS, RELIGION, AND EDUCATION. The Government, Institutions, and state of society in New Bruns- wick are suited to the feelings and habits of people from the United Kingdom, Commerce with England and foreign countries is nearly free ; the leading articles of import and consumption not being bur- thened, as in the United States, with heavy prohibitory duties. The Constitution of the Provincial Government is a transcript of the constitution of England. The Governor represents the Queen, the Council the House of Lords, and the House of Assembly the House of Commons. No local laws can be recognized that are repugnant to the laws of England ; nor the least tax on property, or duty on im- ported articles, be levied, except by the consent of the inhabitants through their representatives. The laws protect person and pro- perty with as much security as in England. " There are neither tithes nor taxes ; but a moderate poor-rate is required for the support of such poor who from age or infirmity are unable to provide for themselves. There is also a certain portion of statute labour to be performed upon the roads by all persons, in proportion to their wealth. " New Brunswick is included in the diocese of Nova Scotia, and the ectablishment of the Church of England consists of the excellent archdeacon and thirty missionaries." There are also clergymen of the Kirk of Scotland, and the Roman Catholic Church, besides Wes- leyan and Baptist missionaries. The blessings of religion are fully extended, as before noticed, to all the settlements ; with freedom from the liability to contribute to- wards the support of any particular Establishment. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts support the clergy of the Church of England ; all others are maintained by their re- spective congregations. The benefits of school instruction are also to be obtained without difficulty in this province. King's College, at Fredericton, is liberally endowed, and the com- forts and instruction of the students are carefully attended to. An- other college is also being founded at Fredericton, by a very respect- able body of the Baptists, with some other dissenters. There are grammar schools in all the counties, and elementary schools in all the settlements. The Legislative Assembly grants sums annually for the purpose of aiding the maintenance of the^e laudable and useful in stitutions ; the expense of educating youth is therefore moderate. There are four or five weekly newspapers published at St. John's ; two at Fredericton, two at St. Andrew's, and one at Miram'-hi. jpon the e or four the lands m TION. w Bruns- e United is nearly nng bur- ties. iptofthe ueen, the le House ignant to y on im- habitants and pro- or-rate is rmity are )ortion of srsons, in ;otia, and excellent jymen of desWes- oticed, to ribute to- ociety for he clergy their re- 1 are also the com- to. An- y respect- rhere are }ols in all nually for I useful in ierate. t. John's ; n'-hi. i , ^. - W^' .MHMMwMtNMiK. < mmmm^mmmmm C H A « T OK tin: AT li A N 1 EXHIBITING THE RELATIVE DIS AM) TIIK ^^^^yxu iiii'i^ jIL,„ C U A H T OF Tin: ^•■r" T li A W T I C THE RELATIVE DISTANCES BETWEEN AM) THK ^. .^y T I yi I . ih»" '."'--- .i„:J'r:^-- lY TJ-«A/i '" t •10 ? JA^r:^ iC f ^' t-^^f'^^ o^ C7 1 2;0 EXTRACTS. T From a Report by E. N. Kendall, Esq., dated the 31*/ of December, 1835. " IF the winter has its disadvantages to the agriculturist, by obliging him to provide a large quantity of fodder for his cattle during that portion of tlie year when the snow prevents pasturage, it amply repays him and the other branches of the community in a variety of ways. The farmer who gives his fallow fields a fall ploughing finds in the spring that the frost has done half his work by mel- lowing his soil, and a cross-ploughing and harrowing enables him to sow his grain; his cattle yard afibrds him an abundant supply of manure which, if he is not too lazy to use, will certainh ^ve him a potatoe crop, in preparation for grain next year ; and he is enabled to procure whatever poles he may require for fences, and to cut a supply of fuel from his back land, which he can transport to his own door on the snow, sufficient to last him for a twelvemonth ; thus his wood doubly warms him, first by the exercise of cutting it, and next when either blazing cheerfully on the hearth or giving out its heat from a stove." " If the winters are cold, they are dry; when the snow is down, the sky clears off, exhibiting an intense blue ; the atmosphere is clear, the air bracing and wholesome, and gaiety and festivity prevail ; the spring opens, the rivers break up ; a week or two suffices to remove the snowy mantle and to array the face of the country in every shade of brilliant green ; thousands of the animal creation that had remained in a torpid state now rush forth in vigour and activity, and by their various congratulatory notes seem to welcome the returning spring. The human inhabitant is fully occupied, nor must his labour relax until the seed he has to sow be safely put into the ground ; for vege- tation is rapid, there is no time for delay, the season is short : early and late the farmer must be in his field, resting in the mid-day, though the strong breeze, then prevailing, generally enables him to withstand the intensity of the solar heat; every one is busy, and thus the seasons go round. There is little of what may be called spring, but the au- tumn is most delicious, the brilliancy of the sky in the evenings de- lightful, and no European can appreciate the beauty of the thousand- tinted landscape. In the woods and new clearings, the flies are troublesome, but their reign very fortunately is short." " The productions of the soil at present are the usual crops raised in England, such as wheat, barley, oats, rye, buckwheat, Indian corn, B 18 Mil. KENDALI/S REPOUT. ,.'! piniipkins, carrots, parsnips, l)eet, mangelwurzel, Lapland and other turnips, i)case, benns, cabbage, &;c. All kinds ofgard.n produce can be raised with facility and in great abundance, of which many kinds cannot be raised in England without forcing. Gardening, however, is but little attended to by the fanners, principally from the difficulty of getting labour. A Horticultural Society has been formed this season, and its efforts have been attended with success. Hemp, flax, hops, and a variety of other productions, may be raised in any quan- tities. The wild hop, growing on the islands, is amazingly prolific, and appears not to be liable to injury from blight. Vines, if pro- perly taken care of, will produce grapes that in ordinary seasons will ripen in the open air; and if not, the grapes are made into a jelly, very much resembling that of the guava. The ordinary English fruits also ripen, with the exception of wall fruit. The best mode of takint; out cuttings, is to stick them into potatoes, in which state, packed in barrels, they may be conveyed perfectly fresh. A good roomy root-house is inuis])ensable in gardening to secure the crops ; and by having double windows to admit light and exclude frost, cauliflowers, &c. may be brought to and kept in great perfection the whole winter. " The ruta baga and other kinds of turnip seem particularly adapted to the climate, and are slowly but perceptibly coming into use, particularly on recently cleared lands, where I have practically proved that the white Norfolk, the tankard, and several other kinds, are capable of attaining a large size. On hew lands they are not so liable to injury from the fly, which maybe accounted for from the effects of the ashes. Science has not hitherto been at all applied to farming, and it certainly has not had a fair trial, owing to want of capital and the high rate of wages. What would be thought of a man in England attempting even to rent a farm without capital ? Yet here we see hundreds oif persons who have gone into the woods with nothing besides an axe, a grindstone, a few kettles, and provi- sions for a few months, in addition to sufficient seed for the first year, the whole conveyed perhaps by the friendly loan of a neigh- bour's sled, becoming in a few years independent if not wealthy per- sons. And these examples should be kept steadily in view by every emigrant, who should recolhct that he has this choice before him — either of the two following modes. If he have capital sufficient to purchase a partly cleared farm, let him do so, and stock it with not too large a quantity of cattle, but plenty of shef>p, always recollecting that the winter supply of hay for his cattle must not be less than one ton and a half for each horned head, and one ton for every five sheep ; he must then contract with some one accustomed to the country to clear a certain quantity of his forest land, and render it to him fit for the seed, which he can get done for about 41. 10s. currency to 51. per acre, by which means he will be enabled to attend personally to his stock, to which he must add cows and pigs, as his supply of food in- creases. His new land should be sown with potatoes, oats, turnips and, if the soil be dry, barley, which will fit it for wheat the next sea- son ; grass seed should be sown with the wheat, and the land then w MR. KENDAM/S report. 1!) d other ucc can y kinds owever, ifficultv • led this p, flax, y quan- prolific, if pro- ona will a jelly, English mode of h state, A good e crops ; Je frost, ction the •ticularly ling into 'nctically er kinds, y are not from the ipplied to ) want of ght of a t capital ? he woods nd provj- the first a neigh- ilthy per- by every re him — ficient to with not joUecting than one ^e sheep ; mntry to Im fit for to 51. per ily to his ■ food in- , turnips aext sea- and then left for hay and pasture until the stumps are sufficiently decayed to admit of their removal, which will happen in about five years, and most of the small ones will be rotten at the end of three. The next season he will again contract for the clearing of fifteen or twenty acres, proceeding as before. Having a couple of brood mares, or four if possible, they will perform all the farm labour, such as carry- ing his produce to market, hauling his fencing, Jifc, and give him a foal a-piece, which will either be useful to himself or bnng him some- thing handsome in payment for their keep. Sheep, i)igs, and mares are the most profitable stock to keep ; cows run wild in summer, and find abundant food in the woods, always returning home if sup- plied constantly with salt. Of sheep, it is n singular fact that an instance of rot is, I believe, not on record ; they thrive well ; a cross between the llyland and Leicester seems jest adopted for the climate, uniting weight of fleece with delicacy of flavour ; white clover is in- digenous in the country. Carding machines are yearly increasing ; and the demand for wool will always make a flock of sheep a va- luable addition to a farm stock. Stall feeding is only beginning to be practised. '• The emigrant with no money should not be discouraged ; he has capital if he has the ability and disposition to industry, he should hire himself for three years to a farmer ; where, as he will receive his food in addition to his wages, a fund is constantly accumulating. His first care should be to select a spot for his future operations, and ex- pend his first savings in the purchase of it. His next step is to con- tract with some one to clear him two or three acres on it, which he will be enabled to do the second year. The third, he will not only be able to increase his contract if he chooses, but he will have gained sufficient experience in the use of the axe to clear his own land by sparing a few days, and he can then devote his saving of wages towards the purchase of stock for his farm." " The breed of horses in New Brunswick is generally good ; they perform journeys and do work which requires them to be hardy, strong, and active. The Agricultural Society, established by Sir Howard Douglas, imported some nearly thoroughbred horses, and from them and the stock of " Wildair," imported by the late Chief Justice Saunders, have the present breed proceeded. The modes of travelling are by steam-boats, small four light-wheeled carriages, called " waggons," and on horseback during summer, and in sled, sleigh, or carriole, during winter ; the latter are all different sorts of carriages placed on runnci's, instead of wheels, shod with iron or steel, and vary according to the taste or means of the owner ; the the better kinds are all lined or trimmed with the warm skins of the bear or buffalo, and are comfortable and delightful conveyances ; the horses are gaily caparisoned, and as by law they are all required to carry bells, these, when properly chosen, create a sound by no means unmusical. The inhabitants are all very fond of sleighing, which forms one of the principal winter amusements. Skaiting is also much practised ; much more safely than in England, the ice being thick and strong." B 2 20 MK. AVILMOT'S report. L Hi'porl on the State and Condition of the Portion of the Pro- vince of New Bruusivick jmrchased from Government by the New Brunswick and Nora Scotia Land Company. " THE tract of land here alluded tr> lay be described as comprising the height soparatn^f^ the rivers whicn flow into the Gulf of St. Law- rence from those v.iiich discharge themselves into the Bayof Fundy. The consideration that a means would thereby be afforded of convey- ing the produce of such lands as might be cultivated both ways to market mainly guided the choice of this territory for the site of the Company's operations ; and another very important reason for the selection was the knowledge that, by having the command of the com- munication to th" sea-coast both ways, persons who might emigrate from Great Britain would have as rapid access as possible to the place of their future habitation, and avoid many of those difficulties that the first settler has to encounter in many cases between the time of hii, disembarkation and tliat of his reaching what is to constitute his future home. A single glance at the map will show the very great advantage this tract must derive from the extraordinary manner in which it is traversed in all directions by rivers, whose waters are ex- tremely pure, and navigable for the ordinary conveyances of the co'm- try, namely, scows or bnrges, batteaux and canoes : they all contain fish, and afford abundant mill-sites and water-power for every requi- site purpose : the soil also is above the average of the Province, par- ticularly between the two principal stations chosen by the Company — Stanley and Campbell ; roads have been opened uniting these places, and establishing a communication by their means between the Miramichi at the Company's establishment on its borders and the St. John's river at Fredcricton, which is the seat of government of the Province. The direction of the first 15j miles is parallel to and nearly equidistant from the Nashwaak and Cardigan settlements, which were established previous to the Company's purchase ; and the second 16 miles is about north-east to the Miramichi, parallel to the old-established portage-road, at an average distance of about three miles." From a Report of the York County Agricultural Society, for 1841, by h. A. WiLMOT, Esq., Secretary and Treasurer. " THAT the agricultural character of the county is fast improving no one can deny, and in proof of this I need only refer to the exten- sive fall ploughings we now see, as compared with late years, and to the general anxiety of our farmers to obtain improved breeds of stock of various kinds. But while tLest things speak well for the pre- sent, and augur favourably for the future, we are still as a farming T Mit. wilmot's report. 21 e Pro- by the community most lamentably deficient, both as regards the cultivation of the soil and the breeding of stock." " One great error among farmers, generally throughout the pro- vince, is the working of too much land- -by this I mean the attempt to cultivate more than can well be done. Both labour and manure are extended over too great a surface, and the result is too evident not to be seen in every direction — a scanty, sickly produce. A farmer has a four-acre field he wishes to break up and plant with potatoes ; he ploughs the whole, and is determined to plant the whole ; he is not particular first to ascertain whether he has enough manure for the extent of ground, but having ploughed, he thinly strews his compost to make it hold out, and as a sure reward he gets a short crop, with loss of seed, land, and laboui . But I do not stoj* here — the following spring he sows this field with wheat or oats, and at harvest time he is reminded of his ungenerous cultivation by the short and puny stalk and half filled ear ; and if laid down to grass, as long as he keeps it under scythe, he can sec 'he ill efiects of trying to do too much. Should our farmer, in the case put, get one hundred and fifty bushels of potatoes from the acre, he will be exceedingly fortunate, and yet he might, with the same manure, half the seed, and half the labour, have grown as many on two acres as he has taken from the four. Mr. William Davidson, of Dumfries, grew this year, 600 bushels from the acre. Now no person will say that there are not hundreds of ac-es in this county which may be made as pro- ductive as Mr. Davidson's, and yet no one has equalled him in pro- duce. " What is done should be well rfowe"-^ should be incribed on every enclosure of every farm, and engraven upon every door-post of every farm-house." " The writer of this report has seven and a half acres under culti- vation, including a garden, and the following is, as near as he can estimate, the produce of this year : — "Ten tons hay; 76 bushels oats; '280bushels potatoes; 3tons straw; 35 bushels carrots ; 20 bushels turnips ; 1 6 bushels beets and parsnips, besides an abundant crop of other garden produce. And from the time that clover was fit to cut for soiling, four cows were liberally fed every night duiuig the season, and two horses occasionally in every week. Now, I have no doubt that some may ecjual and even surpass this amount with the j^iime extent of ground, bi't I also kno:v that very many with four times the quantity of land professedly under culti- vation do not grow half as much." " The next point upon which I would offer a few remarks is, as to the cultivation of wheat, a branch of agriculture, in my estimation, far beyond all others in general importance, and which should receive the greatest attention and encouragement, not only of the legislature, but of all );he Agricultural Societies in the province. When we bear in mind that tliis province has paid during the last ten years, at a low estimate, over 500,000/. for foreign bread-st ffs, the truth and force of my observations must be admitted by all. " The old cry, that ' this is not a wheal growing country,' is prac- tically contradicted every year by those of our farmers who pay due Miia jit . 'iS9CaumaK*LkM).9jbtxthvmiBi>-^.. 22 MR. WILMOT^S REPORT. attention to the mode of cultivation. Those who fail invariably at- tribute their loss to the climate, while their want of success is gene- rally chargeable to their bad husbandry ; and it is to be regretted that this class so far outnumbers that of the attentive and successful cul- tivator that the good reports and favourable opinions of the latter are drowned amidst the noisy condemnations of the former. " As to soil, we have as good in this province as can be found in any section of the North American continent ; and how can we justly attribute the partial failure of our wheat to climate when every year some good crops are grown hi every county of the province. " The climate of this county is surely the same in every nart, and yet during the last year, while some were charging their failures to cHmate, others were growing fine crops. At Stanley, for instance, wheat was produced weighing upwards of 701bs.j»er bushel, and free from all defects ; and finer wheat cannot be grown in any country than was this year exhibited at the Society's show. And I may venture to assert that there can be found persons, whose fields adjoined those of the successful cultivators, who are attributing their want of success to climate, when it is imputable to their own neglect and ignorance." " In the course of my yearly and extensive tours through different parts of the province, I am often amazed and grieved at the conduct of many farmers with regard to manure. Indeed, by some, this in- dispensable article is viewed as an incumbrance; so much so that they have erected their barns by the river side, or near a brook, in order that the floods may cleanse their premises, and by others this source of wealth is collected into heaps and burned. •'Doubtless you who hear these statements are partaking of my astonishment at such a prodigal waste of manure as shewn in the instance just now mentioned, and at the same time some of you from year to year are " yarding" your cattle in the highways during the summer nights, which is at once a loss to yourselves and a nuisance to travellers — and during the winter's days you allow your cattle to stand about the water-holes pnd springs when they should be closed in the barn-yard, or kept in the stable. You, therefore, who pursue such a neglectful course as this are very little ii, advance of those who call to their aid the fire and flood to purify their pre- mises." " Many of our farmers have been unpardonably neglectful in their management of sheep : and it is really surprising that a stock so valuable both for food and raiment, and which makes such quick and profitable returns for the capital invested upon it should have been so generally and so long neglected. Some, I am happy to say, are now atoning for their past mismanagement by procuring improved breeds, and I would earnestly recommend to those who still retain the old n, orn out stinted stock, to supply their place as soon as pr.-^c- ticable with a better and more p.ofita1>le kind. This, I am in hopes, will soon be done by many, if I may judge from the numerous and anxious enquiries which have been made from time to time respect- ing the sheep ordered from England by the Society. I very much regret that those sheep will not arrive during the present season, as MR. WILMOT'S report. 23 bly at- gene- ed that ful cul- ;ter are our Vice-president, Colonel Hayne, finding that the autumn would be far advanced before they could be shipped, very prudently coun- termanded the order until the next spring, when I hope we shall receive in good order and condition, eight rams and four ewes of the improved Dishly and Leicestershire breeds. But we need not wait until these arrive, as all cannot be supplied by our limited importa- tion ; those who wish to obtain a superior breed need only to apply to some of our agricultural friends in the county of Carleton. The most unwearied pains have been bestowed, and great expense in- curred, by some gentlemen in that county, and especially by Charles Pprley, esq., in procuring the most approved breeds of sheep and other stock. That gentleman and enterprising farmer may, be em- phatically called a benefactor of the country in this respect, and I am happy to hear that the admirable stock of his farm is fast finding its way along the shores of the St. John. His flock of sheep, I am sure, cannot be equalled in the province. I have seen none like them out of England. " It is a very mistaken opinion, which prevails to a considerable extent in the country, that sheep will thrive as well exposed to all the storms and inclemency of the winter as if they wei*e carefully housed. Too great pains cannot be taken after the cold weather sets in, and until the storms of April are over, to protect sheep from rain and snow, as by exposure to these the fleece becomes wet and frozen, the animal is rendered uncomfortable, and is thereby not only pre- vented from thriving, but is exposed to the ravages of disease. " Protection from the inclemency of the winter weather, however, is not of itself sufficient. Feed well, not wastefuUy, but judiciously, and let it be borne in mind that no improved breed can sustain its growth and character through our long winters without being fed occasionally (say once a week at least) on esculent roots, sucii as the potatoe, mangelwurzel and turnip — and of these the last is de- cidedly the most preferable. In England, fields of turnips are sown expressly for the use of sheep, and during the winter they are turned in and allowed to eat them out of the ground, but in this country we must supply our stock from s'le root-house and cellar; and be as- sured that he who attempts to keep up an improved breed of sheep, and allows them to run at large in all kinds of weatb*^" 'luring the winter, and feeds them on nothing but dry hay, and thai-, perhaps, the refuse of the cow and horse stables, will very soon find himself sadly disappointed. " A very absurd notion universally obtains in this country, that colts should not get any oats the first winter after we?ning, as such feed would have the eflect of foundering or otherwise injuring the animal. This is a radical error, and has, no doubt, had the eflfect of preventing our horses from being much better grown than they are. " In England the usual allowance of oats for a colt, during the first winter, is 15 bushels, or 4 quarts a day for four months. Such a course of feeding is also accompanied by brown mash — potatoes and carrots to prevent costiveness, and to keep the blood cool. In con- versation with the celebrated Tattersall, in London, on this subject, 24 MR* ward's report. he informed me that he allowed his choice thoroughbred colts as much oats as they would eat the first winter, and that they were never injured by such feeding, but very little if any grain is given during the second winter. Since receiving this information, I have put it in practice, and the result has been highly gratifying and successful." " Let us one and all then do what we can for the advancement of agriculture. It is an honest, an honourable, a noble science ; and from the earliest ages of the world has been the staff of kingdoms and empires. " ' In ancient times the sacred /j/om^'A employed Tlie kings and awful fathers of mankind ; And some, with whom compar'd your insect tribes Are but the beings of a summer's day, Have held the scale of empire, ruled the storm Of mighty war; then with unwearied hand. Disdaining little delicacies, seized The Plough, and greatly independent lived.' " " All other professions and arts derive from agriculture their means of subsistence. Our navy may be manned — our army may muster its hosts for war — our manufacturers and artizans may expend their labour and skill in cunning devices of handy-work — and our mer- chants may extend their enterprise to every corner of the world in quest of gain — but withdraw from these the support of agriculture, and our navy must lie in port, our army be dissolved, our manufac- tories become silent, and our merchants defeated in every attempt at commerce. " L. A. WlLMOT." From an Account of the River St. John, tvith its tributary Rivers and Lakes, By Edward Ward, Esq. Fredericton, New Brunsivick, 1841. " TWO steam-boats, until the present summer, have plied regularly between Fredericton and St. John's, leaving that place and Indian Town every day, at seven o'clock u\ the morning, and arriving at St. John's between three and four, and at Fredericton about four in the afternoon, when not impeded by the stream, which runs with much velocity when the river is at its height in the spring and autumn. The fare in these boats is very reasonable, being ten shil- lings in the cabin, and half-price forward : and in proportion when passengers embark on board on their way up or down, with a reason- able charge for breakfast and dinner. The night boats are also a great convenience, one leaving Indian Town and Fredericton every evening at six o'clock, and arriving at their destination early on the following morning ; but from the circumstance of persons continual'; RIVER ST. JOHN. 25 coming on board and leaving them on their passage, and the constant conversation that is going on all night, but little refreshing sleep can be obtained. If the tide answers in the morning when the boat arrives at Indian Town, she frequently proceeds through ' the Falls* to take in freight at the city, which is quite an exhilirating passa je, the tide rushing out with considerable velocity, and requiring several persons at the wheel to make the flying vessel answer her helm. I would advise persons, however, who are not pressed for time, to take passage in the day boats ; by which means they will enjoy a view of the scenery of the St. John, which, it is admitted by all travellers, is not to be exceeded by anything of the kind in Europe or America." " Before quitting this part of my subject, I would call public atten- tion to the rapid communication which exists in the summer, and probably will continue during every future winter, between Frederic- ton and Halifax, the capital of the Province of Nova Scotia, ' \ere the steam-boats from England arrive every fortnight, conveyi _, Her Majesty's mails. By leaving Fredericton in the morning's boat, a passenger may arrive in St. John's early in the afternoon ; and, after spending three or four hours or more there, can embark on board another steamer for Windsor, forty-five miles from Halifax, and a hundred from St. John's ; and aided by the rapid tide of the Bay of Fuhdy, will reach that place in time to take the coach for Halifax, and arrive there before dinner. He may thus, in fact, breakfast one day at Fredericton and dine on the following at Halifax, without any other fatigue than that which will be caused by a ride of forty- five miles over a comparatively level road from Windsor to Halifax." " ' The New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land Company, incor- porated by Royal Charter and Act of Parliament, purchased from the Crown a tract of land containing about 550,000 acres, eligibly situated in the county of York, Province of New Brunswick, and lying for the most part between the Rivers St. John and the South West Branch of the Miramichi. The Company commenced their operations by opening a road, from a point on the Royal Road situ- ated about eight miles from Fredericton, which was extended to Stanley, the present seat of the Company's business, which is twenty- four miles from Fredericton. Stanley is situated on the banks of the Nashwaak River, which is navigable for canoes throughout the year, and for batteaux and light scows during four or five weeks in the spring. Here there are extensive and well constructed saw, grist, and oatmeal mills, a cliurch and a school-house, and two good taverns for the accommodation of travellers. Independent of the Company's officers who reside here, there are several carpenters, masons, and blacksmiths, and some other tradesmen. The land in the immediate neighbourhood of this place is excellent.' To this fact I can add my testimony, having had an opportunity of visiting the settlement, when some of the settlers had not been three years in the country ; and they were already in comfortable ciicv^stances, raising large quantities of oats, grain, and potatoes, anr' their pre- mises presenting everywhere the neat and tidy appearance, for which the cottages of England are distinguished." 'P 26 LETTERS. " If single men coming here would be content with 20/. per annum, exclus've of their board and lodging, and would hire out for two or three years, they would soon acquire the requisite sum to procure a hundred acres of land, which is a sufficient quantity for any man, and in the mean time would become acquainted with the mode of clearing and working land. And were youchs and females of eigh- teen or nineteen years of age to come to \his country and engage themselves in this way, they would be certain of succeeding to com- fort and independence, would become useful members of society, and would strengthen those ties by which this colony is already attached to the Parent State." From LETTERS recently received from Emigrants settled upon the Company's Lands. " Grand Manan, July, 1841. " Gentlemen, — Being desirous that Stanley should be increased by as many good settlers as may be induced to emigrate to it for the purpose of cultivating land, I have taken the liberty, which I hope you will excuse, of addressing a few words to you on the subject. The emigrants from Northumberland being now in a fair way of prospering here, they may be referred to as an example of what may be accomplished in the woods of New Brunswick by perseverance and industry ; and their countrymen, trained to farming, being gene- rally hardy, industrious, and accustomed to the best modes of agri- culture, are well calculated to be successful in this country. " Permit me to bring under your notice the line of road between Cross Creek and Campbell Town ; it passes through a fertile and well-watered tract of land, well adapted to farming purposes ; its being opened would enable the inhabitants of the Miramichi to open a trade with, and be beneficial to, the inhabitants of Stanley ; its having been chopped down six years ago, a young growth of wood is now rising rapidly, and every year it remains unturnpiked it will be the more difficult and expe sive to do. " I am, with respect, Gentlemen, your most humble servant, " To the Directors of the New Brunswick " Robert Waugh." and Nova Scotia Land Company." " Grand Manan, July, 1841. " To the Inhabitants of Wooler and its vicinity. " To the Literary and Scientific Society of Schoolmasters. " To the Worshipful Master and Brethren of All-Saints Lodge, Wooler. " Previous to my leaving Wooler in the spring of 1836, for the purpose of settling on the lands of the New Brunswick and Nova r._- w )rocure a LETTERS. 27 Scotia Land Company, I promised to write to several of my acquaint- ances ; this I have in part psrformed, and in order to perform the promise fully, I am busy at present writing from observation a de- scription of the province, its climate, soil, rivers, lakes, minerals, ornithology, 8(C., which will embrace the countries on the sea coast, the islands, fisheries, SfC. This I will have ready and send to you in the spring. " The settlers have it now in their power to purchase their lots of land on easy and reasonable terms ; they are acquiring stock, raising good crops — in fact, they are now in much mors comfortable and independent circumstances than they would have been remaining in Northumberland . " The bearer of this. Colonel Hayne, commissioner of the Com- pany, will, I expect, visit Wooler and Ford Castle, for the purpose of explaining their views and plans in further settling their lands. He has resided here several years, formerly in Canada ; he is well qualified to give every requisite information respecting the country, as well as the best mode of settling with a sure prospect of success. The Company's land is generally fertile, well watered, a considerable quantity of first-rate quality, and well adapted for farming purposes. Samples of the best oats have weighed 38 lbs. to 45 lbs. per bushel ; spring wheat from 60 lbs to 68 lbs. The crops of potatoes, grass, barley, SfC, have been of excellent quality. This season the crops have a promising appearance. Indusirions farmers having large families and some capital, yet finding it difficult to find a living at home, would prosper here ; they would not only become landowners, but be enabled to place themselves in easy and independent circum- stances in a few years. Carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, and other mechanics get so good wages in towns as will soon enable them to purchase land if they wish to possess it. " I avail myself of the present occasion to convey to you all my best wishes for your prosperity and happiness. " Robert Waugh." i " Stanley, T'ew Brunswick, July 2, 1841. " Dear Son, — This is the third letter within one month that I have wrote to you to inform you that I have not forgot you, but that I have taken your passage these two years past, and you have not come, nor sent me the reason ; therefore I have sent you 71. by Co- lonel Hayne, Commissioner for the New Brunswick Land Company. You will come out this fall, and fetch Peggy Jane with you — fail not. Let your grandfather know that I will send him more money when you come to me. I wish my friends and neighbours that are able to come to this country to apply to Mr. Hayne, Commissioner for the above Land Company, for directions, as he has the best opportunity to inform them how to proceed. I would advise any of my friends to come to him for advice, and on him they can depend. I have known him these four years to be a good friend to an indus- trious man ; therefore if any of you will come to me I will inform 28 LETTERS. you better of the Company's land, as they have a large portion of it to sell, and their Commissioner is a man entitled to credit for his conduct to the settlers on the Company's lanvl. 1 need say no more on the subject. Dear son, make all the haste you can for your own good to come to me, as I want to give you a chance, for here you can live better than the best men in Tamneerin. I need not name my friends separately, but I hope to see more of them with me be- fore one year. I will not advise any, but let them do as I did. There is a chance in this country that is not at home. I'll not say any more, as I have written two letters since June 20th. My friends are all well in this country ; Esther and husband are well, and little Nancy. Let her mother know that I was glad to have it in my power to be a friend to her daughter. My mother I wish to hear from in particular, as I expect she must be frail by this time. When you come to Frederickton ask for Pat Macloon, James Martin, or Michael Carron, and then you will need no money, for I will soon be with you. " To the care of Mr. Alexander Gwynn, Waterside, London- derry, for D — B — , Parish of Cumber, Town of Tam- neerin, County Londonderry, Ireland." " Douglas, New Brunswick, 2d July, 1841. " Dear Mother, — I embrace the opportunity offered by Colonel Hayne's going to Ireland to inform you that I am in good health, as are also my comrades, and we are going to Frederickton to-morrow to make the first payment for our land, and get possession. The gentleman above mentioned is Agent to the Land Company, and if any of our friends or old neighbours wish to purchase land here, I would recommend them to make application to him when there. I am convinced that he will be as accommodating as possible. A great part of the land is excellent, and the payments will be made easy, besides many other encouragements, such as good roads, con- venient education for children, ^-c, which he will explain with much better ability than I can. You can tell R— B — , of CarrygoUan, that we think he could do well here, and I would recommend him to apply to Colonel Hayne for land. We have made application for land that we think would suit him, and the agent is good enough to re- ser'e it till time is given for an answer from him on the subject. This is a good farming country. The crops can be secured in about three months from the time of sowing the seed, and farming produce in gene al brings good prices, as most of the inhabitants here devote most of their time to lumbering pursuits, which, in a great measure prevents the tillage of lands, and, consequently, affords good encou- ragement to those v Iio apply themselves to agricultural pursuits, so that on the whole I consider this a desirable country for farming. J S desires to be remembered to Mr. T B of Gangle, and wishes to let him know that he can do much better for himself here than he could have done in Ireland. He and I have purchased a yoke of oxen, which will serve to do the ploughing, «^c. rtion of it it for his no more ^our own here you not name h me be- ll. There say any ■iends are ind little 11 y power ■ from in hen you Michael with vou. , 1841. y Colonel health, as o-morrow on. The ny, and if id here, I there. I sible. A be made ads, con- ith much •rygoUan, id him to 1 for land jh to re- i subject. S in about ? produce re devote measure d encou- 'suits, so farming. i of letter for i I have ling, 8ic. LETTERS. 29 's sister, is well, and begs to be remem- Please to let Mr. D- of new land better than horses. Mary Anne, know that J S— bered to her. Remember us all to our friends and old neighbours. We arc to commence work on our land on Monday next. •' I remain, dear Mother, your affectionate son, <« wr 'Y ." " P, S. — Write as soon as possible, and direct, as usual, in care of Mr. Joseph Mahoffy, Butcher street, Strabane, for Mrs. J- of Gangle, Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland." "Stanley, July the 4, 1841. " Dear Son, — We send this letter with Captain Haynes, he leaves hear on the (i of this month for London, and we are all well at pre- sent, thanks be to God for it ; we hop this will find you all in good health ; we wase going to send p. jiarcell with Captain Haynes, but Cicorge intends comming home this fall, and we will send some things with him which will be a great curiosity to you all know. I will let you now how much crop we have got in the ground this year ; we have fifty bushell of oats, and two bushels of Barley, and two acers of Buckwheat, and wc have fifty bushels of potates planted, and we will sow two acers of turnips, and we have taken sixty acers of Hay- land upon share, which will give us as much hay as we will want this year ; we have had a very wet summer this year, which has kept back a good many from getting the land burned for crop this year, but we had all ready but the land for the turnips, and we will sow to-morey ; but this land that we have this has been a good season for it, for it is very dry land, and high lying land, and it would requir rain every day in this month. John, if you would send us a newspaper we would send you som regular ; we would be very glad to se som of them for to know how the times is going on with you all that is ; som of them gets them, regular hear, and it is very lightsome to se the news of the old country in this wild woods of America. John, we wrote to James and Susan, and we think it very strange that you would not come to us hear, for I am sure that you would make your living better hear than at yatholm ; we could assist you a good deall of things that you would whant when you come, but if you intend comming, you must prepair yourself when George comes, and he will not stop long in yatholm when he comes home, for he likes America better know than ever he did, and you could come altogether in the spring, for he will not come untill the new year, and it will require you to saill in the far end of Aprill to be hear in good times to put in the crops, and mother would be very happy to see you all hear, and your children, and you would not rue of comming to us for we are all doing well, and the Company is doing a good deall of woork know, and it is the only thing that will settle the Company's land, and it is our belife that the Com- pany whish to sell their land to such settlers as we are, and they are wishing us to get as many of our friends from the old country as possible, and I believe that they will give all the encouragement that 30 LETTERS. they cftn possibly give to good settlers : know, Susan, if you would -vrite to us whethe** you would not come to America or no, we could not advise you to come, for perhaps James would not like it ; but I think that John is afraid to come know, for we expected him this two years, and we are tired of asking you, but you will perhaps rue of not comming to us when you hear tell of our independency that we have gained in this country by our own industry. " John Jaflray, Kirkyatholm, Roxburghshire, Scotland." " Stanley, July 6th, 1841. " Dear Brother, — I take this opportunity of writcing these few lines to inform you that we are all in good health at this time, thank God for it, hopping this will find you and our mother in the same. I en- tended to have wrote you sooner, but our commissioner intended to have come to England in May last, but he did not go, he is going to sail this month, and I Si;nd this letter with him ; he intends to be in Northumberland, and perhaps you may have the pleasure to se him, and if he comes he will give you the description of the place. We had a long winter this last one, the snow came on the 14th of October, and the snow lay till the l&th of May, but the frost was not so seveer this winter as we have had it some winters back ; we commenced sowing whan the snow left, and in a few days the grain was above ground ; we have had showery weather ever since, and the crops looks well at present, and shows every appearance of a good hearvest. Ame- rica is all peecible now, the Yankees and England is friends again, and there is no word of war. I like the country better than at first, and if God spares us our health in a few years we will have a few acres clear of stumps, and plow it, and that will be a great ease to puting in with the how. I think in a few years the Settlement where we live will be as pleasant as any in North America, and a good land, and healthy ; there has been verry few deaths in the place since we the commissioner acts as clergyman every sabbath, and Mrs. came; Haynes has a sabbath school for children, and there is a Schoolmaster in Stanley, and a Doctor, and I have hopes that Stanley will be a place yet. We are just 25 miles from Fredericton, and a good rod ; there is plenty of land if anny settlers was comming, and a great deal of it the best quality. James, I see a great deal of talk of Company's taking out passengers to New Zealand and Vandamons Land, but I would not advise them, for when they get there they must remain, for they cannot get away again ; they promise great things, but they will not fulfil them ; they had much need to make a sure bargen with them before starting, and make them lay in a good bond to stand till there agreement. Be kind enough to let my father's people no when you receive this letter, anu send means wer the first packet that sails ; there is 2 in the month all summer. We have had letters from Kelso in 17 days. My best respects to all inquiring friends. " No moi-e at present from your affectionate Brother and Sister, " John and Jane K . '' Mr. James TurnbuU, Tweedsmouth, County of Durham." w LETTERS. 31 )u would we could it ; but I this two ue of not we have 1841. few lines lank God le. I en- tended to going to s to be in o se him, ace. We October, so seveer mmenced vas above rops looks St. Anie- ds again, in at first, ive a few at ease to ent where jood land, I since we and Mrs. oolmaster will be a ^ood rod ; ^reat deal ompany's ind, but I t remain, , but they rgen with [ to stand people no icket that id letters friends. i Sister, <. . " Dear Brother, — I hope this will find you and mother and all the rest in good health, as this leaves us all, thank God for all his good- ness. The children are all well and growing fast ; Jane is nearly as tall us myself now, and can milk the cows. Thank God we have had our health, and we have had all to work hard, and will have to do till we get our land paid for. I like this place better than I did. Our stock is but small, yet we have two cows, eight pigs, and plenty of hens ; the cows here is not so good as at home ; they don't give so much milk, but very rich milk and butter ; it commonly sells at \s. per pound here, and egffs lOrf. to \s. per dozen. If our commissioner conies to Berwick you will hear tell, and if you have anything to send the children he will bring it safe. Be sure to write and let us know how are all, and how mother keeps her health. " J K ." "Stanley, July 9th, 1841. " Dear Father and Mother, — I take the liberty of addressing you with these few lines to inform you that we are all in good health at present, thank God for it, hopping this will find you all with the same. I intended to have wrote you sooner, but Captain Hayne was beyond his time that he intended to leave here for England, and send this letter with him, and I hope that it will come safe to hand. The land is good, and free of stone ; it will grow any kind of grain once the plow was in it. "We thought that we was far from a market at first ; we are just 25 miles from Fredericton, the seat of government, and a compleat road to be in a infant countray, we may think ourselves at home be manny thousands of our bretherin that is in America going back in the woods 30 or 40 mile without a road, and have to carry there provi- sions on there back, and prehaps lose there way ; the trees is stand- ing as thick as they can grow, you can't see far before you, but there is not much danger in traveling for wild animals, they are bears, but I have not seen anay of them yet. If any one was intending to come till America Stanley is as good a part as Canadia, and you will get the land cheaper than Canadia. I wrote to Adam, but I got no answer. William, I hope you will be spared to assist my father and mother in their old age, for there is none near them but yourself. If Captain Hayne has anny chance to be in Berwickshire he will verry likely give you a call, and he will give you a description of the place. We have preaching every sabbath in Stanley, and there is a schoolmaster and there is a doctor, and Mrs. Hayne has a Sunday school for the girls, and a great deal of good they get at it ; there is a mill, one for flour and one for oatmeal, and a oat kill, but the millers in this country has heavy hands ; we meet every thing that we want, and there is nothing but patience and percivarince for to get along in a few years. The land that was cut first will stump, then we will get it ploughed and manured, and it will give better crops and less trouble, but it gives verry god crops at this time. None ned to come till America to goodie or else he will have a good purse ; they must work, and I/KITEUS. thai hnrd, but you have a chance of u return in the end for your labour, und that is more than you will have in the old countray, for you will niver get the chance of having any land your own there. I would advice any man that intends to come to America to come quickly, for the land will rise in value. 1 expect that there will one of our neighljour's sons leave in the fall of the year, and I will send a letter by him. " No more at present from your son and daughter, " John and Jane K- ." " Direction. — John K , care of Colonel Hayne, Stanley by Fredericton, New Brunswick, North America. " Mr. Thomas Kerr, Shoemaker, Swinton by Coldstream, Berwickshire." " Nashwaak Cottage, Stanley, August 29th, 1842. " Dear Sir, — I beg to acknowledge your communication informing me of the assent of the Directors to my proposal for purchasing this cottage und the ten acres of land adjoining. The clearance I have commenced will be a general improvement to this place, as it will open a view from the main road to the more extensive clearances in progress on the other side the river. " I now beg to propose purchasing the 100 acres in the rear of my river frontage and in its continuation, as marked in pencil on the map at the company's office. In the selection of this line I have en- deavoured to avoid as far as possible encroaching upon the ' Town lots,' but this land being so contiguous to my cottage, it will be more convenient for me to put it under cultivation than to make a selection elsewhere, although the land is not in general of first rate quality, and more hilly than the farms selected on the other side the river. I shall plant an orchard on the rising land next my present lot, and stump a few acres of the level upland this fall if the weather will permit, and so continue clearing and stumping fresh land every year, and I hope the other settlei's will see the advantage of following this example. In this and in every other respect il is my wish to take a leading part in promoting the more rapid settlement of the Company's exten- sive and really valuable territory, the advantages of which require to be more extensively made known in England from accredited sources to be appreciated and acted upon. " Believe me, dear Sir, yours very truly, " T. II. Body." " Lieutenant-Colonel Hayne, Stanley." rnrwTT'mspim LETTFUS. 33 [From the Donrnnter dnzrffo o/'2]st January, 1842.] " Stanley, 9tli November, 1811. " My dear Sir, — I remember, when I parted from you by Tickhill Castle, that I promised I would write to you in October, but I have let October pass without redeeming my promise, and even would rather have let a few weeks more have elapsed before giving you my opinion of the settlement and the province. However, whatever I write you may rely on ; as where I am unable to speak from my per- sonal experience I will either give you the opinions and observations of one of our most respectable and intelligent settlers, or be silent. This however I must premise, that I am perfectly satisfied with the change I have made ; for though my practice is not better than it was at Tickhill, yet I have no rent to pay, taxes are but nominal, and next year I shall be able to raise enough from my farm to support us, be- sides being perfectly independent of every body ; and in addition to all this, Stanley is the most flourishing and increasing settlement in the province ; and I hope, in the course of two or three years to have a capital practice. Medical charges are much higher than in the old country : half a dollar a mile for journies, a dollar a visit, from 50*. to 5/. for midwifery. My health, which, as you know, was delicate in England, is here becoming robust, and the climate agrees equally well with Mrs. Neales and our baby boy. I will first give you a few extracts from my journal, and then a short sketch of New lirunswick generally, and Stanley in particular, not omitting travelling expenses, HiC. nor forgetting the questions which arc contained in a note of yours, dated May 4th, now lying before me. " I need not tell you again the reasons which made us decide on taking our voyage to America in one of the mail steam-vessels, but I think that the reasons should be very imperative to cause an emigrant to incur the very great additional expense, as a passage may be had in a comfortable sailing packet to St. John's, New Brunswick, for 15/. with the privilege of carrying all your luggage vith you, and also avoiding the additional expense of travelling tlirough Nova Scotia, and across the Bay of Fundy. The carnage of our heavy luggage cost from Tickhill to Sheffield \l. bs., thence to Liverpool 1/. 145. 8rf., Liverpool customs, dock and town dues 8s. 9c?., insurance (at 150/.) 3/. 6s., bill of lading 3.'2 35 32 35 38 28 22 28 25 22 9 25 JANUARY, sainu hour. Themi. 27° snow. 1° above zero. fine. 30 fine. 10 ditto, ditto, zero, ditto. > kept no account. 17" above, ditto. 2 ditto, ditto. 20° finfi. 10 below, ditto. 18 snowing. 10 ditto, cold wind. 35 raining. zero, fine. 12 fine. 31° above, ditto. 1 1 with bitter cold wind. -5 ditto, robin appeared. below zero, but no wind. 30 rain. 16° below, fine. zero, fine. zero, ditto. ditto, ditto. 20° rain. 3" above, ditto. 27 fine Christinas day. 2 ditto, ditto. 7 fine. 2 ditto, ditto. 10 ditto. zero, ditto. 16 ditto. ditto, ditto. 5 ditt(». 35° above, ditto. 5 ditto. 30 ditto, snow. 22 on the 3l8t Dec. ^ DECEMBER, sauje hour. Thenu. fine day, snow \ pone. 30° mild day. showery, fine and clear, niin P..M. still raining, ground covei'- ed witli snow. 25° snowing yes- terday and today. ' fine warm day. sntnving. ditto, fine, ditto, ditto, ditto. snowing all day.' fine, ditto. do.,cIear&cold. a lovely day ; ! went about six miles into j the forest to find one of my j cows, that I was expecting to calve soon. ' " The only days that we found the cold annoying were those on which there was 'ind, which, however, always falls an hour or two before sunset. On the 25th April the snow was nearly gone, and the swine were turned into the forest to finish the beech nuts they had left in the fall ; and the rivers, which had long been our best roads and pleasantest walks, were (swollen by the spring freshets) bearing their broken ice and hundreds of logs towards the sea. Fogs are prevalent on the bay of Fundy coast, but I have not seen one here ; and we have no agues or epidemics of any kind. " If you come to Stanley you will have the advantage of the roads the Company are yearly making, and may place yourself, near Eng- lish neighbours, on as good land as can be desired for 50/. sterling the 200 acres ; you might get twenty acres cleared for 70/. or 80/. currency. A log house is more comfortable than a frame one ; warmer in winter, cooler in summer, and is, when finished, quite as good looking ; and a small one, 20 feet by 30, hewn and shingled outside, shingled roof and hewn, with boards and battens inside, single floor above stairs, double floor below stairs planed and laid on cedar sleepers, six windows, one outside and three inside doors with partitions planed and battened, with locks, hinges, i(C., and all finish- ed in a workman-like manner, making a pretty little cottage, would cost about 85/. currency, stone chimney 5/. to 10/. more ; a really good frame barn from 30/. to 40/. currency. But if you objected to commencing on a forest farm, you might be able to buy one, partially improved, of some of our settlers, who would gladly sell their im- provements on their farms, now ready for stumping and ploughing, and begin again on wilderness land. JL tm sanio liour, [). fiiii.'. to. I). ;to. wind. to. in appeared. tto. ,0. to. tto. w. e those on our or two gone, and nuts they n our best ? freshets) sea. Fogs t seen one F the roads near Eng- )/. sterHng 0/. or 80/. ame one ; i, quite as i shingled ns inside, nd laid on 3oors with all finish- ge, would ; a really bjected to I, partially their im- loughing. LETTERS. 45 " 1 have never found difficulty in procuring labourers ; still I would recommend your bringing one or two trusty men with you, if they will engage themselves for two years, at reasonable wages (certainly not more than 107. sterling per annum, with their board) ; for our present labourers are getting on their farms, and, if the tide of emi- gration sets in here as strongly as we expect it will, labour will be very high again. ' You will receive herewith a copy of a letter which I wrote to a friend in Nottinghamshire last year, giving him all tlie information that I could ; some of which may, perhaps, be useful to you, or any friends of yours that may be thinking of emigrating. " I shall be very glad to hear from you if you can find time to write, and in the mean time accept our united regards and believe me to remain, *' My dear sir, youri most sincerely, [To a friend at Manchester.] " J N ." " Stanley, New Brunswick, Nov. 17, 1842. " My dear , Mrs. and myself are delighted to hear there is a prospect of your settling here next spring. You have now had so much experience in crossing and recrossing the Atlantic that you will be able to make better arrangements for the comfort of Mrs. and your little ones than you and the rest of us liad on board the South Esh. " Having now resided here several months, I become acquainted with the settlers and the nature of the country. I can unhesitatingly state that were I again in England, as an intendin^^ emigrant, I should return here to settle. For salubrity of climate and fertility of soil the country about Stanley will stand the test of comparison with any part of North America. I consider that we have as good, if not better, society than in the average of English villages of the same extent, and a new comer meets with that frank and cordial welcome and co- operation that not only reconciles but really attaches his feelings to the place ; and I consider it but an act of justice to testify that during my residence here I have found every one, high and low, ready at all times to render me any service in their power. " It would be pleasing to illustrate this in various ways, but the space of a letter will not permit. We have, moreover, a body of Di- rectors that we ought to be proud of. No puffing — no flaming news- paper paragraphs have been resorted to ; but we find them prompt to every call, and truly liberal in forwarding every good work. In the construction of roads, bridges, mills — in the endowment of our church — in the general advancement of the place — indeed, in all that concerns the settlers collectively or individually. I have ever seen their conduct characterized by the truest liberality ; and, under their fostering and paternal care, I doubt not that Stanley will ere long be a leading town in this province. I understand that the Rev. J. I T, 40 LETTERS. NcrIcs and Mr. Main have both written you tibout the phice — the latter gentleman a very h)ng letter ; I shall, therefore, refrain from any statistical remarks, in which I should most probably be repeat- ing what they have said. " You know enough of our clergyman to place the fullest reliance in his statements. Mr. Main and myself are simply agricultural settlers, and thoroughly independent and unbiased in our remarks. In advising with any of your friends who may feel disposed to join us, it is right they should know that agricultural implements are as cheap and durable in the province as at home ; clothing is dearer, but the continual communication between St. John's and English ports keeps us well supplied with all imported necessary articles ; the monetary circulation here is small, and cash I consider by far the best commodity any settler can bring out. It is a common error with many to act as though they were proceeding beyond the bounds of civilization. The ladies here are cheerful, contented, and sociable ; although Old England is the constant theme of their discourse, I do not believe any of them wish to return. For my own part I am thankful to be relieved from that rack and tear of mind, and that continual corroding care and solicitude about pecuniary affairs, which I endured in England. " If I am not acquiring wealth, I am creating a lasting indepen- dence and leading a truly happy and contented life. My chief soli- citude is about my relatives. Alas, what changes some have had to undergo since I left ! hurled, as it were, in an hour from affluence to ruin. " As you had a look at my location I need not particularize. I have purchased n. . house, 150 acres on the same side and 100 on the other side the Nashwaak. I hope to have hbont 10 acres under crop next year, which will do for a beginning. Sii.'ce you were here there have been great improvements along the main road. The settlers have been stumping and ploughing their old cropped lands, which gives the place a cheerful appearance ; I have done something that way myself, having stumped and ploughed the land near my house about two acres. The Company havs also completed three new roads, which brings more people about the place. " Mrs. B. joins in kind remembrance ; in the anticipation of your arrival with Mrs. B., " I remain yours faithfully, " T. H. Body." [To a friend at Manchester.] Taylor, Printer, 3,9, Coleman Street. ' i coj yxy\srn^u'T< (I ~i.- '<" l>l'H|)llil' '' A,,,,,./ . ^^ r'.v.'o'i xK. '/i l^v vr^ »'..r../f/i A llllHiil^*UiU' ji:vjiii....i..ii > / ". 1 i V\ i.H.'"' ' * if iyj iiii(y i '' i ' ^ i» y i^lij^^y«y»«»»--i''' ■ i «'^ f' *«■■ ^^ niPOT MAJP^Qv TM^ ^M QTJtJyCJtSt^ f mmmmmmmmm :\mrJpntp\'smm (•f> •a :-/^. SIITJATIOI^ or thf I'RON'lNOl or liEMt BRIIBrSWICK. /HMMnemr (At. jfrti* attfirUa- Xinsmue to oafi^' tkc prniitetipftJt ofi/te itft^or to. liK Jtca. It rji*ttai'^ itvtn. ^'^J u iSyJtt' ififi-J^e^- tfifuiie, ant/ from .$^"(0 ^^'joJIorth £aiUmdi\ #». pnMuy in. itr tr/va aiH>tf/- JS ntM'e>tt. acre*, '^iStci^Tna.te is tmnet n-rni'MitMr ^rftti,\v (tn/f mm • ycrtiaj ty t/ia ri.i'A-ar of i>-cnt /irit.jfti mxf Irciarnf. 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