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 /) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 •■I 
 
 > **' ' ' "><Mn illr , t.<itliliiiL. 
 
THE 
 
 EMIGRANT'S INTRODUCTION' 
 
 TO AM ACQUAINTANCE WITH 
 
 El^c 33vitig]^ iaiuunc«in Colonitsi, 
 
 AND 
 
 THE PRESENT CONDITION AND PROSPECTS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE COLONISTS; 
 
 IIY 
 
 S. S. HILL, Esq. 
 
 He fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.— tii:.\Esis, 
 
 Hath Britain all the sun that shines ? Day. nisfht. 
 Are they not but in Britain ?_Cvmui:li.nk. 
 
 Hoiilron : 
 
 PARBURY AND CO. 8, LEADENHALL-STREET, 
 
 1837. 
 
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 t^i'lG 
 
 
 II 
 
 i 
 
 W. LEWIS AND SON, 
 
 Printers, 
 21, Finch-Lano, London. 
 
 mm. 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
 vj 
 
*^:% 
 ^ 
 
 
 1 
 
 TO THE 
 
 MAGISTRATES AND T.ANDLOIiDS 
 
 OP TIIK 
 
 OVER-I'OPl I.OU.S DISi'inCTS OK THK UNITiii) K1N(;IHJM, 
 
 €l}ii Ifeumblc Attempt, 
 
 TO SPREAD INFORMATION UPON A SUBJECT 
 
 DEEPLY AFFECTING 
 
 THE INTERESTS OF THE PEASANTRY IN PARTICII AR, 
 
 IS RESrECTFULLY INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY limn MUST OBEDIENT SERVANT, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
'f 
 
I 
 
 l>REFACR. 
 
 I 
 
 Tuu. prinripal aim of this Treatise, is to 
 assist the investigations of those whose de- 
 clining fortunes have suggested the necessity 
 of Emigration, or whose briglitcst prospects at 
 home, fall short of the certain results of pru- 
 dence and persevering industry in the colonies. 
 
 The plan which has been followed, was 
 chosen from a conviction that the character of 
 those best adapted and usually most disposed 
 to emigrate, had not been sufficiently con- 
 sidered by writers on this subject. The most 
 popular works have, in general, been made 
 too exclusive by their application to one pro- 
 vince only, or by their dimensions and high 
 price ; or, where these objections do not exist, 
 the remarks which they contain, in most in- 
 stances, apply to the Emigrant's situation after 
 
VI 
 
 rnFFACE. 
 
 Ii}iviii«^' ciriharkcd tor the colonios, ratlicr tlifin 
 to the situation of persons contemplating', hut 
 y(.'t, not (leterniined upon emigration. 
 
 There appears, tlien, to be wanted, som(! 
 practical hook oi' gcjneral aj)plication ; yet, 
 more esjx'cially ada])t(!(l to readers, among 
 those; chissesofthe peopU; in the more popuh)iis 
 (h'stricts of the United Kingdom, who wouhl, 
 without doubt, in the highest degree benefit 
 themselves by removing to the colonies ; and 
 a hope is entertained, that tlie present attempt 
 to supply this deficiency, and spread useful 
 information, will be the means of inducing 
 some persons to think and act more methodi- 
 cally and confidently, in matters which perhaps 
 deeply concern their future interests ; while 
 others, already determined upon Emigrating, 
 may be directed to the colony best adapted 
 to their particular views. 
 
 There is also a portion of this book, that 
 may be found useful to the Magistrates and 
 Gentlemen of those districts where the neces- 
 sity for Emigration is apparent. If it is not 
 too tedious to peruse, it may assist them in 
 
 fi 
 
 atj 
 stt 
 ini 
 
 •A 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Vll 
 
 itlicr tliaii 
 
 ^ttiiig, bill 
 
 I. 
 
 (>tl, soint! 
 
 ion ; vc'f, 
 
 5, arnoiiff 
 populous 
 o would, 
 3 buuefit 
 los; and 
 attem])t 
 d useful 
 uducing 
 letliodi- 
 perliaps 
 : while 
 grating, 
 adapted 
 
 k, that 
 es and 
 
 neces- 
 
 is not 
 lem in 
 
 
 alfordini; practical advici^ to poor or unin- 
 structcd j)crsons under their protection or 
 influence. 
 
 The opinions herein so freely (Expressed, 
 respecting tln^ condition of the American 
 (Jolonies, and the character and ])rosj)ects of 
 the great body of the settlers that inhabit them, 
 are the result of nearly twenty years' personal 
 observation. 
 
 The S(!veral personages introduced to the 
 reader, for the purpose of illustrating the 
 writer's remarks, are but such as a traveller 
 may encounter in a hundred settlements in 
 Canada. 'J'he cursory nature of this under- 
 taking would hardly admit, or, at least, does 
 not seem to demand, that more identity should 
 be given to characters presented with this 
 view, than might serve to relieve the tedious- 
 ness attendant upon dry details. 
 
'reposition 
 Subject. 
 
 'irit Emigi 
 aion of A] 
 
 Phoenician i 
 flettlemei 
 dple of 
 final Seti 
 Origin of 
 
 First Disco 
 Raleigh's 
 Causes t! 
 Raleigh's 
 Spaniards 
 
 8«ltlement 
 Drders ai 
 jl^cderal U 
 
 ,>i:^. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PaKf 
 
 Proposition.— General Causes of Emifyration.— Division of the 
 Subject , I 
 
 i CHAPTER II. 
 
 'iwt Emigration after the Flood.— Confusion of Speech.— Divi- 
 rion of Mankind into Tribes.— The Dispersion 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Phoenician Colonies : Grook, Roman.— Discovery of America.— 
 Settlement of Hayti, Mexico, and Peru.— Governing Prin- 
 ciple of the Spanish Adventurers.— Their Cruelties.- Their 
 final Settlement in America.— Conjectures concerning the 
 Origin of the Native Americans 
 
 a 
 
 § CHAPTER IV. 
 
 First Discoveries of the English in America.— Sir Walter 
 
 i Raleigh's Settlement in Virginia.— Failure of his Schemes.— 
 
 Causes thereof.-Practical geod of these Expeditions.— 
 
 Raleigh's further Attempts interrupted.— War with the 
 
 Spaniards 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Settlement of Virginia.— New England.— The Indians.— Dis- 
 orders among the Colonists. — Religious Persecutions.— 
 federal Union of the Colonists 3g 
 
 on 
 
r 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAFFER VI. 
 
 Pa.- 
 
 Dutch Encroachments.— League with the Indians of tl»c Six 
 Nations. — Settlement of Canada by tlie French. — Nova 
 Scotia ceded.— Cape Breton Island discovered by the French. 
 —Taken by tlie English. — French settle in the Island of St. 
 John. — Pennsylvania settled. — Newfoundland 6 
 
 Upper 
 mat« 
 Reli'J 
 
 PART II. 
 
 
 *i 
 
 CHAPTER I. iiiustr 
 
 Summary of the National Advantages of Extensive Emigration. 7 
 
 CHAPTER n. Nova 
 
 British North America. — Geograpliical Description. — Climate. , ^^ 
 —Aborigines. — Division into Provinces. — Political Constitu- 
 tions,— Advantages of a Federal Union 8- 
 
 CHAPl'ER HI. 
 
 Lower Canada.— General Description. — Remains of Feudal 
 Inititutions.— Division. — St. Lawrence. — Quebec. — Falls of 
 Montmorency.— Vicinity of the Great Forest.— Three Kiver.^. 
 —Montreal and its Vicinity. — St. Francis. — Sherbrooke. — 
 Port St. Francis. — Climate.— Government. — Jurisprudence. 
 — Revenue. — Commerce. — Manufactures. — Population. — 
 Language. — Mixed Character and Origin of the Settlers.— 
 It's Disadvantages. — Amusements. — Travelling. — Steam 
 Navigation lOii 
 
 i 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XI 
 
 ians of the Six 
 Frenclh — Nova 
 fl by thv French, 
 he Island of St. 
 
 Pa 
 
 ve Emigration. 7 
 
 ton.— Climate. 
 Ileal Constitu- 
 
 I CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Page 
 Upper Canada. — Geographical Description. — Division.— Cli- 
 mate. — Agriculture. — Soil. — Government. — Commerce. — 
 Religion. — State of Education 1-32 
 
 I 
 
 1 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Origin and Domestic Manners of the Settlers.— Their Amuse- 
 ments.— Reception of the New Settler.— Canadian Matrons. 
 — Superior Intelligence of the Colonists.— Its Causes.- Rapid 
 Increase of Population 147 
 
 I CHAPTER VI. 
 Illustrations of Colonial Character 159 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Illustrations continued 17S 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Nova Scotia.- Geographical Description. — Climate. — Soil. — 
 Agriculture. — Fisheries. — Mines. — Halifax. — Government- 
 Laws. — Population. — Revenue. — Commerce.- Prevailing 
 Language — Goose Shooting. — Cape Breton. — Situation. — 
 Population 189 
 
 s of Feudal 
 PC— Falls of 
 Hi roe Rivers. 
 
 fierbrooke. 
 
 risprudence. 
 
 opulation. 
 
 '■ Settlers.— 
 o- "— ' Steam 
 
 10,1 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 New Brunswick — Situation. — General Appearance. — Rivers. — 
 Principal Towns.— Constitution.— Revenue.— Population.— 
 Steam Navigation. — Climate. — Soil 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 200 
 
 Priuce Edward Island. — Situation. — Climate. — Appearance 
 from the Sea.— Forests. — Harbours. — Rivers. — Constitution. 
 — Population. — Languag'^ 206 
 
XII 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER xr 
 
 •ages of .Wi, p,,,„„^ Polion . .^'""'"-^'""""■y-A'ivan. 
 
 2l4 
 
 CHAPTER xn 
 
 '■"■*' TlioHghu of Emigration u 
 a>roporti„o of MaS a";, Jl ""'."""''"-Striking 
 
 -C.„,„s._Co„,,e,„e„eo7-Wh T "' '''"■'°"' "' "'>"«'° 
 ofSet,lcmom.-Mottor7!'!. °''''' '''"«™'«--«'ea„s 
 
 2.% 
 
 CHAPTER xn. 
 
 "lio should not cmi„ral,_v 
 Condition of twso who toTu™ f'' '"' '"" '"''-""ation.- 
 
 ••• 250 
 
 CHAPTER XHI 
 
 Which Colony should be chosen -.Their, 
 ^a^es according to the Emigrant's^^ws '™" ^'^^"- 
 
 26« 
 
 T, ». CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Manner of Proceeding -Th.^ h . c 
 
 «e'.o«e.-.,,:;,,,trr;: ::«»/-""..o,, of o^hor 
 
 oughtWuveniio Bn.igraUon.-C^ctt:"""" '"<"'"' ^^ 
 
 273 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 ''t::r.?::!srLr-----hthe 
 
 298 
 
 .^1 
 
 -4.. 
 
^f tho Colonies 
 "itry.—Advan- 
 
 Pag. 
 
 2I4 
 
 THE 
 
 EMIGRANT'S INTRODUCTION, 
 
 ^tor.— Striking 
 sons at Home! 
 
 gratc^Means 
 
 2,30 
 
 6rc. Si^c. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 "formation 
 
 250 
 
 tive Advan- 
 
 '263 
 
 Embark.— 
 inducted.— 
 on of other 
 
 should be 
 273 
 
 which the 
 
 298 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Proposition.— General Causes of Emigration. — Division of tlu 
 
 Subject. 
 
 There is no period in history which does not 
 afford some mennorable incidents concerninjr tlie 
 migrations of the human race; nor can we complain 
 that the annals of past ages do not afford materials 
 to enable us to trace the advances of man in his 
 progress towards peopling the earth. It is neces- 
 sary to the design of this general sketch, to take a 
 cursory review of the most remarkable removal 
 from the earliest records of authentic history, and 
 briefly to consider the motives by which mankind 
 have been at different times influenced, and the 
 effects of their mijjrations. 
 
 In the causes which have at divers periods led 
 men to emigrate, we may easily distinguish three 
 ruling principles : the necessity of reducing the 
 
 B 
 
I ( 
 
 2 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 numbers anionf^ a crowded people, the gratification 
 of ambition, and the love of gain. Under the first 
 head may be classed, the dispersion of mankind 
 after the confusion of tongues, as related in the 
 sacred writings, with the plantation of those colo- 
 nies which the most politic governments have es- 
 tablished, to prevent the too great increase of 
 population within their more immediate dominions. 
 Under the second may be placed the establishment 
 of colonies by the Romans and other warlike na- 
 tions, for the aggrandizement and security of their 
 conquests. Under the third, those colonies which 
 have been planted for the purposes of trade. But, 
 whether springing from necessity, and carried on 
 under the influence of legislative authority, or ef- 
 fected by the conquering arms of a Caesar, or re- 
 sulting from the active enterprise of a commercial 
 people; all have contributed, in their several de- 
 grees, to the increase and advantage of the human 
 species. By means of colonies, the blessings of 
 knowledge and civilization have been disseminated, 
 and the arts and sciences, with their happiest effects, 
 progressively extended. 
 
 But before proceeding to the preliminary histo- 
 rical matter, and the observations which will arise 
 in considering the relation of these events, to the 
 subject which will, in the sequel, be the principal 
 object of attention, it is proper to remark : — that 
 the motive for drawing together these apparently 
 loose and unconnected events, is to present, at one 
 glance, a comprehensive view of the most material 
 
 % 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 ■f 
 
 
 \ 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 Ui 
 
 i 
 
 er 
 
 
 ai 
 
 ,aL, 
 
f. 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ratification 
 ler the first 
 r mankind 
 ted in the 
 tliose colo- 
 :s have es- 
 ncrease of 
 dominions, 
 ablishment 
 warlike na- 
 ity of their 
 iiies which 
 'ade. But, 
 carried on 
 rity, or ef- 
 !ar, or re- 
 ommercial 
 several de- 
 the human 
 essings of 
 eminated, 
 est effects, 
 
 lary histo- 
 will arise 
 Its, to the 
 principal 
 rk : — that 
 pparently 
 nt, at one 
 t material 
 
 of these transactions in all apfes, in order to prepare 
 us to judj^e, with less prejudice, of tlie nature of 
 emi£j;rati()n in general, as well as of its particular 
 application to our own condition at this time. 
 
 He who contemplates emigrating; will, after a 
 free inquiry, be enabled to judije, with more confi- 
 dence, of the true situation of the emigrant, after 
 his removal from his native country ; and thus may 
 be more easily led to justly weigh the hai)py results 
 of retirement to some less populous parts of the 
 globe, when carried into effect, after a previous 
 and full acquaintance with the nature of the under- 
 taking. 
 
 In order to draw the attention of the reader to 
 the most striking circumstances connected with this 
 important question, and to elucidate, with as much 
 clearness as possible, the principles which will be 
 herein maintained, the subject has been divided into 
 two distinct parts. The first part will contain a 
 succinct historical sketch of the most memorable 
 occurrences, from the earliest records, until the 
 discovery of the great continent of America, with a 
 few remarks concerning the objects, to which, after 
 the voyages of Columbus, the enterprising spirits 
 among the most maritime people were directed ; 
 concluding with a brief history of our own early 
 settlements in the new world. 
 
 The second part will enibrace matters of more 
 immediate interest. After a few observations upon 
 the present state of the populatioii of the British 
 isles, and the several plans proposed for relief, that 
 
 B 2 
 
'J 
 
 JP 
 
 4 TTIE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of extensive emigration will be examined and es- 
 pecially recommended. A concise description of 
 the present condition and resources of the Britisli 
 American colonies will then be attempted. This 
 will be followed, by a comparative view of the ad- 
 vantages of the several existing colonies, in refer- 
 ence to individual interests and pursuits, with some 
 exposure of the most prevalent errors committed in 
 the choice of station. The subject will then be 
 concluded, by a few suggestions for improving 
 the plans upon which emigration is at present con- 
 ducted. 
 
 I 
 
 ( r 
 
 ir 
 
 i: I 
 
 ^M. 
 
f 
 
 IN. 
 
 ned and es- 
 scription of 
 
 the British 
 ited. This 
 V of tlie ad- 
 is, in refer- 
 , with some 
 tmmitted in 
 II then be 
 
 improving 
 resent con- 
 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODrCTlON. 
 
 5 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 First Emigration after the Flood. — Confusion of Speech. — nivision 
 of Mankiiul into Tribes. — The Dispersion. 
 
 It has been conjectured, and not without some 
 dejrree of j)robability, that tlie world was more 
 populous before the flood than at the present day ; 
 but in this brief notice concerning the progressive 
 increase of the human species, it is not necessary 
 to soar into those regions which lie beyond the 
 records of authentic history. 
 
 The Mosaic account of the salvation of the residue 
 (►f the human race from the common destruction, is 
 too familiar to dwell upon. The second father of 
 the great human family, with his sons and his daugh- 
 ters, landed on mount Ararat, and received the 
 divine command, to increase and multiply. Thence 
 tliey descended into the plain, where they offered 
 burnt-offerings, and began to replenish the changed 
 world ; which, for its former populous cities and 
 its fertile fields, now presented nothing but barren- 
 ness, sterility, and desolation ; without, as is com- 
 monly supposed, a vestige remaining of those works 
 of art, which must have existed at the time it was 
 the pleasure of heaven to destroy the whole race of 
 mankind, and obliterate every memorial of their past 
 existence. 
 
 The most remarkable difference which we are able 
 to discover, between the condition of the inhabitants 
 
 ■i 
 
 
f 
 
 6 
 
 THE EMIGRANT fl INTRODUCTJON. 
 
 
 of the ancient and present world, that may he sup- 
 posed to effect their increase, is that wonderful 
 alteration in the njitural constitution of num, hy 
 which the period of his life has heen so much re- 
 duced ])(dow its former average. Tliat this was not 
 all at once effected, is ahimdantly evident frotn the 
 writings of the sacred liistorians; from which we 
 learn, thnt the term of human life did not hecome 
 contracted to its present standard, until about the 
 time of king David. 
 
 As Noah was now six hundred years old, we need 
 not he surprised that we are not expressly informed 
 of his having had any post-diluvian offspring, though 
 he did not die until the 9r)lst year of his age. The 
 posterity of his three antediluvian sons continued to 
 occupy the plains of Ararat, until increase first sug- 
 gested their removal. 
 
 About a century after the descent from the ark, 
 the whole progeny of Noah broke up their settle- 
 ments, and travelled into a country called Shinar, 
 where they continued to dwell, until the miraculous 
 intervention of Providence for the formation of 
 distinct nations. Before this, their forms of polity 
 did not probably allow division ; but the confusion 
 of speech constrained them to separate, and brought 
 into active operation the appointed means for the 
 first systematical plantations, and the establishment 
 of the nations of the earth. 
 
 The dispersion of mankind, which was the im- 
 mediate consequence of the confusion of speech, 
 is the first, and most memorable occurrence recorded 
 
] 
 
 ON. 
 
 lujiy be sup- 
 t wonderful 
 of man, by 
 'o much re- 
 tbis was not 
 it from the 
 whicli we 
 lot become 
 1 about the 
 
 d, we need 
 y informed 
 nj?, though 
 age. The 
 ntinued to 
 J first 8ug- 
 
 1 the ark, 
 eir settle- 
 id Shinar, 
 liraculous 
 nation of 
 of polity 
 :?onfusion 
 1 brought 
 s for the 
 lishment 
 
 the im- 
 
 speech, 
 
 recorded 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 concerning the settlement of the eartli. It would 
 afford matter of interest to trace the history of the 
 several kingdoms and states, during the first ages 
 after the flood, with the origin of national identity, 
 and the diversity in colour and feature among the 
 inhabitants of the world, especially where the pa- 
 triarclial forms of civil government did not retain 
 the {iscendant, were there any certain guide to the 
 true history of that remote and dark age. 
 
 But there is little to be depended upon, beyond 
 what is related in the book of Genesis: "so the 
 Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the 
 face of all the earth." From such further scanty 
 details as we there find, we may however conclude, 
 tliat the ditterence of language was by no means 
 made so universal as to prevent each individual from 
 communicating with every other, but tbatJi miraculous 
 change was effected with system and order, design- 
 ed to distinc^uish the several families of the three 
 antediluvian sons of Noah, .amounting to about 
 thirty-five distinct tribes ; each of these probably 
 spoke a language unknown to the rest. And thus 
 were the human race divided into as many different 
 people or nations, and henceforth, spread over the 
 whole surface of the habitable globe. 
 
 But it will be more profitable to turn to the 
 transactions of the most celebrated nations, at a less 
 remote period ; those that, by their progress in the 
 arts, were enabled to over-run and conquer the bar- 
 barous tribes, among whom they planted colonies, 
 by which mankind were gradually enlightened and 
 
I h 
 
 "ti 
 
 1-^ 
 
 1 i 
 
 8 
 
 THB EMIGRANT 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 refined : and those that, instigated hy tlieir mari- 
 time genius, visited and colonized the most distant 
 countries, and by their commerce introduced indus- 
 try and enterprise, civilization and knowledge. 
 For these were the means by which the useful arts 
 and sciences were spread over the most remote 
 regions, subduing the untamed sj)irits of the sa- 
 vages, and fertilizing and peopling the earth, and 
 fulfilling the prophecy of the inspired poet : " The 
 wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and 
 the desert shall rejoice and blossom as a rose." 
 
 W 
 
 i: 
 
 !i;.; 
 
 1 1' 
 
 UlJ 
 
1. 
 
 THC emigrant's INTRODirTION. 
 
 f) 
 
 their iimri- 
 lost distant 
 iced iiidus- 
 tnowled^e. 
 useful arts 
 )st remote 
 of the sa- 
 eartli, and 
 »et: "The 
 glad, and 
 •ose." 
 
 % 
 
 .':« 
 
 ^1 
 
 ClIAPTKR III. 
 
 I'lio'iiifiim Colonics: (Im-k, Hoiimn.—Dhoovcry of America. — ><ft- 
 tli'int'iitof Iliiyti. — Mexico 1111(1 IN-rii. — (tovcrnintr Principle of (he 
 Spunish Adfentnrers. — Tlieir Cruelties. — Their tiiiiil Settlenu lit 
 ill iViiiericii. — Conjectures fonceniin;,' the OriKiii of the iiiiti\e 
 Arnericuna. 
 
 After the few observations in the fore;^oini»- 
 Chapter, concerning the transactions of remote 
 ages, we may pass to matters of greater interest in 
 the history of the progress of man in the dissemina- 
 tion of his race— the establishment of nations, uj)on 
 principles, and by means, utterly unknown to the 
 earlier inhabitants of the world. 
 
 The Phcenicians, a nation of Canaanite descent, 
 were the first maritime people of whom we have 
 any certain accounts. To their spirit of enterprise 
 and adventure is attributed the establishment of the 
 first colonies that grew out of the necessities of 
 c(mimerce, of which there is any record in the pages 
 of history. Although they possessed but a narrow 
 strip of Umd along the coast of the Mediterranean 
 Sea, their territory included several kingdoms, of 
 which Tyre and Sidon became the most famous for 
 their grandeur and riches. The most successful 
 colony which they founded was that of Carthage, 
 which afterwards so long and so gloriously resisted 
 the arms of the conquerors of the world. 
 
 b5 
 
 rl 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 •'i 
 
 ■l* 
 
 10 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 '11 
 
 'if I 
 
 ^1) 
 
 ii 
 
 
 r. ;■' 
 
 t: '1! 
 
 ' "! 
 
 The ancient inhabitants of Greece were first ci- 
 vilized by means of Pha}nician and Egyptian colo- 
 nies. The Phoenicians introduced among them the 
 arts of navigation and trade, and the first rudiments 
 of that learning in which the Greeks afterwards 
 excelled all the nations of the earth ; but the Egyp- 
 tians enlightened and polished them by the intro- 
 duction of equal laws, and by cultivating their taste 
 for philosophy and science. In process of time, the 
 descendants of these Greeks, themselves, became 
 planters of colonies, ])y which their dominion, their 
 language, and their institutions, extended to Sicily 
 and Italy, and spread over a considerable extent of 
 the coast of Asia. 
 
 With the colonial settlements of the Romans we 
 are necessarily better acquainted than with those of 
 the Greeks and Phoenicians. There can be no doubt 
 that the populous parts of Italy must, from time 
 to time, have felt the burden of excess of popula- 
 tion ; yet the establishment of Roman colonies was 
 but the secondary result of that inherent love of 
 military glory, which stimulated this wonderful peo- 
 ple to attempt, and finally enabled them to achieve, 
 the conquest of the greater portion of the then 
 known world. As their power increased, commerce 
 and the arts were spread throughout the earth. 
 Thus, while we consider their growing territory, as 
 regards the motives of the conquerors, but as the 
 result of a vain ambition, the effects upon the con- 
 quered, and the final consequences to mankind, 
 cannot be surveyed, without contributing to that 
 
 Xj 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 11 
 
 re first ci- 
 )tian colo- 
 ^ them the 
 rudiments 
 afterwards 
 the Egyp- 
 the intro- 
 their taste 
 f time, the 
 IS, became 
 nion, their 
 .1 to Sicily 
 e extent of 
 
 Lomans we 
 
 h those of 
 
 i no doubt 
 
 Pi-om time 
 
 )f popula- 
 
 lonies was 
 
 it love of 
 
 erful peo- 
 
 achieve, 
 
 the then 
 
 commerce 
 
 le earth. 
 
 ritory, as 
 
 ut as the 
 
 the con- 
 nankind, 
 
 to that 
 
 I 
 
 i:tock of information which it has been thought 
 necessary to collect, before entering upon the more 
 I)ractical matter which the sequel of this imperfect 
 sketch will embrace. 
 
 The ambitious and enterprising spirit of the Ro- 
 mans did not permit them to remain satisfied with 
 the conquest of Italy. They successively carried 
 their victorious arms into Spain, Gaul, and Britain 
 in the West and the North; while in the South 
 and the East, both Africa and Asia submitted to the 
 disciplined valour of their warlike bands. For the 
 better security of the subjugated territories, the 
 policy of the victors caused colonies, chiefly of a 
 military character, to be established in every pro- 
 vince ; so that, in time, their dependence upon the 
 mother state, and the commerce and intercourse 
 which emanated therefrom, in some degree, refined 
 the rude and uncultivated manners of the natives, 
 and reconciled them to the government of their 
 conquerors. Henceforth, the ilomans continued to 
 give laws to the world, until the mighty and long- 
 cemented empire was dissevered, and finally over- 
 thrown, by the sweeping floods of barbarians, which, 
 pouring down from the North like a second deluge, 
 overwhelmed the most ancient European kingdoms, 
 leaving scarce a trace of former learning and re- 
 finement which were now driven from the fairest 
 parts of the earth. 
 
 It was during the flourishing state of the Roman 
 empire that the blessings of civilization, by means 
 of colonies, were spread through the vast extent of 
 
,l'* 
 
 12 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 If 
 
 I 
 
 ' ;i 
 
 
 I il 
 
 i I 
 
 'ii 
 
 M P 
 
 Alf 
 
 country which tliat empire comprehended. It was 
 then that our island first emerged from the dark- 
 ness of the most savage barbarity ; though the ne- 
 cessary withdrawing of the military colonies for tlie 
 defence of the more important provinces, before 
 much progress had been made, left the natives to 
 >ink again into the most abject state of wretched- 
 ness and contempt : and all that remained of the 
 works of art, or the signs of civilization, within this 
 island, after the departure of the Romans, were 
 l)robably a few forts and roads, the traces of which, 
 in some parts of the country, endure to this day. 
 
 Although the effects, which the establishment of 
 Roman colonies produced in those ages, were great, 
 Jind although the influence of the Roman example 
 upon the frame of society, and the connexion of 
 parent state and colony, with the modern nations of 
 Europe, may be considerable ; yet, as these colonies 
 were almost wholly of a military, and not of that 
 determinate character which marked the settle- 
 ments of even the Greeks and Phoenicians, it is not 
 necessary to exceed a few more remarks concerning 
 them. 
 
 In some of the Roman provinces the lands were 
 distributed among the veteran soldiers, worn out in 
 the service of their country : in others, the mea- 
 sures of the military governments, which were not 
 unaccompanied by a tolerant spirit, succeeded in so 
 far civilizing the aboriginal inhabitants, that when 
 their more ferocious conquerors came to mix with 
 the people whom they subdued, their ferocity an4 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 13 
 
 i. It was 
 the dark- 
 ;h the ne- 
 ies for the 
 es, hefore 
 natives to 
 wretched- 
 led of the 
 vithin this 
 ans, were 
 of which, 
 lis day. 
 shment of 
 ere great, 
 1 example 
 nexion of 
 nations of 
 e colonies 
 3t of that 
 le settle- 
 it is not 
 mcerning 
 
 nds were 
 rn out in 
 the niea- 
 were not 
 ded in so 
 lat when 
 mix witli 
 >city ami 
 
 ignorance gradually gave way to the influence of the 
 small remains of refinement which existed ; until a 
 succession of several centuries of comparative re- 
 pose allowed time for the revival of learning and 
 the arts, and eventually led to the important disco- 
 veries which distinguished the latter part of the fif- 
 teenth century, when the light of science, which had 
 not heen extinguished, again broke forth with 
 renewed splendour upon the nations of the West, 
 which were awakened from their long night of bar- 
 barity and ignorance. 
 
 During the ages of darkness which benighted 
 mankind, after the overthrow of the Roman power, 
 it is not probable that any more considerable emi- 
 grations were carried on, than natural increase 
 would render necessary, to relieve some populous 
 and sterile districts from the danger of famine and 
 endemic disease. The expeditions and conquests of 
 the Normans in Gaul, the Saxons and Danes, and 
 afterwards the Gallic Normans, in Britain, with 
 many others, belong, more properly, to the History 
 of Barbarian invasion, and form but a link in the 
 great chain of savage triumph over the enervated 
 and abandoned provinces of Rome. 
 
 In the latter part of the fifteenth century, while 
 science was yet in the dawn of a second day, an 
 event took place, which forms a striking feature in 
 the historv of the human race, and which it would 
 not be consistent, with the design of this sketch, 
 to lightly pass over. A bold and adventurous 
 Genoese seaman, possessing genius and enterprise 
 
 I:! 
 
 I 
 
14 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I f 
 
 \ 
 
 i 
 
 
 I m 
 
 hi 
 
 ■i[ 
 
 ■ i 
 
 ..4.1 
 
 which would have shone in any age, conceived the 
 design of reaching the East Indies, by sailing in a 
 westernly direction ; and in the memorable attempt 
 discovered a new continent, little inferior in extent 
 to the whole compass of the ancient world, and 
 which, is that portion of the globe to which the 
 reader's attention will be particularly directed in the 
 course of the following inquiries. 
 
 Some conjectures, which had been hazarded, con- 
 cerning the proximity of the v\'estern coast of 
 Europe to the eastern confines of Asia, do not seem 
 to have been founded upon any erroneous conception 
 of the figure or magnitude of the Earth ; but, rather, 
 from the exaggerated statements of travellers into 
 the East, which induced a belief that the coast of 
 Asia was not so distant from the western shores of 
 Europe, that the navigator should despair of reach- 
 ing it in safety. This was the opinion of the best 
 cosmographers of the age, who did not believe, that 
 the existence of so large an expanse of water was 
 consistent with the apparent necessity for a coun- 
 terpoise to the great continents of the known world. 
 
 From the time that Columbus first communicated 
 his ideas concerning his great scheme, eighteen 
 years were suff'ered to elapse, in fruitless attempts 
 to engage some powerful sovereign to favour his 
 design, before he found himself in a condition to set 
 out on his anxiously desired expedition. His first 
 application was to his own countrymen, who imme- 
 diately rejected his proposals. He then submitted 
 his designs to the King of Portugal, who was dis- 
 
'f. 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 15 
 
 nceived the 
 sailing in a 
 jle attempt 
 >r in extent 
 'orld, and 
 which the 
 icted in the 
 
 irded, con- 
 coast of 
 
 not seem 
 conception 
 lut, rather, 
 ellers into 
 le coast of 
 
 1 shores of 
 of reacli- 
 f the best 
 ieve, that 
 
 vater was 
 a coun- 
 
 vn world. 
 
 uunicated 
 eighteen 
 attempts 
 
 ivour his 
 on to set 
 His first 
 
 10 imme- 
 
 ubmitted 
 was dis- 
 
 suaded from encouraging the enterprise by some 
 eminent philosophers, who had already advised the 
 search for a passage to India, by doubling the 
 southern point of the Continent of Africa, and 
 steering in an opposite direction to that which 
 Columbus recommended. But, although none 
 seemed to regard his proposals, yet such conviction 
 had the reasoning of this great man produced in 
 the minds of the Portuguese philosophers, that the 
 King was advised to privately fit out a vessel ; but 
 the navigator, chosen to rob the author of the de- 
 sign, of the glory of its accomplishment, wanting 
 genius and fortitude, soon gave up the search, as 
 dangerous and chimerical. 
 
 As soon as this treacherous scheme became known 
 to Columbus, he quitted the court of this perfidious 
 monarch, and next applied to the King of Spain. 
 At the same time his brother came over to England 
 to negociate with king Henry VII., but he was un- 
 fortunately captured by pirates, and detained a pri- 
 soner for three years ; notwithstanding, on his ar- 
 rival at the court of king Henry, his propositions 
 were more favourably received than those of Co- 
 lumbus himself had yet been at any other court ; 
 and the future discoverer of America was actually 
 on his way to England to attend the monarch in 
 person, when Isabella, who shared the crown of 
 Spain with king Ferdinand, recalled, and engaged 
 to equip him for the expedition. 
 
 Thus was Columbus at length placed in a condi- 
 tion to prosecute his j)erilous undertaking ; and ac- 
 
 m 
 
L 
 
 I ' 
 
 ■w 
 
 ''■fy. 
 
 rt''. 
 
 \n 
 
 ' .'r 
 
 :i 
 
 16 
 
 THE EMIGKANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 cordin^i^ly the expedition, consisting of three ships 
 under his command, in the year 1492, set sail from 
 Spain, in the hope of reaching the eastern coast of 
 Asia. The conjectures respecting the necessity f{jr 
 the counterpoise of a western continent, were per- 
 haps not ill-founded, l)ut the discovery of the new 
 world was the result of the active genius and forti- 
 tude of Columbus. 
 
 Passing over the several incidents related of tliis 
 interesting voyage, it will be sufficient to observe, 
 that after many perils and much op])osition from 
 the fears and supe^'stitions of his sailors, Columbus 
 at length first landed upon an island, which he 
 named San-Salvador, and which is one of that range 
 since called the Bahamas, now a part of our West 
 India possession-^. These islands were at that time 
 inhabited by a simple people in the very infancy 
 of society, and the narrative of their first inter- 
 view with the Europeans is one of those portions 
 of history which will be read with undiminished 
 interest until the end of time. Leaving San-Salva- 
 dor, the expedition steered to the south-west, in 
 which direction, according to the best information 
 that the Spaniards were able to derive from the na- 
 tives, lay those countries which produced the gold 
 that was observed to be in common use among them. 
 They next discovered the important island of Hayti, 
 so called by the natives, but which they named His- 
 paniola. Here the Europeans planted their first 
 colony in America, and the chief city which they 
 founded they dedicated to St. Domingo. 
 
 J. 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 17 
 
 hree sliips 
 t sail from 
 rn coast of 
 Bcessity for 
 were per- 
 of the new 
 ; and ibrti- 
 
 ted of tliis 
 ;o observe, 
 ition from 
 Columbus 
 which he 
 that range 
 our West 
 t that time 
 y infancy 
 "rst inter- 
 portions 
 iminished 
 an-Salva- 
 -west, in 
 brmation 
 in the na- 
 the gold 
 >ng them, 
 of Havti, 
 med His- 
 lieir first 
 ich they 
 
 At the time Columbus first landed in Hayti, the 
 natives, by some accounts, are said to have amount- 
 ed to two millions ; and, as the country abounded 
 in gold, great numbers were compelled to labour 
 for the colonists ; until, by a series of the most 
 revoltine: barbarities thai ever disgraced the annals 
 of any nation, they were nearly exterminated. 
 
 It was sometime afterwards that the desire of 
 re-opening the sources of wealth, which had failed 
 u])on the destruction of the Indians, first suggested 
 to the Spaniards the iniquitous traffic in human 
 })eings ; and the Africans being found more capable 
 than the Americans of enduring the labour of 
 mining in a tropical climate, they were imported 
 into Ilispaniola in great numbers. About this time, 
 however, some mines of greater promise began to 
 be wrought upon the continent, already discovered, 
 which caused those of Hayti to be neglected ; so 
 that the colonists who remained in the island were 
 obliged to turn their attention to the cultivation of 
 the soil ; and thus, by means of negro slaves, the 
 first attempts at husbandry were commenced in the 
 new world. 
 
 The Spaniards afterwards took possession of 
 Mexico and Peru, the only two kingdoms of Ame- 
 rica which had attained any degree of civilization. 
 But any details concerning their conquests and set- 
 tlement would not throw much light upon the sys- 
 tems of colonization to which these inquiries are 
 more particularly directed. 
 
 After ;. single remark concerning the principles 
 
 5 
 I 
 
18 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 } 
 
 upon which their wars were carried on against the 
 natives, this part of the subject may be closed by a 
 few observations upon the state in which tlie Euro- 
 peans found themselves immediately after the es- 
 tablishment of their })ower in the new world. 
 
 The ruling principle with the Spanish adven- 
 turers was the desire for the acquisition of gold. 
 What were their successes in the attainment of this 
 precious metal, may perhaps be gathered from the 
 offer of Atabalipa, the Inca of Peru, for his ran- 
 som, after he had been seized and detained a pri- 
 soner by the Spaniards. Observing tlie insatiable 
 avarice of the conquerors, notwithstanding the im- 
 mense treasure they had acquired by his capture 
 and the massacre of his sulyects, he voluntarily 
 offered, that, on condition of his obtaining his 
 liberty, he would cause to be brought to Pizarro, 
 their leader, a sufficient quantity of vessels of gold 
 to fill the room in which he was confined, measure- 
 ing 22 feet in length and 16 in breadth, as high as 
 he could reach. The Spaniards consenting to his 
 proposal, the monarch issued his orders, and the 
 gold flowed in in abundance ; but some jealousies 
 arising respecting the division of the treasure, 
 and some reports of the assembling of forces in a 
 remote part of the empire, happening at the same 
 time to arrive, the Inca, instead of regaining 
 his liberty, was condemned and inhumanly put to 
 a violent death. 
 
 The ancient empire of Mexico henceforth became 
 a dependent province, and its metropolis the seat of 
 
)N. 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 19 
 
 ; against the 
 closed by a 
 !h tlie Euro- 
 ifter the es- 
 orld. 
 
 nish adven- 
 ion of gold, 
 iient of this 
 •ed from the 
 for his ran- 
 airied a pri- 
 e insatiable 
 ling tlie im- 
 his capture 
 voluntarily 
 ;aining his 
 to Pizarro, 
 els of gold 
 , measure- 
 as high as 
 ting to his 
 8, and the 
 e jealousies 
 treasure, 
 forces in a 
 t the same 
 regaining 
 mly put to 
 
 •th became 
 the seat of 
 
 a commercial colony. The ferocious conquerors 
 exercised every species of barbarity, and the Indians 
 were massacred with remorseless cruelty. The po- 
 pulation of Mexico, at the time of the Spanish 
 invasion, has been stated at ten millions. Whether 
 this be exaggerated, it is however certain, that a 
 densely-peo})led country was quickly depopulated by 
 the tyranny and avarice of its new masters, who 
 exacted from the inhabitants such painful toil as 
 their feeble constitutions could not support. The 
 lands were divided between the crown, the grandees 
 of Spain, and the companions of Cortes, by whom 
 the country was subdued. 
 
 Only one Spaniard was found to take the part of 
 the oj)pressed Indians, Las Casas, who, with his 
 father, accompanied Columbus on his first voyage. 
 He became an ecclesiastic, for the purpose of con- 
 verting them to Christianity ; and, from their mild 
 dispositions, and the simplicity of their manners, 
 he entertained great hopes of success. But although 
 he was disappointed in this expectation, his dis- 
 interested and humane endeavours raised one 
 common feeling throughout Europe, at the enor- 
 mities committed in America; so that the court of 
 Spain became sensible of the necessity of putting 
 a period to the sufferings of the natives, fifteen 
 millions of whom, according to the uncontradicted 
 statement of Las Casas, had been destroyed by 
 his countrymen since their first expedition under 
 Columbus. 
 
 Little more than the shadow of liberty was at 
 
 !') :i 
 
Il 
 
 20 
 
 THE EMIOKANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I 
 
 I ! . jj- 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 : 1, 
 
 first fijranted tliem ; but, throu<»;h the perseverance 
 of Las Casus, and the friends he had raised up 
 in tlieir belialf, they gradually obtained something 
 like equiil justice. The lands of those that re- 
 mained were not restored to tliem, but the policy 
 of the conquerors, in time, allowed the natives 
 to gain, by purchase, some districts of their an- 
 cient territorv. Nei^-ro slaves were now imported 
 in great numbers, to supply the loss sustained by 
 the destr' 2tion of the Indians, and the necessary 
 adoption of a more relaxed system ; and the Spa- 
 niards contented themselves with the labour of the 
 slaves and the produce of the mines. 
 
 After the destruction of the ancient Peruvian 
 monarchy and the murder of the Inca, with the 
 dispersion or massacre of his faithful subjects, 
 succeeded a series of civil wars among the con- 
 querors. Almagro and Pizarro, the chief actors in 
 many bloody scenes, severally fell victims to their 
 ambition and avarice ; at length, the court of Spain 
 thought projier to arrest the horrors of these con- 
 tests among the colonists ; and at the same time, 
 to the eternal reproach of Philip II., who at that 
 time sat on the throne, took the most effectual 
 measure to prevent any further opposition from the 
 Indians, by putting to death all the surviving de- 
 scendants of the Incas. 
 
 Thus, both Mexico and Peru, with the islands of 
 which the Spaniards possessed themselves, became 
 peaceable provinces of the Spanish monarchy. 
 
 cl 
 
 t 
 
 hi 
 d 
 
 
 
IN. 
 
 IHK EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 21 
 
 >erseveniTice 
 1(1 raised up 
 I something 
 se that re- 
 t the j)olicy 
 the natives 
 )f their an- 
 w imported 
 ustained by 
 e necessary 
 id tlie Spa- 
 ibour of the 
 
 it Peruvian 
 a, with the 
 ill subjects, 
 g the con- 
 ef actors in 
 ns to their 
 irt of Spain 
 these con- 
 same time, 
 10 at that 
 t effectual 
 n from the 
 rviving de- 
 islands of 
 s, became 
 monarchy. 
 
 Their principal comnierco, tind tlicir value, pro- 
 ceeded from the gold and silver mines witli which 
 they abounded ; and to whicli, it would not per- 
 haps be (liHiciilt to trace the causes of the gradual 
 decline of the Spanish character among the nations 
 of the world. 
 
 From the time of Columbus, until the discoveries 
 of the Russians in the reign of Peter the (ireat, and 
 the voyages of those celebrated navigators who first 
 explored the North Pacific ocean by doubling Cape 
 Horn, it had been a question, full of interest, but 
 involving much difficulty, to discover how America 
 became peopled ; but it is now, it is presumed, al- 
 most univ rsally believed, tliat the first inhabitants 
 of that continent passed over tlie strait wliich sepa- 
 rates it from Asia in the northern hemisphere. But, 
 notwith^tanding this generally received opinion, it 
 may perhaps be asked, why it should l)e extravagant 
 to conjecture, at least concerning the inhabitants of 
 the southern continent, that some Phoenicians, be- 
 fore the foundation of the most celebrated ancient 
 empires, were driven upon the eastern coast, or 
 reached it by design ; and from whom a part, if not 
 the whole race of Americans may have descended. 
 
 Herodotus, the Greek historian, unconsciously 
 gives us the most consistent and convincing evi- 
 dence, that some of the vessels of these famous 
 mariners, employed by Necho,* King of Egypt, elr- 
 
 !gj 
 
 i'l 
 
 il 
 
 * The same with Pharoah Necho of the Scriptures. 
 
 
 .,!. i 
 
22 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTUODUCTION. 
 
 cumnavijyatod the continent of Africa: and although 
 the sole chronicler of what has come down to us 
 concerning this nii«:;hty exjx'dition in that age, does 
 not himself give full credit to the story, from the 
 supposed necessity of rejecting a part of the evi- 
 dence, namely, that the sun was on their right hand 
 when they held a westerly course, instead of on 
 their left ; yet, does this very doiiht, since our im- 
 proved acquaintimce with the figure of the earth 
 and the path of the sun, become as strong a proof of 
 the good faith of the historian, as is the knowledge 
 which the Phonnicians acquired, the most indubitable 
 testimony of the truth of their rej)ort, and of the 
 reality of the expedition. 
 
 Descending the Red Sea, it ai)pears they continued 
 their course along the coast until they doubled the 
 Cape of Good Hope, and ]>roceeding northwards, 
 entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic. 
 Now, if we admit, as we must, that such a voyage 
 was performed about two thousand years before 
 the Eur()])eans took the same route to India, where 
 is the difficulty of supposing that the navigators 
 which accomplished it, might attempt to return by 
 retracing their course, or that they even made 
 several voyages? And as we know, that in passing 
 the tropical latitudes, we are invariably driven 
 many degrees west of our proper course, by causes 
 not liable to change, it seems probable that the 
 Phoenicians might have fallen in with the most 
 eastern extremity of South America, whence a 
 
N. 
 
 THE EMIGHANTS INTHODDCTIOI'S. 
 
 2:\ 
 
 1(1 although 
 [lown to us 
 lit aj^o, does 
 )', fVoni the 
 of the evi- 
 r right hand 
 stead of on 
 nee our im- 
 )f the earth 
 \(r a proof of 
 i knowledge 
 : indubitable 
 , and of the 
 
 cy continued 
 
 doubled the 
 
 northwards, 
 
 he Atlantic. 
 
 h a voyage 
 
 ears before 
 
 idia, where 
 
 navigators 
 
 return by 
 
 even made 
 
 t in passing 
 
 bly driven 
 
 , by causes 
 
 le that the 
 
 |h the most 
 
 whence a 
 
 
 single accident, among a thousand 1t» wi\ich na- 
 vigation is sni)ject, would be alone «*utHcient to 
 prevent tlieii- return ; and when the circumstances 
 of the vo)an-e, which, according to tlie historian, 
 occupied two or three years, a great part of which 
 time tliiy passed on shore, wIumv incy planted 
 corn and waiti d the harvest, be considered, it may 
 be conjecture*!, that no second attempt would be 
 undertaki'ii l)y these enter])rising mariners, sailing 
 either from ihe Mediterranean or the Red Sea, 
 unaccompanied by some of their wives and families, 
 from whom South America at least, if they did 
 indeed reacli it, nuiy have been [)eopled. 
 
 Whatever theory be adopted with regard to the 
 settlement of America, the late arctic expedi- 
 tions have surprisingly strengthened the opinion, 
 that th'dt (piarter of the globe is not indebted 
 for its whole' population to one source of ingress 
 alone. The disposition, countenance, figure, and 
 other niurks which distinguish the people with 
 whom the Englisli sailors held intercourse, afford 
 convincing proofs, that they are not of the same 
 original with the rest of the Americans. At the 
 same time it must be confessed, that in spite of tiie 
 varieties of clinuite, and the consequent diversity 
 of manners and figure, with this single exception 
 of the Esquimaux, the Aborigines throughout Ame- 
 rica do not any where exhibit those decided dis- 
 tinctions which are apparent upon the continents 
 of the old world. But the supposition concerning 
 
 i 
 
li 
 
 I 
 
 24 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION, 
 
 the Phoenicians does not necessarily imply, that 
 the nortli and the soutli were settled by races of 
 men as distinct as the Negro and the Siberian ; and 
 at least it does not seem iiDprobable, that Tyrian 
 and Tartar blood may mingle in the constitutions of 
 the wild men of the American forest. 
 
 
 i 
 
 f 
 
ON. 
 
 imply, that 
 by races of 
 
 iberian ; and 
 tliat Tvrian 
 
 iistitutions of 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 25 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 First Discoveries of the Enf,'lisli in America. — Sir Walter Ilalei<,'h's 
 j»ettl('inent in Viririnia. — Failure of liis Scliemes. — Causes 
 tliereof — Practical pood of tlieso Expeditions. — Raleigh's further 
 Attempts interrupted.— War with the Spaniards. 
 
 After tlie cursory remarks in the preceding 
 chapter, concerning the most memorable events in 
 the history of the transactions of tlie first adventurers 
 in America, it is time to turn to the records of the 
 several casualties which attended the establishment 
 of those colonies, whicli the commercial enterprise, 
 the persecuting spiiit, or the fanatical ztal of our 
 ancestors led them to })lant in the western world. 
 
 When all Europe wa^ struck witli amazement at 
 the romantic adventurers and successes of the 
 Spaniards in America, Henry VIE, who then sat 
 on the throne of England, was no longer able to 
 remain a passive spectator of these astonishing 
 events ; yet, so feeble were the first efforts of the 
 English towards the establishment of colonies, that 
 upwards of a century passed away from the time that 
 the genius of Columbus conducted the Spaniards to 
 the new world, before the people, who were destined 
 to spread their language and their laws over the 
 whole extent of the vast continent of North America, 
 formed any permanent settlement in that country. 
 
 In 1497, only five years after the memorable 
 

 ■ 1 
 
 { 
 
 1 * 
 
 j^ 
 
 .1?' • 
 
 2G 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 vovnae and first discoveries of Columl)us, Seb.'istian 
 Cabot, ail EnLilisliman l»y birth, thouuli of Vene- 
 tian parc^its, obtained a commission from Henry 
 VII. to search for a north-west ])assai»e to India. 
 He sailed from Bristol in a vessel furnished by the 
 Kinii;, and accompanied by several others, fitted out 
 by the merch;ints of that city. Proceeding in a wes- 
 terly direction, he first discovered the large isLand 
 now called Newfoundland ; thence he entei'ed the 
 gulf of St. Laurence, and before returning to Eng- 
 land, sailed along the whole coast of North Ame- 
 rica to its soutliern extremity. But the English 
 did not follow up these discoveries, nor turn to any 
 profit the advantages they iniglit thereby have ac- 
 quired; and it was not until einhtv years after 
 Cabot's expedition, that any regular system of colo- 
 niziition was projected. 
 
 Durins: the inactive and lonjx interval between 
 the first discoveries of the English and the forma- 
 tion of a systematic scheme of colonization, the 
 spirit of enter])rise was not however entirely dor- 
 mant. From the j)assive trade which our merchant* 
 carried on, and the iiiconsideralile voyages they at 
 first ventured to make, they in time became ac- 
 (puiinted with the principles of commerce and navi- 
 gation, gradually extended their intercourse, and 
 by their own ships at length traded to the ports of 
 the Mediterranean Sea, and even to the southern 
 continent of America ; so that, on the accession of 
 Elizabeth, the nation was in some degree prepared 
 for those vigorous efforts, and those improvements, 
 
 T.\l 
 Sll 
 
 til 
 
 r: 
 su 
 SI 
 ml 
 
 1"' 
 
 1 
 
ON. 
 
 TUB EMIGUAM ■* INTRODrCTION 
 
 27 
 
 us, SelKi>tiaii 
 uiili of Vene- 
 froni Ilenr} 
 ag-e to India, 
 lished by the 
 rs, fitted out 
 inij: in a wes- 
 large island 
 entered the 
 liii.H' to Eng- 
 North Anie- 
 tlie Eni>-lish 
 turn to any 
 d)y have ac- 
 years after 
 em of colo- 
 
 al lietween 
 the forina- 
 ^ation, the 
 itirely dor- 
 mercliant*; 
 ;es tliey at 
 ecanie ac- 
 
 and navi- 
 >urse, and 
 K' ports of 
 i southern 
 cession of 
 
 l)repared 
 ovenients, 
 
 nhicli, during: her auspicious reiu'u, extended llieni- 
 ij selves to everv hrancli of niaritinie affairs. 
 
 Queen EUzabetli was not backward in discoveriuu' 
 tli(i oenius of lier subjects, which was of a cha- 
 racter tlie most easy to be diverted into those jmr- 
 suits, which were tlie l)est security of her tlirone. 
 .Slui early Jiugmented her navy, and encouraged her 
 merchants to engage in the most adventurous and 
 profitable branehes of commerce. The only navi- 
 gator who had yet sailed round the world wa>- 
 .Magellan, a Portuguese, when Sir Francis Drake, 
 about sixty years after the Portuguese expedition, 
 not only acccnnplished that great undertaking, but 
 penetrated to the 4"2d degree of north latitude, on 
 the western coast of America. 
 
 After the voyage of Drake, tlie I'mglish no longer 
 considered themselves inferior in nautical ?kill to 
 fbose nations winch had enjoyed the liighest reputa- 
 tion for (hiring adventure ; so tluit, at the com- 
 mencement of hostilities against Spain, in the yeai' 
 1587, many of tlie nobility, as well as the mo>t 
 eminent hiaders of the age, aimed at distinguishinLC 
 tlu^mselves in some naval enter])rise, or some expe- 
 dition against the Spaniards. Tlie phintations in 
 Anu-rica were attacked, and the riches which liowed 
 from that source being arreste<l in their course, 
 served to rev/ard the yalour of the seamen, and 
 augment the wealth and power of a rival nation, 
 which, under the rule of a pati'iotic sovereign, was 
 shortly to attain to the first rank among tlie mari- 
 time powers of Europe. A less prudent monarch 
 
 n 
 
 
 M 
 
 c 2 
 
ill? I \ 
 
 28 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 than Elizabeth, would probably have become in- 
 toxicated v'ith glory, upon the splendid achieve- 
 ments of his subjects ; and the growing importance 
 of her naval strength might have been checked, 
 through exerting its efforts before the object was 
 worthy to call forth the best energies of the nation. 
 But this princess knew as well how to direct the 
 enterprising genius of her people, as to gain and 
 ])reserve their affections. 
 
 Such was the turn which the spirit of enterprise 
 among the English had taken, before the formidable 
 design and equipments of the Spainards for their in- 
 tended invasion had threatened to reduce the nation 
 to the necessity of returning to its dependence upon 
 the see of Rome. No occasion had yet offered to con- 
 firm Elizabeth in the judgment she had formed of 
 the temper of her subjects, their loyalty and attach- 
 ment to her person and government, and their 
 determination to exert every effort in support of 
 their sovereijin, and the reformation of which she 
 was the chief patron and support. 
 
 In this disposition, the national ardour could not 
 remain restrained ; and, accordingly, we find that 
 after the long period of neglect, in following up the 
 discoveries of Cabot, the current of adventure now 
 once more inclined towards the little known coun- 
 tries of the western world ; and some regular plans 
 for planting colonies were proposed and patronized 
 by j)ersons of the first rank and influence in the 
 kingdom. Among the most conspicuous was Sir 
 Tlumphery Gilbert, ofCompton, in Devonshire. He 
 
 \ 
 
 uai 
 sei 
 aff] 
 
 uui 
 
 m( 
 
 to 
 
 let] 
 
 to 
 
 of 
 
 
ON. 
 
 ! become in- 
 did aciiieve- 
 g importance 
 len checked, 
 e object was 
 )f the nation. 
 :o direct the 
 to gain and 
 
 of enterprise 
 e formidable 
 ^ for their in- 
 3e the nation 
 ndence upon 
 ffered to con- 
 d formed of 
 
 and attach- 
 t, and their 
 
 support of 
 f which she 
 
 ir could not 
 ve find that 
 kving up the 
 'enture now 
 nown coun- 
 ^gular plans 
 1 patronized 
 ence in tlie 
 us was Sir 
 nshire. He 
 
 THE Er.'IGRANT S INTRODUCTIOX. 
 
 29 
 
 ill 
 
 had already attained distinction by his military 
 services ; but, having turned his attention to naval 
 affairs, he publislied a treatise of a tendency to en- 
 gage his countrymen in the most adventurous 
 undertakings. The Queen soon discovered his 
 merit, and selected him as the most proper person 
 to form a colonial establishment, and granted him 
 letters-patent in the year 1558, with ample powers 
 to carry his own plans into immediate execution. 
 
 Upon this commendable and politic proceeding 
 of Elizabeth, Sir Humphery found no difficulty in 
 engaging as many associates as his foresight enabled 
 him to judge commensurate to the several propor- 
 tions of the plan for accomplishing his design ; and 
 the time at length ajipeared arrived, when the 
 English were to exert their courage and capacity 
 in the same hemisphere with their formidable 
 rivals. 
 
 Sir Humphery's small scpiadron being equipped, 
 the first British colonists took leave of the land of 
 their nativity, full of the most sanguine expectations ; 
 but, in consequence of an encounter with the Spa- 
 niards at sea, the English commander was compelled 
 to return. A second expedition, which he soon after- 
 wards undertook to conduct, was also unsuccessful. 
 Having steered directly west, they fell in with New- 
 foundland, and accomplished no more than goini»- 
 through the empty formality of taking possession of 
 the barren coast of that island in their Sovereiirn's 
 name ; while the gallant commander, with two of 
 his ships, perished at sea on his return voyage. 
 
30 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It 
 
 If we consider tlie imperfect knowledge of tin 
 glolje wliicli had been attained at that time, we 
 shall not he surprised at the adventurers choosing ;i 
 due-westerly course. It was consistent with expe- 
 rience to suppose, that by steering in that direction, 
 the countries which they might first chance to fall 
 in with, would be found similar, in climate and soil 
 to those of the like parallel of latitude in the old 
 world. The first mere discoveries of the existence 
 of the North America Continent, do not appear to 
 have landed ujion any part of the coast; they could 
 not therefore have obtained a sufficient acquaintance 
 with the country, to have enabled them to form any 
 ]udj?;ment of the climate of the different decrees of 
 latitude throughout the immense extent of country 
 of which they had viewed the coast only; and that, 
 at a season when the whole continent below the 
 50th degree of north latitude presents the same 
 unclouded sky by day, and the same brilliant 
 firmament at night. 
 
 The famous Sir Walter Raleigh, half-brother to the 
 unfortunate Sir Humphrey Gill)ert, had been deeply 
 engaged in the scheme of plantation, and had 
 actually sailed with the expedition which terminated 
 so disastrously; but, on account of a pestilential 
 disorder which l)roke out among his men, he had 
 l)een obliged to return. Not discouraged by the 
 two attempts which had wasted all his brother's 
 fortune, he entered with renewed enthusiasm into 
 the schemes wliTcli the late commander had oricri- 
 nated ; and from the well-known character of Raleigh, 
 
 nn 
 
 grd 
 
 iiit) 
 wh 
 thii 
 
noN. 
 
 wlodgo of til) 
 tliat tiino, wc 
 crs clioosiiiir a 
 !nt wifli cxpe- 
 tliJit direction, 
 chance to fall 
 mate and soil, 
 de in the old 
 
 the existence 
 lot appear to 
 t ; tliey could 
 
 acfpiaintance 
 n to form any 
 it degrees of 
 it of country 
 ly ; and that, 
 nt bi'low the 
 its the same 
 me brilliant 
 
 )rot]ierto the 
 been deeply 
 ti, and had 
 h terminated 
 pestilential 
 len, lie had 
 iged by the 
 lis brotlier's 
 lusiasm into 
 r had oriofi- 
 1' of Raleigh. 
 
 THE EMIGWANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 
 Hnd the degree of favor which he enjoyed at court, 
 great expectations were excited. 
 
 Protiting by the experience of Gilbert, and the 
 information which was derived from the Sjianiards, 
 who, on their return voyages, were obliged to keep 
 the coast of America until they were beyond those 
 latitudes where tiie winds blow continuallv from the 
 east, Raleigh wisely determined to explore the 
 lower latitudes; where he entertained ho})es that both 
 soil and climate would be found more congenial and 
 better adapted for the establishment of a colony. 
 Having procured a grant as ample as that of his late 
 lirother, he immediately dispatched two vessels, for 
 the sole purpose of making a survey of the coast. 
 They approached the continent by way of the West 
 India Islands and the Gulf of Florida, and thence 
 continued their course northwards; but the ob- 
 servations they made were incomplete. Having 
 fallen in with a [)art of the coasl of which the 
 fertility of the soil and the beauty of the scenery 
 were conspicuous, they did not make further search 
 for a fit harbour to atford shelter and protection to 
 navigation ; yet the descriptions which they gave of 
 the country were so flattering, and so much delighted 
 the Queen, that she determined to encourage her 
 favourite in his future views; and, in order to sup- 
 ply the funds to defray the expences of planting a 
 colony, she granted him a jiatent for licensing the 
 vendors of wine throughout the kingdom. She also 
 further testified her gratification, by naming the 
 country Virginia; thereby, at the same time, per- 
 
 I 
 
 ' i 
 
 ; ill 
 
 is I 
 
jf-, 
 
 32 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 i, I 
 
 pfttualing the remembrance of its discovery Iiaviiig 
 been made in the reign of a virgin queen. 
 
 In 1586, Raleigh sent out seven sliii)s under the 
 command of Sir R. Granville, >yitli one hundred men, 
 designed to form a colony, the government of which 
 was entrusted to Ralph, afterwards to Sir Ral})!) 
 Lane. The first settlement was very injudiciously 
 fixed upon an island on the coast, called Roanoke, des- 
 titute of harbours, and only inhabited by a few sa- 
 vages. The colonists subsisted for some time upon 
 the supplies they brought with them, and chiefly 
 occupied themselves in researches, to obtain a more 
 perfect knowledge of the surrounding country. But 
 when their scanty stock of provisions was exhausted, 
 they were reduced to a dependence upon the In- 
 dians, who treated them with that derision and 
 contempt which their helpless situation inspired. 
 The savages had observed the eager desire of the 
 English to discover gold and silver mines, and they 
 amused them with the most extravagant hopes of 
 success. The colonists, on the discovery of this 
 deceit, proceeded to open hostilities, and thus de- 
 prived themselves of the supplies of provisions 
 which they had hitherto received ; and being dis- 
 appointed also in the arrival of Granville, who had 
 returned to England to obtain further aid, they were 
 left to their own resources. They now betook 
 themselves to the cultivation of the soil, with a de- 
 tern.ination to render themselves independent of 
 the precarious Indian supplies, and with the inten- 
 tion of remaining in the country ; but their eflforts 
 
ION. 
 
 overy Iiaviiig 
 m. 
 
 ps under the 
 unci red men, 
 ent of wJiicli 
 to Sir Ralph 
 injudiciously 
 Loanoke,des- 
 by a few sa- 
 e time upon 
 and chiefly 
 Jtain a more 
 untry. But 
 Ls exhausted, 
 upon the In- 
 lerision and 
 on inspired, 
 esire of the 
 es, and they 
 mt hopes of 
 rery of this 
 id thus de- 
 provisions 
 I being dis- 
 e, who had 
 , they were 
 ow betook 
 with a de- 
 pendent of 
 I the inten- 
 leir efforts 
 
 THE r.MirjRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 :33 
 
 were still so feeble, that Sir Francis Drake, who 
 visited the colony on his return voya<2:e from the 
 sack of the Spanish settlements in the West Indies, 
 seeing the necessity to which tliey were reduced, ap- 
 propriated a small vessel with provisions for their 
 relief; but a storm unfortunately depriving them 
 of this resource, bv the wreck and loss of the vessel 
 and her cargo, they prevailed upon the admiral, who 
 fortunately had not sailed, to carry them back to 
 their own country. They had scarcely, however, 
 departed, when a vessel, dispatched by Raleigh for 
 their relief, arrived ; but finding the settlement 
 broken up, the captain directed his course back to 
 England. Soon after this. Sir R. Granville himself 
 made his appearance, and not being able to obtain 
 any intelligence of the colonists he had left the pre- 
 ceding year, and finding the place of their habita- 
 tion laid waste, he returned also ; but deeming it 
 prudent to retain possession of the country, he 
 landed fifteen men, and furnished them with pro- 
 visions for two years ; but these were soon over- 
 come and massacred by the savages. 
 
 Such was the disastrous result of the first attempt 
 of the English to colonize America, although the 
 execution of their plans had been entrusted to one 
 of the ablest men of the age, and who was altogether 
 the best suited, ])y his genius and capacity, to every 
 species of adventurous enterprise. 
 
 The great error which they committed was their 
 
 imitation of the rapacious Spaniards, in their search 
 
 after gold. The prospect, indeed, of amassing sudden 
 
 c 5 
 
 '■! HI 
 
 1 
 
 m 
 
 jii 
 
 it 
 
 ii 
 
 > I 
 
 i ! I 
 
I 
 
 34 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTnODUCTlON. 
 
 
 
 ■I- 
 
 '; 
 
 n 
 
 111 
 
 }i?id ^n'Oiit riches, was the cxcitinj; cause which urt^cd 
 forward every scheme for estaljlishiutr colonies in 
 America. Many accounts of theSpanis^h expedition 
 were at this time puhlislied and transhited into 
 English, and the dangerous contagion was caught but 
 too quickly, and operated with I'atal influence, until 
 time and reflection tauprht them the futility of tlicir 
 expectations. 
 
 The country wliere the first English settlers estab- 
 lished themselves, possessed a mild and salul)rious 
 climate, and was enriched with a fertile soil ; so 
 that, notwithstanding the inconvenience of the 
 station which they chose for their settlement, liad 
 the little colony of Roanoke applied their industry 
 to the steady pursuit of agriculture, and avoided 
 every cause of misunderstanding with the natives, 
 their footing would have been preserved, and their 
 estaldishment rendered independent. This would 
 have allowed time, to coolly deliberate upon the most 
 advantageous method of turning to profitable ac- 
 count, the better knowledge which time, and a 
 further survey of the country, would have given 
 them. 
 
 There were found in Wingina, (for that is the 
 name by which the country was distinguished by its 
 aboriginal inhabitants) a variety of fruits of sponta- 
 neous growth, with many trees and medicinal })lants 
 of great value in Europe ; and as far as the first ad- 
 venturers penetrated into the interior, the country, 
 every where, presented the same verdure and beauty. 
 The Indians that inhabited it, though familiar with 
 
 1 
 
 \v| 
 
 fo 
 
 \v| 
 
 all 
 
 til 
 
 hi 
 
 I 
 J, 
 
n 
 
 i\ 
 
 us. 
 
 \y\iwAi [Wired 
 i c()!o?ii(.'.s ill 
 '» ('xjK'dition 
 "slnti'd into 
 ^caiii^htbut 
 liiericc, until 
 ility uf their 
 
 ittlcrs Gstub- 
 d saliihriousi 
 ile soil ; so 
 "CO of the 
 Icinent, had 
 f'ir industry 
 ind avoided 
 the natives, 
 J, and their 
 Til is would 
 •on the most 
 ofi table ac- 
 inic, and a 
 have given 
 
 that is the 
 slied by its 
 of sponta- 
 iiial ])lants 
 lie first ad- 
 e country, 
 nd beauty, 
 liliar with 
 
 f 
 
 Tin: KMIGIJANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 •31 
 
 war, which liacl lately raginl in its most frightful 
 forms, and almost reduced the country to a desert, 
 were undj-r the ab-olute control of their kings 
 ;| and chiefs ; and us lon«jj as the luiLilish maintained 
 their own national dignity, they ex[)erienced nothing 
 '■" but kindness from the Americans. 
 
 From this unsuccessful attempt, some prac- 
 tical good however resulted : the Jidventurers ob- 
 * tained a better knowledge of the capabilities and 
 > productions of the country, and men's imaginations, 
 which had been taught to paint every thing on the 
 new continent in the colours of ronumce, were 
 sobered by more faithful descriptions of the soil 
 and the climate of those parts which had been 
 explored, as well as of the character of the native 
 inhabitants. 
 
 The most memorable consequence of the late ex- 
 pedition, was the introduction of tobacco and po- 
 tatoes into England. Tobacco, although before 
 brought into other parts of Euro})e by the Spani- 
 ards, was not used in England until the return of 
 Sir Rali)h Lane, who, through his constant inter- 
 course with the Indians, had ac(piired their favorite 
 habit of smoking. The practice was readily adopted 
 by Raleigh and the fashionable young men of the 
 day. Potatoes were immediately planted by Raleigh 
 upon his estates in Ireland, and in that country, it 
 is well known, tliis famous root has become an 
 essential article of food. 
 The following year, a fourth expedition was fitted 
 
ri 
 
 1 
 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 1 1 
 
 . i 
 
 i 
 
 •11 
 
 36 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTKODUCTION . 
 
 out by Sir Walter Raleijojli, in furtherance of his fa- 
 vorite scheme of colonizing V^irginia. One hundred 
 and fifty men were dispatched, under the command 
 of John White, who was api)ointed governor, with 
 twelve assistants ; and a charter was now granted, 
 distinguishing these rulers of the colony by the 
 titles of Governor and Assistants of the City of 
 Raleigh, in Virginia. White, however, in a little 
 more than a month after his arrival at Roanoke, 
 was induced, at the earnest request of the settlers, 
 to return to England for a further supply of neces- 
 saries, in order to insure the success of the settle- 
 ment. On his arrival, he found his country in a 
 situation which caused the little colony at Roanoke 
 to be totally neglected ; so that the unfortunate 
 colonists all perished miserably by famine, or fell 
 victims to the unsparing vengeance of the savages. 
 
 The whole kingdom, at this time, resounded with 
 the warlike "note of preparation," and Raleigh was 
 deeply engaged in the necessary measures for the 
 defence of his sovereign, against the formidable 
 power of Philip II. and the projected invasion, 
 by means of the celebrated armada. Thus occupied 
 with affairs of more immediate interest, as well as 
 perhaps from conviction, that the difficulties were 
 too great to be overcome by a single individual, he 
 abandoned all thoughts of engaging any further in 
 the arduous task of colonizing Virginia, and in 1589 
 assigned over his charter, with all the original pri- 
 vileges, to Sir Thomas Smith and a comjiany of 
 
 nul 
 
 '^i/t 
 
)S, 
 
 THE KMIOUANTS I NTRODT'CTIO S . 
 
 37 
 
 ice of his fa- 
 Jne huiidretl 
 lie corninand 
 lernor, with 
 low granted, 
 lony by tlie 
 
 tlie City of 
 r, in a little 
 It Roanoke, 
 
 the settlers, 
 ply of iieces- 
 f the settle- 
 :ountry in a 
 
 at Roanoke 
 
 unfortunate 
 line, or fell 
 le savages. 
 3unded with 
 Raleigh was 
 ires for the 
 
 formidable 
 id invasion, 
 lus occupied 
 , as well as 
 3ulties were 
 lividual, he 
 y further in 
 md in 1589 
 )riginal pri- 
 ompany of 
 
 merchants of London, reserving to himself, one-fiftli 
 part of all the gold and silver ore which they should 
 fin<l in the count ry. 
 
 Two several attempts were made by this company 
 to regain possession of the Island of Roanoke, but 
 the settlers were as often cut off by the savages, who 
 were now determined to resist every attempt of the 
 English to establish a permanent settlement in tlieir 
 country. Yet a few private adventurers still con- 
 tinued to visit the coast for the purpose of traffic; 
 and to this the natives did not object. 
 
 iir, 
 
- ;! ,^- " 
 
 il 
 
 ( 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 '*• 
 
 I ri 
 
 4 
 
 * t 
 
 38 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 ScttlomoTit of Virp:iiiia. — \c\v Knp:laTi(l. — Tlio Indian-^. — Disorders 
 am(jiitr tlie Colonihil-. — llclii^lous I'crsccutions. — redcnil Union ot 
 tlio Colonists. 
 
 It was not until after tlie death of Elizabeth 
 that the English succeeded in firndy esta]jlishinf( 
 themselves in America, although upwards of twenty 
 years had elapsed since the grant of the ([ueen to 
 Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and so much activity had from 
 time to time been exerted in the attempt. After 
 the failure of the expedition under White, the war 
 with the Spaniards for some time diverted atten- 
 tion from every minor ol)ject; but, u})on tlie con- 
 clusion of peace, after the accession of James I. tlie 
 colonization of America began once more to engage 
 attention, and excite rivalry among the enterprising 
 spirits of the age. 
 
 James disregarded the grants of his predecessor, 
 which had invested such extraordinary riglits in a 
 single individual, and by a patent, dated the 10th 
 day of April, IGOG, incorporated two companies. 
 One of these was called the London Adventurers, 
 and had liberty to ])laiit a colony on any part of the 
 coast, between the 31st and 37th degrees of north 
 latitude, and to possess the country to the distance 
 of fifty miles on either side and as far as one 
 hundred miles into the interior. The other was 
 
 cal 
 
 to 
 (leu 
 
 M 
 
 I 
 
ON 
 
 TIIK EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 :J9 
 
 inii<;. — Disorfloi> 
 I'odcral L'liioii of 
 
 )i' Elizabetli 
 (-'stii])li.sliin<r 
 (is of twenty 
 lie qjieen to 
 ity had from 
 mpt. Aftei' 
 ite, the war 
 erted atteii- 
 011 tlie con- 
 ^iines I. tJie 
 e to engage 
 enterprising 
 
 )redecessor, 
 •ights in a 
 d the 10th 
 companies, 
 [venturers, 
 part of the 
 s of north 
 le distance 
 ar as one 
 :>t]ier was 
 
 called the Plymouth Adventurers, and was limited 
 to the country ])etween the latitudes of 38 and 45 
 dejirees, with the same extent of territory. 
 
 Instead of bestowing the absolute sovereignty, 
 whicli had been invested in lialeigh by Queen Eliza- 
 beth, the kir)ir, considering the companies more in 
 the light of trading associations, reserved to himself 
 the right of appointing a council of government, to 
 be resident in England, and of nominating a sub- 
 ordinate council, to reside in America. He per- 
 mitted, that whatever they might export should be 
 imported into England, duty free, for seven years ; 
 and he allowed them to carry on an indej)endent 
 commerce with other nations, under a dutv on im- 
 ])or1s, the ])roceeds of which was to be expended 
 for tlie improvement of the colony. 
 
 Tlie principle of this colonial free trade, at least 
 as far as regarded exchanges with the parent state, 
 should never have been departed from ; but the con- 
 tinuance of unrestrained foreign intercourse would 
 have deprived the mother-country of all the benefits 
 she afterwards enjoyed, as these infant settlements 
 began to grow into importantand populous provinces. 
 But more fatal to the interests of the colonists 
 themselves, would have been the long continuance 
 of the despotic constitutions which the court estab- 
 lished. The age of enlightened views on the prin- 
 ciples of government had not yet arrived, nor was 
 the nature or value of colonial possessions very 
 clearly understood, or any conception entertained, 
 of the future importance of the settlements the 
 
 Jl 
 
 
 hK 
 
 i\ ' 
 
t 
 
 
 40 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 English were endeavouring to form. The two dis- 
 tricts which the grants comprehended were hence- 
 forth called North and South Virginia. But it is 
 necessary to take a slight review of the transactions 
 of each of these companies, within their respective 
 provinces. 
 
 In 1606, the same year in which these territories 
 were granted, the London company fitted out two 
 ships, hy which they sent out several gentlemen and 
 artizans. By a fortunate accident, the vessels were 
 driven northward of Roanoke, and entered the great 
 bay of Chesapeake, called Pohawton by the natives. 
 Opposite the entrance of this bay the adventurers 
 found a river, which they named James's River, in 
 honor of the king. Here they built forts, and 
 selected an eligible spot, upon a peninsula about 
 forty miles from the river's mouth, where they 
 erected James Town, which continued to be the 
 capital of Virginia for some time. 
 
 At the time the English settled in Virginia, there 
 were seven nations of Indians upon the Pohawton, 
 and several others in the immediate vicinity, all of 
 which have been exterminated by their invaders, or 
 by feuds among themselves. They lived in a state 
 of nature, scarcely having attained the rudiments of 
 any science, or any art, save that of war, which they 
 cultivated with great subtlety, and practised upon 
 each other with the fury of wild beasts, aided by a 
 natural sagacity and enthusiasm, which they emi- 
 nently possessed. In civil institutions, they had 
 made so little progress, that all the restraint they 
 
 wa 
 am 
 
 rig 
 
 sti 
 
 » . 
 
lOS. 
 
 The two dis- 
 
 were hence- 
 
 I- But it is 
 
 transactions 
 
 ir respective 
 
 se territories 
 ted out two 
 ntlenien and 
 vessels were 
 red tlie great 
 the natives, 
 adventurers 
 s's River, in 
 t forts, and 
 nsula about 
 where tliey 
 i to be the 
 
 'ginia, there 
 
 ! Pohawton, 
 
 'inity, all of 
 
 nvaders, or 
 
 I in a state 
 
 idiments of 
 
 whicli they 
 
 tised upon 
 
 aided by a 
 
 they emi- 
 
 they had 
 
 traint they 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 41 
 
 may be said to have borne, was a certain undefined 
 obedience to their kings or chiefs, especially during 
 war. The authority of their kings was hereditary, 
 and descended, whether to male or female, in a 
 riii^ht line. 
 
 As to tlieir religion, they entertained a super- 
 stitious veneration for their priests, who practised 
 upon their credulity by pretended miracles, and by 
 damning anathemas against unbelievers ; and they 
 worshipped idols, and sacrificed human beings. Yet, 
 amidst these shocking observances, an early writer 
 has given us the following confession of faith, 
 gathered from one of the most enlightened of the 
 Indians. " That they believed God was universally 
 beneficent : that his dwelling was in heaven above, 
 and that the influence of his croodness reached to 
 tlie earth beneath : that he was i' urnprehensible in 
 his excellence, and enjoyed a" ^^ >ssible felicity: 
 that his duration was eternal, his perfection bound- 
 less ; and that he possessed everlasting tranquillity 
 rnd ease." But the Indian being asked, how he 
 justified the worship of an evil as well as a good 
 spirit, he replied, " 'Tis true, that God is the giver 
 of all good things, but that they flow naturally and 
 promiscuously from him : that they are showered 
 down upon all men indifferently, without distinc- 
 tion : that God does not trouble himself with the 
 impertinent affairs of men, nor is concerned at what 
 they do, but leaves them to make the most of their 
 own free will, and to secure as many as they can of 
 the good things that flow from him ; therefore, it 
 
 }':" 
 
 I fj 
 
 i 
 
 ' 1 
 
 r 
 
• 
 
 '■ 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 1 r 
 
 i I 
 
 Im 
 
 42 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 was to no jnirpose oitliGi* to fear or worsliip Iiim, 
 But, on the contrary, if they did not pacify tlie evil 
 spirit, lie wouhl ruin tlieir healtli, ])eace, and plenty, 
 he beinuf alwavs visitini:: them in their air, thunder- 
 storms, &c." The Indian who pronoiinct'd this 
 rreed, appeared to entertain very proper notions 
 concernini!^ the idol in their temple, as Mell as of the 
 ju2:g'linf2; of the priests. The ])riests themselves in- 
 culcated the doctrine and belief in a future state of 
 retribution ; and they promised to believers all the 
 sensual joys of Mahomet's paradise, with eternal 
 spring', and every thing they most coveted in the 
 ij-reatest perfection ; but, to the unbelievers and the 
 profane, they allotted lakes of fire and torments. 
 
 Men in this rude state of society could not have 
 made any progress in literature ; yet, they commu- 
 nicated their ideas to each other by a sort of hiero- 
 glyphics. They divided their years by snows, or 
 winters, and the seasons, by the progress and decay 
 of vegetation, and they reckoned their months by 
 the changes of the moon. Of their domestic man- 
 ners, there are many remarkable customs recorded, 
 one or two of wdiich should not be passed over. 
 As soon as a child was born, they tied it, in its state 
 of nudity, against a board, where it remained until 
 the texture of its bones w^as rendered firm, and its 
 joirJs were well knit. Whether this be the cause, the 
 men are well proportioned, and the women are deli- 
 cately formed, and sometimes very handsome, while 
 deformity is rare in either sex. They ate of some of 
 the most noxious animals, and they drank water. 
 
 ill. 
 we 
 
 V00(\ 
 
 rap 
 
 soin 
 
 dru 
 
 if 
 
 vi('( 
 
 the 
 
 
 
f 
 
 ox. 
 
 orsliip iiiii], 
 ^iciiy tlie evil 
 , and plenty, 
 lii', tliuntler- 
 ounccd this 
 )|>or notions 
 ell as of the 
 emselves in- 
 tiire state of 
 ^vers all the 
 vith eternal 
 eted in the 
 v^ers and the 
 orinents. 
 Id not have 
 ley commu- 
 •rt of hiero- 
 1 snows, or 
 s and decay 
 months bv 
 lestic man- 
 s recorded, 
 assed over, 
 in its state 
 ained until 
 111, and its 
 ! cause, the 
 in are deli- 
 onie, while 
 of some of 
 ^nk water. 
 
 THE EMIGR.\NTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 43 
 
 «(';^., 
 
 i liey knew not the use of iron ; for the uses to which 
 we aj))>ly knives and axes, they eni])loyed sh(.'lls, 
 roed'i, and hard stones. They obtained fire, by 
 rapidly turniiig tlie end of a jiiece of stick upon 
 sound and dry Mood. To the European vices of 
 drunkenness and fraud tliey were strangers ; so that, 
 if they hiid fewer virtn.es, they had not so uumy 
 vices, as tlie white nu'u wlio invaded and subdued 
 their country. 
 
 A considerable time necessarily elapsed before 
 tliere could be any L;'reat natural increase in the 
 number of the colonists, as but few women accom- 
 panied the first adventurers. "The planters," to 
 use the words of an old autlior, " shifted as well as 
 thev could, bv buvini:: their wives of the Indians." 
 At leuLTtli, the reports of those who were comfort- 
 ably settled caused the inti'oduction of entire fami- 
 lies, and those in authority at liome, sensible of the 
 necessity of proportioning the sexes, in order to 
 tirnily establish, and insure the prosperity of the 
 settlements, encouraged young women of good cha- 
 racter to emigrate upon the same principle which 
 the English government have now wisely adopted 
 for the benefit of the Australian colonies with the 
 like benevolent views. So tardy, however, was the 
 ])rogress that the Virginian colony still made, not- 
 withstamling the nundjer of those who left England 
 for conscience sake, or were driven from its shores 
 by the turbulence of the times, during the reigns of 
 Charles I. and Charles II. and the intermediate 
 space between the sovereignty of these two numarchs, 
 
 tl 
 
 m 
 
 '4 
 i: 
 
 J 
 
 Uf 
 
il' 
 
 "t 
 
 I 
 
 
 :< 
 
 '• 
 
 
 I 
 
 4 
 
 ii 
 
 : 
 
 i 
 
 
 44 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 that one hundred years after the date of the p.atenf. 
 of the first incorporated company, by King James I. 
 in 1606, the population did not exceed 70,000 souls. 
 
 The form of government which the London Com- 
 pany established in their territory, consisted of a 
 president and council of twelve, with a house of re- 
 presentatives. Charles I., who dissolved this associ- 
 ation, still continued the form of government, in a 
 governor and council, and an assembly consisting of 
 two representatives for each county, and one for 
 James Town, fifty-seven in all. The governor and 
 council formed a general court, which took cog- 
 nizance of all matters of dispute whatsoever. 
 
 The south Virginian colony experienced many 
 vicissitudes. They did not greatly profit by the ex- 
 perience of the settlers at Roanoke. Instead of ap- 
 plying their industry to the cultivation of the soil, 
 the most legitimate means of rendering themselve? 
 independent, the original desire of amassing sudden 
 and great riches still kept possession of their imagi- 
 nations ; and they persisted in engaging in the most 
 irregular and unprofitable occupations, until want, 
 disease, wars with the natives, and animosities 
 among themselves, followed, as the natural conse- 
 quence of indulging in these idle dreams ; so that 
 the records of the colony, through a long period of 
 its history, relate a series of distressing events, 
 instead of the pleasing results of progressive im- 
 provement. 
 
 After several weak and ill-directed attempts of 
 the Plymouth Company to colonize the country, at 
 
3N. 
 
 ^fthe patent 
 ^ing James I. 
 70,000 souls, 
 .onclon Com- 
 nsisted of a 
 house of re- 
 1 this associ- 
 nment, in a 
 2oiisisting^ of 
 and one for 
 overnor and 
 li took cog- 
 )ever. 
 
 Bnced many 
 it by the ex- 
 istead of ap- 
 
 of the soil, 
 
 themselve? 
 
 ing sudden 
 their imajji- 
 
 in the most 
 until want, 
 
 animosities 
 ural conse- 
 iis ; so that 
 g period of 
 ing events, 
 [•essive im- 
 
 ttempts of 
 country, at 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCnON. 
 
 45 
 
 tliat time called North Virginia, the coast was, for 
 several years, only visited by a few adventurers, 
 who came to traffic witli the Indians during the 
 summer months. At length, in the year l(i"il, a 
 Mr. Robinson, an Indei)endent, and some others 
 who had been ]»ersecuted in England, and taken 
 refuge in Holland, determined upon founding a 
 church for their sect in the New World. In order 
 to accomplisli this, they purchased atract of country 
 from the Englisli North Virginian Company, and 
 immediatcily proceeded to put their plans into ex- 
 ecution. The party consisted of forty-one families, in 
 all one Imndred and twenty persons ; Ijut the season 
 at which they landed was unfavoral)le for the com- 
 meiicement of their operations. Many, impressed 
 with a sense of tlieir sad condition, gave themselves 
 up to despair; and nearly one half perished from 
 llie combined effects of cold, hunger, and disappoint- 
 ment. The more haidy, lingered through a mise- 
 rable winter, and when the S})ring came, so weary 
 were tliey with what they had undergone, that they 
 were only preserved from perishing by the unex- 
 j»ected arrival of sixty warriors of the savages, who, 
 headed by a chief, came opportunely and generously 
 to their relief. 
 
 Among these magnanimous warriors there was 
 one who had had a great deal of comnmnication with 
 the English traders during their transitory visits, 
 and had acquired some knowledge of their language, 
 llim they selected, and left behind tliem, to in- 
 struct the settlers in the method of cultivatino" the 
 
 ' I 
 
 i^ltl 
 
 
 'i -1 
 
 W 
 
 m 
 
 1 1 
 
 
4r; 
 
 THE EMK;RAM'S INTUODL'CTION. 
 
 
 in.iizo, ,'nitl in tlio Indian mannor of fisliinu' ; an uii- 
 (loul>t<'d proof of the natural dispoj^ition of tin 
 natives to clierisli a kind understanding* with tlic 
 Europeans, hutwliich, U) th(i shame of the I'^nglisli. 
 forms a strong contrast with tlie cruelty and injus- 
 tice of their proceedings. For, as soon as the cohj- 
 nists hecame confident in the streni'th of their 
 num])ers, and the sujierior power of their arms, 
 they attacked and harassed the natives, until whole 
 trilies Avere either exterminated, or driven heyond 
 the precincts of the usurped territory, to which they 
 never returned, but to wage desultory warfare witii 
 the descendants of the first settlers in that part of 
 America. 
 
 Encourai^anl by the succour and friendly inter- 
 course of the Indians, the colonists began to enter- 
 tain fresh liopes of success, and conmienced the 
 Formntion of a settlement, which was speedily in 
 progress. Tiie tirst permanent establishment was 
 tixed, and the first place of wor>hip was erected, 
 in Massachusets Bay, in lat. 41*' 58' N., and Ion. 
 700 10' \v*., and was called Plymouth. 
 
 The members of the new colony looked forwani 
 with anxious expectation to the arrival of some more 
 of their countrymen and sect, whom they expected 
 from England, with a supply of provisions, seeds, 
 domestic animals, and such other assistance as tliev 
 needed. The further persecutions of the puritans 
 contributed to hasten this relief; so that in 1630. 
 but nine years after the arrival of Robinson and his 
 companions, the numbers were so much increased, 
 
)N 
 
 rilL LMIGKAXTS l.NTllO DICTION. 
 
 47 
 
 1 11 'J,' ; an im- 
 ition of tlif 
 iii<r with tlio 
 the I'^iii^lisli, 
 y and injns- 
 as tlH3 colu- 
 ;t]i of tiic'ir 
 tlu'ir arms, 
 until whole 
 iven b(;yon(l 
 ) which they 
 varfaro with 
 that j)art of 
 
 endly intcr- 
 
 an to enter- 
 
 menced the 
 
 speedily in 
 
 hnient wa^ 
 
 las erected, 
 
 , and Ion. 
 
 ed forward 
 
 some more 
 
 ly expected 
 
 ions, seeds, 
 
 nee as they 
 
 le puritans 
 
 jat in 1G;30. 
 
 on and his 
 
 increased, 
 
 that the settler.^ were o])liu'ed to fcrni other cstah- 
 lishnien(<, of which lioston became the principal. 
 
 Anloll^• tlii'sc early colonists were persons of 
 every station, \\lu> had ('nd)i'aced the puritan (h)C- 
 trines. Ihere were even associated with them 
 several of hiuh rank, who had taken the precaution 
 to secure tliemsidves an asylum in the newAmeiican 
 settl('ni('iit>, and caused iin])rovenients to be made, 
 with a determination to retire to their transatlantic 
 j)ossessions, sluiiild their efforts in the cau>e tliey 
 espoused prove unsuccessful. 
 
 The first settlers in MaNsachu>ets Bay, unlike 
 the South N'iri^inidns, had wholly ne'rlected toestab- 
 li.>?h any definite lorm of jiovernment ; so that men 
 lived for some time without the necessary restraints 
 of authority and of laws. Hut as the charier left them 
 at lil)erty to choose and adjust their own civil insti- 
 tutions, as soon as it was found imperative that sonu; 
 form of jM)lity should be thouuht upon, they unani- 
 mously a^i'ieed to ado})t the I'epublican forms ; yet 
 many would not be p>ersuaded that any thini^- but a 
 ])ure democracy could be entitled to the appellation 
 of a re}>ublic, or be worthy of men in a state of 
 absolute freedom and cfjuality. At length, the 
 necessity for the security of individual j)ossessions 
 became too apparent to allow them to renuiin any 
 longer in their unrestrained, and priudtive, and as 
 they yainly unagined, paradisiacal state of sim- 
 ])licity; and the forn;s of their constitution bein*'- 
 settled, they set about framing such laws as they 
 
 I i 
 
 % •' 
 
 
 
 ;i: 
 
 
 ■ 1 4 
 
i i ,' 
 
 48 
 
 THE KMIGRANTS INTHODUCTION. 
 
 '^ 
 
 If 
 
 i, i If 
 
 V 
 
 i 
 
 tlioujxlit suitjiblo to their condition, and the state of 
 society into Mhieh ch'ince liad thrown them. 
 
 Tlie hiM's and institutions which they establislied 
 are so truly characteristic, that a brief notice ol 
 them seems necessary. Ordinary trans^^ressions 
 against the decencies of society were nu\de capital 
 offences. Even children were punished with deatli, 
 for cursing or strikinji; their parents. All ])ersons 
 detected of lying, or drunkenness, or dancing, were 
 ordered to he publicly whi])ped. The worship of 
 images was forbidden on pain of death. Catholic 
 ])riests were to suffer death if they returned to 
 the colony after having been banished ; and also 
 (juaker.-, after having been whipped, branded, and 
 expelled. None, but a mem))er of their com- 
 munion, could hold any share in the govern- 
 ment, altliough they themselves had quitted their 
 country rather than yield to the authority of 
 the church establishment in Eni>land. Those who 
 denied the right of the niagistrates to interfere in 
 matters of religion, were considered blasphemers, 
 and treated with the utmost rigour. Such, indeed, 
 was the rage for persecution among the colonists, 
 that it Avas even attempted by law to put a final end 
 to these differences of opinion, by inflicting death 
 upon all who should dissent from the doctrines of 
 their church. Those who were suspected of enter- 
 taining tolerant opinions, were become so much tlit- 
 objects of persecution, that many of them fled 
 to the w oods, and thus become the means of spread- 
 
\ 
 
 3N. 
 
 1 the state ul 
 lem. 
 
 y establishcfl 
 ief notice oi 
 •aiisijressions 
 iiade capital 
 1 witli death, 
 All })ersons 
 ancinj^, M'ere 
 i worship of 
 h. Catholic 
 returned tu 
 d ; and also 
 branded, and 
 their com- 
 the govern- 
 quitted their 
 authority of 
 Those who 
 interfere in 
 blasphemers, 
 >uch, indeed, 
 he colonists, 
 it a final end 
 licting death 
 i doctrines of 
 ted of enter- 
 so much the 
 )f them fled 
 ,ns of spread- 
 
 THE EMIGHANTS INTRODmiON. 
 
 40 
 
 iiiLC out the hounds of the settlement in several 
 directions. 
 
 The public records of the colony afford many 
 other proofs of the state of degradation into which 
 the minds of these unfortunate enthusiasts iiad 
 fallen. Matters, which in no age had been 
 considered of importance, were magnitii'd into 
 fundamental doctiines, and points of religion ; 
 and the salvation of the soul was to be gained or 
 lost according as men might credit or disbelieve 
 the frightful dogmas of their ignorant ]»reachers. 
 Even the ([uakers, who from their tried patience in 
 enduring the tyranny of their persecutors, must be 
 acknowledged to be the moiet inoH'ensive sect (d'all 
 dtMiominations, could not defend themselves anaiufet 
 the peculiar severity of the puritans. They were 
 made to undei'go the most ignominious punishments; 
 yet, so patient were they under their suiierings, that 
 they inspired a reverence for their opinions, and, by 
 gaining many proselytes, defeated the intentions 
 of their persecutors. Several who returned from 
 banishment were put to death. Nor did the perse- 
 cutions receive any check, until the interference of 
 Charles the Second, in lfi()l . In that year the King 
 issued a proclamation against these excesses ; but 
 he was not able to wholly suppress the malevolent 
 spirit which had taken such deep root in the settle- 
 ments. The religious discussions, with the doc- 
 trines of grace and free will, were about this time 
 revived, by Henry Vane, son of Sir Henry Vane, 
 
 well known in the history of those times ; and while 
 
 't 
 
 i 
 
 
 111 
 
 ( ■ 
 
 V ■ 
 
 ^: 
 
 I! 
 
 
 
I 
 
 II 
 
 li 
 
 1. 
 
 ;t 
 
 
 li 
 
 t 
 
 
 1 / 
 
 
 •Oi) 
 
 'JFIK KMIGHANTS I NTIK) DICTION. 
 
 llir (li-jiut;mts wvvii vw^^wj^cd in llu-ir tliculo'^icjil 
 tli',(|ni>-ih()iis, sevfrnl of tlic savage iialioiis uiiitiMl, 
 f'rll iijxdi tlic plantatious, and iiiassacrt'd great iiiim- 
 Ik!1's oi' llic settlers. So violent weretliese reli;j,ious 
 contest!*, that very little heed was lor sonic time 
 taken of the connnon enemy. At lenjrth the colonist? 
 ilew to arms, and I'epnlx'd the invaders ; hnt lliiswa^ 
 hardly acc()ni|dislied, when a ci\ il war comniciiced 
 anionii' themselves, wliich was acconi]»!inied l>y enor- 
 mities scarcely inl'ei'ior to tho.^e which wei'e acted 
 
 ft/ 
 
 dni'ins^' the most sanu'uinai'y contexts recorded in the 
 annals of any country, in any aiie. 
 
 ft ft ' • * - 
 
 /\ most nnaccountahle (U'U'rcc of frenzy wa> 
 exhihited, in the heliel' in and jninishment ot 
 witcliciali. Numlterswerc saci'ificed, and many oi 
 the most ])rudent (juitted the country which wa* 
 stained with the hlood of so many innocent yictims. 
 But wliile all were sunk in the most <;loomy de- 
 spomh ncy, and a total destruction of the colony 
 seemed at hand, their eyes were suddeidy opened; 
 and, struck v, ith the enormity of their jiiiilt, they fell 
 into a state of the most ]>ainful and hitter remoi'se. 
 A L!:eneial day of linnnliation was a])pointed, when 
 they sought forgiveness, for the crime of havini>: sup- 
 posed that heaven could be jdeased with the sacii- 
 Hces offered up in the condemnation of the citizens. 
 
 But there is a fairer i)age in the early history oi 
 this colony. The i>ersecutions in l-lniiland haye been 
 
 ft/ 1 ~ 
 
 already noticed, as tlie grand cause of the emigrations 
 that took ])lace after the first settlements were estab- 
 lished in America. So great was the number who 
 
 was 
 
 " all 
 it ;,. 
 
 a 
 
I 
 
 Diis united. 
 y;vv;\\ iiimi- 
 
 soino lime 
 he colonists 
 hilt ti lis was 
 [•ouiincjic'CHl 
 cd by cuor- 
 wore Jictud 
 >i(li'(l in the 
 
 frenzy wii- 
 
 isliuient ot 
 
 nd niJinv of 
 
 wliicli wus 
 
 L'nt victims. 
 
 gloomy de- 
 
 the colony 
 
 ily opened ; 
 
 ilt, they fell 
 
 er remoi'se. 
 
 nted, when 
 
 liavinji: sup- 
 
 h the sacri- 
 
 he citizens. 
 
 history oi 
 
 d liiive been 
 
 I'migration? 
 
 were estab- 
 
 umber who 
 
 * 
 
 Tin: KMKiH.VNTS IN IKUDIC TION. 
 
 r>l 
 
 evinci'd an inclination to (pilt their eoiintrv, ih;if 
 the court it'-elf took the ahii'ni. It heinn' l>eli«'ved 
 that several nohh-men and '^t'ntb'nieii, who had 
 lately procured patent-^ for takiuLT p(>ssessioji (d' 
 tracts of land, intendetl to emin'rate, a royal order 
 wjis issueil, dated April ;J()th, l(j;J7 ; ''To resti-ain 
 ^" all di-ioi'derly triinsportatioiMd' His Majesty's suh- 
 '' ject- to the plantations in America, without, a 
 " licence from His Majesty's ('ommissioners, be- 
 " cause of the very idle and refractory humours, 
 *' whos(.' o)ily and [trincipal end was to live without 
 '• the reach of authority." An<l the next day an 
 order was nuide in council : "That tin,' I'irst Lord of 
 " the treasury in I'iiiiiland, then a bishop, shoidd 
 " take sp(^edy and eHectual course for the s^tay ol 
 *' ei;;ht shij»s then in the Thanus, preparm*^ to u'o 
 " to New Iviiuland ; and should likewise give orders 
 *' for puttinL( on land all passengers and pr()vision> 
 *■ therein intended for the voyaij:e." Oliver Crom- 
 well and John Hampden are said to have been on 
 l)oard one of these vessels, for the pur])ose of I'e 
 imivini:' to the colony in New Enuland. 
 
 After the colonists had recovered from the eH'eci- 
 of the late violent auitations, and tram[uillity beuan 
 to 1)0 established throuL;h the settlements, nninv 
 wise and salutarv laws were made, for the better 
 preservation of order, and the general safetv 
 and protection from the destructive inroads of the 
 siivages. The clearing of land, instead of beiui:" 
 left to chance, was put under useful restrictions, and 
 no settler could sit down, where temporary ad van- 
 
 D 2 
 
 s 
 
 M 
 
 ♦!• 
 
 'I 
 
 im 
 
 f '< 
 
 ii 
 
 jl 
 
 \ i 
 
i 
 
 \ 
 
 I '« 
 
 !■ t 
 
 \ i^ ' 
 
 il 
 
 - I 
 f 
 
 i 
 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 •tage was nloue considered; hut, vipon sixty families 
 undertaking to build a church, and maintain a 
 clergyman and schoolmaster, the government allot- 
 ted them a situation, and permitted them to send 
 two representatives to the legislative assembly of 
 the colony. Each district of land so assigned 
 always bordered upon what was already allotted, 
 and ordinarily contained about G(),0()0 acres. The 
 particular spot upon which the settlers should plant 
 themselves, erect their buildings, and lay the foun- 
 dations of a town, being left to themselves, was 
 usually advantageously chosen, and the streets and 
 squares were laid out before a hut was erected. 
 The church was generally placed in the centre of 
 the town ; and, as soon as it wa^ practicable, a fair 
 division of the property took place, each family re- 
 taining a portion of the grand allotment, with ii 
 proportion of the town plot, in building lots ; and 
 a sufficient reserve was always set apart for public 
 buildings, to be erected when the increase and im- 
 portance of the place should require them. 
 
 Such was now the employment, and such were tlu 
 pursuits, of men so lately occupied with the extra- 
 vagant ravings of religious zeal. Wise and equitable 
 regulations, dictated by liberal and open views, 
 soon peopled so large a space of country, that a 
 state division was found necessary for the better 
 iiovernment of the settlements. Accordingly, tin 
 extensive tract of country which formerly belonged 
 to the North Virginian Company, and now called 
 New England, was divided into four provinces 
 
S'. 
 
 tty families 
 maintain a 
 meiit allot- 
 em to send 
 ssenibly of 
 
 o 
 
 assigned 
 
 y allotted, 
 seres. Tlie 
 
 loiild plant 
 V the foun- 
 selves, was 
 
 streets and 
 ^as erected, 
 le centre of 
 cable, a fair 
 h family re- 
 ent, with a 
 g lots ; and 
 t for public 
 lase and ini- 
 !m. 
 
 ich were the 
 h the extra- 
 nd equitable 
 open views, 
 ntry, that a 
 • the better 
 rdingly, tlie 
 'Iv beloni^jeil 
 
 now called 
 
 provinces ; 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTR ODUCTIONr 
 
 53 
 
 Massachusets, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and 
 Connecticut; of which, Boston, Portsmouth, New- 
 port, and Hartford, became the capital towns. 
 
 The new provinces were at first entirely inde- 
 pendent of each other ; but the attacks of the 
 
 § savages obliged them, for the general interest and 
 
 I safetv, to form a confederacy, which was effected in 
 the year 1(J43; and they were henceforth known 
 under tlie name and title of the " United Colonies:" 
 
 M and thus was the foundation laid, for the existing 
 connection of interests in the present '* United 
 
 I States" of America. 
 
 As soon as this league was completed, two depu- 
 ties were appointed to assemble on the ))art of each 
 colony, to consult upon the general affairs of the 
 " United Colonies" being governed by such instruc- 
 tions Jis they should receive from their own state 
 assem])lv. But tiie terms of this association did not 
 bind each individual state to act in its particular 
 affairs, otherwise than entirely as the local govern- 
 ment thought proper. There was no responsibility 
 to the associated authorities, or even always to the 
 mother-country. The only submission exacted by the 
 government at home, was the mere acknowledg- 
 ment of the kings of England as their sovereigns. 
 Chai'les II. was, however, desirous of rendering the 
 colonies more dei)endent ; and INIassacliusets, the 
 most populous, being found guilty of a misdemeanor 
 against the government, the king, in 1G84, seized 
 the o})portunity to take away its charter, and it 
 remained in this situation until the revolution of 
 
 |i. 
 
 I'li 
 
 ir' 
 
 i 
 
 M I 
 
 ']•■ 
 
 y ,JL i , 
 
 3 i\ 
 
 ■lij 
 
 ( r 
 
 )\ 
 
r>4 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 !( 
 
 i 
 r 
 
 > 
 
 «; 
 
 V, I 
 
 tj >,, 
 
 1()HS, when it was endowed witli another, but whicli 
 did not answer the expectations of the colonists. 
 The new forms reserved to the parent state the 
 rJL,dit of noniinatini*- tlie (governor and apjxjintiny 
 ail the military oHicers, and also of filling" u}) all the 
 oHices of the civil department ; l)ut permitted the 
 colonists to retain tlieir legislative intiiience, in tin. 
 choice of their representatives. 
 
 iii; 
 
 
 :n 
 
 ,ii 
 
 f\ 
 
 If 
 
 
 r 
 
r, but wliicli 
 he colonists, 
 lit state the 
 1 appoiiitiiiii 
 ig" up all till' 
 .Tinittud tlie 
 euce, in the 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 00 
 
 
 CIIAPTKR VI. 
 
 Dutcli Encroachinpnts.— Lcagiio with tlu; Intlians of tlic Tivc \a- 
 li-iiH. — Sottlc'.iu'iit <if C'aiiiul I l)y tlir I'miicli, — Xovi Sc;)tia 
 c(!(lcil. — Cai)(' JJrotoii [slaii'l di-iC iviTcd In' tlie Frcuoli. — Tiiki'ii 
 hy tlic I"^iizlisli- — Frciu'li settle in the Island of St. Joliu,— •Penn- 
 sylvania bottled. — Xcwfoundland. 
 
 Having broug-lit the* {iccount of tlie most im- 
 portant of the En«^lish colonies up to tlio period of 
 rlioii" h('u;iiiiiing* to assume the appearance of or- 
 ganized states, it is necessary to make a few obser- 
 vations u])on the transactions of tlie French and tlie 
 Dutch, which were the only two nations in Europe 
 that imitated our example, or took any steps, if we 
 except the Spaniards in Mexico, towards the estalj- 
 lisliment of colonies in America. 
 
 The Dutch, as early as the year 1G08, purchased 
 of Captain Hudson, wlio discovered the river whicli 
 bears his name, a great part of that country which 
 is now comprised within the boundaries of the state 
 of New York, where they had previously established 
 settlements. Tlie transfer having taken })lace with- 
 out the licence of King James, the occupants were 
 s})eedily dis[)ossessed by Sir S. Argal, governor of 
 Virginia, who visited them for that pur[)ose. TJiey 
 then made application to the king, and received lil)erty 
 to erect a few buildings for the convenience of their 
 ships, touching there for fresh water and provisions; 
 
 ip 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 '■. ■■5d 
 
 ! 
 
 ^% 
 
 :ii 
 
 ^'^m 
 
 w 
 
66 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 1^ 
 
 v^. 
 
 }\U 
 
 I M 
 
 iU 
 
 
 ! t 
 
 'I ^ 
 
 'MM 
 
 
 !l 
 
 
 '] 
 
 hut ihey soon exceeded their licence, hy building and 
 
 fortifying towns, cultivating the land, and carrying o n 
 
 trade with the Indians. New Amsterdam was their 
 
 chief establishment. It remained in the hands of 
 
 its founders until the year 1G64, when Charles II. 
 
 made it a present to his brother the Duke of York, 
 
 and Sir Robert Carr was sent with about 3000 men 
 
 and some ships of w'ar to gain j)ossession of the 
 
 country ; but, immediately upon his arrival, the city 
 
 was surrendered, with all the Dutch settlements in 
 
 the provinces ; and the name of New York was 
 
 henceforth given to the town, as well as to the 
 
 province. 
 
 Not long after this, a league was concluded with 
 the Indians of the Five Nations, which were united 
 and very powerful. This compact long continued 
 unbroken ; so that, by the treaty of Utrecht, in 
 1713, the French were obliged to maintain good 
 faith with the Indians, as inviolably as with the 
 English. The five kings came over to England 
 during the reign of Queen Anne, to give the English 
 the fullest assurance of their fidelity ; and these 
 nations became identified as our most faithful allies, 
 during the remorseless wars which were for some 
 time carried on with the French, aided also, by their 
 Indian allies. 
 
 The French, indeed, were the only Europeans, 
 except the English, who made any considerable 
 fiirure in the colonization of the northern continent 
 of America. Their earliest and chief settlements 
 were upon the great river St. Lawrence, in the 
 
 the 
 
 .1 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 57 
 
 Iding- and 
 rryingon 
 was tlieir 
 
 hands of 
 liarles II. 
 
 of York, 
 3000 men 
 )n of the 
 1, the city 
 enients in 
 Lork was 
 is to the 
 
 ided witli 
 Te united 
 continued 
 recht, in 
 ain good 
 with the 
 England 
 5 English 
 iid these 
 'ul allies, 
 for some 
 , hy their 
 
 ropeans, 
 siderable 
 ontinent 
 dements 
 , in the 
 
 I 
 
 country of Canada. This part of the continent was 
 nndou])tedly first discovered hy Cahot, during the 
 reign, and in the service of King Henry VII. ; but 
 the English preferred the shores of the Atlantic in 
 a more ^ienial latitude, and neglected to keep pos- 
 session of the northern or interior regions. 
 
 In 1525, Francis I. sent out V^arrazzano, a Flo- 
 rentine, to attempt, as it was pretended, the dis- 
 covery of a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean ; 
 but in reality, as is more probable, for the purpose 
 of ascertaining the capabilities of the country. 
 Varrazzano, after having accomplished two voyages, 
 sailed on a third expedition, for the purpose of 
 planting a colony, but was never afterwards heard 
 of; and it remains uncertain, whether his colonv 
 was cut otl' by the savages, or pei'ished by famine, or 
 even whether they ever landed in the country. 
 
 In the year 1534, the French again attempted to 
 make discoveries, and to colonize Canada. The 
 king sent out three ships under tlie conduct of 
 Jaques Cartier of St. Maloes, who sailed along tlie 
 coast of Newfoundland, entered the Gulf of St. Law- 
 rence, landed in several jdaces and took formal pos- 
 session of the country in his sovereign's name, lie 
 visited it again in 1535, and wintered at St. Croix, 
 in the bay of Fundy ; but, owing to the severity of 
 the season, and the prevalence of the scurvy, his 
 party, it is said, would have all perished, had they 
 not made use of the buds of wild pines, which were 
 found to relieve that disorder. Cartier, however. 
 
 . 
 
 h ■ I 
 
 if 
 
 d5 
 
 '1} 
 
 (I 
 
m 
 
 .8 
 
 TilE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Hi 
 
 iiotwitlistaiidiiig Lis sufferings, impressed tlie king 
 ^vitll so favorable an opinion of the cajiabilities of 
 the countrv for settlement, tliat this monarch, in 
 1540, appointed one Roberval viceroy of Canada, 
 Jiiid sent out an expedition with Cartier in the capa- 
 city of pilot. A fort was constructed in the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence, and Cartier was h^ft in tlic command 
 of the garrison, while the viceroy returne<l to 
 France, to ol)tain new su})plies and more settlers. 
 In 1049, llol)erval auain end^arked with a numl)er 
 of adventurers, but no accounts of the fate of him- 
 self or any of his comj)anions ever reached Euroj)e. 
 No further attempts were made by the French, 
 until tlie reign of Henry IV., who ap[)ointed the 
 Marquis de la Roche lieutenant-general of Canada 
 and the neighbouring countries : but the marquis 
 did little more than make an absurd attempt to colo- 
 nize a sand island a])out thirty leagues from the 
 coast, now known 1)y the name of Sable Island; 
 and upon wdiich there is not, nor proljably ever 
 was, or will be, a single tree. Here he left forty 
 nialefactors, who, it is said, made themselves huts 
 out of the fragments of one of the F'rench ships 
 which was wrecked upon the coast, and subsisted 
 upon fish for seven years, keei)ing up their supply 
 of necessary clothing, from the skins of seals which 
 resorted to this ishind. At length the king sent a 
 vessel to remove them, and they were brought back 
 to France. It is added, that Henry, having first 
 ordered that they should be brought into his pre- 
 
N. 
 
 TflE EMIGRANTS I NTHODUCTION. 
 
 61) 
 
 I'd tlio kiiiir 
 l)abilities of 
 iioiiar(!li, in 
 
 of Cimuda, 
 in tile capa- 
 
 thoGiilfof 
 C3 conunaiK! 
 etiiriit'd t(j 
 'I'O settlers. 
 1 a mim])ei' 
 ate ofliiui- 
 (m1 Europe, 
 lie French, 
 )oiiitecl the 
 
 of Canada 
 le iriarqiiis 
 npt to colo- 
 5 from tlie 
 )le Island; 
 l)ablv ever 
 i loft forty 
 elves huts 
 mch ships 
 
 subsisted 
 lOir supply 
 eals which 
 :ing sent a 
 ught back 
 -ving- first 
 his ])re- 
 
 sence in their island dresses, generously forgave 
 tlnini their ot^fences, and presented each man Avitli 
 lifty crowns. 
 
 In the year IGOO, (Jhauvin, a commander in the 
 French service, acconij)anied by Pontgrave, a mer- 
 cliant of St. iVIaloes, undertook a voyage, in order 
 to learn the truth of the various reports and opinions 
 respecting the country. He succeeded in vie\vinLi" 
 it, and obtaining ;i (pnmtity of furs, and tlie next 
 yeai- made ii .-econd proiitable voyage, and was pre- 
 juiriiig for a third, when he died. The success, 
 lioMes'ei', of ins two voyag'es excited general intpiii'v, 
 and so fivoural)le were the conclusions that were 
 drawn, that an armament was litted out under the 
 comnuuid of Pontgrave, who had instructions to 
 extend his discoveries up the river St. Lawrence. 
 Tliis he accom[>lished in 1G1);3, in company with 
 Samuel Chamjdiiin of the French navy, who had tlie 
 rej)utation of being a man of uncomihon genius and 
 enterprise. It was not, however, until the year 
 1G08, that the tirst French colony was fully estab- 
 lished. In that year the I-'rencli founded the city 
 ol' (Quebec, which is still the capital of Canada. 
 
 Too much praise cannot be bestowed ujion the 
 founders of (Quebec, for their judgment in selectim!; 
 so lavorable a position, as well, for its healthy situ- 
 ation, the protection which it alfords tlie settle- 
 ments, and the convenience of trade, as for the 
 r(anaiitic beauty of the country which surrounds it. 
 
 It was many years before the colony of Quebec 
 made any considerable progress. The savages 
 
 i\ 
 
 fi 
 
 [:(; 
 
 i ■ 
 
 V t 
 
 r 
 
 H 
 
 '■f. 1' 
 
 
> ] 
 
 ( 
 
 'I Iff' 
 
 60 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 5 ii!^ 
 
 ■ 
 
 ! I 
 
 
 
 (I 
 
 •i! ; 
 
 
 
 I ' 
 
 y <. 
 
 
 I 
 
 III 
 
 
 
 1 1 ^ :? 
 
 i 
 
 5 I 
 
 tliJit encompassed it were a warlike race, and the 
 Frencli were for some time in danger of beinj^- 
 totally exterminated. At lenf::tli, a treaty was con- 
 cluded with the Indians, and the politic measures 
 of the French settlers so strongly cemented the 
 good understanding, that their former enemies 
 became their faithful allies ; and during the war 
 which afterward raged between the English and 
 French colonists, they were the willing instruments 
 of the latter, in the execution of some of the most 
 b.'irbarous excesses of which history affords any 
 example. 
 
 Besides their efforts to settle Canada, the French, 
 several years before the plantation of the first settle- 
 ments in New England, made some attempts to 
 colonize Nova Scotia. Although the country of 
 right belonged to England, so little value was at- 
 tached to it, that no obstacles were thrown in the 
 way of tliese encroachments. They fixed their set- 
 tlements on the Bay of Fundy, and altered the 
 name of the peninsula to that of Arcadia, and called 
 their capital Port Royal. The colonists, however, 
 took no pains to improve the country, but turned 
 their attention almost exclusively to the fur-trade. 
 
 The Indians who inhabited this district, though 
 inspired with a love of war, in common with the 
 other tribes of America, are spoken of by some early 
 French writers as rcmarkal)ly docile and sociable 
 in their manners. Thus, the catholic missionaries 
 of that age found but little difTiculty in insinuating 
 themselves into their friendship and confidence ; 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODt^CTION. 
 
 61 
 
 1 1(1 
 
 e, and tlie 
 of bein^- 
 ' was con- 
 measures 
 enled tlio 
 ' enemies 
 I the war 
 ^lisli and 
 struinents 
 ' the most 
 ords any 
 
 e Frencli, 
 
 rstsettle- 
 
 ;empts to 
 
 3untry of 
 
 e was at- 
 
 vn in tlie 
 
 their set- 
 
 ered tlie 
 
 nd called 
 
 lowever, 
 
 t turned 
 
 trade. 
 
 though 
 with the 
 me early 
 
 sociable 
 sionaries 
 iinuating 
 ifidence ; 
 
 hut with the christian creed which they tauglit, tliey 
 instilled into their minds that hatred of the English 
 which they themselves possessed. It is said, that, in 
 order to stimulate the vengeance of the Indians, 
 above all tilings, they were made to believe, that 
 Jesus Christ was a Frenchman, and that the Jews 
 who crucified him were E^gli^hmen ; but, from the 
 little impression that any christian doctrines appear 
 to have made upon their minds, even at this day, 
 we may safcdy conclude, that the shocking excesses 
 which the Indians committed, were rather the con- 
 sequences of their own savage dispositions when 
 excited by war, than the result of missionary instiga- 
 tion. Yet there exists suthcient evidence to remove 
 any doubt, that the utmost power which the priests 
 could obtain over the credulitv of the sava^res, was 
 exerted to excite them against the enemies of France. 
 By these devices, the French enjoyed, for some time, 
 the exclusive benefit of the fur-trade within the best 
 supplied districts of America. 
 
 That indilierence which at first appeared to insure 
 peace between the neighbouring colonies and rival 
 nations, soon gave place to jealousy and war; and 
 perpetual hostilities were kept uj) between them, 
 until the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, when tiie penin- 
 sula of Arcadia was for ever ceded to the Enjilish, 
 and was by them restored to its ancient name of 
 Nova Scotia. Port Royal was fortified and re- 
 named Annapolis, in honor of (^ueen Anne, in 
 whose reign the ])rovince was finally ceded. 
 
 It was not until the peace of 1749, that the 
 
»l 
 
 G2 
 
 THE EMIGRANT M INTUODl CTION. 
 
 ^J 
 
 
 
 7 - 
 
 Hrltisli i^overnmoiit beuMri to estiiiKito tlie valiu* ot 
 Novt'i Scotiji. In that yoar, some steps were takrn 
 to coloiiizi; it, chiellv, bv urraiitinji; out tracts of land 
 to officers and men of tin; navv and iirniv wlio liiid 
 served tlieir country durinj;' tlie war, reservinij; to 
 tlie crown an almost nominal (|uit-rent of one 
 sliillini^ a year upon every fifty acres. Tlie lots ot 
 land tlnis p:rauted w(.'re proportioned accordint^ to 
 the rank of each individual and the number of his 
 family, and rarely exceeded GOO acres. Fifty acres 
 were given to a seaman or private soldier without 
 family ; hut to those who carried I'amilies, ten acres 
 were added for each individutd, Many settlers ol 
 this latter class would, as may he su])posod, be 
 destitute of the meansof conunencing the cultivation 
 of their lands, and there was not sufficient popu- 
 lation to create such employment as might enable 
 them to relieve the first necessities of a colonist. It 
 was, on this account, wisely undertaken by the 
 government, to make advances to those who had 
 nothing, and to reimburse those who were not in 
 actual want, for the expences of transporting them- 
 selves to the colony, and to defray the necessary 
 expences of one year, and also to provide the im- 
 plements of agriculture and the most useful articles 
 for the fisheries. Encouraged by this well-directed 
 liberality, between three and four thousand persons 
 embarked and settled in Nova Scotia the same year. 
 The island of Caj)e Breton was also first colo- 
 nized by the French, who retained possession of it, 
 until the total overthrow of the interests of F^rance 
 
 ni 1 
 
 her 
 
 not 
 
 nan 
 
 Dai 
 
 ere( 
 
 dioi 
 
 ini 
 
 ("111 
 
 nni 
 
 ten 
 
 nio 
 
 sou 
 
 Loi 
 
I 
 
 K' VullU' Ot 
 
 wrrc taken 
 Ids of hind 
 
 y who had 
 'survlii^- t,, 
 
 lit of OIH' 
 
 '1 10 h)ts ol 
 cordino- to 
 
 • Ix'l' of Ill's 
 
 I'il'ty acres 
 or withoul 
 , ten acres 
 settlers of 
 
 j)OSC(I, })V 
 
 !Hltivatloi) 
 ieril |)oj)ii- 
 
 i'lit eiKihh" 
 •loiiist. ft. 
 ^n ))v th(.' 
 wlio had 
 I'e not ill 
 in.U' tliem- 
 necessary 
 e the im- 
 il articles 
 l-directed 
 J persons 
 I me year, 
 irst colo- 
 ioii of it, 
 f France 
 
 THK KMKJKANTS INTHO l)l( TION. 
 
 ():3 
 
 ill America. A few I'rench tishernien had resorted 
 here from a verv eiirlv period, hut the ishnid was 
 nut taken fornnil possession of nntil ITl^J, when its 
 name was changed to that of Ible IJoyale. Port 
 Daiipliin, tlw harbour in wlii(di the Frenidi lirst 
 erected tlndr permanent ahodes, altlioni;li coninn:)- 
 (Hons, well sheltered, and capable of bein;;* rendered 
 iiiipi'euiiable at a small expence, was found so difii- 
 cult (»f access, that the place wa^ abandoned, after 
 nmcb tiuH^ and t!xpence had been bestowed in !it- 
 tcniptinij; to improv(! it. Alter tin-, they selected a 
 more favorable spot, within a line harbour upon the 
 soutb-ea?tern shore of the i-land. Here they buill 
 Ii()ui>bui'u'li, and erected fortitications. 
 
 After tile final reversion of Nova Scotia to the 
 crown of (ireat J^ritain, it was the wish !ind exj)ec- 
 tation of the Frencli to see their Arcadian subjects 
 remove to Isle Uoyale, but their hopes wei'e nevei- 
 reali/.i'd. The located colonists ])referre(l a chan^'e 
 of masters to a change of country, habitations, and 
 homes; ainl, notwitlistandiiig that the terms of the 
 treaty pernntted them, not only to remove their 
 effects, ])ut even to dis})osc of their improved estates, 
 the greater part retained their possessions, which 
 thiur descendants enjoy to this day. 
 
 But the French ct)lony in Isle Iloyale was re- 
 cruited, from time to time, bv the arrival of dis- 
 tressed emiuTants from France, ami soon amounted 
 to the nundjer of 4000 souls, in the several settle- 
 ments of Louis])urg, Fort Daiqihin, Toulouse, and 
 Neruclia. • Their attention was chiefly confined to 
 
 I'i 
 
 it 
 
 U 
 
 ■ i 
 
 r'l! 
 
 
 If- 1 
 
 ' It 
 
 w 
 
 
In! 
 
 64 
 
 THE EMHiRAM S INTHODUC TION, 
 
 ; ■!.' 
 
 I ! 
 
 H: 
 
 i 
 
 .III 
 
 i 'ft 
 
 i :M 
 
 tlic prosecution of tlie fisliorios, and \\w tradcMvliicli 
 arose; out of this lucnitive occiijuirioTi. A«::rioultural 
 j)ursuits were entirely iie;:;leete(l, altliouufli tliere 
 are many parts in the vieinity of the old capital, 
 capa])le of prodiicin;^ the !>reiul corns. Tin; trade at 
 this time was limited to the export of fish with n 
 few furs; in return for which, the settlers received 
 their most necessary supplies. 
 
 In tin; year 1745, a most singular attack was 
 made ujton Cape Breton, hy the colonists of New 
 En<j,land, and was attended with as sine;ular success. 
 A merchant of Boston, named Pejiperel, first con- 
 ceived the project of takinu^ possession of the island, 
 and was chosen to conduct the enterprise, and en- 
 trusted with the command of 600 men, levied for the 
 purpose. The forces were conveyed hy a squadron 
 which happened to })e on its return from the West 
 Indies, and the plans were so well concerted, and 
 so cautiously carried into execution, that the French 
 were taken hy surprise. But, considering the 
 strength of Louisburgh, upon the fortifications of 
 which much pains had been bestowed, and large sums 
 of money expended, and allowing for the inexperience 
 of the hastily-raised regiments of New Englanders, 
 supplied with sea-officers only, and commanded by 
 a merchant, to whom, although familiar with danger, 
 the science of war was little known, had the town 
 been tolerably garrisoned, a favorable termination 
 of this gallant exploit could hardly have been anti- 
 cipated. But, at the time, there were only 600 
 trained men in Louisburgh, with a militia, hastily 
 
 -.iruit' 
 part 
 
 thi>, 
 
idcMvliicli 
 i(Milr?iral 
 c'l tliorc 
 cHpital, 
 ! trndo .'It 
 li with a 
 received 
 
 ack wa."^ 
 of New 
 success, 
 irst con- 
 e island, 
 and en- 
 d for tlie 
 qiiadron 
 he West 
 e<J, and 
 ! Frencli 
 ng the 
 tions of 
 ^e sums 
 )erience 
 landers, 
 ided by 
 danger, 
 e town 
 ination 
 m anti- 
 y 600 
 hastily 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 THK EMIORANI S INTRODirTION 
 
 65 
 
 I. t 
 
 arnicd, and composed of men, who, like the greater 
 part of their opponents, had prohahly n(\er seen u 
 ^iep\ or fared an eneni} . The garrison had, hesides 
 this, heen six months in a state of mutiny when the 
 |ji<di^li arrived. 
 
 The patriotism of tin* l^rench soldiers was at this 
 critical monu'nt conspicuous. S(>ein<^ tlie nec(^ssity 
 of union in the common cause, they made the first 
 advances to their otticers, and evinced their readi- 
 ness to defend the fort in the time of common 
 danirer; but their officers, mistrustin*; a generous 
 feeling of which they themselves were not capable, 
 believed that the object of the soldiers was to sally 
 out and desert to the enemy. Thus, the defence of 
 Louisburgh being so ill-conducted, the ganison 
 was obliged to capitulate ; and there being no other 
 fort, the rest of the island fell, with the caj)ital, into 
 the hands of the English. But this large and valu- 
 able possession, with its coal-mines, fine liar])ours, 
 and every requisite for extensive fisheries, was 
 again yielded uj) to the French at the treaty of 
 Aix-la-Chapelle, only three years after its fortunate 
 conquest. From this time it remained attached to 
 the crown of France, until the war which ended in 
 the reduction of the other French colonies, and the 
 subjugation of the whole of ISorth America to the 
 dominion of Britain. 
 
 The French planted some colonies, also, in the 
 Island of St. John, within the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
 now called Prince Edward's Island ; but the country 
 being found better adapted for agricultural pursuits 
 
 !|J 
 
 4 
 
 "i 
 
 ■'I 
 
 i.i,-| 
 
(>G 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 than for the business of fishiiii;,-, and the stea'ly em- 
 ploynient in tiUa^e not agreeing- so well witli the 
 i^enius of the early Frencli eolonists, very little 
 improvement of any kind was for some time made. 
 Tliose settlers, liowever, who made agriculture their 
 eliief pursuit, enjoyed the greatest prosperity, until 
 this colony fell, with the neighbouring provinces, 
 into the hands of the English. 
 
 The important colony of Pennsylvania was not 
 amoii'.;- the earliest of the English establishments in 
 America. The Dutcli, as far back as the year 1G08, 
 included that district within the teri'itory which 
 they considered themselves authorized to ])ossess by 
 virtue oi their purchase from Hudson, the dis- 
 coverer of that part of America ; and it was not 
 until after the English, during the Dutch war in 
 irj()4, took possession of their settlements, by the 
 Duke of York, to whom they were granted, sending 
 a s(|uadron under the conduct of Sir Robert Carr, 
 that any decided or successful attempts were made 
 to colonize Pennsylvania. The Duke parcelled out 
 his extensive possessions, and sold them to ditlerent 
 pro})rietors. Sir William Penn, who had formerly 
 commanded Oliver Cromwell's ilcet, and who 
 became captain-general under the Duke of York 
 after the restoration, purchased the settlement of 
 New-Castle or Delaware, and the country to the 
 distance of about twelve miles around it ; and also 
 that hirge tract of country known by the name oi" 
 the "Three lower countries u})on the Delaware 
 River." Some time after this, all the pro[)rietors, 
 
I? 
 
 early em- 
 witli the 
 LM'v little 
 ne made, 
 lire tlieij' 
 itv, until 
 roviiices, 
 
 was not 
 iiients ill 
 jar 1GU8, 
 y which 
 
 OSSGSS bv 
 
 the (li.s- 
 was not 
 I war in 
 i, bv the 
 , sending 
 srt Carr, 
 re made 
 elled out 
 di tie rent 
 formerly 
 nd who 
 of York 
 ment of 
 i to the 
 find also 
 name of 
 elawarc 
 )riotor^, 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 67 
 
 except Penn, surrendered their charters to the 
 crown, and JNew York and New Jersey became 
 royal governments. In 1()81, Charles II., as a 
 compensation for the services of Penn, who died in 
 IHTO, and in consideration (jf debts due to him 
 from the crown at his decease, granted to his son, 
 \\'illiam Penn, all the country west of the lliver 
 Delaware, which then formed the province of 
 I'ennsvlvania. 
 
 Penn, now sole proprietor of the whole province, 
 ])ablished a brief account of it, with the king's 
 patent; and, as the terms of settlement for the tirst 
 adventurers were liberal, many persons were induced 
 to go over. For the better security of his j)ro- 
 prietory, and the safety of tlie colonists, he fur- 
 ther ])urchased the same country from its ancient 
 and legitimate possessors. By this ])olicy, a peace 
 was concluded with the aboriiiines which was never 
 broken ; so that the colonists who settled in Penn- 
 sylvania dwelt in security, while the most bloody 
 and cxtirniinating wars were more or less the in- 
 heritance of the peo[)le of almost every other dis- 
 trict in America. Penn, although brought up at 
 the university of Oxford, was a quaker; and the 
 faith of his sect is ascendant in the state of Penn- 
 sylvania to this day. 
 
 The first constitution of this province was drawn 
 up by the ))roj)rietor, and consisted of twenty-four 
 articles. The profession of the Society of Friends 
 was declared to be the religion of the state; but the 
 first article confirmed to every settler the free 
 
 i ■ 11 
 
 'l-n 
 
 
 1 li 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 I 
 
■I^\ 
 
 68 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS IxN TRODUCTION . 
 
 illif 
 
 ^ 
 
 ii|ii 
 
 H i 
 
 ofl 
 
 exercise ol liis own lornis oi worsni}) in 
 
 f( 
 
 hich 
 
 red to liiin tli 
 
 the 
 {il)le 
 
 numner 
 to God, 
 
 appeared to nun tiie most acc( ^ 
 so long as this libei-ty was exercised witliout licen- 
 tiousness, and not perverted for the destruction or 
 disturhanceof others. He established courts ofjustice 
 in each county ; and, in eacli court, three peace- 
 makers were appointed to hear and decide differences 
 between friend and friend : but there was no pro- 
 vision made to assure the public safety, or oppose 
 the approaches of an invading enemy. At length, 
 many ]»eople of other sects settled in Virginia, and 
 a militia was loudly contended for; but the prin- 
 ciples of the mfijority of tlie people not allowing 
 the use of arms in any case, the cpieslion remained 
 unsettled until one of their ships fell into the bands 
 of pirates, when they so far relaxed in their funda- 
 mental tenets, as to hire men of other sects, and 
 send out an armed force to retake her. 
 
 After this experience, all those who believed that 
 measures of defence were necessary, were allowed 
 to train themselves and make such military dispo- 
 sitions as they thought most conducive to indivi- 
 dual security, and to the safety of the country. 
 But while Pennsylvania remained a province of 
 Britain, the settlers enjoyed uninterrui)ted })eace 
 with the Indians, ami the »State internal tranquillity ; 
 and these blessings were justly attributed to the 
 moderation and politic measures of Penn, and the 
 tolerant spirit of the predominant religion, which 
 never led its votaries to any acts of opj)ression, or, 
 by any intemperate zeal, called forth the pity or 
 
 .» 
 
1 "1 
 
 f( 
 
 manner 
 tu God, 
 lit licen- 
 ictioii or 
 jf'ju»tic(^ 
 ? peace- 
 fere nces; 
 no pro- 
 oppose 
 ; length, 
 nia, and 
 le prin- 
 illowin<r 
 eniained 
 le hands 
 r f'linda- 
 L^ts, and 
 
 ved that 
 allowed 
 y dispo- 
 
 indivi- 
 ountry. 
 ince of 
 I i)eace 
 uillity ; 
 
 to the 
 ind the 
 
 which 
 on, or, 
 pity or 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 69 
 
 eonteni})t wliioh attaclied to almost every other 
 reiiuions community at that time established in the 
 new world. 
 
 In 1704, the British L^overnment jud^-ed it propei' 
 to make some alterations in the political constitu- 
 tion of the province. It was in future to consist 
 of three estates, in imitation, as in the other planta- 
 tions, of the parliament of the mother-country. A 
 i^overnor and council, and house of assembly, re- 
 presented the king, lords, and commons. The 
 governor was chosen by the proprietors, nowThomas 
 and Richard Penn, but the appointment was subject 
 to the approbation of the king. The coimcil was 
 appointed by the governor, and the members of the 
 assembly were elected w ith much the same forms as 
 the commons of England. After this, there was no 
 further change until the war of the revolution, the 
 results of which will be presently adverted to. 
 
 The Island of Newfoundland has been already 
 noticed, as the earliest scene of English adventure 
 in America ; but the views of its first planters, 
 and their successors, were of a character alto- 
 gether different from those which were cherished 
 by the enterprising colonists who first established 
 tliemselves on the continent. We may, indeed, 
 regard Newfoundland, as well in respect to the 
 pursuits of those who visited it, as in the novelty of 
 the expectations which its resources excited, as dis- 
 tinct from the more permanent settlements, which, 
 soon after their constitutions were formed, and the 
 first difficulties subdued, began to feel a separate 
 
 ,} 
 
 «■ f 
 
 r 
 
 i 
 
 'i 
 
 M V 
 
 \l 
 
 I Ml 
 
70 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTHODLCTION . 
 
 ; i ■ 
 
 i! 
 
 !1 
 
 (>i 
 
 • i> 
 
 i?^: 
 
 it < i i ' 
 
 
 f 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 interest from tliat ^vliicli appertained to tlieni in 
 common witli the peo})lc from ^vllicll tlicy sprang;. 
 This feelini^ conhl not exist in a (*oh)ny, where tlu' 
 majority of the adventurers, as in tliis island, only 
 visited the settlements durinc; the summer months, 
 on account of the rich iisheries v.ith which the 
 coasts a])Ounded. 
 
 It would contribute hut little toward the principal 
 design of these rennnks, to enter u])on any narra- 
 tion of those u'reat })olitical events, which chani^ed 
 the relations of the J^'ench and English colonies, 
 either as they reuardrd each otlier, or as the infiu- 
 ence of these revolutions affected the interests of 
 those nations from Avhicli the coloni'rts severally 
 drew their oriiiin. It may, nevertheless, he useful 
 to note the time of the most important of these 
 chanji-es, and to make a single observation concern- 
 ing the final result. 
 
 After a series of contests between the English and 
 French, distrraced bv the atrocities of savai^e war- 
 fare, the contpiest of (Quebec, by the Enulish under 
 General Wolfe, in 1751), j)ut a })eriod to these cala- 
 mities. The Fi-encdi had possessed themselves, not 
 only (jf Canada and tlie countries around the Gulf 
 of St. Lawrence, but also of the territorv west of the 
 Missis^ipju. They wouhlhave established that great 
 river, and tlie Gulf and River St. Lawrence, which 
 together encomj)assed the whole of tlu; English 
 continental provinces, as the boundary between the 
 ])Ossessions of the two powers. But, after the re- 
 duction of (Quebec, the whole of the Ejcnch settle- 
 
K'lll 111 
 
 ;'I)r;niij:. 
 • 'IC tlic 
 (I, only 
 iioiitlis, 
 icli till' 
 
 'iijcipal 
 luirra- 
 liaiii^c'd 
 :)loijies, 
 e iiiHu- 
 csts of 
 verally 
 iisofnl 
 f til esc 
 )iR'eni- 
 
 ish ami 
 e wdr- 
 iindci- 
 e cala- 
 es, nof 
 ) Guir 
 of* tilt' 
 : ureat 
 Mliicli 
 iiiili^li 
 i^ii tilt' 
 ic re- 
 ?ctth'- 
 
 THE EMIGRAM'S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 71 
 
 inents fell an easy ])vvy ; so that, at the close of the 
 war, Enu'laiid possessed the entire continent of 
 North America, except Mexico; and ov(,r these ex- 
 tensive dominioi's she continned to hold nndisputed 
 ciiipii'e, nntil the American revolutionary war, 
 which ended iw the fiiuil >eparation of the united 
 colonies fj'oni the ])arent state; leaving" to Great 
 Ih'itain those provinces only, which she still ])0s~ 
 sesses, and which are now known under the 'general 
 apjK'llation of British America, and into the present 
 condition, and jirospects of which, it is intended, in 
 the following' pages, more particularly to iinpiire. 
 
 Such were the leading transactions of those; colo- 
 iii>ts, who laid the foundations, and undertook the 
 iiurtui'c of our first })l;nitations in America. Out of 
 the commercial speculations of a few enter])ri?ing 
 ^jiirits, and the religious zeal of a pt'rsecuted sect, 
 which took I'efuge in the desert, s})rang up the 
 most important colonies that were ever nurtured 
 hv any state. By these inadyertent causes, our 
 language and our institutions have spread over a 
 great extent of country in the new world ; and we 
 have the gratifying assui'ance, that this vast con- 
 tinent, to its utmost hounds, will hereafter he 
 peoi)led hy the descendants of Britons. The insti- 
 tutions of those kingdoms and states, which time 
 will cidl into existence, having their foundations 
 laid in the civil and reliuious liherty of our free 
 constitution, must a})pear in more juirity and p "• 
 fection, as the light of science universally spreads 
 
 ■ V . i 
 
 \ ll 
 
 
 . 
 
 Hi: 
 
 
 ^h 
 
 § 
 
fi 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 tv 
 
 'H 
 
 72 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTKODUCTIUN, 
 
 its benign influence over the earth, and the progrej^s 
 of moral and virtuous sentiments enables us to dis- 
 cover and to regard those objects, vvliich ought to 
 be the aim ol every good man, and the end ol'everv 
 human institution. 
 
 hw 
 
 
 Muiimr 
 
 '; 
 
 ■V- 
 
 ].m 
 
 I 
 
 .'■a* 
 
 :i 
 
 t !i 
 
 ■it 
 
 i.» L 
 
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 r* rcstiii 
 ^ iiiztitioii 
 I ihe siibj 
 I to the f 
 the mo 
 colonic^ 
 inir to t 
 those e: 
 the env 
 useful ii 
 i»]»serva 
 com fort 
 heltcr t( 
 the cold 
 the saa: 
 iiortuiiil 
 
s to (lis- 
 
 Llgllt t(» 
 
 oi'everv 
 
 '3 
 
 PAirr 11. 
 
 All plncc'S tliat flic oyc dfliciivi'ii visits, 
 
 Aro to he wise inrm jiorts iiiid happy havpn^ ; 
 
 Trach tlicy necessity to reason tlnis : 
 
 There is no vh-tiic like necessity. — Cymbkline. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 .Sinnmi.ry of the National Advantages c^f extensive Emigration. 
 
 I\ tlie preceding pases, it has been the writer's 
 emleavoiir to throw log-etlier as many of tliose in- 
 rircstini^ particuhirs concei-ninp; tlie liistory of cohj- 
 uizution, us the eircinni^crilied limits and nature <>1 
 llie suhject will permit, from the earliest times, down 
 to the firm estaldishment, and tinal separation from 
 the mother-country, of the <i:reater portion of the 
 colonics of Britain and America. Before })roceed- 
 iiiir to the proposed brief review of the condition of 
 those extensive provinces, whicli still form a })art (d' 
 the empire of Britain, or attenij)ting to draw any 
 useful inferences, it will not be amiss to make a f(!W 
 observations upon the excess of poj>ulation and <lis- 
 comibrt in these kino-doms. This will enable us the 
 belter to contra t the condition of the new settler in 
 rhe colonies, with that of his fellow-countryman of 
 die same degree at home, as well as atford tin; op- 
 [tortunity of making a few remarks concerning these 
 
 E 
 
 h. 
 
 I )\ 
 
 ( I 
 
I;i 
 
 k . *^ 
 
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 1 If 
 
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 ! 
 
 l' \ 
 
 \l' 
 
 '\ 
 
 \ * 
 
 U'l 
 
 '' if 
 
 . •< 
 
 /4 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 increasing evils, and of ofFerinc: sonic sugirt'"^tions for 
 a means of promoting emigration, tlie remedy wliicli 
 will be insisted upon as most likely to be successful, 
 
 An endeavour to ascertain, with any degree of cor- 
 rectness, what is really the amount of our suj'plu> 
 population, would lead to arguments quite unsuited 
 to the present occasion, even were the writer at all 
 qualified, which he is not, to discuss so difficult n 
 question. But it may perhaps l)e said, without much 
 danger of error, that as soon iis the amount ol 
 population exceeds the capacity of the soil to su})})ly 
 tlie increased demand, and the imj)ortati(>n of the 
 necessary articles of food commences, without a 
 ])roportionate exportation of that which is equally 
 necessary — from that time, all increase of population 
 should be considered as surplus, and not to be main- 
 tained, but by artificial and strained means. 
 
 But, in place of adopting any theoretical opinion, 
 let us be content, to hold that portion only of the i 
 community, a burden, which might be withdrawn 
 from their present engagements, without diminishing 
 the amount of labour performed in the country : the 
 surplus hands and heads engaged in every species of 
 employment throughout all the ramifications of the 
 complicated machinery of civil society : esteeming 
 the head and the hand to be equal contril)utors, and 
 their several departments equally surcharged with 
 competitors, and proportionably distressed. 
 
 Though the surplus amount of our population be 
 difficult to ascertain, the increase may be with cer- 
 tainty known ; and, in Great Britain and Ireland, 
 
 this is i 
 know a I 
 of one I 
 the vari 
 ance or 
 systenia 
 interest 
 to expe( 
 three t 
 of relief 
 (lirectio 
 or other 
 Were t 
 prohabl 
 while th 
 the con 
 the den 
 raise th( 
 in a CO 
 |)opulat 
 
 The 
 effect, t 
 for con 
 may be 
 if the s( 
 our ret:i 
 race of 
 our m< 
 whose 
 its pres( 
 earth. 
 
 .( 
 
h 
 
 Tin: KMIGRANTS 1 NTUODICTION . 
 
 /.J 
 
 St ions f(ir 
 
 dv uliich 
 
 iiccessf'ul. 
 
 (JO of cor- 
 
 ;i' sui')»Iu> 
 
 unsuitud 
 
 tcr at all 
 
 lifficult !l 
 
 out much 
 
 uouiit of 
 
 to supply 
 
 on of tli( 
 
 vithout {1 
 
 is ef[ually 
 
 )opulatioii 
 
 ) bemaiii- 
 
 iS. 
 
 1 opinion, 
 ily of the 
 'itlidrawii 
 minisbinti' 
 mtry : the 
 species of 
 )ns of the 
 esteem in 2 
 Litors, and 
 rg-ed with 
 1. 
 
 Illation be 
 
 with cer- 
 
 l Ireland, 
 
 \ 
 
 ^1 
 
 this is ascertained to exceed .300, 000 annually. We 
 know at the same time, that in a sint^le year, upwards 
 of one hundred tliousand persons have emigrated to 
 the various Britisli colonies, almost without assist- 
 ance or advice, Oi at least without unitinf^ in any 
 systematic ])lans for tiic furtherance of tlieir mutual 
 interests. It would hardly, therefore, be too much 
 to expect, that a very little ulfort would induce about 
 three times that number, to choose this means 
 of relief, and that a very little assistance, with proper 
 direction, would enable them to find their way to one 
 or other of the provinces in the western hemisphere. 
 Were this accomplished, our population would 
 |)r()))ably be maintained at its present standard ; 
 while tlie removal of those who are now a burden to 
 the country and themselves, would g^reatly increiise 
 the demand for the produce of our manufactories, 
 raise the value of labour, and thus place the country 
 in a condition to comfortably sup})ort its present 
 population. 
 
 The increase of population in the colonies is, in 
 eti'ect, to enlarge our dominion, and open new fields 
 for commercial enterprise. To these advantages 
 maybe added, one not inferior to any in importance, 
 if the security and integrity of the enn)ire be worthy 
 our regard, — the increase of that bold and hardy 
 race of men by whom our shores are guarded, and 
 our more vulnerable possessions protected, — to 
 whose valour, in a word, Great Britain mainly owe- 
 its present exalted rank among the nations of tlu; 
 earth. 
 
 E 2 
 
 : If 
 
 
 * IS 
 
 r' 
 
 1 'i 
 
 I 
 
 i.i 
 
r't 
 
 /h 
 
 THE KMIORAM S I NTRODrCTION, 
 
 fi 
 
 ;':t 
 
 •I ' 
 
 ti 
 
 I 
 
 i I'll 
 
 if 
 
 1 
 
 111 
 
 * 
 
 I 
 
 Tlic extent ol' eoast \\iiic!i w(» occupy in \>iriii 
 A!nericn,isi;re;itertli!iii fli;it jjossessed l»ya ;y loreimh 
 |)((\ver, and tlu) iiui'sei-y lor i^eaiiteii, uliich tlie fisli- 
 ei'ies alono ail'ord, i - ol' tlie liii:liesi iiiiportaiicti ; ))iil 
 all siicli ailvaiitaii'es liavejjeen, by some, eitlier ovo'- 
 looked, or not jjuiiiciently anjn'eci'itL'd, thronuh an 
 erroneous iMi])ression, that these fine colonies, with 
 their many advantages, will at nodistant day l)econH' 
 the dependencies oi' {mother pov.er. That such ;i 
 KU|)])o>ition is Avithout the snudlest inundation, must 
 li(i acknowledutMl hv every one who has taken the 
 least trouhle to hccome !ic([uainted with the nature 
 ol' tlie rt'Iations het .ve-ju the colonies and their re- 
 jjuhlican neif;-hl)ours. The Cnniulas, under the pi'o- 
 tection of Great Britain, cannot be conquered ; and 
 ir is hoped, that they will not he left to themselves, 
 until riper aivc and moj'e experience render it do- 
 •^ii'aljle \hv\ should receive, aful at the sinue time 
 (jualified them to maintain, their })erfect indepen- 
 dence. It mi<j,ht iiuleed l)e shown, and a few re- 
 mai'ks on this sid)ject may he necessary in a futuiv 
 (dia})t('i', tliat it would he at variance with the true 
 interests of tiu' coloiu^ts at inv time, to amalu'Ji- 
 matewiththe Anu'iican repuMies ; and the interests 
 of I'^nirland will no dou])t dictate the policy of es- 
 tal>lishing and ])i-otecling' ilie indc pendent political 
 <'xistence, of her ])i'esent colonies beyond tlui period 
 that we can venture to aiiticijiate the (effects of any 
 constitutional chanu'c wlitit-C'ever, v. hethcr they 
 sliould be conf( derated, or v.hoilv distinct in tlieii 
 ptiiiieal lehi'. ic:n:- to each otliu'. 
 
 ^ .; 
 
I 
 
 TlIK KMIGUANTS 1 NTUODICTION 
 
 77 
 
 1 Xortii 
 ' foreign 
 tlic tisli- 
 K'c ; ))iil 
 
 oii^h iui 
 los, with 
 ; 1)OC011U' 
 it such 'J . 
 ion, must 
 nkni till' 
 ic iiaturi' 
 tlioir re- 
 • the pro- 
 red ; anil 
 i'mselves. 
 U'l' it tie- 
 line tiiiu' 
 iiidopon- 
 n f'ow Yv- 
 [\ I'utun^ 
 the tru'.' 
 iunaltra- 
 ii;terest> 
 cv of es- 
 politicul 
 i{] perioti 
 t.s of iiny 
 hi r they 
 t in thii; 
 
 As ciniunitioii is not coiitcinijhitod to tliat extent 
 wliich would ren(h'i' lljis system of relief iniinediatelv 
 and I'ully availahl.', il i^ licttei" lo coniiiu* our e\- 
 pt'riuients to ^vhat is san', and not diflieult to ac- 
 eonipli^li. liot nslhen I'urllier in([uire, what wouhl 
 l)e the etfeets of a well-onh.'red system of emii;'ration, 
 to a con^iderahhi deurec <i"reater than tliat at present 
 in operation ; and a sli.>,]it glance over the several 
 interests whieh seem most suhject to the inilumec 
 of the oscillations of population, will be all that is 
 necessary in this place. 
 
 Some pains hiive heen taken, hy the colonists, to 
 ascertain what advantai;e is puned hy the parent 
 state, in a national and commercial sense, Irom the 
 improvements in the colonies ; and they do not seem 
 to over-estimate the amoudt of consumption, taking 
 the average of persons of all classes which emigrate, 
 when they state it at thiHje times <;reater after the first 
 year of their settlement, tlian at any time helbre 
 they quitted this country, with a j'apid auiiinentation, 
 ill ])roportion to the increase of family and pros])erity. 
 
 If we could tiien, as already said, increa.-e the pre- 
 sent emii^-ration altout three or four-fold, v.ith inoi'e 
 regard to individuals adapted to locate in the new 
 countries, even hnpj)osing' that there should be no 
 (lijuinutiou of our actual numliei's, we shouhl l)e no 
 longer subjected to the same inconvenience, seeiiii^ 
 that the extentioii of our settlements, in a territory 
 altundantly capable of maintaiiiini;' many millions 
 of inhabitants above its present population, would 
 I'uhirg'e our sources of commerce, excite new entcr- 
 
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 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 A 
 
 
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 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 
 ^ 
 

78 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 prise, and encourage the extension of every branch 
 of natural industry. 
 
 Emigration has been considered by some, even ii 
 ever so extensive, but as a temporary relief. If 
 they have anticipated the time, when the colonial 
 possessions of Great Britain shall be burdened with 
 an unemployed population, let them cast an eye over 
 the map of the world, and compare the extent of 
 this famous island with that of its dependencies.— 
 
 " In the world's volume 
 Our Britain seems as of it, but not in it; 
 In a great pool, a swan's nest." 
 
 There is no opinion more futile and ill-founded, 
 than that of supposing the overflow of population in 
 our colonies. The more you send, forages to come, 
 the greater will be the capacity to receive ; and with 
 every year the demand will increase, until the 
 shores of the North Pacific Ocean be the seat of 
 many flourishing cities, and their ports be filled 
 with the shipping of Britain. 
 
 If the caution, which has sometimes been thouijht 
 necessary to prevent a too great increase of emigra- 
 tion, arises from any dread of depopulating the 
 kingdom, it is not founded in so palpable an error, 
 and is therefore worthy of more regard : neverthe- 
 less, instead of grounds for these apprehensions, 
 there is abundant reason to believe, that neither this, 
 or any other country, will ever be depopulated by 
 emigration. That aptly-styled political thermo- 
 meter, the rate of wages, would give the alarm, and 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INRTODUCTION. 
 
 79 
 
 ry branch 
 
 e, even if 
 relief. If 
 colonial 
 ened with 
 n eye over 
 extent of 
 Jencies. — 
 
 l-founded, 
 Dulation in 
 !S to come, 
 ; and with 
 until the 
 he seat of 
 3 be filled 
 
 m thought 
 of emigra- 
 ilating the 
 3 an error, 
 neverthe- 
 rehensions. 
 either this, 
 ipulated by 
 il thernio- 
 alarm> and 
 
 at the same time check, too strong an inclination to 
 leave the country, should the sudden increase of 
 emigration affect the manufacturer or agriculturist, 
 whose voice would be heard before the general in- 
 terests partook of the inconvenience. In the mean 
 time, let who may depart, the pauper population 
 must decrease, and the diminution of the poor-rates 
 must more than counterbalance the increase of wages 
 to the capitalist. But, should the market for the 
 bread corns begin to spread alarm, we have ample 
 security in the scale of duties regulating the impor- 
 tation of that article, that neither the British land- 
 lord or tenant would be effected, by what in reality 
 would only be the removal of the unproductive 
 consumers, who at present waste the substance of 
 the occupiers and owners of land. 
 
 Many have been of quite an opposite opinion, from 
 those who have entertained apprehensions of depo- 
 pulation. These have supposed, that the ties which 
 bind us to the land of our nativity are an insurmount- 
 able bar to the adoption of any plan of emigration, 
 upon a scale that is commensurate with the required 
 diminution of our population. From this convic- 
 tion, they have been fearful of the necessity of 
 arresting the very progress of creation, by placing a 
 restraint upon the affections, and thus by the most 
 unnatural means putting a stop to that increase, 
 about which they have needlessly felt so much 
 alarm. But happily, for the restoration and security 
 of prosperity and comfort in the countries of the 
 old world, and the increase of the human race in 
 
 :,^!.iM: 
 
 !h ! 
 
 M 
 
 I . 
 
 1' 
 
 Mi 
 
 I. 
 
80 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 the new, experience lias ut length tiiuglit us liow hj 
 anielionite our condition, without breakino; the ties 
 of country, or exchaniiiny'our best institutions for 
 those of strangers ; and we have ample room to 
 spread over an almost inconceivable extent of coun- 
 try, in all respects adapted to the production of the 
 necessaries and luxuries of life in the greatest abun- 
 dance. We must banish doubt and hesitation, and 
 act as best becomes our terrestrial pre-eminence; for, 
 
 " 'Tis grnvo pliilosophy's absiirdost dream, 
 That heaven's intentions are not what tlioy seem." 
 
 M I 
 
 Let us rather rejoice, tliat Providence has in a 
 peculiar manner selected our country to be the 
 mother and nnrse of nations not yet brought into 
 being ; and that our language and religion, at a less 
 distant day perhaps, than at this time appears reason- 
 able to conjecture, may cover one half the habitable 
 glol)e. Reason and nature join their voices to con- 
 firm the evident design of the position in which we 
 are placed, in relation to the vast unpeopled regions 
 of the earth ; and at the same time point out the 
 means, and invite us, to extend our dominions, and 
 spread the free and philosophical spirit of Britons 
 through every quarter of the globe ; replenishing 
 the desert, and civilizing its barbarian inhabitants. 
 The great design cannot be defeated. The soft and 
 affectionate temper and kindness, with the charms 
 of person, which nature has l)estowed upon the other 
 sex, have set at defiance that cold philosophy, which 
 proposes to strangle, in its birth, the most delightful 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SI 
 
 1^1 
 
 
 US llOW hj 
 
 li^ the tio 
 utioiis for 
 room to 
 t of couu- 
 ioii of tlie 
 est abiui' 
 ition, and 
 lence; for, 
 
 m." 
 
 lias ill a 
 to be the 
 II "'lit into 
 1, at a less 
 irs reason- 
 habitable 
 es to coii- 
 which we 
 Ejcl regions 
 t out the 
 lions, and 
 »f Britons 
 )lenishinc; 
 liabitants. 
 3 soft and 
 e charms 
 the other 
 liv, which 
 lelightfiil 
 
 ■.■;is' 
 
 of human affections, and to convert the cheerful 
 earth into the dull and gloomy abode of churlish- 
 ness and misanthropy. 
 
 But although some suggestions will be thrown 
 out concerning such simple measures as appear best 
 adapted to promote these great objects, u])0]i a prin- 
 ciple of safety and certain ])enefit, and to an extent, 
 calculated to produce the happiest effects, the writer 
 would not be understood to express an opinion con- 
 trary to those who have pointed out the benefits 
 which are likely to arise from a well-i'egulated sys- 
 tem of emigration under government auspices. But 
 the truth is, that although it has been shown that 
 one-eighth of the present amount of poor-rates would 
 annually settle our whole surplus increase, yet, ineii- 
 sures are not taken, and for this reason, it is time that 
 the utility of new projects was discussed. Whatever 
 plans, however, may be ultimately adopted, for the 
 transfer of grown persons and families, infant emi- 
 gration, which will in a subsequent chapter be pres- 
 sed upon the attention of all M'ho may engage in any 
 scheme of relief, must necessarily be under the su- 
 perintendence of government ; but the plans might 
 nevertheless be advantaf>"eouslv coml)ined with those 
 colony associations which will be hereinafter recom- 
 mended. 
 
 But no plan can be expected to be successful, or 
 of extensive influence, that is not sup})orted by the 
 gentlemen and magistracy of the country ; for, 
 through their exe.tions alone, can the industrious 
 peasantry be assured of the truth of tliose represen- 
 
 E 
 
 \il 
 
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 m 
 
 ■ (' 
 
InW 
 
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 i , 
 
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 f 
 
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 stjii 
 
 f i\ 
 
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 82 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tations, and the solid foundation of those opinions, 
 at first so astounding, when the comforts of the 
 colonists are contrasted with the condition of the 
 poorer, and sometimes, even, of middle classes at 
 home. The elements of a high and enterprising 
 spirit exist in all ranks of society, in every corner 
 of Britain. Let but the seeds be sown, and where- 
 ever the ground is prepared for the experiment, the 
 active spirit will take root, and spring up among 
 those who are best adapted to the enterprise ; and a 
 very little exertion will be required, to obtain and 
 propagate such full and correct information, as will 
 enable them to advantageously direct their future 
 operations. 
 
 It would not suit the limits prescribed to this im- 
 perfect sketch, to enlarge any further upon the 
 abundant and obvious advantages, in a national 
 sense, to be derived from the removal of our surplus 
 population. It must be here assumed, that the pre- 
 dictions of political economists are already fulfilled ; 
 and that at this moment, we labor under a weight of 
 ills, big with alarming apprehensions of distress of 
 the most poignant character, to be averted by no 
 human means, unless some check be found to the 
 further increase of population, more efficient than 
 any that has yet been in operation. 
 
 That we possess the most wholesome, and most 
 natural means, of providing against every threatened 
 inconvenience, not a doubt can arise. Nor can 
 any distrust or scruples be entertained, concerning 
 the effects of emigration, upon the condition of those 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 83 
 
 opinions, 
 ts of the I 
 on of the 
 classes at 
 terprising 
 ry corner 
 ifl where- 
 ment, the 
 ip among 
 se ; and a 
 btain and 
 n, as will 
 •ir future 
 
 im- 
 
 ) this 
 upon the 
 national 
 r surplus 
 t the pre- 
 fullilled ; 
 veight of 
 istress of 
 d by no 
 id to the 
 ent than 
 
 nd most 
 'eatened 
 'for can 
 cerning 
 of those 
 
 who depart, as well as of those who remain ; while, at 
 the same time, every colony planted must contribute 
 to extend our commercial empire, and entail the 
 beneficial effects of its influence upon the most re- 
 mote posterity. That principle of industry and 
 enterprise which has penetrated into all regions, 
 should be fostered, and made the means of introdu- 
 cing population, and of establishing civilization with 
 its attendant blessings, throughout the vast un- 
 peopled continents of America, Africa, and Australia. 
 
 I 
 
 j 
 
 I 
 
 I ! V 
 
 :i 
 
 
 
 'jlil 
 
 .* 
 * ^ 
 
7IW ■' 
 
 
 
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 4 
 
 
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 84 
 
 TIFE EMiriRAM S INTRODUCTIOA', 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Uiit!<ih North Amoricn. — Ooonrrnpliical T)('sprii»tioii. — Climate.-— 
 Aborii^incis. — Uivision into Province's. — I't^litical Cowhtitutlons. — 
 Advantages of a Fodoral Union. 
 
 In the precodiiifz; chapter, niucli freedom has hteii 
 
 taken in s|)(;akini:; of tlie present state of things in 
 
 Great Britain, with tlieir evident tendency, unless 
 
 prudent and judicious measures be speedily ado])ted 
 
 to check the enormous increase of population. The 
 
 part of the subject upon which we are now entering, 
 
 it is intended, should embrace such matters only, as 
 
 concei'n the more immediately interested inquirer, 
 
 who contemplates removing to one or other of the 
 
 American plantations ; or those who, from ties of 
 
 kindred or other close connection, may feel a lively 
 
 interest in the success of their relatives, friends, or 
 
 dependents, who should propose to remove beyond 
 
 the circle of their direct influence. It is necessary, 
 
 after a brief notice of such features as are generally 
 
 applicable, to particularize in a distinct, yet concise 
 
 ni!\nner, such matters of interest as severally apply 
 
 to the present condition of each of the American 
 
 provinces. After this, the opinions which will be 
 
 liazarded concerning the particular adaptation of 
 
 individuals, whom such information may concern, 
 
 to the peculiar character of several of the settle- 
 
 ment 
 read* 
 value 
 for h 
 
 •I, 
 
 .!< 
 
 sesse^ 
 (lies ; 
 
 of p:i' 
 supp( 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 S3 
 
 limatc. — 
 hitioiis. — 
 
 as been 
 lings in 
 unless 
 ido])ted 
 1. The 
 itering, 
 Hily, as 
 quirer, 
 of the 
 ies of 
 lively 
 ds, or 
 leyond 
 ssarv, 
 e rally 
 Dncise 
 apply 
 erican 
 ill be 
 ion of 
 ncern, 
 ettle- 
 
 viionts, may be more clearly convoyed ; m liil' the 
 reader will l)e the better enal)led to jii(l'j;e of the 
 value of such s])ecial suggestions as will be otfercd 
 lor his consideration. 
 
 []y British America, is usnallv understood the 
 whole of tliat vast country which (rreat Britain pos- 
 sesses in the new world, exclusive of the West In- 
 dies ; comprehending several provinces and islands 
 of great natural fertility and beauty, and capable of 
 supporting a population of almost indehnite num- 
 bers. It is bounded, on the east, by the Atlantic 
 ocean ; on the west, ])y the Pijcific ; on the south, 
 by the United States, and a chain of lakes, or inland 
 seas, which em])ty themselves into the great I'iver St. 
 i.awrence ; and, on the north, by the Frozen Ocean 
 and the Polar Sea. But as the greater part of tlieso 
 regions to the north, from the inclemency of the 
 climate, is unfit for the habitation of man, in a 
 civilized state ; while the earth retains its present 
 unequal temperature, and the soil of the higher lati- 
 tudes its sterility ; and is, moreover, far n^moved 
 from the plantations, wdiose condition is the chief 
 object of these inquiries, thefollowing remark- will 
 be confined to what concerns those southern tor- 
 tious only, which are at this time inhabited, and have 
 their name and limits more certainly defined. 
 
 The general aspect and external appearance of 
 tliese countries, is altogether of a grand and majestic 
 character. Whether we consider their boundless 
 I'orests, their inland seas, their deep and rapid 
 •streams, or their innumerable cataracts, of whose 
 
 
 \- t 
 
 'I i 
 
 jiii' ii 
 
 ^1 is 
 
 1 ' 
 
 \n j: 
 
 ft* J 
 
 
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i ..(( 
 
 ]} )) 
 
 iii ;t 1 1 f 
 
 I ! 
 
 ' « 
 
 r > 
 
 ; 
 
 8G 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 magnificence and sublimity no expression can con- 
 vey a just idea, nature continually presents us with 
 her most striking olyects of amazement and wonder. 
 We sail up the St. Lawrence, which is ninety miles 
 in breadth at its entrance, scarcely perceiving any 
 change from the ocean, until we draw within sixty 
 or a hundred miles of Quebec, which is situated 
 about four hundred miles from the gulf into which 
 this great body of American waters flows. We then 
 begin to perceive that we are in a river, from the 
 freshness of the water, rather than the appearance 
 of the land, which is mountainous and rugged, and 
 does not give the common indications of ordinary 
 rivers. As we gradually ascend the stream of this 
 *' father of waters," the contracting shores, becom- 
 ing more visible, present a grand and varied scene. 
 On the south, some clear spots occasionally appear 
 near the banks ; beyond which, the land, gradually 
 rising hill over hill, presents its varieties of verdure 
 and beauty, until the eye, fatigued and dazzled with 
 the vast extent and splendour of the forest over which 
 it ranges, rests upon the blue and distant ridges of 
 the Allaghanies; while, on the North, the more 
 abrupt, and irregular high lands and promontories 
 bear testimony, that some accounts which were 
 found in the journals of the Jesuits, who were among 
 the earliest settlers in Canada, descriptive of the 
 most terrible convulsions of nature, which it has 
 ever fallen to the lot of any annalists to record, 
 though doubtless exaggerated, had their foundations 
 laid in the most frightful reality. 
 
( r' \ 111 
 
 1 iH'^ 
 
 M. 
 
 n CUT! COll- 
 
 its us with 
 id wonder, 
 nety miles 
 civiii": any 
 ithin sixty 
 is situated 
 into which 
 . We then 
 , from the 
 ippearance 
 igged, and 
 f ordinary 
 ;am of this 
 es, becom- 
 ried scene, 
 dly appeal- 
 gradually 
 of verdure 
 izzled with 
 over whicli 
 t ridges of 
 the more 
 )montories 
 hich were 
 ere among 
 ;ive of the 
 dch it has 
 to record, 
 bundations 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTttODUCTlON. 
 
 87 
 
 Into this mighty river, lakes and tributary streams 
 without number discharge their waters. The Ottawa, 
 the most considerable, taking its rise in a region 
 unknown, falls into the St. Lawrence near six 
 liuiidred miles from the sea. But the source of those 
 waters which supply the great chain of lakes, and 
 pour down the Niagara Falls, and many rapids, in 
 their descent to the lower countries, may be traced 
 to the rocky mountains, at the distance of three 
 thousand miles from the ocean. If we consider the 
 majmitude and number of the lakes which connect 
 the most remote interior of the country with the 
 Atlantic ; the amazing velocity and sublimity of the 
 rapids, which wash a thousand islands as they sweep 
 down their declivities; and the grandeur and number 
 of the precipitous cataracts, we are confounded by 
 the prodigality with which nature has lavished her 
 rarest objects of interest upon this region of the 
 earth. 
 
 Throughout the greater part of these spacious 
 provinces, the climate, and those natural phenomena, 
 upon the influence of which it depends, vary so little, 
 that, on this important head, a few observations will 
 be of general application ; while any material ex- 
 ception may be noticed under the separate head of 
 each particular division of the country. 
 
 The most remarkable characteristics of the Ame- 
 rican climate consist in the extremes of heat and 
 cold to which all the northern latitudes are subjec- 
 ted ; the salubrity and clearness of the atmosphere, 
 the quick transition from winter to summer ; with 
 
 ( ! 
 
 ■ i 
 
^m^ 
 
 88 
 
 TIIR EMIfiRANTS INTIJODL'CTION. 
 
 Ill 
 
 tlio ]>]iononionon of tlio Indian surnmor ; and to these 
 may Im' addod, tlu; sudden and great variations in tin- 
 tli(!rni()ni(!t(»r, at almost every season, and tlie de- 
 pendence, to l)e ti;enerally plac(Ml, npon the indica- 
 tions of c'Iianu;o or steadiness in the weather. 
 
 The Indian summer, as it is caUed in America, is 
 a short season, wliich usually, hut not always, in- 
 tervenes l)('t\veen the first etforts of winter and the 
 final settinj;^ in of the cold weather. A lij2,ht frost 
 first takes place, and lasts ahout three days, or a 
 week ; after wliicdi, the north-west wind dies away, 
 and calms, and lis;ht airs from the south-west prevail 
 again, and the weather is delightful for ten or some- 
 times twenty days. 
 
 To the prevalence of certain winds in their ap- 
 pointed seasons, is undouhtedly owing the general 
 steadiness of the weather, and the great excep- 
 tions, when at certain periods, the sudden varia- 
 tion in the course of the currents of air, produces 
 that incredihle change in the temperature which is 
 sometimes experienced within the twenty- four hours. 
 But the cause of the immediate, and more positive 
 infiuence of winds which differ so materially in their 
 effects from those which hlow from the same points 
 of the compass in Europe, is not difficult to compre- 
 hend. The whole country to the north, from within 
 a few miles of the settlements, as far as the latitudes 
 where vegetation ceases, is covered with a dense 
 forest, every where impervious to the rays of the 
 sun. In a cleared country, the earth, being well 
 dried and warmed during summer, seems to retain 
 
 ii 
 
 i 
 
 t u'' 
 
(1 to these 
 )ns in tlu' 
 I tlu; (le- 
 10 indicii- 
 
 iicrica, is 
 svavs, ill- 
 r and tin; 
 i^ht frost 
 ays, or u 
 it's uwiiy, 
 !St prevail 
 or some- 
 
 tlieir «])- 
 e general 
 it excep- 
 en varia- 
 
 produces 
 ! which is 
 )ur hours. 
 3 positive 
 y in their 
 ne points 
 
 compre- 
 ni within 
 latitudes 
 
 a dense 
 rs of the 
 sing well 
 to retain 
 
 THE V. M I C; II A N '1 S I N T I{ ( ) IJ U ( I' ION. 
 
 8'J 
 
 JNlieat, loiiu; onou«;h to prevent tlje snow from IvinL; 
 ;ir the eoninienecnient of winter, until eonsiilerMhlv 
 !:if(T ihiui in th(» woods, 'i'lms, the winds from th«' 
 r'ore^it. m Iiich is in Canadii, in every direction except 
 iii;if of the sea, are alwavs cohl ; uidh' the wai'inth 
 which tlie hreezo,-^ I'roni the ocean never i'ail to hrinu:, 
 ill ndilirioii to the coninioii cause of their niihlness 
 throiiiihont th<; nortliern heuiisphere, receivt; ad- 
 ihtional heat, as well as moisture, as tliey pass over 
 the frulf-'-trfMim. The liulf-stream is a current of 
 heated water of several hundred unles in hreadth, 
 flowing' continually iVoui t1i(> West Indies towards 
 the north-east, and pToduciui!; a sensihle ethjct upon 
 theciiniatcof the nortliern portions of Ann?ricn, espe- 
 cially of those districts which \\k\ upon, or near, the 
 coast of the Atlantic. The provinces, at tlu* same 
 time, heinu; sov(!ral dou'rees south of liritain, have a 
 more vertical sun, at that season, when the woods 
 are free from snow, and the ground dry ; while the 
 vicinity of the settlouumts to the great forest, with 
 its concealed car})et of snowduring winter; together 
 with the pnnalence of northerly Minds, are causes 
 too jiowerfiil in their effects to be counterhalanced 
 hy the advantage of the few degrees of diiference 
 of latitude which they enjoy. These are the two 
 principal causes of the extremes of heat and cold 
 experienced in Ariierica. 
 
 The general opinion entertained of the effects of 
 the American climate upon the operation of hus- 
 handrv, is however far from heiuir just. The land 
 indeed, for sometimes near four months in the up- 
 
 '> 
 
 1 if 
 
 i ' i r 
 
 ' i 
 
 >-- 
 
 Ml 
 
 • 
 
 
i I ! 
 
 90 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 per country, and between four and five in the lower, 
 is frozen, covered with snow, and entirely at rest. 
 But this slumber of nature is attended with this 
 advantage, that vegetation having ceased, the earth, 
 instead of exhorting itself by frequent abortive ef- 
 forts, as during an open winter in Britain, reserves 
 its energies to act more effectively when the snow dis- 
 appears. At this season, the soil, pulverized by the 
 frost, presents a surface, clean and fresh from re- 
 pose, and in all respects benefitted by the long 
 sleep of the quickening principles of vegetation ; 
 and this is the secret of that extreme fertility which 
 is every where visible in the kindly and luxurious 
 growth of the most delicate and spare productions 
 of the vegetable world. 
 
 The variety of the productions of the same soil 
 constitute the chief feature in which the forests of 
 America differ from those of Europe. The native 
 trees are numerous in their kinds, and valuable. 
 The most common are, the pine, spruce, birch, 
 maple, oak, elm, and poplar, of their several 
 species : and, it is the incalculable varieties and 
 graceful mixture, which is almost every where ob- 
 served, that lends such enchantment to the woods 
 of North America. In autumn, when the frost first 
 touches the leaves of the most tender trees, the 
 variety of the colours, and the luxuriance of the 
 foliage, exhibit a landscape as beautiful as can be 
 conceived. 
 
 The forests of this region are the habitation of 
 innumerable tribes of wild animals, many of them 
 uncommon, and some of them unknown, in Europe. 
 
 el 
 
 of 
 
|the lower, 
 y at rest, 
 kith this 
 the earth, 
 ortive ef- 
 , reserves 
 snowdis- 
 ed by the 
 irom re- 
 the lonff 
 getation ; 
 ity which 
 luxurious 
 oductions 
 
 same soil 
 forests of 
 tie native 
 valuable, 
 e, birch, 
 1' several 
 3ties and 
 here ob- 
 le woods 
 rost first 
 •ees, the 
 J of the 
 s can be 
 
 ation of 
 )f them 
 Kurope. 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 91 
 
 The most remarkable, of the larger tribes, are the 
 bears, wolves, ibxes, carriboo, moose deer, common 
 deer, the buffalo or bison, the musk ox, and the 
 elk. 
 
 The bears, during summer, frequently visit the 
 settlements, to prey upon the farmer's stock; but 
 few commit depredations without paying the forfeit 
 of their lives, and their skins are generally valuable 
 enough to repair all the damages. They sleep, or 
 lie in a torpid state, all the winter, and when dis- 
 covered in their dens make but little resistance. 
 
 Foxes are plenty every where ; but the wolves 
 are chiefly met with, very remote from the older 
 settlements. There are several kinds of these 
 fierce animals. The prowling wolf wanders alone, 
 and when met with, is dangerous ; but, if you have 
 a horse, your voracious enemy will first seize upon 
 the throat of that animal, when you have, being at 
 liberty in your sledge, at least the opportunity of 
 using your fire-arms, without which, nobody enters 
 the woods in the country infested by these animals ; 
 and you may possibly slay the destroyer in time to 
 save the life of your quadruped companion. Those 
 of another kind scour the country in the northern 
 region. They go in companies, and obtain their 
 prey by cunningly entrapping the deer, whose swift- 
 ness would otherwise render their escape easy. 
 They surround them in favorable situations, and 
 drive them over steep cliffs, by which these timid 
 animals are either maimed or killed, and thus become 
 the prey of their wily enemies. 
 
 1 ^ '' 
 
 ' 
 
 \ji 
 
 I ^1 
 
 '■■1 
 
 
 h 
 
 \<i 
 
 n ' 
 
 ' k\ 
 
 lit 
 
 'f 
 
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 a 
 
 
 
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 t^ 
 
 
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 U 
 
J r 
 
 ! 
 
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 92 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 Tlio heaver is the most interesting annual of the 
 woods, hut is seldom found near the settlements. 
 
 The moose deer are very common throuijhout the 
 continental provinces. They usually stand ahout six 
 feet hii,4i, hut they are often taller. The moose is 
 not a graceful animal, and his neck is so short that 
 he cannot feed upon the meadows, hut hrowses upon 
 the leaves of young trees. They are excellent eat- 
 ing, and their skins are used by the Indians for a 
 part of their dress. 
 
 The common deer are very numerous in the 
 upper countries. They are frequently hunted, or 
 rather shot, by the settlers as well as the Indians. 
 Their flesh is delicate, and of excellent flavor. 
 
 Tlie carriboo is another species of deer, of which 
 the flesh is also much esteemed. 
 
 The buffalo, or bison, is a species of wild ox, very 
 numerous in the western regions of America. They 
 ffo in herds, and feed upon the great meadows or 
 prairies of the west. 
 
 Tiiere are also other species of wild oxen, which 
 range the vast country beyond the lakes, such as 
 the musk ox and the elk, but they are little known 
 to the settlers in Canada. 
 
 Otters are in plenty in some of the rivers, and the 
 walrus or sea-cow, and the common seal, abound 
 upon the coasts of Labrador. The latter are some- 
 times taken in great quantities al^out the Magda- 
 lene Islands in tlie Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
 
 The fresh-water lakes and rivers every where 
 abound in the most delicious kinds of fish. Upon 
 
 the 
 
 the! 
 
 in 
 
 otf 
 
 ill SI 
 
 iiiaj 
 
 
 1 ■ 
 
 
 1' 
 
 r 
 
 
II al of the 
 tncnts. 
 ^liout the 
 al)out six 
 moose h 
 liort that 
 I'ses upon 
 lent eat- 
 Eins for a 
 
 3 in the 
 nted, or 
 Indians. 
 
 Y. 
 
 of wliicli 
 
 ox, very 
 a. They 
 lows or 
 
 which 
 such as 
 known 
 
 md the 
 abound 
 soine- 
 dagda- 
 
 where 
 Upon 
 
 n 
 
 llIE EMIGRANTS INT RO D U CI ION 
 
 93 
 
 the coasts, the £^reat American fish of the ocean is 
 the cocl. Herrings and alewives or gaspereau, are 
 in plenty at certain seasons; and, upon tlie banks 
 off the coasts, hollabut, a fish resemlding the turbot 
 ill shape, but larger and much less delicate in flavor, 
 may be taken in any quantity. 
 
 The birds of America are numerous. Those mo^t 
 esteemed for the table, are, the wild goose, brant 
 or barnacle, black duck, partridge, and wild 
 turkey. 
 
 There are no dangerous reptiles in any oi" the 
 ])rovinces, except the rattle-snake found in Upper 
 Canada and this tribe is not numerous : but tliere ai-e 
 aio-cpiitos of a variety of kinds, which are a great 
 annoyance in the woods during the months of July 
 and August. 
 
 Every portion of America, into which the cupidity 
 or curiosity of Europeans has led them to ])onetrate, 
 has been found inhabited, in a greater or less 
 degree, according to the climate and the ease or 
 difficulty of procuring the means of subsistence ; 
 and the western regions of Canada are still peopled 
 1)y numerous tribes of aborigines, upon whom tiie 
 light of civilization has not yet dawned. Fnit 
 wherever the Europeans have subdued tlie forest, 
 or extended their inlluence, the Indians have })ro- 
 portionably diminished, by reason of their unwil- 
 lingness to embrace the habits of civilized lii'e; 
 and, although this tenacious adherence to ancient 
 manners, at first appears an evil very easy to 
 remedy, and the prospect of reclaiming those tribes 
 
 til 
 
 i.. 
 
 m\ 
 
 
 S'H 
 
 'HI 
 
 I'l 
 
 41 - 
 
 1 ■ 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 :.;ii 
 
 ,»''' : 
 
94 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I il 
 
 or remnants of tribes which remain, not hopeless, 
 it is impossible to attain to any knowledge of their 
 character, without at least doubting, whether the 
 measures hitherto pursued towards them are not 
 calculated to brutalize and destroy their whole race, 
 rather than to civilize or preserve them from ex- 
 termination. 
 
 In Virginia, which is the state of all the United 
 States that has been most fertile in men of genius, 
 some of the first families have partly descended 
 from the ancient Indian race ; but hereditary talents 
 and greatness of mind, which are acknowledged to 
 be the predominant features in the character of 
 those from among these families who have risen to 
 eminence, have not been able to save the remnant 
 of the native Americans from that contempt which 
 their present degradation has unjustly inspired, or 
 from the prospect of utter extermination. 
 
 The residue of some of the broken and degraded 
 nations of the great native family still, however, 
 exist among the European settlers, though their 
 numbers yearly diminish ; and, since the death of 
 Decamprey, a famous orator and warrior, who was 
 killed at the head of his people, while fighting on 
 the side of the king during the last American war, 
 no leader of commanding genius has appeared 
 among the tribes which border upon the settle- 
 ments ; and no chief has been found, by whose in- 
 fluence any great revolution might have been ac- 
 complished : and there is a native haughtiness and 
 contempt of labour in their dispositions, which in- 
 
 ' ' , 
 
s. 
 
 hopeless, 
 ;e of their 
 ether the 
 I are not 
 liole race, 
 from ex- 
 
 le United 
 f genius, 
 iescended 
 ry talents 
 ledged to 
 racter of 
 1 risen to 
 remnant 
 3t which 
 pired, or 
 
 legraded 
 lowever, 
 h their 
 death of 
 who was 
 iting on 
 an war, 
 ppeared 
 settle- 
 tiose in- 
 )een ac- 
 less and 
 lich in- 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTUODUCTION 
 
 95 
 
 duces them to reject every means of providing the 
 necessaries of life, that requires forethought and 
 steadiness to render it available. It must, however, 
 be confessed, that there is, at the same time, in the 
 Indian character, a high degree of sensibility and 
 delicacy ; and 
 
 " Spirits are not finely touched, 
 But to fine issues;" 
 
 a certain poetic simplicity, which, combined with 
 the higher or more striking attributes of their 
 character, seems still to flatter our hopes, that there 
 might be means found of saving them from destruc- 
 tion, were their dispositions more studied, and the 
 best measures taken to divert their inherent genius 
 into the safest and most legitimate channels. 
 
 The greatest natural obstacle to overcome, in any 
 attempt to civilize the Indians, would probably be 
 found in the short-lived character of their paternal 
 affections, which hardly survive the period that is 
 absolutely necessary for the preservation of the 
 species. The savage, during the infancy of his 
 offspring, is not deficient in natural affection ; but, 
 although he has rarely above three children, his 
 solicitude dies away by the time a child is of years 
 and strength to provide for its own subsistence. No 
 anxiety is felt, or pains taken about the youth's 
 morals, or even his training for the chase, which he 
 becomes expert in, or not, as his natural disposition 
 may happen to tend. So little care, indeed, is 
 usually evinced, that it almost leads one to question, 
 
 : ^.i m 
 
 flii I! 
 
 ' 
 
 
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 J. 
 
 f .' 
 
 
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 /i 
 
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 H^;f 
 
 ^i:'!i 
 
 
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9G 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S I NT IKJ DIICTION 
 
 r,f l.i \ 
 
 'il 
 
 i ' 
 
 wlietlior tlic permanence of tliof^e affections, uliich. 
 among a civilized people, appear to endure throutli 
 every period of life, is not nitlier tlie consequence ol 
 the longer duration of that helpless condition whicli 
 is inseparable from a state of civilization, -with the 
 moral obligation, subjected to I'cason, than from 
 the natui'al I'etention of those feelings Mliicii aic 
 never wanting toAvards infants, but among the mo^l 
 de])raved and abfindoned of mankind. 
 
 If these remai'ks be well founded, the first step 
 towards the accomjdishment of this great object, 
 would be to find some means of prolonging, or 
 some substitute for the want of, those affections or 
 those moral sentiments, which, among a civilized 
 peojde, surmount every obstacle during the age 
 of necessarv dcnendence, and finallv settle into a 
 friendship the njost pure and unchangeable of any 
 natural feeling that belongs to us in this imperfect 
 world. 
 
 Were this a place to enter ujxni speculations of 
 this sort, some suggestions might be thrown out, 
 foi" a ]»]an for improving the conditions of the 
 Indians bv educating' the Avomen. The tendei'ness 
 of the mothc^r is, in the forest as every where else, 
 mueli more lastin"-, if not stronirer, than that of the 
 parent ef the other sex. Advantage might be taken 
 of the kind and comj)liant dispositions of the Indian 
 women, and the great object |terhaps effected, with 
 greater facility than is apparent to a casual observer. 
 The Indian boy thinks it effeminate and degrading, 
 to submit to the discipline which is necessary to 
 
 ! ( n' 
 
)ns, mIucIi. 
 re tlii'oiitiii 
 ioquciico ol 
 tion wliicli 
 ti, with the 
 til ail frotn 
 wliicJi an- 
 5 the iiio.>-i 
 
 first step 
 [?at ohject, 
 ngiiio-, or 
 [ectioTis or 
 I civilized 
 ; tlie age 
 tie into a 
 jle of any 
 imperfect 
 
 ilations of 
 •own out, 
 IS of the 
 endei'ness 
 here else, 
 liat of the 
 1)6 takGii 
 he Indiaii 
 ted, with 
 observer. 
 ?g"radi ng, 
 essary to 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 97 
 
 obtain instruction, and while the father is hunting-, 
 or enjoying the luxury of rest without care or 
 thought, the son will not be controlled. A very 
 little persuasion would induce the mothers, and 
 perhaps even the sterner ])arent, to second any 
 measures to convey instruction to their more trac- 
 table daughters ; and if these of the rising genera- 
 tion, were taught the elements of useful knowledge, 
 the wandering hunter of the succeeding, would l)e 
 easily humanized through the influence of his more 
 tender parent. By this means, education and its 
 attendant blessings might be spread among a whole 
 race, and entire nations might be reclaimed from 
 barbarity and ignorance, and perhaps rescued from 
 that ruin and speedy extirpation, which every 
 writer on America has predicted as their indubitable 
 fate. 
 
 The character of the men indeed, is not a soil in- 
 capable of culture, but the tares of European im- 
 morality which have been sown in the American 
 forest, have brought forth the destructive fruit of 
 inebriety, with other vices, which have greatly 
 tended to arrest the progress of improvement and 
 debase the Indian name. It is remarkable, however, 
 that the women, who are subjected to every species 
 of drudgery, and who are the slaves, rather than 
 the companions of the men, have retained much of 
 their ancient character, which was highly favorable 
 to the admission of every species of useful know- 
 ledge, or of even the higher degrees of the more 
 refined systems of ethics. It would be, to employ 
 
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 98 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ^' 
 
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 but poor expressions, to say, that they are sober, 
 and chaste, and modest. They possess a delicacy of 
 feeling and a sense of correct morals, which could 
 not fail to win the love and admiration of all who 
 are not dead to every sense of sweetness in the 
 female character in its native simplicity and se- 
 ducing undress. The soft notes and melody of 
 their voices, are the index, the allusive picture, 
 that indicates the contents of the closed volume 
 of their fine minds, whicli, were it opened, would 
 discover a beautiful sequel, in a fine and delicate 
 sense of every thing that is lovely and engaging, 
 with a surprising susceptibility to receive the most 
 desirable impressions. 
 
 The most remarkable of the Indian nations now 
 familiarized with the colonists, are the Hurons, the 
 Mohawks, and the Micmacs. The Hurons origi- 
 nally inhabited the shores of the great lake whicli 
 bears their name ; but they were driven from their 
 country by the Iroquois, and were the first of the 
 Indian tribes that formed an alliance with the 
 French after the settlement of Canada. The Mo- 
 hawks were one of the celebrated Six Nations, five 
 of which had been long united. The territory of 
 the six tribes extended three hundred miles west of 
 Lake Champlain, and round the Lakes Ontario and 
 Erie. The Mohawks formed an alliance with the 
 early English settlers, and served in their ranks with 
 great fidelity in many a bloody field. The Micmacs 
 possessed the more eastern country, over which they 
 are still thinly scattered. 
 
 ( i I 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 99 
 
 ire sober, 
 ielicacy of 
 lich could 
 f all who 
 ss in the 
 ^ and so- 
 nelody of 
 picture, 
 d volume 
 ;d, would 
 1 delicate 
 engaging, 
 the most 
 
 ;ions now 
 irons, the 
 )ns origi- 
 ike which 
 rom their 
 'St of the 
 with the 
 The Mo- 
 ions, five 
 rritory of 
 }s west of 
 tario and 
 with the 
 inks with 
 Micmacs 
 hich they 
 
 Almost all that remain of these Indians, have, hv 
 tlie unwearied ex(;rtions of the catholic priests, been 
 converted to Christianity, at least in name. But it 
 is no reproach to these zealous divines, that their 
 benevolent endeavours have not been attended with 
 complete success. The difficulties, indeed, which 
 they have hitherto encountered, afford a proof, that 
 some degree of knowledge must be imparted, and 
 that the savage must be reclaimed from his wander- 
 ing life, and taught to till the ground, before we can 
 insure the successful introduction of Christianity ; 
 !ind these objects, it is not in the power of the 
 located clergy to effect, who have usually the most 
 arduous duties to perform in behalf of their own 
 countrymen. The church, however, in the earlier 
 stages of its constitutional progress, by its extei'nal 
 show, and the imposing effect of its mysterious cere- 
 monies, is possibly better adapted to the Indian 
 disposition, than as it exists among christians who 
 have laid aside the ancient rites and forms of 
 worship, as unnecessary to the religious ceremonial? 
 of a polite people in a philosophic age. 
 
 The southern and inhabited portion of tlie 
 American possessions, is divided into six provinces 
 or colonies: Lower Canada, including the large but 
 uninhabited Island of Anticosti ; Upper Canada, 
 Nova Scotia with the Island of Cape Breton, New 
 Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfound- 
 land. Each of these, has its parliament and inter- 
 nal government independent of every other, with 
 its constitution framed upon the model of that of the 
 
 F 2 
 
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 ;!■ ■' . 
 
 )', 
 
100 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ;!(f 
 
 ' '.L 
 
 ' ;i ' 
 
 "''W 
 
 inother-country ; the powers representing the thivt 
 estates of the British parliament heing vested in a 
 i^overnor, a legislative council, and a house ot 
 assembly. But the governor of Lower Canada is 
 entitled, His Excellency the Governor-General and 
 Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's dominions in 
 North America, and has a jurisdiction, in cases of 
 emergency, over all the provinces. 
 
 Each of the other governors, is distinguished by 
 the title of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, 
 Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of the pro- 
 vince over which he presides, and its dependencies ; 
 and, within the limits of his own immediate govern- 
 ment, he exercises the most important functions of 
 the suj)reme authority, as the representative of the 
 King of Great Britain. But in the performance of 
 these high and responsible duties, he is assisted by 
 the advice of an executive council, the members of 
 which are usually nominated by himself, and ap- 
 pointed by the king's mandamus, and are styled 
 honorable. This body represents the privy-council 
 of the imperial government, and is^ in the Canada^ 
 and New Brunswick, distinct from the legislative 
 upper house ; but, in Nova Scotia and Prince 
 Edward Island, the legislative councils assume the 
 executive functions, and sit but in another capacity 
 when they become the counsellors of the crown. 
 
 Invested with these sovereign functions, the 
 colonial representative of His Majesty, calls his 
 ])arliament together, prorogues and dissolves it at 
 pleasure, and commands the militia and regular 
 
 I 't.'! 
 
5 the tlirci 
 fc^ested in a 
 house ot 
 Caiiadii is 
 rencnil and 
 minions in 
 in cases of 
 
 juished Ijy 
 Governor, 
 of the pro- 
 endeneies; 
 ite govern- 
 motions of 
 tive of the 
 )rmance of 
 Lssisted l)v 
 I embers of 
 P, and ap- 
 are styled 
 vy-council 
 le Canada^ 
 legislative 
 id Prince 
 ssume the 
 sr capacity 
 crown, 
 tions, the 
 calls hisi 
 alves it at 
 d regular 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 101 
 
 military forces in the province. Yet are these 
 powers so happily placed beyond the chances of 
 protracted misuse, that in case of their being abused, 
 the colonists have an api)eal to that incorruptible 
 source of authority to which they have never ap- 
 pealed in vain — the imperial parliament, or the 
 crown. 
 
 The legislative councils are constituted, like the 
 executive, by appointment of the governors, subject 
 to His Majesty's approval, and the members of this 
 body, also, are styled honorable. They are invested 
 with the legislative powers of the House of Lords. 
 
 The assemblies, which are composed of the repre- 
 sentatives of the towns and counties, are chosen 
 after the same forms, and enjoy the same privileges, 
 as the House of Commons in England. 
 
 So justly circumscribed, and so admirable adap- 
 ted, to at least the infancy of a colony, are the limits 
 of independence which these provinces in their 
 political relations to the parent state enjoy, that 
 while the true interests of the colonists alone en- 
 gage the attention of the provincial legislators, 
 every thing proceeds smoothly and uninterruptedly ; 
 but upon the first symptoms of discontent, arising 
 from the arbitrary temper and conduct of the execu- 
 tive officer, or from the inexperience of the members 
 of the representative body, the chief sources from 
 which evil has been observed to spring, the remedy 
 is to be found, in the reserve to the crown of the 
 supreme authority, which may establish the rights 
 of British subjects in the former case, and thnely 
 
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 ■19:.! 
 
 I I; 
 
 HW 
 
102 
 
 THE EMIGRANT 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ■I 
 
 point out the errors and the probable conse(iuence> 
 of inexperience, in the latter. 
 
 But it might yet be shown, did not the plan and 
 limits of this undertaking forbid the attempt, that 
 a well-framed federal union, or some closer league 
 than at present exists between the several American 
 provinces, would tend to more firmly cement th<' 
 existing ties between the mother-country and her 
 colonies, so advantageous to all parties to preserve. 
 Such a measure, judiciously contrived and delibe- 
 rately adopted, would likewise facilitate commerce, 
 and be productive of all the usual benefits of a com- 
 bination of interests. It would contribute, at tlie 
 same time, to the durability of the present secure 
 condition of these colonies, to the preservation of 
 the existing common good understanding in their 
 relations to each otiier, and to their prosj)erity and 
 independence in a future age. 
 
 But it is time to proceed to the consideration of 
 such matters, as separately, and in a more particular 
 manner, concern the condition and interests of each 
 of these colonies. 
 
 t f i 
 
 f:i!!i 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODfCTION. 
 
 103 
 
 cha?ti:h hi. 
 
 ■i 
 
 ( : > 
 
 Lower Canndii.— Ciciifnil DcscrintioK,— Itcmniiis of I't-udul Iiisti- 
 fiitions. — Division.— St. Ljiwrriu'c. — QiirlM'c— FiiIIh (»f Muiitmo' 
 rt'iicy.— Vioiiiity of tho fircat Forest.— Three Rivers.— Montreal 
 audits Vicinity. — St. Fraiiels.— Slierhrooke.— Port St. I'niiiciR.— 
 Climate. — (lover.imciit.— J urlspruflenec.— Revenue.— Commerce. 
 — .Manufactures. — I'oiuilutioii. — Lantruufjfe. — Mixed C'haractiT 
 and Origin of the Settlers.— I t'.s Disadvuiituges. — Amusuments.— 
 Travelling.- Steam Navigation. 
 
 LOWER CANADA, 
 
 If we regard population and commerce, and those 
 otlier sources of national wealth which it at this 
 time enjoys, is the most important of the American 
 provinces. It is bounded on the south by the 
 province of New Brunswick and the State of New 
 York, its western extremity being as far south as 
 the latitude of 45°. On the north, the boundaries 
 are not well defined. In length, it extends ahout 
 600 miles, measuring from its eastern limits upon 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to a short distance above 
 the point of junction of the rivers Ottawa and 
 St. Lawrence ; but, it includes the country further 
 westward along the left bank of the Ottawa, whicli 
 river, forms the great line of demarcation between 
 the upper and lower provinces. It contains several 
 flourishing towns, which are situated upon the 
 
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104 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 St. Lawrence; the principal of these are, Quebec the 
 capital, and Montreal. It has five grand depart- 
 ments, called the districts of Gaspe, Quebec, Throe 
 Rivers, Montreal, and St. Francis. These are 
 divided into counties, and su1)divided into seigni- 
 ories, or townships. In the seigniories, the civil 
 law in all matters concerning landed property, with 
 the ancient customs of the feudal system, is re- 
 tained ; while the townships enjoy the benefit of 
 institutions more congenial with our English habit? 
 and feelings at the present day. 
 
 The French, as we have already seen, were the 
 first Europeans who settled in Canada, the fairest 
 part of which, especially on the St. Lawrence, they 
 granted out into seigniories, of which the lords or 
 spigneurs held their lands en fiefe; that is, under 
 conditions of service to the crown. The estates 
 were again portioned out into tenanciers, which 
 were held under the seigneurs en roture; that is, 
 subject to certain conditions of feudal homage, 
 besides ordinary rent. Neither those in possession, 
 or the tenures by which they held, have been dis- 
 turbed by the English ; so that the greater part 
 of the country which fronts upon the St. Lawrence, 
 and such situations, as in a new country are con- 
 sidered most desirable for the first formation of 
 settlements, are pre-occupied, or at least, subject to 
 laws which present an almost insurmountable ob- 
 stacle to the British settler's location. In the rear 
 however of the seigniories, extensive and valuable 
 tracts remained ungranted. These have been wisely 
 
N. 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 105 
 
 Quebec tho 
 nd depart- 
 ibec, Three 
 These are 
 nto sei^ni- 
 j, the civil 
 perty, witli 
 em, is re- 
 benefit of 
 ^lish habit? 
 
 were the 
 the fairest 
 ence, they 
 e lords or 
 
 is, under 
 
 le estates 
 
 rs, v/hich 
 
 that is, 
 
 homage, 
 
 lossession, 
 
 been dis- 
 iater part 
 
 awrence, 
 
 are con- 
 nation of 
 subject to 
 table ob- 
 I the rear 
 
 valuable 
 3n wisely 
 
 parcelled out by government into townships, and are 
 sold, or conferred by grants, with reserves, and 
 subject to such conditions as are unobjectionable. A 
 few observations concerning the relative advantages 
 of each of these districts, will put the reader in pos- 
 session of as much information concerning this 
 province, as will be necessary to enable him to 
 weigh the justice of those remarks, which, after 
 having pursued the same course with regard to the 
 rest of these colonies, will be made respecting the 
 comparative advantages of each, in reference to the in- 
 clination, habits, or capacity of the European settler. 
 We may begin with Gaspc, which is the most 
 northern, as well as the most eastern portion of all 
 Canada. Here the population is yet inconsiderable. 
 The greater part of its shores upon the river and 
 gulf of St. Lawrence, being barren, or producing 
 nothing but dwarf vegetation, offers little temptation 
 to the agricultural English emigrant. Within the 
 Bay of Chaleur, which forms the southern coast of 
 this district, there are several tracts that offer better 
 prospects ; but the interior, where the best land has 
 been discovered, is not likely to be for many years 
 an object of inquiry, although the bay above- 
 mentioned has the advantage of several good 
 harbours. A coast abounding in fish, has here pro- 
 duced establishments, out of which has arisen a 
 trade of great value to the colony. The River 
 Restiqouche, which empties itself into Chaleur Bay, 
 divides this province from New Brunswick, and 
 affords the means of conveying timber, which 
 
 F 5 
 
 it ! i' ^'i 
 
106 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 < «■ 
 
 :ii. 
 
 >>! i 
 
 i J 
 
 . i • ^' 
 
 abounds in the country to the west, down to the sea- 
 port, whence it is exported to England in consider- 
 able quantities. 
 
 Ascending the St. Lawrence, above the western 
 boundary of Gaspe, we arrive at the district of 
 Quebec, which is the most extensive of the five 
 grand divisions of the province. But as the lands' 
 which front upon the rivers, and indeed all the 
 most valuable tracts, are held under the objectionable 
 tenure above-mentioned, it will not be necessary to 
 detain the reader with any lengthy details, alto- 
 gether inapplicable to his situation, or but remotely 
 connected with the proper subject of his inquiries 
 concerning the new world; yet, as we are now 
 arrived within the precincts of the capital, a brief 
 survey of this striking city and its approaches 
 should not be omitted. 
 
 About forty miles below Quebec, the river 
 becomes narrow enough to lose, in some degree, the 
 appearance of the sea or some great lake. As you 
 proceed, it gradually contracts in width to about ten 
 miles, and is soon afterwards divided by the Island 
 of Orleans into two channels. This island is twenty 
 miles in length, its south-western point being in sight 
 from the city. It forms the two entrances into a 
 spacious and beautiful basin, which nature, with 
 lavish hand, has on every side surrounded with her 
 richest and most gorgeous scenery. The prospect 
 remains too vividly impressed upon the memory 
 of those who have once witnessed it, to be ever 
 eftaced; and, as the feelings of the emigrant are not 
 
the sea- 
 consider- 
 
 ?. western 
 istrict of 
 ' the five 
 the land;; 
 
 1 all the 
 ctionable 
 essary to 
 lils, alto- 
 remotely 
 inquiries 
 are now 
 1, a brief 
 >proaches 
 
 he river 
 ^ree, the 
 
 As you 
 ibout ten 
 le Island 
 is twenty 
 ;' in sight 
 s into a 
 re, with 
 with her 
 prospect 
 memory 
 be ever 
 
 are not 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTHODUCTION. 
 
 101 
 
 to be disregarded, as indifferent, or wholly un- 
 connected with the more necessary matters i,o be 
 considered by those who contemplate taking up 
 their abode in the American forest, the reader will 
 the more readily forgive a casual allusion to the 
 writer's own first impressions of this part of 
 America, and to those of the emigrants whose 
 emotions he had the opportunity of witnessing. 
 
 On a fine and still morning in June, our vessel 
 rounded Point Levi, and floated into the basin of 
 Quebec, almost without the assistance of the wind. 
 The flood-tide was near the turn ; so that we lay 
 motionless upon the calm bosom of the seeming- 
 lake, long enough to contemplate the surrounding 
 scenery, and indulge in that enthusiasm, which, if 
 natural amidst the most grand and sublime objects 
 of contemplation at any time, how much heightened 
 by the crowd of remembrances which a return to 
 land recalled, and the many living portraits of admi- 
 ration, intermingled with hope, which this scene at 
 the same time presented. We seemed transported, 
 as it were by magic, from the tiresome sameness 
 and unvarying prospect of sea and sky, into the 
 midst of a romantic country, where, on a sudden, 
 we were surrounded by the most striking and 
 beautiful objects, within view of the capital of the 
 province which was designed to become the adopted 
 country of many who now beheld it for the first 
 time, and the native land of their children's children 
 in succeeding generations. 
 
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 ^11 
 
108 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Im 
 
 ■ I n 
 
 The following beautiful lines, from Cowper, are 
 strikingly illustrative of the scenery of this vicinity: 
 
 " Sec nature gay, as when she first began. 
 
 With smiles alhiring her admirer, Man ; 
 
 Banks clothed with flowers, groves filled with sprightly sounds, 
 
 The yellow tilth, green meads, rocks, rising grounds, 
 
 Streams edged with osiers fattening every field, 
 
 Where'er they flow, now seen, and now concealed. 
 
 From the blue rim where skies and mountains meet, 
 
 Down to the very turf beneath thy feet." 
 
 The sun had just risen above the distant moun- 
 tains in tlie north-east, darting his rays against the 
 lofty citadel, and the sparkling tinned spires and 
 house-tops, exhibited a brilliant spectacle, as the 
 precipitous cliffs, upon which the upper town with 
 the impregnable fortress which commands it is 
 entirely built, slowly opening to the view, added 
 these noble achievements of art, to the magnifience 
 of nature, in the gorgeous scenery which she on 
 all sides displays. A hundred bosoms beat with 
 grateful emotions, and many gave way to passionate 
 exclamations of astonishment and delight, much 
 more beyond the writer's powers to describe, than out 
 of the course of those matters most worthy the emi- 
 grant's investigations. Let it suffice to say, that he 
 who contemplates taking the same voyage for the 
 same ends, and would desire to experience by antici- 
 pation, the emotions which his situation may inspire, 
 must, without forgetting the ties which bind him to the 
 land of his nativity, suppose his most acute feelings 
 
 ) 
 
 ( . I 
 
 
 \:] 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 109 
 
 a little weakened by distance and reflection, while 
 Ills mind is prepared for new sentiments, equally 
 generous, and more powerful, with an active and 
 energetic spirit, long impatient of constraint. He 
 may then paint to his imagination, the sensations 
 which his natural disposition, combined with his 
 remembrances and hopes, may cause him to expe- 
 rience on his arrival in Canada. 
 
 As every one to whom a day or two is no great 
 object, ought to spend at least that time in exploring 
 the famous city and citadel of Quebec, one or two 
 more observations may not be irrelative. 
 
 Quebec is the residence of the Governor-General 
 of British North America, and is the strongest po- 
 sition, if we may except the fortress of Gibraltar, 
 which exists in the British dominions, or perhaps 
 in the world. It stands upon a bluff point of tdble 
 land, stretching out into the St. Lawrence, and con- 
 sists of an upper and lower town, and extensive 
 suburbs, commanded by the fortifications. The up- 
 per town is open and agreeable ; but the lower, 
 which is built beneath the clifl's, along the shores of 
 the great river, is dirty and inconvenient. The sub- 
 urb of St. Louis, is pleasantly situated between the 
 walls of the city and the plains of Abraham, upon 
 elevated but level ground. Those of St. John and 
 St. Roak, are on the descent, in the direction of the 
 river St. Charles, the latter stretching along the 
 banks of that river. The more wealthy of the citi- 
 zens resort to the suburb of St. Louis, which is the 
 most elevated and open ; but the population of St. 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 l ■{ 
 
 
 i 
 
 John's, as well as that of St. Rock, is much more 
 considerable. These suburbs are separated from the 
 town by an open space, of less than a gun-shot in 
 width. 
 
 In the direction of the plains, the walls overlook 
 the ground where Wolfe and Montcalm, the Eng- 
 lish and French commanders, both fell, in the 
 memorable battle which decided the fate of Canada, 
 and terminated the bloody contests of the rival Eu- 
 ropean powers in that quarter of the globe. Since 
 the conquest, the original walls have been contracted, 
 and a citadel has been built upon an eminence com- 
 manding the upper, as well as lower town, and wliicli 
 is not perhaps surpassed, either in beauty or strength, 
 by any work of the kind in the known world . 
 
 The resident population of Quebec, is about eight 
 and twenty thousand ; but during the summer, there 
 are usually from five to ten thousand strangers in the 
 city. These chiefly consist of sailors and passhig 
 emigrants. A considerable number of the citizens 
 of the neighbouring republics also visit Quebec at 
 this season, some, for the purposes of commerce, 
 which is not, however, through its legal channels, 
 carried on to any great extent between the two 
 countries, but the greater number, attracted by their 
 curiosity to view the noble fortress of the capital of 
 our American possessions. These latter, who are 
 usually from among the elite of the republicans, 
 seem to enjoy their intercourse with a people of the 
 same origin with themselves, but which still ac- 
 knowledge, with pride, their connecti^r, with the 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Ill 
 
 common parent, from which so many cohjnies and 
 states liave sprung. 
 
 Tlie inhal)itants of Quebec, except the merchants 
 and those holding official situations, and the military, 
 are for the most part of French extraction, and are 
 called Canadians ; a term, not usually applied to 
 the English colonists, or even their descendants. 
 The Canadians are proud of their country, and look 
 with extreme jealousy upon every innovation which 
 they suppose to result from the increase or influence 
 of English settlers. 
 
 Several considerable rivers empty themselves into 
 the St. Lawrence, in the vicinity of the capital. The 
 Montmorency falls over a precipice of the height of 
 240 feet, into the great stream, directly opposite the 
 western point of the island of Orleans, about nine 
 miles distant from Quebec; and the St. Charles 
 skirts the town to the north-east, and contributes to 
 its security. The Chaudiere also, with its magnifi- 
 cent falls, contributes to the sublimity of the scenery 
 of the vicinity. The St. Lawrence is here so deep, 
 and the current so strong, that ships are not able to 
 moor in the stream ; but along the shores of the 
 lower town, and in Wolfe's cove, stretching several 
 miles above the fort, any number may lie a^ all times 
 in perfect security. 
 
 But to return to those matters more directly con- 
 dusive to the solution of the question which is sup- 
 posed to be the reader's chief object in perusing 
 these pages. 
 
 Notwithstanding the disadvantages which have 
 
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112 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ? '4 ' 
 
 been mentioned, as attending tliose lands held under 
 the feudal tenure, as some part of this extensive 
 district is free from that inconvenience, a few words 
 concerning the English portions will be proper, be- 
 fore descending to ])articulars relating to the more 
 favored countries upon the St. Lawrence. 
 
 North nf Quebec, the Canadian settlements do not 
 extend above eight or ten miles. At Beauport, with- 
 in five miles of the town, you may enter the forest, 
 which does not terminate until it reaches the waters 
 of Hudson's Bay, or the seas discovered during the 
 late arctic expeditions, or until vegetation disappears, 
 and beyond which latitudes there is no probability 
 that human bein2:s exist. An Irish settlement ha'- 
 been formed at the back of the seigniories in the 
 vicinity of the capital, and is reported to thrive. 
 Lorette, an Indian village, lies on the borders of the 
 woods about five miles from Quebec. On the south, 
 the Chaudiere flows through a fertile country, pre- 
 senting no difficulties or bars to settlement ; but 
 very ineffectual measures have been yet taken to 
 colonize this convenient tract. Government, how- 
 ever, are becoming more alive to the importance of 
 settling this district, for the security of Canada 
 against a foreign enemy, and will no doubt act with 
 judgment and foresight, when active measures shall 
 be determined upon. Several of the township 
 counties of this district, are however, mountainous 
 and unfit for cultivation. 
 
 Proceeding up the St. Lawrence, we cross the 
 boundary line between the district of three rivers, 
 
 H:'V 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 113 
 
 and tha> which has been last mentioned, about ninety 
 miles from Quebec. The capital town, which is of 
 the same name with this district, is situated upon 
 the north bank of tlie St. Lawrence. No place has 
 a less inviting appearance to agriculturists. The 
 country which surrounds it, is uninteresting, and the 
 soil, sandy and barren ; but the quantity and quality 
 of the iron ore found in its neighbourhood, and the 
 consequent establishment of foundaries and forges, 
 have given the appearance of a place of business to 
 the front of the town. Its population is about 2000 
 souls. It has a nunnery, to which extensive grounds 
 are attached. The vicinity of the river, as in the 
 district below, is entirely pre-occupied by the seig- 
 niories ; but beyond these, to the south, there is a line 
 tract of country, laid out in townships, and well 
 adapted for English settlers. 
 
 Before we reach William Henry or Sorel, a small 
 town at the mouth of the Richelieu, we shall have 
 crossed the division line between the districts of three 
 rivers and Montreal. Montreal is, next to Quebec, 
 the largest of those departments into which Lower 
 Canada is divided ; it extends to the borders of the 
 Hudson's Bay territory to the north; and in the 
 opposite direction, about sixty miles south-east of 
 the great river, and includes the island of Montreal, 
 and Isle Jesus, on the former of which is situated 
 the city of Montreal. Montreal is inferior to Que- 
 bec in general interest, but is the rival of the capital 
 in commerce, and possesses a population somewhat 
 larger, with superior streets and private dwellings. 
 
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114 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ( ► 
 
 i. ii 
 
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 Tlie resident inliabitants are about two-thirds of 
 French descent, and the rest British, with some 
 Americans. 
 
 At the back of the town rises an abrupt hii^h liill, 
 nearly covered witli wood, called the Mountain of 
 Montreal. From tlie lu'ghest eminence on its soutli 
 side, at whicli observation may be taken, tliere is 
 a magnificent prospect of the surrounding country, 
 witli the St. Lawrence and the rapids of La Chine. 
 This liill or mountain is no doubt the site of a future 
 impregnable citadel. 
 
 The vicinity of the city is well sctlh>d, but the 
 land is badly cultivated. The soil is exceedingly 
 good, and the climate is milder than thai of the dis- 
 tricts below; and, were the island free from the feudal 
 inconveniences, it would afford great encouragement 
 to such of our agriculturists as carry out capital 
 enough to purchase farms unencumbered with trees. 
 There are, however, immense tracts in this dis- 
 trict, both north and south mi the St. Lawrence, 
 unappropriated, and subject to the British laws 
 alone. 
 
 The vicinity of these townships to a flourishing 
 commercial town, where there are excellent markets, 
 is worthy the Emigrant's notice ; for, to the disgrace 
 of the Canadians, Montreal has been in a great 
 degree dependent for its indispensable supplies, 
 upon the United States farmers from the shores 
 of Lake Champlain. This pernicious intercourse 
 takes place during the season, when the snow 
 roads afford great facilities for transport. 
 
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 I »; 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 lib 
 
 Few parts of Canada offer more claims to |. iblic 
 attention than the waste lands of Montreal, espe- 
 cially those which have been laid out upon the 
 Ottawa, and which front upon that noble tributary 
 of the great American stream, and have not been 
 f»;ranted in seigniories. 
 
 The country to the south of the St. Lawrence is 
 fertile but rather flat, though occasionally varied by 
 ridges and eminences ; but where the land is high- 
 est, it is in many places stoney, and unfit for culti- 
 vation. There are several roads intersecting the 
 country in different directions. On the north, the 
 townships contain much good land ; and, as there are 
 lakes, cataracts, and rapids of every character, and 
 several ranges of mountains, the country is in 
 general picturesque and romantic. The nearest 
 Indian village to the town of Montreal is Caughna- 
 waga, on the south banks of the St. Lawrence, 
 above the rapids of La Chine. 
 
 It remains but to speak of the district of St. 
 Francis, the only department of Lower Canada, en- 
 tirelv unincumbered with the inconveniences of the 
 feudal institutions. Here the lands are all held in 
 free and common soccage, the titles being derived 
 directly from the crown ; and, as some of the town- 
 ships of this department, have lately become the 
 property of a land company, formed upon the same 
 principles as that estu,blished in the sister province 
 and which has been of so much benefit, alike to the 
 new settler and the public, and as this company has 
 already entered upon the same generous course of 
 
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 116 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 colonization, and is establishing sottlements, after 
 the same liberal system as their rivals in enterprisje, 
 it may be useful, to be a little more particular in 
 the topoj^raphical description of the counties, and 
 townships of this department. 
 
 The district of St. Francis, or the country of the 
 eastern townships, as it is more commonly called in 
 Canada, lies between the river Chandiere, and the 
 Richelieu which connects lake Champlain with the 
 river St. Lawrence. It is bounded by the districts of 
 Quebec, Three Rivers, and Montreal, on the east, 
 north, and west ; and by the State of Vermont on 
 the south. It is divided into counties, which are 
 again subdivided into townshi])S, as in those parts of 
 the other districts where lands are not held under 
 the feudal tenure. The river St. Francis flows 
 through this territory, nearly dividing it into two 
 equal parts ; but this river is unfortunately not na- 
 vigable at its entrance. The greater portion of this 
 department is beautifully undulated, and watered 
 by innumerable streams, which meander through a 
 naturally-fruitful country. It has also several lakes ; 
 Memphramagog, the largest of these, is about thirty 
 miles long, and from three to six broad, and is sur- 
 rounded with rugged and romantic scenery.* 
 
 Sherbrooke is the largest county in this district, 
 
 *Lord Aylmer, the late governor-general, in reference to the pro- 
 vince under his immediate government, in a dispatcli to the Colo- 
 nial Secretary, dated Quebec, .I2th0ct. 1831, speaks of this portion 
 of the country as follows : 
 
 " The country which goes under the name of the townships, ap- 
 
 hein 
 Hfty 
 sliip 
 best 
 
 C(»V(' 
 
 the 
 
 coun 
 
 here 
 
TU£ EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 117 
 
 hein^ about seventy uiilt's in longth, niul u])\vanls of 
 tiffv in l)rta(ltli. It contains twcntv-ciulit town- 
 >lii|)s, tlio most of wliicli arc oijiuil in soil to tlic 
 best tracts in Canada. The tiniluM* >vitli which it is 
 covered, i-> of tliat sjiecies whicli in <]jeneral indicates 
 the greattis^ fertility. The hest-setth'd )»arts of this 
 country lie ;d(»n}^ the shores of tlie St. Francis; and 
 lieretlie natural beauty of the scenery exhi])its pros- 
 pects of no ordinary interest, while the rewards of 
 industry whicli are visible in every direction, give; 
 the most cheering indications of advancing prospe- 
 rity. It contains several tliriving towns, of which 
 tlie principal are, Cornpton, Ascot, Eaton, Shipton, 
 and Melbourne. 
 
 The capital of the district, whicli is of tlu^ same 
 name with this county, is situated upon the river 
 Magog, at its point of junction with the St. Francis. 
 It contains, at present, but a very inconsiderable 
 j)opulation, but its advantageous situation will in- 
 sure its rapid increase. It has already several of the 
 buildings essential to the capital of a district, and 
 three places of worship, Catholic, Episcopalian, and 
 Dissentinj;. There is also a court-house; and a dis- 
 trict judge resides at Sherbrooke, who has jurisdic- 
 tion in personal matters not exceeding the value of 
 
 pears to me the most eligible for settlement of any I have yet visited. 
 Tlie climate is represented as healthy in a very remarkable degree ; 
 the soil fertile, and abounding in forest-trees of the finest growth, and 
 of the most useful description, with great facilities of water commu- 
 aication by means of rivers and lakes." 
 
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118 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 <£20 ; and there are two circuit courts held here, by 
 the judges of the province. There is likewise a 
 college, at which the best education may be obtained. 
 A printing-office has also lately been establislied ; 
 and a weekly newspaper, devoted to the interests 
 of agriculture, is published here, and distributed 
 throughout the counties ; and there are saw and 
 grist mills, and a woollen factory. 
 
 But, above all, Sherbrooke has the advantage of 
 being seated in a country possessing the highest 
 capabilities of agricultural improvement ; and there 
 are some farms to be seen in its vicinity, in a state 
 of cultivation not surpassed by any in Canada. It 
 is about one hundred miles from Quebec, and the 
 same distance from Montreal, and about seventy 
 from Port St. Francis, to which there will ere long 
 be a railway. With each of these places there is 
 regular intercourse by stages, and the roads are 
 in general better than those which connect the 
 populous settlements in the United States. 
 
 Port St. Francis is a new establishment of the 
 company above-mentioned. It is situated at Point 
 au Sable, at the entrance of Lake St. Peter on the 
 St. Lawrence, about eight or nine miles above Three 
 Rivers. This port will prove a great convenience 
 to the settlers throughou' the whole district. Steam- 
 boats, which pass between Quebec and Montreal, 
 touch here daily, and it will, ere long, become the 
 trading capital of this section of the country, and 
 the depot of its surplus produce. Another com- 
 mercial town will thus be added to the two busy 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INRTODUCTION. 
 
 119 
 
 cities wliich relieve the wild and sometimes gloomy 
 scenery of the stupendous St. Lawrence. 
 
 Directly south of Sherbrooke lies the county of 
 Stanstead. It contains the townships of Potten, 
 Stanstead, Barford, Bolton, and Hatley. In extent 
 it is greatly inferior to the county of Sherbrooke, 
 but its townships do not yield to any, in the richness 
 and beauty of the forest land, while they are, at the 
 same time, better settled than any other part of the 
 district. The principal town, which is called 
 Stanstead, is situated upon the very borders of the 
 province. It is at present larger than Sherbrooke, 
 and is the focus of intercourse, and of such trade as 
 has arisen between tliis part of the province and the 
 neighbouring states of the union. There is a 
 weekly newspaper published here. 
 
 The county of Shefford lies between the Iliver 
 St. Lawrence and the two counties last-mentioned, 
 and is, in point of dimensions, inferior to the former, 
 but superior to the latter. It contains the town- 
 ships of Farnham, Brome, Granby, Shefford, 
 Stukely, Milton, Roxby, and Ely. The face of 
 the country possesses the varieties of hill and dale, 
 with loamy and fine mould soils, in common with 
 those already described. It is also watered by 
 several streams, which run into the Yamaska, and 
 thence into the Lake St. Peter's. It has a local 
 advantage over Sherbrooke and Stanstead, in being 
 nearer Montreal, which is, and will be, whether for 
 export or consumption, the principal market for 
 the produce of the land about its vicinity. 
 
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120 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The county of Missisqui lies between Stanstead 
 and the Seigniories. It is inferior in dimensions to 
 those above-mentioned, but is equally well watered 
 with the county of Shefford. It is intersected with 
 roads, and has large tracts of well-wooded and good 
 land. Durham and Sutton are its most-improved 
 townships. 
 
 The county of Drummond comprehends the 
 great tract of country lying between the counties of 
 Shefford and Sherbrooke, and the Seigniories. It 
 possesses high and low lands, and is well watered 
 by the St. Francis, which flows through its centre, 
 and numerous other streams. Among the most- 
 improved townships are Grantham, Ashton, and 
 Shipton, but there are several others of equal 
 capability. 
 
 The county Megantic, which lies between those 
 which have been described and the Chaudicre, is 
 very little improved, and perhaps possesses inferior 
 advantages to any of the other counties. 
 
 As the province of Lower Canada lies between 
 the latitudes of forty-four and forty-nine degrees 
 north, the average of its temperature is colder than 
 that of the upper countries, or those which lie upon 
 the coast of the Atlantic ; but although the summer 
 in its most northern districts is extremely short, the 
 warmth during the months of July and August is 
 sufficient to ripen several of the fruits in the open 
 air, which, in England, are not reared without arti- 
 ficial heat and great care, within doors. The days, 
 however, at Quebec, which is situated below the 
 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 121 
 
 parallel of 47*^, are of course longer during winter 
 than we experience at the same season in any 
 part of Britain. The autumn is usually serene, and 
 the weather is not colder than in this country, until 
 the setting-ill of the winter, which generally takes 
 place a])Out the middle of November, when the snow 
 falls, and the rivers freeze over, the snow very 
 seldom melting, or the waters becoming navigable, 
 before the beginning of May. Early in this month 
 the summer again bui'sts forth, hardly pi'eceded by 
 any intervenient season. 
 
 These remarks, however, with the exception of 
 that which regards the quick transition from winter 
 to summer, w hicli, as already deserved, is common all 
 over North America, nmst not be considered as ap- 
 plicable to the extremities of this province, which, 
 besides the difference of latitude, are influenced by 
 other causes, of themselves sufiicient to account for 
 the mildness of the southern portions, in comparison 
 with the most northern. The latter are situated 
 upon the Gulf of Si, Lawrence, and exposed to the 
 iiiriuence of winds which frequently bring dampness 
 and fog upon the coast ; while the former, being 
 some hundreds of miles inland, do not experience this 
 inconvenience ; at the same time, they receive the 
 more vertical rays of the sun. 
 
 The cold, however, which is general during the 
 j'everest season, as far as comfort is concerned, is 
 much more easy to guard against than the damp 
 and disagreeable chills so common in England, and 
 is assuredly less inconvenient. The method of warm- 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 iii<i," tlu! houses, and the mode of travelling ; in short, 
 all tilt' ha])its of the colonists, have so adapted them- 
 selves to the difference and variation of temperature, 
 that tlu; frost which shuts up the rivers, and the 
 snow-storms which so chauije the face of the country, 
 bring' Avith them no alarms ; nor are they indeed ol 
 that terrific and dangerous character, which to an 
 untravelled fancy they are apt to appear, or accoin- 
 ])anied with those inconveniences which would at- 
 tend them in Britain. 
 
 The storms in Canada proceed from the east, hut 
 while the more constant westerly winds prevail, tlio 
 clearness of the atmosphere, and the brilliancy ol 
 the heavens, are particularly striking ; and when 
 tlie moon at the full is in the meridian, you may 
 read a news-paper at midnight with the greatest 
 ease, as in travelling through the woods you smoothly 
 glide over the snow. The great English astronomer, 
 as soon as he has finished his observations at the 
 Cape, should extend his travels to Canada, if it were 
 only to see our January moon. 
 
 After what has been said, concerning the 
 provincial constitutions, it will not be necessary to 
 notice such immaterial variations as exist in any ol 
 the particular governments, but a few observations 
 may be made upon the nature of some of their insti- 
 tutions. 
 
 The courts of judicature in Lower Canada, consist, 
 of a Court of Chancery ; a Supreme Court, or Court 
 of King's Bench ; a Court of Appeals ; and a Court 
 of Vice-Admiralty. 
 
 I prM' 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 l-j:i 
 
 In the Court of Chancery the Governor prcsideri 
 as Chancellor. 
 
 The Supreme Court is held at Quebec and Mon- 
 treal, where the chief-justice of the province, and the 
 chief-justice of Montreal, severally, with three j)uisne 
 judges preside. Cognizance is here taken of all suits 
 at law above the value of £10, as well as all crimi- 
 nal mattei's whatsoever. There are also district 
 courts, and inferior judges throughout the province. 
 
 The Court of Ajij^eals is composed of the govcrnoi', 
 the chief-justice, and the members of the executive 
 council ; and its decisions are governed by prece- 
 dents, from the abjudication of the House of Lords. 
 
 The Court of Vice-Admiralty, which has generally 
 been presided over by men of little experience, and 
 uf mean capacity, is considered by the commercial 
 part of the population, and not without reason, to be 
 the greatest and most unnecessary evil in the colony. 
 
 There are inferior courts, for the disposal of mat- 
 ters of smaller importance ; but they are far from 
 being of that well-defined and simple character, 
 which prevails with those in the other province>. 
 This arises out of the desire to amalgamate the hete- 
 rogeneous materials of English, French, Roman, antl 
 Colonial original, and is productive of inconveni- 
 ences, that, together with the tenures by which the 
 best estates are held of the seigniors, who are the 
 feudal lords of a considerable portion of the province, 
 present a great objection to the settlement of emi- 
 grants, while they have the choice of situations where 
 tlie prevailing institutions are almost purely English. 
 
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 124 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Tliere are no assessed taxes, properly so called, ik 
 this or any of the provinces. The revenues of tlie 
 ])rovincial governments are for the most part raised 
 ])y impost duties, which are usually levied ui)on tlio 
 most unnecessary or most pernicious articles of con- 
 sumption, such as tobacco and spirits, and appropri- 
 ated by the representative assembly, with whom all 
 money bills must originate, as in the imperial par- 
 liament. 
 
 The present annual revenue of this province, chieHy 
 derived from its commerce, ainounts to above 
 £150,000. It is expended in the furtherance of tlif 
 most necessary national objects ; such as, the main- 
 tenance of ])ublic seminaries, the erection of pu])lic 
 Imildings, and what of all other things is of the first 
 importance, as far as concerns the settlement 
 of a new country, — the opening and improvement 
 of roads. 
 
 The military establishment is kept up at tlie ex- 
 ])ense of the Imperial Government, which maintain> 
 garrisons in the two chief cities above named, as Avell 
 as in several forts of minor importance. The militia 
 of the province amounts to about 80 thousand 
 effective men. 
 
 The commerce of the colony consists in the export 
 of timber, furs, wheat, pot and pearl-ash, and tht 
 import of almost every article manufactured in Great 
 Britain. A thousand ships annually visit the port- 
 of Quebec and Montreal, for the prosecution of thi- 
 beneficial intercourse. 
 
 The consumption of British goods in this proving 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 1-25 
 
 does not, however, bear the same proportion to the 
 population, as the consumption of our manufac- 
 liires in those colonies where the inliabitants are more 
 exclusively En^^lish. The French descendants, ex- 
 cept about the towns, are for the most part, alike 
 unacquainted with the luxuries and the wants of tin* 
 more recent settlers, while many of the necessaries 
 of life are produced by the extreme industry of their 
 women. The prevalence of this system is undoubt- 
 edly too great. It is attended with manifest disad- 
 vantage, in the loss of time occupied in the manu- 
 lacture of what might be readily procured of the mer- 
 chants and tradesmen. The Canadians never fail to 
 acknowledge this when it is pointed out to them, 
 but such is the force of habit, that it may be many 
 years before the advantages of the proper division 
 and appropriation of labour is thoroughly understood 
 and practised by the hahitans of Lower Canada. 
 
 The proper manufactures of Canada are inconsi- 
 derable, and are almost wholly for internal consump- 
 tion. There are founderles and stove-manufactories 
 established at Three Rivers, where iron, as before 
 observed, is found of very superior quality and in 
 great abundance. And, at Montreal, there is a 
 manufactory, where steam-engines are made of 
 dimensions and force to suit the enormous boats 
 which navigate the Canadian waters ; but they are 
 not equal in workmanship to those which are sent 
 from England. There are also breweries, distilleries, 
 and soap and candle manufactories. 
 
 The population of this province amounts to about 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION, 
 
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 lialFa niilllon souls, ofwliich about five-sixths are 
 f French extraction. Tlie greater part of tliese use 
 their ancient language, without any knowledge of 
 English ; but among the educated classes, and the 
 i?iha])itants of the more considerable towns, where 
 the increase of the settlers, and the necessities of 
 commerce, have rendered an acquaintance with the 
 Engliirh language indispensal)le, our tongue has 
 become the language of what may be termed the 
 Court, as well as of the Exchange. 
 
 In Quebec and Montreal, the English, and the 
 descendants of English, make up probaldy about 
 one-third of the population, and their language in 
 these cities is commonly spoken or understood by 
 the greater part of every class of people, of either 
 origin ; and some, in extreme youth, are able to 
 converse in English or French, with equal fluency 
 nnd correctness. 
 
 In the houses of parliament, and courts of law, 
 either of the two languages is accepted impartially, 
 and always employed, according to the capability or 
 bias of the speaker. But there exists great jealousy 
 on the part of the French Canadians, on account of 
 tlio employment of the English tongue, and at every 
 step of its progress, they evince a strong desire to 
 check this supposed inroad upon their imagined 
 right to retain the ancient tongue as the proper 
 language of the country. Indeed, so predominant is 
 this feeling among the settlers of French origin, and 
 consequently in the popular assembly, that in the 
 public seminaries, v/hich are dependent upon legis- 
 
 1 iM ' 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 127 
 
 lative grants, the Enfj;lish language lias hardly been 
 taught in any other manner than that in whirh the 
 French is taught in our academies at home. There 
 are however several private schools, conducted upon 
 more liberal principles. 
 
 It is a reproach to tlie British ministry of tht* 
 earlier part of the reign of George III., that the laws 
 were not changed in Canada, as in the rest of the 
 subdued provinces, and the colony made entirely 
 British. By the treaty of Paris in 1763, the ancient 
 colonists were permitted to retain possession of their 
 estates, and the established code, in reference to 
 tenure and titles, was confirmed, and continued to 
 be the law of the land. Thus the French govern- 
 ment, which had originally granted the most fertile 
 districts of Lower Canada in extensive seinfniories, 
 by the same treaty which transferred the sovereignty 
 of the country to another power, effectually circum- 
 scribed the enterprise of their very conquerors with- 
 in the bounds of commercial speculation alone ; so 
 that, at the present day, the population, and the 
 institutions of Lower Canada, are made up of such 
 incongruous materials, that they present the most 
 curious features in civilized society, that is perhaps 
 to be met with in the world. 
 
 From this error or negligence of the government 
 of that period, has arisen many and great inconve- 
 niences. After the taking of Quebec, which virtu- 
 ally completed the overthrow of the French domi- 
 nion in America, the English colonists from the more 
 genial climates of the south, began to find their way 
 
 
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128 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 to, and plant tlicnisclvos in the cajutal of the Candi- 
 das. They were not however coiifonnded with tlic 
 ancient settlers, nor did the more iiunieroiis inhabi- 
 tants imbibe the speculative fjenius of the Ennlisli ; 
 so that, the descendants of the orii^inal settlers ot 
 the two nations, remain to this day almost as distinct 
 rnccs in this colony, as are the English and Frencli 
 on this side the sea. 
 
 In the mean time, the English merchants, by their 
 industry and enterprise, have acquired wealth, and 
 raised themselves to the same rank as the seignior?, 
 who cannot be said to represent our aristocracy, in 
 a country where the law of primogeniture is un- 
 known. The upper house is therefore composed of 
 officers of the crown, seigniors, and merchants ; 
 component parts as difficult to amalgamate, as those 
 of which the bulk of the population consists. In 
 this house, there is always a mnjority in favor of what 
 is strangely called the English interests ; and it is 
 certain, the representative body must always present 
 a very large majority in favor of what is as strangely 
 termed the French interests ; and thus the energies 
 of the government are constantly repressed, and the 
 progress of improvement is effectually interrupted. 
 And notwithstanding the increase of settlers, in those 
 parts of Lower Canada unclogged with the feudal 
 tenures, the proportion of the population of French 
 extraction, is still too great in this province to leave 
 any reasonable hope of the re-establishment of 
 unanimity without the interference of the imperial 
 parliament, and the institution of such measures as 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 129 
 
 would presently (listinijuisb tlie loyal part of tlie 
 Canadians from the disaftccted, if, indeed, tliere 
 really is any rooted disatfection in the colony. Tlie 
 French Canadians have never heen reconciled to any 
 chanj^es hitherto etlocted hy the English, exce})t the 
 introduction of the representative system, which 
 superceded the arhitrary engines of power hy which 
 France has been wont to govern her distant })os- 
 sessions. 
 
 In spite of these disadvantages, which are certainly 
 unfavorable to the progress of knowledge and sci- 
 ence, neither polite literature, or the useful arts, or 
 the abstract sciences, have been wholly neglected ; 
 and the rival cities of Lower Canada may each boast 
 of possessing several valuable institutions for the 
 encouragement of science and the liberal arts. At 
 Quebec, there is a very superior library, containing 
 the standard works in both English and Frencli. 
 There are also several well-conducted journals in 
 each of these cities. The Quebec Gazette, a daily 
 paper, appears in either language, alternate days. 
 There are also two or three other respectable perio- 
 dicals, adapted to the "form and pressure of tlie 
 time," and very well supported. 
 
 The prevailing religion of Lower Canada, is tiiat 
 of the Romish church, and the Canadian religious 
 establishments are upon the most respectable fool- 
 ing. The catholic bishop resides at Quebec, where 
 there is a cathedral and several chapels, and also a 
 convent. Montreal has likewise its cathedral, 
 chapels, and convent. Within the convents, the 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 ladies, as well Enp^lish as French, obtain the best 
 education. The cathedral at Montreal is a spacious 
 f^othic building, and is said to exceed, in dimensions, 
 every other church in North America, unless there 
 be an exception in Mexico. 
 
 The amusements of the English colonists consist 
 in horsn-racing, theatricals, balls, shooting, and 
 deer and fox-hunting, in which the Canadians sonie- 
 tinics unite, but rarely with equal enthusiasm. 
 Pic-nic parties arc also common, both in sumnur 
 and winter; usually by water, or in calashes in the 
 summer season, and in carioles in the winter, to 
 some farm-house, where they frequently dance until 
 the day warns them to break up. There are no game 
 laws in this or any of the provinces, except such as 
 have been enacted to prevent wanton destruction. 
 
 The best travelling during the summer months, 
 in this province, as in all America, where it is prac- 
 ticable, is by water ; steam having acted greatly 
 against the improvement of the roads throughout 
 the country. The conveniences of water communi- 
 cation are indeed so great, that Nature seems to 
 have designed North America as a field for the full 
 operation of steam-machinery, in its application as 
 a means of facilitating aquatic intercourse. Be- 
 tween Quebec and Montreal, the passing and re- 
 passing of the most splendid steam-vessels is inces- 
 sant. Ordinarily two, and sometimes three, boats 
 as they are termed, constructed to accommodate 
 from five to fifteen hundred passengers, leave Mon- 
 treal and Quebec every day. They are superbly 
 
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 Hr ^; 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 131 
 
 fitted and well-conducted, and no very serious acci- 
 dent has happened snice the comniencenicnt of steam 
 
 navigation. 
 
 Sucli are the chief points of view, as matters of 
 ufeneral interest, in whicii it seems useful to rei^ard 
 the condition and prospects of tlie lower province. 
 The upper country must next be placed in the sanu- 
 light, in reference to those circumstances, the re- 
 view of which, may be supposed best adapted to 
 stamp that just impression of its relative importance 
 as a place of settlement, which, in common with 
 what is characteristic of each of the provinces, it 
 is the aim of these pages to accomplish. 
 
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132 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 t 'I 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 UPPER CANADA. 
 
 Geographical Description.— Division. — ; Climate. — Apfriculturo. — 
 Soil.— 'Government.— Connmcrce. — Religion. — State of Education. 
 
 in 
 
 1 ■ ■ ]'■! 
 
 Upper Canada, wliicli is the second of the pro- 
 vinces in population and wealth, naturally comes 
 next under review. It was separated from the 
 lower country hy act of parliament, in 1791; 
 mainly, on account of several essential points in 
 which it differs from that earlier settled portion 
 of the Canadian territory ; more especially, in 
 those particulars which have there retarded the 
 progress of improvement and increase of popu- 
 lation. But our present inquiry concerns its par- 
 ticular claims to attention, in the peculiar advan- 
 tages which its situation, climate, soil, and state of 
 society afford, to the hopes of the industrious 
 emigrant. 
 
 This flourishing province, considered within its 
 proper limits, is almost entirely encircled by the 
 rivers St. Lawrence and Ottawa, and the lakes 
 Ontario, Erie, and Huron. Beyond these bounds, 
 to the north, there are no inhabitants, exce])t In- 
 dians, and fur-traders, and hunters in the service of 
 the Hudson's Bay Company ; and those cold and 
 dreary regions are too remote from the settlements, 
 
Tllli EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 133 
 
 and the interest wliicli they excite, is of too dis- 
 tinct a character, to come within the scope of these 
 inquiries. 
 
 The appearance of the upper country is, in general, 
 less mountainous and romantic than that of the 
 lower ; but proceeding* westward, the land con- 
 tinually rises, sometimes gradually, and sometimes 
 abruptly, and the St. Lawrence, no longer navigable 
 for ships from the ocean, pours its waters over high 
 precipices, and down steep declivities, forming 
 cataracts and rapids, in novelty and grandeur, sur- 
 passing every other natural phenomenon upon the 
 face of the globe. 
 
 This extensive territory has, within the last few- 
 years, forced itself by its increase of poj)ulation, 
 u])on the attention, as well of the government, as of 
 individuals, which renders it necessary, by a short 
 topographic description, to distinguish its depart- 
 ments, in the same manner as has been done with 
 regard to those of Lower Canada. 
 
 The whole country is divided into eleven districts : 
 the Eastern, Ottawa, Johnstown, Midland, Newcastle, 
 Home, Gore, Niagara, London, and the Western ; 
 and each of these is subdivided into townships, ordi- 
 narily containing about 60,000 acres. Its principal 
 towns, which will be more particularly referred to 
 under the head of each division in which they are 
 seated, are, Toronto, the capital, Kingston, the naval 
 depot of the province, Niagara, and C^ueenston. 
 All of these, except Queenston, are situated upon 
 Lake Ontario. 
 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 The eastern district is one of the most inconsider- 
 able. It is divided into twelve townships, some of 
 wliich are tolerably settled. 
 
 The Ottawa lies immediately north of the district 
 last-mentioned. It is of inferior extent ; but, be- 
 sides having an equal front upon the river of the 
 same name, it fronts also upon the Rideau Canal ; 
 and these are advantages of considerable importance 
 in a thinly-inhabited country. It is divided into 
 eleven townships, possessing various soils, with the 
 ordinary advantages of a country in general level 
 and thickly wooded. The new village of By town 
 is seated at the end of the steam-navigation, and at 
 the entrance of the Rideau, which connects Lake 
 Ontario with the ocean, without the interruption of 
 rapids or falls, and promises to become of essential 
 service to all Canada in time of peace or w'ar. 
 
 Johnstown, which is the next district, proceeding 
 westward, is laid out in eighteen townships. It is 
 in general a rich and fine country, and has an ex- 
 tensive front upon the St. Lawrence. 
 
 Bathurst adjoins Johnstown, and lies immediately 
 north of that department. It has an equal extent 
 of front upon the Ottawa, and possesses the same 
 advantages for settlement. 
 
 The midland district is one of the more extensive 
 departments. It fronts, both upon the Ottawa river 
 and Lake Ontario, and measures about one hundred 
 and sixty miles at its extreme length, and for the 
 greater part, from twenty to forty in breadth. Its 
 southern portion, which is all that is laid out, is 
 
 
 \rt. 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 135 
 
 parcelled into about twenty-eight or thirty town- 
 ships. It possesses various soils, and is in general 
 a well-wooded country, but is very thinly settled. 
 The most important settlement is at Kingston. 
 Kingston was the naval station during the last 
 American war, and is, next to Toronto, the most 
 busy town in the upper country. In its vicinity 
 flourishes a military settlement, chiefly composed of 
 disbanded soldiers of the last war, and their de- 
 scendants. 
 
 Below Kingston, between the broad sheet of the 
 Ontario waters and the noble rapids of the river 
 St. Lawrence, is situated the Lake of the Thousand 
 Islands. It contains, if the accounts of the Canadian 
 boatmen may be relied upon, for you cannot number 
 them as you sweep down the stream in the batteaux 
 of 'V "* country, about fifteen hundred beautiful well- 
 w ) ^i isles. 
 
 ihe Newcastle district is still larger in extent, 
 being about one hundred and sixty miles in length, 
 and between forty and fifty in breadth. It fronts 
 upon the Ottawa also, and upon Lake Ontario, and 
 has the southern portion only allotted out. It 
 contains about the same number of townships as the 
 last-mentioned district, but it has no town of any 
 importance. It is well watered, by the Trent in 
 particular, which empties itself into the St. Lawrence, 
 at the boundary between this and the midland district. 
 
 The home district, which adjoins Newcastle to the 
 west, fronts upon Lake Ontario on the south. Its 
 well-known and inhabited parts, are bounded on 
 
 
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 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 tlie north by St. George's Bay, which is a brancli 
 of Lake Huron, wliile its utmost limits reacli tlie 
 French river, which connects the inferior lake 
 Nipissing with Lake Huron. It has, moreover, 
 within its better known portions, the Lake Simcoe, 
 which, from its superior position, is doubtless 
 doomed to be the centre of a populous vicinity. It 
 is well watered by springs and rivers, which flow 
 through almost every township. 
 
 Within this district, upon Lake Ontario, is seated 
 Toronto, the capital of the province. It is well laid 
 •out, has a good harbour, and promises to become a 
 place of great importance. It contains, at present, 
 about five or six thousand inhabitants, and mav 
 boast of several excellent institutions. 
 
 Among the public buildings which ornament the 
 town, the most conspicuous, are the new houses of 
 parliament, the bank, the court-house, and tlie 
 college. There are English and Scotch churche:*, 
 and Dissenting chapels. The society, from^the cir- 
 cumstance of Toronto being the residence of the 
 officers of both the civil and the military depart- 
 ments of the government, is perhaps superior to 
 that of any town of the same amount of population 
 in Britain. 
 
 The Gore district, is much inferior in extent to 
 the three last-mentioned, but has a fine front upon 
 Lake Ontario. The soil is almost universally good, 
 which is indicated by the huge trees which it every 
 where throws up. Its principal town is Guelph. 
 It is situated upon the river Speed, which is one 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 137 
 
 of the branches of the Ouse, whicli river falls into 
 Lake Erie, on the coast of the Nia;^ara district. 
 
 Tlie Niagara district lies directly south of Gore. 
 It has an extensive front on Lake Erie on the south, 
 and also on Lake Ontario on the north. It is separated 
 from the United State?, on the east, by the Niagara 
 gut, upon which is situated the great cataract wliiclx 
 has baffled the ingenuity and descriptive powers of 
 so many skilful writers to convey a distinct idea. 
 
 The lands throughout this district are well 
 watered, and are, with few exceptions, extremely 
 fertile. 
 
 In addition to the advantages in whicli nature has 
 been so bountiful, art has also contributed to render 
 Niagara a most desirable district for settlement. 
 Here, the Welland Canal connects the upper with 
 the lower lake, and the upper country with the 
 lower country, by opening the most remote settle- 
 ments in the west, to the St. Lawrence and the 
 ocean itself. 
 
 The chief towns in this district are Niagara and 
 Queenstown : the former is situated at the point at 
 which the gut of rapids, from which it takes its 
 name, falls into Lake Ontario. It was defended, 
 (luring the war, by Fort George, a mei-e dyke, now 
 nearly crumbled away. Queenstown is situated 
 about seven miles above Niagara, and about the 
 same distance from the falls. 
 
 Upon the heights of Queenstown, a splendid 
 column has been erected by the Upper Canadians, 
 to the memory of General Brock, who fell in action 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 near the spot. Tlie Americans had crossed the 
 Niagara Gut, but they were defeated, and a groat 
 part of them driven over the precipices, into the 
 gulf of whirlpools below. 
 
 The London district is superior in dimensions to 
 the two last-mentioned. Its northern shore, upon 
 Lake Huron, is as extensive as that of the Homo 
 district, and embraces a finer country and climate. 
 It has also an extensive coast on Lake Erie. It«; 
 principal settlements are at London and Godericli, 
 towns which are laid out in anticipation of a great 
 and rapid increase of population. 
 
 London is situated upon the Thames, about forty 
 miles from Lake St. Clair, into which that river 
 •flows; but it is nearer to Port Talbot upon Lake 
 Erie. Goderich is situated at the mouth of the 
 River Maitland, which falls into Lake Huron. It 
 has a convenient port, capable of admitting vessels 
 of 200 tons burthen. It was founded by the Canada 
 Company, and is the capital of the extensive tract 
 of country which that company possess on Lake 
 Huron. They have cut roads in several directions 
 towards the most populous parts of the province, 
 and promoted the establishment of churches, schools, 
 stores, mills, and whatever else is deemed useful in 
 laying open a new tract; and, at the same time, 
 encouraged the settlement of mechanics, in propor- 
 tion to the sale of their wild lands to agriculturists. 
 
 By this means, Goderich is rapidly increasing in 
 population and commerce, and, as the climate of this 
 tract is milder, on account of the great unfrozen 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 139 
 
 waters in its northern vicinity, than that of the 
 coasts of Ontario and Erie, and the scenery more 
 picturesque, the sliores of Lake Huron will, pro- 
 bably, be for some time, the restinj:^-place of the 
 majority of emigrants who enter the upper province. 
 Within this extensive tract is found some of the best 
 land in Canada, and, proportionably, but very little 
 that is unfit for cultivation. 
 
 The western district is a department of inferior 
 dimensions, but is superior to any in the extent of 
 its water-front, having Lake St. Clair almost within 
 its bounds. It forms the outwork of the province to 
 the west, on which side it is separated from the 
 United States by the above-mentioned lake, and the 
 rivers or guts of St. Clair and Detroit. On the 
 north, the St. Clair brings down the waters from 
 the Huron, while the Detroit, on the south, empties 
 the overflow of Lake St. Clair into Lake Erie, on 
 wliich this district has, also, nearly 100 miles of 
 coast. 
 
 Amherstburg, the most important town of this 
 district, is situated upon the River Detroit. The 
 country about the settlement is extremely diversified 
 and picturesque. The inhabitants of the town are, 
 for the most part, composed of the better sort of the 
 French Canadians : the elite of that polite race of 
 American colonists. 
 
 The climate of the upper country is milder than 
 that of the lower, and the season of winter is of 
 shorter duration. There is about three degrees and 
 a half difference of latitude between Quebec and 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 Toronto, and a difference of nearly two months in 
 the length of tiie winter, in favor of the capital ul' 
 the upper province. 
 
 The settlements on Lake Erie are from a degree 
 to a degree and a half still south of Toronto, and 
 below the parallel of a great part of the state ol 
 New York. Here, the vine thrives, and the more 
 delicate fruits, the cultivation of which has scarcely 
 heen attempted in Lower Canada, ornament th( 
 markets and gratify the taste of the settlers. Peaclie^ 
 and nectarines attain great perfection, without 
 the walled gardens, and careful culture of tlie 
 English horticulturists. The eastern districts ul 
 this province, on the other hand, are inferior to tlie 
 St. Francis territory in Lower Canada, and to tlie 
 greater portion of the department of Montreal. 
 
 The sudden transition from winter to summer, a;? 
 has been before mentioned, is common 1o all part:^ 
 of America. Here, the weather is often oppies- 
 sively warm in April, even before the snow has dis- 
 appeared in the woods, or from places which are. 
 sheltered from the sun's rays. In July and August, 
 the thermometer frequently rises to ninety-six Fa- 
 renheit, and sometimes stands, for several const - 
 cutive days, above 100 ; although the storms, which 
 burst over the St. Lawrence in the mountainou> 
 districts about Quebec, do not rage with the same 
 violence, nor are ever attended with the same awful 
 consequences in this part of the country. The 
 autumn is invariably the most delightful of the 
 seasons : the sky is clear, and the air dry ; and it is 
 
 ', ■? . 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 141 
 
 seldom too cold for the occupations of husbandry, 
 before tlie beginninj^ of January, while the shortest 
 (lays are considerably longer than in the most south- 
 ern i>arts of England.* 
 
 An intermittent fever, or ague, is very prevalent 
 throuo'h several districts, and is usuallv called the 
 lake fever ; but it might perhaps, be more ap})ro- 
 jiriiitely designated the swamp-fever, being ob- 
 served to be more common and violent in its effects 
 wherever swamps much abound. If this hypothesis 
 be well-founded, a little time may destroy the prin- 
 ciple which generates this prevailing endemic : in 
 the mean time, it should cause no alarm to the 
 settler, as its character is not virulent, and in its 
 worse elfects, it may be considered rather as incon- 
 venient than dangerous. 
 
 The knowledge of agriculture, and the modes of 
 liusbandry throughout this province, are in a rapidly 
 improving condition, the colonists having assimi- 
 lated their practice, as near as the climate and soil 
 will ])ermit, to that of the British farmer. 
 
 Concerning the fertility of the soil, it may be re- 
 marked, that a country exhibiting so far a landscape 
 and such abundance and variety of forest vegetation, 
 must necessarily possess a productive soil. The 
 w hole face of the country, in a state of nature, with 
 lew exceptions, presents a rich and dense forest; and 
 
 * There is a difference between tlie length of the day at the 
 winter solstice, at London and at Toronto, of about one hour and a 
 quarter in faver of Toronto. 
 
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 142 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTllODUCTION. 
 
 where tliis obstack; to cultivation has ])een removed, 
 the soil is not found inferior in fecundity to that of 
 any district within the temperate climates of Aiue- 
 rica ; and it in generjd yields a larger increase than 
 the richest arable lands in England. There is, liow- 
 ever, a considerable quantity of swamp, to dniin 
 which, will no doubt be a primary object, as soon iis 
 the population of the country, and the capital of tla- 
 colonists, render the rich meadow soils which it con- 
 ceals, of more value to the agriculturist, and it^ 
 effects upon the health of the settlers is more a|)- 
 parent. 
 
 The constitution of the government of the uj)per 
 province, is modelled after the same great original 
 as that of the sister colony, but the executive officer 
 is only entitled Lieutenant-governor. The courts 
 of law, and the judicial proceedings, diifer from those 
 of Lower Canada, only when real property is con- 
 cerned, or when any of those matters are litigated, 
 which come under the influence of the Roman Code 
 or Civil Law, which obtains in that province. Here 
 the English law prevails, judiciously modified by 
 the provincial legislature, which has wisely aimed 
 at the introduction of a simplicity more compatible 
 with the state of society in a new country. 
 
 The population of Upper Canada, at present, 
 amounts to about 300,000 souls ; but it increases at 
 the rate of about double in every seven or eight years. 
 
 The annual revenue of this province is about 
 £150,000. Its principal and most increasing source 
 is through imposts, as noticed in the more general 
 
 
 ••v^^'^iii 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 143 
 
 observations inu prccedirij^ chapter; ])ut, instead of 
 tliese being levied on the frontiers, they are j,^athered 
 ;it Quebec and Montreal, from duties im})osed by 
 rlie legislature of Lower Canada, and afterwards ap- 
 portioned by negociation, according to vague calcu- 
 tations, of the relative consumption of the inhabi- 
 tants of each of these ])rovinces. This arragenient 
 lia> already been attended with ditferences between 
 the local legislatures, and is not free from the lia- 
 bility of their frequent occurrence. 
 
 There are other sources of revenue, such as the 
 sale of crown lands ; licences granted to inn-kee|j- 
 ers, pedlars, and others. But the greater part of 
 the money derived through these sources, is at the 
 disposal of the provincial executive government. 
 It is applied to useful improvements within the 
 j)rovince, and to the payment of the salaries of such 
 of the public ofticers and the clergy, as are not pro- 
 vided for by the government at home. 
 
 The commerce of this colony consists chiefly of 
 the import of British manufactures, and West India 
 produce, and the export of corn, potash, and pearl- 
 ash to Great Britain, and some Hour to the West 
 Indies. 
 
 These valuable productions of the soil, pass from 
 tlie most remote districts over lake Erie, through 
 the Welland canal, which unites, as before said, the 
 navigable waters of Erie with those of Ontario. 
 Thence they are transported to Prescott, a small 
 commercial town, at the end of the Ontario steam- 
 navigation below Kingston ; thence to Montreal, 
 
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 THE EMIOKANTrt INTRODUCTION. 
 
 commonly by iKittesuix, under the conduct of French 
 Canadians, who fearlessly navigate the terrific and 
 foaminjj^ ra|)ids of the great river St. Lawrence ; huf 
 sometimes by flat-bottomefl craft, adapted for tlic 
 perilous passage of the rapids, })ut which being untif 
 to return, are broken up, as soon as their cargoes 
 are dcdivered. 
 
 The trade in potash and pcarlash, has a particular, 
 as well as a general beneficial effect upon the in- 
 terests of the settler in the woods : and the very 
 obstruction to cultivation, is, especially where the 
 beech-tree much abounds, sometimes converted to 
 purposes of immedifite and direct gain. As sonic 
 reader may contemplate settling where this source 
 of profit is unknown, it may not be amiss to mention 
 the process by which these valuable articles are ob- 
 tained in this colony. 
 
 When the trees are felled, collected, and burnt, 
 which is but the usual course of preparing the land 
 for tillage, the ashes are collected, mixed with lime, 
 and put into vats, through which water is filtered. 
 The lie, thus obtained, is then put into large iron 
 l)Ots, and boiled till it changes from a brown to a 
 claret colour; and, being cooled, the process is 
 finished. This produces what is called potash. The 
 manufacture of pearlash is upon the same principle, 
 but not so simple. For what greater nicety or addi- 
 tional expence it requires, recourse must be had to 
 superior sources of information. 
 
 The Upper Canadians have an effective militia, 
 and there is generally a regiment of the king's 
 
 .X 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTICODICTION. 
 
 145 
 
 troopH distributed among the smallor forts, their 
 head-quarters at Toronto. There is no naval estab- 
 lishment in the province in time of peace. 
 
 If we except the settlers which have been men- 
 tioned, at the head of lake Erie, there are very few 
 French Canadians to be met with in the upper coun- 
 try. The institutions of relii^ion are, therefore, for 
 the most part Protestant of the several denomina- 
 tions known in this country. U[)per Canada is within 
 the diocese of the bishop of Quebec, but two arch- 
 deacons reside witiiin the province. The kirk is 
 under the government of a presbytery as in Scotland, 
 from which country the clergy are sent out, as con- 
 gregations are formed to receive them. 
 
 The most useful voluntary institutions consist of 
 seminaries of education, at the head of which is 
 King's College ; and of societies for the encourage- 
 ment of agriculture ; with associations for the diffu- 
 sion of other branches of useful knowledge. 
 
 From the very birth of the political existence of 
 this colony, education has been a capital considera- 
 tion among the settlers. District schools were es- 
 tablished by the legislature, with endowments of 
 £100 a year, and smaller schools, with appropriate 
 provision. But the province is indebted to a late 
 governor for the establishment of a college of a su- 
 perior class, the masters of which are graduates of 
 the English universities ; and thus the means of edu- 
 cation in Canada is now equal to that of the great 
 public schools at home. The wisdom moreover, as 
 it may be justly termed, of the colonists, has placed 
 
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 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 at the head of the most important branches of learn- 
 ing, the graduates of Cambridge in preference to 
 those of Oxford. By this they have shown, their less 
 esteem for orthodoxy or paradoxy, than for the 
 progress of those studies which throw open the 
 doors of that temple of science, which is fast rear- 
 ing its head above the impediments of prejudice, 
 and is doomed to be the bond of security for the 
 progress of morals, and for the future prosperity 
 of the province. 
 
 General literature has by no means been neglect- 
 ed in Upper Canada. There is no want of well- 
 conducted periodicals, or newspapers ; and the in- 
 crease of their circulation is in proportion to the 
 rapidity with which the forest disappears, and culti- 
 vation proceeds. 
 
iV 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTUODUCTION. 
 
 147 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 i>rigin and Domostic Manners of the Settlers. — Their Amusements. 
 Reception of tlie New Settler. — Canadian Matnms. — Superior 
 Intelligence of the Colonists. — Its Causes. — Ilajjid Increase of 
 Population. 
 
 The inhabitants of Upper Canada are composed of 
 English, Scotch, and Irish, either lately located, or 
 the descendants of the earlier emigrants, with a few 
 of Dutch extraction, and some American loyalists. 
 In the towns, their manners and domestic habits do 
 not much differ, especially among the wealtiiier 
 classes, from the manners of their fellow-subjects at 
 home ; unless it be, in having in a greater degree 
 retained or recovered that gaiety and liveliness of 
 disposition, which the aged tell us distinguished the 
 '' good old times" of their youth. Wonderful suc- 
 cess has indeed attended their efforts to shake off 
 that gloominess and reserve, which foreigners ob- 
 serve in their intercourse with the English, and 
 politely attribute to the humidity of our climate ; 
 but which, perhaps, might with greater truth be im- 
 puted to our prevailing pursuits. But whatever may 
 be most justly blamed, it is certain, that the un- 
 avoidable evil of a cloudy sky, which is taxed with 
 our errors, is not a characteristic of the American 
 climate ; nor do the embarrassments and perplexity 
 into which John Bull is so fond of plunging, prevail 
 
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 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 with our countrymen in America. The atmosplieric 
 influence is not such as to engender morose habits 
 by necessity, nor have the engagements of care sus- 
 pended good-humour among the colonists. 
 
 The Canadian colonist does not want enterprise ; 
 on the contrary, he is more apt to possess enthu- 
 siasm, than to be slothful and sluggish. The field of 
 hope which he cultivates is sown in security and 
 confidence ; and, constant in expectation, he steadily 
 awaits the harvest which should reward his generous 
 pains. 
 
 The distinctions in society are here as evident as 
 in England ; but necessity, or the genius which pre- 
 sides over the foundation and progress of States, 
 like a painter most perfect in his art, for the pre- 
 servation of that friendly intercourse and kindness 
 which alone can convert the yet faintly sketched 
 outline of a nation, into a flourishing and great 
 people, has blended the shades with a finer touch, 
 and more delicate hand ; and, above all, established 
 in this infant state, a tolerance and charity in re- 
 ligious opinions and practice, and even a modera- 
 tion in politics, rarely to be met with in any country 
 in the old or new world.* 
 
 The most remarkable feature, in the character of 
 
 * Those to whom the condition of the Canadas, and the predonii- 
 iiant fcoUiigs and true sentiments of our trans-atlant' . countrymen. 
 are only known through the misty medium of occasional party ex- 
 travagancies on either side the water, can acquire but about the 
 same degree of knowledge of the true state of things in those 
 
* I f 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 149 
 
 the colonists, is their anxious solicitude about the 
 progress of improvement. This feeling is universal, 
 and pervades every thing. " How does your settle- 
 ment get on V* or words to the same effect, is the 
 never-failing first interrogative, when two indivi- 
 duals from different locations encounter in the towns 
 or upon the roads ; and thus, the conversation is at 
 once turned into the most useful channels, and often, 
 each carries home new suggestions arising from the 
 details of the other. When a farmer finishes his 
 day's labour, he commonly pays a visit to one of his 
 neighbours, to inspect the work in hand, compare 
 notes, and suggest improvements. Whenever any 
 occasion for meeting arises, the settlers reckon their 
 numbers and strength, and speculate upon the value 
 of the last ingress from the old country. They con- 
 sider what new undertaking the welcome accession 
 will warrant their proposing, such as the establish- 
 ment of a school, or some useful association, perhaps 
 erecting a church, or forming an agricultural society ; 
 and it is the interest which is universally taken in 
 these and other efforts towards bringing the institu- 
 tions of a newly-formed society into active operation 
 in the one, and the apathy and indifference with 
 which every thing new is regarded in the other, 
 that constitutes the great characteristic difference 
 hetween the Upper and Lower Canadians, or, to 
 
 countries, as that which enllglitens the subjects of the Autocrats iu 
 tiie cast, concerning our domestic affairs, wlien, !)y anticipation, they 
 lament or rejoice over revolutionised and fallen England. 
 
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 TOE EMIGRANT 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 speak more generally, the British and Froncli 
 colonists throughout the provinces. 
 
 It may be supposed, that among a people so 
 actively engaged in a variety of occupations whicli 
 concern their first interests, mere leisure amuse- 
 ments would not be found very numerous. Then; 
 are few which they engage in during the months ol 
 summer; but when the winter sets in, and out-door 
 employments are confined to clearing the land of 
 its forest-trees, providing fencing, repairing or build- 
 ing houses, and out-houses, and to such other occn- 
 })ations as are least subjected to the necessity of being 
 completed during a particular season, the settler- 
 relax from their seeming disregard for pleasure wn- 
 connected with graver interests, and severally, as 
 the predominance of English, Scotch, or Irish may 
 chance to fall, with their national pastimes beguile 
 the tedious winter hours. Thus, they renew and 
 ])erpetuate the memory of their native country, or 
 that of their fathers, "in times long past but still 
 with joy remembered." And, by such means is their 
 union cemented, and their national pride preserved 
 and made condusive to the formation of the character 
 of a bold and enterprising people. 
 
 But the most general and most agreeable winter 
 amusement, throughout the provinces, is not of 
 British origin. From the time the snow falls until 
 it disappears, driving carioles, or sledges if that 
 term should be better understood, is a favorite 
 pastime. The settlers travel, also, in these vehicles 
 with incredible celerity ; and when the snow is well 
 
'VI 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 151 
 
 beaten, and the roads smooth, so light and easy is 
 the draught, that seventy or eighty miles is not con- 
 sidered too much to drive a horse of ordinary 
 strength, the same day.* 
 
 There is one deservedly admired trait in the cha- 
 racter of the settlers, the mention of which, should 
 by no means be omitted. It concerns their reception 
 of the stranger. They are ever ready to afford him 
 accommodation, and to render any assistance in their 
 power, to enable him to take up his abode among 
 them. But this kindness is remarkably exhibited 
 on the first day of his proper location. At whatever 
 period he finds himself in a condition to begin on 
 his own account, be it a month, or be it at the end 
 of one or more years after his joining the settle- 
 ment, the inhabitants of the vicinity, having pre- 
 viously arranged every thing for the economy of 
 time, assemble by appointment, and put him up a 
 house, and render it habitable ; and this is performed 
 in the space of a single day. 
 
 The method of effecting it is as follows. Those of 
 the least mechanical genius or knowledge assume 
 the rougher work, while the more ingenious ac- 
 commodate themselves to the labour which may 
 severally best suit their capability. The axemen 
 begin, by cutting down the trees and clearing away 
 the rubbish upon the space of about a square acre, 
 
 *Two cariolos, with two horses in each, were driven, by soino 
 officers quartered in New Brunswick, from Frcdericston to St. John's, 
 i distance of ninety miles, in six hours. 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 this not having been already done by the new 
 settler. 
 
 They then prepare logs of equal lengths. These 
 they notch at tlie ends, fit to each other, and pile 
 horizontally for the walls, leaving a space at one end 
 for a fire-place and chimney : a door-way and space 
 for a window is sawn out, when the walls are com- 
 plete. The joiners then assist the axe-men, in con- 
 structing the roof, laying the floors, and placing the 
 window, door, and bed-places, already prepared; 
 while the adepts in masonry erect the fire-place of 
 large ready-dressed stones, and the chimney of clay 
 mixed with straw. The walls are then stogged, or 
 *' the seams," in sea-phrase "calked" with dry 
 moss. The house being finished, the ceremony of 
 installation completes the day's "frolic," as it is sig- 
 nificantly termed in some of the settlements. This 
 is in keeping with the performance of the day. A 
 small spruce bough is placed upon the chimney- top, 
 and a gun is fired. At this signal, the settler enters 
 with his family into his new habitation, and from 
 this time he is an elector, and independent mem- 
 ber of the community of his own choice. 
 
 The Canadian matrons are not wanting in the 
 most estimable feminine virtues ; nor are they in- 
 ferior, in delicacy or intelligence, to any women in 
 the world. They are distinguished, in a particular 
 manner, from the ladies of some of the republican 
 states, by the good taste displayed in their studies, 
 their subjects of conversation, and their amuse- 
 ments, and by their general dislike to political dis- 
 putation. Discussions upon local polities are, in* 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 15:3 
 
 jn, in con- 
 
 deed, among the ladies within tlie union, often con- 
 ducted with too much warmth. They sometimes 
 rob the greatest beauty of her attractions, and are 
 dangerous alike to the permenancy of that dignity 
 of character, and that delicate influence, that arc the 
 pillars upon which the moral edifice of our best 
 institutions rests. 
 
 A lady who was conversing on a subject nearly 
 allied to that of the last paragraph, at the instant it 
 was writing, unconscious of the application, made 
 this apposite remark : that the highest privilege, as 
 she conceived, that the women of the world enjoyed, 
 was their exemption from sharing in the labours of 
 legislation. Would it were possible, was tlie reply, 
 that the romance of life could every where be puri- 
 fied from that base mixture of political alloy, wliich 
 so often infuses its baneful properties into the pri- 
 vacies of domestic life ! 
 
 Injustice to the ladies of the Union, it must how- 
 ever be observed, that the above remark respect- 
 ing them is not generally applicable, and deserves 
 no more weight in the just estimate of the repub- 
 lican female character, than should be allowed to 
 descriptions of shakers, and other sects of enthusi- 
 asts, in a picture of the sentiments and religious 
 feeling ofa whole people. These productions of super- 
 stition or a heated imagination, though they should 
 be the rarest in the world, do not greatly exceed in ab- 
 surdity the unknown-tongue fanaticism of such recent 
 memory in our metropolis ; or the ravings of even some 
 of our more permanent fanatics : and what should we 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 think of an American writer, who should so dwell 
 upon his descriptions of these our own entliusiasts, 
 as to cast the very stamp of the English national cha- 
 racter with the impressions of loose liability to the 
 predominance of such shocking indecencies i 
 
 The superior degree of liberal information which 
 is possessed by the agriculturists of the various 
 classes, as well as by the mechanics and the inferior 
 •jrders of tradesmen, is a strongly-marked feature 
 in the character of the colonists ; but its cause i> 
 doubtless applicable to all conditions of society where 
 the settlement of the land is of recent date, while 
 the social institutions are derived from the practical 
 wisdom of ages of experience. Those whose mean^ 
 of information have been limited to the con- 
 fined sphere of their own proper calling at home, 
 here necessarily associate, transact business, or 
 move frequently, with persons of higher acquire- 
 ments and more general knowledge. But there is 
 another cause, which greatly tends to the general 
 enlargement of the understanding ; and this is, the 
 practice of attending in courts of law, wherever this 
 is possible. In the capital towns, the senate-house 
 is also a place of great resort. Here the colonist 
 sees the forms of the constitutional institutions, and 
 has the opportunity of listening to the most interest- 
 ing and instructive discussions that can engage the 
 attention of a citizen and subject. There is no means 
 of acquiring knowledge so efficient as this, especially 
 in youth. An abstract of the causes and effects of 
 all the occurrences of civil life is here presented, 
 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I.J.J 
 
 as at a glance ; and concealed trutlis are unveiled 
 to the apprehension of the intelligent colonist, 
 which remain dark and inexplicable mysteries to the 
 farmer or mechanic in England. 
 
 But let it not be thought, from these remarks, 
 that more time is occupied in the pursuit of liberal 
 knowledge than should be spared from occupations 
 apparently more profitable. No people are more 
 provident, or more jealous of their time, than th 
 Canadians; but there is no species of knowledge 
 that may not be put to profitable uses by every intel- 
 ligent member of society in a new country. 
 
 A traveller in Canada, especially from any of the 
 larger towns in Britain, is very apt, upon his first 
 acquaintance with the people of the country, to 
 think them somewhat rude in their manners to 
 strangers, especially if he should have come among 
 them without any previous knowledge of their cha- 
 racter; but this impression he will soon discover 
 to be erroneous. 
 
 " Pr'ythee 
 " Think us no churls; nor measure our good minds, 
 " By the rude place we dwell in." 
 
 If, at an hotel or elsewhere, he should address a 
 Canadian farmer in the same tone of voice, or in the 
 same language which he has perhaps been accus- 
 tomed to use in speaking to a dependent upon himself, 
 or upon any one else in England, he will probably re- 
 ceive such a reply as will for a moment puzzle him. 
 He will weigh the matter and manner of it, and be 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 at a loss to decide, whether it proceeded from churl- 
 ishness or hoorish ignorance : and yet it will not 
 have originated in either. He must engage a little 
 deeper in discourse : he must talk of the laws, the 
 constitution, the theory as well as practice of agri- 
 culture ; or, the national debt and poor-laws of 
 England, if he will ; and, in a short time, he will 
 discover, that it was a certain degree of justifiable 
 contempt, that dictated the manner as well as tlie 
 matter of the first reply which he received ; and ho 
 will be surprised to find, that beneath, perhaps, a 
 rough exterior, inhabits a spirit as many degrees 
 removed from that of the boor, with whom he may 
 liave conceived himself inopportunely associated, as 
 from that of the man of the town, whose fastidious- 
 ness and finical nicity will here be more pitied 
 than blamed. 
 
 But the inexperienced traveller will meet many 
 a greater surprise than this. A lady, for instance, 
 perhaps a belle, at a government ball at Toronto, is 
 not unlikely to ask him whether he drove his cart 
 into town full of marketable produce in the morn- 
 ing ; and, before he has time to recover himself, she 
 may add some practical questions concerning the 
 state of the crops, the wheat, barley, and oats, and 
 perchance, even the cabbages and cauliflowers. To 
 which questions he will probably reply : *' Upon my 
 honor, madam, I have neither farm nor cart, nor 
 know I any thing about the culture or the state of 
 the cabbages or cauliflowers ;" his face, at the same 
 time, betraying feelings of indignation at being 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 157 
 
 mistaken for a j)easant. lint, his surprise ^vill he 
 yet greater when he finds, that, instead of having 
 been thought a rustic, the lady mistook him for 
 some noble captain in the royal navy, or for some 
 colonel or major of one of His JMajesty's re«2,inients 
 of horse or foot; so little incompatibility is there 
 between the avocations and the employments of a 
 tenant of the forest, and the independence and re- 
 fined amusements of a gentleman. But the reader 
 will find the solution of this mystery less diiBicult, 
 should he proceed with the perusal of this account 
 of his fellow-subjects in America. 
 
 Very far from the towns, especially where the 
 inhabitants are thinly scattered over an extensive 
 tract of country, wliich is always unfavorable to 
 civilization, the settlers are not so well-informed, 
 and their manners are less refined, than in the 
 populous districts ; but these deficiences are atoned 
 for, by their universal civility and urbanity. What 
 they want in refinement, is made up for by their 
 extreme candour and hospitality ; and, what they 
 want in knowledge, they at least appear to have 
 but little occasion for. " Those that are good 
 manners," says the shepherd in the forest of Arden, 
 to the clown of the palace, scandalized at the cus- 
 toms of the wood, " Those that are good manners 
 at the court, are as ridiculous in the country, as the 
 behaviour of the country is most mockable at the 
 court." 
 
 And those who might not distinguish the difference 
 between forest simplicity, with the rough accom- 
 
 
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158 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ! , 
 
 panimeiits to tlie eiitcrtfiliiinonts of a Canadian 
 hack-woodsman, and tlie manners of sotmc of tliost; 
 who cultivate the soil at home, will jiardly apprt> 
 ciatc the character of the colonists : and, whoevtr 
 cannot leave ])eliind him the unnecessary portion ol 
 the ceremonials of the city, luid hetter not expo,<( 
 liimself to the ridicule which the importation of any 
 thinj^ like court-foppery would be sure to excite. 
 
 The increase of population, and the general in 
 ternal improvement in Upper ('anada, within tlic 
 last few years, have perhaps exceeded any thing ot 
 the kind ever before experienced in any ])art of thi' 
 world. These extraordinary advances, have neitlur 
 been, singly, the effects of natural increase, or ordi- 
 nary immigration, but may in a great degree be attri- 
 buted to the policy of government, in advisedly, 
 and very judiciously, disposing of about two millions 
 of acres of waste and wilderness lands, to certain 
 capitalists, who, under the name of the " Canada 
 Company," were incorporated by act of parliament 
 in 1 826, and have ever since been actively engaged 
 in the plantation of their territories. The greater 
 part, and most choice portions of these lands, are 
 situated within the Gore and London districts, 
 where have been founded the towns and settlements 
 of Guelph and Goderich, mentioned in the topogra- 
 phical sketch of that section of the country. 
 
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THE EMIGRANTS INTnoi)TCTlO>' . 
 
 15!) 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Illustrations of Coloniul Character. 
 
 Some of tlie British settlers in Cuii!h1u are us 
 c'oinniuiiicative as they are cheerful. A contented 
 and affluent couple, located u})on a spot of rising 
 ground, on the bank of a stream wliich empties 
 itself into one of the inferior rivers of the upper 
 (■ountry, relate the brief history ot'tlicir adventures, 
 ;uid their success. 
 
 Twenty-four years ago, they were romantic lovers 
 in Scotland, guilty of those imprudences which are 
 not uncommon among kindred spirits, doomed by 
 fortune, or cruelty, to forego their hopes of being 
 united with the consent of those on whom their 
 future happiness may depend. Fate seemed to 
 have condemned them, 
 
 " Conversing', looking, loving, to abstain 
 From love's due rights, nuptial eniliraces swcot. 
 And with desire to languish without hope." 
 
 But the voice of nature was stronger than that of 
 prudence : they obeyed its dictates, and the foreseen 
 consequences followed. They were abandoned by 
 all but the young wife's mother, by whose humanity 
 they were rescued from starvation. But even this 
 
 
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 relief was about to be withdrawn by the savage 
 parent of the other sex, and the lowest depths of 
 despair was their bitter portion. So poignant was 
 their grief, that she who is now the happy mother of 
 twelve fine children, conceived that tlieir only 
 remedy for the sufferings which threatened them, 
 was separation, and the employment of their unac- 
 customed hands in the meanest offices. With true 
 Malthusian severity she addressed her husband, in 
 the spirit, if not the words, addressed by the mother 
 of mankind, in our great poem, to her partner in 
 shame, when overwhelmed by despair, at the 
 prospect of misery entailed upon their posterity 
 by her disobedience — 
 
 m 
 
 " In thy power it lies — 
 
 To prevent a race unblessod— 
 
 Childless thoi art. Childless remain." 
 
 But her husband had better hopes. 
 
 " There is no time so miserable, but 
 A man may be true." 
 
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 They sought some safer resolution, and the hope 
 of brightei- days beamed upon them. They deter- 
 mined upon emigration, and embarked for Quebec ; 
 and a finer family, and better instructed, or more 
 happy, does not now inhabit the region of Canada. 
 But the particulars of their history should be told 
 in the Settlers own words. 
 
 " On the first day of April," said the worthy man, 
 
n 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 161 
 
 le savairc 
 
 commencing his story, '* we set sail from Leitli, our 
 luarts bursting with mixed feelings of hope and 
 regret. We encountered many perils ; but, our 
 ' sea sorrows' were of short duration. On the fifth 
 of May we landed at Quebec, and after a tedious pas- 
 sage of almost equal length with that from England 
 to America, for steam-boats were then unknown, we 
 arrived at Montreal. Here we calculated our 
 necessary expences, and found that we had not 
 wherewith to carry us to Kingston. We therefore 
 determined upon remaining here for the present, and 
 ^ook a mean lodgrin": at the foot of the mountain in 
 the rear of the town, resolved to employ our time as 
 advantageously as we were able, and patiently endure 
 our trials, until we had earned the means of retreat- 
 ing to the most sequestered spot in Canada, our ori- 
 ginal intention. British emierrants were at that time 
 very rarely to be met with, and courted in proportion 
 to their appearance and supposed usefulness. I had 
 been bred to no business, but had a sound theo- 
 retical, and slight practical knowledge of iioiti- 
 culture as well as agriculture, which availed us 
 beyond our expectations, so that we were able to 
 live with something like comfort. We remained 
 here until the spring of the following year, when we 
 set out, much improved in circumstances and spirits, 
 upon the tedious journey to Kingston. There I left 
 my wife, and proceeded to explore the country, in 
 order to fix upon the site of our future habitation, 
 and prepare for the location of my family. Upon 
 this expedition I was accompanied by a young man 
 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 wlio now occupies the farm winch iiimiediately 
 fronts us upon tlie opj)osite bank of tlie stream. 
 We spent several days, examiniu!^ the advantages 
 of the lands along the banks of tliis very river, and 
 were encamped, for some time, within a ([iiarter of a 
 mile of the piece of ground we now cultivat(^ We 
 chiefly subsisted upon game and fish, which afforded 
 us, at the same time, much sport, and had consider- 
 able influence upon our determination. The liand 
 of man had not then laid the axe to the tree within 
 oighty miles of this spot. 
 
 "Having determined upon the place of our location, 
 in thirty or forty days time we had exchanged our 
 wigwam for a log-hut, and had several acres cleared 
 and fit for the first rude essavs in cultivation. We 
 
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 then returned to Kingston, where my friend wisely 
 married an amiable young person who had been 
 some time in our family : after a day or two, whicli 
 was necessary to provide fi)r our final retreat, we 
 set out together by canoe, to take po'^session of the 
 home of our choice, where, safely arrived, after 
 weighing our sorrows with our comforts, we volun- 
 tarily foreswore all other human society but that 
 with which providence might l)less us by family in- 
 crease, and we cheerfully consigned ourselves to 
 perpetual seclusion in the depth of the forest. Had 
 we, indeed, at that time foreseen the early progress 
 of Canadian cultivation, we should have dreaded, 
 rather than have anticipated with pleasure, the 
 prospect of those signs of industry and rural happi- 
 ness whicli now surround us. For our success, I 
 
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 1. , 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 163 
 
 cannot omit to mention, we are greatly indebted to 
 tlie ladies of our party ; especially to her wlio sleeps 
 beneath my own roof. 
 
 " During the first two years of our retreat, we 
 occupied almost as much time in huntini;- up and 
 sliooting the deer, as in improving our estates ; for 
 wo had not acquired that relish for the rural pur- 
 suits, which is the greatest stimulant to industry, 
 and which, when known, is in itself a sufficient 
 reward for the toils of the most laborious occupa- 
 tions. We have long, however, ceased to use the 
 <^un and the rod, as assistants in the production of 
 necessaries, although we still employ them in the 
 pursuit of pleasure, and for the sake of a little oc- 
 casional variety, and very acceptable addition to 
 our larder. 
 
 " Our first crop consisted but of a moderate sup- 
 ply of potatoes, and a few bushels of wheat, which 
 we ground in a quern we had provided for that pur- 
 pose. As soon as the season of field labour was 
 over, we erected u second log-hut for our com- 
 panions in exile, who henceforth commenced opera- 
 tions upon their own land ; although, for conve- 
 nience, as well as from inclination, we, tlie men of 
 the party, usually shared the labours of the wood or 
 the field together, working each, alternate days, for 
 the advantage of the other. 
 
 " The second year we reaped from my own 
 ground, in spite of our disposition to indulge in the 
 sports of the forest, sixty bushels of wheat, twenty 
 of barley, forty of oats, and a full twelve months 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 supply of potatoes, besides a few turnips and a fair 
 proportion of garden-stuff, and some things of less 
 importance. This augmentation of our exchange- 
 able articles, enabled us to carry to the setthniients 
 the value of a cow, which it had become the more 
 necessary we should not want, as my wife, before 
 the gathering of harvest, had given birth to a son. 
 
 " The following year, the result of our twelve 
 months labour was so abundant, and our prospects so 
 propitious, that we began to lay up some part of the 
 proceeds of the farm for the payment of the first in- 
 stalment of the purchase-money agreed upon for our 
 land, which was due the fifth year. Besides this, 
 we were able to add a yoke of oxen to our stock." 
 
 The reader may not know, that the labour of the 
 ox is more profitable than that of the horse, in tlie 
 infancy of farming operations in America. It is 
 turned to the best account, in drawing out the 
 stumps, and levelling and preparing the land for 
 the quicker step, and the more desirable, and then 
 more available assistance, of the noble animal. 
 
 *' Our yearly increase," continued he, " was so 
 great, that after gathering the harvest of the fifth 
 year, we not only paid a considerable sum towards 
 the liquidation of the debt of the original purchase- 
 money, but we were enabled to increase our stock 
 hy extraordinary additions ; so that, it now consisted 
 of two yoke of oxen, two horses, three cows, and 
 five and twenty sheep. And we had all the neces- 
 sary agricultural implements, though they were of 
 the r'jde manufacture of the country. 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 166 
 
 " In our annual visits to the settlements, for the 
 disposal of the surplus portion of our productions, 
 we had communicated with several emigrants lately 
 arrived from Britain ; yet, for some time, we made 
 no efforts to induce any to join us. But, as our 
 children increased in number, and their infant 
 minds began to develope themselves, the impor- 
 tance of society, and the necessity for education, 
 became more apparent, and gradually overcame our 
 selfish desire of perpetual seclusion." 
 
 That romance in ivhich the forest is clothed, and 
 which infuses into the soul the true spirit of enter- 
 prise, and drowns, in the sublime thoughts which it 
 inspires, every narrow and ungenerous conception, 
 had long since subdued the feelings which prompted 
 their early resolutions. 
 
 " And," continued the settler, " in the seventh 
 year of our location, we saw, with pleasure, a third 
 family prepare to set dow^n beside us. The next 
 year, twelve more settled in the vicinity, and a 
 small log school-house was built, and a worthy pre- 
 ceptor of middle age, who had lately arrived from 
 England, and who had formerly filled an inferior 
 station in a school-establishment in his own country, 
 was engaged. Thus the work of education was 
 coeval with the foundation of our settlement, and it 
 has ever since kept pace with the growth of our 
 population, and the progress of the several little 
 institutions > hich have arisen among us." 
 
 " From this "'me, I usually kept in my house a 
 family of recently-arrived emigrants, who were 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 liired by the month, and successively chancrcd Jts 
 they became independent. I liad, sometimes, from 
 four to six younj^ men witli me at a time; all of 
 them in search of the means of a prudent matrimo- 
 nial alliance ; a necessary step, as you may -svell 
 judge, for the assurance of success and happiness 
 in this abundant country. 
 
 " The ninth year of settlement, a church was pro- 
 jected and subscribed for; but, it must be confessed, 
 tliat if we had but little difhculty in procuring a 
 preceptor for our youth, the same facilities did not 
 attend our endeavours to accommodate our variety 
 of complexions of faith to any general establishment 
 of christian communion and worship. But the 
 strong prejudice and want of charity, imported 
 from the old country, where they have less influ- 
 ence upon ordinary worldly affairs than in America, 
 although sometimes revived by those, whose first 
 duty ought to be to check, instead of encourage 
 these unchristian feelings, are happily at this day 
 almost entirely worn away. We have now three 
 places of wor.-hip, and four congregated sects; 
 churchmen, kirkmen, catholics, and methodists. 
 The two former of these, use alternately, the same 
 place of worship ; but the two latter, keep exclusive 
 possession of their own chapels." 
 
 The condition of the family here described is not 
 a solitary instance of prosperity, but, in effect, the 
 true state of the greater ])roportion <L»f the Canadian 
 British settlers ; and, for that reason, it has been 
 selected, as essentially agreeable to the common ex- 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 UJ7 
 
 perience of tliat class of emigrant settlers. All the 
 circumstances which led to the euuLiTation of the 
 parties are not, indeed, such as occur most fre- 
 i|uently ; but that dread of poverty and dependence, 
 which suG:gested and determined their resolution, is 
 among the commonest motives that induce us to 
 embrace this means of relief from the sufferings 
 which will be at times unavoidable, wherever the 
 demands to supply the ^'^ ants of an increasing popu- 
 lation, exceed the collective productions of the 
 2;round, as is at i)resent the case, in several of the 
 most fertile and most highly-cultivated countries of 
 the old Morld. 
 
 The present population of this settlement, just 
 twenty years since tlie first tree was felh;d, exceeds 
 five thousand soul<. It may boast of a well con- 
 ducted newspa})er, ;ind a very iiseful periodical. The 
 latter is devoted to the most interesting, and most 
 useful incpiiries concerning the best adaptcul methods 
 of agriculture in every period of settlement, and date 
 of clearance, of the land under cultivation, combined 
 with the results of the experiments of agriculturists, 
 on this, as w^ell as on that side of the Atlantic. There 
 is also an agricultural society, through the means of 
 which much practical benetit is derived. And a 
 l)anking establishment is alone wanting, to complete 
 the list of the most d- -irable institutions, aiul give 
 rise to the active spirit and persevering industry of 
 the settlers. 
 
 The feelings and experience of another successful 
 ^^migrant, who had revisited his native country, after 
 
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168 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 
 settlement, will add to our stock of materials for tlu' 
 remarks which are reserved for the concluding 
 chapters. 
 
 A respectable tradesman, of industrious hahits yjid 
 unassuming manners, who formerly kept a small 
 establishment in a country town in England, had 
 acquired sufficient capital, and had spirit enough, to 
 remove, with his family and little property, to (Can- 
 ada. His knowledge of the world was very limited, 
 but he possessed enterprise, and had a mind which 
 thirsted for more liberal pursuits. He took up his 
 residence in one of the towns, of which the rapid 
 increase insures the success of all its earlier tenants. 
 His gains so much exceeded his expectations, that 
 a few years after his settlement, he was able to build 
 a neat dwelling-house in the vicinity of the metro- 
 polis of the colony. From this time, he was associated 
 with those whose earlier acquirements had rendered 
 them much his superiors, at least in those branches 
 of knowledge which are the peculiar usurpation of 
 men of leisure ; and he was for some time at a loss to 
 judge by what means he might most creditably dis- 
 charge the new duties which devolved upon him, as 
 an independent member of the community to which 
 he now belonged. One day, he would be chosen 
 foreman of a grand jury ; the next, called upon to 
 speak at a public meeting ; the following, made an 
 arbitrator, and expected to assist in unravelling a 
 knotty question of disputed rights. 
 
 Thus occupied, as will be the case with every man 
 of natural shrewdness that can be found, this intel- 
 
THE EM Ki RANI S INTllODUCTION 
 
 \ii[) 
 
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 lisxcnt settler l)ecaivie iiif[uisitive conceniinjx those 
 principles by which the system of civil economy is 
 supported, and was considered, before he had been 
 I'ii^ht years in the country, as a competent person to 
 represent the town in the provincial assembly, and 
 ♦^lected to fill that hi<»h and proud station in a popu- 
 lar government. Some years after this elevation of 
 his fortunes, the tnember of parliament felt an irre- 
 sistible desire to revisit his native country and town, 
 where he made his appearaiice about eii!:hteen 
 years after he had quitted it for America. lUit 
 what he there experienced, as far as his Mords can 
 he recalled, he must himself relate. The reader 
 will, as he proceeds, see the connection of this detail 
 with the proper subject of his inquiries." 
 
 "The accounts of my father's death," said he, 
 ' reached me a few months befcu'e my departure. 
 My mother had long since paid the debt of nature. 
 But although I was not young, and had no paternal 
 roof to receive me, I was nevertheless full of antici- 
 pations of the reception I should meet with from all 
 niv connections, and former associates. I found all 
 my near relations in easy circumstances enough ; 
 and, notwithstanding my " high-blown" notions, 
 passed a little time very agreeably. But I shortly 
 began to discover, that the descent from my colonial 
 station was attended w^th too much inconvenience 
 to be patiently endured ; moreover, an attack or 
 two of our country fever, for this s])ot at that time 
 was less healthy than at present, had in all proba- 
 I'ility a little shaken my nerves, and rendered me 
 
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 TFIE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 somc^wliat impatient and irritabN^ My style and 
 manners, too, were not ])urcly English, and there- 
 fori! looked upon as boorish and corrupted, even bv 
 those whose inexperience I most pitied. Some amonu 
 the more relined and better instructed orders of so- 
 ciety with whom I associated, considered my expt'- 
 rience in tlie world and reputation for good sense 
 entitled me to a certain degree of respect ; but not a 
 few regarded me, as one already united with tliat 
 class of politicians which are reported, whether trutly 
 or falsely, to hold no opinions, and follow no princi- 
 ples, ]>ut those which embrace the most absurd 
 theories for levelling all the existing distinctions in 
 society. During my stay in England, I neither ro- 
 nt^wed any friendships, except with those near relu 
 tions with whom I had kept up a correspondence, 
 nor contracted any intimacies, except with some of 
 the rising branches of the family, not arrived at that 
 sceptical age which begins to doubt all things that 
 are not agreeable to common experience. 
 
 '' I had never been in London ; and so many won- 
 ders were related to me, respecting the magnificence 
 and number of the works of art, the splendour of 
 the equipages, and the peculiar manners of the citi- 
 zens, that I should have been as much disappointed 
 as ashamed, to have returned to this country with- 
 out visiting the metropolis of the empire ; especially, 
 as I had introductory letters from persons of great 
 consideration in this province. Accordingly, I set 
 off for the capital, with the spirits and anticipations 
 of a peasant boy upon his first journey to that great 
 
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THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 171 
 
 city, and arrived, without accident, at the Swan witli 
 Two Necks, Lad-lane ; an inn of which the name 
 had been familiar to me in my childhood. 
 
 " My first care, after my arrival in town, was to 
 present my letters of introduction ; for, having no 
 acquaintance, 1 was desirous of availing myself, as 
 early as possible, of the assistance of the good and 
 useful friends I was about to acquire, that I might 
 parade the dangerous streets, and view the great 
 objects of amazement and pomp, without being sub- 
 jected to the perils which await the unwary stranger, 
 wliom the vicious and wily sharpers which tliere 
 iibound, are said to discover, by a sort of intuitive 
 acuteness of perception, quite natural to their pro- 
 fession. 
 
 " The first letter which I delivered was addressed 
 to a merchant at his counting-house, in the vicinity 
 i)f the Royal Exchange. It was left open for my 
 perusal, and it was couched in such flattering terms 
 concerning the bearer, that I wished it had been a 
 sealed communication, and felt some diffidence in 
 delivering it. I was afraid it would produce so much 
 solicitude on my account, and lay me under such 
 obligations, that I should find it inconvenient or im- 
 possible to repay. However, I set off for the mer- 
 chant's, praising my own thoughtfulness as I went 
 along, for having taken a precaution, the neglect of 
 which would have left me a stranger in London, 
 and subjected me to so many inconveniencies and 
 dangers. Arrived at the counting-house of my friend 
 that was so soon to be, I was informed that he was 
 
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 alone, \vitliin an inner apartment. I therefore sent 
 in the letter, and prepa^'ed myself for the summons 
 The l)ell rang:, and the lad who had carried in tlie 
 letter attended his principal, and returned to inforui 
 me, that the merchant, being very busy, sent me 
 word, that it would be more convenient to him to 
 aftbrd me an interview at any other time. 1 judged, 
 of course, that the gentleman must be in an ex 
 traordinary manner engaged, and, although a little 
 disappointed, I felt no great surprise at this delay. 
 " 1 called the next morning, and my name beiij<; 
 carried in, I was requested to wait a short time in 
 the outer office ; where, for the first time in my life, 
 I witnessed the busy scene which a counting-house 
 exhibits. The running in and out of the youths, to 
 present or carry away bills of exchange, was in- 
 cessant ; and, at times, the fire-side was surrounded 
 by foreigners, who conversed in a variety of tongues, 
 Avhich were Greek alike to me. As no one appeared 
 disposed to hold any intercourse with the stranger, 
 \ amused myself, by drawing in my imagination, tlie 
 characters of those who came in, from the ample 
 materials afforded by what I saw transacted, duriuii 
 my patient attendance. At about the end of two 
 hours, I received an answer to a polite message I 
 had sent the merchant concerning the delay, it 
 was to beg, as he was very much occupied, that 1 
 would be so good as to look in again the next time 
 1 should happen to pass that way. I did pass, and 
 call, very foolishly, again and again, but the gentle- 
 man I neversaw. ' Never mind,' said I, ' the old fellow 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 173 
 
 is, no doubt, not worth knowing, and the Draper, to 
 whom I have also letters of introduction, will be in 
 town to-morrow ; and upon him, I dare say, I shall 
 be able to depend, as a guide in this mighty metro- 
 polis, which, after all, does not present half the 
 perils we fancy in Yorkshire. 
 
 " The Draper arrived, and shaking me heartily by 
 the hand, as I presented myself, invited me to meet 
 a party at dinner that day week ; and very politely 
 offered the services of his little boy to show me old 
 Gog and Magog, in Guildhall ; but the fog was so 
 dense, both in and out the hall, that the giants were 
 not visible ; for this act of kindness, however, I shall 
 always feel greatly indebted to him. 
 
 " I dined with the gentleman on the day appointed, 
 and must acknowledge my obligations, in proportion 
 to the value that should be set upon turtle, and all 
 other luxuries of a rich citizen's board. I became 
 however, as may be easily imagined, very soon tired 
 of the local political conversation of the hon-vivans, 
 who graced my new acquaintance's table, and re- 
 tired, dissatisfied with the formal style of the enter- 
 tainment at which I had been a casual guest. After 
 a hasty view of all that could be seen within a fort- 
 night, not forgetting an attendance at the house of 
 commons, as well as the lords, for the parliament 
 was sitting, I determined to make the best of my 
 way back to Yorkshire, and to hasten my return to 
 the beloved woods of my adopted country. 
 
 " During my lonely rambles about London, 
 nothing more forcibly struck me, as wanting reform, 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 til an the economy of the shops which the ladies 
 chiefly frequent. I am sure I saw twenty young 
 men behind the counters of a single shop, employed 
 in occupations which would better become the other 
 sex ; and, as I heard there were hundreds of young 
 women of the same class, thus deprived of the means 
 of an honest livelihood, I could not help thinking, 
 that this state of things was the cause of more evils 
 than were at the first apparent. The king should 
 raise a corps of these youths, not to beat his enemies, 
 but to cut down the forests, and cultivate the 
 waste lands of his trans-atlantic dominions. But his 
 majesty must first provide each of them with a 
 suitable spouse. We will take care, that their ef- 
 feminate habits do not survive a month in this country. 
 "Seeing by the papers, a few days after my return 
 to the country, that a select ball was to take place 
 at York, which was within a morning's ride, I set 
 off to join in the festivities of the evening, in that 
 famous city. I experienced some little difficulty in 
 gaining admission, but I knew the power of money 
 on these occasions ; and I did not only join hands, 
 with noble heiresses and accomplished ladies, but 
 had the inexpressible satisfaction, the next day, to 
 learn, that I had actually been taken for a well- 
 known, though seldom seen, member of the com- 
 mons of England. I never heard how this mistake 
 arose, but I always attributed it to a discussion upon 
 a question of privilege, which I held with a noble 
 lord at the supper-table after the ladies had retired . 
 
the ladies 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 17fj 
 
 But be this as it may, I was so contented at finding 
 this healing application for the wounds inflicted upon 
 my pride, by the coldness and indifference of my 
 native townsman, that I staid a month longer than 
 had been my original intention, in order that I miglit 
 have the full enjoyment of my triumph." 
 
 The settler then proceeded to give a sketch of his 
 parliamentary career as a colonist. — " My attention," 
 lie observed, "has been in a more particular manner 
 directed to the subject of improving the present sys- 
 tem of education, and to the best means of promot- 
 ing the increase of religious charity. But all I have 
 yet gained is the applause of an inconsiderable 
 number of my fellow-citizens without doors. Among 
 them I think 1 have awaked a spirit of inquiry into 
 the wisdom or necessity of making great changes in 
 our established modes of instruction ; although 1 
 know I was considered, by a learned member or two, 
 a rustic boor, when I brought forward my proposi- 
 tions ; for, in the midst of my oration I distinctly 
 heard several sarcastic remarks. I was followed, 
 too, by the droll of the assembly ; who, by his huge 
 engine of witticism opened the very sluices of mirth 
 against the foundation of my system ; so that, my 
 half-finished fabric was overthrown, and crumbled 
 into dust before the myriad-horse-power of ridicule. 
 With the merry success of this experiment, my con- 
 fidence for the present gave way, and the debate was 
 closed. I have, however, now so nicely arranged, in 
 my mind, my long-projected scheme, that I trust I 
 shall recover my confidence, and, at least, gain a 
 
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 THE EMIGRAN'i S INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 patient liearing upon this subject, in the approaclui)^'- 
 sessions. 
 
 " I wisli I could say that I liad as well-digested 
 my thoughts upon the much more difficult work ol 
 perfecting religious charity. It is thought, by some 
 among us, that, as this positive virtue takes a higlier 
 seat upon the reform benches of public opinion in 
 these colonies, than in the confederated nations to 
 the south of us, we have therefore no cause of com- 
 plaint ; but my yet undigested theory for promoting 
 the attainment of this great end, making no com- 
 parisons, aims at the establishment of tolerance upoi 
 ])rinciples adapted to insure the universality, as well 
 as the perpetuity, of that great moral attribute. 
 Should I have the good fortune to accomplish this 
 reformation in religious opinions, nothing, that I 
 know of, will remain to obstruct the course of the 
 most advised measures for the further improvement 
 of our social institutions. I shall, however, confine 
 my own future labours to my best endeavour to 
 discover the sources of misunderstanding upon 
 points connected with this last my favourite topic, 
 and to my strongest efforts to promote education, 
 and the several objects of the most useful of our 
 established institutions. Beyond a fair degree of 
 success in the attainment of these objects, my par- 
 liamentary ambition does not aspire." 
 
 Many other things were dilated upon by this 
 amusing colonist ; but what is written is sufficient 
 to show, how easily a revolution in thinking, as well 
 as in manners is effected. One further remark, how- 
 
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 THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 177 
 
 ever, should not be omitted ; that it was observed, 
 that, among the books in this colonial statesman's 
 lieterogeneous library, Adam Smith and Arthur 
 Young were more dogs-eared than any other; 
 though these, as it was evident, were not the only 
 works perused. 
 
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 THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Illustrations continued. 
 
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 The writer was never identified with the particu- 
 lar interests of the Canadas ; and a resident in either 
 of the provinces finds himself, in a sister colony, u 
 kind of foreigner, as regards matters of local con- 
 cern, although the compatriot of the settlers in all, 
 in reference to European ties, of either interest or 
 feeling. On this account, he believes it will be 
 easier to introduce what appears to him most useful 
 to notice, concerning the opinions which usually 
 prevail among the settlers, upon questions of general 
 politics, by a recurrence to the openly expressed 
 sentiments of a Canadian colonist, with those of 
 several of his guests, upon a favorable occasion. 
 
 One summer's day, after the cloth was removed 
 from the dinner-table of this settler, who was an 
 affluent agriculturist, it was suggested by one of the 
 party, that, as the luminary of day had shot so far 
 into the west, that the plot of grass in front of the 
 house was now shaded by a grove of firs, we should 
 do wisely to adjourn to the benches and rustic ac- 
 commodations of the lawn, where, added the speaker, 
 free as the breeze, (the conversation had already 
 turned upon politics,) we may discuss this perplexed 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 179 
 
 subject. There being no dissentients, we soon found 
 ourselves under the canopy of the skies ; while tlio 
 landscape before us exliibited one of the noblest 
 views in all Canada. The debate was resumed. 
 
 '* There are two questions," said a British settler 
 to one of his countrymen, more recently arrived, 
 "which occasionally engage our particular attention ; 
 one of them respects the political constitutions of 
 tliis, and the other provinces ; the other, tiie state 
 of our religious institutions. It is contended by 
 some, that it were better that material changes 
 should take place in the colonial constitutions ; 
 others, while they desire to perpetuate the present 
 forms of government, express their regrets that we 
 have not a national church, wdiich they would es- 
 tablish, and place upon the same footing as at home. 
 With these latter reasoners, I confess I decidedly 
 agree ; nor do I think, that religion can exercise its 
 most salutary influence over our morals, or kindly 
 temper the feelings and sympathies between the rich 
 and the poor, without those guides which define, and 
 those common bonds which unite the different in- 
 terests among the people, in most of the countries 
 of Europe. But as to changing iie present forms 
 of civil polity, there is no precedent for it; it would 
 endanger that happy connection with the old country 
 which none are so blind to our true and common 
 interests, or so regardless of ancient recollections, 
 as to desire." 
 
 *' I decidedly differ from you in opinion," said a 
 younger politician, "in respect to the preservation 
 
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 Tin: EMIGRANTS 1 N TRO D L' CTION . 
 
 of our present forms of fjovernnieiit. Tlioso who 
 l»(»lieve tliut clianjjos 'dro always daiiju^orous, seem to 
 ine to rr<::;aril the condition of society as perfect — 
 at its climax of excellence — and knovvledii^e no 
 longer progressive. As for ine, I am tirmly per- 
 snaded that some wholesome (dian2;es mi<jht be 
 made, without endantierin^' the permanency of our 
 liritish connection. In church matters I do not so 
 decidedly disac^ree with you." 
 
 The next who spoke thought religion a matter 
 hetween man individually, and his Maker, and not 
 a suhject for legislation or social ohligations. " J 
 am not of ojjinion," said he, "that any body of falli- 
 ble mortals, assembled to suggest measures and dis- 
 cuss the wisdom or folly of the several means j)ro- 
 posed for the amelioration or regulation of our social 
 aff^nrs, can consistently or lawfully meddle ^vitii 
 )vligious matters, or institute special creeds. These 
 are not subjects for legislation, except, as far as re- 
 spects the conservation of the freedom of thought, 
 and the protection of the weaker party against the 
 interference and aggression of the stronger. I think 
 it were better that matters should remain as they 
 are. We cannot complam of the prevalence of 
 superstition, or of fanaticism ; and this state of things 
 arises from our giving no exclusive privileges to any 
 church, party, or sect. In the mean time, if the 
 moral conduct of our population, and the charity of 
 several denominations and sects towards each other, 
 be compared with that of our countrymen at home, 
 we shall not, I think, appear to a disadvantage. We 
 
THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
 181 
 
 certainly <lo not fall liehind our republican neigli- 
 l)ours in those particulars." 
 
 Several other intelligent settlers expressed tlieir 
 scnrinients, and the discussion became more ani- 
 mated ; but, it did not, at any time, violate the 
 Iioundaries of decency ; nor did a single remark 
 exceed the limits of kin<lness or good-breeding. 
 Our host, at lengtli, delivered his free and un))iassed 
 opinions. 
 
 " When at home," said he, " I usually voted on 
 flie popular side of the question, because I consci- 
 entiously believed, that the leaders of that party in 
 the House of Commons were more likely to encou- 
 rjige the diffusion of knowledge, and maintain peace, 
 than tlie party which had ruled during the long 
 period that Great Britain had to struggle against 
 the demon of destruction. The leaders of the party 
 so long in office, seemed to me, indeed, to think, 
 without sufficient reason, that no change could be 
 introduced into the constitution, without weakening 
 the force of that nervous arm, which had enabled 
 us, in the day of trial, to triumph over so many 
 enemies ; but, whether I was right, or whether I 
 was wrong, I confess I know not. Great political 
 changes have since taken place in the mother- 
 country, and, let us at least hope, that they may, on 
 our own account, be attended with the best effects 
 anticipated by the party which introduced them. 
 
 " Respecting some of the constitutional questions 
 which are agitated in the provincial parliaments, 
 especially the most important, we may in some 
 
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 182 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 sense be said to be in advance of the parent state, 
 and we have, therefore, no precedent to j^iiide us — 
 no analop^y to reason from. On this account, it 
 behoves us to be the more modest in expressin<^ our 
 opinions, and the more wary in ado[)tiug every wild 
 tlieory which ia started. But, above all otlier thini's, 
 it is incumbent upon us to let the British govern- 
 ment see, as plainly as we can show them, that noiit' 
 of our measures are undertaken with a view to an 
 estrangement ; more particularly, since several 
 members of the British parliament have, at divert 
 times, expressed the most urmutural feelings to- 
 wards us, at the very time that we claim tlieii 
 guardianship and protection. Our infancy is passed; 
 but, although we should be out of leading-strings, 
 and of an age to be safely trusted to totter alone, 
 we are by no means capable of playing an inde- 
 pendent part in the great theatre of the world. It 
 is for these reasons," added our host, ** that I am })ei'- 
 suaded that our political constitution wants but 
 little, if any, alteration ; our religious institutions— 
 none." 
 
 Here the conversation changed to other subjects. 
 The most interesting and most ably discussed, were 
 those which concern the principles and practice ot 
 the arts, by which " our mother earth" is best pro- 
 pitiated, and her "natural bosom" made to yield 
 the inexhaustible supplies of food and of clothing-. 
 The study of that portion of natural history which 
 proclaims and discloses the wonderful operations ot 
 nature in her annual productions, and of those 
 
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ii 
 
 THE EMIORANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 183 
 
 branches of knowledge which are most intimately 
 connected with the rural occupations, whether in 
 the freshness of the luorninu- amidst tlie labours of 
 the field, or durinijj the hours of relaxation, never 
 loses its interest with the settler. As the plough 
 passes over the ground, he observes the varieties 
 and the composition of the soil ; by reading and me- 
 ditation, he lays up a stock of usedil information 
 respecting the capability and tpudity of his land; and, 
 in fvce discourse, these stores of knowledge are dis- 
 played ; when new modes of management suggest 
 themselves, and experiments are made, which intro- 
 'Uice the student to an acquaintance with those 
 more abstruse and refined branches of physical 
 science, to develope the principles of which, the 
 practice of his profession has opened a wide and 
 fertile field : for — 
 
 " Micklc is the powerful jjracc, that lies 
 
 In lierbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities." 
 
 It should not be omitted, that one of the speak- 
 ers — and he exhibited more intelligence and know- 
 leclii:e than can be here described — w^as the son of a 
 labourer of Waterford. He emigrated with the 
 family of a farmer to whom he had been appren- 
 ticed, and remained with them three years. He 
 then began for himself, with his savings of about 
 £40, and as he had received a little education while 
 in the farmer's family, he was able to turn his inde- 
 pendent intercourse with the world to the better 
 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 account. He married, the third year of his inde- 
 pendence, one of the daughters of his former 
 master — her portion a cow — and, from that tinio, 
 rapidly improved in his circumstances. He always 
 kept an emigrant family employed ; but eacli 
 usually gave place to one more recently arrived. 
 every alternate year. They generally quitted him 
 in a condition to begin on their own account ; and, 
 as he encouraged them to settle near him, in ten or 
 twelve years he had almost raised a settlement ; and 
 was, at this time, twenty-two years after his emi- 
 gration, the father often children, the possessor of 
 a beautiful and well-stocked farm, and one of the 
 magistrates for the district. 
 
 Before taking leave of these little sketches of 
 national characteristics, it is impossible to refrain 
 from the notice of one or two remarkable instances 
 of reform in morals, the circumstances reaardinu 
 them having been in a peculiar manner under tlie 
 writer's own observation. 
 
 Although these examples did not occur in eithei' 
 of the provinces hitherto introduced to the notice of 
 the reader, it will be better to dispose of what is to 
 be said on this subject, in this place, than have to 
 recur to what is alike applicable to the state of 
 society in each of the American colonies. The ex- 
 posure would not dishonour the parties, or sucli of 
 them as are living, even should this page be perused, 
 w^hich is not likely, in the distant settlement where 
 the instances occurred. 
 
 A lad, the victim of bad example or neglect, 
 
 I 
 
'n I 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 185 
 
 committed robbery after his arrival in America. lie 
 was, however, taken, but pardoned on account of his 
 tender age. This once depraved youth is now 
 a respectable member of a moral community, 
 and the father of a family, uiistained by the sus- 
 picion of any vices or offences against society 
 whatsoever. 
 
 Great anxiety was for some years felt by the 
 parent, lest the stain should not only rest upon 
 himself, but also descend to his children ; but these 
 apprehensions, a proof of the sincerity of his reform, 
 were very properly removed, by assurances from his 
 former master, that the circumstance had not been 
 generally known ; and that, among those with whom 
 the knowledge of it had at the time unavoidably 
 spread, it had been attributed to the want of a moral 
 education, and long ago forgiven and forgotten. 
 
 The next instance is the reformation of an old 
 woman : her station and influence were not such as 
 to render her an example of much importance, as 
 regards the progress of morals; but any reform 
 will serve to show the tendency of change of pur- 
 suits and manner of living, to regenerate the lost 
 character ; and inferences, as strong, may doubtless 
 l)e drawn from such an example, as from those 
 where influence is greater, but sincerity not so 
 certain. 
 
 An English lady was once hcn'd to say, that she 
 could not believe that there was ever an instance of 
 inebriety among her own sex. It is necessary to 
 confess, that a solitary example or two, of lamen- 
 
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186 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 table departure from the general even deportment 
 of the fair sex in this particular, has unfortunately 
 fallen under the writer's observation : one of the 
 worst was that which he is about to mention, with 
 a very different motive from that of scandalizing 
 the sex. 
 
 The remarkable old dame in question had crowned 
 the vices of falsehood and deceit with this more 
 overt abomination. Before leaving England, she 
 had. practised upon, and married, an aged mechanic 
 of unblemished reputation, but of a speculative turn 
 of mind. He very injudiciously, at an age when it 
 was better that he should have remained at home, 
 engaged to build mills in America, upon a larger 
 scale than he was competent to manage, as well on 
 account of his age, as the different character of the 
 greater part of the necessary labour in this and in 
 that country. In spite, however, of these disad- 
 vantages, and his wife's errors, which were noto- 
 rious from the first, through the vicinity of the 
 settlement in which he had planted himself, the in- 
 dustrious old man, who lived but a few years after his 
 arrival, left his widow in possession of the moiety ol 
 the whole interest in a small mill, erected under his 
 direction by the settlers among whom he had 
 located. The wife, who had been gradually im- 
 proving from the date of their first approach to in- 
 dependence, lived several years afterwards, in easy 
 circumstances, and died, a person respectable and 
 respected. 
 
 One more instance must be given. As the writer 
 
 tifn^ 
 
-'1 il 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 187 
 
 '" m 
 
 was passing through a flourishing settlement, in 
 company with a gentleman but lately arrived from 
 England, his attention was attracted by the neatness, 
 and English appearance of comfort, of a small 
 house, standing, as is usual in America, about thirty 
 yards or so from the road. As he stopped with his 
 companion to look around, a rather well-dressed 
 person of middle age approached, and requested 
 that they would alight from their horses, and take 
 some refreshment. After having conversed upon 
 the subject ever nearest the settler's heart, and 
 uppermost in his thoughts, such as the state of the 
 crops, the addition of numbers, and the improve- 
 ments in hand, or in contemplation, they walked 
 round the farm with their host. He had probably 
 about sixty acres under tillage, and possessed three 
 yoke of oxen, twelve cows, three horses, and sixty 
 sheep, besides pigs and poultry. Finding him very 
 intelligent, and his quarters good, at his earnest 
 request they agreed to remain the night ; and 
 having heartily supped, retired to their several ap- 
 partments, slept well, rose early, and, after a good 
 breakfast, took their leave. As soon as they were 
 again on their journey, the writer was asked by his 
 companion, whether he had any knowledge of the 
 history of their host of the past night ; and, 
 having none, was informed, with every proper 
 caution, that their new acquaintance was once a 
 notorious character in London, that the crowning 
 v^ice of the old lady above-mentioned, was but 
 among the least of his faults ; and that, about fifteen 
 
 
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 188 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 years ago, he had been arraigned at the bur ol 
 justice, but discharged for want of evidence to sup- 
 port the charges brouglit against him, although his 
 guilt was beyond a doubt. Before they left tlic 
 settlement, they made several inquiries respectiiiL; 
 liis circumstances and respectability, and found that 
 he had been twelve years located upon his present 
 possession, had always borne an excellent character 
 for honesty, sobriety, and industry, and was a 
 forward and useful member of the various litth^ 
 associations for the furtherance of the interests of a 
 new settlement ; and, that he possessed, above all. 
 the most desirable virtue in a settler : — a proper 
 paternal anxiety for the education, good morals, aiul 
 welfare of his children. 
 
 Such examples as these afford the strongest 
 proofs, that the greater prevalence of immorality 
 and crime in this and other populous countries, 
 beyond what is observed in those more tliinly in- 
 liabited, owes its existence to the distress and desti- 
 tution experienced in the former, above that which 
 is known in the latter, 
 
 ..'i-. 
 
)N. 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 189 
 
 the bar ul 
 nee to suj)- 
 Itlioiii>h his 
 ey left the 
 respecting- 
 found that 
 his present 
 t character 
 md was a 
 rious litth- 
 terests of a 
 , above all, 
 — a j)ropei' 
 morals, and 
 
 strongest 
 immorality 
 5 countries, 
 B tliinly in- 
 s and desti- 
 tliat whicli 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 NOVA SCOTIA. 
 
 Nova Scotia. — Goofjraphical Description. — Climate. — Soil. — Agri- 
 culture. — Fisheries. — Mines. — Halifax. — Government- Laws. — 
 Population. — Revenue. — Commerce. — Prevailing Language- 
 Goose Shooting. — Cape Breton. — Situation. — Population. 
 
 Nova Scotia, from its situation, commerce, and 
 population, is the next of the provinces which claims 
 our attention ; but, as it does not offer equal advan- 
 tages with the upper countries to the most numerous 
 classes which emigrate, it is the less necessary to he 
 as particular as heretofore. 
 
 This peninsula lies between the latitudes of 42^ 
 and 46^ north ; it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Bay of Fundy ; 
 and measures, at its extreme length, about 250 miles, 
 l)ut, it does not average above sixty in breadth. The 
 external features of the country differ from those 
 of the inland regions which have been described. 
 Here, we have neither the magnificent mountain- 
 scenery of the lower, nor the noble lakes of the 
 upper countries upon the St. Lawrence, though 
 there are many parts, not wanting in bold and 
 striking imagery. The coast, except within the 
 
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190 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 iiiii 
 
 gulf, is generally rocky, and, throughout a consider- 
 able portion of the interior, the soil is sterile, and 
 ill-adapted to encourage the location of an agricul- 
 tural people : yet, the districts that border upon 
 the Bay of Fundy, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
 exhibit scenery of the richest description, and are 
 less subject to those fogs, (especially the tracts within 
 the gulf,) which are so common upon the coasts of 
 the Atlantic. 
 
 The temperature of the climate, owing to tlio 
 prevalence of southerly winds upon the coasts, is 
 milder, though more variable, than that of the 
 Canadas in the same parallel of latitude. These 
 winds do not reach the upper country, which is 
 situated from twelve to fifteen degrees west of the 
 peninsula ; or, do not in their course thither, blow 
 over the heated waters of the gulf stream ; which, 
 in the general theory of the North American climate, 
 laid down at the commencement of the last chapter, 
 is supposed to be the cause of the excessive warmtli 
 which they bring, when experienced at any season 
 of the year upon the eastern coast of the whole of 
 the northern parts of the continent of America, 
 They are generally, upon the coast, and frequently, 
 even in the interior of this province, accompanied 
 with fogs. During the prevalence of this incon- 
 venience, however, the air is extremely mild, and 
 the south wind and fog have no perceptible ill effects 
 upon the health of the inhabitants, who are as 
 robust a people as is to be met with in any part 
 of the world. 
 
 i'- 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 191 
 
 The richest and most fertile districts of Nova 
 Scotia are situated upon the basin of mines, the Gut 
 of Anapolis, and some parts of the gulf shore. 
 Those through which the rivers flow which empty 
 themselves into this basin, or arm of the Bay of 
 Fundy, are often bordered by extensive plains, of 
 which the soil is of alluvial formation : these are 
 called intervale lands by the settlers. The waters 
 of the bay, by which they are annually irrigated, 
 supply them with a principle of inexhaustible fer- 
 tility ; yet, the people of Nova Scotia, before the 
 close of the last war, wholly immersed in com- 
 mercial enterprise and extensive speculations, im- 
 ported the greater part of their flour and other 
 provisions. The occupations of husbandry they 
 held in contempt ; and they esteemed their climate 
 as too severe, and their soil as too barren, to afford 
 a fair prospect of profitable returns ; or, that those 
 favored districts which yielded so abundantly where- 
 ever improved, were within too narrow a compass 
 to be worthy their attention ; and, upon the 
 return of peace, they regarded their condition as 
 almost wholly dependent upon foreign supply for 
 the most necessary articles of food, which would 
 have been a very unfavorable position for the pro- 
 secution of those pursuits, to which it was evident 
 a part of their industry must now be turned. 
 
 From this insensibility they were, however, 
 awakened by the exertions and example of the 
 principal persons in the colony, who took every 
 means to conquer that false pride and ignorance 
 
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192 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS I NTIIODUCTION. 
 
 « 
 
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 of tlie princij)les of a«2,-ricultiire, vvhicli had lol'i 
 the most hiiportaiit interests of the country in 
 utter neglect. A board of agriculture was esta- 
 blished in the capital, and the example was imitated 
 throughout the districts, by the formation of bruiicli 
 societies. These active measures gave rise to ji 
 spirit, that quickly converted the unproductive, 
 but fertile portions of the country, into ajjundaiit 
 and fruitful fields. But, it must be confessed, that 
 as neither tliese nor any other tracts are entirely 
 exempt from fogs, the wheat crops are at all times 
 precarious. 
 
 Notwithstanding the comparative mildness of rb 
 climate of this provhice, and the advantages of its 
 rich intervales, it cannot, on account of the preva- 
 lence of these fogs, and the rugged and barren 
 character of so large a proportion of its sui'face, be 
 strictly designated an agricultural country ; and, ii 
 is probable, that tiie inhabitants will continue to 
 regard commerce as the grand object of national 
 attention. They are not insensible to the peculiar 
 advantages which the natural position and internal 
 resources of the peninsula afford, for the profitable 
 direction of industry and enterprise. Among these, 
 the most indisputable are, their contiguity to the 
 best fi&liing grounds upon the coast of America, tlie 
 possession of the most valuable iron and copper 
 mines, and the abundance of coal of excellent 
 quality with which their country is enriched. 
 
 This latter most valuable staple must eventually 
 lead to a profitable branch of trade with the states 
 
 i^'ii 
 
'W n 
 
 .'I 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTIIODUCTION. 
 
 193 
 
 of the union, where it is not found, and also, to a 
 permanent reciprocal intercourse with the sister 
 colonies, none of which, except Cape Breton, now 
 under the same government as Nova Scotia, possess 
 this inexhaustihle and precious source of national 
 wealth ; while its consumption, for the use of steam- 
 machinery in particular, must increase throughout 
 America, as the forest-wood becomes more difficult 
 to obtain. There are, also, cliffs of gypsum in the 
 Bay of Fundy, and the Gut of Canseau ; and this 
 useful aid, in the practice of southern husbandry, is 
 not found in the United States, where it is in great 
 demand. 
 
 Halifax, the capital of this province, is situated 
 within a fine and spacious harbour, to which it gives 
 its name, upon the Atlantic shore. It contains 
 about 15,000 inhabitants, and is a flourishing com- 
 mercial town. It is protected by fortifications at 
 the entrance, and has a naval establishment and a 
 garrison ; and it has several handsome public build- 
 ings, of which, the " Province Buildings" is the 
 most remarkable. 
 
 There is no other considerable town in the 
 province, although there are several well-built 
 villages conveniently situated. Among these, the 
 most distinguished for capability of improvement, 
 may be mentioned Windsor, and Pictou,and Truro. 
 Windsor is situated upon the salmon-river, at the 
 extreme head of the basin of mines, and Truro upon 
 the Avon, which falls into the same waters. Pictou 
 is situated within a fine harbour in the Gulf of 
 
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194 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 St. Lawrence, and chietly derives its commerce and 
 its importance from thevalua])le iron and coal-miTie? 
 with which the district is enriched ; it has, also, a 
 considerable trade in timber. 
 
 Tlie constitution of Nova Scotia is essentially 
 the same as that of Upper Canada; and, to the uniform 
 mildness and patriotism, which, for a series of years, 
 have been so conspicuous in the administration of its 
 government, under the most able men, this province 
 owes much of its present prosperity, and the rank 
 which it takes among' the sister colonies in the new 
 world . 
 
 The laws of Great Britain are modified or ex- 
 plained by the provincial parliament at pleasure, a? 
 the experience of their effects shows this to be con- 
 venient or necessary. 
 
 The military establishment of the peninsula i> 
 upon the same footing as that of the Canadas. 
 
 The present population of this province is about 
 150,000 souls. 
 
 The annual public revenue, which may be set at 
 a])out 65,000 pounds, is derived from small com- 
 mercial duties imposed by its own legislature, and 
 is expended in the most necessary public works, 
 such as, opening roads, constructing bridges, 
 erecting public buildings, national education, and the 
 formation and encouragement of societies of general 
 utility ; in short, in the furtherance of every under- 
 taking, calculated to promote the improvement and 
 perpetuate the prosperity of the province. 
 
 The commerce of this colony chiefly consists in 
 
 ^ •■ 
 
 ' 
 
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 « k 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 195 
 
 :i steady trade with the mother-country and the 
 West Indies. From the former, the colonists import 
 tlieirentiresupply of manufactured goods ; and from 
 lh(! latter, all those necessary articles of consumption 
 which are the growth of the torrid zone. In ex- 
 change for these supplies, they export, to Great 
 Britain, the large timber which their native forests 
 produce, and, to the We^t Indies, the produce oi' 
 their fisheries. They have also a direct.trade with 
 China, and they have several ships engaged in the 
 southern whale-fishery. 
 
 The language of the country is altogether English, 
 except in some few settlements, where there are 
 still a considerable number of the descendants of 
 the Arcadian French settlers, who were permitted 
 to remain in the province after its conquest. 
 
 The domestic habits and moral character of the 
 Nova Scotians, their care of the education of youth, 
 their religious, literary, and other institutions, so 
 nearly resemble those of the Upper Canadians, that it 
 is unnecessary to repeat even the little that has been 
 said respecting the progress of improvement in the,^e 
 particulars, in that province. 
 
 Among the sporting inhabitants of this and of all 
 countries upon the coast, wild-goose shooting is a 
 favorite pursuit, and is remarkable enough to de- 
 mand particular notice. 
 
 The geese pass the summer in the region of La- 
 brador, where they breed ; but, on the approach of 
 winter, they seek a milder climate, and remain, 
 during the severest season, south of the state of Ne\\ 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 York. They arc shot in siutinnn and spring, as tiiey 
 [)ass over tlicpe oountrics, ])roc{HMlini»' south, nnd rc- 
 f nrning. Tho s|)rin^-sliootinij;* is ([uitc an art, which 
 requires jn-acticc to acquire, and groat skill to 
 lender successful. It commences about the middle 
 of March, and nsujdly lasts three weeks or a month. 
 When the geese first make their appearance, there 
 are commonly hut a few holes or channels open in 
 the rivers or bays, occasioned by the rapidity of the 
 eurrent, and to these the sportsmen resort. They 
 generally go in i)airs, drawing after them a small 
 sleigh, or sledge, with guns, ammunition, and jjro- 
 A'isions for two or three days, a blanket, and one or 
 two dozen decoy geese. The decoys are made 1)}' 
 the Indians of cedar-wood, sbaped, and so painted, as 
 exactly to resemble geese. The first operation is to 
 cut out large square pieces of ice, where it happens 
 to l)e about six or nine inches thick. With these, an 
 ice-house, as it is termed, is built. This consists ol 
 mere walls of ice, about two feet and a half high, 
 and, must be large enough for two persons to tiini 
 round upon their hands and knees, with their gun^ 
 in their hands. As soon as the ice-house is finished, 
 the sportsmen proceed to range their decoys on that 
 side which, observation upon the wind, the flight 
 of the birds, which is sometimes governed by the 
 shape or j)osition of the land, the state of the open- 
 ing in the ice, and such other circumstances as ex- 
 perience has taught them the necessity of attending 
 to. They next spread spruce boughs for the floor, 
 and cover these with a blanket. They then robe 
 
THE EMIGHANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 If37 
 
 KhoinsolvoH from cfip to moccassln^ entirely in vvliito, 
 ;ind skulk hehind tlieii* walls. As soon as u Hock oJ 
 rreese appears in sight, or seems attracted by the 
 decoys, it is necessary to keep up the deception, hy 
 imitating; their distinct calls as they fly forwards, or 
 incline downwards, vvhicli accomplishment demands 
 a season or two, with expert Indians, thorouj^hly to 
 acquire. The geese, thus deceived, will, if allowed, 
 actually settle and walk about among the decoys ; 
 but, the sportsmen generally rise upon tlieir knees 
 before the birds alight, and, taking advantage of tln^ 
 confusion their appearance occasions, each selects 
 his mark, and, if two are killed, always knows his 
 own bird. 
 
 This sport is sometimes persevered in for weeks, 
 the sportsmen camping in the nearest wood, which 
 is most likely on some small island in the river or 
 bay. It is not so cold a diversion as might be imagined. 
 When there is little wind, the sun is sometimes so 
 liot within the roofless ice-house, that the most vigi- 
 lant fowlers will grow drowsy, and fall asleep, anrl 
 when they awake, they perhaps find a number ot 
 living geese walking about among their decoys. In 
 case of this good fortune, a shot through a loop-hole 
 may kill two or three at a time. When the season is 
 nearly over, the sportsmen continue their vocation, 
 floating about among the loose ice in a canoe paintefl 
 white. 
 
 
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198 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 1! 
 
 THE ISLAND OF CAPE BRETON, 
 
 i 
 
 IS n 
 
 Which is at present united with and under the same 
 government as Nova Scotia, although it never pos- 
 sessed a representative constitution, was, until 
 lately, independent of any other province : on this 
 account, as well as from its geographical position, 
 it is necessary to notice it separately. 
 
 This island, together with Newfoundland, forms 
 the eastern barrier of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. At 
 its northern extremity is the largest of the three 
 great entrances into the gulf, formed by the north 
 cape of the island, and Cape Ray at the south- 
 western extremity of Newfoundland. On the south, 
 the Gut of Canseau separates it from Nova Scotia 
 Proper, and forms the southern entrance into the 
 gulf. It is in length about 100 miles, but its 
 breadth, which varies from thirty to seventy or 
 eighty, would not average above sixty. The most 
 eastern part of the coast upon the Atlantic, unlike 
 that of Nova Scotia, is low and woody ; but the 
 range of country between Cape North and its 
 southern extremity within the gulf, is mountainous 
 and barren, and fit only for its present tenants, the 
 moose deer and other wild animals ; and, it is rarely 
 visited, but by some wandering Micmac Indians for 
 the purposes of the chace. Eastward of this sterile 
 
 : r 
 
 !!'m 
 
 ;t^ 
 
 :! .. 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 199 
 
 portion there are large tracts of alluvial soil, as well 
 as upland, well adapted for cultivation, and par- 
 taking much of the qualities of the fertile soils of 
 Nova Scotia ; but the climate is more severe than 
 in the favored districts of that province, and the 
 white crops are more precarious. 
 
 This tract of the country is much intersected with 
 salt-water lakes, or arms of the sea. Near the 
 entrance to one of these upon the River Dartmouth, 
 on the northern coast, is situated the town of 
 Sydney. This was the capital of the island before 
 its union with Nova Scotia. It does not contain 
 above a thousand inhabitants. Arichat is the next 
 most considerable village. It is situated upon Isle 
 Madame, which is only separated from the main 
 island by a narrow strait. 
 
 The population of Cape Breton does not exceed 
 20,000 souls. A great proportion of the settlers are 
 of French extraction, or Highland Scotch. Their 
 principal business is fishing, and the commerce to 
 which this lucrative employment gives rise; and, 
 for these pursuits, their situation is well-adapted. 
 Arichat is the centre of this trade. From Sydney 
 are exported coals of excellent quality, in great 
 abundance. 
 
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200 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 \ ■ 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 NEW BRUNSWICK. 
 
 Situation. — General Appearance. — Rivers. — Principal Towns.~Cou- 
 stitution. — Revenue. — Population.— Steam Navigation —Climate. 
 —Soil. 
 
 !■ ! 
 
 This province is situated between Nova Scotia 
 and the Canadas ; to the former of which, it is 
 joined by an isthmus, formed by the Bay of Fundy 
 and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is bounded on the 
 north by the Canadian territory, and on the west by 
 the River St. Croix, which is the line of demarca- 
 tion between the United States and the British 
 possessions : and, on the east and south, by the 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay of Fundy. Its 
 extent from east to west is about 130 miles, and 
 from north to south about 200. 
 
 The general aspect of the country differs from 
 that of Nova Scotia, as well as the Canadas. If we 
 compare it with Nova Scotia, we shall not find that 
 proportion of waste and sterile lands which occupy 
 such extensive tracts of that country ; but, if we 
 compare it with the Canadas, we shall find it want- 
 ing in the noble and sublime features which tliose 
 regions exhibit : yet, in the richness and sj^lendour 
 
 ' ■ I, 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 201 
 
 1^ ri 
 
 i 
 
 of the natural forest, and the softer beauties of the 
 landscape, together with the advantages of situation 
 for extensive trade and fisheries, nature has not 
 been less bountiful to this province in her choicest 
 endowments. Many rivers wind their course 
 through the most remote districts, emptying them- 
 selves into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay ot 
 Fundy ; and, on every side, as you mount the streams, 
 the land rises, sometimes abruptly, and sometimes 
 with gradual steps, or graceful slopes, from the smaller 
 hills to the more mountainous tracts, presenting to 
 the eye a richness and beauty which equals that 
 of any forest scenery to be met with in America. 
 
 The extensive and most fertile districts in the in- 
 terior of this province have been scarcely entered. 
 Government has, however, lately sold a large tract 
 of country to a land company, through whose means, 
 agricultural settlements are forming, which will, in 
 a few years, lay open the certain source of riches 
 to the future inhabitants of New Brunswick. 
 
 The present population of this province is about 
 130,000 souls. 
 
 The principal rivers of New Brunswick are the 
 St. Croix, the St. John's, andtheMiramichi. Upon 
 these are seated the chief towns of this province. 
 St. John's, the most populous, is situated near the 
 entrance of the River St. John, upon the Bay of 
 Fundy; St. Andrews, at the entrance of the 
 St. Croix, which empties itself into Passamaquoddi 
 Bay ; and the towns and settlements of Chatham 
 
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 202 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and Newcastle (together, more commonly called 
 Miramichi) about twenty miles from the mouth of 
 the River Miramichi, which flows into the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence. 
 
 Fredericton, the seat of the government, stands 
 upon a beautiful spot of ground on the River 
 St. John, about ninety miles from its mouth. It 
 contains, at present, a very inconsiderable population 
 of about 4000 souls, while the City of St. John, 
 situated near the entrance of the river, has about 
 10,000 resident inhabitants. 
 
 The constitution of New Brunswick is the same 
 as that of the other colonies ; and, the laws of 
 England are in force, as in Upper Canada and Nova 
 Scotia, when not altered or amended by the colonial 
 legislature. This, however, is rendered constantly 
 necessary, by the exigences and local affairs of the 
 colony. 
 
 The revenue of the province is derived from its 
 commerce, which differs from that of Nova Scotia, 
 in the greater quantity of timber exported to the 
 United Kingdom, and of lumber and provisions to 
 the West Indies. More ships are also built in this 
 province ; but, its fisheries are inferior to those of 
 Nova Scotia. Miramichi and St. John's are the 
 chief commercial ports. From Miramichi is ex- 
 ported the greater quantity of timber, while the 
 merchants of St. John's, owing to their convenient 
 situation, are more extensively engaged in the West 
 India Trade, and they have several ships, also, 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 203 
 
 employed in the southern whale-fishery. During 
 the winter season the Miramichi is closed, while the 
 ports in the Bay of Fundy are still accessible. 
 
 The military establishments consist, as in Nova 
 Scotia and the Canadas, of a regular British force, 
 and a numerous colonial militia. 
 
 This province possesses an extensive inland water 
 communication, and ranks next to the Canadas in 
 the perfection and extensive application of steam- 
 machinery to the purposes of navigation. 
 
 New Brunswick, like Upper Canada and Nova 
 Scotia, whether from chance or the king's bounty, 
 has been greatly favored in its governors, which is a 
 material point in the early struggles of a new country. 
 The inhabitants of this province, like those of Nova 
 Scotia, were first roused from their supineness 
 and indifference to the agricultural interests of the 
 country, by the example of the governor, in conjunc- 
 tion with the principal persons in the colony. 
 There is no interest in a newly-settled territory, 
 that is not more or less affected by the abilities 
 and disposition of His Majesty's earlier repre- 
 sentatives. 
 
 Such observations as have been made concerning 
 the manners, the language, the religion, and the 
 state of education, in speaking of the other purely 
 British colonies, apply equally to New Brunswick. 
 
 A peculiar method of making winter roads or 
 bridges, over the ice on the bays or rivers, demands 
 notice here, as being more practised in this province 
 than any other. As soon as the river is frozen, spruce 
 
 it h\\ 
 
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 ■ ■;« I 
 
 ill 
 
 4 " 
 
 M . ■ :, 
 
 I 
 
 III 
 
204 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 boughs are placed along the track over which we 
 wish to pass. These gather snow, and water being 
 introduced, the frost binds all together, making a 
 solid mass of ice, so firm that the road will often be 
 passable after the ice has nearly disappeared on both 
 sides of it. 
 
 Large tracts of the country abound here, as 
 in Canada, with that species of maple, which yields 
 abundance of sap for the manufacture of sugar. 
 The best method of obtaining the sap is, to bore 
 an auger-hole, two or three inches deep, a few 
 feet from the ground, inclining upwards, from 
 which a chip should be made to project, that the 
 juice may drip from it into a spout which is usually 
 made of birch-bark, and thence into a wooden 
 trough, or any other vessel placed at the foot of the 
 tree. The trees yield their juices more freely before 
 the snow is off the ground in the woods, in early 
 spring. The sugar procured from each tree 
 averages about four pounds every year. A number 
 of trees are tapped, as it is termed, near the settler's 
 dwelling, and the whole family usually encamp in 
 the woods for several days, while they collect the 
 sap, and manufacture their twelve-months supply of 
 sugar, by the simple process of boiling. 
 
 The climate of those districts of this province 
 which lie upon the Bay of Fundy, is similar to that 
 of Nova Scotia: but, towards the north, it re- 
 sembles that of Lower Canada. The extreme cold 
 which is here experienced, is no doubt owing, 
 in addition to the high latitude of this portion of 
 
k 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 205 
 
 the country, to the vicinity of those mountainous 
 lands which stretch along the southern coast of the 
 River St. Lav/rence. 
 
 The soil in general, throughout the province, 
 is extremely fertile, and well adapted to the 
 purposes of agriculture ; but, until some very active 
 measures are taken, to encourage the influx and 
 settlement of emigrants from the agricultural 
 districts in Britain, its millions of acres of unpro- 
 ductive good land will continue to present an 
 almost unbroken forest, to excite admiration, and 
 fill the mind with speculative dreams of the future 
 greatness and wealth of a country possessing such 
 boundless resources, and so easy of access, by the 
 numerous rivers which intersect it in every direc- 
 tion. 
 
 
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 inr. FMTOHANTP 1 N'l RODHCTION. 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 P R I N cm: EDWARD ISLAND. 
 
 'I i 
 
 Sifiiution. — Climate. — .Appearance from the Sea. — Forests. — Har- 
 bours. — Rivers. — Constitution. — Population. — Language. 
 
 Prince Edward Island is the last of those 
 colonies of which it will be necessary to particularize 
 such matters as seem to present the chief objects of 
 interest with those for whose reading- these loose 
 sketches are especially intended. 
 
 This island is, in point of extent, population, 
 revenue, and commerce, the most inconsiderable of 
 all the North American colonies. If we contemplate 
 the advantages which it enjoys, in the fertility of its 
 soil, the salubrity of its climate, and the fine har- 
 bours into which the rivers flow, which water every 
 district, the languishing state of its agriculture, in 
 comparison with that of the other colonies until 
 a late period, is, at first view, unaccountable ; 
 but, as it is a colony which v/ill probably ere long 
 become the destination and home of a greater pro- 
 portion of agricultural emigrants than it has hitherto 
 attracted, the causes of its long infancy shall be 
 accounted for, in a few observations which will 
 find a place in the next chapter. 
 
 This island is situated at the bottom of the great 
 bay, on the south side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
 formed by the surrounding countries of New Bruns- 
 
r !,i^' 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 207 
 
 • [ 
 
 wick, Nova Scotia, and Cape Breton. It is about 
 130 miles in lenj^th, but varies from ten to thirty in 
 breadth. It lies between the latitudes of 45^ and 47** 
 north ; but the cold which is here experienced is not 
 so severe, for reasons which have been given in the 
 few general observations already made concerning 
 the causes of the varieties and peculiarities of the 
 North American climates, as that which is felt in 
 the parallel countries of the interior. 
 
 The climate of the island, in many particuhirs, 
 bears a nearer resemblance to that of Lower Canada 
 about Montreal, which is a degree and a half south 
 of Quebec, than to that of any of the other provinces. 
 The fogs, so common in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, 
 and a part of New Brunswick, are here altogether 
 unknown. It is difficult to account for this partiality 
 of the elements, unless we suppose, that the exha- 
 lations from the ocean, having passed over those 
 higher lands which lie in that direction, still rising, 
 as they approach the island, sweep over the land in 
 the form of clouds, which do not return their con- 
 tents to the earth, until meeting with contrary cur- 
 rents of air, their sudden condensation produces 
 those torrents of rain, so common all over America, 
 upon the changing of the wind to the north-west, 
 which is always the case after a south-easterly gale. 
 
 The summer is not so oppressively hot, in this 
 province, as in Upper Canada ; but the winter is 
 more severe and unsteady than in the western-dis- 
 tricts of that favored region, the temperature of the 
 iitmosphere oscillating more frequently, and in a 
 
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 ii 
 
208 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 fJ'N 
 
 greater degree, within a shorter space of time. 
 Nevertheless, these variations contrihute to render 
 the winter roads more firm and agreeable to the 
 traveller ; for, without some humidity, the snow does 
 not easily " bind," but, drifting with the wind like 
 loose sand, contributes to impede the travelling, by 
 obstructing, or blocking up the roads, especially 
 where the country is cleared. The south wind is 
 looked forward to, during the winter season, and 
 the amelioration of temperature which attends it, 
 more on this account, than from any personal, or 
 other inconvenience, experienced from the cold. 
 
 The duration of winter is about the same as at 
 Quebec, which is in near an equal parallel of lati- 
 tude ; but, it is longer and more fickle than in the 
 district of St. Francis, which has been noticed as the 
 most southern and most favored portion of Lower 
 Canada. 
 
 The average time, at which this season com- 
 mences, may be about tbe fifteenth of November, 
 and it commonly ends between the vernal equinox 
 and the middle of April ; so that, early in May, the 
 heat of the sun is often oppressive, and the operations 
 of husbandry are sometimes in full activity. But, 
 notwithstanding the severity of the seasons, and the 
 changeable character of the atmosphere, the inhabi- 
 tants of the island enjoy a climate remarkably 
 healthy, and are not subjected to the effects of any 
 endemic disorder whatsoever. The soil is dry, the 
 air is pure, and the waters are wholesome ; and in- 
 stances of longevity are common in every settlement. 
 
 '.? 
 
 -■4, 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTnODrCi )N. 
 
 900 
 
 The appearance of the coast dittVrs roiii th.^ of 
 the continental provinces. The ishind is enti. 'ly 
 surrounded with red cliffs, with the exception of tlie 
 hays u})on the northern shore, which are fronted by 
 banks and ridges of sand-hills. As you approach 
 the land in some directions, the hills in the interior 
 first rise above the water ; and, where the shores in 
 front of these higher lands are brought under cul- 
 tivation, the coup-cCcail presents scenery, no less 
 beautiful than uncommon upon the coast of Ame- 
 rica; but where the land is low and level, and the 
 ground remains uncultivated, the tops of the thick 
 forest-trees first break the smooth line of the watery 
 horizon, and the cliffs, to the very brink, crowded 
 with the richest foliage, bear abundant evidence of 
 the richness and fecundity of the soil. 
 
 The bays, which form the exception, have sand- 
 hills stretching across their fronts, which show no 
 signs of vegetation when seen from the sea, and pro- 
 duce nothing but a wild pea, and a coarse description 
 of grass, only esteemed by those who are habitually 
 idle, or too insecure in their possessions to be en- 
 couraged to expend the necessary labour to obtain 
 better. 
 
 Throughout the island there are no mountains, 
 no waterfalls, no prairies, nor any natural objects of 
 grandeur or great interest ; yet a considerable por- 
 tion of the co:intry is finely undulated, and varied 
 with hill and dale, and many instances occur upon 
 the bays and rivers, where the scenery is extremely 
 picturesque and beautiful. From its eastern to its 
 
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210 
 
 THE EMIGRANT 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 •' !■ I 
 
 !■ . ,1 
 
 western extremity, it displays a luxuriant forest, 
 producing almost every diversity of vegetation 
 known in that parallel of latitude in America, and 
 un])roken by any intermissions or chasms, save those 
 which the hand of civilized man has effected, in sub- 
 jecting the primeval woods to the operation of the 
 axe, and the soil to the purposes of cultivation and 
 increase. 
 
 The island has several fine harbours, and is inter- 
 sected with rivers throughouteverydi-^trict. Themost 
 commodious and convenient ports are, Hillsborough, 
 Three Rivers, MaJpec, Cascunipcc, Bedeque, and 
 Murray-harbour. The finest rivers are the Hills* 
 borough, the Elliot, and the York. Hillsborough- 
 harbour is formed by the waters of these there 
 principal rivers, which, at their confluence, form a 
 commodious basin with a narrow outlet into a more 
 spacious bay. Upon a favored spot within the inner 
 harbour stands Charlotte-Town, the capital of the 
 island, and the seat of the government. It contains 
 about 2000 inhabitants. There is no other settle- 
 ment in the island worthy the name of a town. 
 
 The constitution of the government, the courts ot 
 justice, and the judicial practice, are the same as in 
 the other colonies. The law does not difter from 
 that of England, unless altered by the provincial 
 legislature, and the island code is not considered in- 
 ferior to any which has been framed or adopted in 
 the sister provinces. 
 
 The present population of the island is about forty- 
 thousand souls. 
 
If 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 211 
 
 The commerce of tlu* country, from wliich the 
 revenue is derived, is not ^n-cat. It cliieHy consists 
 of the export of corn and otlier agricultural produce, 
 with black cattle, horses, and lumber, to Newfound- 
 land and the West Indies ; and a small quantity of 
 timber, with some ships built in the country, and 
 sio netimes bread corn, to the United Kin<»dom. 
 There are no manufactories in this colony, except 
 for some trifling articles of domestic consumption. 
 
 There is no oversiglit, for which the islanders are 
 so blameable, as their neglect of the manufacture of 
 pearl-ash and pot-ash. These valuable articles of 
 commerce have long been a source of wealth to 
 Canada, and the staple raw material for their pro- 
 duction, which is the beech-tree, is abundant 
 throughout the greater portion of the island. 
 
 The English language is every where spoken, 
 except in some of the Highland and Arcadian settle- 
 ments, where the settlers still presei've the native 
 tongue of their ancestors, and often, no other is 
 understood by the women. But except in one or 
 two isolated and remote villages, the men under- 
 stand, and in general speak, the predominant lan- 
 guage of the country. 
 
 As it has been already said that the whole face of 
 the country, in its primitive state, presents a beauti- 
 ful forest, w^hich sufficiently indicates the quality of 
 the ground, it is not necessary to say anything 
 further concerning the soil's fertility. The earth is 
 of a red colour, and ordinarily light, and easily 
 ploughed with one horse ; but it never requires more 
 
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212 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Si» 
 
 than two, although its texture is in some places stiff 
 and inclining to clay. In some parts a rich marl 
 forms the subsoil ; in others, within a few feet of 
 the surface, lies a solid bed of sand-stone, which 
 hardens when exposed to the air, and is admirably 
 adapted, though little used, for the purposes of 
 building. The particular properties of the soil are 
 not always indicated by its virgin production, as is 
 evident from the promiscuous growth of the greater 
 part of the herbs which are common in the same 
 latitude, with the uncertainty of what may succeed 
 when the natural woods are swept away, and the 
 ground is left undisturbed, long enough to afford time 
 for a " second growth." This sometimes happens, 
 from the indecision or ill-directed labours of new set- 
 tlers, who set themselves down for a short time, and 
 then abandon their possessions. 
 
 There are tracts of wood-lands which were cleared 
 and cultivated by the Arcadians, before the island 
 fell into the hands of the English, where the pheno- 
 menon of change in production is very remarkable. 
 Upon the best soils, however, nature throws up her 
 diversities of vegetation more luxuriantly; and where 
 the birch, beech, maple, and oak, of their several 
 species, interspersed with the varieties of fir, most 
 predominate, and attain the greatest perfection, 
 they are justly deemed the certain indications of the 
 superior qualities of the soil. 
 
 i i. 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 2i3 
 
 THE ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND, 
 
 Forms the north-eastern barrier of the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence. It contains a population of about 75,000 
 souls, and is one of the most important appendages 
 to the British crown ; but as its value mainly arises 
 out of its fisheries and its commerce ; and, as the 
 prospect which it offers is more distantly related to 
 our subject than the expectations that those colonies 
 excite, which so strikingly invite the attention of the 
 British emigrant, any details concerning it are not 
 necessary to the present purpose. 
 
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 I '"% f'i 
 
 M>:i 
 
214 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION, 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 \ ! 
 
 s » 
 
 n 
 
 J \ 
 
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 ■ i, 
 
 Summary of tlio foregoing Remarks. — Relations of the Colonies tf> 
 the United States. — Ties to the Mother Country. — Advantages lA 
 their present Position. 
 
 Such are the leading features which characterize 
 the six British provinces in America. Lower Ca- 
 nada, the most populous and most wealthy, fortunate 
 in its early settlement, is rapidly proceeding toward 
 maturity, and if due attention he paid to its settle- 
 ment and interests, the inhabitants will ere long be- 
 come as prosperous and contented as those of any 
 colony whatsoever. 
 
 The Upper country, though yielding to the Lower, 
 in population and extent of cultivated territory, is 
 superior to that province in climate, and in the 
 natural productiveness of the soil, and is, therefore, 
 capable of supporting a much greater number of 
 inhabitants. It is happy, also, in its more simple 
 code of laws, and the absence of those political dif- 
 ferences, which, in the Lower Province, have sprun<; 
 up out of the incongruous mixture of English and 
 French law, and the indeterminate character of sonn 
 of the institutions of that colony ; but most of all so. 
 in having been under the government of patriotic 
 men, by whom its interests have been studied, under- 
 stood, and zealously pursued. 
 
 Thus favored, this colony is beginning to s}lO^^ 
 signs of approach to that leading rank among the 
 
ON. 
 
 f the Colonies t(> 
 .— Advantaps oi 
 
 characterize 
 Lower Ca- 
 thy, fortunate 
 eding toward 
 1 to its settle- 
 1 ere long be- 
 
 those of any 
 
 to the Lower, 
 
 . territory, is 
 
 , and in the 
 
 is, therefore. 
 
 ;r number of 
 
 more simpk 
 
 i political dif- 
 
 , have sprunii 
 
 English and 
 
 acter of sonn' 
 
 Host of all s(». 
 
 it of patriotic 
 
 ;udied, under- 
 
 aing to sho^^ 
 k among the 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 215 
 
 provinces, which it is calculated by nature to attain, 
 should the two Canadas still remain under distinct 
 governments. But for many reasons, more particu- 
 larly on account of the difficulty of proportioning 
 the revenues, which are raised by an imposition upon 
 imports, this may not, after mature consideration, 
 appear to be the best policy. There is no port in 
 this province, at which these imposts could be sepa- 
 rately collected, and this inconvenience might be 
 remedied by re-uniting the two provinces under one 
 o:overnment, with Montreal for the capital. Or, 
 should such re-union appear to present too many 
 obstacles, at least, the most apparent inconvenience 
 might be removed, and differences perhaps compro- 
 mised, by disjoining the island of Montreal from 
 the Lower, and attaching it to the Upper province. 
 This would give a port of entry to Upper Canada, 
 which is always a great desideratum, with a growing 
 country, inhabited by a people of an enterprising and 
 commercial genius. 
 
 The increase of population in the Upper country 
 is beyond all former experience : it probably pro- 
 ceeds in a ratio of not less than double in every 
 seven or ten years. By these rapid strides, that 
 colony may be expected, unless effective measures 
 be taken to populate the St. Francis district, to out- 
 strip the Lower province within a shorter space of 
 time than was calculated upon, when the separation 
 took place, or before the late increase of British 
 emigration. To the active and well-directed exer- 
 tions of the company, to whom the government, as 
 
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21G 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 t ! 
 
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 t !M 
 
 before-mentioned, made extensive sales of wilderness 
 lands, and to tlie capital and labour which have 
 been by this means introduced into the country, hy 
 which settlements have been formed, upon principles 
 calculated to encourage cultivation, and open such 
 new sources of wealth as will give employment, and 
 make provision for the future, may be, in a great 
 degree, attributed the present flourishing condition 
 of Upper Canada. 
 
 Nova Scotia has been regarded more as a com- 
 mercial country, on account of its resources in the 
 produce of its mines, and its established and profit- 
 able fisheries, although a great part of the country 
 offers to the agriculturist, also, a fair scope for the 
 exercise of his vocation, at the same time that the 
 more dense population of the commercial districts 
 affords an internal market of steady and sure gain. 
 
 New Brunswick, Avhich will never perhaps sur- 
 pass Nova Scotia, in the extent of valuable fisheries, 
 or the profitable application of mineral resources, is 
 not, nevertheless, inferior to any of the provinces, in 
 natural productions. Its soil is abundantly fertile, 
 and its forests of exportable timber and material? 
 for ship-building are almost inexhaustible ; and 
 these advantages will assuredly produce regular ami 
 lasting channels of commerce and increasing wealth, 
 to the enterprising people whose industry has ac- 
 complished its present prosperity. 
 
 Prince Edward Island, which enjoys some ad- 
 vantage in its geographical position, and possesses 
 a salubrious atmosphere, and fertile soil, seems by 
 
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i! 
 
 if 
 
 ION. 
 
 ofwiltlerness 
 wliicli have 
 e country, l)y 
 pon principles 
 nd open siidi 
 )loyment, and 
 »e, in a great 
 ing condition 
 
 )re as a com- 
 lources in the 
 ed and profit- 
 f the country 
 
 scope for the 
 time that the 
 rcial districts 
 id sure gain. 
 
 perhaps siir- 
 able fisheries, 
 ,1 resources, is 
 ! provinces, in 
 dantly fertile, 
 iind material? 
 ustible ; and 
 6 regular and 
 Basing wealth, 
 ustry has ac- 
 
 oys some ad- 
 and possesses 
 oil, seems by 
 
 inr: EMi(if?ANT8 iNTfiODiirxioy. 
 
 21 
 
 nature intended to keep pace in general iniprove- 
 juent, with the finest countries upon the continent : 
 yet was this Island, until a late period of its history, 
 less forward in its institutions, and the condition of 
 its agriculture, than every other province, except 
 Cape Britain, considered as distinct from Nova 
 Scotia. 
 
 Among the causes which contributed to at least 
 the more tardy settlement of the country than 
 was anticipated by the Government, by whom the 
 island was divided into townships of twenty thousand 
 acres each, which were severally granted to British 
 noblemen and others, for the two-fold purpose of 
 raising a colony, and rewarding meritorious ser- 
 vices, the most apparent, only, need notice. 
 
 After the distribution of the lands, attempts were 
 made by several of the proprietors to form settle- 
 ments in the country, but from the want of support 
 from the local government, and the want of union of 
 design and a combination of interests, their efforts 
 were unsuccessful ; so that the only measure that 
 seemed practicable for raising colonies in America 
 at that time, was not attended with the results which 
 had been anticipated. 
 
 Emigration, both as to the arrangements attending 
 shipment and settlement, and the character of emi- 
 grants, was at that period on a very different footing 
 from that on which it stands at present ; the mother- 
 country was engaged in war, and the burden of ex- 
 cess of population, whicli after the peace began to 
 
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 -! : I 
 
'2\^ 
 
 THE EMIGRANT 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ' i 
 
 press so heavily upon the nation, had not been felt. 
 To transfer emigrants, which was the only means of 
 obtaining them, was attended with enormous ex- 
 penses, which promised for many years no returns. 
 None, indeed, were to be obtained, except the most 
 dissolute in England, or the poorest in Scotland. 
 Many of the latter were sent, but they wanted know- 
 ledge as well as enterprise, and that spirit of im- 
 provement, so general in the colonies at the present 
 day, never existed among them. 
 
 In most of the other colonies, large sums of 
 money were expended by the government in fortifi- 
 cations, in canals, and in public buildings, but 
 this advantage was not extended to the inhabitants 
 of this Island. 
 
 As emigration to America began to increase, and, 
 in some instances, long before this, several of the pro- 
 prietors formed establishments in the country, and 
 expended considerable sums in the endeavour to settle 
 and make their lands productive. But some of 
 these were despoiled by the rapacious and lawless 
 officers of the crown, and others entrusted the 
 management of their estates to unqualified agents, 
 who were alike unfitted to originate or carry into 
 effect any plans, however certain in their ultimate 
 results, that promise neither extravagant or imme- 
 diate gains. And the greater part had engagements 
 too pressing at home to permit them to reside, or per- 
 sonally attend to their affairs in the Colony ; besides 
 those attempts, which had failed from these causes^ 
 
N 
 
 m 
 
 ot been felt, 
 ily means of 
 lormous ex- 
 i no returns, 
 ept the most 
 in Scotland, 
 anted know- 
 spirit of im- 
 t the present 
 
 ge sums of 
 nt in fortifi- 
 Idings, but 
 inhabitants 
 
 icrease, and, 
 al of the pro- 
 !Ountry, and 
 i^our to settle 
 »ut some of 
 and lawless 
 trusted the 
 ified agents, 
 carry into 
 eir ultimate 
 nt or imme- 
 ngagements 
 side, or per- 
 »ny ; besides 
 hese causes^ 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION, 
 
 219 
 
 with almost the single exception of tlie late Earl of 
 Selkirk, the most able and most enterprising Briton 
 that ever visited these colonies, no systematic plans 
 of colonization, or any attempts at settlement, were 
 undertaken upon a principle or a scale at all wortliy 
 so great an object. 
 
 But the chief obstruction to the progress of im- 
 provement, at a later period, must be attributed to 
 the ill-judged measures of a series of inefficient 
 
 governors.- 
 
 " The evil that men do, lives after them ; 
 " The good is oft interred witli their buiics." 
 
 By their misconception oftbe principles of the colo- 
 nial system, or apathetic indifference to the interests 
 of the mother-country, and the colony, they left every 
 thing undone that was calculated to insure prospe- 
 rity, or did nothing but miscliief, by opposing every 
 measure that was proposed by the colonists for the 
 benefit of the country. This was the less excuse - 
 able, after the experience of the effects of a n]ore 
 enlightened policy, in the success which had attended 
 the united efforts of the executive and legislative 
 branches of government in the neighbouring pro- 
 vinces. 
 
 The island, although possessing, in name a consti- 
 tution similar co that of the other provinces, cannot 
 indeed be said to have enjoyed civil liberty, until 
 1824, when the last of those officers was withdrawn, 
 whose neii'lect or oppression had arrested improve- 
 
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220 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 meiit, until the colony was cut-ofF from almost all 
 external intercourse. 
 
 During this period of misrule, the colonists held 
 their possessions in uncertainty, and the state of 
 their prospects was not such as to encourage capital- 
 ists or industrious hus1)andmen to settle among 
 them. It was their misfortune, that the members 
 of the Assembly, in the earlier sessions, from a too 
 great confidence in the executive government, or a 
 misuse of their constitutional powers, had granted 
 to the crown a perpetual revenue, to be raised by an 
 imposition upon imports which were yearly increas- 
 ing-. This irretrievable error left the colonists 
 entirely at the mercy of any officer, however ill- 
 qualified or ill-disposed who should hereafter ad- 
 minister the government. Thus the colonial par- 
 liament was called together, prorogued, or dissolved, 
 according to whim or caprice, and at one time, did 
 not meet for several years ; so that the country 
 reaped little or no advantage from the possession of 
 a representative assembly. 
 
 For a long season, every public work was neglected : 
 the roads were overgrown, and the bridges decayed, 
 or broken down, and swept away by the currents. 
 Schools also, and all attention to education fell into 
 neglect ; so that those only, who could afford to 
 send their children to another colony, or to England, 
 had the means of procuring them the benefits of 
 instruction. 
 
 It might be supposed, that after the experience of 
 the i)ernicious effects of the abuse of an authority 
 
V. 
 
 11 almost all 
 
 )lonists held 
 the state of 
 fage capital- 
 ittle amon<r 
 lie members 
 , from a too 
 nment, or a 
 bad granted 
 raised by an 
 arly increas- 
 lie colonists 
 however ill- 
 lereafter ad- 
 jolonial par- 
 or dissolved, 
 )ne time, did 
 the country 
 possession of 
 
 as neglected : 
 ges decayed, 
 the currents, 
 ition fell into 
 lid afford to 
 " to England, 
 e benefits of 
 
 experience of 
 an authority 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 221 
 
 unwarily bestowed, (for it could not be said to be 
 usurped) the mischievous system might have been 
 speedily overthrown ; but the obstruction to com- 
 merce, and the depression of the energies of the 
 colonists, had so circumscribed their intercourse, 
 that their very character imperceptibly sank, until 
 it was held so low in estimation, that their feeble 
 complaints were entirely disregarded. Even the 
 settlers in the neighbouring provinces, better govern- 
 ed and more peaceable themselves, mistaking the 
 feelings which sprang out of the honest endeavours 
 of their fellow colonists to shake off the intolerable 
 yoke, for a turbulent and discontented spirit, did not 
 hesitate to treat them as a rabble, unworthy to par- 
 take of the blessings of a free constitution. 
 
 At length, the true condition of the colony became 
 too manifest to be mistaken by tlieir fellow-sulyects 
 in the sister colonies, and too painful to be any longer 
 endured by themselves, and they resorted to tlie only 
 legal means left open to them, to make known to 
 his Majesty's government the insufferable griev- 
 ances of which they so justly complained. Numerous 
 requisitions were forwarded to the high-sheriff of the 
 island, who convened meetings throughout the 
 country; and a petition, almost universally signed, 
 was sent to England by a respectable gentleman, an 
 old resident. This led to the removal of the gover- 
 nor and chief-justice, as soon as the season permit- 
 ted their being replaced, and the colony was at once 
 restored to its wonted tranquillity.'*^ 
 
 * During this contumacious gentleman's administration of the 
 i^overnment of this colony, a rather curious experiment was ti i «I 
 
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 THE KM I grant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 One remark should not be omitted; that the pati- 
 (Mice of the colonists was not exhausted, until it was 
 discovered that they had been represented to his 
 Mnjesty's ministers as a disaffected people. Tlio 
 odium of this false representation, falling, thoiiiil) 
 very possibly, unjifstly,upon the officer who adminis- 
 tered the government, and from whose ojjstinatc 
 adherence to the most mistaken principles so mucli 
 degradation and suffering had proceeded, aroused 
 feelings which had been passive too long, and finally 
 effected a happy emancipation. 
 
 The late troubles, which had thrown some reflec 
 tions upon the minister of the crown, were well com- 
 pensated by the fortunate appointment of an officer 
 of experience in colonial affairs, and whose amenity 
 of disposition and fihility well-qualified him for the 
 government of a rising colony. By active, yet mild 
 and conciliatory measures, he speedily healed the 
 Avounds inflicted by his predecessors, and destroyed 
 what remained of party spirit, after the cessation of 
 the late political disturbances. 
 
 in political economy. An attempt was made to retain within the 
 country, such portion of the circulating medium as had survived 
 the sweeping demands of the neighbouring provinces, to meet the 
 yearly hahincc of trade against this unfortunate colony, during tht 
 depressed state of its agriculture. The coin in circiUation consisted 
 chicHy in Spanish dollars. These were punched; and out of the 
 middle of each was taken a piece of the value of one-fifth of the 
 dollar, which is at the currency standard of five shillings. The rin^' 
 which was left passed for four shillings, and the button, as it was 
 termed, for one shilling. The Halifax merchants, however, with 
 whom the ishinders chiefly traded, knew very well the worth ol 
 silver in any form ; and the result of the experiment was a loss to 
 the colony, as the ring and the button were not of 'che value of the 
 undcfaced coin. 
 
 i ■ ' i; 
 
I 
 
 ON. 
 
 that tlie pati- 
 , until it was 
 ented to his 
 ►eople. Tho 
 ling, thoiiol! 
 who adminis- 
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 pies so much 
 ded, aroused 
 g, and finally 
 
 I some reflec 
 ere well coni- 
 of an officer 
 hose amenity 
 d him for t?ie 
 tive, yet mild 
 ly healed the 
 md destroyed 
 e cessation of 
 
 retain within tin- 
 ; as had survived 
 ices, to meet tho 
 olony, (luring tin 
 julation consisted 
 
 ; and out of the 
 f one-fifth of the 
 illings. The rin^ 
 
 button, as it was 
 ;s, however, with 
 veil the worth cl 
 nit was a loss to 
 t" the value of thr 
 
 THE EMIGUANt's INTRODUCTION. 
 
 003 
 
 The colonial parliament, which liad not met for 
 -several years, was now convcnied ; and ado([uatc 
 sujiplies were granted, and ap[)r()priated to the 
 most useful purposes. Roads, which form an object 
 of paramount importance in a new country, were 
 opened or re-opened in every direction. Ijridges 
 gone to decay were rebuilt, or others constructed. 
 In a word, the executive government united its efforts 
 with the legislative assembly, in promoting the estab- 
 lishment of institutions for the encouraiiement of 
 education, and of tlie useful arts, and for the fur- 
 therance of every popular national object; but, 
 above all, for the effectual prosecution of the long- 
 neglected pursuit of agriculture. 
 
 The new governor originated or seconded every 
 measure which was introduced for the benefit of the 
 country, and, by his own example, encouraged those 
 pursuits that are the best adapted to its natural 
 resources, which were now quickly develop'^ d ; so 
 that, before the term of this officer's government 
 expired, the island was restored to its rank among 
 the peaceable and prosperous North American 
 colonies. 
 
 The memory of past troubles now remains but 
 as a matter of interest in the little history of this 
 colony. The evils which were experienced, no doubt 
 in a great measure arose out of the imprudent 
 grant of a perpetual revenue, before the principles 
 of the constitution were well understood by the 
 colonists. But this instance will stand as an ex- 
 ample on record, for the future necessary caution of 
 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODICTION . 
 
 ycumu^ countries, jiftor the roprosontative system ha,^ 
 heen ('st{i])lishe(l. 
 
 Tlio iiiituro of free <j^overnrnent, and th(; natural 
 relation?? of landlord and tenant yjton a una soil, are 
 now, how(iver, better understood than formerly, and 
 there is nothinj^ wanting to promote the general 
 interests, and to raise this island to that degree 
 of importance to which its position and its soil entitle 
 it, but the universal adoi)tion, on the part of the 
 landlords, of the princij)les by which the land coni- 
 ])anies in the Canadas, and New Brunswick, manage 
 tlieir extensive possessions. 
 
 Throughout the whole of these provinces, the 
 undeviating and sound policy which has been for 
 several years pursued by the representatives of his 
 majesty in administering the government, assisted 
 by the most efficient men of local information within 
 the colonies, has been conspicuous and happy. And, 
 by the salutary efFeci^ of their united exertions, 
 temples of peace have been erected, on foundations 
 that insure their stal>ility as long as the connection 
 of i)arent state and colony is duly regulated and 
 preserved ; and the ties of kindred and mutual 
 interest will doubtless contribute to extend this 
 reciprocal ol)ligation to an indefinite period of time. 
 
 This appears a proper place to make a few obser- 
 vations, not directly connected with the subject, but 
 which it is difficult to refrain from introducing. 
 
 Some persons, who have most assuredly taken a 
 very confined view of our political relations in 
 America, or grounded their opinion upon informa- 
 
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 rilE emigrant's INTnODlCTION. 
 
 2'lo 
 
 p system fia> 
 
 tho Tintuml 
 \fn'/v stnl.^ are 
 •rinerly, and 
 |tlie general 
 that degree 
 :s soileritillc 
 
 l)art of the 
 e land com- 
 ic k, manage 
 
 f)vinces, the 
 I as been for 
 atives of his 
 ^nt, assisted 
 nation withiri 
 iapj)y. And, 
 i exertions, 
 foundations 
 connection 
 ^ulated and 
 iiid mntua) 
 extend this 
 od of time, 
 t ^aw obser- 
 subject, but 
 lucing. 
 i\y taken a 
 elations in 
 n informa- 
 
 tion, into tlie nccuracy of whicli they have not V,\l 
 care to well-examine, have anticipated the possilti ly 
 of the ]»resent liritish American possessions, belong- 
 ing, at no distant jx-riod, to the United Stales; or, 
 that they may at least desire to change their j)reseni. 
 European C(mnection, to become individual members 
 of that heterogeneal republic. 
 
 In order to treat this sup])Osition with as much 
 earnestness as this brief notice of it will permit, let 
 us in the first place inquire, what motives uiight 
 mfluence the republicans to desire such union, and 
 what considerations would o})erate witli them against 
 it; and, secondly, how the colonists would like the 
 connection, or view its jiropable conse(pu*nces upon 
 their prosperity; and, lastly, of the probability of the 
 success of any attempt, to sever the ties and cancel 
 the bonds of obligation which exist between tlie 
 mother-country and her colonies, founded upon 
 anv other principles than those of mutual consent, 
 and reciprocal advantage. 
 
 The United States, by the accession of the present 
 British colonies, would greatly aggrandize their 
 territories, and open the St. Lawrence to the com- 
 merce of the most western extremity of their domi- 
 nions. That government would possess itself of the 
 valuable mines of Canada, and gain fishing stations, 
 wliich would render it formidable for a time, to 
 any of the great maritime powers of Europe. It is 
 not therefore surprising, that, upon a cursory review., 
 the sul)ject should have excited some jealous appre- 
 hensions. But let us see what other circumstance? 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 exist, wliicli must limit the desire, even of the repub- 
 licans themselves, for the exteiition of their terri- 
 tories, or of any increase in the number of the states. 
 
 The northern and southern states, for reasons un- 
 necessary to enumerate, have, and must continue to 
 have, such different interests, that nothing but the 
 nice balance, which has grown out of their acquired 
 pursuits, their geographical position, and their in- 
 crease in individual importance, could have retained 
 them under one general government. The slightest 
 ])re})onderance on either side, would destroy this 
 equilibrium ; but the accession of the Canadas, 
 and the opening of the St. Lawrence to the com- 
 merce of the present United States, would throw 
 incalculable advantages into the scale of the northern 
 interests, sap the very foundations of concord, and, 
 in a short time, pull down the whole structure of 
 the delicately-cemented fabric of the federal union. 
 
 But, supposing the existence of none of these ob- 
 jections on the part of the Americans themselves; 
 how, as observed, would such amalgamation atfect 
 the inclination and interests of our fellow-subjects, 
 in the colonies? Whatever advantage the United 
 States might gain, the colonists must in effect lose- 
 In Canada, where there is neither the rich produc- 
 tions of the soil of the southern states, nor the manu- 
 factures of the northern, the American tariff would 
 be ])roductive of great and irremediable causes of 
 national depression. In the mean time, the motives 
 would no longer exist, for the commercial advan- 
 tages which have hitherto been given to the colonists 
 
 \' '■ 
 
 t i.i 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 227 
 
 f I 
 
 by the mother-country, in the partial exclusion ot 
 foreigners, for the protection of colonial importa- 
 tions. In a word, the present colonies would 
 become dependent upon the present northern states 
 for supplies for which they coukl not pay, unless 
 through the means of remittances to Great Britain, 
 which could not be expected to fiivour their exports, 
 while the northern ports of Europe were open to 
 her shipping ; and thus, they must sink into insig- 
 nificant members of an overgrown republic, instead 
 of remaining, virtually, independent appendages of 
 a great state, and enjoying all the advantages of her 
 commercial encouragement and protection. 
 
 But, should it be asserted, that the republicans 
 might conquer the Canadas, let it be answered ; 
 that the repeated defeats of their armies, during the 
 last war, which were driven out of the country 
 wherever they entered, by the almost unassisted 
 efforts of the provincials themselves, have taught 
 them to respect a territory, which could not, even if 
 left to the militia alone, be wholly subdued ; and 
 were it otherwise, no portion of it could in any case 
 be held possession of, in direct contradiction to the 
 genius of the United States constitution, and the 
 very terms of the federal union. 
 
 Indeed, it is idle to speculate upon the possibility 
 of any portion of the British people being seduced 
 from their allegiance, or subjected to dependence 
 upon a foreign power. The time will arrive, wlieu 
 the growth of the American colonies will render it 
 desirable ornecessary, that their present connection 
 
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 '■■! 1 1 
 
228 
 
 THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 1 'V 
 
 with the parent state should undergo some change ; 
 but political ties for mutual advantage may still 
 continue to afford protection to the Canadas against, 
 foreign invasion, and secure our commercial inter- 
 course from effectual interruption. 
 
 We cannot foresee the period of separation. Great 
 Britain exercises no arbitrary control over her co- 
 lonies, and cannot be said to retain more than that 
 wholesome influence which is essential to their 
 welfare — the power of checking such proceedings 
 as might, by possibility, give rise to measures whicli 
 would militate against the general interests ; and no 
 material changes have been contemplated by any of 
 the colonists, except a party among the settlers of 
 foreign extraction in Lower Canada. 
 
 It is, or at least was, supposed in this country, 
 that the opinions of the French party in Canada, 
 which has obtained the ascendant in the legislative 
 assembly, expressed the feelings of the whole of the 
 colonists of French descent in that province, and con- 
 sequently of the majority of the people. It was 
 never so. The hahitans, which compose the majority 
 of the population of Lower Canada, are too happy to 
 be suspicious of political experimentalists. But they 
 speak no language but the French, which has given 
 an advantage to politicians of the same extraction 
 with themselves, which has been successfully em- 
 ployed in obtaining a majority of members of their 
 party in the house of assembly. But the questions 
 which are there debated, and the demands which 
 have been made upon the mother-country, for a 
 
! .1 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 229 
 
 change in her colonial institutions, are not matters 
 which the great mass of the people pretend to com- 
 prehend or care to influence. The Canadians are at 
 this time perhaps the happiest people under the sun ; 
 but the changes which have been demanded, would 
 introduce principles incompatible with the exist- 
 ence of the province as an appendage of this empire, 
 and subversive of the independence and happy con- 
 dition of the colonists, which are entirely founded 
 upon their present relations to the mother-country. 
 Neither could Great Britain comply with the de- 
 mands of the house of assembly, without disregarding 
 the claims, and totally abandoning the interests, of 
 every colonist of British descent in both the Canadas, 
 and, indeed, in all the American provinces. 
 
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 230 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 1 1 . '>" 
 
 EMIGRATION. 
 
 t 
 
 " Oft expectation fails, and most oft there, 
 Where most it promises ; and oft it hits 
 Where hope is coldest, and despair most sits." 
 
 All's Well that Ends Well 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 m 
 
 W 
 
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 : I 
 
 First Thoughts of Emigration. — Its real Character. — Striking Dispro- 
 portion of Married and Un-married Persons at Home, — Causes. 
 — Consequences. — Who should Emigrate. — Means of Settlement. 
 — Methods. 
 
 After haying, in the preceding chapters, suffici- 
 ently dwelt upon those leading features, which 
 generally and separately concern the several Ameri- 
 can provinces, in order to complete the design of thi? 
 treatise, it is now necessary to proceed to such prac- 
 tical observations as may seem most useful in the 
 present stage of the emigrant's investigations. For 
 this end, after some general remarks, one or two 
 important questions will be proposed, to which the 
 writer will endeavour to make the most simple ami 
 suitable answers, that may be hazarded without the 
 risk of becoming too tedious, or exceeding the limits 
 prescribed to this undertaking. 
 
 Emigration is not, in this age, a wild uncertain 
 speculatior, , but an object of systematic enterprise. 
 No El Dorado dreams now entrance the imagina- 
 
noN. 
 
 it sits." 
 Ends Well. 
 
 -Striking Dispru- 
 Home, — Causes, 
 ns of Settlement. 
 
 pters, suffici- 
 tures, which 
 weral Ameri- 
 design of this 
 to such prac- 
 useful in the 
 o-ations. For 
 5, one or two 
 to which the 
 St simple and 
 d without tlic 
 ing the limits 
 
 ild uncertain 
 
 :ic enterprise, 
 
 tlio imagina- 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 231 
 
 tion, till we awake and find nothing. " The aims 
 and ends of burning youth" are no longer directed 
 to objects calculated to plunge the enterprising 
 adventurer into irrecoverable difficulties. Report, 
 which formerly reached Europe but in the fanciful 
 fables of the earlier adventurers, has thrown aside 
 the mantle which enveloped in mystery every tale 
 concerning the new vi^orld ; and thousands of our 
 countrymen, counselled by prudence, and under the 
 guidance of truth, yearly experience the happy 
 results of well-directed measures, not undertaken 
 without due deliberation. " The disposition of 
 the time" is now changed, and investigation and ex- 
 perience have proved the colonies to offer — 
 
 A course more promising 
 Than a wild dedication of yourselves 
 To unpath'd waters, undream'd shores. 
 
 Yet the first thoughts of emigration, it must be 
 confessed, are commonly cold and disheartening; 
 but that this arises, in most cases, from the unac- 
 countable ignorance which reigns in the mother- 
 country, respecting the condition of the colonies, is 
 evident, from the frequent unanticipated results of 
 the experiment. Emigration is made a last, instead 
 of a first resource ; and the faintest hope that pro- 
 mises better fortunes at home, is caught at, and 
 tenaciously clung to. But the enduring Briton 
 should remember, that the fertile earth is not yet 
 above a third part inhabited ; that millions of acres 
 of arable land, the common possession of his country- 
 
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232 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 men, offer the means of ready relief, and even pro- 
 mise to reward industry with affluence, and ble«<s 
 his condition with as much or more happiness thjin 
 would attend even the success of his efforts, on his 
 leased land, or in his hired shop, or in almost any 
 pursuit in this country. 
 
 If by happiness, indeed, we mean the enjoyment 
 of continual good unalloyed with pain, we must go 
 further than Canada to iind it. — 
 
 " The web of our life is a mingled yarn, 
 Good and ill together." 
 
 ■ ( 
 
 But, if that " word of wondrous virtues" be cor- 
 rectly defined by those who hold it to signify, that 
 condition i?i which the aggregate of pleasure ex- 
 ceeds that of pain, we may perhaps discover it? 
 " local habitation," or the vanity of our search, In 
 inquiring, what are the chief sources of enjoyment 
 and of suffering, and what are the prospects of the 
 predominance of the one or of the other in tliesc 
 provinces? 
 
 Poverty and dependence, we must necessarily 
 allow, are fraught with evils, than which, none can 
 be greater, at least to a generous' mind. Conipp- 
 tence and independence, we need no " ghost from 
 the grave" to tell us, are indispensible to every 
 degree of felicity. In what part of the earth shall 
 we find poverty more rare, or whither shall we flee 
 in search of a country, where good conduct and 
 industry are more certainly rewarded by compe- 
 
 » u 1 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 233 
 
 teiice and ease. These objects being attained, the 
 mind seeks to enlarge tlie sphere of its active ope- 
 rations, and body and soul at once engage them- 
 selves in pursuits which tend to some desirable and 
 attainable end, while, at the same time, we have 
 leisure and opportunity for the exercise of the social 
 and kindly affections ; and, these are assuredly the 
 sources of the purest and most perfect delight which 
 an intellectual being can enjoy. 
 
 Many there are in this populous country, who 
 follow engagements uncongenial with their feelings, 
 or ill -adapted to their capacity and experience. 
 These, were they not, in this great metropolis 
 especially, like the inhabitants of a rock in the 
 ocean, " ignorant how features are abroad," w^ould 
 no more submit to the drudgery they endure, than 
 could the free soul of an Indian to the labours of the 
 mine, did they know any other means of attaining to 
 that state of happiness, the prospect of which, is 
 the grand incitive to enterprise in youth, and to 
 steady industry inmaturer years. 
 
 Any one, who has resided any time in America, 
 upon returning into society in any of the populous 
 countries of Europe, must be struck with the great 
 disproportion between the number of unmarried 
 persons of mature age, in the old and in the new 
 world. The immediate cause of this, it is not diffi- 
 cult to discover. One man is deterred from the 
 matrimonial alliance, because he has no means of 
 increasing his income, and he cannot retrench his 
 e^fpences, without sinking, or believing himself to 
 
 
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234 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 sink, below the rank of society in which lie ha^ 
 been accustomed to live : anothev, is restrained by 
 the uncertainty of the profits of his profession or 
 trade ; and a third, feels too insecure in the tenure 
 by which he holds his possessions. 
 
 Every prudent youth, be his business or profession 
 what it may, nnist wait until he has in some degree 
 established his independence ; but, there is no farm 
 to cultivate, no opening to set-up in trade ; and the 
 professions offer no better prospects, without those 
 connections which thousands want. 
 
 But perhaps the most instances of the necessity 
 for single life, occur among that numerous class, 
 for the most part with the education of gentlemen, 
 who fill subordinate places, in government or pro- 
 fessional offices, or counting-houses. The season 
 most proper for the growth of the best and most 
 lasting affections, is past over before they can 
 insure the enjoyment of happiness, or the hope of 
 independence, with the partner whom virtuous lovo 
 and mutual attachment have pointed out, as the 
 proper object upon whom to set their affections in 
 early life, and to depend upon as the best com- 
 panion of after-years ; and thus, the society of once 
 merry England is now half made up of the morose 
 and selfish people of habit, which necessity, not in- 
 clination, has engendered. 
 
 If we descend to the ranks in society below those 
 above-mentioned, we shall find the same causes pro- 
 ducing the same effects, until we reach the lov/est 
 degree ; and here we shall not find caution and the 
 
 '(■ ! 
 
THE emigrant's introduction- . 
 
 235 
 
 moral restraint exercising: the same influence; 
 whence arises our excess of population and abun- 
 dance of misery. 
 
 Resolve upon any step but emigration, and your 
 success will at least be more dependent upon cir- 
 cumstances over which you have but little influence, 
 tlian upon your own disposition and exertions: but — 
 put on " the dauntless spirit of resolution," and de- 
 termine upon cultivating the soil in one of the colo- 
 nies, and " labour will refresh itself with hope." 
 There, an industrious man may almost control his 
 fortunes ; and, if happily of a good constitution, he 
 will be likely to enjoy better health in Canada than 
 in England ; and, nothing but the deprivation of 
 this blessing can prevent his accumulating property, 
 and keeping pace with the progress of social im- 
 provement, in the community of which he will 
 become a member. In short, while the irresolute 
 and timid are changing from pursuit to pursuit, 
 augmenting nothing but their engagements, and 
 every day confirming still more and more their 
 irksome or degrading dependence, and perhaps de- 
 moralizing their minds and neglecting their children, 
 the resolute and more steady are transferred from 
 the lowest depths of degradation to the highest 
 pinnacle of earthly prosperity and enjoyment. 
 
 But, to illustrate, and at the same time prevent 
 the misapplication of what has been so confidently 
 advanced, it is necessary to proceed to some more 
 definite and practical observations ; and, for this 
 purpose, let us suppose the following questions to 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
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 /I. I 
 
 !: I 
 
 be the most important that tlie inquirer could de- 
 sire to be answered, and the reply to them will 
 nearly complete what this desultory treatise ha> 
 proposed to discuss. 
 
 In the first place, then, — Who should emigrate? 
 Secondly — Who should not emij^rate? Thirdly — 
 To what colony is it most desinible that certain in- 
 dividuals should direct their steps ? And lastly — 
 How should they j)roceed to carry their intentions 
 into execution, and what may be tlie condition of 
 those who advisedly embark in this important under- 
 taking? 
 
 The lot of every speculative adventurer, it would 
 be difficult to foretel ; but it may in general terms 
 be said, that, with the exception of the downright 
 manufacturer of articles, to be very easily exported 
 from this country, there is scarcely any one who 
 would not find profitable employment, or improve 
 his condition, if it should not be prosperous at home, 
 by removing to one or other of these colonies. 
 
 No one need be told, that the wild forest-land 
 cannot be reduced to a state fit for cultivation, 
 without the exei'cise of laborious efforts and great 
 patience ; and, in cases where the emigrant has a 
 family too young to render him any assistance, be 
 will for several years be subject to hardships, and 
 his family to privations ; but, the examples of re- 
 quited industry will surround him ; and the golden 
 promises of hope will be too fully assured, to permit 
 him to relax in his efforts to obtain independence 
 and ease. 
 
Oli 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 237 
 
 Every ni.ii), tlien, with such Www exceptions as sliall 
 be presently particuhirized, slioiild therefore emi- 
 grate, who is retrograding^ in his circumstances, Jind 
 lias little prospect of his children hiM'nu- educated and 
 provided for — the agriculturist above all others. 
 
 But should the emigrant, bred to any other 
 business, design to follow his former vocation, the 
 arts and trades to be considered as the most pro- 
 mising, are those of joiners, masons, bricklayers, 
 tanners, wheelwrights, blacksmiths, millwrights, 
 :>hoemakers, tailors, saddlers ; and coopers and 
 shipwrights in the maritime provinces. Sometimes 
 also, as it will be further attempted to show, persons 
 of small incomes, especially of the army or navy, 
 may greatly benefit their circumstances, and 
 enlarge their sphere of enjoyments, by a timely 
 removal to the colonies. 
 
 But as nine-tenths of those who emigrate, with 
 or without capital, will probably be hereafter en- 
 gaged in the pursuit of agriculture, and, as this oc- 
 cupation must be wholly new to great numbers who 
 will embark in it, and not quite familiar to even the 
 English farmer, on account of the different modes 
 of management in the old world and in the new, 
 it is proper to speak of the prospects of those who 
 design to engage in, and those who have previously 
 followed that pursuit, in a more particular manner 
 than any other class, beginning v/ith the poorest. 
 
 It is well known, that the value of the labour of 
 individuals of this useful class of subjects, at home, 
 is scarcely sufficient for their own maintenance, 
 
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 '238 
 
 THE EMIGRAN'l S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 altlioui»h a wife and family may be depondeiit upon 
 their exertions. To snch men, and tlieir families, 
 the chancre for the ])etter is great indeed. There is 
 no probability of their beinij^ ont of employment, 
 and the rate of wages, at all times, exceeds that 
 which can be afforded in this, or in any other pojm- 
 lous conntry ; while, articles of consnmption, except 
 clotliing, are usnally to be purchased considerably 
 lower; so that, if a man be industrious and prudent, 
 a year or two is in general sufficient to i)lace him in 
 possession of a hundred acres of land, upon easy 
 terms of payment by instalments, and from tliu 
 period of his entry upon which, he may date his 
 absolute independence. 
 
 The recompense of labour, except in and about 
 the neighbourhood of large towns, is not always 
 paid in money, nor is this considered necessary; 
 more especially, if the emigrant, circumstanced as 
 described, should have pitched upon a spot for his 
 ultimate residence. In this case, he will rarely 
 fail to find some one within its vicinity, anxious to 
 hire him and his family together, until they shall, 
 among them, have earned enough to conmience on 
 their own account. They are then partly paid in 
 stock, or the most useful articles upon a farm. 
 
 When this plan is followed, the beginning is 
 usually made by the emigrant working occasion- 
 ally during the term of his service for his own 
 benefit. At this time he clears a square of land, 
 assisted perhaps in his labour, by the longer 
 located settler with whom he is engaged, should 
 
fit' 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTnODUCTlON. 
 
 239 
 
 H\ 
 
 anxious to 
 
 ihat scttli'i* also hv ]m\, in tlic morninir of liis iiuli!- 
 pcndencc. But this intciTlianj^c ot'sorvicos is nioiv 
 practised in those remote <listri('ts where the cireuhi- 
 ting nieilium is in no [iroportion to tlie wealth and 
 traffic of the settlement, than in the better settled 
 parts of the country. 
 
 As soon as there appears to be laiul enough cleared 
 for a first crop of potatoes, which is usually the 
 chief article sown the first year ; or before this, in 
 tliose cases where the emigrant has enough cn})ital 
 to enable him to begin on his own account, the in- 
 iiabitants of the vicinity assemble and install the 
 new settler and Ids family in the manner before 
 described. 
 
 Such is the position which the twelve or eighteen 
 months located settler of the jioorest class may at- 
 tain ; and dull and boorish must he be, who can 
 endure the sight of his children in want, with the 
 prospect of no other relief than that which he may 
 receive through the parish-officers in England, 
 when such might be his condition in the colonies, 
 among his fellow-subjects, under the same laws 
 and the same protection as at home, himself inde- 
 pendent, and his children with a certainty of be- 
 coming affluent members of a religious and moral 
 community, no way inferior to that, which, by the 
 happiest chances, they could have become members 
 of in their native country. 
 
 In Canada, as vv'ell as in the lower provinces, 
 frequent opportunities occur, of experienced persons 
 with slender means, or wholly without capital, being 
 
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240 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ii! 
 
 I' I 
 
 f, 
 
 I li I 
 
 ■'II 
 
 able, upon their arrival, to set down upon a cleared and 
 ready-stocked farm. This more commonly happens 
 where old settlers have other occupations, perhaps 
 within the town near whicli their estates may be 
 situated, or, in cases where farms belong to widows 
 or minors and might not be sold to advantage, or 
 sometimes upon the clearances of those who prefer 
 the labour of converting the wilderness into a fruitful 
 field, their natural occupation, to attempting to 
 compete with the skill of the English farmer in the 
 management of arable land, and yet, do not wish 
 to dispose of their possessions. 
 
 In either of these cases, a man with a family is 
 preferred. The tenant provides labour, and tliere- 
 fore, the larger his family, unless the members of it 
 are very young, the better ; for, if any addition to 
 their strength be found necessary, labourers must 
 be hired. These, however, may be had. Youn<> 
 persons, for this species of labour, are generally 
 engaged at board wages, and are settled with upon 
 the return of the crops. In lieu of rent, it is stipu- 
 lated between landlord and tenant, that tlie produce 
 of the land shall be equally divided ; so that, iin 
 risk is run by either party if the farmer be worthy 
 of his trust, except that wliich the variation of the 
 seasons may occasion to both. 
 
 This method is called, taking a farm u])un the 
 halves. All who lio[)e to reap any advantage froni 
 it, will do well to carry with them a certiticute ot 
 character from any genthiman in the neighbourluHnl 
 in which they have lived, who may chance to potsse'r^ 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 241 
 
 the most knowledge of them. This is, indeed, a 
 precaution, which will at all limes smooth the 
 pooi'er emigrant's path, and greatly tend to remove 
 those difficulties, which must more or less lie in the 
 way of every stranger, upon entering upon any 
 undertaking, in the midst of a society in which he 
 may liope to play his part, in a station superior to 
 that which it has been hitherto his lot to fill at home. 
 The next that should be mentioned, are per- 
 sons of small property, or such as may be sup- 
 posed to possess from £50 to £100. Sometimes, 
 even these, but at all times, those who possess less 
 than £50, will find it advantageous to follow the 
 course which is commonly adopted by the class of 
 settlers above mentioned. This will give them time 
 to look about, and deliberately decide. Such is the 
 facility of settlement, that £100 is always considered 
 ample to enter at once upon a fair beginning, where 
 the emigrant is not undecided in his choice, by ob- 
 tauiing the hired ai^sistance of persons of the poorer 
 classes. In many cases it will enable the settler to 
 purchase a farm, with a warm log-house upon it, 
 and two or three acres of land ready cleared. 
 
 Indeed it may be said, that the majority of those 
 who carry out £100, will be as comfortably situated 
 upon their own land in four or five years, as the 
 lessee agriculturist in England, who is employing 
 from six hundred to a thousand pounds capital. But 
 if we take into account, that every tree cut down, 
 redeems a portion of the wilderness, and makes 
 a substantial addition to the value of tlie land, and 
 
 M 
 
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 li 
 
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 i' 
 
242 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 m.: I 
 
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 i 'f 
 
 if 
 
 I 
 
 ' 
 
 the ca))ital of the colonist, where shall we seek for 
 a parallel case, among the fanners in Britain? 
 
 But, says the man of more substance, if ease and 
 comfort be so easily obtained with so small a capi- 
 tal, where shall I find my advantage, in entering the 
 same woods, with the same obstacles to overcome, 
 and in a country where wages are high ? 
 
 If your capital be indeed large ; if it consist of 
 thousands rather than hundreds, the most profitable 
 uses, to which you can apply it, will be in the pur- 
 chase of wild land, upon a large scale ; and the dis- 
 posal of this, improved or unimproved, in allotments 
 of from one hundred to two hundred acres. Bv 
 prudent purchases, and liberal management, capital 
 may in this way be doubled or trebled in the course 
 of a few years. 
 
 The plan which usually is, and ought to be fol- 
 lowed, by the somewhat smaller capitalist, is, to 
 purchase a farm with a better house, and with from 
 thirty to fifty acres of the land cleared and under cul- 
 ture, which can generally be obtained for, from £200 
 to £300, according to the value of the buildings. 
 This he may stock, clear, and improve, according 
 to his means. 
 
 Farms are to be had in almost all the settlements, 
 in every stage of improvement, owing to a custom. 
 which prevails throughout, of what is termed by the 
 old settlers, '* selling improvements." Having 
 worked eij^ht or ten, or mere years, some 
 retire again to the forest, with the proceeds of tlieir 
 labour; which, from their superior skill in fellin? 
 
 ol 
 be 
 fu 
 
 t>CJ 
 
 nu 
 
 1 li 
 
)N. 
 
 THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
 243 
 
 we seek for 
 »ritain? 
 
 , if ease and 
 small a capi- 
 
 entering the 
 to overcome, 
 
 ? 
 
 • 
 
 ' it consist of 
 
 ost profitable 
 
 36 in the pur- 
 
 and the dis- 
 
 in allotments 
 
 d acres. By 
 
 ment, capital 
 
 in the course 
 
 yht to be fol- 
 pitalist, is, to 
 md with from 
 md under cul- 
 br, from £200 
 the buildings. 
 Dve, according 
 
 lie settlements, 
 ig to a custom. 
 , termed by tlif 
 Its." Having 
 years, some 
 ■oceeds of their 
 skill in felling 
 
 the trees, and other necessary first undertakings, 
 and their inferior knowledge of the improved 
 methods of husbandry, introduced by the English 
 farmers, finds a better account in cleariiifr 
 away the forest, than in cultivating arable land. 
 Thus the new settler obtains a farm, which will yield 
 liim an earlier return, and which is in every respect 
 more congenial with his acquired habits, the change 
 of which is, perhaps, the most difficult matter to 
 accommodate, and the greatest inconvenience which 
 men of smaller means will experience. 
 
 Farms of this description are peculiarly well- 
 adapted to a class of persons, which, next to the 
 farmers, have, in proportion to their numbers iri 
 Britain, lately become the most numerous among 
 the emigrants. These are, persons of small inde- 
 pendent incomes, many of them officers of the army 
 or navy. No settlers have succeeded better, even 
 in the virgin forest. It is more advisable, however, 
 for them to purchase land, improved and brouglit 
 under cultivation by experienced woodsmen. 
 
 It is upon this class of colonists, that the rural 
 occupations have shed their most cheering influence ; 
 and it is in their condition, next to that of the emi- 
 :;rant of the poorest class, that the most remarkable 
 change is in the highest degree apparent. Persons 
 of small incomes, and no business, at home, must 
 be continually beset with apprehensions for the 
 future ; and every increase of family must circum- 
 !5cribe their means of comfort, and render it so much 
 more difficult to keep that station in society to which 
 
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i 1 
 
 24-1 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION, 
 
 U: 
 
 } 
 
 Lirtl) or merit has entitled them. What revolution 
 in the economy of life, " what cup of alteration" 
 among Fortune's divers liquors, can be compared with 
 the change from the inactive and restless condition 
 of persons thus circumstanced, and of whom tiiere are 
 numl)ers, to an active and healthy occupation, with 
 plenty, peace, contentment, and the prospect of even 
 affluence ? Or what can more flatter the best feelinf;> 
 of nature, or more readily ])ring into exercise the 
 no])lest virtues, than the opportunities of a cultivated 
 understanding, putting into practice the high prin- 
 ciples, which want of influence in passing traiisac- 
 tioiis, forbids to many, who possess them but to 
 perish unobserved ? And are there not thousands, 
 vvlioni nature seems to have designed to form pillar> 
 of sup])ort to the social edifice, or to contribute to 
 the formation of the character and manners of future 
 oenerations, who, " omitting the sweet benefit ut 
 time," wither in ol)scurity in a populous country, 
 tjioiigh they might, did they emigrate, become or- 
 nanu'nts to society among a rising and ha])py people ' 
 Who is tlu're, knowingly so circumstanced, that i^ 
 not ready to exclaim, — 
 
 Mi\ ^ i; 
 
 :':i:| 
 
 ' I 
 
 " I am asham'd 
 To look upon the holy sun, 
 
 To liavo tliu Itonefit of his bless'd beams remaniing> 
 So long a poor unknown." 
 
 A question is sometimes asked l)y persons of thi^ 
 "lass wlio conteniplate emigrating, concerning the 
 n?iniements of society in the new settlements. M""^* 
 
 I -ir 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 24( 
 
 I ill. 
 
 ams romuining;. 
 
 tliey not Lid farewell to every comfort, and content 
 themselves for ever afterwards with rude accommo- 
 dationsand coarse fare? — Will they not have, as tliey 
 <;mphatically express themselves, " to rough it," all 
 the remainder of their days ? 
 
 If, by refinement, you mean such a scrupuloii'- 
 adherence to the niceties of formal society, as would 
 prevent you from setting down to table, a contented 
 guest or host, without all the superfluities which 
 weary the mind, and satiate the senses, rather tluin 
 contribute to the enjoyments of the rich, in the old 
 country ; or, if refinement, in your sense of tliat 
 term, forbid you to take a meal, upon any occasion, 
 under the canopy of heaven, or beneath the luxuriant 
 foliage of the noble nnd towering trees of the forest, 
 you will find but little of it in the American woods. 
 Yet the comforts and useful formalities of society are 
 not wanting, or undervalued ; nor is it necessary to 
 seek the desert, or court the freedom of the savage, 
 to make even the most remote settlements in Cnnadn 
 your home ; though the chace and the sports of the 
 forest will there prol)ably supersede some of tlie 
 city amusements wdiich you have been hitherto 
 accustomed to enjoy. 
 
 Naval and military men, those especially whose 
 wives have been in the camp or the fortress, oi- 
 upon the sea, make excellent settlers ; and the 
 system of granting them lands, or allowing them a 
 remission of the purchase-money,* and encouraginn- 
 
 * S^e Appendix, 
 
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 'lit 
 
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246 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Ml 
 
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 them to locate, has been attended with much indi- 
 vidual relief, and has contributed, in no inconsider- 
 able degree, to the preservation of British national 
 feelings and pride among the settlers, as well as to 
 tlie security and prosperity of the provinces. 
 
 A capitalist may, as suggested above, be at first 
 alarmed at the high rate of wages; but, although 
 labour is always, in the colonies, above what we 
 are accustomed to i:)ay in England, it must be re- 
 mem])ered, that its value is also greater. 
 
 Upon comparing the prices of wheat and other 
 articles of agricultural produce in the colonies, 
 with what they commonly sell at in the markets at 
 home, the prices in the colonies will appear to the 
 English farmer as very inadequate, and not likely, 
 considering the difference in the price of labour, to 
 repay the expences of its cultivation ; but when the 
 lou' price or tri fling rent of land, the exemption f row 
 tithes, taxes, and poor-i^ates, be taken into account, 
 with some other considerations, we shall not be sur- 
 prised at the lower price producing greater profits 
 in America, than the higher in Great Britain. 
 
 Except in some of the larger towns, there can 
 scarcely be said to be a class of persons exclusively 
 considered as day-labourers, although there are 
 some, as in all countries, whose thoughts never 
 soared above the most servile occupations. But, it 
 is in general better to hire monthly or yearly assis- 
 tants ; for there is no season in which every hand 
 that has been employed during the most busy, may 
 not be profitably occupied. 
 
THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
 247 
 
 To the tradesman and artizan in general, the 
 change, from tlie mother-country to the colonies, is 
 almost nominal in such matters as concern their 
 business affairs or their comforts ; it would therefore 
 be needless to say more, than that such as are above- 
 enumerated are those which usually succeed best, 
 and that such as find their prospects had at home, 
 may be sure, that if they should not succeed in their 
 own line in America, they will have a resource in the 
 cultivation of the land, which they cannot hope for 
 here. 
 
 The reader must now be requested to recall to 
 mind, the practical instances of success which were 
 given in a preceding chapter. Their application is 
 not particular, but general, and Canada is not less 
 fertile than when those families adopted its soil, 
 while the improvement of the country has aug- 
 mented, many-fold, the opportunities of the ad- 
 vantageous employment of capital. 
 
 A farmer at this time, possessing the means of doing 
 justice to a second-rate tenancy in Britain, may be 
 fairly said to have it in his power to ascertain his posi- 
 tion, and coolly balance his condition at home, witli 
 that of his equals in America ; and, without tlie enthu- 
 siasm of extreme youth, or the motive of great 
 necessity, at one time thought indispensable, de- 
 liberately determine his own fate. Having well 
 weighed the matter, he will certainly come to this 
 conclusion ; that, without the painful struggles and 
 laborious occupations of the first years of the settler 
 unaccustomed to labour, and wanting capital, he 
 
 ' ■ 
 
 
248 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 'I. 
 
 may at once establish l»is iiidopendeTice, and fuuiHl 
 tlie future fortunes of his family. Evei'y days 
 jierforniance will render his possession more valu- 
 able, and each year, as it pjjsses, will attacli him 
 more strongly to the estate of his own creation ; 
 while a thousand new feelings will open upon him, 
 which his contracted hopes and pursuits never per- 
 mitted him to experience before, and it is hardly 
 possible that he should even regret his great change. 
 
 The experience of the tradesman or mechanic, 
 who engages in the novel undertaking of cultivating 
 the soil, will differ widely from that of the farmer 
 His due estimation of his proud position, and the 
 enjoyment of the fruits of his labour, will not so 
 soon take possession of his mind ; but that natural, 
 healthy, and cheerful occupation, will eventually 
 engage all his interest ; and many seasons will not 
 elapse, before the hopes of the spring and the abun- 
 dance of autumn, will bind him as firmly to his 
 grateful fields, as his coeval in settlement, not pre- 
 viously a stranger to the economy of husljandi-y, }«nd 
 the bountiful returns of the soil. So great, indeed, 
 is the concern which is commonly taken, by the 
 poorer classes of settlers especially, in the work of 
 their own hands, that it is more frequently necessary 
 to check the ardour and active efforts of the young, 
 than to incite to industry, by preaching against sloth 
 and inactivity. 
 
 Let the citizen reader, of all others, be his 
 property what it may, compare the tenure of lii^ 
 temporary street-dwelling, (for not one in ten 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 24J> 
 
 thousand seem to have ever had a home) with the 
 j^ecure and absolute possession of a real and im- 
 provin<^ estate, from the produce of whicli, all his 
 comforts as well as profits may be derived. The 
 jj;Teater enjoyment which must attend the latter, 
 cannot have a stronger proof than that afforded in 
 the desire which is manifested by almost every 
 tradesman who settles in Canada, of purchasiiiLi:: 
 hind and improving it, even though his affair^i 
 should be so prosperous as to still tie him to his 
 former pursuits. You may every day see exam]>les 
 of this in all the great towns in the colonies ; but, it 
 is not the best policy to adopt, unless the placing of 
 children and their advancement be the object of it. 
 
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 250 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 VVlio should not emigrate. — Necessity for full Information.— 
 Condition of tiiosc who return. 
 
 Til ERE are yet persons of other classes besides tliost 
 uhicli have been enumerated in the last chapter, 
 who, from various motives, turn their thoughts to- 
 wards the colonies. Many of these ought to be 
 discouraged from emigrating. But it will be suffi- 
 cient to notice the prospects of those of the four 
 principal professions or orders, among which false 
 expectations are most apt to arise. 
 
 The young merchant, for the writer does not 
 deem himself competent to advise, nor does he anti- 
 cipate the removal of any other, if possessed of somr 
 capital and great industry, will find considerable 
 scoj)e for business at Quebec, Montreal, or Halifax. 
 All such adventurers should speedily identify them- 
 selves with the country and people, and not look 
 forward to amassing such riches as may enable them 
 to return in afHuence to their own country. This 
 not unfrequently however happens, especially with 
 tlie merchants of Lower Canada, where there is, at 
 present, the broadest field for commercial specula- 
 tion. The difficulty of amalgamating with a people 
 of foreign origin has been found great, and has 
 
I tl 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 'i.Ol 
 
 .)rination.— 
 
 induced many to leave the country, wlien their ex- 
 perience and their capital would have tended most 
 to benefit it. 
 
 To gentlemen ol'the legal profession, tlie prospect 
 is not very flattering. The young men of tin* 
 country, after a term of service, are adinitt(!(l l<» 
 practise as solicitors and barristers ; and in Lowf.*r 
 Canada, w^hich would otherwise offer the best pros- 
 pects at present, a perfect knowledge of the French 
 language,and of the Roman law, wliich still ol)tsiinsiu 
 the most important branches of jurisprudence, in that 
 province, is indispensable. Talent and industry have 
 been, however, and still maybe, well recompenced in 
 Halifax or Toronto, or even in some })laces of less 
 importance ; but, emigrants of cither of tlie liberal 
 professions, especially witli families, should tiike 
 care, if possible, to secure a profitable connection, 
 before they venture to abandon that which they may 
 have formed at home. 
 
 It is not uncommon for professional men, as well 
 as the votaries of commerce, to possess farms near 
 the neighbourhood of towns, and to unite the riirui 
 pursuits with heir more important engagemer-t'^. 
 Some there are, wlio having realized sufficient, 
 have very comfortably retired to their farms, while 
 their affairs are mainly conducted by the younger 
 branches of the firm. 
 
 To the medical practitioner, the prospect is not 
 much more encouraging than to the lawyer. Througli- 
 out the provinces, there are no endemic diseases, ex- 
 cept the ague before-mentioned in some parts of 
 
 i 
 
 
 
252 
 
 Tin-: KMIGRANTS INTHODirCTlON. 
 
 U|)j)or Canatlji. All iIk^ maladies pociiliar to a 
 crowded population luiist necessarily bo wanlinn; ; 
 and, if wc take into account, the salu])rions and 
 hrsicini!; air of tlie clinnite, wo shall not v/onder at 
 the absence of nnmv diseases which commit «>Teat 
 ravages in Europe. The profession, however, is not 
 ovorchar{i,ed l)y tin; admission of tho numerous 
 youns; men of the country, as with tho law. The 
 j»'rcator i)roportion of tlie fjiculty, at least in the 
 towns, aro cmi;j;rants, and, in many case*;, old 
 settlers; and they cannot bo said to make an in- 
 dilVeront livini*,'. 
 
 lleliiiion does not offer such flatt.orinj^ prospects to 
 any of its teachers, as should induce them to ad- 
 venture in tlio colonies upon tho speculation of find- 
 inji; a coni;'re<j::ation ready to receive! them on their ar- 
 rival. Notwithstanding', then; is no superabundance 
 of pastors of any persuasion; and there aro many 
 settlements, particularly in Upper Canada, where 
 clergymcTi of tho established church, entertainin«j; 
 tolerant opinions, miuht j)rovido for themselves and 
 spread much good. 
 
 Tho clergy of tho cliurch aro iisunlly appointed, 
 by either the bishop of (Canada or of Nova Scotia, 
 from among tho young men bnmght up at the 
 colleues in tlie country; or they are sent out from 
 England, by tho " Society for the Promulgation of 
 Christian Knowledges in Foreign Parts." The 
 ministers of the kirk are commonly sent from Scot- 
 land, as congregations are formed to receive them ; 
 and much the same plans are adopted by the mctho- 
 
t 1] 
 
 Tnn KMIGTIANTS INTRODUOTION. 
 
 •253 
 
 iiliar to a 
 
 ' wjnitinii^ ; 
 
 hrious snid 
 
 v/oiidcr at. 
 
 II III it gTCUt 
 
 '\vr, is not 
 niiiiicrous 
 
 law. Tlio 
 
 ^ast in tlic 
 casi"^, old 
 
 ,'ike an in- 
 
 irospocts to 
 loni to ad- 
 ion of find- 
 on llieirar- 
 nibiuulancc 
 e aro many 
 ladji, where 
 jntortaininu; 
 nselvos and 
 
 appointed, 
 lovu Scotia, 
 
 iij) at the 
 nt out from 
 iiilj^ation of 
 rts." The 
 . from Scot- 
 'oive them ; 
 ' the metho- 
 
 distsand antibuPi^^hers, and the several less prevalent 
 denominations. 
 
 It has been (dsinvliere ol)serv(»d, that the cdonists 
 are a moral jieople ; they are also very attentive to 
 the duties of reliixion, aocordmp: to the rites and 
 customs of their various institutions. 15ut what is 
 still more jdeasino- to observe : those uncharitable 
 opinions and actions, and those [irejudices, some- 
 times so deeply rooted and shamelessly indiilii^ed in, 
 hy one sect towards another, in lin«i'land, though 
 not wholly conquered, are much softened among 
 the cok)nists. V^ery frequently, the most jierfect 
 harmony, with mutual respect and ^-ood feeiinj]:, 
 subsists between sects the most adverse in their 
 speculative opinions ; while no hatred or ill-will is 
 home by any, except a few fanatics, towards their 
 hrethren of any denomination of professinji; chris- 
 tians, who take the bible for the jL»:uide of tlieir 
 
 practice and the foundation of their faith. 
 
 Instances very opposite to this e;eneral ^ood feel- 
 ing have sometimes occurred ; but they have usually 
 originated or been fermented by those who, whether 
 priests or laymen, have not been any length of time 
 in America. 
 
 The smallness of the congregations, and the neces- 
 sity for nmtual intercourse and reciprocal support, 
 may have contributed to produce this ha])py eflect ; 
 but, from whatever cause it proceeds, we may be 
 sure that no state of a christian community can 
 exist, which is more conducive to individual or col- 
 lective happiness, than that which it generally obtains 
 in our American colonies. Where the state of 
 
 .1 ! 
 
 ■II 
 
 i 
 
 V. 
 
 
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 ; I 
 
 it 
 
 II 
 
 I i'l : 
 
I f 
 
 254 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 •1^ ^ 
 
 ii ' 
 
 :\ 
 
 I : \ 
 
 .V 
 
 society is happy, and the condition of the people 
 prosperous, the minds of men do not rest upon 
 those gloomy forebodings of futurity, which arise 
 from dwelling too much upon those passages of 
 scripture, which paint the anger, rather than tlie 
 mercy and beneficence of the great author of the 
 universe, but religion shows itself in gratitude and 
 devout adoration, and cheerfulness reigns, instead 
 of apprehension and fear. 
 
 In Lower Canada, w^here the catholic religion 
 prevails, that church perhaps exists, in as pure and 
 primitive a state, as in any part of tlie world. The 
 priesthood, quite unconnected with politics, unles> 
 a general good feeling towards tiie government to 
 which they owe the free exercise of th'^ir religion, 
 he so deemed, instil into the mhids of the people. 
 over whom, with few exceptions, they possess grecar 
 influence, no hatred of other sects, but a becomint: 
 love and charity to all mankind. 
 
 After these observations, the opportunity slioul*' 
 not be omitted, of endeavouring to impress, as 
 strongly as possible, upon tlie mind of every indivi- 
 dual, of every station or profession, who contem- 
 plates emigrating, the imprudence of embarking for 
 the colonies, before obtaining the most ample infor- 
 mation from the purest sources ; or of embarkini: 
 at all, without a full determination to remain. 
 
 Some, of unsettled dispositions, occasionally re- 
 turn ; but, in the majority of cases, they have been 
 compelled to revisit the colonics under disadvan- 
 tages, and submit from necessity to what ought to 
 
 'i i 
 
f; 
 
 THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
 255 
 
 have been choice ; and this has not rendered them 
 more contented. 
 
 When a man would emigrate, let him well con- 
 sider what manner of person he is, what is the 
 direct object he basin view, and upon what founda- 
 tion he has built his expectations. It may be, that 
 discontent, without reason, has fuund an asylum 
 within his bosom ; and that, grown morose and ill- 
 tempered by what he may call his blasted hopes, in 
 reality but the consequences of unjustifiable specu- 
 lation, he is led to embrace any means of relief that 
 first offers. For such a man, there is no repose : 
 the colonies offer him no better prospects than the 
 country he abandons, — 
 
 :- :!^ 
 
 
 " Return he cannot, nor 
 
 " Continue where he is; to shift hisbein;^, 
 
 " la to exchange one misery for another." 
 
 Yet, with men of fair disappointments, possessing 
 Hrmness, steadiness, activity anr^ entprprize, these 
 rising countries have in numerous instances allevi- 
 ated distress, and changed a life of restlessness and 
 anxiety, into one of ease and prosperity. Persons of 
 this turn of mind and experience, who " have 
 known the city usuries, and felt them knov/ingly" 
 are, perhaps, better adapted to the colonies, (not 
 being far advanced in life) than any other. If their 
 progress be not rapid, it will at least lie steady and 
 certain ; and in time they will ()l)tain nil the neces- 
 f^aries, as well as the luxuries, in the true sense 
 i)i that woid, which their native country affords. 
 
 \l- 
 
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 iff; 
 
 
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 ;i'=f 
 
 
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 •| 
 
 256 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 In the mean time, the f!:ood man's chiUlren, once an 
 ohject of such anxious solicitude, become immediate 
 assistants, more especially to au,Ticulturists, and 
 prospectively, o])jects of no other interest than that 
 which nature for wise ends designed. Every child 
 is a treasure, whicli increases with its years, until 
 united in marriage and established, which usually 
 happens at a much earlier period than would be at 
 present consistent with prudence at home. 
 
 The proportion of emigrants who have returned 
 lias, it is true, been very small, but their condition 
 has, in many cases, been too lamentidde to leave 
 unnoticed. Among the labouring husbandmen, and 
 the operative artizans, the instances are too rai'e to 
 need observation ; but examples occur more fre- 
 quently among the agriculturists of small capital, and 
 tradesmen, who have unwittingly embraced some 
 extravagant theory, and precipitately embarked, 
 without aftbrding themselves time to fairly investi- 
 gate the nature of the change, and the reasonable- 
 ness of their expectations. Some of these have been 
 just as easily diverted from steadily following their 
 new career, as they were from their original j)Hr- 
 suits ; but the condition of the most reluctant exile 
 is not more unfortunate. But, in proportion to the 
 length of time that these thoughtless, or misguided 
 emigrants have sojourned in the new world, has 
 probably been, in most cases, their distaste for their 
 former occupations, and station in tije old. 
 
 In order to impress upon the reader the necessity 
 for his exercising his judgment, it may not be un- 
 
: ' 
 
 THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 257 
 
 })rofitable to exemplify what lias been sai'l, a little 
 more strikingly ; and for this purpose, we may con- 
 ceive a faint picture of the condition of some of those 
 who return, not only of the classes above alluded to, 
 but also of several others. 
 
 Tlie most worthy of notice, is the intelligent 
 agriculturist of small capital. After a year or two's 
 residence in America, he has become the proprietor 
 of a pretty little estate, and is an important person 
 in the community of which he is a member. He is 
 among the patrons of schools, a trustee of churcli 
 funds, or an active supporter of some religious es- 
 tablishment, and a member, perhaps an honorary 
 ulHcial, of an agricultural society. Thus linked as 
 it were to the very soil, he becomes ac([uainted with 
 feelings, to which he was before a stranger, and his 
 mind is wrapt-up in the most natural and most pleas- 
 ing of all anticipations, — the progress of the im- 
 provement of institutions, in part owing their exist- 
 ence to his own zeal and exertions, — and so power- 
 ful is this passion, that it might not be absurd to 
 t'.;rm])are it with that love of offspring, l)y which 
 nature has assured the transmission of the improve- 
 ments and discoveries of men in one generation, to 
 their descendants in another. 
 
 Tiie hirmer, with a mind thus diverted from the 
 l*ursiMts and ordinary course of atiairs among his 
 Icllows at home, revisits his native village, and iinds 
 iill proceeding in tlie same steady way as when he 
 left it. Tile occupant of his temporary property, 
 involved in anxiety about his rent, and his children's 
 
 11 
 
 'h 
 
 ^ 
 
 I 
 ) 
 
258 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 i ' ; ! 1 1. 
 
 r I 
 
 ' ■ i . 
 
 ! i; 
 
 education neglected ; and as to such institutions, as 
 those in which the colonist has lately taken so much 
 interest, he has scarcely a clear idea concerning 
 them : much less has he dreamt of honors and dis- 
 tinctions, such as those which the settler has home 
 in the colonies. 
 
 It may belong to philosophy to determine, whether 
 he who has been always engaged in active pursuits, 
 in the wider sphere, or he who never ranged be- 
 yond the precincts of his birth-place, or entertained 
 thoughts superior to the mechanical employments 
 of habit, would be the happier under his native 
 roof, engaged in his accustomed occupations ; but it 
 requires but ordinary sense to discover, that the 
 mind once expanded by more liberal pursuits, can- 
 not again confine itself within its former narrow 
 bounds ; nor can the colonist prosper, where the 
 practical application of newly-acquired principles 
 would be impossible, or productive of no useful 
 purposes whatsoever. 
 
 If this conception concerning the relative situation 
 of the English farmer and the colonist should ht 
 just, it shows at least the necessity of great caution, 
 lest emigration should in indi'. idual cases be pro- 
 ductive of evil instead of good. If the farmer, 
 beyond the age of enterprise, does not find greal 
 difficulty in providing for his family, he had better 
 endure a little, than risk much. At the same time. 
 the youth who pants to exercise his genius, and 
 enlarge the sphere of his exertions beyond wlmi 
 his prospects warrant his attempting at home, can- 
 
 't !a 
 
THE EMIGRANT 3 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 259 
 
 not fail of finding, in the American colonies, the 
 fairest opportunities of gratifying his generous 
 wishes ; but he must not dream of returning, to ap- 
 ply his acquired knowledge to any profitable uses 
 in this country. 
 
 The enterprising artizan less frequently returns ; 
 but whenever this imprudent step has been taken, 
 the example affords an argument, and a w^arning to 
 every such member of society, against forming a 
 determination to emigrate, without the most matured 
 deliberation. If you have friends to leave behind, 
 most of them, with your connection, will, at least 
 after long absence, be lost to you. The employment 
 which yielded you but a scanty living before, will 
 now be beyond your recovery ; and your re-ap- 
 pearance, instead of being welcomed, as you may 
 liave fondly hoped, will be looked upon with little 
 concern, by those wliose interests may not be 
 aftected, and with jealousy, by those who fill the 
 place you once occupied. It is then, that you will 
 remember, with regret, the circle of your friends 
 abroad, and the independence, and fair chances of 
 accumulating a good property, which you have unad- 
 visedly abandoned. To counterbalance your losses 
 however, shouldyou again depart, this advantage may 
 ultimately arise from your visitto your native country ; 
 that, when you regreet your colonial friends, it will 
 be to identify yourself, in a more especial manner, 
 with the "olonists ; and tlius, your late experience 
 will w'ed voc the more stron2:lv, to the manners of 
 the countrv, and the customs of colonial society. 
 
 i 
 
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 '260 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 But what shall he ?aid, of the return of aiiotluM" 
 description of settler, thoug'h the case is hajjpily 
 of very infrequent occurrence. 
 
 For the last twenty years, speculations have, in 
 occasional instances, led youn<^ men, the members 
 of larf2;e families, to tem])t fortune, with a hope th;u. 
 the fickle goddess would he more propitious in tlic 
 new, than in the old world. Brought u]) to one of the 
 liberal professions, or, in the service of the king, so 
 wearying at times of peace, or periiaps, early experi- 
 enced in the good and evils of uncertain commerce, 
 they have fled to the woods, as a refuge from the 
 gloomy prospect of passing a life of wearisome inac- 
 tivity, and there flourished, and become the beacon 
 and guide of many destinies. None will feel tlie 
 change so keenly as these, should they retrace their 
 steps, and imprudently abandon the creation of their 
 own hands. The mind is not an aerial bubble, tliat 
 it should expand or contract at tlie instance of fur- 
 tune or caprice, nor can its powers be accommodatid 
 to every necessity whatsoever. 
 
 " I hardly yot have loarru'd 
 To insinuate, fiattcM*, bow, and bond tho knee ; 
 Give sorrow leave awhile, to tutor me 
 To this submission." 
 
 And he who descends the hill of his native valley, 
 full of expectation, that the eclat of his reception 
 will be in proportion to the regret?; which followed 
 his departure, will be egregiously disappointed, and 
 the condition of no Englirh gentleman may be more 
 deplorable. The first in his own settlement, an iui- 
 
 t'^ 
 
N. 
 
 of (iiiotlicr 
 is hai)j>ily 
 
 ns liavc, in 
 
 e members 
 
 a hope that 
 
 tioiis ill tlu' 
 
 o one of the 
 
 he kin^, so 
 
 ^arly experi- 
 
 commerct', 
 
 ^e from tin* 
 
 risome inac- 
 
 i the beacon 
 
 rill feel tlie 
 
 petraee their 
 
 -tion of tlieir 
 
 bubble, that 
 
 taiice of for- 
 
 commodated 
 
 ne.o ; 
 
 ative valley, 
 lis reception 
 ich followed 
 pointed, and 
 may be more, 
 neiit, an ini- 
 
 THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
 261 
 
 portaiit personage at the court of the representative 
 of majesty, he starts at the discovery, that among 
 Ills former friends he has fallen, rather than ri-en, 
 in estimation. His frank colonial manner will be 
 mistaken for an attri])ute, " too terrible for the ear ;" 
 iiay, his change of manners will be regretted by 
 those whom he most pities, that fortune should have 
 limited their experience, and depressed their under- 
 standings, by proscribing them from passing the 
 narrow confines, to which their insular station has 
 condemned them. 
 
 In truth, after having occupied a more important 
 ()lace in society than your English friends, as will 
 be the case with most of those who emigrate, you will 
 not be fit to act your part, nor will you feel contented, 
 in any station you may be called upon to fill on this 
 side of the sea. The ruling passion of a colonist is the 
 love of improvement, and this feeling, which per- 
 vades every thing thei'e, will be ungi'atified here, 
 and perhaps never con([uered. Nothing will satisfy 
 or please you, that is not progressive ; and this state 
 of thimrs, in the sense in which the term is here 
 used, you cannot experience in Britain, or in any 
 other country in the old world. You will tread the 
 uround like an alien in your native tov/n, unnoticed 
 and unknown ; familiar with nothing but the inani- 
 mate objects which cannot congratulate your return ; 
 liut it will not be, until rumour has trumpeted forth, 
 wliether justly or unjustly, the failure and total 
 abandonment of your hopes abroad, that you will 
 experience the not easily mistaken signal of depart- 
 
 f 
 
 1,1 
 
 1 
 
 if 
 
262 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 M 
 
 ing respect, or effected contempt, from your superi- 
 ors in perhaps notliing but pride, — tlie presentation 
 of the left liand, in return for your characteristic and 
 hearty shake with the right. Then you will at least 
 be convinced, that you should never have departed, 
 or never returned. 
 
 For these reasons, should persons of every class, 
 this last more especially, ponder well upon the 
 possible result, before they take the often irretriev- 
 able step of emigration. There is no one exempt 
 from the prospect of this oblivion : nay, none will 
 return without the certainty of experiencing it, 
 except the merchant, who should come back in a 
 condition to buy men's good opinions, than which 
 nothing is more easy to do, with gold. 
 
THE emigrant's INTRODUCTION. 
 
 263 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Which Colony should bo rhoson. — Thpir comparative Advantages 
 according to the Emigrant's Views. 
 
 '^1 
 
 A difficulty often arises with individuals who are 
 convinced of the utility or necessity of removal, and 
 confirmed in their intention to emigrate to one of 
 the American colonies, as to what part of these 
 extensive countries they may direct their steps, with 
 the hest prospects of success. 
 
 A few general observations on this head, will per- 
 haps serve to put the reader in possession of as 
 much information as he may require in the present 
 stage of his inquiries. 
 
 To such gentlemen of the liberal profession, or 
 commercial men of some capital, as propose to 
 follow their former occupation, it may be observed : 
 that the larger towns and most populous districts 
 only, at present afford the opportunity of attaining 
 to any eminence, either in the gratification of the 
 successful cultivation of talent in the former case, 
 ur the accumulation of the fruits of industry in the 
 latter. 
 
 For the professions of law and divinity, Lower 
 Canada, on account of the prevalence of the ancient 
 religion and a foreign language, is not so desirable 
 
 : i 
 
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2CA 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODITCTIOX. 
 
 n 
 
 1} 
 
 I ir 
 
 . . : 
 
 as the otlior provinces. For tlie liii^iier l)r;uicli"s of 
 (•oiniiiercc, tlic four jirciit marts of I2ii<''>t't*> iMoii- 
 troal, Halifax, and St. Jolin's, in Now Jirunswick, 
 oficr tin; fain^st fields lor enterprise ; but, to tiic 
 smaller eapitalist, INliraniichi in New Hrunswick, 
 Pictou in Nova Scotia, Aricbat and Sidney in 
 Ca])e Breton, and Charlotte Town in Prince Ed- 
 ward Island, oti'er also enconrauini;' prospects. 
 
 15ut the more numerous body of emigrants, which 
 are those whose views are turned to agriculture, 
 mav be chietiv recommended to direct their in- 
 (piiries towards those jjortions of the country {A 
 which the climate and soil have been herein repre- 
 sented as most favourable ; such as the \vesteni 
 section of Upper, and the St. Francis district in 
 Lower Canada, the rich intervides and interior 
 country in New Brunswick, and the less spacious, 
 but not less fertile tracts in Nova Scotia, and to the 
 Island of Prince Edward. 
 
 These are tlie portions of the Bi'itish Province* 
 which claim their higiiest consideration ; but, a^ 
 these several sections of the country are wide apart, 
 and essentially differ from each other, it may he 
 useful to compare their relative advantages, in thos< 
 points of interest in which their similarity or dissi- 
 milarity is most striking. This may somewhat 
 further assist the inquiry, concerning the particular 
 adaptation of the ])ro])Osed means of relief, to the 
 temper and expectations of the several descrip- 
 tions of persons which have been recommended to 
 emiirnite. 
 
 mi 
 
THE emigrant's INTROJ)rrTION. 
 
 'J()."i 
 
 The lour (juostioiis wlncli .siioo.^.sf tlicrnsolvcs, as 
 ')!' most iin[)oi't!iMC'i! to the iigriculturiht, coiU'tTn 
 -ht' (!liin{it(!,as inspects its iiitluonceon production— 
 the tertilizino- ([ualities oi' the soil— tlie prict; ol' land 
 —and the state of tlic markets lor the produce ol" 
 tlie ground. 
 
 The season of winter is shorter and less severe, 
 .ind the weather uu([uestionably more steady, in 
 Upper Canada, than in the frontier provinces. The, 
 vicinity of these latter countries to the (XM'an 
 renders them more exposed to the iiiHuence of the 
 oast winds, which durinj;- the winter months hrinji' 
 rain or snow, accordinL>as they are north and south 
 er due-east. Sometimes they cause a thaw for 
 several days, which lays the ground hare of its 
 winter covering; but this, as before shown, is not 
 favourable to vegetation. Thus, while the mean 
 temperature about Ontario is higher than in those 
 districts which lie upon the Atlantic, the oscillations 
 of the tliermumeter do not show changes ecpial to 
 eitlier of those extremes which are sometimes expe- 
 rienced, in the depth of winter, in New Brunswick 
 find PS'ova Scotia. Ihe districts upon Lake Erie 
 are still milder than those upon Ontario. 
 
 The chief advantage which the Upper Canadian 
 agriculturists |)ossess over those of the; eastern 
 provinces., on account of this dissimilarity, consists 
 in the successful cultivation of the autumn wheat ; 
 whereas, within those districts U})on the ocean, 
 except in such sheltered places as encourage a great 
 uccumulation of snow, and do not lie open to the 
 
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 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
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 south and east winds which cause the groat thau.s, 
 the winter crops are so precarious, or the skill of 
 the larnier yet so deficient, that they are seldom 
 risked. The exposure of the land to the sharp frosts 
 of winter never fails to destroy the crops, thou<j;h 
 this disadvantage may possibly be overcome, as the 
 theories of the British agriculturist are adapted to 
 the practice most suitable to the American climate. 
 
 The district of St. Francis, or the country of 
 eastern townshi|)s, lies between these extremes of 
 inland and sea-coast, and partakes of the climate 
 of each ; that is, is neither, upon the average, so 
 cold as the country below it, nor so warm as tlie 
 western section of the lJpi)er Province. At the 
 sanu^ time, the atmosphere in this part of Lower 
 r'anada, owing to the distance from the ocean, as 
 well as from the great inland seas, is perhaps lesh 
 variable in temperature, and drier and more salubri- 
 ous, than in any other portion of the provinces. 
 
 Ap- you descend the St. Lawrence, after passing 
 .Moi^ti'oal, the climate becomes gradually colder and 
 more vtiriable; and the change of temperature is sen- 
 sibly ex])ei'ienced within distances, for so great adit- 
 i'erence, inciedibly short ; but that extreme variable- 
 ness more fully s])oken of in a previous chapter, is 
 not apparent until you approach the coast of the pro- 
 vince of New Brunswick, which lies south of the great 
 river. The extremes of heat and cold, in sunmier 
 and wini(n', are here similar to what is experienced 
 HI those districts of Lower Canada which lie in the 
 same pan; 1 lei of latitude ; but the weather is, in 
 r\rr\r sea-:iii, more variable. 
 
 <;-. 
 
 ^u 
 
 
it tliav^;;, 
 skill of 
 : seldom 
 irp frosts 
 , tliou<^'h 
 e, us the 
 lapted to 
 climate, 
 iintry of 
 I'cmes of 
 ! climate 
 rage, so 
 a as tlie 
 At the 
 if Lower 
 icean, as 
 laps les^- 
 ! salubri- 
 ces. 
 
 passing; 
 Ider and 
 re is sen- 
 eat adif- 
 variable- 
 apter, is 
 the pro- 
 file great 
 summer 
 erienced 
 e in the 
 ?r is, in 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 267 
 
 The winter wheat doe- not in general succeed, and 
 several of the fruits and vegetables, which attain 
 perfection in the upper countries, are not cultivated 
 with advantage in New Brunswick. 
 
 The s{ime causes are productive of similar effects 
 in Prince Edward Island. 
 
 The soil of the western district of Upper Canada 
 is equal in fecundity to that of the finest upland 
 throughout the northern parts of the continent of 
 America, and surpasses any thing to be found in the 
 eastern countries, except upon those intervale lands 
 of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia above-men- 
 tioned, some of which possess soils of fertilizing 
 qualities, more remarkable than those of any lands 
 in the same parallel of latitude upon the face of the 
 globe. 
 
 The next in point of fertility are, undoubtedly, 
 those townships of St. Francis which have been 
 more particularly adverted to ; after wdiicli, th(! 
 uplands in the interior parts of New Brunswick, 
 and the greater part of Prince Edward Island. 
 
 The price of land, when purchased in small 
 portions, either in a wilderness state, or with clear- 
 ances under indifferent cultivation, is nearly equal 
 in all of the provinces. To purchase of the govern- 
 luent or of one of the land companies, is generally 
 preferable to dealingwith private individuals, at least 
 with such as are not proprietors of large estates : 
 their terms are usually more liberal ; and, as there 
 are now companies established in three of the four 
 sections of the country, which are herein in a more 
 
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 f ' 1 
 
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 5 ' '"i 
 
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•2{)S 
 
 THE F.MIOnANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 i 
 
 fi 
 
 t I 
 
 pfirticular manner pointed out as the most pr 
 
 there is, in tliis respect, hut little choice hetwe 
 
 l*rince lulward Island is the exceptioi 
 
 disadvantage would perhaps, however, lui 
 
 counterbalanced, by the active measures ol 
 
 the larger pro])rietors of the wild lands, 
 
 not been diverted from their intention^ 
 
 unsettled state of the colony. After the re 
 
 the obstructions to the progress of impi 
 
 I lefo re-mentioned, an ill-founded expecta 
 
 excited, and long kept alive auiong the unii 
 
 portion of the settlers, which has been i\ 
 
 injurious to the interests of the countr 
 
 tyranny or folly of its earlier governors. 1 
 
 tauglit to believe, that the government 
 
 induced to re-invest the lands in the crown 
 
 the tenants free grants of their ])ossessio 
 
 absurd belief has, however, lately 1>een dii^ 
 
 His Majesty's government, and an associat 
 
 posed of the principal proprietors, appe? 
 
 about to take such measures as will attbrd 
 
 facilities for settlement, and the same s( 
 
 property, which are experienced by the ) 
 
 the sister provinces; and all its proceedin 
 
 >econded by the colonists, provided its 
 
 liberal, and care be taken that its measur 
 
 misuuderstooil. 
 
 There is nothing more important for tht 
 to ascertain, than the present state a 
 pects of the markets for produce ; for, \ 
 does not oidy individual success in a grea 
 
11! 
 
 m's introduction. 
 
 ted out as the most proiiiij-ing. 
 
 1)iit little choice hetweenlliein. 
 
 and is the exception. Tliis 
 
 erhaps, however, have Ijeeu 
 
 le active measures of some ot 
 
 of the ^vild lands, had they 
 
 om their intentions hy the 
 
 iolony. After the removal of 
 
 be ])rogress of improvement 
 
 ill-founded expectation was 
 
 alive among the uninstructed 
 
 s, wliich has hcen ahnost as 
 
 crests of the country as the 
 
 earlier governors. They wen; 
 
 at the government might he 
 
 le lands in the crown, and give 
 
 ts of their ])ossessions. This 
 
 vever, lately heen dispelled hy 
 
 ment, and an association, com- 
 
 d proprietors, appears to be 
 
 easures as will afford the same 
 
 lit, and the same security to 
 
 experienced by the settlers in 
 
 and all its proceedings will Lu* 
 
 juists, provided its views aie 
 
 ciken that its measures are not 
 
 lore important for the emigrant 
 he present state and pro»- 
 i for produce ; for, upon this, 
 ual success in a i^reat measure 
 
 THE EMKJRANt's INTRODUCTION. 
 
 2G!) 
 
 depend, hut indeed the permanent prosperity of all 
 tlie settlements. Attaching so much importance to 
 this object, it will admit a word or two more in 
 reference to each of the agricultural countries, sepa- 
 rately considered. 
 
 In U])per Canada, the surplus produce of the 
 bread coi-ns is very great, and forms a considerable 
 article of export to this country, to Newfoundland, 
 and to the West Indies. The farmer sells his pro- 
 duce to the country merchant, by whom it is col- 
 lected at the several depots, and transferred to 
 Montreal, whence it is shipped for the above desti- 
 nations. Manufactured articles of almost every 
 descrii)tion, exported from Great Britain, and the 
 produce of the West Indies, are received in return : 
 and these necessaries are usually supplied to the 
 settlers in this province at very moderate prices. 
 
 The district of St. Francis is very favourably 
 situated for this intercourse, from its vicinity to 
 the navigable waters of tlie St. Lawrence, and from 
 the facilities of conveying articles of internal con- 
 sumption to the cities of Montreal and Quebec, 
 where they meet always a quick sale at remune- 
 rating prices. 
 
 The geographical i)Osition of New Brunswick 
 has, in a peculiar manner, adapted this province for 
 the successful prosecution of a valuable commercial 
 intercourse with the West Indies, wdiich has ac- 
 cordingly for some years been carried on with great 
 •ipirit, and promises to continue, for the mutual ad- 
 vantao'e of the colonists on both sides. There will 
 
 
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 H 
 
 
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 1 
 
 
 
 
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 ' i I 
 
 1 
 
 i- 
 
 
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 i «i 
 
•270 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION 
 
 ;.' 
 
 I: 
 
 W: 
 
 •l: 
 
 
 probably, ere long, be a considerable export of corn 
 from this colony to the markets of tlie United 
 Kingdom. 
 
 Prince Edward Island, on account of its eastern 
 position, is conveniently situated for a profital^c 
 intercourse with Newfoundland, Ijut will hardly bo 
 able to carry on so successful a trade with tlie West 
 India Islands, as the more favourably situated 
 ])rovince of New Brunswick. 
 
 Such seems to l)e the state of those matter.s ot 
 peculiar interest to the new settler, in whicli these 
 provinces may be compared with each other : tlio 
 temperature of the atmosphere, and the quality of 
 the soil, predominating in favour of the u[)por 
 countries, balanced, by the superiority of position 
 for commercial intercourse enjoyed by the lower, hi. 
 the u:reater facilities which they afford for carrviiiL*" 
 on such branches of trade, as will at all times create 
 demand for their surplus agricultural produce. Ihit 
 if we regard the influence of climate upon the health 
 and constitutions of the inhabitants, and the ad- 
 vantages to be derived from the vicinity of tli(i 
 fisheries, as contributing to create good internal 
 markets for the produce of the land, and as pro- 
 ductive of a most useful article of food ; we shall 
 on the first of these accounts, favour those districts 
 of the upper country not subject to fevers, as bein^' 
 milder and less exposed to the sudden changes and 
 great extremes experienced in the lower j)rovl:icc; 
 while, on the score of commercial facilities, \vc 
 shall find that the advantages decidedly lie with th'. 
 
i 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 271 
 
 of corn 
 ITnitod 
 
 eastern 
 roil table 
 aivlly be 
 
 w AVcst 
 situated 
 
 atters ot 
 ell these 
 ler : tlie 
 lallty of 
 e upper 
 position 
 ower, ill 
 carrviuu 
 es create 
 ce. 1)11 1 
 le liealtli 
 tlie ad- 
 y of tln' 
 interna 1 
 1 as ])]'()- 
 ive shall 
 district- 
 as beinu' 
 iiges and 
 rovliicc ; 
 ties, \v( 
 with tl]'. 
 
 maritime countries. The St. Francis district, in 
 the mean time, lies between these extremes ot 
 climate, and not beiniLi; above the ship navig'ation, is 
 exempt from the inconveniences, which, on that 
 account, attach to the more western districts. 
 
 ft is not intended, by selecting the nio^t truly 
 agricultural countries for especial notice, to under- 
 value the importance of the other provinces, either 
 in a national sense, or as holding out less individual 
 advantage to settlers to whom soil and climate are, 
 not of such paramount importance . Lower Canada, 
 (except the district of St. Francis) and Nova Scotia 
 and Cape Breton, are tlie j)ortions of our territories 
 which offer the least advantages to the agricul- 
 turists ; ])ut, they are, at the same time, more con- 
 veniently situated for carrying on the most exten- 
 sive fisheries, and have large capital engaged in 
 this unfailing source of national wealth and indi- 
 vidual prosperity. 
 
 This portion of Canada, and those parts of New 
 Brunswick which are the least eligible for settle- 
 ment, besides these sources of wealth, possess im- 
 mense forests of exportable timber. This is per- 
 haps, however, a greater advantage to the parent 
 state than to the colonies; inasmuch, as the employ- 
 ment of her shipping and her nursery for seamen, 
 though great considerations at home, are matters 
 which but indirectly concern the colonists; and 
 the manufacture of this great staple of commerce, 
 while it has hardly ever been profitable to those 
 engaged in it, is justly considered baneful to the 
 
 1^ 
 
 ;li| 
 
 ; 
 
 ! * 
 
 H 
 
 I, 
 
'272 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION- 
 
 ii! 
 
 'r 
 
 interests of society in the eolonies, WlKM'cver i! 
 has been carried on, and as far as its intluencc lias 
 extended, it lias promoted the increase of a dissi- 
 ])ated nnsettleil ])opuhition, over wlioni those ad- 
 niiral)h^ associations for the enconragenient of 
 teni})erance, which liave vvrougl»t so great a chan«;e 
 in the morals of every ])eople amonj^ whom they 
 have taken root, have had but little or no inHnence. 
 
 Nova Scotia and the Island of Cape Breton hnvc 
 other sources of wealth than their valuable fisheries. 
 They possess mines of coal and copper and other 
 minerals; and, also, abundance of gypsum, which i> 
 annually exported in considerable quantities to the 
 [Jnited States. For the natives of the coast of 
 Ireland, the Highlands of Scotland, and such other 
 emigrants as liave not been bred u\) in agricul- 
 tural countries, or do not desire to follow the 
 rural pursuits, these districts may be said, in many 
 respects, to offer superior advantages. The coasts 
 of this island, and of the peninsula, abound in the 
 best harbours in the world. 
 
 The Island of Newfoundland, although it has 
 been lately found to possess great tracts of good 
 land in the interior, will not, probably, be nmcli iuj- 
 proved, while such extensive and superior countries 
 remain unpeopled in its vicinity. Its present inhabi- 
 tants are almost wholly occupied in the cod and 
 seal fisheries, and the commerce which springs oui 
 of them, and it has not been common to remain in 
 thecountry after competent fortunes havebeen nnide. 
 
t'llCC llH- 
 
 f a clissi- 
 
 liost* ad 
 
 uioiit ot 
 
 a, cliaTii'c 
 
 () 
 
 m tliev 
 
 ton Itave 
 
 fisheries. 
 
 11(1 otlier 
 
 , which is 
 
 es to tlie 
 
 coast ol 
 
 ch other 
 
 agricul- 
 
 Uow tile 
 
 in many 
 
 lie coasts 
 
 d ill the 
 
 h it lias 
 of i^'ood 
 luch ini- 
 oun tries 
 t inhabi- 
 cod and 
 ing.s oiii 
 niiaiii in 
 in niadr' 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 07'* 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Manner of Prococding.— The best Season to Embark. — Plain 
 ujKMi which Fitnigration is at present Conducted. — Their Ini'tti- 
 cicncy. — Suggestions for the Institution of other Schemes. — Asso- 
 ciations. — Whence Information sliould be sought. — Juvenile 
 Kmigrution. — Conclusion. 
 
 When sufficient information has been acquired, to 
 enal)le us to judge of what benefit may be expected to 
 arise from emigration, and a determination is formed 
 to embark for one or other of tlie colonies, the 
 manner of proceeding and the time most proper to 
 leave this country, become questions for considera- 
 tion ; and as the neglect of taking the most advisable 
 measures has sometimes been productive of much 
 mischiei', it will not be amiss to make one or two 
 observations upon the old systems, and those more 
 commonly adopted at present. The subject may 
 then be closed, by a brief, though somewhat moi'e 
 particulraized statement, of the systematic propo- 
 sition for the furtherance of more extensive plans 
 of emigration, of which some mention has been 
 already made. 
 
 While emigration to the colonies was going on 
 upon a vei'y limited scale, there did not appear 
 
 N 5 
 
 1^ 
 
 
 ' It 
 
 A 
 
 i -• 
 
 '^- 
 
 T" — rr^SX'"'^ 
 
\iUi . .'1 
 
 274 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 \' h 
 
 nnicli necessity for the interference of tln^ ;j,()veiii- 
 nient in the in.anagenient or regulation of the phins 
 for the transport of individuals, and the einigraril 
 was often ini})Osed upon by tlie artifices of unprin- 
 cipled persons engaged in the management of ship- 
 ping. Great numbers were crowded into vessels ul 
 small burden, widcli was not only })roductive ui 
 painful sufferings, but of great loss of life. Ijui 
 many were yet more effectually deceived, by tln^ 
 avaricious misrepresentations of the private land 
 speculators, and other interested persons, who mis- 
 directed their enterprise, and created wrong con- 
 ceptions at home, and frequent disa])pointment 
 abroad; so that, those who embarked were often 
 ill-adapted to the countries where they land(?d, and 
 immediately became disj)irited and discontented, 
 and little effort was made to improve the land, in a 
 country which few could be persuaded to consider 
 themselves condemned to inhabit for the rest (vl 
 their lives. The British farmer was sometimes 
 thrown u])on the coast among the fishermen of Novji 
 Scotia or New Brunswick ; and the West of En<'land 
 and Irish fisherman, and the mountain Highlander, 
 were as often transferred to the agricultural districts, 
 with almost equal disadvantage. Some of these 
 evils have, however, gradually wrought their own 
 cure; and vessels are now limited in the numljer ol 
 passengers they are permitted to carry, in just pro- 
 portion to their accommodations ; and, by this 
 means, the comfort and safety of the emigrant is 
 assured. The better information, also, wliicli bus 
 
'<• plans 
 I'lnio-nirii 
 nn])rin- 
 of sliijj. 
 essels uf 
 ctive ol 
 0. Hut 
 hy tlir 
 «lo land 
 ^ lio rnis- 
 n^'' COll- 
 intiHoiif 
 vo. ofk'ii 
 l<'tl, and 
 
 itenterl . 
 
 lid, ill a 
 
 consider 
 rest (ij 
 
 iiietimt's 
 
 of Nova 
 
 "-iigland 
 
 ilander. 
 
 istricts, 
 
 f tlicsi; 
 
 ir own 
 
 iiber ()1 
 
 1st pro- 
 
 )y tins 
 
 rant is 
 
 C'lj has 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 •i7.J 
 
 s])rea(l througli the country, and tlin appointment nf 
 government agents tliroughout tlr* districts,* lias had 
 considerahle ett'ect, in directing industry and enter- 
 prise into their more legitimate chaimcls ; so that, 
 the greater part of those who now emhark find their 
 expectations realized, and immediately ado|)t the. 
 colony where they arrive, as their future country 
 and home. 
 
 But these generally luippy results of more priulent 
 incpiiries, are not without grievous exceptions, 
 which the system therein recommended might, per- 
 ha})S, in a great measure tend to remedy. Many 
 persons throw uj) theii' occupations at home, in 
 r(»cklessness rather than hope, and embark as mere 
 s))eculative adventurers, following the stream ol 
 fortune whithersoever the first tide may chance to 
 carry them. A few of these are found in every 
 province, restless and discontented ; but who, not- 
 withstanding their unsteady habits, or undefined 
 inotives, had they been associated with others ol 
 more firmness of character, and more clearly de- 
 fined views, might have become useful members of 
 a small society, and, individually, prosperous and 
 happy. 
 
 In the present day, when the colonies are begin - 
 mg to be more generally, and better known, several 
 plans have been adopted by individual emigrants, 
 to insure a right direction of their industry. The 
 
 J 
 
 I 
 
 rJ 
 
 * St'c Appt.'udix. 
 
 i 
 
 i: 
 
 i 
 
 s^^^- J. 
 
.- \> 
 
 \ 
 
 >7H 
 
 T II K F. M IC; II A N I S I N T n ( ) I) t CI ION. 
 
 Wl 
 
 ''m ) 
 
 1 1 
 
 I 
 
 licatls of f'uHiilios soiiu'tinu's ))roc<'0(.l jiloiio t<» llic 
 folonies to mako j)ersoiial observations, belbiv tli«'y 
 decide upon the site of their future al)odc ; they 
 then return in full possession of the most useful in- 
 formation, and in more contichMice make tlie neces- 
 sary arraniiement.-i for \ho. removal of their families. 
 Sonn^times youni»' men, even of the ]K)orer classes, 
 precede the rest ol' the family, hire themselves to 
 day or monthly labour, and take an early op|)()rtn- 
 nity of selectinij," a spot, and makinu; Ji commence- 
 ment, by cutting down a few acres, and buildinu" a 
 Iiouse, when, in due time, they send for, or fetch 
 their parents or nearest connections. 
 
 And notwitlistandin<2; what has been said of the sea- 
 son of life best suited to (Muiujration ; instances iniii^ht 
 be enumerated, in which evtMi the aged have par- 
 taken of the fortunes and improved condition of the 
 younger branches of their families. Many a parent, 
 wearied with a long life of toil, has accompanied or 
 followed his children to Canada, and past a tranquil 
 old age, on the borders of the woods, in the bosom 
 of his pros[)erous family, cheered by the conscious- 
 ness that he is no burden, but rather, a help to their 
 efforts in the new world. — There is no fable in this 
 re])ort. 
 
 " He may possess the joys he tliinks ho sees, 
 And lay his old age in the hip of ease." 
 
 And it is common to see parents of sixty years and 
 upwards, especially among the later settlers, steadily 
 
 employed in cultivating the gardens of their chil- 
 
to tlic 
 r«' tlioy 
 ; they 
 I'lii iii- 
 iicees- 
 II lilies, 
 lasses, 
 NX'S to 
 )|K)rtii- 
 iience- 
 
 \i\'n\!X ii 
 I- f'et(!}i 
 
 lie seu- 
 s iiiiirlit 
 vo par- 
 
 I of the 
 pjireiit. 
 
 II led or 
 niiHjiiiJ 
 
 bosom 
 scious- 
 to tlici)' 
 
 in this 
 
 Eirs aud 
 teadily 
 
 r (diil- 
 
 rilE EMir.UANTS INTROnirCTION. 
 
 277 
 
 drcii, wlille tlieso aro 0('cu|m«'(1 in tlie more pressiiijx, 
 and important enp:ap'meiit^ of field lalxuir, or in 
 •"leariiiLj their Ijmd. And, if this manner c^f passing 
 the (.'veniiiL? oi' life he not preferahle to the fute of 
 at least the nnsiiccessfiil in Kni^land, why then it 
 must be allowed, there is no h)n^er any ari^iiment 
 for the boon of emiirration. 
 
 There are many instances of yoimt^ men, who 
 hmded without any ju'operty, earnini^ enougli in 
 twelvemonths to pay the passaf:;e8 of their families, 
 and to settle them eomfortahly im their arrival. In 
 this case, the money is usually Iodised in the; hands 
 of some mendiaiitof res[)ectahility, or with theajL»ent 
 of one of the land companies, to whose correspon- 
 dent in England, in either case, the friends of tiie 
 parties are directed to apply. The arrang*emeiits by 
 this means are very easily made, and the meritorious 
 individual has the happiness of welcoming his family, 
 under circumstances which do honor to human 
 nature, and are perhaps the most gratifying that 
 can be conceived. 
 
 Those who manage their affairs with such circum- 
 spection and caution, perhaps never fail of success ; 
 hut, as these modes of commencing operations are 
 not in the power of all, and as they sometimes cause 
 unnecessary delay, a system of more extensive influ- 
 ence would be found of greater and more general 
 utility. 
 
 Suppose, that in every town in the United King- 
 dom, where there should appear the least inclination 
 lo emigrate, such individuals as feel themselves 
 
 1. 
 
 I 
 
 f' 
 
 , .' 
 
 M 
 
 miji ." "Hfnu^r" I ~~' 
 
 Ifti) ,J il' 
 
1|: I 
 
 '.''I \ 
 
 I I 
 
 278 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 chiefly interested, should solicit the assistance of 
 persons of influence, to form an emigration associa- 
 tion. Thegentleman who presided should, if possible, 
 ])e a magistrate. The first step should be, to choose 
 a secretary, from among the young men of enter- 
 prise, disposed to try their fortunes in the colonies. 
 
 A committee of respectable persons should then 
 be formed from amono: those who did not themselves 
 intend to emigrate. A small fund should be raised, 
 and a correspondence opened, between this associa- 
 tion, and the several societies in the provinces, as 
 well as with the agents of the government, and the 
 public companies at home. In short, every informa- 
 tion should be elicited, which might tend to direct 
 the proceedings of all persons disposed to emigrate. 
 
 Sometimes it mio-ht be thou2;ht necessarv, that one 
 or two young men should be sent forward to pre- 
 pare the way, or confirm expectation, and procure 
 the most minute practical information. This being 
 eff'ected, or at least the best advice ol)tained, the 
 association should begin to think of more active 
 measures ; for which purpose, a special fund should 
 be raised from among those members, who, having 
 made up their minds to emigrate, would desire to 
 partake of the full benefit to be derived from the 
 investigations and influence of the association. 
 
 The intending emigrants should now form them- 
 selves into parties of from ten to twelve, or even 
 twenty or thirty families, while, under the direction 
 of the association every arrangement might be made 
 which was deemed necessary, or useful, on this side 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION, 
 
 279 
 
 ance ot 
 
 associa- 
 
 I0^sible, 
 
 elioosf^ 
 
 f enter- 
 
 olonies. 
 
 Id then 
 
 mselves 
 
 raised. 
 
 associa- 
 
 nces, as 
 
 and tlie 
 
 nfornui- 
 
 ;o direct. 
 
 migrate. 
 
 that one 
 
 I to pre- 
 
 procure 
 
 lis beinti" 
 
 ned, the 
 
 •e active 
 
 d should 
 
 , having 
 
 desire to 
 
 from the 
 
 m. 
 
 m theni- 
 
 or even 
 
 direction 
 
 be made 
 
 this side 
 
 rlie Atlantic. Shipping should be procured at the 
 most convenient ports for embarkation, and the 
 parties should make their arrangements to de])ark 
 at the nearest port to that district, in either of the 
 provinces, v^liere they may have determined upon 
 settling. 
 
 Every such little party should be ready to de|)art 
 by the twentieth of March, and might be expected 
 to arrive about the first week in May. This would 
 afford sufficient time for individuals, or parties who 
 possessed any capital, to get enough wood-land 
 cleared, for a first crop, at least of potatoes, the same 
 year, as elsewhere observed. 
 
 The majority of the members of every such colony 
 ought to consist of young married persons ; for 
 these are, for more reasons than the nu)st obvious, 
 unquestionably the best adapted to settle in a new- 
 country . 
 
 One among every party emigrating under such 
 an arrangement, ought to be selected to correspond 
 with the secretary of the association in England, 
 under whose auspices they embarked, while a com- 
 mittee of three or five, chosen from among the most 
 intelligent of the new settlers, might cause the most 
 material transactions to be noted, and the account 
 thereof transmitted for the benefit of others inclined 
 to follow. 
 
 By such measures as these, a vast saving in time 
 and expence would he accomplished, and the great 
 evil of risking what country you may inhabit, avoid- 
 ed ; but above all, that separation of fellow-country- 
 
 ^. 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 I: 
 
 1 ji 
 
 :! i 
 
 :if 
 
 ^ t 
 
 )'■■! 
 

 if. 
 
 .' 
 
 280 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION'. 
 
 men, kinsmen, or townsmen, for the comfort of tlie 
 parties, so desirable to avoid, would be prevented 
 And under this, or any other system, embracing' 
 more extensive influence than the present loose and 
 uncertain mode of proceeding", in which chance 
 governs every thing, towns and villages woukl 
 spring up, with a rapidity incredible, to those who 
 have not visited any of the newly-settled districts in 
 the United States. 
 
 It is probable that this scheme of emigration may by 
 some be thought adapted to establish those who are 
 not witliout the means of judging, and acting for 
 tliemselves ; and yet, not applicable to the condition 
 of that class, in the most populous districts of 
 Britain, which it is, on every account, their own 
 more especially, most desirable should emigrate. 
 
 If it were proposed to disburden the country, at 
 once, of every unemployed able-])odied man within 
 it, and to provide profitable employment for nil 
 these at the same time in the colonies, the means, it 
 must be confessed, would be inadequate to the j)ro- 
 posed end. The removal of so large a body of the 
 poorer class would require funds which no associa- 
 tion, formed upon a principle of this kind, could 
 raise ; nor would all the poorer emigrants find 
 enough of their countrymen, during the first stage of 
 the operations of the associations, suflBiciently inde- 
 pendent to offer them profitable employment until 
 the second autumn after their arrival, before which 
 time, none should calculate upon making the ground 
 productive of the necessaries of life. 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 not 
 
 equal 
 
 time, 
 
 in pr 
 
 j)orti 
 
 class( 
 
 if poi 
 
 assoc 
 only 
 
 othe 
 fucil 
 »'arli 
 
of tlit: 
 
 rented 
 ) racing 
 )se aiui 
 Icliance 
 would 
 [se who 
 fi'icts in 
 
 may by 
 ivho are 
 ting for 
 mdition 
 ricts of 
 eir own 
 ;rate. 
 in try, at 
 II within 
 t for all 
 neans, it 
 the j)ro- 
 y of the 
 associa- 
 1, could 
 nts find 
 stage of 
 tly inde- 
 nt until 
 [•e which 
 ? ground 
 
 t; \i 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 281 
 
 But this scheme, it is supposed, would in the first 
 instance dispatcli the poor and the independent, in 
 just proi)ortions, and in accordance with their mu- 
 tual interests and dependence on each other. In 
 this case, the demand would annually increase, 
 in a greater ratio for settlers of the poorer class, 
 than for those who were more independent ; for a 
 large proportion of what was mere labour in England 
 would be yearly emancipated, and become an increas- 
 ing source of profitable employment, and of en- 
 couragement for the increase of adventure and enter- 
 prise, among that class who would most benefit 
 themselves and others by their emiirration. 
 
 By such a combination of interests, and pledge of 
 mutual support, security would be given for the pre- 
 vention of too great a transfer of capital, which could 
 not be profitably em})loyed unless accompanied by an 
 equal or greater proportion of labour. In the mean 
 time, the demand for labour would, in effect, increase 
 in proportion to the increase of affluence, or in pro- 
 portion to the rapidity with which the dependent 
 classes should raise themselves to a hiii'lier station in 
 society, as has been already shown. 
 
 The sanction, at least, of the government, should 
 if possible be obtained, before the formation of every 
 association of private adventurers. It would not 
 only assure the poorer classes of the genuineness of 
 the expectations held out to them, and prevent de- 
 ception and fraud, which in some instances might 
 otherwise be practised, but it would also greatly 
 facilitate such business as must be transacted by the 
 •'Jirlier colonists, with the agents either of tlie 
 
 iii 
 
 V 
 
 
 %'■ 
 
 15 
 
 
 I In 
 .1 
 
 h 
 III 
 
 III 
 
'282 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 >J 
 
 i)-overnment, or of the public land companies in tin? 
 colonies ; and it would likewise tend to obviate the 
 objection, which might possibly arise from the occa- 
 sional scarcity, and consequent high price of labour. 
 
 If a systematic plan of this kind, indeed, were 
 formed by persons of influence in those districts of 
 the Ignited Kingdom most burdened with excess of 
 population, and carried into effect, by those who 
 were not without some interest in its success, it 
 would probably be almost as effectual as arrange- 
 ments under the immediate superintendence of the 
 o'overnment. What miiifht be wantini>: in funds {ind 
 authority, would be in some degree compensated 
 for, by the character of the first settlers, whicl) 
 would be such as might greatly tend to facilitate the 
 best measures in the colonies, for the establishment 
 of any reasonable number of settlers of the poorest 
 classes which emigrate from this country. 
 
 Some stress has already been laid u])on the obvious 
 necessity of obtaining correct information, but it may 
 not be amiss, upon this important head, to make one 
 further remark. 
 
 You cannot be too strongly advised to seek it in 
 the most respectable and disinterested rpiarters. 
 Besides the correspondence above recommended, 
 the publications of each of the land companies should 
 be read and compared ; and the more voluminous 
 works of the several authors, who have lately writ- 
 ten on the subject of emigration, or on the colonies, 
 should be, wherever possible, attentively perused . 
 And all this might doubtless be accomplished, an(' 
 
 the besl 
 
 ties, th 
 
 correct 
 
 com for 
 
 probab 
 
 influen 
 
 ments 
 
 realiza 
 
 must r 
 
 society 
 
 Col 
 
 this a( 
 
 scope 
 
 his lo( 
 
 famili 
 
 abanc 
 
 those 
 
 situa 
 
 necei 
 
 hope 
 
 ofth 
 
 Tl 
 
 new 
 
 asso 
 
 aris< 
 
 thei 
 
 mil 
 
 viU 
 
 mei 
 
 as 
 
 grel 
 
THE EMIGRANT S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 283 
 
 es in tlie 
 viate thv 
 the occa 
 >f labour, 
 id, were 
 tstricts of 
 [excess of 
 [lose \vli(. 
 iccess, it 
 arrange- 
 ce of tlie 
 iinds and 
 pensated 
 wliicl) 
 ilitatetlie 
 jlishmcnr 
 le poorest 
 
 e obvioii> 
 ut it may 
 make one 
 
 seek it in 
 quarters, 
 imended, 
 es should 
 luminous 
 iely writ- 
 colonies, 
 perused . 
 lied J aiK? 
 
 the best accounts obtained, with the greatest facili- 
 ties, through the means of associations ; and on 
 correct information a great deal depends ; for the 
 comfort and prosperity of each little colony would, 
 probal)ly, in the first instance, be in a great measure 
 influenced by the judicious or injudicious arrange- 
 ments made in this country ; although the ultimate 
 realization of permanent independence oi' affluence 
 must rest with individual character, as in every other 
 society in every country whatsoever. 
 
 Colony associations would also be attended with 
 this advantage to the emigrant, that a much larger 
 scope would 1)6 given him, to fix upon tlie place of 
 liis location, than could be done in the case of single 
 families, without running the risk of altogether 
 abandoning society, as is sometimes the case, with 
 those who go alone. Tempted by su})eriority of 
 situation, or cheapness of land, they too often un- 
 necessarily forego their present comfort, for future 
 hopes, and bury themselves for a time in the gloom 
 of the forest. 
 
 There is also another inconvenience attending the 
 new settlements in many parts of the colonies, which 
 associations would much tend to remedy. Tliis 
 arises from tlie custom of the new settlers planting 
 themselves along a road, sometimes for several 
 miles, without laying out, or leaving room for a 
 village ; so that, the necessary artizans and trades- 
 men, to the disadvantage of all parties, are obliged, 
 as they follow each other, to plant themselves at 
 o'reat distances apart, while the hundred acres oi 
 
 
 I 
 
 1^ 
 
 I 
 
 I i 
 
 
 ! v., 
 ' f 
 
284 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 !l 
 
 'J fill 
 
 land which they are in many cases induced to occu- 
 py, hecomes a burden rather than a benefit, and \^ 
 too apt to unsettle tlie rnind, and engender loose or 
 dissolute habits. 
 
 Were it possible, as it perhaps may be, to write 
 a sketch of the rise and progress of a Canadian set- 
 tlement, which had l)een the offspring of cliance, 
 and where all the earlier settlers had been blindly 
 governed by temporary objects, without fairly esti- 
 mating the benefits to be derived from an early union 
 of interests ; and were the writer to append to his 
 story, the brief but mure S])irited history of perhaps 
 Buffixlo or Richmond, on the other side of Ontario, 
 the tale would be as interesting as instructive, to 
 the enterprising emigrants and first tenants of the 
 future settlements in Canada, and perhaps every 
 other country : and it would form an excellent illus- 
 tration of the just division and appropriation of 
 labour, about which political economists say so mucli. 
 A little colony of the above description would 
 not know many of the wants of the earlier settlers, 
 or be subjected to the inconveniences and trials, 
 which the emigrants in many cases still experience 
 for several years after their settlement. 
 
 Among the first families who should emigrate 
 upon principles, and under any arrangements of this 
 kind, it is indispensably necessary that there should 
 be a blacksmith and a joiner; but the utility and 
 early need of such other useful artizans as have been 
 mentioned as most in demand in (Canada, must de- 
 fend upon the number of the settlers, and the situ- 
 
 I 
 
 ipon 
 
to OCCMl- 
 
 \t, and is 
 louse or 
 
 to write 
 idiaii set- 
 c'liuiice, 
 Mindly 
 lirly esfi- 
 'ly union 
 nd to his 
 f perhaps 
 Ontario, 
 ictive, to 
 its of tlie 
 ps evei'v 
 ent illus- 
 iation of 
 so much, 
 n wouhJ 
 settlers, 
 d trials, 
 'perienee 
 
 2niio'rat( 
 ts of this 
 <3 should 
 ility and 
 ave been 
 nust do- 
 :he situ- 
 
 T H L E M I G II A NTS 1 N T U (J I) L" C i J <J .\ . 
 
 28r> 
 
 utiou of the cohjny, and may ])e safely left to the 
 judgment and I'eport of the leaders of the first colo- 
 nists, and the convenience and means of obtaining" 
 them. 
 
 Some books riicommend you to take a great vari- 
 ety of articles ; but, if the emigrant go to Upper 
 (Janada, he will find the difficulties of transi)ort after 
 
 land 
 
 mg, so 
 
 ted 
 
 lOUS, 
 
 that, 
 
 m jxcner 
 
 al, it 
 
 won 
 
 Id be 
 
 better to turn into muney every thing at all cumber- 
 some that belongs to him, even at a considerable 
 loss ; but should he have made choice of either of 
 the Lower Provinces, he had better make no sacri- 
 fice, nor sell any useful article, unless the carriage to 
 the i)ort of embarkation should be an object. Cum- 
 bersome articles of nu^re ornament should however 
 be always dis})ose(l of. 
 
 The cash which is realized, and all monies, should 
 be deposited in safe hands, or transmitted thi'ougb 
 the channels of the govei'nment agents, or of one of 
 the }>u))lic com[)anies. But, according to the dis- 
 tance of the [)lace of debarkation from the place 
 of settlement, it may be found useful, where practi- 
 cable, to carry out sufficient for incidental expenses. 
 In the lower provinces, these are not so great as in 
 1 he upper; and, as mobt settlements are first formed 
 on the banks of rivers, you will most likely be 
 situated, where 3'our goods may be more easily con- 
 veyed, especially during the months of summer. 
 Whatevei' money nuiy be taken, should be in 
 Spanish dollars or sovereigns, which are the coins of 
 the highest currency value in the colonies. For cash 
 
 
 
 'i' 
 
 ■J 
 
 l 
 
 a 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 
fl 
 
 1 
 
 V 
 
 f 
 
 
 ■ '\ 
 
 fl 
 
 I 
 
 
 ■ 1 
 
 I 
 
 Iff 
 
 
 )i 
 
 !■ 
 
 I Biii 
 
 ; r ; r 
 
 fiiM 
 
 2SG 
 
 'lUE emigrant's introduction, 
 
 deposited, iiills may be drawn after tlie emi;;iaiil 
 arrives. Tliey are generally at a premiiiiii wliicli 
 «T;ives an advantage over every other method ol 
 transferring yonr personal property. 
 
 The emigrant's best mode of management, after 
 his arrival in America, need not be made a matter 
 of concern with him during his inquiries on this side 
 the w^ater. The ex])erience, and good or ill success, 
 of those who have preceded him, will be his surest 
 guide. His own latent resources will soon bo 
 opened, and thei'e is littlj doubt of his employing 
 his time to the best advantage. If the situation ol 
 a little colony be remote from an improved country, 
 the weariness of the sabbath-day, and the settler's 
 desire to renew his religious duties, will soon point 
 out the necessity of making eftbrts to raise a church, 
 and to induce a clergyman to join the settlement; and 
 as long as the church missionary and other benevo- 
 lent societies exist, tliis will not be attcmded with 
 great diiiicidty. The growth of his children will 
 remind the colonist of the want of a school ; but, 
 the united efforts of a few industrious families will 
 <oon secu]'e this imj)ortant acquisition : in the mean 
 time, the emigrant should take with him some books 
 adapted for children, with the wdiole contents of his 
 library, on no account forgetting his family bible. 
 
 Some mention has been already made of juvenile 
 emigration : a few further remarks upon the prac- 
 tical)ility of this means of relief at home, and of 
 security and prosperity abroad, will embrace all 
 
 prosperity 
 
 that need be said ujjon this subject. 
 
 ii(,' cli; 
 iwelv 
 ilie n 
 rnrol 
 -on t: 
 
 ! I' 
 
 '•<{' su 
 uppei 
 iiies ; 
 rt'Li'ul 
 \' lieil 
 
 m 
 
Illinium 
 
 |i whicl 
 Itliod o 
 
 lit, lifter 
 
 'I iiifittor 
 
 this sido 
 
 success, 
 
 is surest 
 
 soon bo 
 
 lipluyiiij:; 
 
 latioii of 
 
 country, 
 
 settler's 
 
 on point 
 
 I cliurcii, 
 
 lent; and 
 
 v benevo- 
 
 ied ^vith 
 
 Iren will 
 
 )o\ ; but, 
 
 lilies will 
 
 the mean 
 
 me books 
 
 nts of his 
 
 / bible. 
 
 juvenile 
 
 the prac- 
 
 , and of 
 
 brace all 
 
 THE EMIfiRANTb INTRODUCTION. 
 
 287 
 
 Almost every one who has sugg'ested a means of 
 lacilitatiiiiL;- emigration, Inis neglected to speak of 
 j the benefits to be derivcul from the judicious Jind 
 
 well-timed removal of infants to tlie agricultural 
 colonies; and yet, tbe n-eneral utility, as well as 
 |)articular good wliich mlglit l)e anticipated from 
 the institution of a well-digested measure for tliis 
 ()urpose, is as evident, as is the facility witii which 
 tlie arrangements niiglit be carried into etlect, and 
 the pi'actical results nscertained. 
 
 Jt has been already said, tliat every proceeding 
 witli lliis object should b(! under the superintendance 
 of the government; but, it is not therefore necessary, 
 that His Majesty's ministers should originate any 
 sclieine for promoting tliis species of settlement and 
 relief. It would perhaps be better, tbat the f)lans 
 -bould be devised by, and the proj)osals come directly 
 I'roni, the Tnunicii)al authorities within the over- 
 |M)])uloiis districts. 
 
 Every or])han who becomes dependent upon pub- 
 lie charitv, and every infant under the age often or 
 iwelve years, which should be thrown entirely upon 
 I he national institutions for support, ought to be 
 enrolled among the numbers, to be at a proper sea- 
 M)ii transfc'j'red to Anu'riea. Establishments should 
 hi' formed and appropriated for the admission 
 of such children as might, upon several accounts, 
 u])pear most eligible and best adapted to the colo- 
 iiies ; and, at a fit ng*^, these should be under proper 
 it'Li'ulations dispatclied to each of the larger towns, 
 j where provision migiit be made for their reception 
 
 
 f: 
 
 k 
 
 
288 
 
 THE EIMKilJANTS INTnODl'CTION . 
 
 I'l 
 
 « 
 
 1^ 
 
 <■' i \ 
 
 i ;r 
 
 and teinj)()i'ary support. Tlio bi^st at^c to traiislci 
 tljeni would 1)0 between twelve and fifteen. 
 
 Were these plans well nuiturcd, aiid the eolonlal 
 minister put in possession of the necessary local in- 
 Ibrniation, there is little doubt, that the govern- 
 ment would patronize or assist such measures a^. 
 should not be considered objectionable. In this 
 case, the governors of the provinces would doubtless 
 be insti'ucted to protect every establislnnent intended 
 for the asylum of liritish infants, and duly adjusted, 
 for the needful attention to, and j)ro})er care of, a 
 s{)ecies of settlers so desirable to multi])ly in the 
 colonies. 
 
 It is not to be supposed that children, however 
 tender their aj^e, would remain a burden upon tliose 
 by whom the trans-atlantic establishments were sup- 
 ])orted ; for, upon the rec|uisite security being offered 
 for their |)roper treatment and due instruction, 
 they might be ap])renticed, under restrictive condi- 
 tions, and regulations subjected to the approval td' 
 the governors of the provinces. 
 
 It is considered, that a child of seven vears of ai»e 
 is no longer a cost to its parents or guardians. 
 Children above that age would therefore be anxiously 
 sought after, especially where new colonies were 
 planted u}>on the principles above recommended ; 
 and it could hardly be anticipated, that, in many 
 places, any of those that should be landed early in 
 the summer, would of necessity remain in the asylum 
 until the following spring. 
 
 The feeling which has acted very strongly and 
 
 prol 
 lieal 
 thill 
 
 am 
 
THK EMKJRANTS INTRDDUrTION. 
 
 28') 
 
 11/ 
 
 Itrinisf'cj' 
 
 icolotiial 
 llocal iri- 
 
 sures as 
 111 tliis 
 loiibtloss 
 ititentU'd 
 ;i(lj listed, 
 arc of, Ji 
 y ill the 
 
 however 
 poll tliose 
 were suj)- 
 n 2: offered 
 istructioii. 
 ive coiidi- 
 )proval «d' 
 
 jirs of aii'e 
 iuardians. 
 anxiously 
 iiies were 
 imended ; 
 in many 
 \ early in 
 he asylum 
 
 )ngly and 
 
 i;'enerally against einigration, nii<j;lit by these scheme^ 
 of coloiii/,iiti(»n be at once overthrown. The report 
 of the ris(! and progress of ratdi little society could be 
 regularly received ; and those* ties, ^^hic1l it has been 
 found so diihcult and painful to sever, would now 
 bind, and set limits to thr progress of knowledge 
 and the improvement in condition, of those only, 
 who would desire to rest their eyes for ever upon the 
 
 same inanimate objects, to whicli habit has rivetted 
 them, at the sacrifice of the most generous feelings of 
 nature. The continual dread, with those more espe- 
 cially far advanced in life, that, at the end of the 
 year, the balance of outlay and profit may turn tbe 
 wrong scale, the anxiety about the j)rosi)ects, or the 
 disposal of their children with the middh?-aged, and 
 the delays of marriage with the young, may be 
 e«ca])ed, without any (jtlier change, than that of 
 engaging in new scenes of greater interest, and mon^ 
 definite benefit; and this, without following more 
 irksome or operose emph)yments. 
 
 The savings which you here lay up for the pay- 
 ment of rent, will there be employed in improving 
 your own estate, in clearing away the trees, and in 
 lurning up the virgin soil, to yield its compound 
 ])rofits, as every succeeding season invites you to its 
 healthful and particular labour. Be then, above all 
 tilings, of a cheerful disposition, — 
 
 " IVcsh in spirit, and resolved 
 To meet all perils very constantly;" 
 
 and, of an unwavering and contented luind. If it is 
 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 A 
 
 
 ') i\ 
 
I 
 
 
 200 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTnODlJCTIOy . 
 
 not necessary to be prepared lor the luirdsliips, 
 privations, and daniijers, experienced by the first 
 adventurers in America, tlie einiu;raiit may liave to 
 sunuoimt many temporary o])staclcs, and firmnesh 
 and resolution will he his l)est su])port. IJy these 
 he will overcome every difficulty, ami, in time, re- 
 ceive his full recompence, in the consummation of 
 every reasonal)le hope. 
 
 Tn a word, take with you your religion, and your 
 love of country : hut, as you would not confine your 
 system of worshij) and your faith, to the mere vene- 
 ration of particular rites and ceremonies, without 
 iiidulu;ence or charity for the o})inions and ceremo- 
 nies of others, so should your patriotism, which 
 cannot he too much clierish(;d, extend to all, wh(» 
 acknowledge the ])ower, claim the protection, and 
 appreciate the moral influence of the British name. 
 
 Before concluding, we may perhaps once more 
 recur, with profit, to what has been said of the com- 
 parative condition of the colonist and his e([ual at 
 home, of the several classes which luive been hereii' 
 most confidently recommended to emigrate. 
 
 None that belong to any of the various profes- 
 sions, except such as, " out of suits with fortune," 
 are retrograding in their circumstances, have 
 been strongly urged to transfer their fortunes 
 to the colonies. For these, indeed, the way is clear, 
 and the prospect is fair. If their eyes are now^ 0})eii 
 to the true value which should be set upon the mul- 
 titudinous frivolities, in the pursuit of which they 
 
THE EMIfJRANTM I NTHODCCmON. 
 
 201 
 
 H 
 
 nlsliips, 
 \hi tirst 
 
 hiive to 
 finnness 
 
 iy tbcsc 
 time, re- 
 luuion of 
 
 and your 
 fine your 
 cro vcnc- 
 without 
 cercnio- 
 n, whicli 
 all, who 
 ;tion, and 
 ish name. 
 )nco more 
 f the coni- 
 s ecpiul ill 
 een heroii' 
 te. 
 
 ►us profes- 
 i fortune," 
 ices, have 
 ir fortunes 
 ay is clear, 
 e now o])eri 
 )n the niul- 
 which they 
 
 may have toiled ; and they would desire to pursue 
 a course, which should lead to more nohle en^-a^e- 
 ments ; let tluirn not ceas(» in tluur investiii'ations, 
 concerning the condition of their fellow-suhject 
 in the American colonit»s, until thev have thorounhiv 
 examined every circumstance. What they uhandon, 
 they know how to estimate, what they may i-ain, 
 must depend upon individual charitrter; antl if thi>j 
 he energ;etic and open, they will shortly find them- 
 selves eugas:ed in the pnrsuit of some ohject, that is 
 worthy to call forth the energies of a rational soul, 
 ami tl\rou<j:,h tlie means of which, they may do L;ood 
 service to their country, while they henefit society 
 hy their example. 
 
 The mind, thus enlarj^ed hy U'^eful speculations, 
 hecomes more alive to the ohlig'ations of humanity, 
 and voluntarily engages in the most appropriate 
 exercises. The leisure hours of the settler are em- 
 ployed in devising plans, and nutting into operation 
 the hest measures for the improvement of the unin- 
 structed classes of his fellow-creatures, or the ame- 
 lioration of the condition of the unfortunate. And 
 are not these pursuits more worthy ambition, than 
 the contract to obey the modish laws of fashion, but 
 the more tyrannic as you rise the higher, and which 
 are, in truth, but the clogs that fetter genius, and 
 depress the efforts of the understanding — a contract, 
 by which sincerity and friendship, tiie great sources 
 of social enjoyment, are driven from a thousand 
 abodes, or are so concealed under the veil of polite- 
 
 o 2 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 if <i 
 
 I, 
 ! 
 
 '(. I 
 
 ^1 
 
\¥ 
 
 iM 
 
 kfi ■ < 
 
 F.I 
 
 '>!)2 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 lioss or affectation, that they are no longer dis- 
 co rnahle. 
 
 Among those who have been the least scrupulously 
 recommended to emigrate, tlie principal are, the 
 agriculturist of small capital that is not productive, 
 tlie tradesman or mechanic thrown out of employ- 
 uK'ut, or unable to set-up in business, the operative 
 mechanic, and sometimes the toiling merchant's 
 assistant, or, sedentary employed persons in other 
 liranches of business ; but, above all, the agricul- 
 tural labourer, wlio is blessed, not cursed, with a 
 family. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to remind the reader, that 
 it is not the successful of any avocation or degree, 
 that have been the objects of the comparison in 
 condition so much dwelt upon in these pages, or of 
 the advice which has been to numbers so unreserv- 
 edly offered. 
 
 The first, the agriculturist, is not unacquainted 
 with the character of those pleasures and those 
 comforts which the cultivation of the soil affords; 
 })ut, he must experience the superior delight of 
 working his own land, and applying the surplus 
 pjoduce of his industry to the improvement of his 
 o^^n freehold, before he can appreciate the advan- 
 tages of the change. Let him, for he may now 
 have the opportunity, peruse the letters of those 
 who have been ten years settled, and he will be 
 furnislied with the necessary information, to enable 
 him to balance the good and evil of his condition, 
 
 :ti 
 
 ■i i 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 29o; 
 
 r dis- 
 
 lously 
 e, the 
 ictive, 
 nploy- 
 irative 
 jhant's 
 I other 
 "Ticiil- 
 with a 
 
 ir, that 
 jegree, 
 ison ill 
 5, or of 
 reserv- 
 
 lainted 
 those 
 ifFords ; 
 ight of 
 surplus 
 t of his 
 ad van - 
 ay now 
 )f those 
 will he 
 D enahle 
 ndition, 
 
 with that of the colonist. The colonist, he may, 
 perchance, find with few cares relating to his voca- 
 tion, beyond those to which the penalty of Adam, 
 " the seasons' diifference," has subjected him, in com- 
 mon with all his race. But how different is Ids con- 
 dition, who knows not when the harvest is gathered, 
 that he shall again sow and reap the same field 
 wliicli has so plentifully yielded the bounty ol 
 heaven, but so ill-requited his anxious cares. 
 
 To the tradesman, or mechanic, who should emi- 
 grate, the effects of the transition, as already ob- 
 served, will not be so great as with persons oi 
 almost every other class ; nevertheless, his impor- 
 tance in society will be greatly augmented, and hi^ 
 field of pursuits, if not that of profitable returns, 
 will be much enlarged. 
 
 But if there be any, of liberal mind or free-spirit, 
 upon whom "life's evening star" has not yet arisen, 
 among that class which may be compelled to limit 
 their expectations to the irksome under business of 
 an office, their present occupation, but who are, a* 
 they well may be — 
 
 '' Sick of the service of a world thnt feeds 
 
 Its patient drudges with dry chaif and weeds ;" 
 
 let them investigate more fully the interesting 
 ouestion, of which the matter herein contained is 
 but the bare and fugitive outline ; and, if they can 
 escape from " custom's idiot sway," they may soar 
 
 I'.i u\ 
 
 
 M 
 
 I 
 
294 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 i',' 
 
 I' ^ i!i 
 
 above the toilsome and mean employment, in which 
 nature never intended they should for ever drudge. 
 But, they must not be prejudiced in their examina- 
 tion, or too hasty in determining. In the former 
 case, they may unwittingly pass by the fair chances 
 of honourable independence; in the latter, they 
 may precipitately rush upon irretrievable ruin ; for, 
 among no class are there so few adapted to the 
 business and pursuits of a new country ; yet, than 
 to those few, there are none to whom the boon of 
 emigration would be more grateful. 
 
 It remains but to recur to the comparative con- 
 dition of the agricultural labourer, or other poor 
 man, at home, and abroad : and it is persons of this 
 class, that have been most strenuously excited to 
 emigration ; for, wherever age has not blunted the 
 "hungry edge of appetite" for the possession of 
 independence and comfort, these will experience, 
 above all others, the enjoyment of that boon, which 
 is ever the reward of good conduct and industry in 
 the new world. 
 
 In order to set in the most glaring light, and well 
 appreciate tlie greatest individual benefit of this 
 system of relief, we must enter the poor man's 
 habitation, become eye-witnesses of his scanty meal 
 — contemplate his countenance of care — see his chil- 
 dren bringing up in idleness, and vice, creeping, 
 with slow, but sure footsteps, into what was once 
 j)erhaps, and ought still to be, the sober dwelling of 
 requited industry, contentment, and virtue. We 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 •295 
 
 which 
 h'udge. 
 ainina- 
 fornier 
 chances 
 r, they 
 in ; for, 
 
 to the 
 et, than 
 boon of 
 
 ive con- 
 ler poor 
 IS of this 
 cited to 
 nted the 
 ission of 
 Derience, 
 n, which 
 iustry in 
 
 and well 
 , of tliis 
 >r man's 
 II ty meal 
 ; hischil- 
 ^reeping-, 
 vas once 
 elling of 
 ue. We 
 
 
 must then suppose the same individual, with his 
 family, transferred to that colony which offers the 
 best field for his habitual pursuits, or the particular 
 turn of his mind. Here, if we follow him after 
 three or four years, we shall find him already 
 lodj^ed in his own sufficient house, well-stored 
 with the necessaries of life and every real luxury. 
 His sons and his daughters will be free from 
 poverty and its attendant evils, the younger sort 
 acquiring their education, and the elder boys pre- 
 paring to provide for themselves. Instead of 
 complaining of the difficulty of paying his rent, the 
 uncertainty of the tenure by which he holds his 
 land, or the scanty profits which remain after every 
 claim is satisfied, you will behold him, enjoying the 
 fruits of his la1)our in proportion to his industry ; 
 and if the period of his location should exceed six 
 or seven years, very probably you will find his first 
 hastily-erected dwelling replaced by a better, and 
 surrounded by fifteen or twenty acres, or if his 
 family be large, perhaps thirty acres, of culti- 
 vated land, with the remainder of his farm of one 
 hundred acres, although in woods, of the same capa- 
 bility as that portion already tilled. This favoun'd 
 and fortunate man — 
 
 " Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread, 
 
 Whose flocks supply him with attire ; 
 Whose trees iu summer yield him shade, 
 
 In winter, fire ;" 
 
 :«i' 
 
 ■1' 
 
 I: 
 
 I 
 
 !;^<< 
 
 r 
 
 V i 
 
♦296 
 
 THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 was, at home, among- the poorest of his calling ; 
 but, he now holds this fair possession, unen- 
 cumbered and entirely his own — such is, at this 
 time, the condition of many a sometime pauper, and 
 such muy be the future fortunes of every industrious 
 poor man who advisedly emigrates to the American 
 Colonies. 
 
 lui 
 
 The indulgent reader may not have reached the 
 conclusion of this little volume, without having 
 received some new impressions upon a subject 
 embracing the most momentous interests. Some 
 dormant fceliuLis mav have been awakened to a 
 sense of the danger of protracted indifference re- 
 specting the increase of our poj)ulation, which can- 
 not be ^et at less than 1000 souls per day. But 
 the chief aim of this undertaking has been, to put 
 the suffering Briton, who has reflected but little 
 upon the future, on the direct road of straightfor- 
 ward inquiry, concerning the condition of his fellow- 
 subjects in America ; and, by this means, to en- 
 courage extensive emigration, the most natural and 
 most advantageous remedy for evils which are ac- 
 knowledged to arise from excess of population, and 
 the best means of promoting the individual as well 
 as national prosperity of the present and future 
 colonists. 
 
 If we can indeed, by the same means, and at the 
 same time, take off the pressure which weighs so 
 
THE EMIGRANTS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 297 
 
 ailing ; 
 uiieii- 
 nt tlii.« 
 ►er, and 
 .istrious 
 nerican 
 
 bed the 
 having 
 subject 
 Some 
 ed to a 
 ence re- 
 ich can- 
 y. But 
 (\, to put 
 ►ut little 
 aightibr- 
 s fellow- 
 5, to en> 
 ural and 
 h are ac- 
 tion, and 
 il as well 
 d future 
 
 nd at the 
 rveighs so 
 
 heavily upon industry, and improve the conditioii 
 of our fellow-subjects both at home and abroad, 
 and these objects be so easy to accomplish, con- 
 viction must strike every mind, that it is the part ol 
 true wisdom to adopt such measures as benevolence 
 and patriotism, united with interest, may suggest. 
 The field of enterprize is unlimited. The dominions 
 of Britain extend over a large proportion of the 
 whole globe, comprising, in every climate, regions 
 of almost boundless extent, and doomed to cherish, 
 to the most remote period, the virtue of institutions 
 which have no parallel in the history of mankind. 
 
 
 
 (( 
 
 I 
 
 5 
 
 J 
 
 it I 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 ' 
 
 f ; 
 
 , ( 
 
 In the course of this little work, frequent allu- 
 sion has been made to the disposition of the 
 (xovernnient towards Emigrants, and the regula- 
 tions in force, as well to insure their comfort on 
 tlie voyage, as to facilitate their settlement in the 
 colonies. Reference has likewise been made to 
 the advantages arising to the Emigrant from the 
 encouragement given by the Land-companies en- 
 gaged in colonizing the North American Provinces. 
 The following pages will be found to contain the 
 most useful information concerning the regulations 
 of the Government, and the terms at which the 
 crown-lands are offered for sale, both in North 
 America, and in the Australian Colonies ; and also 
 the terms of the Lands, as well as some useful 
 particulars concerning the local arrangements, of 
 the several Companies ; with other practical in- 
 formation for the Emigrant's guide in putting his 
 plans into execution. 
 
(if 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 21)1) 
 
 REGULATIONS 
 
 For the Disposal of Lands helonying to the Crown iu 
 the British North American Provinces. 
 
 The lands arc no longer to be given away by free 
 grants, but arc to be sold. 
 
 The Commissioners of the Crown-lands will, at least 
 once in every year, submit to the Governor a Report of 
 the land which it may be expedient to offer for sale 
 "within the then ensuing year, and the upset price per 
 acre at which he would recommend it to be offered ; the 
 land so offered having been previously surveyed and 
 valued in one or more contiguous tracts of those which 
 are most adapted for settlement, according to the local 
 peculiarities of the province, and in proportion to the 
 number of deputy-surveyors who can be employed. 
 
 The lands to be laid out in lots of 100 acres each, and 
 plans of such parts as are surveyed to be prepared for 
 public inspection, which plans may be inspected in the 
 office of the Surveyor-General, or in that of his deputies 
 in each district, on payment of the fee of 2s. (Sd. 
 
 The Commissioner of Crown-lands will proceed to the 
 sale in the following manner: — He will give public 
 notice in the Gazette, and in such other newspapers as 
 may be circulated in the Province, as well as in any 
 other manner that circumstances will admit of, of the 
 time and place appointed for the sale of the lands in 
 each district, and of the upset price at which the lands 
 are proposed to be offered j he will give notice that the 
 lots will be sold to the highest bidder ; and if no offer 
 should be made at the upset price, that the lands will be 
 reserved for future sale in a similar manner by auction. 
 
 The purchase-money will be required to be paid down 
 at the time of sale, or by four instalments with interest ; 
 
 'I ) 
 
 '^; 
 
 l: n 
 
 '} n 
 
300 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 hi 
 
 h 
 
 thf; first ijistiilincnt at tlie time of tlio sale, and tlic 
 second, tliirtli, and fourth instalment at intervals of half- 
 a-vear. 
 
 If the instalments are not regularly paid, the deposit- 
 iiionev will he forfeited, and the land arain referred to 
 sale. — See Additional Retjulafions. 
 
 Piihlic notiec will he given in each district, in every 
 year, stating the names ol the persons in each district 
 who may he in arrears for the instalments of their pur- 
 <'hases, and announcing that if the arrears are not paid 
 up before the commencement of the sales in that district 
 for the following years, the lands in respect of wliicli the 
 instalments may be due will he the first lot to be exposed 
 to auction at the ensuing sales; and if any surplus of the 
 produce of the sale of each lot should remain, after 
 satisfying tlie Crown of the sum due, the same will be 
 paid to the original purchasers o*" the land who made 
 default in payment. 
 
 The patent for the land will not be issued, nor any 
 transfer of the property allowed, nntil the whole of the 
 instalments are paid. The lands sold under this regula- 
 tion arc not to be chargeable with quit-rents, or any 
 further payment beyond the purchase-money and the 
 expense of the patent. 
 
 Persons desirous of buying land, in situations not 
 included in the tracts already surveyed, must previously 
 ])ay for the expense of survey, and the \mce must of 
 course depend upon the quality of the land and its local 
 situation. 
 
 The Crown will reserve to itself the right of making 
 and constructing such roads and bridges as may be 
 necessary for public purposes in all lands purchased as 
 above J and also to such indigenous timber, stone, and 
 
 I 
 
 f. 
 
APl'ENDIX. 
 
 301 
 
 otlicr ninrcrials, the prodiic(3 of tlic huid, as may be 
 
 rc((uir(!(l for makinc; anil keeping' tlic naid roads and 
 
 bridges in repair, and for any other public works. The 
 
 Crown further re:^erves to itself ail mines of preeions 
 
 metals. 
 
 TJic ren'ulations for L>rantin!>- lieeiices to cut timber 
 
 will be learnt by applieation to the Surveyor-General's 
 
 office in the respective Colonies. 
 
 COLOMAI. Ovvic-E, 
 7th March, 183]. 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 ADDITJOXAL REGULATIONS. 
 
 Colonial Office, 
 ISth Fehruanj, 1837. 
 
 Much inconvenience having- arisen in the NortJj 
 American Colonies, from the system of receivinii- tlie 
 payment for Crown -lands by instahiients, His Majesty's 
 Government have decided to discontinue that practice. 
 AccordinjTlv the Governors of those Colonies have been 
 directed to give notice, that, from and after the 1st of 
 June, 1837, that part of the existing Regulations which 
 relates to the mode of paying the purchase-money will 
 be abolished, and that instead of it a deposit of 10 per 
 cent, on the whole value of the purchase will be in future 
 required to be paid down at the time of sale, and the 
 remainder of the price within fourteen days from that 
 time ; that until this payment is made, the purchaser 
 will not be put in possession of the land, and that, in 
 case of his failure to pay the money within the prescribed 
 period, the sale will Ic considered void, and the deposit 
 will be forfeited. 
 
30-2 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 (.■ i 
 
 f 
 
 His Majesty's Goveiinment, witli a view of afford- 
 ing protection and assistance to emigrants proceeding 
 from the Out-ports, have appointed the following 
 
 AgenU : — 
 
 Liverpool Lieut. Low, Il.N. 
 
 Bristol Lieut. Henry, H.N. 
 
 Lbitii Lieut. Forrest, R.N. 
 
 (iHEENOCK Lieut. Hemmans, R.N. 
 
 DUIILIN LicMlt. HODDER, R.N. 
 
 Cork Lieut. Friend, R.N. 
 
 LiMEKicK Lieut. Lynch, R.N. 
 
 Relfast Lieut. INIii.LER, R.N. 
 
 Sligo Lieut. SiiuTTLEWORTir, R.N. 
 
 Lieut. Lean, ueur the London Docks, London. 
 
 In addition to the above-named officers, Tiios. Fiu> 
 oEuiCK Elliot, Esq. has been appointed His Majesty's 
 Agent-General, (resident in London,) for the furtherance 
 of Emiffration from Eno-lfind to the British Colonies, bv 
 affording all facilities and information to Parisii 
 Authorities and Landed Proprietors desirous of further- 
 ing the Emigration of Labourers and otiiers from their 
 respective districts. 
 
 All letters on this subject should be addressed to Mr. 
 Elliot, under cover, to the Colonial Secretary of 
 State. 
 
 I 
 
 f?r 
 
 Information for the use of Military and Naval Officers 
 proposing to settle in the British Colonies. 
 
 
 
 1. Annexed is a Statement of the Regulations 
 according to which, with such modifications as local 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 ^OK 
 
 afford 
 eediiu 
 
 s. Frk- 
 jijcsty's 
 lierancc 
 lies, by 
 Paris i I 
 further- 
 in their 
 
 to Mr. 
 
 tiiry of 
 
 Officers 
 
 >s. 
 
 julations 
 as local 
 
 cinjiimstiinces may render necessary, lands helon<:jinf^ to 
 the Crown arc disposed of in the several liritisii Coloniet* 
 in North America. 
 
 2. Under these Regidatioiis, Military and Naval 
 Officers carinof, receive free grants of land ; hut, in 
 huyin^r lj,,n(l, they are allowed a remission of the 
 purchase-money, according" to the undermentioned 
 scale : 
 
 Field-officers of 2r> years' service and upwards, in the whole £300 
 
 Field-officers of 20 years' service and upwards, in tlie whole 250 
 
 Field-officers of lo or less years' service, in the whole . . 200 
 
 Captains of 20 years' service and upwards, in the whole . 2(X) 
 
 Captains of lo years' service or l(!ss, in the whole. . . . 160 
 
 Subalterns of 2U years* service and upwards, in the wliolo . 150 
 
 Subalterns of 7 years' service or less, hi the whole . , 100 
 
 Regimental Staff Officers and Medical Officers of the 
 Army and Navy will be deemed to come within the 
 benefit of this rule. 
 
 3. Officers of the Army or Navy, who propose to 
 proceed to the Colonies in order to take advantage of 
 this indulgence, should provide themselves with certifi- 
 cates from the office of the General commandinir in 
 Chief, or of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 
 shewino; that their Eniiu:ration has been sanctioned, and 
 stating exactly their rank and length of service. No 
 document from the office of the Secretary of State is 
 necessary. 
 
 4. Officers on half-pay, residing in the Colony where 
 they propose to settle, may be admitted to the privileges 
 of Military and Naval Settlers, without referring to this 
 country for testimonials, provided they can satisfy the 
 Governor that there is no objection to their being 
 allowed the indulgence, and that their return of their 
 
304 
 
 Ar'pn.NDix, 
 
 ), 
 
 li 
 
 '.0 
 
 rank {Hid len^^f.Ii of service is fUMMUMto, and })rovld(!d, il 
 they bulon*^ to the Navy, that they |)rodiict' tlicir letter 
 of leave of ahscnee from the Admiralty. 
 
 •0. Military ChiiplaiiiM, Commissariat OHi(;cr?<, and 
 Officers of any of the Civil Departments connected with 
 the Army, (iannot he allowed any privileges on the 
 suhject of land. Pursers, Chaplains, IMidshipjnen, 
 Warrant Ollicers of every description, and Otticurs of 
 any of the Civil Departments connected wilh the Navy, 
 must also be considered as not rpudified for those 
 privilcij^es. Although members of these classes may 
 liave been adnutted formerly, and under a ditferent 
 state of ciriMimstances, thev must now bccx(!luded. 
 
 0, (lentlemen who have ceas-ed to belonjj to His 
 Majeslv's Service cannot be allowed the advantasxes to 
 whi(.'h they were entitled while in the Army or Navy. 
 It is not, however, ])ro})osed to atfect, by this rule, 
 officers who desire to quit the service for the exj)ress 
 j)ur})osc of settling in the Colonies : it is only required, 
 that ^vhen they resii^n their commissions, they should 
 apj)ly for a certificate from the General commandinu; in 
 Cliief, or from the Lords Commissioners of the Adr.ii- 
 ralty, that they do so witli the view of emis^rating ; and 
 such certificate, if })roduced to the Governor of any 
 Colony, within one year from its date, but not otherwlstf 
 will be a sufficient warrant for allowing the bearer tiie 
 same advantages as officers still in His Majesty's 
 service. 
 
 Officers who have sold out within the last twelve 
 months preceding the date of this memorandum, will be 
 allowed the usual privileges, notwithstanding their want 
 of the certificate required by these regulations, if they 
 present themselves to the Governor of the Colony within 
 
 / 
 
 I ,'i 
 
»l 
 
 ; M 
 
 APPKNDIX. 
 
 300 
 
 U'A, 11 
 letter 
 
 4, um[ 
 (I with 
 oil tlu 
 
 |MIU'I1, 
 
 curs ol 
 
 Navy, 
 
 those 
 
 s may 
 
 itlercnt 
 
 [I. 
 
 to His 
 
 afjfcs to 
 
 Navy. 
 
 is rule, 
 
 express 
 
 squired, 
 
 should 
 
 idiriu; iri 
 
 : Adnii- 
 
 i<i' : and 
 
 of an} 
 
 [irer the 
 lajesty's 
 
 twelve 
 will be 
 
 jir want 
 if they 
 
 V within 
 
 a year from the present dnto. And all oilicers who 
 have already Urvu n connnended i>v the (ieneral (.'oni- 
 niandin^- in Chief, will he entitled to their privileires, 
 without re«4iird to finy obstruction which niin'ht other- 
 wise he olfered by lije re;;ul;itions now established. 
 
 7. OIHcers cannot be allowed iiclvantiiues in the 
 ac(jiiisition of laud in any Colony, unless it be their 
 intention to fix ihcii residence in that Colony. In order 
 to insure the observance of this rule, it bus been 
 determined that the titles to hinds obtained by ofKcers 
 who take adviiiifai;'e of the peculiar re^ulwtions existinti: 
 in their fiivour, '*hall be withhuldcn for u pei'iod suHicient 
 to j)rovc that they have not repaired to the Colony for 
 the mere |)U)'[)ose of i^iiining' pt)ssession of a portion 
 of land, iind then depnrtin«jf. Two yours is the period 
 for which it bus been decided that the titles shull be 
 kept back ; this deliiy will be sufficient for the sjtlutary 
 object in view, and will not constitute any serious incon- 
 venience to the bona fide settler. 
 
 8. By the annexed Regulations for the (lisj)osnl oi 
 Crown-lands, it will be observed thut the general snles 
 will tuke |)lacc periodically. But, in order to j)revent 
 inconvenience to officers who niav arrive in the intervals 
 between those sales, and be desirous at once to obtain an 
 allotment, the Governors of the Colonies are authorized 
 to allow officers to acquire, at any time, on payment of 
 the upset price, lands which have previously been 
 oflered for sale at some general sale, and not been 
 bouijht. 
 
 Officers will thus be relieved from delay at the time of 
 establishing themselves in the Colony. They will also 
 be enabled by this arrangement, which will permit them 
 to obtain their hind at a fixed price, to choose such a 
 
im 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ,1 K 
 
 III \ 
 
 qiuiiitity i\s sliall be exactly equivalent to the amount of 
 the remission to ulii h tliev are entitled, instead of !;cin«jf 
 liable to be called uj!oii to ])ay a balance, which must be 
 the case if they bid for lands at a sale by auction. 
 
 {). Tlicre bcinti' little or no Crown-land available in 
 Prince luhvard's Island, officers cannot be offered 
 any privileges in the acquisition of land in that Colony. 
 In C;i])e Breton, an island in which the natural induce- 
 ments for the settlement of officers are not very consider- 
 able, it is necessary, from local circumstances, that there 
 should not be a remission of j)urchase-money as in other 
 Colonies : to such officers as may wish to settle in this 
 island, allotments of land will be granted on the same 
 scale and conditions as before the general introduction 
 of the system of selling the Crown-lands, viz. : — 
 
 To a Lieutenant Colonel - 
 „ Major - - - 
 „ Captain 
 „ Siibultern 
 
 Colonial Offick, 
 15^^ Aufjust, 1834. 
 
 1,200 r.cres 
 
 1,000 
 800 
 500 
 
 5> 
 
 Lands in Upper Canada, to he disposed of by the 
 
 Canada Company. 
 
 The Canada Company have Lands f )r Sale in idniost 
 every j)art of the province of U])per Canada, on terms 
 which cannot fail to be highly advantageous to the Emi- 
 grant, as, from the Company re(j[uiring only one-fifth of 
 the purchase-money to be paid in cash, and allowing the 
 remainder to l>e divided into live annual payments, bear- 
 
I n 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 307 
 
 Ing interest, the Settler, if industrious, is enabled to pay 
 
 the balance from the produce of the land. 
 
 The Lands of the Canada Company are of three 
 
 descriptions, viz. — 
 Scattered Jieservos ; 
 
 Blocks or Tracts of Laiul, of from 1,000 to 40,000 acres each j 
 The Huron Tract, containing upwards of 1,000,000 acres. 
 
 SCATTERED RESERVES. 
 
 The scattered Crown Reserves are lots of 
 100 to 200 acres each, distributed through 
 Township in the Province, and partaking 
 Climate, kc. of each particular Township, 
 are especially desirable for persons who may 
 settled in their neighbourhood, and can be 
 prices varying from Ss. dd. to 2t)s. currency 
 
 land of from 
 nearly every 
 of the Soil, 
 
 These lands 
 have friends 
 
 obtained at 
 an acre. 
 
 ■\ < 
 
 BLOCKS OF LAND. 
 
 The Blocks or Tracts lie entirely in that part of the 
 Province situated to the westward of the head of Lake 
 Ontario, and contain lands, which for soil, climate, and 
 powers of production, are equal, and perhaps superior, to 
 any on the continent of America. These are worthy the 
 attention of Communities of Emigrants, who, from 
 country, relationship, religion, or any other bond, wish 
 to settle together. 
 
 The largest block of this kind in the Company's pos 
 session is the Township of Guelph, containing upwards 
 of 40,000 acres, of which the greater part has been 
 already sold, and in the space of a few years only, a town 
 has been established, containing Churches, Schools, 
 Stores, Taverns, and Mills, and where there are mecha- 
 nics of every kind, and a society of a highly respectable 
 
4 
 
 r 
 
 ''i ■ 
 
 308 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 description. Property has improved in value from 250 
 to 1,000 per rent. ; tlius sliowiiig, beyond the possibility 
 of donbt, the advantatxes Mhich tlie phins adopted by the 
 Canada Company, in the settlement of their lands, have 
 conferred npon the Emi<i;rant. The same plans being 
 adhered to in tlie Huron Tract, there is every reason to 
 oxj)ect similar results. 
 
 TIIK HURON TERIUTORV. 
 
 This is a tract of the finest land in Americn, through 
 which the Canada Company have cut two roads of 
 upwards of TOO miles in extent, of the best description of 
 wliich a new country admits. The population there is 
 rapidly on the increase. 
 
 The Town of Goderich, at the mouth of the lliver 
 Maitland, on Lake Huron, is very flourisliing, and con- 
 tains several excellent stores, or merchant shops, in which 
 any article, usually required by a Settler, is to l)e ob- 
 tained on reasonable terms. There is a c:o<mI School 
 established, which is well attended, — a Ciiurch of Eng- 
 land and a Presbyterian clergyman are aj)pointcd there; 
 and as the churches in Upper Canada are now ])rincipally 
 su})ported by the voluntary subscriptions of tlieir res])ec- 
 tive congregations, an inference may be drawn of the 
 respectable character of the inhabitants of this settlement 
 and the neiglibourhood. Tlie Town and Townshij) of 
 Goderich contain about 1,000 inhabitants; and since the 
 steam-boat, built by the Company for the accommodation 
 of their settlers, has commenced running between Gode- 
 rich and Sandwich, a great increase has taken place in 
 the trade and prosperity of the settlement. In this tract 
 there are four good saw-mills, three grist-mills, find in 
 the neighbourhood of each will be found stores well sup- 
 
 -;i 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 309 
 
 111 250 
 Ability 
 by the 
 ;, have 
 I beinfj; 
 ison to 
 
 hrongli 
 )iids of 
 )tion of 
 there is 
 
 ! River 
 
 rid con- 
 ri which 
 1)C ob- 
 Seliool 
 >f Eng- 
 l tliere; 
 iciiially 
 re<j)C('- 
 of the 
 tlement 
 ;hip of 
 iiiee the 
 lodation 
 Gode- 
 )lace ill 
 lis tract 
 , and in 
 veil sup- 
 
 1 
 
 I'iied. And as the tract contains a million acres, tlie 
 greater portion of whii'li is open for sale, an Emigrant 
 or body of Emigrants, however large, can have no ditR- 
 culty in selecting eligible situations, according to their 
 circ^umstances, however various they may be. The price 
 of these lands is from ll^. 3d. to h')S. provincial currency, 
 or about from ll.s'. to 13-s\ Vyd. sterling ])er acre. 
 
 The Company's Commissioners at Toronto (late York) 
 in Upper Canada, or the Agents at Guelph and the 
 Huron Tract, will treat with Emigrants for the purchase 
 of lands, in quantities of 100 acres or upwards. 
 
 The Company do not interfere in the outward passage 
 of Emigrants, but passages to Quebec or Montreal may 
 be obtained on the most reasonable terms, from anv of 
 the great shipping ports in Great Britain and Ireland, by 
 application to the Ship-owners and Brokers. 
 
 The Company will ueceive deposits of money at 
 THEIR Office, in London, (No. 13, St. Helen's Place, 
 bishopsgate-stkeet,) from peijsons emigrating to 
 Canada, giving letters of credit on their Commis- 
 sioners IN Canada, for the amount, ry which the 
 Emigrants obtain the benefit of thecurrent premium 
 OF exchange. 
 
 The class of [jcrsons chiefly required in Upper Canada, 
 and who, of course, will find it best suited to tiieir pur- 
 j)0ses, are small Capitalists. Farmers, Mechanics, and 
 Lahourers. Those ])ossessed of large capital can find 
 profitable and safe investments for their money in the 
 Stock of the Banks, &c. and in the Public Securities, 
 the latter ))c'u\[i invested at i)er cent. Morto'aLi'es at 6 
 per cent, also, on lands and tenements, can be had on 
 unexceptionable security, as a Hegister-OfRce in each 
 county prevents the possibility of fraud or deception 
 
 '■ ■>■ 
 
J310 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 I! 
 
 ■\ 
 
 \)q\\\<^ practised by obtaining money on encumbered pro- 
 perties. 
 
 All further information may be obtained by letter, 
 (j)ost paid,) directed to John Perry, Secretary, St. 
 Helen's Place, London; of the A[i:ents, 
 
 Quehev ; 
 Messrs. Hart Logan & Co. Montreal ; 
 
 Charles Atkinson, Esq. IG, Beavcr-strvet, Neio York; 
 
 Of the Company's Commissioners, 
 
 Tlio Hon. WiLMAM Allan ami Thomas Mercer Jones, 
 Esq. Toronto, (late York,) f^j)])er Canada ; 
 
 And in the United Kingdom, of 
 
 Messrs. Acraman, Bristol; 
 
 .loHN Astle, Es(i. Dahl'm; 
 
 CiEORijF. Buchanan, Esq, OnuKjh, Londonderry ; 
 
 Messrs. CiLKi.^oN & Brown, Glasgow ; 
 
 Messrs. Acraman & Co. Liverpool; 
 
 or of tW different Ship-owners and Brokers at the 
 Ontports 111 the Canada Trade, all of whom, as well as 
 any persons interesting themselves practically in Emi- 
 gration to T j)por Canada, may have a parcel of the 
 Comj)any's proposals and printed papers sent to them, 
 on a])plying to the Secretary by letter or otherwise. 
 
 C'nnnfln-IToiisr, St. Helen's PUiee, 
 
 B hJ/opx/fate-st7'e('t , January, 18.37. 
 
 I. 
 
 IMI! 
 
 LOWER CANADA. 
 
 TjukI for Sale in the Eastern Townships, hi/ the 
 British Americcm Land Company. 
 
 The BuTTisii American Land Company have for sale 
 lands in every part of this section of Canada, but they 
 
 -(! 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 311 
 
 ed pro- 
 letter, 
 rv, St. 
 
 rk ; 
 
 i Jones, 
 
 s nt the 
 ! well as 
 in Enii- 
 
 ! of tlie 
 to theni, 
 
 ise. 
 
 hi/ the 
 
 e ibr snle 
 but tliey 
 
 i 
 
 are principally situated in the counties of Drummond, 
 Stanstcad, Shefford, and S]ierl)rooke. Tlie price of these 
 lands varies according^ to their situation, quality, and 
 advantaijes ; tlie terms of payment being a deposit of 
 one-fourth or OTie-Hfth of the purchase-money, according 
 to circumstances, on taking possession, the remainder 
 payable by five equal annual instalments, bearing the 
 legal interest of the province. This arrangement enables 
 the industrious settler to realize the greater part of the 
 remaining price from the produce of his farm. 
 
 The Lands of the Company comprise Improved Farms, 
 Wild or Uncleared Land, and Building Lots, in the 
 various towns and villaofes. 
 
 Improved Farms. — The Improved Farms are of 
 various extent, with cleared fields, orchards, houses, and 
 barns. The quantity of land cleared .s varying. The 
 average price of these properties is, at present, from ten 
 to twelve dollars })er a(;re, (the dollar is worth 4^. 2d. 
 sterling); the soil is of excellent quality, and they are 
 highly eligible for parties with some capital, who are 
 desirous of settling upon lands already under cultivation, 
 with buildings attached. Immediate ])Ossession can be 
 given, and in the event of growing crops they can be 
 made over to a purchaser on a fair and reasonable valu- 
 ation. 
 
 Wild or Unci.fared Land. — The uncleared land is 
 laid out in lots of from /)() to '200 acres, to meet the 
 views and resources of all classes of settlers, and at 
 present varies in pi'ice froml^ to 2^ dollars (fi'om (k.^d. 
 to 10.s\ Cyd. sterling) the acre, according to the situation, 
 quality, soil, &c. The Company is also willing to dispose 
 of tracts of uncleared land, to a a society of individuals 
 
nV2 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Ml 
 
 i: 
 
 i " 
 
 who inii;'ht wisli to form a seltlemcut of tlioir own imme- 
 diate friends or countrvmen. 
 
 Building Lots. — Tlic Building' Lots tlie Com})finy 
 ave on sale, are situated in tlie town plots of Sherbrooke 
 and Port St. Francis. TJiose at Sherbrooke are laid out 
 in iialf-acre lots, and those at Port St. Francis, 110 feet 
 l)y 4-5 feet ; the present price of the former is .£50, and 
 of tlie hitter frcmi £20 to £'25 Ilaliifax currency, payable 
 by a deposit of one-half, and the remainder at the expi- 
 ration of one year, with interest. 
 
 The following is an estimate of the necessary expenses, 
 from Gre^it Britain to St. Francis District, in l^ower 
 Canada : — 
 
 From a British Port to Port St. Francis, without 
 traiishij incnt, the steerage passage, inchuliug uniple 
 provisidiis, may generally be secured for £5 os. 
 eao'i. adult; and, assunung that a laniily, including 
 children, contains (on an average age), four adults, 
 this expense will he equal to £21 U 
 
 From Port St. Francis, J) cwt. of baggage, a quantity 
 not exceeded in usual cases, and the same family 
 
 will be Conveyed from Sherbrooke lor I 10 
 
 (the tlnic occupied three days.) 
 
 From ShiMbrooke to Victoria, at present the nu>st dis- 
 tant settlement, in two days, for I 
 
 Provisions on the route 10 U 
 
 In round numbers, time forty dyys, cost £24 
 
 Thus, a family may reach the Comi)any's lands for the 
 sum of " twenty-four pounds;" and if the arrangements 
 of several parties were united, even the above scale of 
 expense might be reduced. 
 
 Should the passage end at Quebec, on arrival there. 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 
unmG' 
 
 )inpfiny 
 rbrooke 
 laid out 
 [10 feet 
 50, and 
 payable 
 le expi- 
 
 cpenses. 
 Lower 
 
 21 (' 
 
 1 U) 
 
 1 u 
 
 
 
 lU 
 
 
 
 24 U 
 
 
 
 s for the 
 
 ociiiei 
 scale 
 
 Its 
 of 
 
 il there. 
 
 Al'PENDIX. 
 
 313 
 
 the parties iiitendirH^ to proceed to the Eastern Town- 
 ships, should immediately apply to Mr. Lee Speer, the 
 Agent of the British American Land Company, who 
 will afford them every assistance and information in 
 reachin*^ their destination. 
 
 The Company will, for the security and accommoda- 
 tion of emigrants, receive at their office in London, any 
 sums of money to be remitted to Canada, and will grant 
 letters of credit for the same, payable in Quebec, Mon- 
 treal, and Sherbrooke, which will entitle the parties to 
 vvliom the money is to be paid, to receive the amount of 
 sterling money therein specified, converted into currency, 
 with the benefit of the premium of exchange at the time 
 of presentation for payment, and free of any commission 
 or chani:;e whatever. And for the encourao;ement of 
 emigrants who may purchase lands from the Company, 
 interest at the rate of three per cent, per annum will be 
 allowed tliem, from the time when the deposit is made 
 with the Company in London, in addition to tbe exchange 
 above-mentioned, when that period shall not be less than 
 three montlis. 
 
 For further particulars, :ind for such papers as may be 
 issued from time to time by the Comj)any, application 
 may be made to Henry P. Buuyeres, Esq., Secretary 
 to the Company, No. 4, Barge Yard, Bucklersbury, Lon- 
 don, or to the under-mentioned Agents : — 
 
 ENGL.\ND. 
 
 Llcerpool ^ Messrs. Kenneth Dowie & Co. 
 
 Bristol Mossr^^, Thonms Clark and Son. 
 
 Portsmouth Williaui Attield, Esq. 
 
 Plyinoutk Messrs. Fox, Sons, ct Co. 
 
 Poole William Vuruell, Es([. 
 
 Workington William Fell, Ksq 
 
 P 
 
;3i4 
 
 AITEMMX. 
 
 'jt. . ! 
 
 ! i 
 
 W : 
 
 !'H! 
 
 It y'l, 
 
 Maryporf lolm Wood Ksij. 
 
 Wfiifchnven J. I*. Younglmshiirul, Esq. 
 
 Huff Messrs. Holderncss di: Chilton. 
 
 Yurmnuth. Mossrs. FcUowps, Barth, & Palmer. 
 
 Smifli Sfiiefffs Messrs. II. & W. Anderson. 
 
 Siindcrfmid Messrs. W. & T. B. Ord. 
 
 Xorport, Moiimoutlisldre .. .Messrs. Stoiiehouse & Co. 
 (iluaciister Messrs. Phillpots, Baker, & Co. 
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 J)iihlin Messrs. Joseph Wilson, Son, & Co, 
 
 Belfast Robert M' Entire, Esq. 
 
 Londonderry Messrs. \Mlliiini M'Corkell & Co. 
 
 Newry Messrs. J . & J . Lyle. 
 
 CorTi Messrs. ('uminins, Brotliers, Co. 
 
 Xew Rons Messrs. Howlet & Co. 
 
 Waterford, Messrs. Richard Hope & Co. 
 
 Limericft Messrs. llarvc y. Brothers. 
 
 Sligo Messrs. Seott ii. Tatrickson. 
 
 sroTLAxn. 
 
 Glasgow Messrs. Gillespie, Stewart, & Co. 
 
 Greenock Messrs. Alan Ker &. Co. 
 
 A herdeen Messrs. Robert Catto & Son. 
 
 Lelth Messrs. "\Villiani Allan & Son. 
 
 Dundee lames Soot, Es([. 
 
 Granqemoiith, Kinrardine. A- > ,, ht ^^ * t r> i 
 
 u -' „* ' • > Messrs. W. k. c\ J. Brook.-,. 
 Barrowstoness \ 
 
 To parties who have determined to emigrate, and wish 
 to make enquiry relative to the Company's Lands, letters 
 of recommendation will be given, if required, to the 
 (company's Commissioners, the Hon. Peter McGiLLand 
 the Hon. Geohge Moffat, resident at Montreal; and 
 A. C. Webster, Esq. sub-commissioner, resident at Sher- 
 brooke, in the Eastern Townships. 
 
 London, Januari/, 18*37. 
 
APIM'.N |)I\, 
 
 Wj 
 
 liUon. 
 fc Palmer. 
 :)n. 
 
 >. 
 
 , &Co. 
 
 Mm, 6i Co, 
 .ell & Co. 
 lors, Co. 
 
 Co. 
 
 rs. 
 son. 
 
 irt, & Co. 
 
 Son. 
 k Son. 
 
 loks. 
 
 , and wish 
 (Is, letters 
 2(1, to the 
 cG ILL and 
 treal; ainl 
 lit at 8her- 
 
 IS'KW BIUJNSWiCK. 
 
 Liuuh for Sale In/ the New Brumw'ick and Nova 
 Scotia. Land (Jompany. 
 
 DF:Sl'IlirTIOX OF TIIK company's tract ok LAM), AND THE 
 IMPROVKMi;.\T-i M^DK BY TIIR COMPANY. 
 
 TnK Tra(!t of J.tind purchased from the (Jrowii, by the 
 New J3riinswi(.'k Land ('oinpauy, consists of Six Hun- 
 dred Tliousand Acres, most elig^ihly situated in tlie 
 County of York, in tlio centre of tlie Province, and 
 lylno^ between the line navigabk^ rivers St. John and 
 AFiramichi. It is about 60 miles in length along the 
 N. W . l)oundary line, and in breadth from 20 to 30 
 miles. 
 
 The Tract consists, generally, of land of superior 
 descrij)tion, a great portion of it being of the finest land 
 in the Province. 
 
 The royal road to the Grand Falls, lending to Quebec, 
 touches the Company's Lands about eight miles frouj 
 Fredericton, from which point the Company liave just 
 comj)leted a turnpike-road, for about 10 miles, fo their 
 new town of Stanley, situated on the River Nashwauk, 
 in the centre of the Tract. At this place a grist-mill, 
 two saw-mills, tavern, and several houses for settlers 
 have been built, and the site of llie town has been laid 
 out into house or building-lots of half-jui-acre each. 
 
 The Company are completing the line of road ahout 
 20 miles further, viz., from the town of Stanley to the 
 N.E. until it strikes the S.W. branch of the Miramichi 
 river, at the new settlement of Campbell, wdiere a saw 
 and "••rist-miil, blacksmith's for<>-e, and several houses 
 
 ??^-' 
 
31 (I 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 s 'L 
 
 liave boon already built, and a fonsidoniblc quantity of 
 land (!l(>!ir{>d. 
 
 The ConnKiny's Lands are traversed alon*]; tbc N.K. 
 boundiu'v by the Mininiielii river, whieli is inivi'^able to 
 tlie sea. The lands are also intersected by several 
 rivers and streams, anionn^ wliieh the Taxis, and the 
 Nashwauk, eonmiunieate witli tlie two noble rivers 
 whieh lie at the extremities of the Company's Ttract. 
 
 LANDS FOn SAI.K. 
 
 The Com])any's Agents have already marked out 
 (along the line of road leading from Frederieton through 
 Stanley to Campbell, 35 miles) numerous lots of lands 
 in farms of 100 and 200 acres, or more, in each lot. 
 Purchasers will also find great choice of allotments of 
 lands along the course of the rivers which intersect the 
 Com])any's Tract, east and west of the turnpike-road. 
 
 These L'lnds are now offered for Sale, on terms highly 
 favourable to Emigrants from the United Kingdom ; 
 viz. : — 
 
 I. — One-fifth of the purchase-money to be j)ai(l down. 
 
 II. — The buyer to have the option of payinpr the remain- 
 der in four annual instalments, adding interest at 
 £5 per cent, from the date of sale. 
 
 The Lands will be conveyed to Purchasers in free and 
 common soccage. 
 
 In order to afford the most decisive encouragement to 
 ]']migrants, the Company have determined that the price 
 of their Lands, with clearing and log-houses built 
 thereon, shall be fixed for the })resent only at 126'. (nl. to 
 17s. (yd. currency, equal to about lO.s". to 15.s'. British 
 ;^terling per statute acre, The prices of Town and 
 
ii!intify of 
 
 tl.c N.K. 
 
 vin'iiblo to 
 
 y several 
 
 iiiid the 
 
 rivers 
 
 'tmet. 
 
 irkcd out 
 
 n throiinli 
 
 of lands 
 
 each lot. 
 tiiients of 
 srseet the 
 
 road, 
 ms hi^•]dv 
 ungdoiii ; 
 
 (1 down. 
 
 he remain- 
 interest at 
 
 I free and 
 
 [lenient to 
 the price 
 ises built 
 2s. (mL to 
 •'. Britisli 
 own and, 
 
 AI'i'KNUlX. 
 
 :m 
 
 To\vn.shi|) Lots are also iixed aecordin*^' to the same 
 niofh'riite scale, varying jiceordinuj to situation. 
 
 The (JoinpMny have ^;iven directions to their Ajj^entH 
 in tht! Province, to cut the timber and clear about live 
 acres on each of the lOO-ucre farms, upon which a log'- 
 house has been built, 
 
 PORTS IN THE I'HOVINCE OF NEW BRUNSWICK AT WHICH 
 EMIGRANTS ARE LANDED. 
 
 Vessels land their j)assen»^ers at the town of Oiatham, 
 on the Miramichi river, where the Company's Aj^ent 
 resides, who will forward all emigrants to the eastern 
 j»ortion of the Company's lands. — The passag'e by water, 
 from Chatham to the Company's mills and township of 
 Camjtbell, is performed in scows, or Hat-botlomed 
 boats, in three diiys, at 7s. 6(L currency each passenger. 
 
 Also at the l*ort of St. John's, in the southern part of 
 the Province, from wlience steam-boats start, every 
 morning, for Frederieton, eighty miles up the river, so 
 that the Emigrant may, if he chooses, reach the Com- 
 pany's lands the same evening, and with all his baggage 
 the next dot/. 
 
 The present steerage-fiires by the steam-boats, from 
 St. John's to Frederictoii, are one dollar or 4.s-. 2d. each 
 passenger, and lO.s. per ton for luggage; if in consider- 
 able quantities, less is charged. 
 
 Conveyance of luggage from Frederieton to Stanley, 
 by the Company's new road, is about 4()s. or 50*'. per 
 ton ; in winter, "io.s. to 30**. By the River Nashwauk, 
 26s. to 'M)s. per ton. 
 
 VOYAOE 0T:T from THE UNITED KINGDOM. 
 
 Vessels bound from Clialhiim on the IMiramiehi river, 
 or for till' Port of Si, John's, will lie ibuud at all ttfe 
 
'MH 
 
 APPKXDIX. 
 
 i .(> 
 
 >i 
 
 |)riii('i|);il jjorts in 1*'im^I;iii(1, Scotlniid, find Trcliind, upon 
 a|)|tlI('!ition to sliip-owiicrs Jind brokers. 
 
 Tlio V 
 
 ho l'^iniL!;rnTit sliould sail, it possil)!^, not l;itpr tlum 
 the 2()tli April, in order that ho may liavc time to scuttle 
 Ills t'liriily, and Inirvost his crops of the iirst suasou hotbre 
 tho winter eonies on. 
 
 PASSAGE-MONEY 
 
 Is very moderate, eitlicr to the Miramiehi Hiver or 
 
 St. Jolin's. 
 
 T f Ifh o ff t P ro r is Ions. 
 
 Tor a fTTowii person, in the Stconmc, about .£'2 lO.v. to t'.'i; 
 
 ( 'ill. in £10. 
 
 Children -Steerage - - £1 to £'2 ; 
 
 ■ Caltiii U). 
 
 With ProviHions. 
 
 For a prowii person, in tlic Steerajic, £0 to £0 10.v. ; 
 '■ Cul.in, £20. 
 
 From Trehind and Scothiiid tlie whole e.vpense is 
 >onsiderablv less. 
 
 [5 AC GAGE. 
 
 Tlint ordinary hafrjjjnn^e of Enii<ijrants consists of their 
 wearing-apparel, with sueli bcddinij^ and utensils for 
 cookiiiii; as may be useful in the vovaLre ; all articles of 
 ilothintii; not wanted in the voyauje, should be f)a,cked in 
 wnter-tifi'ht cases or trunks, not exceeding eighty or 
 ninety pounds weight each. 
 
 OUTFIT FOR SETTLERS POSSESSING CAPITAL. 
 
 An Emigrant Farmer, with sufficient capital, will find 
 it highly useful to take out Avith him as much clothing, 
 bedding, and linen, as his family will require for one 
 
I 
 
 APPENniX. 
 
 31!) 
 
 1(1, iipori 
 
 ter than 
 to settle 
 11 1)1! tore 
 
 liver «>v 
 
 f;j; 
 
 icnso IS 
 
 f their 
 ^ils for 
 ides of 
 I'kcd in 
 ;l»ty or 
 
 () 
 
 will tind 
 
 ;lotliint(, 
 
 for one 
 
 year at least; culiniiry utensils; a set of li<rlit eart- 
 harnoss ; a few 8])ad(!s and shovels, and two scythes; six 
 siekh's ami stron;;* hoes ; two pair of [»lou<^h-traces ; the 
 iron-vvoi'k of a ploui^fh and harrow ; the cast niiuthinery 
 of a corn-fiin ; one jointer-plane ; one draw-knife ; six 
 socket-chisels; six ^ouj^es ; one hand-saw ; two or three 
 hammers ; three or four au«^crs assorted, not lar^^er than 
 lo in(;h; twelveiL'inihlets; a few door-hinges and latches ; 
 a small assortment of nails; a cross-cut and whip-saw. 
 
 FoH THE ACCOMMODATION OF EMIGRANTS, THE NeW 
 
 BuiNswicK Land Company will receive Deposits of 
 
 MONEV AT TnKIR OfFICE IN LoNDON (.S'fiC hc/oV') FROM 
 PERSONS INTENDING TO EMIGRATE TO NeW BrUNSWICK, 
 
 FOR wnicii THE Company will give Letters of Credit 
 ON their Commissioner, Sec. i\ New Brunswick, 
 
 PAYAHLE WITIIOIT ANY DEDUCTION OR CHARGE FOR 
 
 Agency or Commission. 
 
 To Emigrants purc^hasing Lands from the Company, 
 Interest will be allowed at the rate of ,£3 })er cent, per 
 annum, calculated from the day on which the moncv is 
 (ie])osited with the Company in London. 
 
 All further information may be obtained by letter, post 
 paid, addressed to the Court of Directors of the New 
 Brunswick Laud Company, London. 
 
 Also, of the Company's Commissioners and Agent in 
 the Province, as follows : viz. — 
 
 II. CuNAUD, Esq., Hon. Commissioner, Chatluim, Mlram'tchl. 
 
 John V. TiiuuuAii, Esq., Rusident Agent, St. John's. 
 
 E. N. Kendall, Esq., R.N. Chief Commissioner, i^rerfmc^^. 
 
 And in ENGLAND, by applying to 
 
 Messrs. Anderson and Garrow Lwerpool. 
 
 Messrs. Price and Wuslibourn Gloucester. 
 
Messrs. ("iarrct and (Jihboii Porfsmouth. 
 
 Messrs. Ilnwkfr and Sons P/i/ymmfh. 
 
 Messrs. Joliii Newmarch and Sons //«.//. 
 
 Messrs. William Newmarch and C(j NvwcuHtle. 
 
 Messrs. Isaac Keston and Sons Yannonth. 
 
 Messrs. Edward Kvorard and Sons Lunn Iteij'is. 
 
 Uv. H. W. Dan son Bristol. 
 
 Hobert (larrod, Esq Ipswich. 
 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 Messrs. (;i.eorie Aitcliinson and Co Leifh. 
 
 John G. Stewart, Esq GIu.mjqio. 
 
 John Begg', Esq., Marshall-.street ........ Aberdeen. 
 
 Dundee. 
 
 James Chalmers, Esq Montrose. 
 
 James Forster, Esq Berwick-on-Tioeed. 
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 David Granger, Esq Belfn.'<t. 
 
 O'Shaiighnessiy, Esq Galivny. 
 
 Sligo. 
 
 Or of the iiiimerous Ship-owners and Ship-hrokers at 
 any of the Out-Ports, en<i:iiocd in the Britisli Colonial 
 Tiniher Trade. 
 
 New Brunswick Land C(nnpanf/\'i Office, 
 
 London, 
 London, 
 
 March lOth, 1837. 
 
 TERMS 
 
 Upofi which the Crown Lands will he disposed of In 
 jVcn^ South Wales and Van Dlemens Land. 
 
 Tt lias ht'cii (leterniined by His Majesty's (iovernnicnt 
 that no lantl sliall, in future, he dis)K)^e(l (»f in New 
 South \V;ih'« or \ Jiii OienienV^ Lund, ollierw is(> lli;in Itv 
 
I 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 321 
 
 n- Twi'ed. 
 
 okers at 
 Colonial 
 
 )ndon. 
 
 ed of in 
 ind. 
 
 ■(M'llllU'Ilt 
 
 ill New 
 
 (li;in Itv 
 
 Public Sale, and it has therefore been deemed expedient 
 to prepare, for the information of settlers, the following 
 summary of tlie rules which it has been thought fit to lay 
 down for retijulatino; the Sales of Land in those Colonies. 
 
 1. A division of the whole territory into counties, 
 hundreds, Jind parishes, is in progress. When that 
 division shall be completed, each parish will comprise an 
 area of about twenty-five square miles. 
 
 2. All the lands in the Colony, not hitherto granted, 
 and not appropriated for public purposes, will be put up 
 for sale. The price will of course depend upon the 
 quality of the land and its local situation, but no land 
 will be sold below the rate of 5.9. per acre. 
 
 3. All persons proposing to purchase lands not 
 advertized for sale, must transmit a written application 
 to the Governor, in a certain prescribed form, which will 
 be delivered at the Surveyor-General's Office, to all per- 
 sons applying, on payment of the requisite fee of 2s. 6d. 
 
 4. Those persons who are desirous of purchasing will be 
 allowed to select, within certain defined limits, such por- 
 tions of land as they may wish to acquire in that manner. 
 These i)ortions of land will be advertized for sale for 
 throe calendar months, and will then be sold to the 
 highest bidder, provided that such bidding shall at least 
 amount to the price fixed by Article 2. 
 
 5. A deposit of «£10 per cent, upon the whole value 
 of the purchase must be paid down at the time of sale, 
 and the remainder must be paid within one calendar 
 month from the day of sale, previous to which the 
 purchaser will not be put in possession of the land ; and 
 in case of payment not being made within the prescribed 
 period, the sale will be considered void and the deposit 
 forfeited. 
 
 (). On payment of the money, a grant will be made 
 
;322 
 
 ATPKNDIX. 
 
 I' . t 
 
 : ,t 
 
 ill fee-siniplo, to the purcliaser, at the nominal (juit-reiit 
 of a pepper-corn. Previous to the delivery of such 
 c:rant, a fee of forty shillinjrs will be payable to the 
 Colonial Secretary for preparing the grant, and another 
 fee of live shillings to the Register of the Supreme Court 
 for enrolling it. 
 
 7. The land will generally be put up to sale in lots 
 of one square mile, or 640 acres; but smaller lots than 
 040 acres may, under particular circumstance*!, be pur- 
 chased, on making application to the Governor, in 
 writing, with full explanations ol' the reasons for which 
 the parties wish to purchase a smaller quantity. 
 
 8. The Crown reserves to itself the right of making 
 and constructing such roads and bridges as may be 
 necessary for ])ubli(? purposes in all lands purchased as 
 above, and also to such indigenous timber, stone, and 
 other materials, the produce of the land, as may be re- 
 quired for making and keeping the said roads and bridges 
 in repair, and for any other public works. The Crown 
 further reserves to itself all mines of })recious metals. 
 
 COLOXIAL OfPICK, 
 
 2U//i Januarij, 183]. 
 
 i ,1^ 
 
 TERMS 
 
 Upon irhlck the Croiru Lands ivill ho disposed of, in 
 the New Settlement in Western Austruliei. 
 
 It has been determined by His Majesty's Government, 
 that land shall in future be disposed of in Western Aus- 
 tralia, upon the same principles as in New South Wales 
 and Van Diemen's Land ; but the encouragement hitherto 
 given to persons who might incur the ex})ense of taking 
 out labouring persons to the Colony, will not be entirely 
 withdrawn at present. 
 
Al'l'i:M)[X. 
 
 ,'523 
 
 uit-reiil 
 A' sueli 
 to tlie 
 another 
 e Court 
 
 in lots 
 ots than 
 be pur- 
 nor, in 
 I* which 
 
 making 
 may be 
 lased as 
 •ne, and 
 ly be re- 
 bridges 
 Crown 
 als. 
 
 (I of, in 
 
 (I. 
 
 rnment, 
 !rn Aiis- 
 li Wales 
 hitherto 
 ' takinsj;: 
 entirely 
 
 Tl;i; follo'U iii<i' is a .suinur.irv of the Rules which it has 
 been thought tit to substitute for those dated the 20th of 
 July, 1830. 
 
 1. A division of the whole territory into counties, 
 hundreds, and parishes, is in progress. When that divi- 
 sion shall be completed, each parish will comprise an 
 area of about twenty-five scpiare miles. 
 
 2. All the lands in the Colony not hitherto granted, 
 and not appropriated for public purposes, Avill be put up 
 to sale. The price will, of course, depend upon the 
 quality of the land and its local situation, but no land 
 will be sold below the rate of live shillings per acre. 
 
 J3. All persons proposing to purchase lands not adver- 
 tized for sale, must transmit a written application to the 
 Governor, in a cei-tain prescribed form, which will be 
 delivered at the Surveyor-General's Office to all persons 
 applying, on payment of the requisite fee of two shillings 
 and six-pfnce. 
 
 4. TiioH' M ',ons who are desirous of purchasing, will 
 be allowcv i elect, within certain defined limits, such 
 portions of land as they may wisli to acquire in that 
 manner. These portions of land will be advertized for 
 sale for three calendar months, and will then be sold to 
 the highest bidder, provided that such bidding shall at 
 least amount to the price fixed by Article 2. 
 
 '5. A deposit of 10 per cent, upon the whole value of 
 the purchase must he paid down at the time of sale, and 
 the remainder must be paid within one calendar montli 
 from the day of sale, previous to which the purchaser 
 will not be put in possession of the land ; and in case of 
 [laymcnt not being made within the prescribed period, 
 the sale will i)e tjonsidered void, and the deposit forfeited. 
 
 (i. On pnyiuent of the money, a grant will be made, 
 In lee simple, to the purchaser, at the nominal (]uit-rent 
 
 J^^ 
 
 I 
 
i •: ■ 
 
 324 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 I i' ' 
 
 Bit h 
 
 t II 
 
 of a pepper-corn. Previous to the delivery of such f^raut, 
 a fee of forty shillinirs will be payable to the Colonial 
 Secretary for prsparinfj^ the grant, and another fee of live 
 shillings for enrolling it. 
 
 7. The land will generally be put up to sale in lots of 
 one square mile, or i)40 acres, but smaller lots than (540 
 acres may, under particular circumstances, be purchased, 
 on application to the Governor, in writing, with full 
 explanations of the reasons for which the parties wish 
 to purchase a smaller (quantity. 
 
 8. The Crown reserves to itself the ri<]rht of nrakinji 
 and constructinjj such roads and bridjijes as mav be 
 necessary for public purposes in all lands purchased as 
 above, and also to such indigenous timber, stone, and 
 other materials, the produce of the land, as may be re- 
 quired lor making and keeping the said roads and bridges 
 in repair, and for any other public works. The Crown 
 further reserves to itself all mines of precious metals. 
 
 9. Those Settlers wdio may incur the expense of taking 
 out labouring persons to the settlement, will be entitled 
 to an abatement of tlie price at which the land may have 
 been purchased, at the rate of ,£20 for the passage of 
 every married labourer and his family. 
 
 10. Persons claiming such an abatement from the 
 price paid for land, will be held responsible for any 
 expense the Colonial Authorities may be compelled to 
 incur for the maintenance (during the first year after 
 their arrival) of the labourers in respect of whom it has 
 been allowed. 
 
 Colonial Office, 
 \st March, W31. 
 
 W. Lewis & Son, rrinters, 21, I'inch.lane, London. 
 
 1^ 
 
such f^raiit, 
 
 le Colonial 
 
 fee of live 
 
 e in lots of 
 s than ()40 
 purchased, 
 with full 
 irties wish 
 
 )f making 
 s may be 
 rchased as 
 stone, and 
 lay he re- 
 nd bridges 
 he Crown 
 netals. 
 2 of taking 
 be entitled 
 may have 
 passage of 
 
 from the 
 e for any 
 npelled to 
 year after 
 !iom it has