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Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la derni^re image de cheque microfiche, seion le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmte u des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seui ciich6, il est film6 d partir de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droits, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 m,/ -^ ■'i; .4^ ii ■■ THE C A N A D A S AS THKY NOW ARE. COMPREHENDING A VIEW OF THEIR CLIMATE, RIVERS, LAKES, CANALS, GOVERNMENT. LAWS, TAXES, TOWNS, TRADE, &c. WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE SOIL AND ADVANTAGES OR DISADVANTAGES OF EVERY TOWN- SHIP IN EACH PROVINCE: ilERIVKD PaOM THE REPORTS OF THE INSPECTORS MADE TO THE JUSTICES AT QUARTERSESSIONS, AND FROM OTHER AUTHENTIC SOURCES, ASSISTED BY LOCAL KNOWLEDGE. WITH A MAP, SHOWING THE POSITION OF EACH TOWNSHIP, A Point of the utmoat Comequence to Settler; COMPILED WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE PARTICULAR INTEREST OF ANY LAND COMPANY OR ASSOCIATION, BY A LATE RESIDENT. X t"' .i 11 it ' : U LONDON: JAMES DUNCAN, 37, PATERNOSTER ROW; CROSS, HOLBORN} and MANN, CORNHILL. MDCCCXXXIII. '* : y '•"•■ "\i^ LOKDON ! I'RINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES, fitnmrorti Street. Pa, if 't%. - '•fv* : * ■ ADVERTISEMENT. It is, perhaps, incumbent on the Author or Compiler of a book on a subject already before the public in different shapes, to give some reasons why he presumes to add to the number, and, by a sort of tacit compact between thf parties, it is generally expected. In compliance with such reasonable expectation, the Compiler of the following sheets will, without further circumlocution, proceed to set forth some of the reasons he has to offer in his excuse. In the first place. Colonel Bouchett's work on Ca- nada is too expensive to come within the reach of the great mass of emigrants. In the next, of the small books that have professed to give an account of the provinces of Canada, some are occupied with matter only partially interesting, and re- lating to some particular section of the country. Others are calculated rather to amuse, by their lively descrip- tions of some of the occurrences of a settler's life, than to afford solid and comprehensive information. Some, again, by their omissions, and allusions to old accounts, long since inapplicable to the present state of things, give internal evidence of being compiled by persons not a 2 I ' T ^.1 I? ADVERTISEMENT. actually acquainted with the country on which they write ; while others, though containing much valuable information, have, by repeating the same information in a somewhat different form, together with dwelling on sub- jects of no real importance, managed to make a thick and expensive book, and, at the same time, in some measure, mystify that part which is truly useful ; and last, though not least, most of them are from the pens of gentlemen having connexion with the Land Companies, and, as a natural consequence, have been influenced by that con- nexion, to give a more prominent place to their settle- ments than they may deserve : not that it is intended to deny to the Canada Land Company or their servants their due meed of praise — and they are entitled to a con- siderable share— but if a personal friend, with 200/. or 300/. or more, were to ask the Author if he would ad- vise him to settle at Guelph or Goderich, he would reply, * Certainly not at the latter, nor at the former, unless you are too indolent to look for a more eligible spot, plenty of which are to be found with a little trouble and the exercise of discrimination/ In the compilation of this work, the Author has en- deavoured to avoid the errors of his forerunners ; and, whilst it has been his study not to omit any feature of prominent and universal interest, he has sought, with equal solicitude, to adopt a mode of arrangement by which the information contained may be rendered avail- able to the inquirer of any degree of intelligence. As there are many persons contemplating emigration who are not decided whether to proceed to the Cana- ADVKRTISEMENT. V das, or the United States, and some who, although they are rather inchned to go to the Canadas, yet resolve to go by the way of New York, and thus have an opportu- nity of judging for themselves, he thought it would be acceptable to give a short sketch of the city and state of New York, and some other matters interesting to an emigrant, together with the route from New York to Upper Canada. He will only add, that he hopes the matter-of-fact nature of the subject, added to the conviction of the incomplete and erroneous character of many of the de- scriptions of Canada, will plead his excuse for taking up the pen, well knowing his inability to clothe any other than such a statistical subject in tolerable language. I INTRODUCTION. That a correct knowledge of the geographical position and formation of a country is of the first importance to the inhabitants of that coun- try, is an assertion, that few or none will be found to dispute ; but this knowledge, except to the statesman and merchant, is of little conse- quence to the inhabitants of Europe, compared to the vast influence which a thorough acquaint- ance with the face of the country exercises over the ultimate prosperity of individuals in a region so thinly peopled as America, where the situa- tion, or, as the Americans term it, the locality of the land, constitutes the greatest part of its value. For want of a tolerably accurate idea of the course of the navigable waters, and the means of reaching a market, a man may set himself down in the face of difRculties which he may not dis- cover for years ; and then the chances are, that his life will not last long enough to correct his error, and he must content himself with his lot • •• viii I I INTRODUCTION. «n the best manner he mnv • ., labour is lose, or nearly so ' ""' ''''' '""^ P^^ attention is paid "If; J ^ '"« greatest «aps. The rivers anH V ^'. ^^ "'"'^y of -ost conspieuousi; li h :;t: "%'"■' "•'""' 'oads that are onij nrlcled "T' '"'' '^^' "ons. 'vherefacilitiLEenfth'/ ,''"" ^""«- --truction, are pZTo^ f^' 'T ^"^^'^ person is mpf ^„ • Scarcely any t^e state in:trh:iirelL?'°"' ^. '"'''' "' rale at which thev are olr ^'' ""'' ^''^^ "^W «'y of their bindlrsp':;!' ^ ''^ P"^^'''" versal estimation t SLh . ^ "'^ ^''^ ""'- held. '*'"'^'' ^uch knowledge is good sense, and has «« », 7 . '"""'^^d m such necessity o the case th 7 f""^ """''" ^"""^ '^e aWe not to followT' " ^""''^ *>« Hnpardon- inexpScfriVt' k^'-m'^?^ ^""^-^^^ *he P'icity of wateSu i ''"■"1 ^^ '^' "^"Iti- -hole country. ^1:" •''' ""^^^ °^ '^- however valuLe thev r '^'•"'"'^ "^ ^^ese, and for milling p^^^^J^^ "« ^^-^ ligation navigable, though 3^; "°* ^* P-'^^ent n^adeso. whenever the "L ?P""« "^ ^eing ever the increased settlement will w INTRODUCTION. ix warrant the expense. It has, therefore, been thought best to leave these out in the map ac- companying the present sketch, because they draw off the attention from the main streams, and, besides, they are mostly alluded to in the letter-press account of the advantages of each township, and also because all who have land to dispose of, whether individuals or large pro- prietors, have maps whereon their lands are de- scribed on a larger scale. Roads are comparatively of small importance in Canada, and do not engage a large share of attention, except in the neighbourhood of the larger towns ; and, for obvious reasons ; any one will imagine the great labour in making a road through a forest, and, when made, of keeping it in tolerable plight to bear heavy loads in the spring and autumn ; besides, the frost and snow convert the worst roads into the best, for the rapid and easy conveyance of heavy loads on sledges. Most of the streams, though not navi- gable in summer, are converted into excellent roads in the winter ; and, therefore, all the heavy work upon a farm, the conveyance of produce to market, and the receiving heavy goods from the nearest port, is reserved to that time ; and hence the necessity for good roads is not felt so greatly as it would be if the winters did not so conve- niently and delightfully supply the defect. m IL ;i *■ ■;. ! i u i' X INTRODUCTION. It would be quite superfluous to reiterate arguments to an American, in proof of the ad- vantages of being seated on or near a navigable water; nor should it be further noticed here, but that some persons, from interested motives, have contended that the small settler is not so much interested in this question, because he can find a purchaser in the nearest storekeeper. It is true that he may find it his best interest to dispose of his crop to him ; but as the latter pur- chases with the sole intent of sending it to the great ports, the cost of transport^ be it more or less, must be paid out of the produce , and nothing else. To this consideration is to be superadded, that the cost of every article consumed on the farm must be enhanced from the same cause. It is also true that land near the great lakes and riAers is not to be obtained except at a high price, compared with the inland tracts, (what need of greater proof of the value of water-com- munication ?) and that fine land on Lake Huron or Lake Erie may be had at a much less price than land near Lake Ontario ; but the real value of each is pretty accurately measured. The small expense of reaching a market com- pensates for an increased outlay in the land. But as it is quite impossible for every emi- grant (especially those of small means) to get land near the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario, .» ikes ligh rhat )m- iron 'ice \eal led. Im- n- ret INTRODUCTION. XI it becomes consequently a [)oint of importance that he should set himself down as near them as possible. For this purpose it is presumed that the map will afford valuable information^ exhi- biting in the plainest manner the relative situa- tion of every one of the 446 townships into which the provinces are divided ; and as it is the custom, in speaking of land, to say that it is situate in such a township and district (not naming the county), there can be no difficulty, by the alphabetical arrangement of their names, and by the descriptions of each, by the autho- rized surveyors in Part II., in at once discovering whether the description given of any township by the seller is generally correct. There are three modes of obtaining land in either of the Canadas : first from government, to whom application may be made at Quebec for land in the Lower Province; and at the Go- vernment Office at York, for land in the Upper Province. Mr. Buchanan of Quebec is, how- ever, authorized to treat for, and dispose of the crown lands in both provinces, and will explain their situation, and the terms on which they will be granted. See Appendix No. 1. The second mode of purchasing land is from the Land Companies. The British- American Land Association is not yet prepared for busi- ness ; it is understood that they will confine I M IL i. t I • ' %' f^ m f li xii INTRODUCTION. themselves to the Lowpi- p • to the townships i„ the'cS;.^rof\?t"'Sr""^ i^he Canada LanrI r^ Francis. •andinthe WeXSrZ "T "°' '"y almost all the townships JftLrT *"'" ^^'"^ '» besides the Huron t^ o/l Jo ooS" ''"^'"^^' the township of GuelDh wJk ' ''"^''' ^nd Mr. Davidson is tt ^"''""'^'y*''«i"• Messrs. Hart, ^an a„d Co m ^"^*'^''' ^d Pe«o„s cannot, £1^ "" " .^f"'''"^- ^««« and it is aearly wastelf L °r'"*'" P^'^^ases. In the su.»„i;Mj°^*'r/°'nquireofthem. agent, resides at Queblr.' *''f ^o^Pany's give eveo. information ^ m !''• '^f " 'l"«''««d 'o bestmodeof reach in "v„ If" '^"'^^^ «"d the and where only ba 2 ;!"'''' \^^'« '^''^ office is. The third mode 5 Ob, ''" ^' '^°''*='"''««»- by purchase from indiv^i ? cultivated, is sheriffs sales ;T at 1 '""r ''°'^ ' «' «»« '^hich has been granted TT^ '^^'' *»f ^«nd have failed in peS^tt T '"'"^ '''^ «'«"'««'' g'-ant, or to paythTTf *=*'"*"°''^ "^ the Pe-nnumon^rL^Lr/r^ofonepenny i here IS some rklf :« i . Wr Province ^ i„T/T '''"'* '» '^^ caution should be exZ: '"^'^'''»«'* 5 and great ject to regist.^ but ^ ^ nP'" ""'^ ^'"'s''^^' « little dangX' of ^,.'^"^Pr^™^''"=« there gc- of gettmg a bad title, as every INTRODUCTION. Xlll principally Francis, e not any i^esome in • Province, acres, and rely theirs, lebec, and eal. These purchases, •e of them. Company's lalified to , and the ' office is> ded. erin its vated, is at the of land grantees } of the 5 penny in the great \g sub- there every part is subject to registry, and common pru- dence is sufficient to guard against that risk. It may here be allowed to call the attention of the intended settler to the situation of the Canada Company's la je tracts, viz., Guelph and the Huron tract. Individuals of small means, and not connected with others going out with the like intentions, may perhaps not do amiss by taking up land at Guelph, which is within thirty miles of a port on Lake Ontario, to which there is a road called good in American phrase, but which will not be estimated at that rate by an Englishman, until he has lost all recollection of those which he has been in the habit of calling bad. The land bears an excellent character ; and the Company have erected mils and stores, which are, doubt- less, very essential establishments to be within reasonable distance of a settler. Goderich, in the Huron tract, it will be seen by the Map, is removed from Lake Ontario be- tween 400 and 500 miles by water-communica- tion. The 80 or 90 miles of road from Gode- rich to Port Talbot on Lake Erie would reduce the distance ; but such a route is not to be looked to for the advantageous conveyance of produce to a market, in such a country as Ame- rica. There is surely no need of argument to prove that a bushel of wheat is of less value, by b I Ti '\ ' h ?■•. 5-*;* I i XIV INTRODUCTION. .1! I something very considerable, in the Huron tract, than it is on the shores of Lake Ontario, and at the same time that any article of British manufacture or West Indian produce must be dearer in the first than in the last-named situa- tion ; and, therefore till land situate some hun- dreds of miles nearer the great markets of con- sumption and supply has become more scarce than it at present is, or is likely to be for many years to come, it certainly appears very question - able policy for any individual to fix himself at so remote a distance. But if these points deserve the attention of persons with scanty means, still more do they press themselves on those who are possessed of some capital, and whose lives have been spent in a well- peopled land, and in the interchange of the charities and civilities of life, the worth of which are not fully discovered till their loss is felt. By a little inquiry and perse- verance, plenty of land may be found near the shores of the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario, either wild, or partially cleared, and possessing all the advantages of Guelph or the Huron tract, besides being within a reasonable distance of the large towns and markets, and wearing alto- gether an aspect not so repulsive to an old coun- try man (as the Europeans are called) as the interminable wilds of Guelph or Lake Huron. The Lower Province, although possessing the INTRODUCTION. XV advantage over the Upper, in respect to the markets for grain and other exportable produce* including beef and pork, and also possessing the large cities of Montreal and Quebec, at which many of the smaller productions of a farm will bring a good price, yet, from the length and severity of the winters, is undoubtedly calculated rather for the Scotch and north of England farmer, than for any other class of agricul- turists. The descriptions of the townships in the Lower Province are taken chiefly from the reports of their qualities, &c., by Lieutenant-Colonel Bou- chett, the surveyor-general. The descriptions of the townships in the Upper Province are mostly taken from the reports made by the deputy surveyors and inspectors to the justices at quarter-sessions and to the Provincial Government, assisted by the general knowledge gained by the Author during two years' residence (1830 and 1831), and travelling on the great line of the St. Lawrence and the Lakes; and he will esteem himself happy if his labour should be found serviceable in rendering this interesting country, both to the agriculturist and trader, better known, and its advantages properly appreciated. ". ,< London^ January, 1833. '■ f i' I PAKT I. GENERAL VIEW. } Preparations for the Voyage^ Sfc. — New York and the principal Towns in that State — Route to Upper Canada. « In whatever part of the United Kingdom the in- tended Emigrant is situated, he will have no diffi- culty in finding a port from whence to embark for the Western Continent. London, Liverpool, Bristol, Hull, Leith, and Belfast are, of course, the principal, but from most of the minor ports some vessels take their departure for Quebec and Montreal, between the 20th of March and the end of September. Ships for New York are sailing all the year. In seeking for a ship, persons are advised to trust more to their own discrimination than to any agent, who, knowing he is not likely again to see the face of his employer, has no care beyond that of getting his fee. The ship should be visited, and her various ac- commodations inquired into ; as the height she has b^^tween decks ; what number of berths or sleeping- places there are, and how many are to occupy each ; B V.I in THE VOYAGE. fit r I: the number and situation of the water-closets ; the accommodations for cookinp;', and any other points which may suggest themselves. If you are taking your wives and children you should be more parti- cular than otherwise you need be. Some idea may formed whether the number of passengers named is too much, and preference should be given to the ship carrying the least number*. Persons whose means enable them to pay for a cabin passage should visit the ship, and inspect the accommodations, and also ascertain the quantity of live-stock they will take, and what proportion it bears to the number of passengers, as cabin-pas- sengers are generally found by the captain ; also, if any, and what bedding is provided ; what wine and liquors are allowed, and other inferior matters; and, on paying the passage-money, all parties should take a receipt, expressing as fully as possible all the items agreed upon, and also that no charge is to be made for luggage. There are none but British ships sail for Canada, but for New York there are both British and Ame- rican. The accommodations on board the latter are certainly very excellent, but the cliarge is somewhat higher than the British ; and although the splendid appearance of the cabins, when in port, is very im- posing to a landsman, yet those who have sailed in * See the ** Information published by the Commissioners for Emigration," price 2d. Knight, Pall-Mall East, and other Booksellers. I ! s ; the points taking parti- ta may med is to the for a Bct the ntity of lion it in-pas- also, if ine and »; and, should all the } to be anada, Ame- er are lewhat llendid ry im- [led in lers for other THE VOYAGE. 8 both c^enerally pr<»fer the arranpfement of the cabins of a British ship as ./y fur the most comfortable. A poop, or quorter-deck, is nlso, for many reasons^ very desirable, especially in a ship with a Iar«]^e num- ber of passengers, and none of the American shi[)s have quarter-decks. Some of the British vessels have an intermediate cabin separated from the steerage, by which persons of respectability, though of small means, may avoid the indiscriminate mix- ture in the steerage of the American ships. There are also other points in which there is a difference, and though they would sound trivial on shore, yet they assume a different character at sea. Upon the whole there is no hesitation in declaring that an Englishman will find himself more at home in a British than in an American ship. The price is en- tirely an affair of arrangement, as less is frequently taken than is asked, and less at some seasons than at others. Those who decide upon providing their own pro- visions (and perhaps nine out of ten will be more satisfied with it 5 besides, the employment which the cooking and preparing it affords is likely to be pleasant rather than otherwise, by keeping the mind, in some measure, engaged) may calculate that the voyage to New York will be performed in from twenty-five to fifty days, so that provisions for forty days will, in all reasonable probability, last them the voyage. Few persons will consume more than a pound of biscuits per day. Flour and oatmeal b2 I': I .■« V »' • 'fi i 4 THE VOYAGE. should not be forgotten, if there are children espe- cially. Potatoes are a valuable article in a sea- voyage ; so are apples, onions, and pickles. Beef and pork may be varied with some bacon and a few herrings : the two last may be packed in pea-chafF, to absorb the moisture. Eggs may be securely packed in salt or bran, and are excellent food either by themselves or with bacon : some rice, with tea, sugar, butter, and other small articles, will make up all that is requisite for the sea-store. One or more large cakes, with carraway-seeds, &c., if made im- mediately before sailing, would keep moist and good a long time, and would be most acceptable to chil- dren. Spirits may, perhaps, be purchased of the captain cheaper than on shore, because he has no duty to pay on his stores, but inquiry must be made as to that point. There will likewise be required a tea-kettle and one or two saucepans, and the neces- sary crockery, &c. ; also a large stone-bottle or small keg, to hold the daily allowance of water. A box, divided into compartments, will be found very serviceable in keeping articles as separate as possible, and preventing breakage. Cord, to lash ihe boxes to some part of the vessel, must not be forgotten: for the want of which great damage is sometimes done at sea to crockery, &c. The meat should not be in large pieces, and perhaps it would be best to divide it into two tubs, that if any pieces are not good or require using they may be separated from the others. As to bedding, it is as well to THE VOYAGE. D remark that good beds and blankets will stand a good chance of beings spoiled, and therefore anything is fi^ood enough for the voyage which will answer the purpose. The same may be said of clothing, all of which, except that intended to be used on the pas- sage, should be well packed in separate boxes, not to be opened, as the sea air is best excluded. Having thus prepared the necessaries for use during the voyage, the next matter is to prepare yourself; and, if you have a desire to avoid sea-sick- ness, the experience of one who has tried its eflicacy is subjoined. A few days prev'ous to embarkation, by two or more doses of medicine, at proper inter- vals, make sure of a clear stomach, which is of the greatest importance. Be provided with some medi- cine, to remedy any confinement or relaxation which may occur during the voyage, and do not neglect to use them should there be occasion. Be as much upon deck as you can when the weather will permit, and be frequently on the move : accommodate your- self to the motion of the ship, laying hold of the ropes, &c., as you would in a swing ; and by no means resist the motion, as some will attempt to do, and always to their cost. Cheerfulness and gaiety, with cleanliness added to the above, will very likely se- cure you from illness, but will be quite sure to miti- gate any that may arise ; and, after all, a voyage across the Atlantic is not so formidable an affair as some imagine it to be — if the vessel be not too much crowded. Ml ' \i 11 b NEW YORK. At New York a tax of one dollar is levied on each emigrant ; and all articles, except clolhing, are sub- ject to heavy duties. At Quebec there is a tax of one dollar on every adult emigrant, and half a dollar on children from seven to fourteen, but no duty on any article for use or consumption, although it is not advisable to take any heavy or cumbrous goods, especially if the in- tention is not fixed to a particular spot, or if the emigrant intends to proceed to the upper province. The voyage to Quebec is generally rather longer than to New York, and prudence requires a propor- tional augmentation to the sea-store : perhaps provi- sions for sixty days will not be required by nineteen ships out of twenty, yet it is a serious affair to be short of provisions at sea, and the safest way is to provide for that time or near it. The shortest passages are usually made to Ame- rica in the spring, and from thence to Europe in the fall. ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK. On arriving at New York, the first affair to be at- tended to is the providing a residence. The custom of living at lodging and boarding houses is much more general than anywhere in England, so that little difficulty is experienced in finding plenty, whose terms are from two to four dollars per week ; 1 NEW YORK. j& and as no notice of quitting is ever expected more than a day or so, if convenient, it is not so necessary to be particular at first. Very genteel lodgings, with good living, may be obtained for three or three dollars and a half, which will include all that is re- quired, without any extra charge. Persons with families will have more trouble to find accommodation. The most eligible mode of procedure for them will be to seek in the upper part of the town for apartments ; and as the sale of pro- visions is confined to the markets, which are pretty well scattered about, no time will be lost in pro- viding for a family. One of the first things which will require the at- tention of the newly-arrived is the circulating me- dium : the dollar and its fractional parts constitute almost the entire circulation of the United States. They have a coinage of gold and silver, but of the former scarce any are seen in circulation, and the latter consists of half-dollars, or fifty-cent pieces, ten- cent pieces, and five-cent pieces. But the great bulk of the specie in use is the Spanish dollar, and its subdivisions. The only copper coin is the cent, which is the xott^^ P^"^*^ ^^ ^ dollar, and is also called a penny, but it is scarcely equal to our halfpenny. The sixteenth part of the dollar is called six-pence ; the eighth part a shilling ; the fourth part two shil- lings ; the half four shillings ; and the dollar eight shilUngs ; so that the whole of the money in use is but of half the value of pieces of corresponding V u m i 8 CIRCULATING MEDIUM. iii li i names in England. And it is very necessary to at- tend to this fact, not only when in America, but in all communications on the subject of wages, &c., and also the information contained in books, for if the price of labour is named in New York currency, and the price of provisions in English currency, which is sometimes the case, the truth is most shock- ingly distorted, and the state of things made to ap- pear much more in favour of the United States than the reality warrants. It is here also to be remarked that although the dollar is the universal coin of the whole United States, and consequently it, with its divisions, is of the same real value every where, yet the several parts are called by various names in different States. Boston and Philadelphia differ from each other, and both from New York, in the names and apparent value of the parts of the dollar. All accounts are kept in dollars and cents. The emigrant, if he is an artisan, should lose no time in getting employment, but is advised on no account to engage for an extended time, but rather take low wages at first: fur by this means he is likely to gain information which may be of use in directing his future steps. Considerable caution is requisite in attending to accounts of the demand for labourers or mechanics in this or that place, for in no one feature do the Americans differ from the English more than in the universal desire for changing about ; which urges H V 1 , 'I 1 \ (I I ■ PROCURING EMPLOYMENT. 9 no no ther [ely jing to lies ihe he les them to be ever on the look out for new opportuni- ties for enterprise, and which most frequently prove of little or no advantage to the individual, however the community may eventually benefit by this spirit. Jf the emigrant is an agricultural labourer, he should lose no time in inquiring into the demand for labour. English farming men will find them- selves at first quite unable to cope with the Ameri- can labourer in clearing new land, and operations on new farms ; and till they have had some experience, perhaps it would be best to get work, if possible, in some of the older states. The New England States, which lie north of New York, were the first settled, and are in a higher state of cultivation than the other States. The population is also greater, but for many years there has been very extensive emigration from these States to the western States on the Mississippi, and more recently to the Michegan territory; added to which there are many manufactories established there, which thin the agricultural labourers by the numbers employed therein. Taking all these things into consideration, it would, perhaps, be prudent to endeavour to get work ill those States, at least, for a time, and it may also be observed that the habits of the people, and their mode of living, do not differ in so great a de- gree from the English as in the more remote States. Persons who carry money with them of more or less amount, with the intention of purchasing land, must not allow their vigilance to slumber. There B 5 m I'' ■\A* '. f- •■ I* I' ' ■ % I- II I i 10 PURCHASING LAND. will be no want of tempting bargains by the hundred, but not a little circumspection will be required to secure one good one. Good land near New York, or any of the prin- cipal towns, brings a high price, and generally any land in this state offered at a low price may be sus- pected, and must be personally examined, and the title investigated by some attorney of known respect- ability. The same observation applies to most of the older States. It is quite impossible to glance at the numerous ways in which the sovereigns and dollars of John Bull may take flight if he does not keep a sharp look out ; nor need he, in a general way, look for any commiseration from cousin Jonathan, who will only laugh at his misfortune, he not being quite able to distinguish the difference between an honourable confidence and a want of sense, to which latter he attributes the comparative ease with which an Englishman is deceived. As general advice, it is recommended not to be in haste. To acquire a general knowledge of the face of the country, with the navigable rivers, and the means of reaching a market, by studying the maps of each State, to which the attention is directed. Always to look at the land before purchase, and then to have the title well investigated, fr«r the chances of a bad one are much greater than they are in England, where, from the great value of land, more circumspection is exercised. In conclusion, it P I f lu be the and the ;ted. land the Ihey Ind, lit 1 ^' CAUTION IN TRADE. u may be remarked that a stranger is scarcely likely to meet with a real bargain of land at auction. Persons emigrating to the United States with the intention of employing more or less cash in trade, will have need of all their care, and should not en- gage in any pursuit till they have, in some measure, made themselves acquainted with the habits and methods of the people they have arrived amongst. In accomplishing this they will encounter some con- siderable difficulty, for the Americans, although they are extremely inquisitive into all the concerns of a stranger, are not at all communicative as to any matter that really concerns themselves. It is, per- haps, almost needless to remark, that the tempting offers in the newspapers, and the numerous agency offices, are to be avoided, and that it is ever to be kept in remembrance that in New York are large numbers of persons who have been compelled to quit England for frauds similar to those which they still continue to practise. If the emigrant arrives in the spring, he will be captivated with the bustle on the quays, at the public sales, and in the streets of business, which wear an animating and thriving aspect ; but all this does not determine whether the business which is the occa- sion of these enlivening appearances is productive of substantial profit. The following facts are submitted, and the in- tended emigrant is left to draw his own inference. Nearly the whole circulation of the United States H M > ■ , I i y V !t I' ' U I, t; M 111. ,* i I 12 FALSE CAPITAL. consists of notes of one dollar and upwards. These notes are issued by private banking companies, of whom there are upwards of seventy in the State of New York alone, whose notes are at par or a trifling discount, besides the notes of some broken banks which circulate at the value their estates are sup- posed to bear to their debts, that is, from 20 to 90 per cent, discount. Seventeen of these seventy banks are in the city of New York, and their united capital is about 18,000,000 of dollars, or 3,700,000Z. sterling, while by the single means of the custom- house bonds (for the duties are not paid in cash, but the goods are released on the signature of a bond payable at three and six months) there has been for many years a floating, fictitious capital, calculated at flfteen millions of dollars. It is not to be expected that such extensive crea- tion of false capital and consequent speculation in one class of the community is not followed by a corresponding system in all other classes, and as the time has nearly arrived when the high duties must be reduced, because they will not be wanted for the purposes of the States, and also to satisfy the cla- mours of the southern and western states, who have been greatly oppressed by them, the bonds will then arrive at maturity without the importer possessing the means of keeping up his capital by new importa- tions ; he consequently must contract his business, and the mercantile community must be in a fearfully precarious state till the whole of this false capital is EXTENSIVE CREDIT, 13 crea- in by a the fiust the cla- ave en a. |iiy is redeemed. Nor is it attempted to be denied that any other than a "gradual reduction of the duties will be followed by extensive ruin and embarrassment, particularly to all manufacturing concerns which the high protecting duties alone enable to compete suc- cessfully with British productions. But ♦he difficulty will be to bring about this gradual process, many of the states being thoroughly convinced that they have been made the dupes of the present system, and will insist on immediate reduction. Rents, in what are called good stands for business^ are high at New York, and the city rates are by no means inconsiderable. Business to any extent is not to be carried on with- out giving credit, except through the auctioneers, who require 2j per cent, for guarantee, and will then find the cash less the interest on the amount at 6 per cent, for four or six months, according to the usual credit on the goods, and the expenses of sale. The law abolishing imprisonment for debt in the State of New York went into operation on the 1st of March, 1832, previous to which time it existed to a greater extent than in England. It is not here necessary to inquire if such law is founded on good or bad policy ; it is sufficient to remark that, such being the law, it becomes the more imperative on those possessed of property to know well the persons whom they trust, and, consequently, the transactions of a stranger, whether he seeks to advance his interest 1^ a .'. ! ■ ,i i H \.\'\ ■ i' I . I ill t li 14 PRINCIPAL TOWNS OF TRADE. by giving or receiving credit, must be considered embarrassed by such law. These observations are offered as data from which every one must draw the same conclusion — viz.^ that the state of affairs in the United States is some way off from being healthy, and that there are some diffi- culties to be encountered which many perhaps have not thought of before, and which will show that there exists a great necessity for the exercise of cau- tion in embarking property either in trade or agri- culture. The principal towns of trade in the State of New York, besides the city of that name, are Hudson, Al- bany, and Troy, on the banks of the Hudson, which the Americans usually call the North River ; Utica, Rochester, and Buffalo, on the banks of the canal which connects Lake Erie with the Hudson at Albany. All these towns are advantageously situate for busi- ness, which is carried on to a considerable extent in each. Besides these, there are numerous small towns on the banks of the Hudson and of the Erie canal, nearly all of a subsequent date to the canal itself, and which are rising progressively with the increasing cultivation and population ofthe country traversed by the canal, and to the westward of it, the produce of which countries must reach a seaport either through this canal and the Hudson to New York, or, through the Welland canal (in Canada), Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence, to Montreal or Quebec. ivl EXPENSE OF TRAVELLING. 15 nd The great elevation of Lake Erie above the Hud- son at Albany, where the Erie canal terminates, fur- nishes the means of obtaining abundance uf power alonr^ its line for mill-seats. The navigation of the canal is usually suspended by the frost four months at least, and of course much interruption is occasioned to the mills. The emigrant will find no difficulty in procuring conveyance from New York to all the principal sea- ports and towns in the Union, either in sloops and steam-boats to the nearer, and in ships to the more distant parts, at very moderate charges, if he drives a good bargain. Philadelphia is 95 miles, and the journey is performed partly by water and partly by land —fare three dollars ; to Boston, 244 miles, by steam- boat or sloop — fare three to eight dollars ; Hudson, 157 miles, Albany, 160 miles, and Troy, 166 miles, may be reached by steam-boat, tow-boat, or sloop — fare, by the first, two dollars, and by the two last much less. Sometimes it is the custom to include the board of the passengers in the fare, and at other times it is not, which depends upon the opposition on the different rivers at the time. If the emigrant wishes to proceed westward, he will find, at Albany, plenty of canal boats, called line boats^ which carry passengers as well as goods ; they travel at the rate of three miles an hour, and, by driving a close bar- gain, will take you for two cents per mile, including three meals a day. At night beds are provided, and if the boats are not too much crowded, the journey- ing by them is very tolerable. , \' ■ i J ■a ..V ' 1 • ( ' i 1 16 UTICA ROCHESTER. Ji t 1 1 ii-i C '. i \ ; I I Hi E li; i Mil 1 If better accommodation is desired, the coacli must be taken from Albany to Schenectady^ 15 miles — fare half a dollar. From thence are passape- boats, which carry no j^oods, and are fitted up in very superior style ; they go at the rate of four miles an hour, and charge four cents per mile, including board of an excellent description furnished in abun- dance. Utica is 96 miles from Albany. This is a large trading town on the banks of the canal, seated in a very fruitful district, but flat, and unfavourable to health from the exhalations which arise from the shallow lakes, which are thickly inter- spersed in this part of the State of New York. Ro- chester is 250 miles from Albany. This city enjoys extensive water privileges, as the phrase is, from the Gene ee river, which here falls a considerable height, and affords power to numerous flour-mills, and other establishments. By the river it has a communication with Lake Ontario, and schooners may be found here for York, Kingston, and the other towns in Upper Canada. The population of Rochester is about 15,000, but it has lately been considered that its advance has been far too rapid for the soundness of its prosperity, and the failures have been numerous and heavy. Between the two last-named places is Salina, at which are salt-works, but the quality of the salt is greatly inferior to English salt for most purposes, and nothing but the high duty on foreign salt enables these works to flourish, notwithstanding BUFFALO. 17 (he cfreat expense of transport froni New York, At which, of course, is a premium iu their favour. Lock|)()rt there is a fall of 10 feet by five locks, wliich ^ives ag^reat power applicable to mill work. BulFalo is at the entrance of the canal from Lake Erie, and is a very flourishing^ town. Here the schooners which navigate the lake unload the pro- duce of the southern shores, and parts adjacent, to be conveyed to New York by the canal, and take in their return carjijoes of goods for the supply of the country. The trade of the place is very considerable, and many mechanical operations are carried on. Whole length of canal, 3GI miles. Steam-boats start from hence for Detroit, and the route just described is the one to be taken by those who may land at New York, and decide upon pro- ceeding to the Huron Tract, or any other part of Upper Canada. For the route from New York to Lower Canada, see route from Montreal to New York, page 46. Perhaps, if the country which has been noticed, together with the whole of the State of New York, was described as the most eligible for English set- tlers, it might not be far from the truth. The climate is, for the most part, good, the unhealthy portion principally occurring on two levels of upwards of 60 miles each, where the canal is conducted through a succession of marshy lakes between Utica and Rochester. It is not, however, intended to say that there are I I il 18 WESTERN STATES. not other parts where the emigrant might fix himself to equal advantage, but this State, on the whole^ is preferable. Next to this, stand the States of Con- necticut, Massachusets, New Jersey, and Pennsyl- vania. The inland, or Western States, are so far removed from a port, and, consequently, a constant market for produce, the character and habits of the population more dissimilar from English habits, and the advantage possessed by the natives in their dex- terity in clearing land so great, that these States are presumed not to be eligible for the English agricul- turist. The Southern States, from the climate and quality of the crops raised, present but little encouragement to the European cultivator. \; I ■il g tJL-ig ' j-iiiLia p . 19 !'•!"! 1^'i^ himself )hole, is 3f Con- 'ennsyl- 80 far onstant of the ts, and ?ir dex- ites are igricul- quality ^ement j^ CANADA. Introductory Remarks. Before proceeding to give a brief outline of Canada, something must be said of the situation and extent of the country bearing that name, — a subject on which it is much to be regretted most Englishmen are not at all informed, or, rather, are completely misin- formed. In Scotland the true state of the case is better known, and the advantages presented by fertility of soil, climate, facility of reaching a never-failing mar- ket, absence of tithe, taxes, and imposts, except the merest trifle, and also of political agitation, are duly appreciated, ample proof of which exists in the flou- rishing state of the townships in both provinces, settled by Scotsmen. Few persons give the consideration they ought to the circumstances of the extent of the British posses- sions in North America. From the eastern shore of Newfoundland to the Western end of Lake Erie, to which point civilization extends, is little less than 2000 miles. Every mile is verging towards the south, and it would be quite as absurd to judge of the climate and soil of Dorsetshire from an account of the most northerly point of Scotland, as to com- f I i I 1 in I! Mi I 1 ; I '^ I- I!' ij f i I .'jit * ■ :ii 20 RIVER ST. LAWRENCE. pare the climate and soil of the eastern part of Canada with that of the shores of the lakes. The river St. Lawrence, which constitutes with the lakes the greatest extent of inland navigation known, and including Lake Superior, altogether not much less than the Mediterranean Sea, clothes this country with a value which centuries will be required fully to disclose. It discharges itself into the ocean by the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from which it is navi- gable, for sliips of 400 tons, to Montreal — a dis- tance of 580 miles. The width at the entrance from the Gulf is about 80 miles ; and, for 300 miles up, the width is seldom less than 20. At Quebec it suddenly contracts, and gives that city its most com- manding character ; the tide flows about 60 miles above Quebec, at which place it rises about 18 feet in ordinary tides. The St. Lawrence, in its course, receives nume- rous rivers, which in Europe would be described as of the first magnitude. Some of them flow through countries at present little known, but which, at some future period, may be found to be no less valuable than the parts now settled. These rivers are all of them much darker than the waters of the St. Law- rence, which, from the great lakes to the junction of the River Ottawa at Montreal, is the clearest in the world, and of a beautiful green. All these rivers and lakes abound with valuable fish, of which much greater profit might be made than is at present attempted. \H i' ". ! LOWER CANADA. 21 1. m 1 part of ). utes with lavi^ation :ether not )thes this 2 required Ihe ocean t is iiavi- I — a dis- nce from niles up, Quebec it ost com- 60 miles t 18 feet 5 nume- ribed as through at some valuable e all of t. Law- ction of t in the rivers 1 much present The river, from the ocean to the point where the 45th degree of north latitude strikes it at about 65 miles above the island of Montreal, a distance alto- gether of 640 miles, is exclusively within the British dominions ; and British subjects alone have the right of navigating thereon. From that point the southern shore of the river and the lakes is in the United States ; and the citizens are equally entitled, with the British, to the navigation within a line drawn through the centre of the river and lakes. The quality of the soil and the growth of timber on the banks of the rivers are almost invariably in- ferior to the timber and soil of the interior. The country, bearing the general name of Canada, is divided into two provinces — the Upper, and the Lower — each of which has its own governor, legis- lature, and laws ; and, in fact, are distinct States, under the jjrotection of Great Britain. LOWER CANADA. Climate — Soil — Money — Government — Laws — Towns — Rivers, Sfc. The province of Lower Canada is the eastern part of this territory, and was settled to a considerable extent bv the French, whose descendants still com- prise about three-fourths of the population. The actual settlement and cultivation (excepting the district of Gaspe, at the mouth of the St. Law- KV |iif i -, f ! 1 ■ ■ , ■ t i i it r' ! ti ^ 1:1 rf ^r I H 22 CLIMATE. rence, which is devoted almost wholly to the timber trade and fisheries ; the comparative productiveness of these trades has kept the people from pursuing agriculture, although parts of it are described in the official reports * to be susceptible of the most im- proved agriculture/ and lime and coal are found) commences about 80 miles below Quebec. From thence to the boundary between the two provinces, 65 miles above Montreal, being about 325 miles along the St. Lawrence from east to west. The ave- rage width of the settled country on each side along this line, may be stated at 20 miles, with the excep- tion of that portion below Quebec, which is not wholly settled to that extent. The country within these limits comprehends nearly all that was known under the name of Canada at the time of its conquest by the English under Wolfe, in 1759 ; and the accounts given at that time of the rigour of the climate of Quebec and the other French settlements in the Gulf of St. Law- rence, are too generally received at this day as applicable to the whole of the country called Canada ; whereas they are not now correctly applicable even to the parts which they then described, — it being a well-known and established fact, that the climate of America is changing with the clearing of the forests. Even at New York there are old people now alive who remember when the River Hudson was frozen almost every winter, so as to be passable at the city ; now it seldom freezes hard enough for passage .1 WINTER AT MONTREAL. 23 ...If lly to the timber J productiveness e from pursuing rlescribed in the of the most im- coal are found) Quebec. From » two provinces, ibout 325 miles west. The ave- each side along with the excep- j, which is not ts comprehends name of Canada English under given at that fuebec and the lilf of St. Law- It this day as called Canada ; ipplicable even led, — it being a the climate of of the forests. )le now alive son was frozen |bie at the city ; for passage across nearer than 60 or 80 miles north. At Quebec the river now frequently is some years without being frozen hard enough for passage ; and last winter the House of Representatives voted 300/. to an engi- neer to form a bridge across, by stopping the ice, and have agreed to continue that allowance to him for the same purpose — a pretty good proof that the frost is not quite so strong as they could wish ; and perhaps, for reasons which may be guessed at, from some observations that follow on the character of the Canadians, they are not at all pleased with the change in the climate. The author passed the winter of 1830-1 at Mon- treal ; and perhaps a plain statement, with dates of what occurred, will be the best explanation of the weather. December 12, arrived at Montreal from New York. On that day the steam-boat Hercules arrived from Quebec, and announced that it was the last trip. The steam-boats which cross the river at Montreal did not cease to run till the 14th, at which time some ice had formed at the sides of the river. Falls of snow, sleet, and rain, occurred till the 31st; but the snow did not lay, and carriages on wheels were still in use. On the 1st of January a heavy fall of snow came, and the frost set in steadily : the ice began to accumulate in the river, but it was not till the 26th that it was passable for sledges. By the middle of February, the sun had sufficient power to melt the snow in exposed situations ; and on the 1st of March a decided thaw commenced. The frost '.'* 1. 1 {»:■ ' V:' f i 1 I 1 i 1 1 i' i 1 1 I i "i I V i II it :* k 'k ,■ 14 I 24 WINTER SEASON. rallied fur a day or two at intervals, and a little snow fell, but did not lay. On the 26th, the road across the river entirely broke up. By the 10th of April the floating ice had disappeared, and none remained ex- cept at the sides, where it had accumulated in shal- low water. During the whole of this time the wea- ther did not keep any persons within doors, except the very old, invalids, and infants ; on the contrary, hundreds, who never get into a carriage at any other season, are constantly driving about in their car- rioles, which are nearly all open ; in fact, the winter is the season of gaiety, not only in the towns, but in the country; and at Montreal and Quebec, the months of January, February, and March are de- voted to pleasure : riding out in the mornings, and balls, routs, and parties in the evenings, is the rou- tine through the winter. Three ships, as many steam-boats, and smaller craft, were building, and the work proceeded all the cold weather. As soon as the ice on the river is passable, the town assumes a busy aspect, from the numbers of farmers from the upper province, and also Americans, who bring heavy loads of wheat, pork, ashes, fish, &c. j and few of the Americans leave the town without taking back some goods on which there are high duties in the United States, and which they can easily smuggle in at this time, as the snow and ice enable them to travel in all directions without the aid of bridges and almost without roads. The construction of the houses, with extra outer doors and windows, which WINTER SEASON. 25 are removed in the spring:, and the mode of warming them by stoves in the centre of the room, or in a doorway between two rooms, so effectually exclude the cold, and retain the heat, that an Englishman is much more likely to complain of inconvenience from the latter rather than the former cause, in a genuine Canadian house. The halls and staircases of the better houses are decorated with stages of gera- niums, myrtles, and other plants in full luxuriance ; and the windows of the smaller houses exhibit simi- lar proofs, that whatever may be the state of the atmosphere outside, that within is not destructive of vegetable life. On the I2th of April the steam- boats commenced running to the opposite shore ; and, on the 16th, two started for Quebec, though the ice stopped them about 20 miles from Quebec, and one, by imprudently venturing among the ice, was sunk, but without loss of life. It was not till the 21st, that the other reached Quebec, after the final clearing of the river from ice. This statement of the actual occurrences at Mon- treal may go some way to prove that a winter even in Lower Canada is not so dreadful an affair as is generally supposed. The degree of cold is no doubt severe, especially at night; but the almost total absence of damp and fogs, together with the presence of an unclouded sun for six or seven hours nearly every day, occasion those who are in good health to consider the cold as a trifle ; while those in ill health, by the construction of the houses, and •,. I ^:' ,n;f i ^>- ill' i\ 26 SUMMER IN CANADA. abundance of fuel, may escape its severity by keep- ing within doors. Nor must it be forgotten that this severity of cold is productive of its advantages. By the consolida- tion of the snow, the worst roads are converted into the best for the transport of heavy goods, with great ease to the cattle, while the lighter carriages spin along with a rapidity perfectly unattainable at other times. Indeed, a mild winter is regarded by the Canadians as a great calamity, especially by those situate at a distance from the navigable waters ; who at this season convey their produce to market, and bring back their supplies of heavy goods, as potash kettles, liquors, &c., with the most trifling labour, compared with what would be required without the snow. The winter is also the time when timber is felled, and drawn on the snow to the banks of the rivers, to be floated down to Quebec in the spring. If the winters of Lower Canada are of a decided character, so also are the summers. Scarcely has the snow disappeared before the meadows are covered with verdure, and in two or three weeks will exhibi t a luxuriance which as many months are required to produce here. The apple-trees are speedily in blos- som, and summer reigns in full vigour in less than a month after the snow has entirely left the ground. The markets of Montreal are supplied with the early fruits and vegetables, produced naturally, as soon, or sooner than the London markets are. The ground is, generally, fit for ploughing in the early TEMPERATURE OF MONTREAL. 27 Ni M J by keep- rity of cold consolida- verted into with great riages spin le at other ied by the ly by those aters; who larket, and i, as potash ing* labour, Tvithout the 1 timber is inks of the e spring, a decided ely has the re covered ill exhibit equired to ily in blos- ess than a round, with the |u rally, as ire. The the early part of May, and in a month after the seed is sown the plant is waving in the breeze. Wheat is fit to cut in four, and the lighter grain in three, months. Heavy thunder-showers occur in the summer months, with a day's rain or so ; but beyond this, the weather is not much disturbed. Towards the latter end of September the evenings begin to grow cool after the sun is down, but the days are frequently hot, and always pleasant. November, and the early part of December, is the most unpleasant time of the year, from the frequent occurrence of rain, sleet, and snow. The temperature of Montreal may be considered as comprehending the climate of Lower Canada, only as far east as Three Rivers. Below that it is more severe, and a slight degree of frost sometimes occurs in the summer months. Al' the vegetables and fruits which are cultivated in England will thrive in Canada, and many of them might be brought to much higher perfection : for instance, the markets of Montreal are supplied plen- tifully with delicious melons, produced without arti- ficial heat ; and there can be no doubt other fruits might be grown equally fine if properly attended to ; but the Canadians are bad farmers and gardeners, adhering to old methods and customs with the greatest pertinacity. The general character of the soil of Lower Canada is clayey, without stones, except some large round c 2 :nH . I I I. ■j'-ii-'- ■ I III i i; J A !i.l: iin r . i'( ; •> i I QUEBEC — THE ST. LAWRENCE. masses of granite, most frequent near the banks of rivers. The eastern, or Quebec division, is inferior to the Montreal, or western division. The former is inter- spersed with tracts of sandy or gravelly soil, covered only with a slight surface of vegetable earth. In the latter the prevalent character is a bluish marl with a black mould, forming a very fertile soil. Towards the mountains it is more light and loamy, is more easily cleared, and is, at first, very productive. Besides the tract already described as settled along the St. Lawrence, there are settlements along the line which divides Canada from the States of New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, which are called townships. The land in these townships is described as of excellent quality generally, and greatly exceeding in worth that portion of the United States on which they border, insomuch as to have induced great numbers of Americans to settle there ; much to the offence of the French Canadians, who have a great antipathy to them. Large quantities of pot and pearl ashes are made, thus proving the good quality of the soil, as they are made only from hard woods, which never grow in sufficient quantities for this purpose in any but good soil. The river St. Francis, with the lake Memphre- magcg, runs through a considerable part of this division, and falls into the St. Lawrence between THE OTTAWA. 29 Three Rivers and Sorel. At present the navigation is interrupted with rapids (sloping^ descents, generally incumbered with large stones), but it is said to be capable of being made navigable at an easy expense. Surveys and estimates have been made, and there is no doubt that in a short time this line of water com- munication from those tow^iships to the St. Lawrence will be made available for all the purposes of com- merce. There is also a range of townships on the north shore of the Ottawa river, which is navigable for a very considerable way up. The land for some distance from the river is good for tillage or pasturage, but gets stony towards the mountains. These townships are of more recent date than those before described, but considerable numbers of settlers have^ within the last few years, proceeded to them. The sides of the River Ottawa present many line seats for mills, with power to almost any extent, and the facility of receiving grain from the upper county by the Rideau canal, which enters the Ottawa at By Town, and conveying the flour to Montreal, will not be lost sight of as trade and settlement increase*. ■^:m ■ v.. * The population of the townships in the lower province have increased so rapidly, that they are entitled to return four more members to the Legislative Assembly than they were in 1830, and the Governor has been required to issue his writs accord, iiigly. 4a* I i > , i !ii ' 'l 1 H 30 AARIVAI. AT QUEBEC. The timber up the Ottawa is coiiHidered valuable, and extensive operations in lumbering (the term for the timber trade) are carried on in its neighbourhood. A very large tract of country, extending from the mountains behind the townships last mentioned, on the Ottawa, to the river Saguenai, which enters the St. Lawrence on the north side, about 120 miles east of Quebec, has been explored, and a grant has been made for making a road through it, which has already commenced. This tract is described as abounding in the requisites for a settlement. The soil is good, and the climate of a much milder tem- perature than its geographical position would seem to indicate. The river Saguenai, which flows through this country, and terminates in a lake of some size (St. John), is navigable a great way from its mouth for ships, and foi small craft through its whole extent. Should the accounts given of this sec- tion be correct, it will prove a very valuable addition Co the colony, by opening upwards of six millions of land capable of cultivation, and in the most favour- able position for exporting the produce at an easy expense. ARRIVAL AT QUEBEC. On arriving at Quebec the emigrant, if a labourer, and not provided with the means of going farther, had better go at once to the office of the govern- ment agent, who will inform him what public works EMIORANTS — CANADA COMPANV. 31 are going on, and the rates of wages paid. He will also, by in(|uiry, find what private works are in pro- gress, and the demand for labourers at the coves, wharfs, granaries, saw-mills, &c. &e. The influx of emigrants is so great during the summer months, that if the expense of reaching Montreal (a dollar, or a dollar and a half) is within the reach of the labourer, he had best make his way there if he does not find immediate employment at Quebec. The agricultural emigrant of small means should go immediately to the office of his Majesty's agent in St. Peter* s-street, and get all the information he caa (see copy of notice in Appendix, No. 1), and be guided by circumstances. He will also find many private in- dividuals who hold land, and are anxious to sell it, or obtain settlers to go upon it. It is almost needless to observe that some caution is necessary in engaging either to purchase or to settle on such lands, as the laws differ considerably from our own; and although they may even be as good, yet, for want of knowing and understanding them, an error may be committed in a contract, which would be unpleasant if not in- jurious. The Canada Company have an agent at Quebec, but they have no land in the lower province. He will, however, give the fullest information as to the best mode of proceeding to the upper province, and show plans of the land and the townships in which they are situate. It may, perhaps, be as well in this place to remark, that the Company sell their land at a higher price than Government, or private HI 1, :i 1' li. M it '^ '.ii i >'f I j - •!i n ; ?^ HINTS TO EMIGRANTS. holders ; but as some set off against the advanced price, the settler has the advantage of main roads made at their expense. They also erect saw and grist mills, and establish stores or shops at which the settler can supply himself with all the necessaries of life till he can get his land under cultivation. Under the name of townships are included all lands granted since the conquest, and on which the settlers are chiefly from Great Britain, or the United States. To these portions of the Lower Province the attention of the emigrant must principally be di- rected, if he intends to invest capital. The com- plexity of the laws relating to landed and real estate, together with the absence of register, everywhere except in the townships, render it difficult to secure an undeniable title in the old parts of the Lower Province, and none but persons of known respecta- bility should be treated with, unless through the medium of a public notary. Here it must be remarked, that in all parts of America the attention must be directed to the iiiua- tion of the land rather than its quality; and it is the more necessary to impress this upon emigrants, be- cause it is the reverse of the general practice here, where markets, and facilities of reaching them, are so universally distributed, that the quality of the land is almost everything, and the situation comparatively nothing. Not so in America. Good land, remote from water-carriage, is scarce worth cultivating, as roads capable of bearing heavy loads do not, nor ■ \ ■ r QUEBEC. 33 ..< n cannot be supposed to exist to any extent compa- rable even to the worst-supplied parts of England; and the only time at which produce and heavy loads can be conveyed to or from remote lands is in wiu' ter and on the snow. Hence arises the greatest necessity for all who go to any part of America tt) settle, to study well the maps of that part, and become acquainted with the rivers and canals, and which rivers are navigable, and which are not. Upon the degree of intelligence exercised on this point rests much of the future prosperity of the settler; while the chance of his settling himself permanently upon bad land is but small. — See Ap- pendix, No. 2. yii ,. «.? QUEBEC. The city of Quebec is situated on a promontory which stretches out from the land on the north side of the St. Lawrence, into a spacious basin, formed by the junction of the River St. Charles with the St. Lawrence. The extremity, or point, is called Cape Diamond, which is 350 feet above the river, and terminates abruptly within a very short distance of it. The Upper Town is built on this point within the walls of the fortifications, which are about two miles and three-quarters in circuit, including the citadel. Here are the governor's house, the barracks of the troops (two or three regiments), the principal market, churches, and other public buildings. The c 5 > 'I ♦ ! &} ■Mi 34 i • id If >:fi ',1 ■( ]■ ■■ QUEBEC. houses are of stone ; but, except those erected within the last few years, are generally of very rough exte- rior aspect, though sufficiently comfortable within side. Lately a quarry of fine blue granite has been worked at Montreal, of which the works of the citadel, the Exchange, a church, and most of the houses erected within the last few years, are constructed. The pavements of the principal streets are also under- going repair with the same stone ; and this portion of Quebec is assuming a new aspect. The greatest portion of the retail business is con- ducted here, and a few of the shops are not defi- cient in outward attractions ; but generally the stock and variety found inside will greatly exceed the ex- pectations raised by the outside appearance ; and this observation will apply to many other matters besides shops and warehouses, which improve upon better acquaintance. Most of the English merchants and their families reside in the Upper Town, and here are numerous boarding-houses, where accommodation is to be ob- tained at various rates, from three to six dollars per week. The hotels, taverns (there are no public-houses in America), and confectioners, receive boarders at a stated price per day, week, or month. The last- named differ very much from the English confec- tioners, as, in addition to the usual routine of pastry, &c., they deal in wine, spirits, and ale, and combine something like the trade of our coffee and chop- houses with their own. f ! COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS* 35 The Lower Town is situate along the river St. Lawrence, from the foot of the precipice on which the Upper Town is built, to the water. Here are the banks of Quebec, and a branch bank of Mon- treal, the Custom-house, the Exchanf^e, in which is a news-room, furnished with the English, Canada, and American papers ; the Trinity House, the market for fish, and the live and dead stock which come from the south shore of the river, with which there is a constant communication maintained by two steam-boats, and several other boats whose ma- chinery is worked by horses. The warehouses, granaries, and all establishments connected with shipping and wholesale trade, are here. Also, hotels and taverns for the accommoda- tion of the captains and mates, with numerous lodg- ing and boarding houses for sailors and others, whose business or means do not allow of their resi- dence in the Upper Town. The wharfage is very extensive and convenient, occupying a continued line of near two miles, and, during six or seven months, presents a busy scene. In that space last year, upwards of 1000 ships and vessels, of from 150 to 600 tons, arrived with goods and emigrants, and took their departure with the produce of the country. The steam-boats which run to Montreal are fine large boats ; the two last built, viz., the British- America and the John Bull, are not excelled by any in the world for their elegance or power. Two of M ' vij i''\J 36 TIMBER TRADE. I' !•!:' ' them arrive and take their departure every day ; and ths large ones have one or two bar^^es, of 200 tons, for goods only, which they take in tow ; and this constant traffic gives great animation to the wharfs from which they start. The suburbs of St. Louis, St. John, and St. Roche, are chiefly inhabited by Canadians and the labour- ing population. Here are the manufacturing trades, as ship and boat building, steam saw-mills, coopers, leather-dressers, iron and brass-founders, smiths, tinmen, &c. &c. Rents are low here ; and the suburb of St. Roche, from its frontage to the river St. Charles, is favourably circumstanced for many trades. The timber trade of Quebec is chiefly condrcted at the Coves, which are a succession of shallow bays, formed by the river above the town, in which the timber floated to them in immense rafts, is secured by booms placed across the mouth of the bays. The ships come up opposite the Coves, where they tie in the stream : here they take in their loading, which is floated to them in the quantities and of the qualities desired. Ship-building is carried on to a large extent in these Coves, as also stave-cutting. Some hundreds of persons are employed in these various operations, the supplying of whom and their families with the necessaries of life gives employment to numbers more. There are three very extensive sawing establish- SAW-MILLS STEAM-BOATS, 37 I it in Ireds fons, the Ibers ish- inents in the neighbourhood of Quebec. Those at Montmorency are worked by the fall of the river of the same name, about six miles below the town. Those of New Liverpool, opposite the Coves, are worked by steam power ; and those at St. Nicholas, about eight miles above the last, which are worked by a fall from the river Chaudiere. Each of these works employs numerour engineers and other work- men and labourers. Be tdes these, there are many smaller saw-mills and timber establishments on both sides of the river, and also slips for the building and repairing schooners and small craft for the naviga- tion of the river and gulf. A steam-boat runs from Quebec to St. Nicholas, which is the most convenient point for communica- tion with the townships by Craig*s Road. A company was established in 1830, for forming a line of communication by steam-boats, between Quebec and Halifax in Nova Scotia, which passage it was calculated could be made in six days, though it takes from fifteen to thirty by the ordinary mode of sailing. A beautiful boat was built and launched on the 27th of April, 1831 ; but great delay occurred in fitting her engines, and, after they were fixed, fur- ther misfortunes attended her, and she was able to make but one trip last year ; but in that she encoun- tered a heavy gale, which she rode out well, and gave every reason to expect that the purpose for which she was built will be fully accomplished. At Que- M Ml ] ; i'i ( '• I , 111. ! Hi! 38 PASSAGE TO MONTREAL. bee, the success of this affair is considered as fraught with great advantage to trade. The population of Quebec, including the suburbs, is not much under 30,000, whicli is exceeded in the summer. Tlie roads in its vicinity are kept in good order, and are enlivened by numbers of the country* houses of the principal people. The character of the scenery is mountainous, but the parts under cultivation are highly productive, and the heights are crowned with forests of every shade. Perhaps the views from the flag-tower of the citadel, and from the Plains of Abraham, in the summer months, are equalled by few, and exceeded by none, of the most famed views in Europe for grandeur and magnificence of natural beauties ; while the shipping in the noble river beneath, and the unceasing song by which the men regulate their labours in loading the timber-ships, rendered most toucliingly harmo- nious by the distance and the gentle breeze which is almost constantly playing on these heights, produce, altogether, an effect that words can scarcely de- scribe. PASSAGE TO MONTREAL. The steam-boats for Montreal do not always start at the same hour, on account of the tide, which it is desirable to carry as far as possible in their upward course ; the first stop is made at Three Rivers, 90 THREE RIVERS. 89 miles from Quebec, which is the third town in the province, and is situated at the junction of the river St. Maurice with the St. Lawrence on the north side. THREE RIVERS. Although very small in comparison with the cities of Montreal and Quebec, it is, nevertheless, a place of some considerable trade. The neighbouring country on each side of the river receives its supply of goods from hence, and returns its produce for transmission to Quebec. Here is a trade of some extent with the Indians in furs. The iron mines and foundry of St. Maurice are on the banks of the river of that name, about nine miles from Three Rivers ; and those of Batiscan, on the river Batis- can, are also in this neighbourhood. Several hun- dreds of persons are employed in these mines and works, and in preparing the charcoal for their use. Large quantities of excellent timber are procured up the St. Maurice and the other rivers in this part ; and as the depth of water at the town is sufficient for large ships, it offers a desirable spot for ship building establishments. At present, few except small craft are constructed here ; but the advantages of its situation will not be long neglected. m V ?,1 ■ :'■■ I \ti:' 1 1 )-t ■ 'in: I I,: n .it. I ill: 1,'- ii:;: ) :m, 40 BERTHIER. The next stop made is at Berthier, on the same side of the river, about 40 miles from Three Rivers. It is a town fast rising in importance. The district in which it is seated is particularly fertile ; and large quantities of grain are here collected for ex- portation. The river is not so deep as at Three Rivers, but many small islands are interspersed in it, and render this a most delightful spot. SOREL, OR WILLIAM-HENRY. Nearly opposite Berthier, and on the southern shore, is the town of Sorel, or William-Henry ; the latter of which names it acquired in consequence of its having been the residence of our present patriotic sovereign when on service in the colony. It is seated on the river Richelieu, at its entrance into the St. Law- rence, and is a most advantageous situation for trade. The river Richelieu connects Lake Champlain with the St. Lawrence. At present it is not navi- gable through the whole of its course for schooners, being interrupted by rapids ; but a large grant has been made by the Legislature, to remove these diffi- culties, by locking, &c. ; and the work has already made considerable progress. When complete, this navigation will not only be of great benefit to that part of the province through which it runs, but will 80REL, OR WILLIAM-HENRY. 41 offer to the States of New York, and Vermont, bor- dering on Lake Champlain, and the rivers falling into it, the readiest and cheapest road to a market for their produce, which can be shipped at Sorel for England or elsewhere ; and the above-named States may receive their supply of heavy goods by the same route at a much cheaper rate than they can from the port of New York, and with greater facility, as two transhipments will be saved which at present occur at each end of the canal between Lake Champlain and Albany. The RicheUeu, for nine miles above the town, is of sufficient depth for vessels of very large burden, and is, therefore, adapted for ship- building establishments ; and, altogether, the advan- tages possessed by its situation cannot fail of making this a town of great trade and importance. The navigation here alluded to will be called the Chamhly Canal, From hence to Montreal, no call is made. The banks of the river from Quebec to Three Rivers are high and magnificently picturesque. It then widens, and is called Lake St. Peter, the upper end of which is studded with islands of luxuriant verdure. The shores from the lake to Montreal are lower, but still high at intervals. Both sides from Quebec to Mon- treal are enlivened by villages, whose churches are never long absent from the view, and, by the glitter- ing of their bright tin-covered spires, constitute a singular and pleasing feature in the landscape. The price charged for a cabin passage upwards is \ '•''1 ■■'11 ,;'*■- "I .. 'I H '>> Si, .; Ma •,»v; 42 MONTREAL. ! . ) ■ I f m ! lil'l: ! i II iif* . , fiii m five dollars, including sumptuous board ; down- wards, the passage is a dollar less, because it is made in less time. The deck-passage is one dollar and a half, not including board. An opposition steam-boat takes cabin-passengers at a dollar less each way, but charges the same for deck passengers. Short distances are charged in proportion. No acci- dent with loss of life or limb has occurred in any of the steam-boats navigating the St. Lawrence, al- though a summer never passes without scores being sent to their account by accidents in the boats of the United States, which can only be accounted for on the supposition of slightness in the make of their machinery, or incompetence in their engineers. MONTREAL. Montreal, 180 miles above, or to the west of Que- bec, is situate on the south side of an island of the same name, thirty-two miles long, and ten broad ; which, with several smaller ones, lies in a sort of lake formed by the confluence of the river Ottawa with the St. Lawrence. The ground on which the town is built is much more favourable for the site of a handsome city than Quebec, which, from the great inequality of surface, excludes uniformity to any ex- tent. The two principal streets of business, Nutre Dame and St. Paul, run the whole length of the city ; the former, with the suburb adjoining it, forms ■? PUBLIC BUILDINOS. 48 a continued street near three miles long, and the latter, more than one. The houses in the city are of brick or stone, but principally of the latter, and the streets are paved. The town contains numerous churches, chapels, and public buildings, many of which would be orna- mental to any town in Europe ; among them is the French Church in the Place des Armes, which was built by subscription, and is the largest edifice in North America, being capable of seating 10,000 persons. It is built in the plain Gothic style, of a bluish granite, which is found in abundance in the mountain close to the town, and is altogether a struc- ture that any city in the world might be proud of. The seminaries of Montreal demand particular no- tice. That of St. Sulpice, adjoining the cathedral, is an extensive building, and the students are instructed in all the branches of knowledge, including the higher branches of mathematics and philosophy. The French college at the western extremity of the town is well furnished with professors in all the branches of learning, and has from 200 to 300 students, who, as well as the students at the seminary, are chiefly the Canadian youth. The want of an institution for the liberal education of British youth was not sup- plied till 1814, when a merchant named Mc Gill be- queathed 10,000/. to endow a college to bear his name, which has since been incorporated by royal charter, and the course of education in it is assimi- lated to that of the colles'iate schools in Great a:, A3 I? vn .vi I. ■ ti 44 COMMERCE MARKETS. w: I 11 «.i.l;jr m\ l!lb: Britain. There are also here and at Quebec societies of natural history, mechanics' institutes, ag^ricultural, literary, &c. The roofs of nearly all the houses and all the churches and spires are covered with tin, which con- tinues bright for twenty or more years. The houses in the suburbs are smaller, and chiefly constructed of wood, although even here stone is beginning to take its place. The causeways are only partially paved, but every day is adding to the improvement of the town in this respect. Montreal in the year 1829 did not possess an erection worthy to be called a wharf. In that year large grants were made by the legislature to remove this stigma on the second city in rank, but first in point of business in the provinces. 1830 and 31 did much towards completing a line of commodious landings for goods and passengers, which are in suf- ficient forwardness for use ; but some years must elapse before Montreal is furnished with the wharf- age its large and important trade requires. The markets are abundantly supplied with meat, poultry, vegetables, &c., the produce of the island and the opposite shore, to which three steam-boats, and also horse-boats, are constantly plying. Fish is not supplied in the quantities it might be, which is, perhaps, to be attributed to abundance and low price of meat and poultry. This is undoubtedly the principle seat of business in the provinces of Canada. The merchants have WiV: 'V MANUFACTURES — POPULATION. 45 less lave extensive stores or warehouses from which h\\ the Upper Province is suppliedf and also the western part of the lower. The produce of the East and West Indies, wines, brandies, &c., are here stored, to be distributed over the same district ; and the pro- duce of the upper country, and also a considerable share of the produce of the United States bordering on the River St. Lawrence and the large lakes, is here collected for exportation to Europe. In the town and neighbourhood tanning, hatting, leather-dressing, soap and candle making, and ship- building are carried on to a large extent. There are likewise breweries, distilleries, founderies, furriers, nailmakers, &c. &c., great quantities of pork and beef are brought in from the United States, and here salted for exportation. The timber trade is not carried on to any extent here, as the rafts can easily float down to Quebec. The population of Montreal rather exceeds that of Quebec, and at both are large hospitals for the sick and indigent, with various other charitable esta- blishments. In the winter of 1830-1, the ladies of Montreal raised by the sale of fancy work upwards of 700/., which together with a considerable sum raised by the amateur performers at the theatre (a very neat and elegant little structure) was handed over to the different charitable institutions of the town. The summer route from hence to the city of New I .1 ■4- f lii ii; it ^;i(f .; ii; H: i:| :'(5 ' 1? iii^ 46 ROUTE TO NEW-YORK. York is very pleasant, and the distance, 420 miles, traversed with great ease in two days and nights. Thus, from Montreal the river is crossed in a steam- boat to La Prairie, thence to St. John's, eighteen miles by coach, where the steam-boat is taken to White- hall, at the southern extremity of Lake Champlain. From thence to Albany, seventy-five miles, there are two routes, by canal or coach, — the latter is the most expeditious. From Albany the steam-boat is taken to New York. The whole journey may be performed handsomely for fourteen dollars, including board all the way, and those who cannot afford so much may do it for half the price. During the winter there is a constant communication kept up by land, but the time occupied, and the expense, greatly exceeds that of the summer route. The River St. Lawrence, at the south-west side of the island of Montreal, is broken by the first rapid that offers any interruption to the navigation of steam-boats, and small craft of about six tons have great difficulty in ascending the stream. To over- come this interruption, a canal has been cut across a point of the island to La Chine, nine miles, where the river is again navigable for steam-boats to the foot of the Cascade Rapids. To Coteau du Lac from thence is sixteen miles, and travellers proceed by coach. Boats are dragged and propelled up the rapids with great labour. At Coteau du Lac is smooth water again to Cornwall, forty-two miles, RIDEAU CANAL. 47 ' •'■J 420 miles, and nights, in a steam- hteen miles to White- Champlain. IS, there are r is the most oat is taken e performed ng board all ) much may iter there is and, but the exceeds that west side of 3 first rapid Lviffation of X tons have To over- 1 cut across lies, where oats to the lau du Lac ers proceed lied up the du Lac is two miles, which part is navigated by a steam-boat. From thence to Prescot, sixty miles, the river is broken by a succession of rapids with only small intervals of smooth water (sufficient, however, to allow of safe passage across). This part of the journey is per formed by coach, the boats being three or more days getting up. At Prescot all difficulties cease for 350 miles, when the falls of Niagara present their formidable front. But even those now cease to bar the free communication between the large lakes. RIDEAU CANAL. To surmount the obstacles presented by the above- named rapids to free, cheap, and commodious inter course with Upper Canada, a most magnificent canal was projected, and by the well-placed liberality of England, is nearly brought to completion*. In addition to its inestimable value for the cheap and easy transport of goods, it secures a communication between the provinces for the conveyance of troops and munitions of war, not liable to interruption * On the 22d of May, 1832, that portion of the canal between Kingston and Lake Rideau, was opened, when Colonel By, the chief engineer, in a steam-boat, attended by the schooner at- tached to the naval establishment at Kingston, passed through the locks, and spreading their sails to the breeze, sped their course through a tract hitherto unvisited by any bark except the canoe of the Indian or solitary settler, but destined to be the chief channel of communication between the almost boundless and fruitful countries in the interior of North-west America and Europe, and in future times, perhaps, no small part of the productions of China and the eastern shores of Asia may pass this way to England. '■^■■11 W: ' ' r 1 < 1 ■ ' 1. ■•. I ,i 'r i 1 1 ' i i ; ■ ? t iHI If? 1 It ^ [■". \ \^ I 1 :' I » '.I . I 1 48 IMPROVED NAVIGATION. from the United States, should we, at any future time, be placed in a hostile position to them. The River Ottawa is navigable for steam-boats and schooners from La Chine, nine miles from Montreal, to By Town,* which is about 130 miles from Montreal. It is on the south side of the Ottawa, near the entrance of the Rideau river into river Ottawa. Here the canal commences and runs in a south and south-west direction to Kingston on Lake Ontario. The locks throughout are calculated to admit the schooners that navigate the lakes, which will be towed through by steam-boats. When this canal is in full operation, its effects in reducing to a comparative trifle the cost of trans- port to the upper country will be felt in every article of bulk or weight; while the risk attending the conveyance of produce down the rapids, at present encumbered with an insurance of 1^ to 2 per cent., will be avoided, and the advance of the Upper Pro- vince must be greatly accelerated thereby. GOVERNMENT, LAWS, AND REVENUES OF LOWER CANADA. The King of England is sovereign of Canada, under the limitations of the laws of Great Britain, and by the capitulations entered into when the province * With the exception of some rapids which occur near the township of Greuville, and to avoid which a short canal has been cut, called the Grenville Canal. LAWS. 49 mder |d by rince irthe il has passed into the hands of the English. The legisla- tive authority resides in the King, who acts by his governor, and the two Houses of Parliament, who alone have power of levying taxes on the province. The Upper House, or Legislative Council, are nominated for life, by the King, out of the class of persons ofthe most wealth, talent, and importance, whether native or European. The Lower House, or House of Representatives, are chosen by the freeholders of 40s. and upwards, for the counties ; and bl. freeholders or 101. house- holders in the cities and towns. They are elected every four years at least, and must be called together every twelve months, and are empowered to make laws for the * peace, welfare, and good government of the provinc To disabilities or disqualifications exist on account ' " any religious opinions. The lands held by Roman Catholics pay a twenty-sixth part ofthe grain raised, towards the support of their curate, and are subject to assessments for the build- ing and repairing of churches and parsonages. Protestants are not subject to any rate or charge for the support of church or clergy. At the conquest, the estates ofthe Jesuits were confiscated to the use of, and promotion of, education ; and the fund thus created is annually augmented by grants from the Legislature. The laws of Lower Canada are a mixture of the Acts ofthe British Parliament, which extend to the . ■ Vtl '.•'4v , i r: 1-' \ :<> ;' •■S :» •h ■If -■ti t* 50 TAXES. Colonies, and the laws of France, as they existed at the conquest in 1759. The criminal law is the same as in England ; and h administered in the same way as here, by judges, justices, &c. &c. There is no direct tax in Lower Canada, except half a dollar annually on the male population for the repair of the roads. A duty of 2^ per cent, is paid on all imports from England ; and goods from any other part of the world pay the same duties they would be liable to pay in England, except colonial produce, wines and spirits, which pay only a trifling comparative amount. A part of the duties is apportioned to the Upper Province. The share of the Lower Province is sufficient for all the expenses of government, making of new roads and bridges, canals, and other public works, grants for the erection and support of schools, aid to hospitals, &c. &c. MONEY AND BANKS. The dollar, with its divisions, is the principal circu- lating coin of Lower Canada, and is called five shil- lings. English gold coins pass freely, but their value is fluctuating. French or English crowns pass for 5*. 6d., and an English shilling for Is. 2d, As to the copper coin in circulation, it is composed of all sorts and descriptions— old halfpence, pocket- pieces, cents, and, in fact, anything which will count MONEY AND BANKS. 51 ed at same same xcept ir the i paid ri any s they )lonial rifling Upper nee is naking: pubHc hools, circn- ^e shil- their jrowns .s. 2d. iposed iocket- count one, and is made of metal. Accounts are kept in pounds, shillings, and pence, HalifaK currency, of four dollars to the pound. It may here be observed, that if cash is taken, it is better to buy Spanish dollars in England, than take gold either to Canada or the United States*. There are but two banks in Lower Canada — at Montreal and Quebec ; they issue notes of one dol- lar and upwards. These banks are certainly not adequate to the wants of the extended and extending commercial transactions of the province ; but great fear exists among the Canadians, lest the multipli- cation of banks and a paper circulation should en- tirely beat the Spanish dollar (of which they are very fond) out of the market, as it has done in the United States : but, unfortunately, they do not see that there is an evil in too few, as well as too many facilities to trade and enterprise ; and there can be no doubt that two banks for Lower Canada falls nearly as short of the legitimate calls of the mercan- tile affairs of the province, as seventy banks exceed those of the State of New York. The population of Lower Canada is chiefly com- posed of the descendants of the French settlers in it at its conquest ; but their proportion to the whole * Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Smith, of Mansion-House- street, London, will receive sums of 20/. and upwards, and give an order on the Bank at Montreal, by which the risk of taking specie may be avoided, and some small profit arising from the rate of exchange is also secured. d2 m ::M V'..*' ''> 52 POPULATION. lii ;i i • m is gradually diminishing. Ten years ago they were computed at seven-eighths ; now they scarcely ex- ceed six-eighths. They are almost exclusively con- fined to the old parts, and are much attached to their country. The great mass of them are agricul- turists ; and perhaps there is not on the face of the globe a happier people, or more contented. In- deed, this last feature in their character is productive of consequences which in time, it is to be feared, will sadly interfere with their happiness. While the Europeans, by whom the townships are settling, avail themselves of all the light thrown upon the science of agriculture by modern discoveries, the Canadian jogs on in the way practised for one or two centuries, even in some cases against his better judgment. They are polite and obliging to all who treat them with respect, and particularly the English, whom they prefer to the Irish or Scotch ; but the Americans are not at all in favour with them. The French lan- guage is the most prevalent among them, although in the large towns most of the shop-keepers under- stand English. ,1 ;ti ' were ly ex- y con- iied to ^ricul- of the In- luctive id, will le the Bttling, on the js, the one or 5 better them »m they ans are eh lan- thougch under- 53 UPPER CANADA. Soil — Climate — Towns — Rivers^^Canah^ 8fe. That part of the province of Upper Canada which is already surveyed and laid out, is the country lying on the north side of the river St. Lawrence, com- mencing about 65 miles above Montreal, and run- niiifr alons: the north side of the lakes Ontario and Erie, for about 570 miles, with an average depth of 60 miles. All competent judges, both English, Canadian, and American, who have given an opinion of the character of this large tract, concur in declaring that it will suffer nothing by a comparison with any tract of equal extent on the continent of America. The province is divided into eleven districts, and these are again divided into twenty-seven counties, which are sub-divided into 291 townships, averaging 60,000 acres each; being, all together, about thirteen millions of acres. But this is not by any means all the land capable of cultivation ; a great extent of country between lake Huron and the Ottawa river is still unsurveyed. The country to Kingston presents a surface not far from level ; it is, however, elevated considerably above the St. Lawrence, and throughout its extent is interspersed with small lakes and rivers, which fall either into the St. Lawrence or the Ottawa, and 'i|^ }t^ 1^ "iHj 54 SOIL CLIMATE. :..\ are most of them capable of being made navigable for boats. From Kingston, the face of the country is more diversified with gentle hills, but none of any magni- tude occur till the western end of Lake Ontario is reached, where a chain of hills commences at Bur- lington Bay, and, with the Queenston heights, tra- verse the borders of the River Niagara to Lake Erie. Along Lake Erie, no rise of any consequence oc- curs. Lake Simcoe is elevated considerably above Lake Ontario, but it is very gradual, and the country around it considered excellent. The climate of this extended tract differs, as we well know it does, in a space not half as large, e^st and west, viz., between Suffolk and Cornwall, and as great a space north and south, viz., between York- shire and Dorsetshire, but not to the same extent. The seasons are much more marked than ours. The summers are very warm, but seldom sultry, probably for the same reasons that the winters, though colder than ours, are not so much felt, be- cause the air is so much drier than it is in England, or, indeed, anywhere near the sea. The fro?t generally sets in about the beginning of the year, and continues, without much intermission, for eight or ten weeks ; it then breaks, and, in two or three more, the winter has completely passed away, and is followed by warm rains, which give place to fine settled weather till after harvest in August, when some rain comes generally for two or f h"! CLIMATE. 55 two ssed give it in or three days together, and it is cool. In October fine warm weather succeeds, which lasts about a month, and is called the Indian summer. Then follow rain and snow till the frost sets in. The large lakes are not frozen except near the sides, and the snow and ice give the same facilities for inland traffic as in Lower Canada ; which is of the utmost value, where roads, capable of sustaining heavy loads, cannot be supposed yet to exist, and would be hailed as a blessing by many parts of the United States, where the snow does not lie, and the expense of reaching a navigable river over their roads is so great, that their produce is scarcely worth anything. The general salubrity of Upper Canada is not questioned. There are no swamps of any consider- able size ; and if the workmen on the Rideau Canal were attacked by fever and ague, it is too much to attribute such attacks to the climate, when, perhaps, it was chiefly induced by their intemperate habits — great numbers of them being the lower class of Irish, who find spirituous liquors so abundant and cheap, that they know not where to fix bounds to their in- dulgence; and it must also be allowed that their occupation was such, that, without care, they were scarce likely to escape such a visitation. On the borders of the lakes there are numerous bays or inlets, which, at some futiire time, will be the most valuable portions of the province ; but, till they are in some degree banked and cleared. I'n ?,:i . { .. ■-'': ,*'!! I< 56 CLIMATE. ofTer some little lodgment for the water, which is not conducive to the health of those residing near such spots : but these are comparatively of small extent, nearly the whole of the shores of the River and Lake Ontario on the Canada side being gene- rally very considerably elevated above the water; and it may be asked if England is considered un- healthy, because the people in the Lincolnshire fens or the Essex Hundreds have the ague. It is the undisguised opinion of all medical men the author had an opportunity of conversing with, that a heal- thier country, upon the whole, is not to be found than Canada throughout its extent, and every suc- ceeding year must add to its salubrity, by the clear- ing of the forests, and draining, and making waters navigable which are now only partially so *. As the whole of the Upper Province is of compa- rative recent settlement, land may be obtained in m ■. •'SI ' * The notoriously unhealthy parts chiefly occur on the line of the Rideau Canal, but particularly between the Rideau Lake and Lake Ontario ; also the lands between the Bay of Quints and the Lake ; likewise some marshy tracts at each end of Lake Erie : but all these together are an inconsiderable portion of the province. It is not, however, for a moment denied that pru- dent precautions are necessary to meet the change which an atmosphere, perhaps essentially different from that of England, may effect in the human system. The newly-arrived should avoid exposure to the mid-day sun as much as possible, nor should they be out after sun-down (in Yankee phrase). These ptecautions, and the judicious use of the Jesuits' bark, or the sulphate of quinine, in doses of one grain, to fortify the system against attack, or restore its tone after attack, will most likely secure as good a share of health as it is the ordinary lot of man to enjoy. RIVERS AND CANALS. 57 ipa- almost any of the townships into which it is divided ; and the chief criterion of value is to he found in the vicinity to a large town or a navigable water, the principal of which will be hereafter mentioned. The main road of the province is a continuation of the road from Montreal, at Coteau dii Lac, along the banks of the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario to Dundas, at its western extremity ; from thence it runs nearly in a straight line inland to Chatham, near Lake St. Clair. This road is called the Dundas- street. Yonge-street, leading from York to Lake Simcoe, thirty-six miles, is a fine spacious road* There is also a road along the River Niagara and Lake Erie to Sandwich, on Lake St. Clair ; and from thence to Chatham : the greater part of this last is called the Talbot road. A road is making through the Huron tract to Goderich, which will be connected with the last- mentioned road at or near Port Talbot on Lake Erie. Besides these, most ample provision has been made in laying out the townships for main roads, and also for smaller ones, intersecting each other at short intervals. The principal rivers and canals will be noticed as they occur, and also the canals now in progress ; but, in addition to these, the whole country, except the most western parts, is interspersed with rivers and waters capable of being joined one to the other, and forming communications in every direction; and D 5 i ' 1 t ' I t 1 r •!.. ) '■'■ ■•I'J ^ll t '-! i. it' '.11 58 POUTE ALONG likewise, by their difference of elevation and inex- haustible supply, may be applied to milling purposes to an almost indefinite extent. ROUTE ALONG THE UPPER PROVINCE. CORNWALL, in the eastern district, seventy-eight miles above Montreal, is the first town of consideration arrived at in Upper Canada. Its situation is favourable fov the reception of the produce of the country between it and Prescot, along the line of rapids, and supplying it with goods. The county of Glengarry, on the borders of which it is situate, is in a high state of cultivation, and is one of the most flourish- ing in the province. The adjoining counties of Stormont and Dundas are also in a forward state, and many villages are scattered about. The rapids between this town and Prescot have been surveyed, to ascertain the practicability of overcoming the obstacles by lock- ing, &c. ; and sanguine expectations are enter- tained that the desired improvements can be made at an easy expense, which will add greatly to the value of property in this district. PRESCOT, fifty miles above Cornwall, in the Johnstown district, is a town of great trade. The various vessels which traverse Lake Ontario here deposit ! (town Tious >posit ".HE UPPER PROVINCE. 59 their cargoes, to be transported down the ra- pids to Montreal in boats. The forwarding mer^ chants (carriers) have large stores or warehouses for the reception of the goods proceeding upwards or downwards, and for the supply of the adjacent country. Schooners and Steam-boats are built here to a large extent : of the latter, the Great Britain, completed last year, is a most superb boat in all re- spects, of 280 horse-power, and 700 tons measure- ment. Coaches, and the light four-wheeled carriages in universal use in America, and called waggons, are made in great numbers at Prescot ; and all the useful and necessary mechanical trades both do and would flourish here if greatly multiplied. Good stone is found in abundance in the neighbourhood, of which the principal houses and stores are built. There is a very good inn here, where travellers wait for the steam-boats which daily start from hence to York and Niagara. In 1831 there were seven or eight constantly plying with passengers and goods from April to November. Immediately opposite Prescot, on the other side of the river, which is about a mile wide, is the American town of Ogdens- burg, of rising importance. Between these towns a constant communication is kept up by a small steam- boat and sailing boats, and the traffic from one to the other is very considerable and increasing. Kingston is sixty-two miles from Prescot. No- thing can exceed the wild luxuriance of the shore on the Canada side, which is most thickly covered with *^t '!* 1*1 t il • *u 'I t.^1:! 60 BROCKVILLE — GANfNANOQUI. • H .■:' m U- If ^? mm ..1 1' hard timber. The latter part of the way the river expands, and is called the Lake of the Thousand Tslauds. A few of them are of some hundred acres extent, and are covered with hard timber. Altoge- ther, this is a most enchanting sail. BROCKVILLE. The steam-boats call at Brockville, twelve miles from Prescot. This is a very delightful and thriving town, rnd chiefly owes its prosperity to the settle- ment in it of persons of some property, who are engaged in the purchase and sale of wheat, and pro- duce generally, of the province and the opposite State of New York. The Court-house, church, and most of the houses are built in a very substantial and handsome style. It sends a member to the House of Representatives. A large grist-mill is erected a few miles distant ; and every circumstance in this town and neighbour- hood gives proof of the sure and profitable reward attending on industrious enterprise in Canada. GANNANOQUI is thirty-two miles from Brockville. It is seated on a river of the same name, which flows from a lake not far back, and here falls into the St. Law- rence, and is a never-failing stream, with a fall of upwards of twenty feet. This power is employed to work*several extensive saw and grist mills, all in lull and profitable employment. Some other mecha- 'i : I'l m KINGSTON HARBOUR. 61 it.\ nical operations are performed by the use of ma- chinery driven by the river, and the power is avail- able to a much greater extent than now exercised. A tan-yard and other useful establishments are in a flourishing state. The town possesses most ex- cellent wharfage. From hence to Kingston is eighteen miles. At the entrance into the Lake Ontario are two large islands, within the line of demarcation, separating Canada from the United States. Wolfe Island is twenty miles long, and about six wide. Amherst Island is about ten miles long, and six wide. These two islands lay opposite Kingston, and form pleasing rests for the eye in passing over the expanse of the lake. The harbour of Kingston is accessible to vessels drawing fifteen feet water. At its entrance it is about a quarter of a mile wide ; it then enlarges into a fine bay, at the end of which the Rideau Canal commences. The entrance of this harbour is defended by batteries, and also the fori on Point Henry — a most commanding situation — all of which are undergoing reparation with the stone that abounds in the immediate vicinity ; and the true policy of so doing must at once be seen by reflect- ing on the importance of preserving a free commu- nication with the Lower Province and England, by the canal, which cannot be interrupted without re- ducing these works, or taking military possession of the country. ■m ,,..(1,1 • Hi' ■ ;r.!iiH )i'i' 62 KINGSTON. Lake Ontario, at the eastern extremity of which Kingston is placed, may be called a fresh-water sea, about 170 miles long, by 60 miles wide. The schooners that navigate this sea are from 40 to 200 tons burden; and there are ten steam-boats on the Canada side ; all of them carry goods, and take vessels in tow. 4i KINGSTON. Kingston holds the rank of first commercial town in the province, and its situation will enable it always to maintain that rank. The ground on which it is built is considerably elevated above the lake, with its surface gently sloping towards it. The court-house, one of the churches, barracks, and most of the houses and stores of the merchants and persons connected with the navy-yard and garrison, are of stone or brick, and the footways of the principal streets are paved with stone. The market is well supplied with all the essentials and many of the non-essentials. The former are to be obtained at a cheap rate. Schooners are built here, and manufactories of soap and candles are established. A large brewery and a pottery is close by. Hatting and all the minor trades of utility flourish, ,and would do so if ten times as numerous. An act Jas just passed for establishing a bank here, which will contribute much to its advancement, and is a measure most impera- tively called for by the increasing trade, which will ,;••* ,.t f ) KINGSTON. mm «oon receive so considerable an addition by the re- moval of the chief obstacle to the rapid advance- ment of the Upper Province, viz., the cost of trans- port upwards, and the risk of the downward pas sage, both of which will be removed by the llideau Canal. Navy Bay, on the sides of which are the esta- blishments that enabled the British successfully to dispute the command of the Lake with the Ame- ricans in the last war, is formed by two peninsulas. Point Frederic divides the bay from the harbour ; and, on the other, Point Henry, stands the fort, which completely protects the bay and harbour. Kingston is the head-quarters of the regiment in charge of these and other forts at this end of the Lake. The immediate environs of the town are not very fruitful, but several handsome houses and grounds enliven the scene. An American steam-boat plies between this town and Oswego ; from whence coaches run daily to Utica on the Erie canal. This last place is distant from Albany ninety-six miles, from which a steasu- boat in twelve hours wil reach the city of New York. A considei^ible intercourse is also maintained with Rochester and other towns on the southern shore of the lake by schooners. The population of Kingston is not far short of *■ m\ 811-: 'i •'i'i' 4 64 KINGSTON. I • 6000, and during the summer this is exceeded. It returns a member to the provincial Parliament. From Kingston "o York there are two routes — one by steam-boat up the Lake, calling at' Coburg and Port Hope ; but as the boats k« ep out from land, little is offered by this route beyond the plea- sure of a fine sail (all the steam-boats on the lake carry sail), and a superior degree of comfort and ease. The other route is by steam-boat up the Bay of Quinte, 65 miles, and the remainder of the way 100 miles by coach. This bay enters the lake a little to the west of Kingston, and is navigable through its whole extent for schooners and steam-boats. The country is in a high state of cultivation, the soil most excellent, and the settlers generally of a supe- rior order. The towns of Bath and Belleville are finely situate on the borders of the bay, and are fast increasing in wealth and importance. From this bay there is a succession of small lakes and rivers, by which a communication may be effected with Lake Simcoe ; and a bill was passed last session, to carry this into operation, which will increase the value of the district, and extend the present limits of the province in that direction. The road from the Bay of Quinte to York lies not far from the shore of the lake, and affords travellers by this route an opportunity of judging of the soil and country. The road, in parts, is rather rough, but the coaches are adapted to them, and accidents ■ !ii 1 m COBURG. m not lllers soil lents of a serious nature are quite as rare as in Eni^land : and here it may be remarked, that the Canadian horses, though not deficient in spirit, are, to a re- markable degree, under the control of the drivers. COBURG is the first town of importance arrived at. A fine port is here forming, by piers run out into the bay formed by the lake. It has a court-house of stone, church, chapels, and numerous houses and stores substantially built. Some manufactories have been established, and more were about to be formed on an extended scale ; and no doubt can be enter- tained of Coburg becoming a place of importance. The cast of its inhabitants, and also those in the immediate vicinity of it, is above the usual standard of society ; among them are many half-pay officers and their families, altogether forming a circle little inferior to the small towns in England, and much superior to the more remote villages in England and Wales. PORT HOPE. About seven miles to the west of Coburg is Port Hope, situate by a river which falls into the lake. The fall is used for working some mills, and is capable of much greater use. It is a port of entry, and considerable traffic is carried on between these two towns and Rochi'ster, which is nearly [opposite. It has some substantial houses, &c. &c. i«V A': ''^.* 66 YORK. ' It., a ■ I I: ■ 'X'- ■,(• ■f i I I J ■I ,! 'v ^ ft'!' ■ ■ "' l ■ I:* . till < . !, 'I ' t. : ^.i f ';;'i •■ From hence to York, about sixty miles, the laxc is broken by a succession of beautiful bays, each destined, at some future day, to be the seat of a town from whence the produce of the country can be sent to Europe with only one transhipment YORK. York, the capital of Upper Canada, is about thirty miles from the western extremity of the Lake, which is here about thirty miles wide. The harbour in front of 'he town is a spacious basin, nearly circu- lar, formed by a neck of land running out into the lake, at the extremity of which is a lighthouse. The dimensions of this basin are two miles by one and three-quarters, and the depth of water over most part of it is from three to five fathoms. Two com- modious piers have been formed for the embarkation and landing of goods and passengers, and others are about to be built. The streets are of great width. King-street, the principal one, is partly paved, and the remainder is to be done speedily. In this street are the court-house, prison, and church ; the two former of brick, and the latter now rebuilding of brick and stone. Many of the houses in this street are brick, which is taking the place of wood. The hospital is a large building of brick. The col- lege, with eight houses for the masters, and the Parliament House, with extensive wings, containing offices for the various departments of the state, were finished in 1830 and 1831. They are of brick ; the YORK. 67 eet wo of his od. iol- the ;re Ihe latter with stone enrichments, and, for size and simple grandeur, have but few equals in America. There is also a Catholic church, and five chapels of various denominations, all of brick. In the environs of York are many houses and gardens that would be considered ornaments to the environs of any town in England. The market is well supplied, but, from the demand being large, provisions are rather higher here than in other parts of the province. Besides the college already mentioned, in which the course of education is much the same as in the public schools in England, from whence the masters are sent, an University is to be established : the mo- ney for building it has been voted, and the ground marked out about a mile from the town. The pro- fessors are to be appointed by the University of Ox- ford, and will be empowered to confer degrees and grant diplomas. As the seat of government, York is, of course, the place of residence :: all the public functionaries ; and, from this cause, .mmbers of officers on half-pay and others of superior education have settled in the county of York, and the society differs but little from that of the large inland towns of England. Every town of consideration in the province has one or more newspapers, in general well conducted. At York there are five or six published every week. It has also philosophical, literary, and agricultural societies, and a news-room well furnished with the 68 YORK. ^ ! ^il ri: «!> principal English and American newspapers and periodicals, maps, &c. The harbour of York is defended by a fort, which commands its mouth, and is the head-quarters of the regiment in charge of the forts on the Niagara fron- tier and the lakes Huron and Erie. The river Credit, which enters Lake Ontario, about fifteen miles west of York, is a fine stream running through a fruitful district. The improve- ment of the navigation of this river has long been in contemplation ; and in the session of 1830-1, a bill passed the legislature to give effect to those inten- tions, by which it will be rendered of great value to the country through which it runs. In the immediate vicinity of York there is some extent of inferior land, sandy, with pine forests, interspersed, however, with spots of a different na- ture. As the land rises, which it does from York to Lake Simcoe almost imperceptibly, the pine gives place to oak and the other hard woods. Lake Sim- coe is a beautiful sheet of water, about thirty miles by twenty, including Cooke's and Kempenfelt's bays. It is elevated very considerably above Lake Huron, with which it communicates by the River Severn, at present not navigable, but reported capable of being made so. The projected navigation between the Bay of Quinte and Lake Simcoe, before alluded to, will much increase the prosperity of the settlers round the latter lake, and it is rapidly settling. The Canada Company's settlement of Guelph is 5 :■ 's and which of the k fron- ntario, stream iprove- }een in a bill ! inten- ilue to WELLAND CANAL. 69 about sixty miles west of York, and near thirty from Dundas, the nearest port on the Lake Ontario, or rather Burlington Bay, as the western end of the Lake is called. Not far from Dundas are the towns of Hamilton and Ancaster. The whole country round Burlington Bay and along the Niagara River to Lake Erie is well settled and well cultifated, and has numerous villages and good roads. The cli- mate is delightful. Peaches are here produced on standard trees, of a size and flavour seldom seen even in the most favoured part of England with the advantages of walls, &c. &c. : other fruits and pro- duce of course flourish in an equal degree. V i some brests, nt na- ork to gives Sim- miles bays, iuron, jvern, )le of Itween lluded jttlers ph is WELLAND CANAL. The chief seat of business at this end of the lake will of necessity be near the mouth of the canal ; and Port Daihousie will doubtless be the principal dep6t for goods and produce. This canal is rather more than forty miles long, and connects Lake Erie with Lake Ontario : thus surmounting the most formi- dable cataract in the known world, viz., the Falls of Niagara. Like the Rideau, this canal is also made sufficiently large for the schooners on the lake. The importance of this canal may, in some mea- sure, be estimated, when it is considered that the produce of a most fruitful country, with a coast of nearly 500 miles, must seek a market through this canal, — to say nothing of the immense produce of 70 WELLAND CANAL. 1 '! \ ! • 4 ^ 51'! i!' I {; \ I. the American side of the lake, and the State of Michegan, a great part of which will take this route as the most advantageous, the Americans having no navigation for schooners farther east than Buffalo, and no means of reaching Lake Ontario but by the Erie Canal and the Genesee River at Rochester, which must be carried on by small boats at a great expense of time and labour *. The recent alteration of the policy of the British Government, in allowing the introduction of all articles of produce from the United States into Canada free of duty, will be of incalculable benefit to Canada and also to England ; for, by means of this and the other canal, the cost of carriage will be so reduced, that the British or Canadian merchant can afford to give the Americans more for their produce than the New York merchants could afford, and at the same time can supply them with British goods on far more advantageous terras, even without taking into account the present enormous duties, which it is generally admitted by them cannot be reduced much below 30 per cent. Another most important feature in this part of * A schooner and cargo can, by the Welland and the Ri- deau canals, reach Montreal in five or six days from Lake Erie ; whereas, her cargo cannot be forwarded to New York from Buffalo, by the Erie Canal and the Hudson, in less than twelve or thirteen days, and being twice shifted. To which may be added, that from causes not quite explained, yet known to exist, the entrance of the Welland Canal is free of ice three weeks sooner than the Erie Canal, and keeps open as much later. Iii ; le of route n^ no itfalo, )y the lester, great British of all \ into lefitto of this [ be so nt can oduce , and ,ffoods lithout iities, lot be art of ihe Ri- Lake York ts than 1 which mown three I much DISTRICT OF NIAGARA. I the province is the water power to be derived from this canal, and which, in fact, may be described as unlimited : the full of water is 346 feet, and the sup- ply is inexhaustible. It is not, perhaps, too much to say that the power here described presents to this district advantages for the establishment of mills and other manufactories that may in some measure be compared to the coal mines of Lancashire, which have given such importance to that portion of Eng- land. Many saw and grist mills have already been erected, and are in operation ; also a pail factory, turning-lathe, and a furnace near St. Catherine's. Carding-machines and numerous others are erecting, and, indeed, in every point of view, the District oi Niagara is second in importance to none in the in- terior of America. The prospects of increasing trade and intercourse (which the change of policy before alluded to must effect) are so bright, that it is in contemplation to construct a rail-road from the River Chippewa, above the Falls of Niagara to Lake Ontario, as an additional facihtyfor conducting the increased busi- ness. The expense of the trip from Montreal to York, or Niagara, is about twenty dollars, and may be performed in three days and nights ; and the latter, being spent on board the steam-boats, reduces the fatigue to almost nothing. It may be performed for half that price, or less, by those who cannot afford so much. ■m n • tL, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I £ |4£ |2.0 |L25 I U . 116 ^>' ^>' y /^ Photographic Sciences Corporalion 23 WIST MAIN STMIT WfBSTER,N.Y. M580 (716)«72-4S03 72 FALLS OF NIAGAKA. ■{•}. •I ^t Proceeding along the river Niagara, through the town of Queenstown, the road leads close by the stupendous and magnificent Falls, which have long held so conspicuous a place in the enumeration of objects worthy the contemplation of all ad- mirers of the sublimities of nature — in the de- scription of which no two pens have, nor perhaps ever will agree, as they are calculated to make different impressions on persons of various tempera- ment. Suffice it to say, that those whose souls are capable of estimating the beauty and grandeur of the scene, will be for a season entranced, and the philosopher will be one moment lost in the contem- plation of the utter insignificance of mere animal strength, as compared with the tremendous power before him, and the next in the satisfactory reflec- tion, that science has enabled man to surmount this formidable barrier to the progress of civilization. Fort Erie stands on the British or Canada side of the Niagara river, at its entrance from Lake Erie, opposite the American town of Buffalo. From thence to Sherbrooke, at the mouth of the Grand River and Welland Canal, is thirty miles. It is quite a new town, called into existence by the canal, as Buffalo has been by the Erie Canal. The shores of Lake Erie on the Canadian side are m a wild state, compared with the country bordering on Lake Ontario, and present but few towns of any size. The iron mines and works of Charlotte ville are situate near the spacious bay formed by a point of land ■■If Ml SANDWICH. 73 ;h the 5y the e long B ration lU ad- he de- lerhaps ) make 2mpera- )uls are ideur of and the contem- » animal IS power •y reflec- unt this ition. ^a side of [ke Erie, From e Grand Is. It is |he canal, le shores a wild on Lake ize. The |e situate of land stretching into the lake nearly thirty miles, called Long Point. Almost opposite this point is the American town and naval establishment of Erie. PORT TALBOT is situate nearly midway on the side of the lake. The country round it is in a forward state of settle* ment ; and from thence is a road to Goderich in the Huron tract. AMHERSTBUROH is seated on the river which connects LtC'e St. Clair with Lake Erie, and is the chief town in this part of the province. It has a court-house, church, &c., and from two to three hundred houses. The har- bour is secure and commodious, having] good an- chorage, with three fathoms and a half of water. SANDWICH is nearly opposite the American town of Detroit, and is almost as large as Amherstburgh, with a good harbour. This part is in a high state of cultiva- tion ; and for quality of soil and beauty of climate is not to be surpassed. CHATHAM. Chatham is situate on the river Thames, which empties itself into Lake St. Clair. It is a fine river, and navigable to the town by schooners. The town E I ■ 1 J 74 LAKES HURON AND SUPERIOR. m ■ \ 1 1 i ■ ' i' 'i M m :| Ih I.I 'I .i "4 ? H ;"^ is rising in importance, and must continue to do so, from the fine country around it. LONDON^OXFORD. These towns are situate on the banks of the Thames, far inland. Boats can go from London to Lake St. Clair ; and the road from Chatham to Dundas, on Lake Ontario, passes them. The Huron territory, the property of the Canada Land Company, extends for near sixty miles along Lake Huron. The town of Goderich in this tract is situate at the entrance of the river Maitland into the lake ; and here the Company have stores for the supply of the settlers upon their land. They have also erected saw and grist mills, to forward the settlement, and have engaged to expend upwards of 40,000/. in roads and other public works. Lake Huron is much larger than either of the other lakes before-mentioned ; and by far the greatest portion of its shore is within the British territory. It is but little known, except the Huron tract, and that part of it which lies near Lake Simcoe. Those parts are favourably spoken of; and no doubt can exist, that when the country east of this lake is settled (which will take a century or so to complete), vast tracts of fertile land may still be found to receive the superabundant population of Great Britain and the settled parts of Canada. Lake Superior is still larger than Lake Huron ; the shores do not exhibit the most favourable aspect. ■Mi- GOVERN MENTAL A WS. 75 mue to do he Thames, to Lake St. Dundas, on the Canada miles along in this tract [aitland into stores for the They have forward the d upwards of either of the ir the greatest ish territory, n tract, and coe. Those o doubt can llake is settled mplete), vast to receive the itain and the iake Huron; lurable aspect. But experience proves that this criterion is by no means infallible ; and if the reports of the sur- veyors are correct, is about to receive a signal con- tradiction in the disclosure of a fine country behind the most forbidding exterior, extending from the Saguenay River nearly up to Quebec. From Lake Superior, a chain of small lakes lead to Lake Winnepeg, which is nearly as large as Lake Ontario. On its western shore appears a smiling plain, which continues still west along the Red River, and is described to be * every way equal in fertility to the lime-stone plain of Kentucky* — the most envied spot in the United States. Beyond this, the fur-traders have trading posts quite through the Continent to the Pacific Ocean ; and the whole distance can be travelled by canoe, excepting sixty or eighty miles across the Rocky Mountains. About five months are consumed in travelling from Mon- treal to the Pacific. The late Lord Selkirk formed a settlement on the Red River, which is still believed to be considerable ; but their intercourse is chiefly with Hudson's Bay, and the fur-traders. GOVERNMENT, LAWS, REVENUES, MONEY, SCHOOLS, AND CHURCH ESTABLISHMENT OF UPPER CA.VADA. The government of Upper Canada is vested in a governor, who receives his appointment from Eng- land ; a legislative council, the members of which are appointed by the governor for life (under cer- E 2 "i-V ,■■'1' V;l|] n I 76 SCHOOLS-— MONEV. f 1 ' f'l i ' IiMNp MK nfi\ tain restrictions), and a House of Assembly elected by the freeholders in the counties, and the house- holders in towns, every four years at least ; which last branch has the same power and control over the public purse as is possessed by the House of Com- mons in England. No taxes can be levied without their consent, nor far any purpose not relating to the colony. All bills* before they have the force of laws, must receive the assent of the two Houses and the Governor. Both the civil and criminal laws of Upper Canada are the same as in England, and are administered in the same way, and by the same functionaries, viz., by judges, justices, &c., at quarter- sessions and assizes. No civil or political disability exists in Upper Canada on account of religious persuasion, but all are equally free. The Church of England derives its support from grants of land which have been made to it, and, beyond this, has no claim further than any other class of ecclesiastics. Schools upon the national system of education are distributed in all the districts, which are erected and supported by the public revenues. The money of the Upper Province is the same as in the Lower Province, except that crowns and half- crowns go for no more than dollars and half-dollars ; indeed, it is best to convert all English money into dollars at Quebec or Montreal. Accounts are kept the same as in the Lower Province, in Halifax cur- ■■ :ifl elected bouse- ; which over the of Com- without lating to force of mses and BT Canada listered in aries, viz., sions and in Upper on, but all and derives have been urn further f education are erected the same as Ins and half- lalf-dollars ; money into Ints are kept [Halifax cur- REVBNUE. 77 rency of four dollars to the pound, at bs, each. It is also necessary to observe, that in consequence of the frequent intercourse with the Americans, great use is made of their way of reckoning the dollar Ss. ; so that a * York shilling,' as it is called, is no better than 7^d. Canadian ; and this circumstance is not unfrequently made use of by the Americans, to entice the ignorant labourer over to their side of the lake or river, by the sound of higher wages to the ear, but perhaps less to the other senses. There is a bank at York, which has been long established ; one-fourth of whose stock was sub- scribed by the provincial government. Consequently, they have the opportunity of exercising a salutary control over it, and protecting the interests of the public. A bill passed last Session for the esta- blishment of a bank at Kingston, which has long been desired and asked for ; but the same vigilance is exercised here as in Lower Canada and England, to keep the circulation of paper within the bounds of moderation ; and however this policy may retard, in appearance, the prosperity of the province as compared with the United States, the real and solid advantages of such wholesome control will not be denied in Europe, nor is it by the sensible part of the Americans. REVENUE. The revenue of Upper Canada is derived from a pro- portion of the duties collected at Quebec and Mon- •« -J ■, ■ '* «i .V -^^^- t^-*-'. > i t I 78 REVENUE. - i; treal on imported goods ; the duties imposed on all goods imported from the United States, which pay the same as they would pay if imported into Eng- land (except grain of all sorts, flour, timber, ashes, beef and pork, and also live stock, which are ad- mitted free of duty) ; a tax of \d. in the pound on houses in occupation, land, mills, horses, car- riages, oxen, and cows, all which are estimated by a fixed table of valuation, where land under cul- tivation stands at 20«., and uncleared land at \s. per acre ; and the other descriptions of property are valued on the same moderate scale. The Canada Land Company pay a yearly stipend of 17,500/., for a certain time, for their land ; and there is a small revenue from licences and fees, sales of land, &c. The canals, harbours, and light- houses, most of which have been partly or wholly constructed by the government, yield a revenue. The whole direct and indirect taxation scarcely amounts to 3s. sterling per head ; and if a deduction is made for the goods smuggled across to the United States, the duties on which must be charged to the Americans, the amount will be reduced almost to 2s. per head, or not one-tenth of what the Americans pay their State and Federal Governments. Last year the income of the province was nearly double their expenditure, and enabled them to pay otFlO per cent, of the debt contracted for the pro- secution of canals and other public works. ii. \ on all !h pay I Enc- ashes, are ad- pound ;s, car- ated by ler cul- 1 at 4s. erty are stipend id ; and nd fees, id light- wholly revenue, scarcely eduction e United d to the ost to 25. mericans is nearly to pay Ithe pro- 79 EXPORTS AND PRODUCTIONS OF THE CANADAS. The chief exports of Canada are wheat, flour, Indian corn, timber of all sorts, ships, salt provisions, flsh, ashes, furs, and a great variety of articles of smaller consequence, but which are capable of great in- crease. The fisheries in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are very flourishing, and are capable of great extension. The rivers and lakes throughout Canada abound in salmon, sturgeon, shad, and the smaller fish ; and but little profit is at present derived from them, though there can be no doubt that they could be turned to great advantage. The mountains are rich in mineral productions ; but none are worked except iron. Some fine speci- mens of marble have lately been brought from the island of Anticosti, at the mo>'*h of the St. Law- rence * : a beautiful statuary -::arble is said to abound on the banks of the river Saguenay ; and other stone is found in the mountains in the different parts of the provinces, particularly at Montreal, where a very fine grey granite is worked. Stone is also easily to be procured along the shores of the lakes in many parts ; and on the shores of Lake Superior, marble of good quality is found. Coals are found in the lower part of the province, but, * Where a very handsome light-house was last year erected, of some inferior marble, found in great quantities. "4 : ^- ■ i . '-'^ ' .' 'V- ■ 'ie EXPORTS AND PRODUCTIONS. from the abundance of wood, are not at present much attended to. A coal-mine has, however, re- cently been opened in Nova Scotia, said to be of very superior quality, and which will be a valuable article of export to Boston, New York, and the large towns on the coast of the United States ; their own coal being by no means applicable to general purposes, particularly steam-boats, which all use wood, though it is getting scarce and dear. if I ' ; I • ! CONCLUSION. Of whatever rank or condition in life any person may be who contemplates emigration, he must not allow himself to think that, with a change of scene, he will arrive at the end of his troubles. He who has come to the determination of emi- grating, has done so, most likely, with the hope and expectation of attaining a substantial and per- manent state of prosperity, instead of the precarious and delusive circumstances in which he finds him- self at present placed. Such an one will do well to consider, if the end he proposes to himself is suffi- cient to support him under some difficulties — for some he is likely to meet with — whether he has only the health and strength which nature has allotted to him, unaccompanied by more or less wealth, or, on the contrary, is furnished with the means of escaping those privations which the poor must undergo in any civilized society on earth. CONCLUSION. 81 esent !r, re- be of iuable id the tales ; ble to which dear. person lUSt not f scene, of emi- le hope nd per- jcarious is him- i well to ■ is suffi- ;ies— for as only otted to , or, on scaping ergo in There is the most satisfactory evidence, viz., ex- perience, that nothing of value is to be obtained without some sort of equivalent, either by the ex- change of articles on which circumstances stamp a different value in different places ; or by the labour of the hands or the head, to produce some one or more of those articles ; or by administering to the pleasures or comfort of those possessing a surplus of the necessaries of life. It would almost appear ridiculous thus to allude to what no one denies, and yet it is certain that many act as though they were not guided by any such axioms. The philosophy of all will be put to some test on landing in Ame- rica, either at New York or Quebec. At the former place he will be captivated with the beauty of the channel and harbour, and the bustle and animation on the quays and in the streets ; but his first im- pressions he will find are too vivid to last. Much of the bustle he will discover is the consequence of the want of system; and investigation on almost every point will remove his admiration a peg lower. New York is about thirty miles from the ocean. Quebec is upwards of 400 miles from Newfound- land — the first land generally made, the aspect of which is very wild and barren. The island of An- ticosti, or the coast of Gaspe, is next discovered the former uninhabited, and the latter inhabited principally by fishermen. From thence nearly to Quebec, 300 miles, the shores of the river present abrupt precipices, with mountains no great way in E 5 ■i''¥/ ?"#»• ■i I ' I j j Mf! 'HI; 82 CONCLUSION. the rear, crowned with forestR, and entirely wild. This scenery, although sublimely grand in the eyes of the lover of nature, is rather calculated to chill the warm ideas of the cultivator ; and should con- trary winds detain him among these wilds, may pre- dispose him to listen with too favourable an ear to some American speculator's glowing account of their land of promise. As he approaches to the island of Orleans, he will be more satisfied ; and the admirer of sylvan beauties will be delighted as he sails along with this island on one side, and the main land on the other, both enlivened with the picturesque dwellings and churches of the French Canadians. Quebec, with its glittering tin roofs and spires, and castellated walls and battlements, with all the attending circumstances of a port, is not seen till within four or 6ve miles, when, by turning a point of land, the whole is in view, with the shore of the St. Charles, under a high state of cultivation, and the Falls of Montmorency. If the weather should be fine, dull, indeed, must that fancy be which can remain unmoved by objects so grand and beautiful as here present themselves ; and every moment till the ship gets alongside the wharf, is usually occu- pied in examining its details. If the leading trait in the character of the Ameri- cans, viz., a migratory and restless spirit, is suffi- cient to account for many of their actions in com- mon life, so also does the leading characteristic of the French Canadians, viz., an aversion to change, wild. ; eyes chiU 1 con- ly pre- ear to )f their and of dmirer s along and on iiresque ladians. res, and all the seen till a point 5 of the on, and should lich can jeautiful lent till y occu- Ameri- lis suffi- in com- Iristic of 1 change, CONCLUSION. 83 influence to an amazing degree almost every action of their lives^ and operates greatly to the disadvan- tage of those parts inhabited chiefly by them. This spirit not only prevents them fiom seeking for im- provements in agriculture or the arts, but actually induces them to reject any when they are offered. The ground on which the city of Quebec stands is most unfavourable for the erection of a town, and the tenure by which the land is held is against the erection of expensive houses ; but neither of these circumstances have had so large a share in the pre- sent uncouth exterior, as the determination of the inhabitants to adhere to the old and by-gone customs of two or three centuries. However, there is, per- haps, no one circumstance or thing in Lower Ca- nada that does not improve upon closer acquaint- ance and inspection ; still it is not to be denied that the flrst impression is likely to be unfavourable. The streets are narrow, and tlie footways encum- bered with the steps stretching into the roadway. The windows are small, and glazed with small panes of glass, which none but factories and houses of mean rank in England exhibit ; and the ideas thus engendered cannot be got rid of directly. The shop- windows partake of the same character, but the stock within them is not to be estimated by the exterior appearance. The wharfs and warehouses are of a diflerent character, being more accordant with the ideas formed of a commercial city, and are chiefly the property of, and built by, the English and 'if 'f.f : I .1 A ,-.. w 84 CONCLUSION. f '■: ii . ■( . Scotch. In these warehouses the goods are stored for transmission to Montreal, &c. ; ^.nd quantitie!< are sold by auction to the dealers at Quebec ; but no other sign of this proceeding is to be discovered, than an old flag hung out of one of the upper lofts on the day of sale. If these warehouses were "* ^pected, larger quantities of merchandise would be disco- vered than are to be found collected in the like num- ber of warehouses at New York, where the great and first object is to sell goods as soon as landed ; but a stranger does not know this, and, there^'^re, is in- clined to draw unfavourable conclusions, and be discouraged in spite of himself. At Montreal this indifference to advancement in civil life, which sits like an incubu on the affairs of the old Canadians, is not so promi lent, by reason of the larger proportion of inhabiiai s of British or American extraction; but still the .' is that same propensity to stick to the antiqua^ d mode of con- ducting business and affairs gene; lly, lu be disco- vered, and to which the English n vchant must, in some measure, conform. These observations are made not to discourage any who are disposed to settle in Lower Canada (and to Upper Canada they have not the least refer- ence), but to prevent them from being discouraged by first impressions. The last ten years have done more than the preceding century did towards re- moving the old prejudices of the Canadians, against all and every plan proposed for the improvement of CONCLUSION. 85 ored LitieS' ill no than nthe 5Cted, lisco- num- it and but a is in- ttd be lent in fairs of isou of ;ish or , same )f con- disco- 3t, in )UTage )anada refer- iraged done rds re- Lgainst lent of the province, and every year must add in a geome- trical ratio to the new order of things ; for the lower class already perceive that the enterprize of the Eng- lish is opening to them new sources of employment, by which the increasing population are fully and pro- fitably occupied, but which their own wealthy coun- trymen would never have thought of or engaged in. And besides this, it is to be considered, that by the natural increase of the British in the townships, aided by emigration, the proportion of the French Canadians is yearly diminishing. The English lan- guage is now as much used as the French in the large towns ; and it is by many supposed, that in another twenty years, or less, French will be spoken no where but in remote parts. This last circum- stance proves that a change is working. The higher order among them are by no means devoid of talent ; and although they have allowed their humble bre- thren to be the first discoverers of the benefits arising from an enlarged and liberal view of things, yet their interest must dictate their acquiescence, even if their good sense vAW not. Lieutenant-Colonel Bouchette, a Canadian, and surveyor-general of the province, in speaking of the agriculturist, says, * Unhappily it is a circumstance much to be deplored, that the Canadian farmer has not had, to this time, the means of instruction in numberless new and useful methods by which the labour of the culti\ator is abridged. As he is igno- rant of all other modes, he continues to cultivate ihe I*' I = '• [' I] !>:■'. '? ^■A\'' Mi i ii: 86 CONCLUSION. ground after the manner of his ancestors for many generations, and long habit confirms him in an un- profitable partiality to old customs ; knowing the natural fertility of his land, he is content to receive a crop equal to the years preceding, and exhibits no apparent desire to accumulate wealth by any new method. But the belief that bad success and loss would follow the use of new methods, operates more forcibly upon him than disinclination to augment his riches, the desire of which is as lively in him as in others^ If this estimate of their character is correct, there is no ground for despairing of them ; and although the progress of improvement is slow, it will be sure. But there is ample scope for the enterprise and industry of the emigrant, whether of the agricultural, mechanical, or trading class, without being controlled by the notorious apathy of the old Canadians, and which, in fact, is in many instances rather an advan- tage to an enterprising European than otherwise, as it gives him the first profits of any new process of manufacture or speculation. The obvious advantages of Lower Canada are the uninterrupted navigation to the ocean, thereby con- stituting the ports of Montreal and Quebec the centre of the trade of this great extent of country with all its attendant advantages ; the intercourse with the fisheries of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and the country at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the West Indies, and also with the United States, t If i' nany I un- r the jceive ts no y new d loss i more gment iim a« L, there though be sure. ise and lultural, ntrolled Ins, and advan- |wise, as )cess of are the [by coll- ie centre Lh all its Hth the and the iwrence. States, CONCLUSION. 87 both by sea and inland navigation ; the crops and pro- duce are encumbered with less charge of carriage, and articles of British or West Indian production are cheaper from the same cause. Ship-building and other operations may be carried on here, which could not in the Upper Province. The advantages of the Upper Province to the cultivator, are, its milder climate, and greater fertility of its soil. To the trader, a certainty that a region so blest must increase its population continually, and consequently create a rising demand for ail the necessaries and luxuries of life. The superiority of internal navigation which it possesses over any pos- sessed by that part of the United States bordering on the lakes, must insure to it a large share of the trade of those parts ; and the great facilities pre- sented by the numerous falls of water, for the erec- tion of flouring-mills, which cannot be increased to a greater extent than the demand for the article *n England, either for the supply of our own rapidly- increasing population, or as an article of the first necessity to other parts of Europe. f i .'">* ■ I» i \ "HH BBOKHaMB^ - i it •■ ! ■■ j i t } I fc! I • •■> APPENDIX. No. I. OFFICK OF HIS MAJESTY'S RESIDENT AGENT FOR THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF SETTLERS AND EMI- GRANTS IN THE CANADAS. Quebec, 1st August, 1831. Notice is hereby given to settlers and emigrants arriv- ing from the United Kingdom, and wishing to locate on lands belonging to the crown in Upper and Lower Canada, that there are many situations in either pro- vince whereon they may settle to great advantage, and which will be granted on very easy terms to industrious settlers for actual settlement. 1 ^ • -.1 h: 4 IN LOWER CANADA. His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief has been pleased to order the crown lands in the townships of Inverness and Leeds, near Craig's Road, to be reserved for industrious settlers arriving from the United King- dom. These lands are distant from Quebec thirty-six or forty miles, on the south side of the river St. Lawrence, with good roads all the way, and a new road to the centre of Inverness is being made, which affords em- ployment to settlers : the climate is exceedingly healthy, soil of the first quality, abounding in numerous navigable lakes and rivers. Many Scotch, English, and Irish 90 APPENDIX. families located in this part of the country last summer, and are exceedingty pleased with their situation. The price fixed for these crown lands to actual settlers is 4s. per acre, Halifax currency ; and families whose means are limited will get 100 acres on a quit-rent of 20*. a year, until they are enabled to redeem the pur- chase at 4«. per acre. Crown lands vacant in other townships may be had on payment of a small quit rent. ' d^ v I 1- ^•''i •r m I UPPER CANADA. His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor has been pleased to order to be reserved the township of Ops, in the district of Newcastle, Upper Canada, for the recep- tion of industrious emigrants from the United Kingdom, and who may be disposed to settle in that province. There are other situations where emigrants may get locations ; but to those who have no fixed place in view, the township of Ops will be found, in every way, a most desirable situation. These lands are situate about thirty miles from Lake Ontario, on the north side, and adjoining the prosperous township of Cavan, and near the Rice Lakes. The price fixed for those crown lands to actual settlers is 4s. per acre, Halifax currency, payable in five years, with in- terest, from the time of taking possession, and one year's interest in advance. Persons disposed to locate in either of the above Pro- vinces (if approved of) will be provided with a ticket from the office of his Majesty's resident agent for the superintendence of settlers in the Canadas, at Quebec, to the location agent in the respective townships, which will entitle the settler to such lot as he may choose, and vacant at the time; and on the back of such ticket 'fi: APPENDIX. 91 It (Hrections will be found for his guidance in proceedinjij to his destination. Any further information may be obtained (gratis) on applying at the Reside nt Agent's office, in the Lower Town (Sault au Matelot- street, entrance in St. Peter- street, nearly opposite the Bank of Montreal), daily, from ten till two o'clock ; and emigrants not possessed of immediate means to go upon lands, and who are in want of employment, will obtain information at the above office for their guidance, with the probable demand for labour and artisans, rates of wages, &c. at the various works now in progress in the Canadas*. A. C. Buchanan, Resident Agent for the Superintendence of Set tiers and Emigrants in the Canadaa. * As emigrants on .arriving at Quebec are exposed to nume- rous temptations, they would materially advance their own in- terest if they ^^ 11 exercise a little prudence, and not suffer them- selves to be hurried away by every representation that may bii presented to their notice. The heads of families ought to repair, as soon as possible after arrival, to the office of his Majesty's resident agent for the superintendence of settlers, whose especial duty it is to give all the information in his power (gratis) to industrious emi- grants, who may wish to settle in Upper or Lower Canada. Labourers are wanted in all the eastern townships, and brick- layers and stone-masons are wanted at the King's Works, on Cape Diamond. f^l > Ul i ^4 ''■;■;• "^ I .' >< \ 92 APPENDIX. No. II. ..'t ' :t . f:^ ! I ' * I.; 'ff*' .A • • I'"' CLIMATE, SOIL, AND PRODUCTIONS OF UPPER CANADA. From an Official Report of an Agent of his Majesty's Govern- ment, laid before a Select Committee of the House of Commons, in 1823, by his Majesty's Under Secretary of State for the Cob' nial Department' The climate of Upper Canada is considerably milder than that of the Lower Province, and the winter shorter in the same proportion. In both these respects it im- proves as you proceed to the westward ; so much so, that although the frost generally sets in in November, at its eastern extremity, and continues in that neigh- bourhood till the middle of April, it rarely commences on the shores of Lake Erie before Christmas, and it usually disappears between the 25th of March and the 1st of April. On a comparison with the climate of Great Britain, the heat in the summer months is somewhat greater, but never oppressive, as it is always accompanied with light breezes. There is less rain than in England, but it falls at more regular periods, generally in the spring and autumn. The winter cold, though it exceeds that of the British isles, is the less sensibly felt, in consequence of its dryness, and seldom continues intense for more than three days together, owing to the regular fluctuation of the wind between the north-west and south-west points. It may be observed, that the winter season is the most favourable to land-carriage, as the roads then admit of sledging in all directions, which is a very expeditious mode of conveyance, and attended with but little draft ; So that one horse or ox can, in this manner, easily draw double what he can upon wheels. It is hardly necessary APPENDIX. 93 R roveni- mmons, e Colo' milder jhorter } it im- iich so, rember, neigh- itnences and it and the Britain, greater, ed with 1, but it •ing and t of the lence of >re than ation of points, fhe most idmit of (editions [e draft ; [y draw icessary t to state, that, in a country so overspread with timber, there can never be a deiiciency of fuel. As the forests disappear, the climate improves. Soil. — Upper Canada is blessed with as productive a soil as any in the world, and it is easily brought into cultivation. The nature of the soil may be invariably discovered by the description of timber it bears. Thus, on what is called hard-timbered land, where the maple, beech, black birch, ash, cherry, lime, elm, oak, black walnut, butter-nut, hickory, plane, and tulip tree, &c., are found, the soil consists of a deep black loam. Where the fir and hemlock pine are intermixed in any consider- able proportion with other trees, clay predominates; but where they grow alone, which is generally on ele- vated situations, sand prevails. This also happens where the oak and chestnut are the only trees. These sandy soils, though naturally unfavourable to meadow and pasture, are found to produce the brightest and heaviest wheats, and can, with the assistance of gypsum, which abounds in many parts of the province, be made to bear the finest possible crops of clover and Indian com. In moist seasons the clay furnish the greatest burden of grass. Perhaps there does not exist, in any quarter of the globe, a country of the extent of Upper Canada, containing so small a quantity of waste land, either of marsh or mountain, yet there is not any deficiency of water ; for, independently of the numerous rivers and streams which flow through the country on every side, good springs are universally found either on the surface or by digging for them. Natural Productions. — The timber most esteemed in Upper Canada for building and farming purposes is the •-■■I ' i". i >'M ; ■■<■'■ t-^\ •i. .! - . i "k ■ , i • i ' il t, U i J*" m H f ■• , n 94 APPENDIX. white oak (very similar to the English), and the yellow pine, a sort of deal which cuts up into excellent boards, as does also the tulip-tree, Vhich there grows to an im- mense size. This latter timber is by many considered the best for weather boarding, from its superior facility in taking paint, and being of the poplar tribe, it is less liable than most other woods to accidents from fire, as it never blazes ; the oak and hickory are principally used for ploughs, cart-wheels, &c. The black walnut, cherry, and curled maple, work up into durable and beautiful furniture of all sorts. From the maple, the settlers, by a very simple and easy pro- cess of tapping, obtain in a few days a sufficient quan- tity of sugar to supply their families for a year ; many, indeed, manufacture a considerable surplus for sale. Soap may be made in any quantities from the wood- ashes, with the addition of a certain proportion of tallow or grease of any kind. Plums, cherries, crab-apples (which latter yield an excellent preserve), gooseberries, currants, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, cranberries, walnuts, chestnuts, and filberts, grow wild in the woods, where game is sufficiently abundant ; consisting of red- deer, hares, pheasants, woodcocks, snipes, and quails, with many other birds, good for the table ; in which enumeration should not be omitted the wild pigeon, which, at certain periods of the year, migrate from the westward in flocks of such magnitude as surpasses all description, and are excellent eating. Grain, <^c. — The grain grown in Upper Canada con- sists of spring and winter wheat, oats, barley, rye, buck- wheat, and Indian corn, the last of which is a most im- portant article of consumption. Peas are the only field pulse cultivated there ; the summer heats being consi- e yellow L boards, » an im- )nsidered ir facility it is less i fire, as )ally used , work up s. From easy pro- ent quan- ir; many. for sale, the wood- n of tallow rab-apples oseberries, •anberries, the woods, ing of red- md quails, in which lid pigeon, from the rpasses all inada con- |, rye, buck- most im- only field )eing consi- APPENDIX. 95 derably too great for beans. There are potatoes, tur* nips, pumpkins, clover (red^and.'white), and timothy grass. Both flax and hemp grow remarkably well. Fruit and Vegetables. — All the fruits and herbs, com- mon to the English kitchen- garden, thrive well in this province ; and several of the former, which cannot in all seasons be had in perfection, in England, without orcing, succeed there in the open air ; melons, in parti- cular, which are excellent. There is also a great variety of apples, pears, plums, &c., of the finest quality which are known to European orchards. The stone-fruit is also raised on standards. Agriculture. — Course of crops '. the soil being of such a nature as not to need manure, the same attention is not there paid to the regular succession of crops as in Great Britain. After wheat, which is generally harvested in the month of July and beginning of August, rye can be sown on the same ground in the autumn to advan- tage ; the rye crop is frequently laid down with clover or grass seed, which, unless the farmer is pressed for ground, will continue to furnish good meadow and pas- ture for four or five years, otherwise it is ploughed up before winter, and into the spring put into pease, spring wheat, Indian corn, barley, oats, or buck-wheat, all of which answer very well ; the two first rather benefiting than impoverishing the land. The leaves and tops of the Indian corn are likewise excellent winter food for cattle, particularly milch-cows. After any of these latter crops, wheat may be sown again ; potatoes and turnips succeed well upon newly cleared land, as a first crop ; potatoes being put into the ground with a hand-hoe, from the beginning of May till the middle of June ; tur- ''.tV. ' *\ } 96 APPENDIX. '» i nips are sown about the first week in August, after the greatest heat has subsided, and at which time the fly has disappeared, simply requiring the harrow. It is to be understood that the new land is never ploughed for the first crop. Timothy is the grass most cultivated, as it affords a large burden of the best hay, besides good after-grass; however, it is best mixed with clover, to which it serves as a support, and prevents matting. To this may be added the following general rules, ex- tracted from ' Stuart's Emigrant's Guide,' published in 1820. The oak and chestnut generally grow on dry ground ; the latter more especially on ridges. The black oak and chestnut grow on a sandy and poor soil, as do the various species of pine, including the hemlock. White and'red oak, blended with other woods, bespeak a strong and lasting soil. Beech and white oak lands seem most favourable for wheat. The maples and black wal- nut — particularly the latter, where it grows in large clusters — point out the richest soils ; generally low and somewhat damp, in a state of nature, but only requiring clearance to become abundantly dry. Amongst the un- derwood, the prickly ash and spice wood promise the best. No. III. Passages to Quebec or New Brunswick may either be engaged inclusive of provisions, or exclusive of provi- sions ; in which case the shipowner finds nothing but water, fuel, and bed-places, without bidding. Children under fourteen years of age are charged one-half, and under seven years of age one- third of the full price ; and for children under twelve months of age no charge is t'l.i APPF.NDIX. 97 the fly BtO for i, at 50od p, to , ex- jd in I dry black as do ilock. >eak a seem k wal- large 9v and uiring eun- ise the either [provi- igbut lildren |f, and and irge is made. Upof ♦hese conditions the price of passage from London, or from [places on the east coast of Great Bri- tain, has geporally been fi/. with provisions, or 3/. with- out. From Liverpool, Greenock, and the principal ports of Ireland, as the chances of delay are fewer, the charge is somewhat lower; this year it will probably be from *2l. to 21. }0s, without provisions, or from 4l. to 5/. in- cluding provisions. It is possible, that, in March and April, passages may be obtained from Dublin for 35s, or even 30*. ; but the prices always grow higher as the season advances. In ships sailing from Scotland or Ireland, it has mostly been the custom for passengers to find their own provisions ; but this practice has not been so general in London, and some ship-owners, sen- sible of the dangerous mistakes which may be made in this matter through ignorance, are very averse to receive passengers who will not agree to be victualled by the ship. Those who do resolve to supply their own provi- sions should at least be careful not to lay in an insuffi- cient stock ; fifty days is the shortest period for which it is safe to provide ; and from London the passage is sometimes prolonged to seventy-five days. The best months for leaving England are certainly March and April ; the later emigrants do not find em- ployment so abundant, and have less time in the colony before the commencement of winter. The names of vessels proceeding to the North American colonies, and the addresses of their brokers, may be learnt at all ports of the United Kingdom, including the port of London, by personal application at the Custom House of each port. The officers of Customs, however, will not be able to answer written inquiries on the subject; and persons residing inland, who may require information of this nature, must depute the inquiry to some one at the M '^-,m I^p*" ■MP 9S APPENDIX. ' i :.t I'v port where they wish to embark. Many ships are ad- vertised in the public newspapers. Various frauds are attempted upon emigrants which can only be effectually defeated by the good sense of the parties against which they are contrived. Sometimes agents take payment from the emigrant for his passage, and then recommend him to some tavern, where he is detained from day to day, under false pretences for delay, until, before the departure of the ship, the whole of his money is extracted from him. This of course cannot happen with agents connected with respectable houses ; but the best security is to name in the bargain for pas- sage a particular day, after which, whether or not the ship sails, the passenger is to be received on board, and victualled by the owners. In this manner the emigrant cannot be intentionally brought to the place of embarka- tion too soon, and be compelled to spend his money at public-houses, by false accounts of the time of sailing ; for, from the very day of his arrival at the port, being the day previously agreed upon, the ship becomes his home. The conveyance of passengers to the British posses- sions in North America is regulated by an Act of Par- liament (9 Geo. IV. c. 21), of which the following are the principal provisions : ships are not allowed to carry passengers to these colonies unless they be of the height of five feet and a half between decks, and they must not carry more than three passengers for every four tons of the registered burden. There must be on board at least fifty gallons of pure water, and fifty pounds of bread, biscuit, oatmeal, or bread stuff, for each passenger. When the ship carries the full number of passengers allowed by law, no part of the cargo, and no stores or provisions, may be carried between decks ; but if there ^ i% * ad- /vhicl\ Dfthe itimes ssage, he is delay, of his cannot ouses ; or pas- lot the rd, and migrant nbarka- oney at lailing ; :, being Inies his posses- 1 of Par- ling are }o carry height ^ust not tons of at least k bread, |ssenger. ssengers Itores or lif there APPENDIX. 99 be less than the complete number of passengers, goods may be stowed between decks in a proportion not ex- ceeding three cubical feet for each passenger wanting of the highest number. Masters of vessels who land pas- sengers, unless with their own consent, at a place differ- ent from that originally agreed upon, are subject to a penalty of 20/., recoverable by summary process before two justices of the peace in any of the North American colonies. The enforcement of this law rests chiefly with the officers of his Majesty's Customs ; and persons having complaints to make of its infraction should address themselves to the nearest Cusicm-house. Besides the sea voyage from England, persons pro- ceeding to Canada should be provided with the means of paying for the journey which they may have to make ftear their arrival at Quebec. The cost of this journey must, of course, depend upon the situation of the place where the individual may find employment, or where he may have previously formed a wish to settle ; but to all it will probably be useful to possess the following report of the prices of conveyance, during the last season, on the route from Quebec to York, the capital of Upper Canada. From Quebec to Montreal (180 miles), by steam-boat, the charge for an adult was 6s. 6d. ; from Montreal to Prescot (120 miles), by boats or barges, 7s.; from Prescot to York (250 miles), by steam-boat, 7s, The journey, performed in this manner, usually occupies ten or twelve days ; adding, therefore, Us. for provisions the total cost from Quebec to York (a distance of 550 miles) may be stated, according to the charges of last year, at 1/. lis. 6c?. Persons who are possessed of suffi- cient means prefer to travel by land that part of the route where the river St. Lawrence is not navigable by ¥ 2 mmmmmmmm ■ifc iil. I fvi ;i 100 APPENDIX. steam-boats, aud the journey is then usually performed in six days, at a cost of 6/. It must be observed, that the prices of conveyance are necessarily fluctuating, and that the foregoing account is only presented as suffi- ciently accurate for purposes of information in this country ; leaving it to the Government agent at Quebec to supply emigrants with more exact particulars, accord- ing to the circumstances of the time at which they may arrive. 101 REFERENCES TO THE SITUATION OF THE TOWNSHIPS ON THE MAP. .'r'" LOWER PROVINCE. QUEBEC DISTRICT. Adstock . . 10 Leeds 5 Armagh 21 Mario w . 19 Ashford . . 28 Nelson 3 Broughton 8 Olney . 14 1 Buckland . . 21 Risborough 18 1 Bungay . 31 Spalding 17 1 Coleraine . . 9 Standon . 25 Cranbourn 24 Shenly . 13 Dorset . 15 Somerset . * Frampton 22 Stoneham 1 Gayhurst . . 16 Tewksbury 2 Hallifax.— See it in Thetford 7 1 * District of St. Francis.' Tring 11 1 Inverness 4 Ware . 27 1 Ireland . 6 Watford . . 26 I Ixworth . 29 Winslow 12 I Jersey . 20 Woodbridge 30 I DISTF LICT OF THREE RIVERS. ■ Arthabaska . 14 Caxton . 2 ■ Aston . 5 Grantham 3 1 Blandford . . 7 Horton 10 ■ Bulstrode 8 Hunterstown F 3 1 ¥ ! t ■ f -" ■■ - - . I'-' t * ^t; [ ■t \ 102 LOWER PROVINCE. 1 m-f: . • m. • < * i ' < [IHI 1 1 ' ^ 1 '4 ! ;■■• i >>'' i ' ■• ;■ ! K 1 '■'•. 1 *i^' ! J, , 1- |j i- ■ ■ f i |i t 1; i • 1' -, ■ ■ i^ . 1 t«i 1 I V Haddington . 6 Warwick 13 Simpson 12 Wendover 4 Stamford . . 9 Wickham 11 DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. Adstock . . 25 Hampden . . 24 Ascot . 13 Hartwell 29 Auckland . . 36 Hereford . . 41 Barford . 40 Kingsey 2 Brompton . . 8 Lingwick . . 20 Bury 19 Marston 27 Chesham 31 Melbourne . 3 Chester . . 6 Newport 23 Clifton . 35 Shipton . . 4 Clinton . 32 Stanhope 39 Compton . . 34 Stratford . . 21 Croydon 38 Stoke . 14 Ditchfield . . 28 Tingwick . . 5 Ditton . 30 Upton. — See * Montreal Drayton . . 42 District.' Dudswell 15 "Weedon . . 16 Durham . 1 Westbury 18 Eaton . 22 Whitton 26 Emberton . . 37 Windsor . . 9 Garthby 17 Wolfestown . 12 Hallifax . 6 Wooburn . . 33 Ham 11 Wooten . . 10 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. Abercrombie . . 39 Amherst 28 Aberford 2 Arundell . . 29 Acton . 50 Barford.— See * District Aldfield . . 12 of St. Francis.' e- ■*. 1 ^i LOWER PROVINCE. 103 ^1 'v^^^l »3 Barnston . . 67 Kilkenny 40 4 Beresforil 36 Kirby 1 11 Bolton . 60 Lochaber 27 ,'i *^H Brandon 42 Lichfield . 14 .' ■ Bristol . 16 Mansfield 13 Brome . 59 Marsham . 18 24 ' Buckingham . 26 Milton . 51 29 Caenwood 9 Onslow 17 41 Chatham . . 34 Orford . 57 "\-'-/ IB 2 Chertsey 38 Ponsonby 44 20 Chichester . . 6 Pontefract . . 8 "^.^1 27 Clarendon . 15 Portland 2<> ■: ';■ . 3 Derry . 21 Potton 65 23 Durham 63 Rawdon . 41 . 4 Eardley . . 23 Rippon . 22 1 39 Ely . . . 53 Roxton 52 , 21 Esher . 4 Sheen . 5 14 Farnham 58 Shefford . 55 '. w . 5 Godmanchester . 45 Sherrington . 48 •'■ ?; real Granby . 54 Stanbridge . 62 Grandison . 35 Stanstead 66 • . . 16 • Grenville 33 Stukely . . 56 i 18 Harrington . 31 Sutton . 64 ^ 26 Hastings 3 Templeton . 25 ' . 9 Hatley . 61 Thorne . 10 ., i 12 Hemmingford 47 Upton . 49 . ,; . 33 I Hinchinbrook . . 46 Wakefield . 19 . 10 I Howard 30 Waltham . 7 ' 4 1 Huddersiield . 11 Wentworth . 32 .. f! ■ Hull 24 Wexford . . 37 ■ Kildare . 43 '4 28 1 '-■'} . 29 1 trict m !■ ( hi- I t, ! I It* ' • ■ t» :,. .'.-)«■ I '■{•i fi- ?i I ' :l 1U4 UPPER PROVINCE. EASTERN DISTRICT. Charlottenburg . 1 1 Matilda . 7 Cornwall 10 Mountain 3 Finch . 3 Osnaburg . 9 Kenyon . 5 Roxborough . 4 Lancaster . . 12 Williamsburgh . 8 Lochiel . 6 Winchester . 2 JOHNSTOWN DISTRICT. Au2:iista . . 17 Gower (South) 12 Bastard 8 Kitley . 9 Burgess . 2 Lansdown 14 Crosby (North) . 1 Leeds . 13 Crosby (South) . . 7 Marlborough . 5 Edwardsburg . 18 Montague 4 Elizabeth Town . 16 Oxford . 11 Elmsley 3 Wolford . 10 Gower (North) , 6 Yonges . 15 OTTAWA DISTRICT. Alfred . 5 Hawkesbury (East) . 7 Caledonia 8 Hawksbury (West) 6 Cambridge . 9 Osgood . . . 11 Clarence 3 Plantagenet 4 Cumberland . 2 Russel 10 Glouc(.i,ter 1 BATHURST DISTRICT. Bathurst . . 15 Goulburn . 18 Beckwith 17 Horton . 1 Dalhousie . . 12 Huntley . 9 Darling . 4 Lanark . 11 Drummond . 16 Lovat 3 Fitzroy . 6 M'Nab 2 7 1 9 4 8 2 12 9 14 13 5 4 11 10 15 7 6 11 4 10 18 1 9 11 3 2 UPPER PROVINCE. J IU5 March . Nepean Pakenham 8 . 19 5 Sherbrook (North) Sherbrook (South) . Torbotton 13 14 7 Ramsey . . 10 MIDLAND DISTRICT. Adolphustown . Ameliasburg . Anglesea . Barie . 37 32 4 5 Lake Loughborough . Madox . Marmora . 1 27 9 8 Bedford . Camden . 20 25 Marysburg . Olden 36 13 Clarendon . 6 Oro . . . 14 Elzevir . Ernest Town 10 . 29 Pittsburg . Palmerston . 31 7 Fredericksburgh Grimsthorp Hallowell 28 . 3 35 Portland . Rawdon Richmond . 26 15 24 Hillier . 33 Sheffield 18 Hinchinbrook Huntingdon Hungerford . Kalador . 19 . 16 17 . 11 Sidney Sophiasburg . Thurlow . Tudor . 21 34 22 2 Kenebec Kingston . 12 . 30 Tyendinago, or Mo- hawk . 23 NEWCASTLE DISTRICT. Alnwick . Asphodel Belmont . . 20 19 . 13 Darlington Duro Dummer . 23 10 11 Burleigh . Cartwright . Cavan . 5 14 . 16 Eldon . Emilly Fenelon 1 8 2 Clark . 24 Haldimand . 27 Cramah 28 Hamilton . 26 ;' f i-^ i^ ■ - .•:/' i;- : S 106 UPPER PROVINCE. Harvey • • 4 Ops 7 Hope . • 25 Otanabec . . 18 Manvers . • • 15 Percy . 21 Mariposa . • • 6 Seymour . . 22 Methune • 12 Smith . 9 Monaghan . • 17 Verulam . . 3 Murray . • • 29 HOME DISTRICT. Adjala • • 31 Mulmur . 27 Albion . 39 Newmarket 35 Alta . • 2 Orillia . 10 Amaranth 29 Oro 12 Artemesia • • 15 Osprey . 16 Brock . 38 Pickering 47 Essa . • • 19 Proton . 25 Etobikoke a Rama . 13 Euphrasia . • • 14 Reach . 43 Flos 8 Scarborough 46 Georgiana • • 22 Scotts . 37 Guilllamsburg (East) 34 Sunnidale 4 Guilliamsburg (West) 33 Tay . . 6 Guilllamsburg (North) 21 Tecumseth 32 Innisfall • 20 Thora . 23 Java . • 3 Tiney . 5 King . • 40 Toronto, Gore of . b Luther • • 28 Tossorondio 18 Mara • 24 Uxbridge . 42 Markham • 41 Vaughan 44 Matchadash • 7 Vespra . 11 Medonto • 9 Whitby . 48 Melancthon • 26 Whitchurch . . 36 Mona • 30 York . 45 Merlin . 17 Zero . 1 LOWER PROVINCE. 107 ^ 7 18 GORE DISTRICT. n 21 Ancaster . . 20 Glanford a ^, ^wjLi^^l 22 Barton . . /; Guelph . 4 9 Beverley .15 Nassagiweya . 11 ''''1 3 Binbrook . c Nelson . 17 '■ 'm Caledon . . 7 Nichol 1 ' -'"m Chinguacoucy . 13 Puslinch 10 ''km Dumfries . .14 Saltfleet . d ' m Eramosa . 5 Toronto . 19 »*■ 27 Erin . . .6 Trafalgar . 18 1 35 Esquesing . 12 Waterloo 9 J 10 Flamborough . 16 Wilmot . 8 1 12 Garafraxa . 2 Woolwich 3 1 16 . 47 NIAGARA DISTRICT. ,, y 25 13 43 4fi Bertie . .17 Louth 3 Caistor . . 6 Moulton . 14 Canborough . .11 Niagara . 5 H U 37 4 6 32 23 5 Clinton . 2 Pelham . 8 ,'1 Crowland . .12 Stamford 10 i ,1 Gainsborough . 7 Thorold 9 :•;• i: Grantham . 4 Wainfleet 13 \ Grimsby . 1 Willoughby . , 13 1 ."I*. ^ Humberston . .16 b LONDON DISTRICT. -/I 18 . ] . 42 Aldborough . .19 Delaware . 4 y'^ 44 Bayham . . 24 Dorchester 12 . 11 Blandford . . 9 Dunwich . 20 48 Blenheim . 10 Ekfrid . 2 . « . 36 Burford . .15 Houghton . 30 ■ ■ • 45 Caradoc . . 3 Lobo 5 !•'/ '■ i . 1 Charlotteville . 26 London . 6 ' ' '" ' 1 Derel.am . 13 Malahide 23 1 I'l f I' • I ry ' ■:k r 108 LOWER PROVINCE. Middleton . 25 Townsend Mesa 1 Walpole Nissouri . 7 Walsingham Norwich 14 Westminster . Oakland . 16 Windham Oxford . 32 Woodhouse . Hainham 29 Yarmouth Southwold . 21 Zora WESTERN DISTRICT. Baldon . 22 Mersey . Bosanquet 1 Orford Camden 7 Raleigh . Chatham 4 Rochester Colchester . 19 Romney . Dawn St. Clair Gosfield , 20 Sandwich Harwich 15 Scmbra Howard . 16 Tibury (East) Maidstone 10 Tilbury (West) Maldon . 18 Zone HURON TRACT. Biddulph c Hullett Blanchard Hibbert . Colborne a Logan . Downie . s M'Gillivray Easthope (North) . t M*KiUop Easthope (South) u Stanley Ellice . . r Stephen Fullarton . q Tucker Smith Goderich . b Usborne Hay d Williams . 18 28 31 11 17 27 22 8 21 17 14 11 12 2 9 3 13 8 6 h n P f m c e i k § M • Printed by W. Clowbs, Stamford-street 18 28 31 11 17 27 23 8 PART 11. SECTIONAL VIEW. '■■iM ^f\ 21 17 14 11 12 2 9 3 13 8 6 h n P f m c e i g LOWER CANADA. The province of Lower Canada is divided into five districts: beii^inning at the east, they are Gaspe, Quebec, Saint Francis, Three Rivers, and Montreal. These districts are divided into counties ; and the parts which were settled and granted at the time the province passed into the hands of the English, are further divided into parishes : these are situate on each side of the river, between it and the townships, and are not numbered on the map. The tenure upon which these lands are held by the seigneurs, or lords, is feudal ; their under-tenants hold of them somewhat in the way in which copy- holds are held in England, paying a small annual rent, and a fine upon alienation ; and they are also subject to the payment of a twenty-sixth part of the grain raised, for the support of the clergy. These lands, from being a long time under cultivation, and by such slovenly cultivators as the generality of the Canadians, are of course considerably exhausted. 2 B W '^i ,' ',.1 «i I 2 LOWER CANADA. i( hi iv ,. . I t: An The laws affectint^ real property, also, differ from ours, which renders great precaution necessary in set- tling on them ; but it must be admitted that the advan- tages of situation are very great. The manners of the people, after a while, will be found very pleasing ; and, perhaps, some of these lands would, under an improved system of working, prove an advantageous purchase to the North of England or Scotch farmer of some capital. As, however, the quantity of land offered for sale in the old parts, bears no sensible proportion to the new parts, or townships, they will not be further noticed ; besides, they are easily ac- cessible, so that a personal inspection of any portion offered for sale, is within a moderate expense of time and money. The district of Gasp^ is chiefly devoted to the fisheries, and occupied by Canadians ; it has a few townships on the borders of the Bay Chaleur ; but the inducements to the English emigrant, unless a fisherman, are too small to require a further notice here. A township is generally a square tract of land of about 100 miles, or 10 miles each way, containing 61,000 acres, besides an allowance of five acres in every hundred for main roads. The townships, front- ing a river or lake, are usually nine miles in front, by twelve in depth, which will contain 67,200 acres, besides the allowance for highways. These town- ships are divided into 11 or 12 ranges or conces- sions, of 28 lots each, of 200 acres, distinguished LOWER CANADA. 8 from n set- idvan- icrs of asing ; der an igeous farmer 3f land sensible ley will isily ac- portion s of time to the a few ur; but inless a r notice land of ntaining icres in )8, front- lin front, )0 acres, le town- conces- ^guisbed .>i as the Isi, 2d, 3d, and so on, range or concession, reckoning from the lake, river, or main road by wliich the township is fronted, and in the same order for those behind. Of these lots, one in seven is re- served for the support of the Protestant clergy, and another seventh for the crown ; the rest are grunted (or sold) in free and common soccage ; that is, are held as freehold land is helil in England. The district of Quebec is estimated, by the Sur- veyor-General, to contain about 18,000 square miles, and a population of 66,000 souls. It is well watered, over the whole of its extent, by small lakes and rivers, abounding in fish of excellent quality and great variety. The face of the district is mountain- ous, especially on the north side of the river St. Lawrence ; but on the south side are many valleys, and flat tracts of considerable extent. It is, at pre- sent, divided into 11 counties; but as some of these appear to have changed their names within a few years, and others are almost wholly occupied by seigneuries, it is not intended to notice them more particularly, but to take the townships in the whole district in alphabetical order, for the sake of clear- ness ; it being of much more consequence to be able to refer at once to the township, than the county in which it is situate, that being of little consequence to the emigrant. B2 I'M:, % ;i..--- ir.■<■'k.<^ 'L ■ en !■ " > I, :«■. : QUEBEC DISTRICT* Adstock. 10. Not yet surveyed, and not appear- ing by the map to have any river or branch of a principal river in its bounds. Armagh. 21. No part yet settled. The soil is but indifferent; some meadow lands between the hig:h lands : it is bordered on one side by the river Du Sud. Ashford. 28. Not having a very good character as to quality of soil, although Bouchette speaks of the seigneuries adjoining being well peopled and pro- ducing grain of all sorts. Pine, beech, maple, and spruce, are the chief woods growing on it ; rocky heights intersect it, and it is watered by many small streams. Broughton. 8. Although this township is a little mountainous, much of its surface is of good quality. It is well furnished with maple, beech, birch, elm, besides great quantities of inferior timber. It is watered by many small streams, some of which enter the river Chaudiere, running into the St. Lawrence near Quebec. At present not navigable through its whole extent, though, perhaps, at some future time it will be made so. The seigneurie of St. Joseph lies between it and the Chaudiere, to which there is tolerably good roads, and it has also a communica- * The corresponding number in the respective districts on the map, shows the geographical position of each township. lis i appear- ch of a )\\ is but he high Du Sucl. iharacter ksofthe ind pro- iple, and it; rocky iny small is a little quality, ch, elm, ir. It is ich enter awrence [rough its ure time . Joseph 1 there is munica- Ustricts on mship. QUEBEC DISTRICT. i) tion with Craig s road. It is distant about 50 miles from Quebec, and is partly settled, and has the town- ships of Leeds and Inverness on its north-west, which are rapidly settling. Buckland. 21. One-fourth only of this township has been surveyed. A part of it is considerably ele- vated, and the valleys rather wet ; yet the soil appears of good quality, adapted to all kinds of grain, and hemp and flax. Along the rivers are fine mea- dows. It is well watered by numerous currents and branches of rivers, and presents many sites for mills. The wood is chiefly maple, beech, birch, elm, cedar, and black ash. Some accounts say that the rear and south-east centre are high and barren. It has not many settlers upon it. Bungay. 31. Not surveyed. Coleraine. 9. Not much known, and quite un- settled. It is watered by lake St. Francis, by which it will have a communication with the St. Lawrence at some future day. Also by other streams and lakes. Cranbourn. 24. Well watered by the rivers Des Fleurs and Guillaume, and lakes Etchemin and Petit Lac. From the former proceeds a river into the St. Lawrence near Quebec. The soil is generally of good quality : the best part is between lake Etche- min and the main branch of the river flowing from it, which is an excellent upland portion. The town- ship is partially settled, is about 45 miles from Quebec, "^^N .|;i^i»i 15 » ill !il •;! 6 QUEBEC DISTRICT. and has good communication with it by the Ken- nebec road. Dorset, 15. This township is on the west side of the Chaudit^re, which waters its east side, and a branch enters its north boundary. It is a lart^e township, composed principally of fine eminences of good soil, almost throughout calculated for the cul- ture of hemp and flax. It is admirably watered by three lakes, and many streams which empty them- selves into the Chaudi^re. The worst portion occurs on the rocky banks of the Chaudi<5re. On the borders of the other streams are found some extent of fine meadow land. The whole now belongs to the heirs of the late Mr. McTavish. No settlements have yet been made on it. Framptoji. 22. Is situate on the east of the Chaudiere, having the seigneuries of St. Joseph and St. Marie, between that river and it, and the town- ship of Cranbourn to the south. A soil for the most part favourable to agriculture, although greatly broken by hills and valleys, forms the general cha- racter of this township. It is watered by the prin- cipal branch of the river Etchemin, and several smaller rivers, upon which are many fine sites for mills. The south-east part is very mountainous. The uplands are well clothed with beech and maple, the soil is a strong white or yellow clay, producing good crops of wlieat. The valleys are rather wet and swampy, though possessing a tolerably good !;; Ken- large good QUEBEC DISTRICT. 7 soil. Those which are cultivated show some of the finest meadows. There is also gjreat quantities of potter's earth found in them. Much of the surface of the whole is said to be encumbered with loose stones, which increases the cost of cultivation ; yet it is well settled by several respectable proprietors, and has numerous roads through it, and the Ken- nebec road in front. Perhaps its neighbourhood to Quebec may compensate for a little inferiority of soil. It has a corn-mill, tavern, several asheries, &c. &c. Gayhurst. 16. On the river Chaudiere, projected, but not surveyed. Halifax. See it in the district of St. Francis. Ijcworth. 29. A small part only of this township hus been surveyed, namely about 1200 acres, which are said to be excellent land, and part of it is already under cultivation : of the rest little is known. Much pine timber is cut up the river Quelle, which does not speak loudly for the excellence of the soil in that part. Inverness. 4. The whole of this township has an excellent character, except a swamp of about 8000 acres in the northern part, which is covered with hemlock, spruce fir, and cedar. On the dry lands are abundance of the hard woods. It is watered by Lake William, which discharges into the river Be- cancour, communicating with the St. Lawrence, f'.?'^ ■■l■„^ ■,'"'1 '■■! I h> -mm ^4 i ^h >. I ■ ? I It >!' ^M: :^t; Ji 8 QUEBEC DISTRICT. besides other small streams. The lands in the south part are considered the most superior. It is considerably settled, and has seven saw-mills upon it, about 40 miles from Quebec, v;ith p^ood roads all the way, — althoutrh most of the townshif)s on the west of the Chauditfre will find St. Nicholas, about 18 miles above Quebec, the best point to make to: from thence a steam-boat and small craft are con- stantly running, by which much land carriage and time is saved. Irela?id. 6. Is in the rear of the last-mentioned township. The land in the north-west (towards Halifax, 6, in St. Francis district) is of an excellent quality^ and proper for hemp and flax or grain of any sort. The south-east portion is little worth, being a collection of rugged hills, with small lakes and swamps between them. It is watered by many small lakes and streams, and Craig's road to Quebec runs through it. Partly settled, and has a corn-mill and a sawing ditto on it. Jersey. 20. Is a triangular-shaped tract, lying between the rivers Chaudi^re and Du Loup. Not yet surveyed. Leeds. 5. Is an irregular-shaped tract. Except to the north-west, towards Inverness, 3, where it is poor and very stony, this township is generally of excellent quality for the whole routine of agriculture. It is well wooded with the hard woods, intermixed with firs, and is abundantly watered by the Becan- i!! 1 iti - QUEBRO DISTRICT. 9 m n the It is ii])on ids all in the about ke to : e con- ;e and itioned owards Lcellent jrain of worth, I lakes many uebec rn-miU lying Not Ixcept Ire it is rally of Culture. •mixed iecan- coiir, which enters the St. Lawrence, a?id by many other smaller streams, and is intersected by Craig's ruad. It has been much settled upon within the lust eig-ht or ten years, and parliculHrly the last three years, along' the road. It has two saw-mills, &c. Marlow. 19. Not surveyed ; on a branch of the (haudiere, and near the Kennebec road. Ntlson, 3. An irregular- shaped tract in the rear of the seigneurie de St. Croix. The land is rather low, but of medium quality, calculated to produce almost every kind of grain ; and towards the soiitii- east (borders of Leeds, 5) the land rises, and is of superior character. The timber is birch, beech, maple, and pine, besides cedar, hemlock, spruce, iVc. on the low and wet ground. It is watered by tlu- rivers Becancour and Du Ch^ne, and many smaller streams, which ultimately fall into the two tirst named ; it is not, however, in a state of settlement. Olney. 14. Not snrveyed. Risborough. 18. Another projected township, not yet surveyed. Spalding. 17, Situate on the east of the Chau- di^re, and on tiie boundary line between Canada and the state of Maine. Standon. 25. This township is hilly and very indifferent land. The best parts are towards Fi amp- ton, 2*2, and are already granted. 11 ••?:^|| ' »',' '^ : •" ■ 1 . • M Oy\ '^|>- i;. f 1 , ■ \ *)§'', i* iii' ! '■111*-' li f t f .'■■■ ■ ii f ■' " t'' ■'■ ■ i •»» T' i 1 f; : ■• iili « »',-' II' . [% iiii; P: iill! (.11 . r: • ill i 1) ; 10 (iijEUtC DISTRICT. Shenly. 13. Is an irregular tract, with modei- rately-good soil in parts, but the general face is broken ; rather deficient in water, though pretty well wooded ; no part yet under cultivation. Somerset. *. On the south of the river Beean- cour, and adjoining Nelson, 3, and partaking of its general character. Stoneham. 1 . — Tewkthury. 2. These townships are on the north side of the St. Lawrence, in the rear of the seigneuries. They are for the most part very mountainous and rocky, and not worth culti- vating, except in some of the valleys, where there is some tolerable land. Some exceptions may be made in favour of Stoneham, where the land bordering the river Jacques Cartier is composed of a yellow marl. They are watered by the great rivers Batiscan, Jacques Cartier, and St. Anne, and several smaller rivers and lakes. Thetford. 7. On the north side of the St. Law- rence, in the rear of Leeds, 5. Its general charac»?r is mountainous, with a few portions of good land. The south-east, towards Coleraine, 9, and Tring, 11, is very poor, lying upon a bed of stone. It is but thinly wooded, though it is generally of good quality, and well watered. Tring. 11. The ground for the most part is capable of profitable cultivation, and abounds in excellent timber. It is well watered by a chain of ! I ^0 DISTRICT OF THREE RIVERS. 11 five lakes, well stocked with excellent fish ; they fall into the river Chaiidiere. Settlement begun. IFare, 27. Not surveyed. Watford. 26. Not surveyed. IVinslow, 1 2. Not surveyed. PVoodhridge. 30. Not surveyed. '. M ■ I DISTRICT OF THREE RIVERS. ' The district of Three Rivers lies to the west of the district of Quebec, and originally included the district of St. Francis, which is the southern part, and which is now wholly laid out in townships. For the sake of clearness they will be enumerated separately. This district contains four counties. The town of Three Rivers lies on the north banks of the St. Lawrence, nearly in the centre of the present settled part of the district. The climate is considerably milder than that of the Quebec district, general report concurring that the principle of vegetation is active for a month more in this than in that district. The lands on each side of the river are occupied by seigneuries, and contain about 1,040,000 acres. There are but few townships laid out, and those 'I 12 DISTRICT OF THREE RIVERS. 1 I •| ; i 1 1-'? !:,■' nearly all on the south side of the river, adjoining the district of St. Francis. On the north side of the river some of the land is of excellent quality, but degenerates towards the mountains, and in parts, especially those bordering lake St. Peter, is subject to floods in the spring. Arthahaska. 14. Is an irregular-shaped tract not settled. The soil resembles the adjoining town- ships of Halifax and Chester, but in some parts it is lower and a little swampy. The wood consists principally of beech, birch, and elm, and some pines. The inferior woods are abundant in the low parts. Many branches of the rivers Nicolet and Becancour traverse it. The river Nicolet is navigable for 21 miles from its mouth at the east end of lake St. Peter. Aston. 5. Is seated on the river Becancour, and in the rear of the seigneurie of Becancour. On the river before-mentioned and the river Blanch, the land is rather high, but at a little distance it is low and flat: the soil is however good, and it is the opinion of Bouchette it will prove very fertile under good cultivation ; the wood upon it is various ; it has a road into the district of St. Francis, and has communication with the St. Lawrence by the Be- cancour, which, though not navigable at present, by reason of falls and rapids, will no doubt be made so at some future time. It is partially settled in the front. 'ft,' i ill i i ' I DISTRICT OF THREE RIVERS. 18 Blandford, 7. On the borders of the Becancoiir, and in the rear of the seigneuries of Gentilly and Livard. This and the neighbouring township of M addington partake of the same character. Along the river the land is of the same description as in Aston : the surface is generally level, and the soil for the most part of good quality, and calculated for the cultivation of grain or hemp and flax. It is well watered by many small streams and lakes, on the borders of which are good pasture tracts. Settlement is commenced in front, and a saw-mill erected. Bulstrode. 8. South-west of the last-named township, and between the rivers Becancour and Nicolet. The surface in general is level and low, with many marshes and bruits (spots on which the timber has been burnt or blasted), particularly to- wards ^he middle of the township. Near the rivers, and towards Warwick, the ground is higher, and has a pretty good soil : the low parts are somewhat sandy, and in others a black earth prevails. There Is but one settlement, which is on the Becancour, of 40 inhabitants. Caxton. 2. This township is on the north side of the St. Lawrence, having the lands belonging to the St. Maurice Iron Works on the east, and the township of Hunter's Town on the west, and in front the seigneurie of St. Etienne. Two good roads have lately been opened through it, and a communi- cation made with the St. Lawrence by the river Uu IP ■ I '^ i ¥• w ■II! 1 *,* ■ • Si' I ■^;:: ' (• •1 •111' ' I: I' ,1; ii ■•iiii 1 f f^i ^:! .'if fla: ti i'C f ;'- ■■'■ 14 DISTRICT OP THREE RIVERS. Loup. The land is described to be in g^eneral low, with some thickly-wooded hills ; and where the roads have been cut, the wood is said to be of very good quality. There are yet but few settlers upon it ; but if the description is correct, perhaps it may be cplled a valuable spot from its locality. Glasgow. — Is a projected township also on the north of the St Lawrence, but not surveyed. Grantham. 3. On the south of the St. Lawrence, and between the boundary of the Montreal district and the river St. Francis ; on the banks of which the ground is high, and cut by many deep ravines. In other directions it is much more level. The soil is good almost throughout the whole extent. In many parts of this township are large tracts, that produce abundantly a species of grass which dries upon the ground, and is not much inferior to meadow hay. The river Noire, or Black River, with many other streams, run through it, and offer many favourable situations for mills. A post road from Quebec to Boston and Burlington, on lake Champlain, runs through it; and there are other good roads. The principal road, however, runs through a flat and sandy tract, of but little value. It is well settled, and has within it the village of Drummondville, two churches, (Roman Catholic,) two schools, four tan- neries, three saw-mills, two corn ditto, eight asheries, a carding and a fulling mill, a tavern, &c. The population is about 400. On the banks of the St. Francis is abundance of iron ore. District of three rivers. 15 Norton. 10. Is a small irreffular tract on the western border of Bulstrode. The river Nicolet runs through it. There is not much known of it, but the neiirhbourhood of the river in the adjoining; township of Bulstrode is rather favourably spoken of by Bouchette. Jt has but one settler on it. Hmiterstown. 1. On the north side of the St. Lawrence, adjoining the township of Caxton. To- wards the rear it is broken by very high hills ; and the whole has but a very indifferent character, pre- senting a continued stratum of rock, lying very near the surface. Pine and maple are in great quantities, but cedar, spruce, and hemlock are much more so. Maddington. 6. On the south side of the St. Lawrence, adjoining Blandford, and partakes very much of its character. In parts it is represented to be of superior quality, and in others rocky and sterile. Near the river Becancour the land is equal to that of Aston, Only one settlement has been made on it, and is near the river, which presents many good opportunities for mill-seats. Simpson, 12. On the east side of the St. Francis. It is low and level, but with very few swamps, and is calculated for the cultivation of all sorts of grain, and also hemp and flax. Beech and maple are found partially; but the woods of less value are more abundant. A few settlers only are upon it near the St. Francis, and the road which follows its 4 M ,i M A ^ ■ ? ' i; I, ' '1 fft. !! I ; , :■ r 1 », ; ;' '•j; ' ii 1 .' /' il ' I . , • '',;' ■ 1 '^y \ i '•i ' , . .Ip ' t\ >fi 1 % '!): i ■ %■■: . B *' :;t ( ' 1 *• , ^ \ \ 16 DISTRICT OP THREE RIVERS. course till it meets Craig's road, in the township of 8hipton, in the district of St. Francis. It is wa- tered by several branches of the Nicolet, by which many mills might be advantageously built. Stamford. 9. On the south of the river Becan- cour, between Bulstrode and Somerset. The situa- tion of this township is very low, and extremely swampy, and only a small portion of it fit for culti- vation. Warwick. 1 3. Bounded towards the east by the Nicolet; and the south-west branch of the same river runs through the adjoining township of Simp- son, and from which proceed numerous branches, that in the spring overflow a great part of Warwick. Excepting the three first ranges of lots, it is perfectly worthless, and is thickly covered with spruce and hemlock. fFendover. 4. Between the south-west branch of the Nicolet and the St. Francis. Near the latter river the land is susceptible of culture ; but at no great distance it falls into low and deep swamps, with a soil of sand and gravel. The road between the state of Vermont and the river St. Lawrence lying through it, may, however, at some future time, render some part of it valuable. Wickham. 11. liies on the opposite side of the St. Francis, and is very little superior to the last- mentioned township. But the advantage of the DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. 17 if the last- If the river St. Francis, and also the road to Boston and Quebec, has attracted settlers to the number of 260, with a corn mill and saw ditto. DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. The district of St. Francis claims a large share of the attention of the emi«(rant intending to settle in the lower province of Canada. It possesses much greater fertility than the district of Quebec, as well as a milder climate ; and being entirely laid out in townships* the whole of it is held, or will be grunted, on the same tenure on which lands are held in Eng- land. Jt is well intersected with rivers, lakes, and roads, which will be noticed in the respective town- ships. The river St. Francis, which runs through a great part of its depth, is a large stream, and one of its branches nearly joins a stream leading into lake Memphremagog, which, by another stream, com- municates with the Connecticut river, running into the Atlantic Ocean. The practicability of rendering this navigation available from the lake to the St. Lawrence, at no very vast outlay, is reported to be placed beyond a doubt ; and as soon as the general state of settlement in the district warrants the un- dertaking such an extensive work, it will, in all pro- bability, be commenced. The county of Sherbrook ' »■■ .i *\ y \*-^-l' . V-; / ,• //' I i n. i^lr 18 DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. i h,\ at present includes the greater part of this district ; but it will probably be divided at some future time. Adstock, 25. A projected township only, but supposed to lie rather high, not far from lake Me- gantic. Shape triangular. Ascot. 13. Is advantageously situated on the forks of the river St. Francis, and near the north end of lake Memphremagog. In every point this tract is considered valuable ; and the nature of the soil is so happily varied, that it is adapted to every agricultural purpose. The timber is principally beech, maple, oak, and pine. It has some consider- able streams running through it, on which several large mills have been put into operation. On the sides of the rivers many farms have (says the Sur- veyor-General in 1815) arrived at a flourishing state, which proves their improvement must have been rapid, since no part of the land was granted before 1803. He estimated the population at that time at 1000 souls ; and it has been advancing from that time steadily. A great many of the settlers in this and the neighbouring townships are Americans, who have been attracted by the advantages of the situa- tion and soil, and have taken the oath of allegiance to the British government. They are very expert at clearing land and bringing it forward, and no doubt, like most of their countrymen, are not disin- clined to sell their improved farms, and then set to work to clear new ones. There are two villages in Ijh istrict ; I time. ilv, but ike Me- on the e north int this e of the to every incipally tonsider- 1 several On the the Sur- ig state, ive been d before time at m that Is in this ins, who le situa- llegiance expert and no t disiii- n set to llages in DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. 19 the township, about three miles apart, Sherbroke and Lenoxville. The former contains from 300 to 400, and the latter 150 to 200 inhabitants. Many manufactories of pot and pearl ashes, corn, and saw mills, are established ; and there is besides considerable traffic with the United States in live stock and other produce, which must very much increase when the contemplated improvement in the navigation of the St. Francis takes place ; so that this is rather a favourable spot for the small trader to direct his views to, especially if conversant in any of the useful arts. Auckland. 36. Lies near the bounds of the pro- vince, and the state of New Hampshire. It is in general unequal and rough ; in some parts moun- tainous, and in others marshy and low. The dry and level parts possess a moderately good soil, which would repay the labour of cultivation. In some lower parts, hemp might be grown to advan- tage. It is intersected by numerous streams, and the Indians have made a path through it to the Chaudiere river. No part is yet settled. Barford. 40. Is a small township on the frontier line, and no part yet settled, although the quality of the land is good, and the wood excellent. It is well watered by small streams. Brompton. 8. Is seated on the west of the river St. Francis, by which, and towards Melbourn, the land is of a medium quaUty, but towards the south m .1 T '■"I •'■ft > y ^' '■4- #11 ^1 i! 'i '" V- 20 !)!8TRirT or ST. rRANrifl. ^. i>,s \ 1 \ ; 1< ,■' i^ \*^ i ■ V 4 i ,4 -•J,; 1 it is TOM^U am! barren : it \h watered by neveml streams aiul a lake. On the St. Francis several farms are settled, which are prosperous. Contains a population of about ^00, Ihny. 19. Is of an irregular shape, only partially surveyed, but the soil is said to be pretty good, and very susceptible of culture, and appears likely to suit all kinds of grain. The timber consists of maple, ash, beech, butternut, &c. It is wateretl by many snudi streams, and will be traversed by a road into Vermont, and also connected with Craig's road, in the township of Ireland, in the Quebec district. Chester. 6. A township adjoining Arthabaska, in the district of Three Rivers. It \H)sscsses consider- able advantages by its sitiuition, and a soil proper for all kinds of ngriculture. The Surveyor-General speaks in high terms of the south east and north- west quarters. It is traversed by Craig's road, and watered by several main branches of the Nicolet and the Becaucour. The tind)er is {ibundant and of great variety. Settlement commenced. Cheskam, 31. Not yet surveyed. CIinto7i. 3*2. A small tract, scarcely more than one-fourth of a regular township, at the south end of lake Megantic, and having on its east the township of Woburn, which lies within the territory in dispute between Great Britain and the United States. The I i niHTIlICT or 8T. FRANCIS. 21 land is in till rcnpects of a Hiiperior clinracter, mid the soil of ilie first qiialityf and presents a ^ii^ood quunlity of luxuriant pasturiip;e. No part of this townsiiip hiis yet been settled, althoui^h it aboundR in advantu!;eoiis spots. It is well watered by seve- ral streams that tUII into the lake tVoin which the river Chaudicre proceeds to the St. Lawrence near Quebec. Clifton. 35. This tract is tolerably Itvel, except near the rivers, where it is broken and sieej), Ibrin- '\\\^ an agreeable variety. The (piality of the s(»il is generally good, and able to produce grain in abun- dance. Some swamps, covered with cedar and black ash, are to be Coiind in ditferent directions ; but they are capable of being drained with ease. It is watered by two or three rivers and a great num- ber of suuiller streams, which fall into the St. Francis. Settlement commenced, and three asheries, one corn- mill, one saw-mill, and a school are established. Compton. 34. This township joins the well- settled township of Ascot, to which it is in no respect inferior. It contains in ditterent parts gentle eleva- tions of great extent, which are covered with wood of good ipiality and large size. It is excellently watered by the St. Francis, near which is good meadow land. Roads are cut and bridges erected in the settled parts, communicating with Quebec an } % '1 4'- t 26 DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. watered by several branches of the Nicolet. Some settlers are established on the borders of these streams ; but the part most settled is in front, on the St. Francis, where many industrious farmers have made great progress, considering the short time since they commenced ; and it is probable their success will soon attract more. LingwicL 20. Is situate between the unsurveyed townships of Stratford and Hampden. There is some little obscurity attached to this township. The following is the account given of it by the surveyor- general, who, nevertheless, is by no means clear in his description of its situation. Although in many parts the surface is allowed to be irregular or rough, the soil is generally good. Beech, maple, birch, spruce, and fir, form the principal woods that are produced. A great many streams, which fall into the St. Francis, water it in almost all directions. In the south-west part, cultivation has made some pro- gress; almost every kind of grain is produced, and the soil is fitted to the cultivation of hemp and flax. It is intersected by many roads, which communicate with the neighbouring establishments, as well as that which runs into Vermont. Marston. 27. On the west side of lake Megantic, which is about nine miles long, and two miles broad, and is well stored with fish, as the country is with game. The land is various, being sometimes hilly, and often very stony ; but for the most part the soil I ■'!! i DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. 27 Some these int, on irmers short e their rveyed lere is . The rveyor- lear in 1 many rough, birch, mi are 1 into In le pro- d, and d flax, micate [IS that rantic, broad, s with , hilly, e soil iS. is tolerably good. Many places are proper for the growth of hemp and flax. The wood is a mixture of maple, fir, hemlock, cedar, and spruce. Many streams and small lakes, besides the Megantic, water it abundantly, and on whose borders are excellent meadow lands. No settlement has yet been made. Melbourne. 3. Is west of the river St. Francis, and the soil in general is but little inferior to that in the township of Shipton, of which Bouchette says, *' It is, without contradiction, the best of all the townships in this district." It is well covered with good maple, beech, elm, pine, and oak. It is watered in all directions by streams which fall into the St. Francis, on which are many considerable settlements that have made great progress. Much pot and pearl ash is made, and many saw>mills find constant employment. Roads are opened to the neighbour- ing settlements and along the river. Population about 550. Newport. 23. Has a varied surface, and the soil maybe characterized as rather good than bad. The North river nearly divides it from east to west, from which the land rises gently on both sides. Towards Clifton, and also towards Hampden, it is hilly. There are numerous streams running through it, which sufficiently water it, and some swamps, that are described as capable of culture. There is a po- pulation of 100 on it, who have cleared upwards o 1000 acres, and have a corn and a saw-mill, asheries, C2 -» '"s ^'im w V, I ! •■I Mv, ",!, .■'.'1 P'^ ; ;.: i i'i '. '1. 28 DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. &c. The timber is of good sort and quality. Slate and blacklead ore has been found in it. Shipton. 4. The land is of an excellent quality, and almost equally good throughout the township. Many parts, which are a little elevated above the rest, are particularly calculated for crops which require a dry and fertile soil. The timber is beech, oak, maple, birch, and pine, mixed with inferior wood, in great abundance. It is exceedingly well watered by a main branch of the Nicolet, which is navigable from hence into the St. Lawrence, and by many small streams, which fall into the Nicolet and St. Francis, and form a water communication to almost all parts of the township. Craig*s road runs nearly through the centre, and other roads are formed and forming. It contains the villages of Richmond and Interior; a church, four corn-mills, seven saw ditto, two carding, two cloth, and one fulling, ditto ; three tanneries, hat manufactory, &c. Altogether this is a thriving and important township. Its population is about 900 or 1000. Stanhope. 39. On the boundary line, and is not surveyed. Stratford, 21. Is on the eastern side of the district, and is only yet a projected township. Stoke. 14. The land is of the first quality, and adapted to all the routine of agriculture. Some swamps are to be found, but they are neither large DISTRICT OP ST. FRANCIS. 29 is not nor deep, and would not fail, if drained with care, tu make good meadows, many of which there are already in different parts. It is well watered by many rivers and currents, which, a(\er winding about in all directions, fall into the St. Francis. Settle* ment has made but little progress, and there are no roads. Tingwicic, 5. On the west of the Nicolet river. Not yet surveyed. Upton. — See Montreal District. Weedon, 16. Only projected. Westhury, 18. Is a small triangular township. The soil in the west part, towards Ascot, is of a quality favourable to agriculture ; but the east part is of a rude, uneven aspect, very inferior soil, and swampy. The timber is of the quality to be ex- pected, viz., not very good, except in the first-named part. The St. Francis runs through it, and is navi- gable for small boats; and a great many streams fall into it in this township. Some lumbering is carried on, and settlement has commenced. Has a corn and saw mill, and a population of 60. Windsor. 9. On the east of the river St. Francis. It is a fine tract, with a rich and excellent soil, varied so as to suit almost all kinds of culture, but espe- cially hemp and flax. The surface is elevated in gentle ridges, and a few marshes are found, but they might be easily drained, and converted into beau- f. 11.;! .'.- ii •'■••I ^i'' I ^ I' 30 DISTRICT OF ST. FRANCIS. tiful meadows. The township is watered bv two large and several small currents, which fall into the St. Francis. It is but thinly settled, notwithstand* ing its favourable soil and situation, which is attri- buted to the circumstance of the whole of it having been granted to the officers and privates of the militia (Canadian), for their services in 1776; and experience has proved that lands so granted are the last to advance. Population calculated to be about 150. fVhitton. 26. Projected only. fVooburn, 33. In the disputed territory. Wolfestown. 12. The north-west part of this township is tolerably good, but the other half is little but a chain of rocky heights, good for nothing. JVootten, 10. West of Wolfestown. Not yet surveyed. DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. The last great division of Lower Canada is the district of Montreal, having the already described districts of Three Rivers and St. Francis to the east, Upper Canada to the west, the States of New York and Vermont to the south, and on the north, extending to the territory of the Hudson's Bay Com- i ) DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 81 :C 7 two to the stand- attri- laving of the ; and ire the about jf this is little ot yet IS the scribed to the f New north, /Com- pany. The general characteristic of the settled portion of this immense tract is that of being low and level. Towards the State of New York, it is somevvhat mountainous, and two or three moun- tains occur on the east side of the Chambly river ; in the north section of this district there is a ridge of mountains, the continuation of a chain, commenc- ing about 30 miles below Quebec, and running along in a direction west-south-west, at no very great distance from the St. Lawrence, finishes at the river Ottawa, about 40 leagues above Montreal, that is about the township of Hull. The southern part of this district is daily becoming of more im- portance from the advancing settlement of the coun- try, the making of roads, and the Chambly canal, connecting lake Champlain with the St. Lawrence. The northern part, particularly those townships fronting the river Ottawa up to Hull, where the river is broken by two falls, one of 26 feet high, are also favourably situate and must become valu- able. For the sake of clearness and also to avoid repetition, we shall divide this district into north and south, each division including all the townships on the north or south of the St. Lawrence respec- tively. Ahercromhle. 39. North. Quality of the soil bad and not worth cultivating, generally; it is pretty well watered, and in some parts, some good land and meadows are to be found. Vif^ ,.■.: w i if 'I M Wt. In "1 '"M { r ? 33 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. Aberford, 2. North. Fronting the river, but high up, and not yet surveyed. Acton. 50. South. Is watered by two larger branches of the Yamaska river. The land is low and swampy. No part is yet settled. Aldfield, 12. North. In the rear of Onslow. Not surveyed. Amherst, 28. North. Quite a rear township, and not surveyed. Anindell, 29. Adjoining Amherst, and not sur- veyed. Barford. South. See district St. Francis. Bariiston, 67. South. On the boundary line between Canada and Vermont. Where the surface of this township presents a succession of hill and valley, the soil is for the most part good, and very favourable for the cultivation of grain, and other ordinary crops. Some marshes are found in the lower parts ; the timber is of almost every sort ; it is well watered by small rivers and lakes, and has a population of about 1600, chiefly settled on the western side, with several schools, corn-mills, saw- mills, &c. Beresford, 36, North. In the rear of Aber- crombie. Not surveyed. Bolton. 60. South. Having the lake Mem- phremagog on the east. The surface is uneven and ill DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. d3 % but larger is low nslow. rnship, )t sur- •y line mrface ill and Id very other in the ►rt; it has a »n the [, saw- Aber- iMem- in and a little mountainous, being cut by a chain of heights from north to south, from which many small streams descend east to the lake, and west to the river Ya- maska. The lands in the lower parts are of tolerable good quality, those to the west are the best. It is one of the first-formed townships, and has a popu- lation of 1000, with a corn-mill, five saw-mills, several schools, asheries, &c., and has some roads communicating with the other townships. Brandon. 42. North. Is situate in the rear of several fertile seigneuries, and in rather a favourable position, but wanting roads ; most of the land is well spoken of, though towards the back it is moun- tainous ; part of it borders on the lake Maskinongtf, which is well stored with excellent fish, and near it about 20 settlers have fixed. The timber is mostly good, particularly the pine. Bristol. 16. North. The third from Hull, and ii front township. It is but little known, although it has 33 settlers on it. Brome. 59. South. Part of the land in this township is good, but the rest is very mountainous and rocky ; the best part is toward Lake Brome in the south-east, where it is pretty well settled. To the north-west; where it is mountainous, good iron ore is found in abundance ; many streams fall into the lake, which present many opportunities for the erection of mills. The population is upwards of 1300, with seven saw-mills, five schools, &c. C 5 1 ;*! ' i\ v-^ i'.i'.i ..'II i'; i'il i: m i' •r;i 34 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. Buckingham. 26. North. A front township. The four first ranges surveyed. Towards the river the land is low, (and it may here be observed, that the first range of lots in all the front townships north, are subject to a flood, spring and fall, which renders them excellent for pasturage, and they are not without tolerably good land for other purposes.) Up to the fourth range the land is low and level, and well timbered; beyond this it rises into an abrupt and ridgy surface with an indifferent soil, frequently so stony and rough as not to be workable. Many streams descend through it towards the Ottawa, near whose borders is a large basin, lying for some distance parallel to the river and running some way up. Settlement has made some progress, but is rather retarded by some unsettled lands on the second range. A corn-mill, two saw-mills, a pot- tery, ashery, &c. are established. Population 270. Caenwood. 9. North. A back township not surveyed. Chatham. 34. North. Is on the Ottawa, about 55 miles from Montreal, and is the first town- ship arrived at on the north side of the river. The half of this township next the river is generally level, with gentle rises, on which the maple is found, and the soil is adapted to the production of grain, with hemp and flax; rich meadows also occur. The surface of the back portion is broken and rough. The soil generally very inferior and stony ; the tim- •ir ■■'■K nship. J river d, that nships which ley are )oses.) el, and abrupt i^uently Many )ttawa, r some ne way but is on the pot- 270. DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 35 a ip not about town- The jr level, d, and with The rough. le tim- ber is mostly of the best sort, and the pines and oak are fit for ship-building, and much of it along the north river is cut and transmitted to market ; besides that river, it is well watered throughout by the West river, and many small lakes and streams. The main road from Montreal to the upper town- ships runs near the Ottawa, and there are two other roads, running inwards a considerable way. The first range, as a matter of course, is the best settled; the fifth, sixth, and seventh ranges are unsettled, principally owing to the reserves being in them ; beyond that there are a few settled. The population is rather above 1000. There is a village called Davisville, two schools, three saw-mills, &c. Ad- joining this township is a small tract called Chatham Gore, par* of which only has been surveyed. The surface is i... ntainous; but much of the land is fit for culture ; : is a clayey, sandy loam, an excellent soil for wheat and Indian corn. The timber is good. It has several small lakes, plentifully stocked with fine fish, and has three pretty good roads into the seigneurie of Argenteuil in the front. The set- tlers are about 400, all Protestant Irish ; have a church, school, tannery, asheries, &c. Chertsey. 38. North. Not yet surveyed, but said to contain some considerable extent of rich meadow land. Chichester. 6. North. Not surveyed. Clarendon. 15. North. The last township on m ¥ ■ •' •I •.^ ^» : -^v.. 36 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. Eli i-'a ' ■" the Ottawa, having settlers upon it ; they are about 100, with a corn-mill, a saw-mill, ashery, &c. It is 150 miles from Montreal. Derry. 21. North. In the rear of Buckingham. Not surveyed. Dunham. 63. South. Near the boundary line, and having the seigneurie of St. Armand between it and lake Champlain. The high lands are a little mountainous, and have only a thin soil on rock, but in the level parts the soil is generally a rich black mould, mixed here and there with sand. It pro- duces all kinds of grain in abundance, and in many places is very fit for hemp and flax ; very little swampy land, and that easily drained and cleared. It is well watered, and has many excellent roads to the neighbouring settlements, and into the State of Vermont ; it is almost all settled, and contains a village called Frelitzburg, with a church and chapel, and 25 houses. The population in the whole is about 2130; two saw-mills, corn-mill, carding and fulling-mills, &c. Eardley. 23. North. Next Hull. The river in the front of it is very wide, and is called the Chaq- dier, or Kettle lake. The land from the river to the centre is level, with small elevations, and the quality is excellent, and fit for all kinds of grain, as well as hemp and flax. From thence to the back it is hilly; the front ranges are well watered, and there are some small lakes in the interior, but no large river : DISTRICT OP MONTREAL. 37 ver m the uality ell as hilly ; ■e are river : the settlers do not amount to above 160, and they are mostly from Hull, the adjoining township ; it is considered to be good location, as the Yankees would say. Ely. 53. South. The land in this township is generally of a medium quality ; the lower lands are rather wet, but are not useless, and the best sorts of hard and black timber is found on it ; there are a few settlers on it, and it is tolerably well watered. Eshcr, 4. North. Not surveyed. Farnham. 58. South. The land is of good quality generally, though it presents a great variety. The north-west contains swamps of large extent ; the best parts are wooded with beech, elm, and maple ; its situation, however, has raised it to im- portance ; it is watered by some large branches of the Yamaska, and has some roads in various direc- tions, both towards Montreal and Vermont ; there are two churches, six schools, thirteen saw-mills, four corn-mills, three carding and three fulling mills, thirteen asheries, brewery, distilleries, and other factories. Godmanchester. 45. South. With its front on the St. Lawrence, where it expands, and is called lake St. Francis. A small portion of it at the back is on the boundary line between Canada and the State of New York ; it has about 10 J miles of frontage to the lake, and is 12^ deep in the broadest part. The front lands and also those near the Chateauguay river. ■h •. ^1 \, ■ .41 I, , .-^ 'i II *l 4l i f < » )' :i 'i '111 h^- it <:\ r ,;■■ ■■', i .'J t 1 1 ,1 y. i' ; f ''^ # b: ^ I w. 38 DISTRICT OP MONTREAL. which divides this and the township of Hinchin- brook, are low, and in some places rather wet, but the soil is generally good and rises as it approaches the interior, where it is of superior quality. The limber is very good, and much of it has been cut and taken to market. There is a road on the north side of the Chateau guay, leading into New York, but besides that, not much attention has been paid to the roads. The village of Godmanchester is on the river La Guerre. The population in the township was stated, in 1828, to be 1413, but a great many settlers have proceeded to it since that time. It has five saw-mills, corn-mills, asheries, &c., and must be regarded as a valuable tract. Granhy, 54. South. Land in general com- posed of a blackish marl covered in some places with fine vegetable soil, which produces good crops of wheat and other grain ; some parts are particu- larly calculated for hemp and others for flax ; the timber is beech, elm, walnut, maple, pine, and some oak, and is tolerably watered ; not yet settled to any extent. Grandison, 35. North. A rear township not yet surveyed. Grenville. 33. North. Is the second township up the Ottawa ; the surface is rather mountainous, but the small hills and the valleys present good land, and in many parts it is rich enough for hemp iind flax ; some extensive valleys along the Beaver ■'iX DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 39 a-k not Meadow Creek, and Red River, present the most advantageous situations for settlers ; it is well wa- tered with many rivers, and some lakes well filled with excellent trout ; limestone is found plentifully on the river Calumet, and a black lead mine on that river has been worked. The east section is the best settled, and those who have devoted their attention to the raising stock have been very successful ; indeed the country seems particularly adapted to that purpose. The canal, which takes the name of the township, passes through it to avoid some dan- gerous rapids in its front ; the population, including one village of 50 inhabitants, is about 1900, with a corn-mill, three saw-mills, three asheries, a pottery, &c. Harrington. 31. North. In the rear of Gren- ville, and not surveyed. Hastings. 3. North. Last but two, and not surveyed, Hatley. 61. South. Lies east of the north end of lake Memphremagog; the land varies very much, the surface being irregular and hilly ; the soil to- wards Ascot and Compton is good, but it is superior towards the lake, and on all these parts of it there are many settlements; towards the middle it is rough and swampy. The lake Tomefobi is in the eastern part, eight miles by one, and abounds with an excel- lent variety of fish ; the whole is well watered, and has many roads through it to the adjacent town- ' 'A * *\ '•I J. '^ m m . ;. -t ■■;!t m \< ,;! It. if '■ h '' I f f t- ( ■.I' • ! ■'I' it 40 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. ships, and communicating with those into Vermont. The settlers amount to 1500 ; with seven corn-mills, eleven saw-mills, eight schools, six asheries, &c. Hemmingford, 47. South. On the line between Canada and New York. This township is divided into moderate lots, and Bouchette says that a part is reserved by the Crown to be let on lease. Although the surface is very irregular, and it is traversed by high hills, having but a thin coating of soil, there are many parts where the soil is of a fertile and superior quality. Some swamps occur in the north- east and north-west parts, thickly covered with the wood usually found in them. Upon the hills the timber is of good quality, and in the second range the oak and pine are very large, and better than usual. It is well watered by the river Montreal, which falls into the Chambly, (or Richelieu) and by the river Chateauguay, which falls into the St. Lawrence. The roads, though numerous, are not highly spoken of as summer routes; there are many corn and saw-mills, &c. on the streams, and the population is about 1000. Hinchinbrook, 46. South. Lies to the west of the last named, also on the frontier line ; it is not so well divided as Hemmingford, the reserves being in large tracts, or blocks, as they are called; the sur- face is somewhat like its neighbouring township. Towards the Chateauguay there are fine valleys and meadows, well watered by the branches of the river ; t DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 4t there are also many roads, but not of the first order. Much timber of fine quality has been cut and sent to market by the Chateauguay. The population ex- ceeds 1200, and there are two villages, Hemming- ford and Huntingdon, with two corn-mills, seven saw-mills, &c. Howard. 30. North. Only projected. Huddersfield, 11. North. In the rear of Bristol, and not surveyed. Hull. 24. North. This is a large township with its front to the river, and nearly opposite to Bytown, where the Rideau canal enters the Ottawa. The mountains in this part approach the river, and consequently the back part of Hull is but indifferent for tillage, though it is represented as a good grazing country. From the sixth range (about one-third) to the river, it has a soil of exceeding good quality, producing fine crops of grain. There are not many swamps, and those but small : the timber on the hills is very good, and in great variety ; the oak and pine being very fit for naval purposes. A rich bed of iron ore has been found, but is not yet worked ; the Indians have brought down some black lead ore, which they procured on the Gatineau, a river which, coming from the north, runs through Hull and falls into the Ottawa, in the township of Tem- pleton to the east. Limestone, marble and granite are abundant in the neighbourhood of the Gatineau. I" it 1.* ■' ;.■■■« i T,' * ' I river ; >?'■• % .1 • 4S DISTRICT OP MONTREAL. I , 'H , .'.,1 II ' ' -'.1 V, . .. • I. This township was commenced in 1800 by Mr. P. Wright, an American by birth, but of English parents, from the county of Kent. In 1806, he obtained a grant of 1 3,700 acres. The progress made under the superintendence of this enterprising indi- vidual is truly astonishing, and is a proof of what might be accomplished in a thousand instances by perseverance and the employment of capital. There is on it the village of Wright, containing many good houses, a church, school, tavern, &c. The township contains lime-kilns, brick-kilns, saw-mills, corn- mills, distilleries, &c. The population exceeds 1100 or 1200, besides having sent many settlers into some of the neighbouring townships. Kildare, 43. North. Situate in front of Chert- sey, and in the rear of the seigneuries ; partly set- tled by some Canadians, who hold the land on the same tenure as in the seigneuries. The soil is said to be excellent in the greater part, and the position of the township is favourable ; most of the timber is good, and the river L'Assomption, with some inferior streams, water it. Kilkenny. 40. North. Is a small tract : the account given of it is rather unfavourable, but it is said that it has some good land along the north river. The first settlers abandoned it for the town- ship of Acton, on the south ; there are now a few Irish upon it., ..•It ,;JI.: J'- 'I'll' .1 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 43 Mr. P. Bnglish JOG, he IS made ig indi- of what [ices by There ly good ►wnship corn- exceeds settlers Chert- lly set- on the said to itiori of iber is nferior the it it is north town- a few Kirby. 1. The last township on the north side, not yet surveyed. Lochaber, 27. North. It is a front township, aiid towards the river is very low and often flooded, but, in the opinion of Buuchette, capable of being banked and converted into good meadows. A little towards the interior there is good convertible land, but beyond, it is mountainous and barren. Most of the timber is good, the oak and the pine fit for the ship-builder. Many rivers and streams run over it, on which the timber could be floated, and some are navigable for boats. The settlers are chiefly Scotch, but it does not appear to have yet attained a large degree of prosperity. Lichfield. 14. North. A front township, and next to Clarendon. Not surveyed. Mamtfield, 13. North. The next to Lichfield. Not surveyed. Marsham. 18. Not surveyed. North. In the rear of Eardley. Milton. 51. South. The surface of this town- ship is low and swampy, and requires a continued system of draining to render it useful ; yet there is some quantity of good grass land in it. Onslow, 17. North. The third and fourth ranges of this township possess to appearance a good soil, the rest, both next the river and in the ."fltl . 'I ■I *| .f >t 44 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. t » t n ¥ t i f li rear, are stony, poor and swampy. About 30 set- tlers are on it, with a saw-mill. Orford. 57. South. Is a little north of Lake Memphremago^, and has the village of Sherbrook at its north-east angle. The general aspect of the country is rough and mountainous, aiid almost wholly unfit for culture. In the interior are some lakes, which continue into the township of Brompton. Much good timber is found upon it. A road is to be formed through, connecting some of the large roads, and the advantages of its locality has attracted some settlers, who attend principally to the feeding cattle, but also raise some grain. Pontefract. 8. North. A rear township, not surveyed. Portland. 20. North. In the rear of Templeton, reported to be mountainous and rocky, but not known with accuracy ; the river Blanche traverses a part of it. Potion, 65. South. Bounded on the east by Lake Memphremagog. Although hilly and irregular, the land is generally good, and presents good situa- tions for the agriculturist. The river Missisqui and its branches water it well, and on the borders of that river and on the lake, where the soil is very good, there are many settlers ; still it does not appear to have much^advanced in the last ten years. There are no leading roads yet made ; the population just DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 45 30 set- r Lake ?rbrook of the almost Dr are ship of 1 it. A ome of locality icipally in. ip, not pleton, jut not erses a |ast by ular, situa- ui and fthat good, ear to \re are just •g exceeds 800, with four saw-mills, carding-mills, &c. Bog and mountain iron ores are found. Ponsonhy. 44. North. Not surveyed. Rawdon, 41. North. Between Kilkenny and Kildare ; mountainous and rough, but the soil adapted to the cultivation of grain in many parts, and in some to hemp and flax : it is well watered and has several good roads through it. The popula- tion is about 850, chiefly Irish, with four corn-mills, three saw-mills, eight asheries, &c. Rippon. 22. North. In the rear of Lochaber. Not surveyed. Roxton, 52. South. Only the southern part is surveyed; the land is good, and though the low parts are wet, they are capable of culture, and pro- duce hard and black wood ; the branches of the river Yamaska, and other streams, water it; there are but few settlers yet upon it. Sheen. 5. North. Not surveyed. Shefford. 55. South. The face of the country in this township is imeven, and towards the west it is mountainous. The soil is almost through the whole very fertile, but the heights are too stony to be of much value ; the south-east parts towards Bolton are the best, and the best settled. Here there is a village called Frost Village, of 25 houses and 120 inhabitants; it is well watered by many branches of the Yamaska and other streams, on ' t i >vl A n 1*1 tit! ■ 'h I I ■I ■lit I? ■I l:;IH •': 46 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. whose borders are fine meadows and grazing land, and it is intei ^-ected by many routes into the adjoin- ing townships. The entire population is little less than 1000, with two churches, eight schools, saw and corn mills, &c. Sherrington. 48. South. Is an irregular tract, nearer to Montreal than any other township. It offers great variety both in the (juality of the soil and the timber; in the south-west the land rises gently, and in some places forms considerable emi- nences. In this part there are various sorts of soil, but almost all tolerably good ; thickly covered with beech, elm, maple, and white ash. There are many swamps to the north-east, some covered with cedar, and others with black ash, which last would soon become cultivable, and, on draining, form very fine meadows. The river La Tortu winds across the township, and with many small streams water it well. From the eleventh to the fourteenth ranire in- elusive, the land is settled by Canadians, besides many English settlers on the eighth and ninth ranges. A Mr. Languedoc has erected a hemp-mill, and is prosecuting the culture of hemp. The popu- lation exceeds 3150, and from its vicinity to the populous city of Montreal, and other advantages, it will no doubt increase in prosperity. A road passes through it from the St. Lawrence, to Lake Cham- plain, by Hemmingford ; and others, which join the route from La Prairie to St. John's. i- 11 I' ig land, adjoin- ttle less ols, saw ar tract, ihip. It the soil nd rises ble emi- s of soil, red with ire many h cedar, lid soon |rm very across water it ange in- be sides d ninth »p-mill, le popu- to the Itages, it passes Cham- Ijoin the DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 47 Stanbrid<:^e. 62. South. Presents a ffreat va- riety of soil and timber. The east part is low, and rather swampy. Near the north end of lake Cham- plain, which is there called Missisqui Bay, and by the river Brochet, the soil is chiefly clay, mixed with sand. To the east it rises, and is composed of a rich black and yellow marl, with a little sand. The river Brochet and its numerous branches sufficiently water it, and drive many corn and saw mills. It has also many roads, running in all directions, the two principal ones running south into the State of Vermont. It is well settled, particularly to the north-east. The population is about 1800, with a village, a school, four corn-mills, nine saw ditto, &c. Stanstaad. Q6. South. On the east border of lake Memphremagog, and the State of Vermont on the south. It is by far the best of the townships on the frontier, as well by its situation on the lake, as by the excellence of the soil and timber ; the latter is the best hard woods. It contains many uplands, some of them rather high. The south and easterly parts are well settled ; and those along the shores of this fine lake are particularly flourishing. It is watered by many streams and currents, which are applied to mill-work. The high road from Quebec to Vermont passes through; and there are many others of less importance. It contains two villages ; Georgeville, near the lake, and Stanstead, near the boundary line, with a church, nine corn-mills, .'3 * .'' "I : Jl m ::» 11 'h, i 48 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 'li ■>J f I eighteen saw ditto, seven carding ditto, fifteen schools, a foundery, asheries, &c. Stukely. 56. South. Although the surface of this township is rough, the land in many parts is but little under the medium quality. It is watered by streams that fall into the Yamaska, and which take their rise among the hills about which they wind. The population has not reached quite 300. Sutton. 64. South. On the boundary line ; is composed generally of good land, on which the operations of agriculture may be pursued to advan- tage. It has some swamps, but they are easily to be drained, and converted into good meadows. It is watered by the river Missisqui, which crosses the south-east angle, and by many small rivers. There are many roads in different directions. Population about 1000, with two corn-mills, three saw ditto, &c. Iron ore is found, and a forge is erected. Templetoii, 25. North, adjoining Hull. To- wards the Ottawa the land lies rather low, but the soil is tolerably good, and favourable to the culture of grain and roots. Farther back, there is some very good land on gentle eminences. There is a road in the front of the township, along which, in the south-east quarter, some settlements are made ; the settlers at present, are not above 60. It is well watered by the rivers Gatiiieau and Blanche, and some small streams. Thome. 10. North, in the rear of Clarendon. Not yet surveyed. lj$1 DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 49 fifteen face of )arts is watered 1 which ;h they : 300. line; is ich the advan- iasily to ws. It sises the There tulation Lto, &c. To- jut the culture s some re is a hich, in made ; It is Manche, Upton. 49. South. Is an irrej^nlar shaped township on the river St. Francis. The land is low and flat, with large swamps, covered with cedar and tamarack. Upon the St. Francis and other rivers that run through it, are some patches of land which, if cultivated, would produce p:ood crops of grain ; but in ireneral the soil is not favourable. There are, however, about 280 settlers on it, and a road runs through it. fFakefield. 19. North, in the rear of Hull. Not surveyed. Waltham, 7. North. Not yet surveyed. Wentworth. 32. North, in the rear of Chatham. Is reported unfit for arable operations, except in the front adjoining Chatham, where the land is tolerably good ; but no part of it is settled. The timber is good, and may be brought to a market by the North river, which, with other streams, .vaters the town- ship. Wexford. 37. North, and not yet surveyed. <'1 rendon. 2 D :to I Vl ' ■J 1 ■•;i s7 '4 f •$ ■I •■I, 50 UPPER CANADA. Before proceeding briefly to notice the leading points of consideration in each township as they occur, it may be allowed to call the attention to the extent of the two fresh-water Seas, and the St. Law- rence, along which the province stretches upwards of 600 miles ; and it would be almost an insult to do more than merely point the attention of an English- man to the immense importance of water communi- cation throughout a country, and with the ocean. In England, the outlay of millions upon millions has effected that which, in Canada, is provided upon an infinitely grander scale, almost fit for use. And if canals are so valuable in an old and thickly peopled country, where the roads have been increas- ing and consolidating for ages, how much more so when these last cannot be supposed to exist for generations to come in anything like the proportion they do in England ! It is, perhaps, not worth while to do more than allude to a line of not less extent along the river Ottawa, lake Nipissing, the French river, and the eastern shore of lake Huron. Little of this line is at present known ; but there is no do\ibt that, when the country on the first-mentioned line is full, this UPPER CANADA 51 latter, and the tract which it incloses, will be found worthy of notice. This may be the proper place for again considering* the great importance of fixing on land as near a navigable water as can be effected, for the easy transmission of the produce to njarket, &c. f ading they to the Law- wards to do iglish- imnni- ocean. ilUons Dvided )r use. hickly creas- re so ist for ortion fe than river lid the lline is when 111, this EASTERN DISTRICT. This is the first district, in the Upper Province, on the St. Lawrence. The surface is level, but not low, except towards the rivers, by which it is intersected. The St. Lawrence is navigable for steam-boats only, for about 30 miles from its eastern end to Cornwall. From that point, along the remainder of the frontage, it is broken by rapids, which can only be passed in small boats, and with great labour in the upward course, while in the downward course, towards Montreal, they are carried with alarming velocity, and considerable risk, against which an insurance may be effected with a company at Montreal, at one and a half or two per cent. The front townships of this and several other dis- tricts are settled to some extent by those who adhered to the British cause in the revolutionary war, and their descendants. The name by which these per- sons are known and spoken of in Canada is, U. E. D 2 .'I ^1 1i ■•i, '.I", r ■ 6, ^■■: 52 UPPER CANADA. Loyalists, a term that will be frequently heard in travelling up the country. The district is divided into the counties of Glen- gary, Stormont, and Dundas, each sending two members to the provincial parlinment. The popula- tion, at the return in 1830, was 19,755. The return of the amount of assessable property was incomplete. The Dundas Street (or road) passes through it, near the river. Charlotlenhurg. 11. A front township. Soil re- ported to be a red loam, with clay and stone. It is well watered by the river Aux Raisins. Has several grist and saw mills, and fronts the river St. Law- rence, which is here called lake St. Francis, and is uninterrupted by rapids for about 40 miles. Dun- das-street runs along the front; and steam-boats run upon the lake St. Francis. Cornwall, 10. Soil similar to the last. The river Aux Raisins, with its branches, water it. The rising town of Cornwall is at the eastern extremity. This township fronts the St. Lawrence ; but nearly along the whole it has the formidable rapid of the Long Saut, making it necessary to carry the produce intended for the lower market to Cornwall by land. The Dundas Street traverses it in front. Has many mills in it. Finch. 3. A back township. The land generally may be called good. The front part is a black loam, but the rear is rather sandy, and it is but thinly d in Hen- two pula- eturn plete. near )il re- Itis everal Law- 1. and Dun- • boats The The emity. nearly nf the oduce land. many e rally loam, thinl) EASTERN DISTRICT. 53 settled. The river of La Petite Nation (called the Nation, for shortness), crosses the back part, and runs into the Ottawa. On it there is a saw-mill and a grist-mill. Kenyan. 5. A rear township, with a good soil of loam and clay. It is well watered by small streams, but, being level, has few opportunities for mill-seats. Lochiel. 6. Also a rear township. It is well settled. The land in front is low and stony. In the rear it is rich and good. Watered by the rivers La Grasse and De Lisle, on which there are grist and saw mills. A road leading from the town of Corn- wall to the Ottawa runs across this township. The lands in this township, which belong to the Canada company, are described as being rather wet. Lancaster, 12. A front township on the St. Lawrence, where it is navigable, and on the bound- ary line between the two provinces. Generally low land, but good. Soil, clay and loam. Well settled. The rivers Baudet, De I'Isle, and other smaller streams, water it, on which there are mills. Dundas- street runs i aoogh it, somewhat removed from the St. Lawrence, Some of the Canada company's land in the ninth range or concession is described as being of indifferent quality. Matilda. 7. Is a front township. Soil mostly productive. Black loam, clay, and sand. A branch of the Nation river runs through it at the back. ■ .^.f.l !•« I -^1 % ^^i f. ■4. . i ■ '• :'^:f! ;:: ll if 54 EASTERN DISTRICT. The St. Lawrence in front is rapid, but from that cause may be made use of in parts for mill work ; and there are already two. Mountain, 1. Is in the rear of the last-men- tioned. The land is reported to be generally excel- lent, — mixed loam and clay. The river Nation runs in the front, and branches of that river run through it. In the front are some thriving settlements, with mills, and tolerable roads for such a new coun- try. The value of these last two townships will be increased if a water communication can be effected between the St. Lawrence and the Nation, which has been contemplated. Osnahrucic, or Osnahurg. 9. This is a front town- ship, next above Cornwall. The front part is sandy, but farther back has a good soil of loam and clay. Is watered by the river Aux Raisins, and has two mills on a creek of the St. Lawrence. Dundas-street runs through its front. Roxborough. 4. Much of this township is swampy : soil is a black loam and clay, and part is stony to the westward. A branch of each of the rivers Aux Raisins and Nation take their rise in it, but other- wise it is but scantily watered. In the front there are a few settlers, with a grist and a saw mill. WilUamshurg, 8. In front, where it is well settled, and partially so through great part, gene- rally good land ; watered by some creeks ; but no EASTERN DISTRICT. 55 )m that work ; st-men- y excel- on runs through ements, w coun- will be effected , which river of any consequence, nor mills except in front. Dundas Road runs through it near the river. fVincheater. 2. At the back of the last named. Land in general good ; soil, loam mixed with sand ; swampy in parts ; but very few settlers on it, and of course has no roads : has only a saw-mill at the corner next Osnabruck. The river Nation crosses it, which in winter serves as a road to the Ottawa. M JOHNSTOWN DISTRICT. it town- sandy, d clay, las two LS-street jrampy : ony to rs Aux other- there well gene- but no This district is west of the last, and fronts the St. Lawrence, which, for the greatest part, is free of rapids; so that the navigation is uninterrupted to Kingston, the principal commercial town in the pro- vince, and every part of Lake Ontario ; besides which, the Rideau Canal runs through most of the back townships. As this canal is principally a con- tinuation of lakes and rivers, it is to be expected that there is no complaint of want of water. Tlie author of ' Statistical Sketches of Upper Canada ' says, * The greater part of this district and the Bathurst district is perhaps the least productive region in the whole province, and probably would not have been settled half so well had it not been for fortuitous cir- cumstances.' However, the character of each town- ship, as given by the corporation inspectors, follows ; J' i( 't! ' " ! :^ in , ■■ ,. ■I'v i' 4 'f '.I .' .4 1'., 56 JOHNSTOWN DISTRICT. and the advantageous position it occupies will at once be seen on the map, which, toj^ether with the amount of population, would seem to indicate, that, if the soil is not of the very first quality, there are some other advantages which are equiviilent. Between the Rideau Lake in the townships of Burgess and Elmsley and the St. Lawrence, Wiuch of the ground is low and marshy ; and it is here that the fever and ague is likely to dispute possession with the settlers. The front and east part are the best settled. It is divided into the counties of Grenville and Leeds, each of which sends two members to Parliament. The population was, in 1830, 20,417 ; and the assessment 250,964/. Augusta. 17. A front township ; has a good soil for the most part. The town of Prescot, a place of considerable trade and ready market for produce, is in it, by the St. Lawrence, which here ceases to be interrupted with rapids. Good roads to the back, besides the Dundas Road in front, and a ferry across to the American town of Ogdensburg. Bastard, 8. The soil of this township is described as generally good. The Rideau Canal runs through it diagonally, thereby giving it a value which needs not to be enlarged upon. Burgess. 2. Is of an indifferent cast altogether. The Rideau Lake covers a considerable part of its southern section. Crosby (iwriii). 1. Quite in the rear. The soil "ittijii irough Aether. of Us e soil JOHNSTOWN DISTRICT. 57 is good, but it does not possess any large stream : however, when more settled, and roads made to the canal, it cannot be said to be in a bad or very indif- ferent position. Crosby (south). 7. Lies in front of the last named. Its soil is pronounced to be good. It has no leading stream, but, like North Crosby, it has a small lake or two in it, and its position is certainly better, as the Rideau Canal runs through part of it. Edwardsburg. 18. A front township on the St. Lawrence, which, however, is not navigable for steam-boats in its front. It is well settled next the river, where the town of Johnstown, the capital of the district, is situate ; joins the township of Au- gusta, with the town of Prescot near its boundary, and possesses a good soil. Elizabeth Town, 16. In front, joining Augusta; possesses a good soil, and free navigation in front ; is rapdily settling and improving. In this township is the town of Brockville, which has a population of 1130, and returns a member lo Parliament. It is perhaps the best built town in Upper Canada. There is a large grist-mill near it; and this neigh- bourhood may be described as advantageously situ- ate and flourishing. Elmsley. 3. Possesses but an indifferent soil. It is situate in the rear of the district, and has the Rideau Lake in it, with part of the canal. jD 5 1 h ■i*'. M ■A\i ilff IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 LI Uii2A 125 US 12.2 mm M 12.0 iL25 i 1.4 I; i m I 1.6 w /w ►>> V] c? / y^ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)873-4503 ^ Ss 58 JOHNSTOWN DISTKICT. J ". i ■}' :■ :l .f r I 111 '! ■ .'S; ij -f • it r i' li ," it . Gower {north). 6. The soil is described as good, and it is crossed by the Rideau River and Canal. Gower {south). 12. The same character as the last. Rideau at the '.ipper end. Kitley. 9. Has but an indifferent soil ; the canal passes through its north-west corner. Lansdown. 14. In front : soil described as in- different in general, nor does it appear to possess any prominent advantages beyond its frontage on the St. Lawrence, with uninterrupted navigation. Leeds, 13. The adjoining township, also in front ; soil similar. A lake of considerable size lies in this and the township of Lansdown, which is contem- plated to be connected with the Rideau Canal. A stream from this lake runs through Leeds into the St. Lawrence, at the village of Gannonoqui, where it has a fall of twenty feet, and is made use of to drive machinery of various kinds, as saw and grist mills, turning lathes, &c., and the power is very ex- tensive. This is a thriving and very improving neighbourhood, and within a short distance of King- ston. Marlborough. 5. Is a rear township, the soil of which is pronounced generally good ; and its situa- tion is good also. The Rideau Canal traverses its lower end, and various branches of that river water it. Montague. 4. Is the adjoining township to the , 1* JOHNSTOWN DISTRICT. 59 LS good, anal. ' as the he canal i as in- isess any i on the u in front ; !S in this contem- sinal. A into the li, where jse of to ind grist very ex- Tiproving of King- west : the soil is not of such a character as Marl- borough, but is, nevertheless, fair upon the whole. It possesses all the advantages of the other in respect to situation, and perhaps a little more by its vicinity to the flourishing township of Drummond, in the Bathurst district, in which is the rising town of Perth, already arrived at very considerable prosperity and importance. Oxford, 11. This township is between Marl- borough and Edwardsburg. The soil is good : the Rideau Canal traverses its upper end, and it has good roads through it to Johnstown and Prescot, on the St. Lawrence. Wolford. 10. Is also in possession of a soil well spoken of, and possesses all the advantages of the last-mentioned township. Vonges. 15. This township is in front, on the St. Lawrence. The soil is pronounced good, and its situation must undoubtedly be pronounced good also. i..,il * .-I ■1 :-k ie soil of its situa- srerses its p water it, ip to the OTTAWA DISTRICT. This district is divided into the counties of Prescot and Russell ; at present incorporated, and sending only one member to the Provincial Parliament. The population in 1930 was 3833. Its front is on the Ottawa river, which is naviirable **. i, , ': ■ ■ %' ' • ,' .'Ml- 1 1 I :i , ■ti ■ H ■': ■■■I,''/ ^J • I nmW 60 OTTAWA DISTRICT. for steam-boats through the whole distance> except at the lower end fronting Hawkesbury, east ; where are situate the rapids ; to avoid which the Grenville Canal has been constructed. The settlers are chiefly along the front. A large portion of it appears to be in the hands of absentee proprietors, (by which is to be understood persons not in America,) which greatly retards the settlement of any tract. The advan- tages of its situation, so near (Montreal) the mercan- tile metropolis, the fine navigation in front, and also on its western border, point' this district out as valu- able. The first township, in alphabetical order, is Alfred. 5. Much of it is swampy, but capable of being made good land for tillage, and such as the French Canadians are very partial to ; the soil other- wise is rather indifferent — alternately clay and sand. One road near the centre across it, but is not spoken very highly of as a summer route. In front, the want of a road is less felt, by reason of the river, which serves the purpose of a road both summer and winter. Several creeks traverse it. At present no mills are reported. Caledonia. 8. A rear township; the greater part of it low and swampy ; but there is some good land. Of course the roads are not of a substantial nature, even what there are. There are no large streams, nor any mills. Upon the whole, this town- ship is not advantageous. Cambridge, 9. In the rear ; the soil is generally OTTAWA DISTRICT. 61 '.U good tantial large town- erally light and sandy. The best lands are at the back, towards the eastern district ; but there are few, if any, settlers upon it, and of course no roads. The river Nation crosses it, and also a large branch ; both of these will answer the purpose of roads in winter ; and the time will come when the Nation will be made navigable to the Ottawa. No mills erected, but two in neighbouring townships lie handy. Clarence. 3. Fronts the Ottawa: soil generally light and sandy. Settlers principally in front. No roads, which defect is not much felt in front : no mills ; but a fine stream, on which many might be erected, waters the rear. Cumberland, 2. Fronts the Ottawa. The ge- neral character of the soil is light or sandy ; but it is said to have much good land in it; has some ex- tensive swamps, but they are reclaimable. The settlers are chiefly along the river, some few in the interior. There are no roads ; but the same stream which runs through Clarence also crosses this, and is called Bear Brook, where mills may be erected. Two saw-mills are already in operation. Gloucester. 1. Next to the preceding, and front- ing the Ottawa. The soil towards the Ottawa is clayey, which is also the character of the back part. Towards the Rideau River, which divides this dis- trict from the district of Bathurst, the soil is gravelly. The settlers are, as might be expected, chiefly along j5 >r A;\ m u\ it ¥ I l( . ■nil i; I y Ml •<.;iii; rii! ;i I 'rl til'.' It' ;^^^^ .iinii !''. li If I; '"uii M 62 OTTAWA DISTRICT. the Ottawa and the Rideau. There are some ex- tensive s\vam|)s, which are of the same description as those in Cumberland. Bear Brook and several creeks water it, on which there is a saw-mill, and opportunities for more. There is also a land route to Bathurst and Johnston districts ; but that seems to be of small importance compared with the water communication to the Ottawa. On the whole, this township may be described as worth the attention of the emigrant, whether his pursuits are directed to agriculture or trade. Hawkeshury {east). 7. Fronting the Ottawa, and the nearest township in the district to Montreal. Some accounts say the soil is indifferent, and others that the lands are generally low, level, and good. It is thinly settled by the river, which is so rapid, that boats unload, and their lading is conveyed by land to the upper end of the Rapids, along a tole- rably good road; this, however, is now, about to be remedied by the Grenville Canal. There is also a road runs through to the Lower Province, but no others. The river La Grasse runs through the in- terior, on which there is a saw-mill. The portion of this township called the Gore is the part next the boundary-line of Lower Canada. r il t. . Af':. Hawkeshury {west). 6. Has also its front on the Ottawa. The soil described by some as like the last, stony and gravelly, and by others as excellent land ; is well settled; has many cross-roads, as well :' bi OTTAWA DISTRICT. 63 Dme ex- icriptioii several nill, and id route ,t seems le water ale, this ntion of ected to Ottawa, [ontreal. 1 others d good, rapid, ;yed by I a tole- t to be i also a but no the in- rtion of ext the on the ke the ;cellent as well as one leading to Cornwall, on the St. Lawrence, on which the mail travels. Also mills, disiilleries, stores, and other indications of a thriving township. The Canada Company's lands are said to be gene- rally wet, but capable of being drained. Osgoode. 11. In the rear of Gloucester, and having the Rideau River and Canal along the wes- tern border. The land is allowed to be generally of good quality. Not many settlers in it at present, but increasing. No roads or mills in it, but some contemplated : is well watered by the Rideau and the Casteere, and several branches. Upon the whole, must be considered a favourable situation. PlantageneL 4. Next to Alfred. On the front has the Ottawa, and runs back to the Eastern Dis- trict. The soil is various. The front section has some good land in it, but the greater part is light and sandy, and a little swampy. On the rear sec- tion, generally indifferent, light and sandy, with some extent of spruce swamps. In the front section is Bear Brook, Horn Creek, and Scotch River. The roads are but indifferent in summer : the road to Cornwall passes through the rear section ; the river Nation runs through it, and on it there are grist and saw mills. The front to the Ottawa is pretty well settled, but the rear has but very few. Russell. 10. A rear township, with an indifferent soil ; light, sandy, and having large swamps. Appa- rently not worth attention. The river Casterre and M ' 1 1 1^: ■ ii'iii 64 OTTAWA DISTRICT. its branches water it. There is a saw-mill on the river, but few or no settlers. Those who have visited it appear to have been attracted by the pine - timber, which they have nearly stripped it of. ?!;: <.JV: i t'lii'' < i''i t 'A V^' ;.A ^h '■t 4 J} . v .'- u ■ 1 ■^^^i ■■ ^i . 1 \ . i» ■iti ' , 4 ■ 1 i ; ^h V- •[■ ' ■ ■ fc m • ' ■' ■■ d. \"H> > ,■ - , '■ v ■ ■» - lb f BATHURST DISTRICT. The other district with its front to the Ottawa River. It is divided into the counties of Lanark and Carleton, each of which sends a member to the Pro- vincial Parliament. Its population in 1830 was 15,945; and the assessable property estimated at 154,352/. Of the particular soil, &c. in the several town- ships, we have not been able to get an account ; but those we have, and can rely upon, will be {^iven. One of the deputy surveyors of the province con- sulted in the course of laying out the Rideau Canal, concludes his report thus : — * The country through- out abounds in mill seats, and is excellently watered. The soil is of the very first quality, either for tillage or pasture. The rivers and lakes breed many fish, and there are ores in the hills ;' and the advancement in population and settlement appears to confirm this character *. * On the contrary, an individual of considerable experience in the province, says, ' The greater part of this and the district of Johnstown is perhaps the least productive region in the whole province.* — Statistictti Sketchns of Upper Canada^ p. 66. BATHUR8T DISTRICT. 65 Mills are erected on the various streams in most of the townships, and the roads are improving. Bathurst. 15. A rear township, joining the Johns- town district : has a lake in it, from which a branch of the Mississippi River runs to the Ottawa. This part appears to be flat, and thickly interspersed with small lakes. Beckivith, 17. This township is well settled. It has a lake of some size in it, from which the Mis- sissippi runs. On the south-eastern shore the soil is shallow, with a rock of limestone underneath, and swampy. The land on the shores of the lake are not generally good. The land on the Indian river is represented as productive, and well settled. Dalhousie. 12. Darling, 4. Drummond. 16. The soil and advantages of this township stand well: in it is the town of Perth, already a place of considerable importance, although only founded in 1815. It has a population of more than 400, with churches, chapels, and other public establishments. It is seated on the Tay River, which communicates with the Rideau, and may easily be made available for navigation, and has tolerable good roads to the St. Lawrence and to the Ottawa. Its central situation is so good, that it must advance as a place of trade. Fitzroy, 6. Fronts the Ottawa, near which it is low n ^1 . >>'■ 1 ^ ' • i Ir .! !•' 1 « '■ II' 66 BATHURST DISTKICT. and marshy ; but, beyond the first mile, the land be- comes more fertile, though not much settled. Seve- ral good streams run through it. Goulhurn. 18. A rear township, and having a branch of the Rideau river running through it. Horton. 1. The last in the district on the Ottawa, and not described. Huntley, 9. Well settled, and good land. The river Carp runs across it into the Ottawa. Lanark. 11. The lake and river Mississippi water this township, which is well settled and flou- rishing. Lovat 3. A rear township. M'Nab. 2. With its front on the Ottawa; granted to a Highland chief of that name, who has many of his north countrymen around him, and de- votes much attention to the lumber business. March. 8. Its front is on the Ottawa, and it joins the township of Nepean. Nepean. 19. This township fronts the Ottawa, and is well settled. The Rideau Canal leaves the river Rideau about eight miles from its mouth, and runs through a portion of Nepean to the Ottawa, where the important town named after the com- manding engineer, By Town, is situated. It has already attained a considerable size and population, and must, from its situation, rise into a j)lace of the first importance. A fort is to be built, and a ; ^'!:'i I BATIIURST DISTRICT. 67 land be- L Seve- laving a it. Ottawa, d. The ssissippi lid fluu- Ottawa ; who has and de- , and it garrison maintained here. A bridjye across the Ottawa, connectinfr several islands which lay above the falls, communicates with the townshipof Hull on the north side, and in the Lower Province. There is a constant communication by steam-bout between By Town and Montreal in the summer. Pakenham. 5. The river Mississippi runs through it ; and, for four or five miles on each side, the land is described as particularly good ; it abounds with innumerable brooks and rivulets. Ramsey. 10. Well settled and productive: same river traverses it. Generally low and flat, Generally low and flat. Sherbrook (north). 13. with many small lakes. Sherbrook (south). 14. with many small lakes. Torbotton. 7. With its front upon the Ottawa, and adjoining Fitzroy. » '"i Ottawa, ives the th, and ttawa, e com- It has ulation, l)lace of , and a MIDLAND DISTRICT. This district is divided into four counties, viz., Fron- tenac, Lennox and Haddington, Hastings, and Prince Edward ; each sending two members to the Provincial Parliament. The population in 1830 was 34,190, and the assessable property rated at 505,51U. This is the most populous and richest district in ♦?■ I' I ' 68 MIDLAND DISTRICT. i. 1 ■■ I i ;, .•Hi' Upper Canada, as well as the first settled, particu- larly in front and aion^ the Buy of Qiiinte, great part of which was taken up by the United Empire loyalists upon the close of the revolutionary contest. It may be remarked, that these lands naturally exhi- bit signs of exhaustion, not producing in that abun- dance which lands less worked do : still their local situation on the beautiful bay, from one to ten miles broad, and navigable by steam-boats for upwards of ninety miles, reckoning the windings, and being cleared, and brought into a state approaching the agricultural aspect of England, it may be well worth the consideration of the emigrant of science and some capital, whether the advantages of situation do not mt)re than compensate for the deficiency in the pro- ductiveness of the soil, which, perhaps, under judi- cious management, and by the help of materials within reach, may be restored. The district is more or less settled for a considerable way back. The western portion of it is the best watered. It has many good roads in various directions in the front and settled parts. The townships between the bay and the lake are said to be very subject to the fever and ague. Adolphustown. 37. Soil generally of good qua- lity, and the situation very advantageous, being nar- row, and having the bay on each side. Ameliashurg. 32. Has a soil for the most part good, excepting a few swamps. It has the bay on . I particu- ;, great Empire i:ontest. ly exhi- t abuu- ir local m miles irards of d bein^: ling: the 11 worth nd some do not the pro- ier judi- nateriuls is more k. The It has e front the bay |he fever )od qua- ^ng nar- lost part bay on MIDLAND DISTRICT. 69 its north, and the ?ake on its south frontier, and a canal is in contemplution, to effect a communication, which will add to the already excellent situation of this tract. Anglesea. 4. Is quite a back township, not yei surveyed. Baric, 5. Adjoins the above, and is not known. Bedford. 20. In the third range. The soil rather indifferent and swampy. Camden, 25. Soil generally good : the Napaneo river, a large and improvable stream, running into the Bay, crosses its lower end. Clarendon, 6. One of the last range of town- ships ; not known. Elzevir. 10. A rear township ; soil bad. Earned Town. 29. With a soil of good quality, and advantageously situate, with its front to the lake, and adjoining the township of Kingston. Fredericsburg. 28. West of the above, and pos- sessing the same character, both in soil and situa- tion, to the lake. Grimsthorp, 3. A back township ; not de- scribed. Hallowell. 35. Possesses a soil in general good, and is very advantageously situate on the lake, and aLo partly to the bay. m • ' i«l 'H .."•1 ', ■ '■ "i P •J':. ^i«: ... f i it ■„ ■ I life . - j * 70 MIDLAND DISTRICT. HilUer. 33. Soil good generally, with the excep- tion of some swamps ; is well situate on the lake. Hinchinhrock. 19. A rear township, with an in- different soil. Huntingdon, 16. Not hearing a very good cha- racter a' to soil, and the situation indifferent. Hunff^rford. 17. Adjoining the last-named on the en St. The soil generally bears a bad character, and the situation not tempting. Kalador. 11. Soil bad; situation not ad van- tagec-iS. Kenehec. 12. Soil bad, and situation also. Kingston. 30. The soil of this township is de- scribed as good generally. It has some stony or rocky portions, principally towards the lake. The nportant town of Kingston, with a population of .' 5Soy according to the census, but probably nearer 000, is in this township. It sends a member to Vrliament. The naval dep6t, with the forts for its ^**ence, are in its immediate neighbourhood, and a regiment has always its head-quarters here. This town, from the advantages of situation, will always maintain the first commercial rank. Of course good land in this township is valuable. Lake. 1. A back township, not known. Loughborough. 27. Soil only jf the middling MIDLAND DISTRICT. 71 excep- ike. an in- 3d cha- med on laracter, advan- p is de- itony or e. The ation of nearer Imber to s for its and a This always se good liddUng quality ; and contains several small lakes and swamps : is subject to the fever and ague. Madox. 9. A back township, but possessing a soil generally good. Marmora. 8. A rear township ; soil rather in- diflferent. It has the Marmora iron works situate in it, to which there are roads from the lake, and a branch of the river Trent trai^erses it. Marysburg. 36. Generally good soil? excepting some swatiips. Its situation is undeniable. Olden, 13. Not described. Oso, 14. Not described. Pittsburg. 31. Has some very i;ood land in it, though the greater part has an indifferent character. It fronts the St. Lawrence, there called the Lake of the Thousand Isles ; and also has tlie Rideau Canal crossing it obliquely. Palmerston. 7. Unknown. Portland. 26. Soil but middling, and has swampy and unhealthy portions in it. The Na- panee river crosses it. Bawdon 15. Is generally good as to soil to- wards the front; and in the rear it is bad. It is situate in front of Marmora. The road to the iron works runs through it ; and it has some branches of the Trent crossing it. Richmond. 24. Has its front upon the bay, ^'^M i*, ,%\ • • I' •'I 72 MIDLAND DISTRICT. /.' s f *?v * .it:. 1 f1 1 ■t I:,:,: towards which the soil is generally good, and but very indifferent towards the rear. The Salmon river, an improvable stream, crosses it. Sheffield. 18. Soil rather indifferent, and situa- tion the same. Sidney. 21. Soil generally good, and it is very advantageously situate, with its front on the bay, and the river Trent running along its western bor- der, which is to be made navigable forthwith. Sophiasburg, 34. Soil generally good, excepting some swamps : situation good, being partly border- ing on the lake, and partly on the bay. Thurlow, 22. Soil generally good ; fronts the bay, and has the river Moria running through it. The flourishing town of Belleville is on the east side of the river at its mouth. Tudor, 2. Quite a rear township, and unknown. Tyendinagay or Mohawk. 23. Soil reported to be generally poor : fronts the bay, and has the Sal- mon river running through it. P' . ■ • t * V' M NEWCASTLE DISTRICT. This is the next district upwards, and fronts the lake : its population at the census in 1830 was 14,851 ; and the assessable property was estimated NEWCASTLE DISTRICT. 73 iff and but on river, nd situa- it is very the bay, item ber- th. excepting ly border- fronts the brough it. ; east side unknown. ^ported to IS the Sal- fronts the 11830 was estimated at 193,990/. It is divided into the counties of Dur- ham and Northumberland ; each of which sends two members to the Provincial Parliament. It is well watered by the Rice, Balsam, Trout, Sturgeon, and other lakes, and the Ottanabee and Trent rivers and other streams, which disperse themselves about; and, by connecting them, a communication by water will shortly be opened from Lake Simcoe to the Bay of Quintti, by which the interior of this dis- trict will be greatly benefited. This district already possesses two harbours on the lake, Cobourg and Port Hope, and many bays and creeks, on which more may be placed when needful. The Dundas road runs along its front, and there are other roads in the direction of the Rice Lake. Alnwick. 20. Is a new township on the Rice Lake : soil bad, and not settled. Asphodel, 19. Soil generally good ; pretty well settled, and has the river Trent running through it. Belmont. 13. Soil rather indifferent; but it is well watered, and joins the township of Marmora, in which the iron works are situated. Burleigh. 5. Quite a back township, with a very indifferent soil, and not well watered nor settled. Cartwright. 14. Soil very indifferent ; indiffer- ently watered, and not many settlers. Its situation not very remote. Cavan, 16. Has a good soil ; is well settled and 2 E . V 1 1 it-' ''J * I t li -■ , . .« ■-) '■ ■ r'. ■*<' , ■ ' .'■ •! ■' ■ *, ■■';t ■■*■■ Bit • -it'' ,, ^. j ■1.'* t '•v ^.', tit %: ^ :ii. :i'' ?» i '1 •» .■Nil :■ i:, ■ { |: 74 NEWCASTLE DISTRICT. watered. Has many mill-seats, and some at work ; also two distilleries, and many stores in the town- ship. Chiefly settled by Protestant Irish : not far from the Rice Lake. Clark. 24. Fronting the lake. The soil is ge- nerally of excellent quality ; but it is not well settled, by reason of much of the land belonging to ab- sentees. Cramah. 28. Fronting the lake ; has much bad land in it. It is well watered, and has the village of Newcastle on the lake shore in it. Darlington. 23. Fronting the lake. The soil is generally good, and the surface undulating. Some streams run through it into the lake ; but as much of it is the property of absentees, settlement has not made much progress. Douro. 10. The soil is described as good. There are many swamps in the township, which is not well settled . it is well watered. Dummer. 11. Lies to the east of the last- named : soil generally bad, though some good por- tions may be found towards the front. It is badly watered, and has no settlers on it. Eldon. 1. Not known yet. Emily ^ 8. Possesses a soil generally good : most part of it is level, and towards the rear there are swamps and some beaver meadows. It is well watered, and has two good mill-seats, and some J-^ ' \\ Jiii it work ; he town- : not far oil is ge- 11 settled, r to ab- nuch bad le village he soil is g. Some L as much it has not id. There Ich is not the last- rood por- [t is badly |ly good: Irear there litis well md some NEWCASTLE DISTRICT. 75 tolerable roads. It is well settled. The township ofEnnismore, or Gore of Emily, is perhaps the best part. Fenelon. 2. A remote township, and little known of it. Hamilton, 26. Has a great portion of bad land in it, being a mixture of sand and clay in various proportions, as the groimd is more or less elevated, the sand predominating on the high lands ; but the greater part is good. A large portion is held by absentee proprietors, which has retarded the settle- ment, except towards the lake and the township of Hope to the west. A capital road runs through it to the Rice Lake. The town of Cobourg is situate in this township, on the lake, where a harbour has been made, by running out piers into the bay. In it are churches, chapels, court-house, post-office, inns, &c. &c. ; several mills and manufacturing trades. In its neighbourhood are many handsome houses and establishments. Cobourg is, altogether, a thriving place, and has great intercourse with the opposite or American shore of the lake, both by steamers and schooners. The society is of quite a superior caste. Haldimand. 27. Fronts the lake : soil is bad in general ; but it is well watered, and settled in front. No good flour-mills. Harvey. 4. Soil not good. Quite a rear town- ship ; not settled. E 2 I, fS 4 '< )> \ .. f/' '. ' ■' %'■ ■ » ■ .Ml i 1 ■■ ,V!;i 1 ' !'■ it ■■i h '6 NEWCASTLE DISTRICT. f'i i> ;- '. ;• K.- Hope. 25. In front, on the lake: soil generally jrood ; and well settled, particularly towards its front. The town of Port Hope is on the lake, within eight miles of Cobourg. It is built in a valley, through which runs the river Hope, or Smith's Creek : on this stream, which has a considerable fall, several mills are built j and there are churches, schools, taverns, stores, and all the indications of a thriving place; and its vicinity to the town of Cobourg makes it desirable on the score of sociability. Much trade is also carried on with the Americans. Manvers. 15. Soil very bad, and altogether dis- advantageous. Methune. 12. Nearly the same character as the last>named, and more remote. Mariposa. 6. Soil generally good, and is well watered, but not yet settled. Monaghan. 17. Has a soil generally good. The town of Peterborough is in this township, on the Otanabee river: it was commenced in 1825, by some of the poorest class of Irish from Cork ; it stands well at the head of navigation, with mill- power to any extent, and they have already saw, flour, and carding mills, distillery and tannery, in regular work; and most probably have now a steam- boat on Rice Lake. Tolerable good roads lead to Cobourg on the lake. Murray, 29. With its front on the lake, the Bay (Generally its front, hin eight , through reek : on 1, several , schools, I thriving Cobourg ty. Much s. relher dis- pter as the \d is well rood. The p, on the 1825, by Cork; it with mill- eady saw, innery, in V a steam- ds lead to e, the Bay NEWCASTLE DISTRICT. 77 of Quints touching its eastern side, and the river Trent in the rear ; thus being encompassed on three sides by navigable water. The soil is generally of good quality : it has but few mill-seats, as the waters are level j consequently, more valuable as canals. Ops. 7. Soil good, loam upon clay : has some extensive swamps towards the north-east. The Scugog river traverses it, and affords excellent mill- seats. It is described as one of the finest town- ships in this part of the country ; still it is but very thinly settled, and consequently no roads. Otanabee. 18. Soil generally good, loam upon clay ; lays north of the Rice Lake. It is but par- tially settled : but when the projected improvements in the navigation of the country between Lake Sim- coe and the Bay of Quint^ are complete, no doubt it will fill fast. There are some swamps in it, and the shores of the Rice Lake are sandy. It has several roads leading towards Lake Ontario. Percy. 21. Has a good soil, and the river Trent and its branches running through it : the surface is pretty level, and therefore has but few mill-seats; but its situation is advantageous : partly settled. Seymour. 22. Joining the above to the east, and is of much the same character, but has fewer settlers. Smith. 9. Lies between the mud or shallow lake, and the Otanabee river. The soil is generally good (loam), but rocky on the north-east. Gene- ;■ ; I" ■.f '' ■> 78 HOME DISTRICT. S' rally well settled. The waters abound with fish, the salmon-trout from 30 to 40 lbs. in weight. Verulam. 3. Soil not very good; is well wa- tered, but very remote, and not settled. .r ••'■>" ^.. tfew' . » p ^f- ] , ^h 1 :«iJc; 1. 1 ' i t 1 ; N! I . HOME DISTRICT. This district lies at the western end of Lake On- tario, along which its front stretches for fifty miles, and is broken into many bays; the principal of which are, Whitby, or Windsor Bay, in the township of Windsor, and Big Bay, in the township of Picker- ing, besides the harbour of York. Its back front is on the eastern branch of Lake Huron, called the Georgian Bay, and it includes in its boundaries Lake Simcoe, which is 28 miles long, and 25 broad. It is divided into the counties of York and Simcoe ; the first sending two members, and the latter one member to the Provincial Parliament. The last re- turns in 1830 gave the population at 28,565, and the assessable property at 410,367/. ; whereof only 2117, and 22,578/. appertained to the county of Simcoe. The corporation inspectors do not appear to have reported on the individual townships composing this district. There is, however, less difficulty in ascer- taining the nature and quality of the soil, owing to ash. the veil wa- HOME DISTRICT. 79 ake On- y miles, icipal of township f Picker- i front is ailed the •undaries 5 broad. Simcoe ; iter one last re- 565, and Ireof only punty of |r to have >sing this in ascer- \w\ng to its comparative full settlement, especially the county of York and around Lake Simcoe. The land towards Lake Ontario is not g^enerally good, being sandy, and producing much pine. This, however, soon gives way to hard wood and fine land, continuing with little or no interruption to Lake Simcoe, which is much elevated above Lake On- tario. The rivers Humher, Etobicoke, and many others which run into Lake Ontario, water the soutliern portion, while the Nottawasaga and others running into Lakes Huron and Simcoe, water the northern half. All these abound with fish, among which is abundance of salmon, which are to be caught in all the creeks and bays at this end of the lake. As this district contains York, the seat of the Provincial Government, and consequently the place of residence of the chief officers, both civil and military, with all that usually attends upon a metropolis and large population, its lands are valuable, especially in the county of York. Much of the produce of a farm, as meat, poultry, butter, eggs, &c., find a ready sale at higher prices than in any other district. Much of the land is the property of half-pay officers and others, some of whom are cultivators, and others let it ; and per- haps many emigrants conversant with agriculture would find it more to their advantage to hire a farm here than to clear one for themselves. There are many good roads, besides the Dundas Street, which continues round the head of the lake ; a main road ! !■ i1 ^ < Vi| ',■■ i 11^ ' ' if. i- m\ 1 iJ- K 1 r 1 9 ' V F. ' :'^ ■I •■■•■ •*f '■' ■ it ■ 'i ' '. " 1 1' ''i' ;» 1^' ■ 4 t,'' V, ■: 1' '. P 1 ;i,i ■^ '■: r,i '•ij ■ ' ■*' J ,., * 1 ', t . C ' ' ii 1^ ; 1 t 1 1 1 « 1 .' ' ■' !^ I ! I ''If '* m : pi 1 ill ' :• si* I 80 HOME DISTRICT. leads from York to Gwilliamburg, on Lake Sim- coe, 32 miles. Many of the old settlers in this district are, from the increased value of land, disposed to sell their cleared farms, and, with the money, purchase a larnrer tract of uncleared land, in order to provide farms for an increased family. The agriculturist of moderate capital is recommended, by most writers on Canadian affairs, to prefer a partially cleared farm, at a moderate price, to wild land at a low price, especially if he comes from a highly-cultivated county of England ; and the reasons on which such advice is founded will immediately occur on reflec- tion. Tlie river Credit, which runs through the townships of Caledon, Chinguacoucy, and Trafal- gar, in the Gore district, is immediately to he made navigable; and the line of navigation from Lake Simcoe to the Bay of Quinte, when complete, must greatly increase the value of this part of the country. Adjala. 31. Albion. 39, Alta. 2. Amarant. 29. Artemesia. 15. Brock. 38. Essa. 19. Etobikoke. A. Euphrasia. 14. Flos. 8. Georgiana. 22. Gwilliamburg (East). 34. Gwilliamburg(West). 33. Gwilliamburg (North). 21. Innisfull. 20. Java. 3. King. 40. Luther. 28. ^ i m HOME DISTRICT. 81 Mara. 24. Markham. 41. Matchadash. 7. Medonto. 9. Melancthon. 26. Mona. 30. Merlin. 17. Mulmur. 27. Newmarket. 35. Orillia. 10. Oro. 12. Osprey. 16. Pickering. 47. Proton. 25. Rama. 13. Reach. 43. ^'Scarborough. 46. Scotts. 37. Sunnidale. 4. Tay. 6. Tecumseth. 32. Thora. 23. Tinev. 5. Toronto (Gore of). 6. Tossorondio. 18. Uxbridge. 42. Vaughan. 44. Vespra. 11. Whitby. 48. Whitchurch. 36. Zero. 1. u York. 45. In this township is seated the town of York, the metropoHs of Upper Canada. It is laid out like most of the towns in America, in wide streets, crossing at right angles, and the early part is constructed of wood ; but bricks are now taking a decided lead, and in a few years the former will bear no sensible proportion to the latter. The harbour is formed by a point of land running out into the lake, and enclosing an almost circular basin of more than a mile and a half diameter, and from two and E 5 !V V 'KJi t • 1'. I ■ r\ 82 OORE DISTRICT. m a half to four fathoms deep. The eniranre channel has two and a half fathoms ; and there is a light- house on the point. Most of the public ediflo^^ are plain and handsome, but particularly the Parliainenl^ House and Offices recently completed ; it taCPs the lake, and is truly a noble pile of buildinj^s of brick, enriched with stone. In this town is to be found good society, and many of the luxuries and ele- gancies of civilized Europe, and but few, if any, of the essentials are wanting to the enjoyment of life. The population is stated, in the return of 1830, to be 2860 ; but it far exceeds that now, being probably nearer 4000. It returns one member to the House of Representatives. m ■ «% .T GORE DISTRICT. This, and the three districts of Niagara, London, and the Western, are classed together in the follow- ing description by the surveyor-general : * The variety of soils, [and the diversity of their combina- tions, are by no means so great as might be ex- pected in so extended a region. The whole tract is alluvial in its formation, and chiefly consists of a stratum of black, and sometimes yellow loam ; above which is deposited, when in a state of nature, a deep and rich vegetable mould ; the substratum :hannel I light- C^R are Hainertt' iCPs the f brick, e found ind ele- f any, of of life. 10, to be )robably R House iondon, follow- *The bmbina- be ex- tract is Ists of a loam ; nature, Istratum GORE DISTRICT. S3 beneath the bed of loam being generally a grey or blue clay, which in some parts appears at the sur- face, and, intermixed with sand, constitutes the super-soil. This species, and a sandy loam, highly fertile in its properties, appear to predominate in the districts of Gore and Niagara. The almost total absence of stones and gravel within the greatest arable depth, is a peculiar feature of the generality of land in the Upper Province, wIl h has been felt as a serious inconvenience by the inhabitants, in the progress of their rural improvements, whatevt »• uuiy be its probable advantaij;e as facilitating some ot tiip operations of husbandry. There are, however, nu- merous and extensive quarries of limestone to be found in most of the townships of these districts, that supply the farmers with excellent materials tor building : freestone is also found, but in small quan- tities, and generally along the shores of the laUes.* The whole tract presents, in general, to the eye vast forests of a great variety of lofty trees, upon level, and sometimes swampy land. * In the heart of these dense woods, and on the borders of the rivers, extensive plains suddenly present themselves, that lay open to the view a beautiful area of natural meadow, often expanding to several thousand acres in extent, and delightfully relieved by occasional clumps of lofty pine, white oak, and poplar.' The Canada Company's tract of Guelphlies in the centre of this district, and they have also a tract on each side of the township of Wilmot, N. and S. 8, The I ■1., if .f 1 ■>»l ■M ^: m 84 GORE DISTRICT. If ri whole is well watered by the rivers Ouse and Credit, and numerous small streams in all directions. Round the head of the lake, which is called Burlington Bay, there are a aeries of hills ; and M'Taggart de- scribes those of Ancaster to be the finest of sheep- walks, and even gives it as his opinion, that as fine wool might be produced here as in Australia. Mr. Richards, who was sent out by the Colonial Office to inspect the provinces of Canada, concurs in his report with the opinion of the surveyor-gene- ral, upon this section of the Upper Province ; and M'Taggart concludes his description of this part thus : * Burlington Bay and the adjoining country is the loveliest part of civilized Canada.' The district is divided into the counties of Halton and Went- worth, each sending two members ; the popu- lation is 20,945 ; and the assessable property 318,738/. r,./ ; !¥■ Ancaster, 20. Soil sandy on the hills, and clay in the lower grounds : has many excellent roads and mills, &c. The village of Ancaster is situate near the centre of the township. Barton, b. Has its front upon Burlington Bay. Soil clay and sand. Hamilton, the county-town for this district, is situate near the centre of the town- ship. It has a handsome stone court-house, churches, schools, stores, mills, &c. &c. : good roads pass through it. Mi [ Credit. Round rlingtoii gart de- f sheep- t as fine Colonial concurs or-gene- ice; and his part juntry is e district id Went- e popu- property and clay nt roads s situate Ion Bay. Itown for le towii- |t-house, good GORE DISTRICT. 85 Beverley. 15. Soil, clay and sand ; but is not at present provided with roads or mills. Binbrook. c. Ts a back township. The soil is chiefly clay, but does not possess either roads or mills. Caledon. 7. Surface hilly ; soil generally good ; thinly settled : river Credit rises in it. Chinguacoucy. 13. In front of Caledon ; more level : well watered, and generally good soil. River Credit runs through it. Dumfries. 14. This township is private property, and, therefore, not noticed in the return of the in- spectors, but it is reported favourably of The river Ouse runs through it, and the Dundas Road crosses it. The town of Gait is well situated on the river towards the north end, and much of it is settled. Eramora. 5. Soil, black sand : lies in the rear, and is not yet provided with roads or mills. Eriti. 6. Similar to Eramora. Esquesing. 12. Soil, principally sand, but clay in some parts ; is a rear township, and in want of roads, mills, &c. Flamhorovgh. 16. Soil, clay and sand. The eastern part fronts Burlington Bay, and on the western side is Dundas Street and Coot's Paradise, which, however, is not of the nature its name would seem to imply, but a swamp of about 300 or 400 acres, which, when the wind is easterly, is flooded Hi ll i .1^ s" I ' ,< ■ ' 4, \ i •■ hi f. i I! '' i hC i'. * It f •* 1 K. j!'; ill ;,!■ )' ,; 86 GORE DISTRICT. ' ■- '-tit .^;:-i'^i: ■ ■ ■» . ^ 1 J.^-'' i i ■' . ;l ,-H'^ < iV* ;- 1 "if •. < ; W ■ N^i by the lake. It is the resort of multitudes of wild fowl; and hence its name, from Coot, a famous sportsman. M'Taggart thinks it might make a good rice-farm, as the wild rice in it is very luxu- rieiit There are many good roads, mills, &c. In this township is the town of Dundas, situate on the edge of Burlington Bay, and to which, M'Taggart says, ships drawing 20 feet water may be brought, by improving the navigation. Garafraxa. 2. Soil, a black sand ; it is the most remote township in the district, and wants roads and mills. Glauford. a. Soil, principally clay ; sand in places; is a rear township, and wants roads and mills. Guelph, 4. The soil of this tract is described by the Canada Company, to whom it belongs, as excel- lent, and the whole is fast settling. The town of Guelph is seated on the Speed, a branch of the Ouse, eighteen miles north from Gait. It contains 700 or 800 inhabitants, with churches, schools, stores, saw and grist mills, &c. &c. Roads run from this tract to Dundas, on the Lake ; also to the Com- pany's settlements in Wilmot and in other directions. Nassagiweya. 11. Soil, black sand; lays in the rear, and has no roads, nor mills. Nelson, 17. Has its front on the lake, with a soil composed of clay and sand. Has in it several J v\ of wild famous make a ry luxu- &c. In Le on the 'Taijgart brought. t is the d wants sand in )ads and cribed by as excel- town of h of the contains schools, run from e Com- rections. rs in the with a several GORE DISTRICT. 87 mills, and the Dundas Street runs through it. The village of Brantford lies on the side of the lake. NichoL 1. Is a remote township, to the north of Guelph. Its character not known. Puslinch. 10. A new projected township, and not reported. Salffleet. d. Soil, clay and sand. Has its front on the lake, and possesses both highways and mills. Toronto. 19. Fronting the lake, and joining the Home District. Soil similar to Nelson and Tra- falgar. Dundas Street runs through it ; also some branches of the river Credit and other streams. Trafalgar. 18. Fronts the lake : the soil is clay and loam. It is watered by the Credit and other streams applicable to mill purposes and navigation ; and the Dundas Street runs through it. Waterloo. 9. An old and populous settlement between Guelph and Wilmot ; well watered by the Ouse and its branches ; and the communication be- tween the Canada Company's lands must pass through it. IVilmoL 8. About half of this township belongs to the Canada Company, who represent the land as good ; it has a stream running through it suitable for milling purposes. Woolwich. 3. Lies on the north of Waterloo, and is not included in the reports of the inspectors. {•lit m i ■ i '. ^ 'i' •'1 i\ • », I. m 1 »'■ 88 ^r ; ,>-f.i ^r:3 'J' -A 1 NIAGARA DISTRICT. The position of this district is perhaps as good as can well be desired : it is a peninsular tract, about 27 miles wide, and 50 long^, having Lake Ontario on the north side, Lake Erie on the south, and the Niagara river on the east, with the rivers Ouse (or Grand River) and the river Welland, and the canal traversing the interior. This district was early settled by those who adhered to the British cause and name after the revolutionary war, and is by far the most thickly inhabited, espe- cially towards Lake Ontario, of any portion of Upper Canada; consequently, the roads are numerous and good ; and, altogether, it presents a face not nnich removed from the appearance of remote Eng- lish counties. It produces fruit in the greatest abundance and perfection, particularly peaches and apples. The importance of this district is also great in a commercial point of view. The surplus produce of 50,000,000 acres of productive land is destined to find a market through the Welland Canal to Mon- treal, or through the Erie Canal to New York ; and it is not too much to anticipate, that by far the greater proportion even of the American produce will take its route from Lake Erie, down Lake On- tario, and through the Rideau Canal to Montreal, which can be done in six or seven days without ,s good as 'act, about Ontario on 1, and the J Ouse (or [ the canal lo adhered olutionary ted, espe- of Upper numerous face not note Eng- X greatest aches and great in a jroduce of estined to to Mon- ork ; and y far the produce Lake On- Vlontreal, without NIAGARA. DISTRICT. 89 transhipment; when, by the Erie Canal, it will take thirteen days to reach New York, and a transhipment at each end of the canal. But there is still another feature of importance to commerce, which is, the in- definite extent of water-power along the line of the canal, calculated to make this at some future period the Lancashire of Canada. It is divided into the counties of Lincoln and Haldimand; the former sending four members, and the latter one member to Parliament. The popula- tion in 1830 was 20,916, and the assessable property stated at 354,310/. Bertie. 17. Soil, clay, black loam, and limestone. It has Lake Erie on one of its sides, and the river Niagara on another ; is well settled, and has good roads throughout, biit has no mill-seats. The vil- lage and fort of Erie is at the entrance of the river Niagara from Lake Erie ; having the American towns of Black Rock and Buffalo on the opposite side of the river : the latter has a large population, and is a great place of trade. Caistor. 6. Soil, principally hard clay. The Chippewa Creek, or Welland, runs through it ; but it is badly watered, is flat and swampy, thinly settled, and far back. Canboro. 11. Between the Ouse river and Cais- tor. Clinton. 2. Soil, clay, yellow and black loam ; fronts Lake Ontario ; is not well watered, but has .1 1; i ■ ••• I- .1%' % > ■ ? , H i' ■. 'i <[■:¥ i, ' i ■•. Hit i ■ < ,l' ■' ■' 90 NIAGARA DISTRICT. (I 1 r 'li iA some saw-mills and a grist-mill. The mail-road passes through it. Crowland. 12. Soil, generally hard clay. It is seated on the Chippewa, and a creek runs through it, on which is a grist-mill. It is very badly off for good water, except near the rivers, and in the upper part of the township. Gainsborough. 7. Soil, principally clay ; wet and swampy, with some marsh ; fronts the Chippewa Creek, and another runs through it. Has two grist and five saw mills, but is badly watered, except by the creeks. Grantham. 4. Soil, clay, black and yellow loam. Its front is on Lake Ontario, and the Welland Canal runs through it ; at the mouth of which is Port Dalhousie, capable of being made an excellent harbour, and already a place of great trade. The flourishing village of St. Catherine is in this town- ship on the Twelve Mile Creek. Here the water power of the canal is made use of to drive numerous grist, saw, carding, fulling, and other mills and machinery : among them is a furnace and forge. There are also salt works. The township, except by the Twelve Mile Creek, is badly watered in dry seasons. Grimsby. 1. Soil, clay and yellow loam: the front is on Lake Ontario ; and it has the Forty and the Twenty Mile creeks running through it, on which are several mills, and two small villages. It is well . I J ■ ■« i \ NIAGARA DISTRICT. 91 ail-road . It is through r off for e upper ivet and lippewa vo grist cept by iv loam. A^elland fhich is xcellent The s town- E water merous Is and forffe. cept by in dry n: the rty and 1 which is well settled towards the lake. The back part is wet and swampy. Humher stone. 16. Soil, clay and black mould : it fronts Lake Erie. The land is generally low and flat, with Cranbury Marsh over a great part. The dry parts are well settled; but the front is thinly settled, and there are no mill-streams. Louth. 3. Soil, clay and yellow loam. Its front is on Lake Ontario, and the Twenty Mile Creek runs through it, on which are many mills and mill-seats, but labours under a deficiency of water (except in the neighbourhood of the creek) in dry seasons. Moulton. 14. This township is on Lake Erie, and has the canal running through it : the greatest part of it is a marsh wholly useless at present. At the mouth of the canal is the village of Sherbrooke, destined, no doubt, to rise into importance by means of the canal. Niagara, 5. Soil, sand, clay, and yellow and black loam. One side rests on the Niagara river, which is navigable for steam-boats all along its frontier ; the other side is on Lake Ontario. The town of Niagara is seated at the point of the angle made by the lake and river. It contains nearly 1700 inhabitants, and sends a member to Parlia- ment. The trade is considerable, both with the back country, and also with the state of New York. Fort George is near the town, where there is always a strong detachment of British troops. The town if i k I' • J. m m (.; ■ r 1.- . ii! i. /' ♦';,;' I •> '. I •A } ' I- ' ' J* 1 ,t, r m 1 1 V ; "V :■ u t» ■ il t^' r ■■■ : ii' Jt ;' 1' 1' h » 1 1 "* t > 1 ft! v- '. fi' 94 LONDON DISTRICT. and sandy, but is said, nevertheless, to yield sixteen to twenty bushels of wheat per acre on the average, but that, after two or three crops, it is necessary to lay it down in grass. The land and crops in the western part are described to be generally as tine as possible, and in a most flourishing condition, consi- dering the age of the settlement, which was not commenced vigorously till 1817, by Colonel Talbot. The chief towns in the district are Oxford and Lon- don, both seated on the Thames (which to the latter is navigable for boats from its mouth) and the Dun- da?i Road. Along the shores of the lake there are several villages ; the chief is Port Talbot. It is divided into the counties of Middlesex, Oxford, and Norfolk ; each sending two members to Parliament. The population in 1830 was 22,803, and the asses- sable property stated at 317,033/. Aldboroygh. 19. The most western township, with its front on Lake Erie, and its back on the Thames, which is navigable to its mouth. Soil, loam and clay. Bayham. 24. Soil, loam, and some clay in part of it ; its front resting on the lake, and well watered by the Otter creek. Blandford. 9. Soil, loam and clay; lies inland; is partly watered by the Thames, and has the town of Oxford, and the Dundas Road near its southern boundary : is well timbered. Blenheim. 10. Soil, loamy: joins the last- : ■% ■X LONDON DISTRKT. 95 d sixteen average, lessary to )s in the us fine as >n, consi- was not el Talbot, and Lon- the latter the Dun- there are ot. It is tford, and irliament. he asses- Itownship, Ik on the ,h. Soil, ly in part ll watered Is inland ; the town southern the last- named, to tlie east, and is watered by some branches of the Onse. Dundus Road crosses its front, and it is generally well timbered with oak and pine. Burford. 15. The east part has a soil of sandy loam; the west part a rich loam. It is well wa- tered, and the west part is well timbered. Lies in- land. Caradoc. 3. Soil, loamy: the Thames on the east side, and otherwise well watered ; well tim- bered with oak. Charlotteville. 26. Soil, in front, towards the lake, generally a sandy loam ; in the rear, light and sandy. Fronts the lake ; is well watered with creeks and springs, and has abundance of excellent bog iron ore, which is worked near the lake, where there is a village. Dereham, 13. Soil, loam and clay. The Otter Creek runs through it, and affords some mill seats ; is well timbered ; lies inland. Delaware. 4. Soil, loam and clay, with rich flats by the Thames, which runs through its western part : is well timbered with oak in parts. Dorchester. 12. Soil, in the northern part, loam ; well watered, and well timbered with pine. To the south it is sandy and swampy ; inland. Dunwich. 20. Soil, loam and clay ; fronts the lake ; is well watered and timbered. >1 I, ■ 'V. \M ■If '"I •'.' .' . ' • 1 si. ■ ' 1: • 96 LONDON b. JTRItr. Ekfrid. 2. Soil, loamy ; is well watered, and has the Thames on the soutli-east: well timbered with oak and maple. Houghton. 30. Soil, sandy loam ; fronts on the lake; is well watered and timbered. Lobo. 5. Loam and clay. The Thames is on the south-east border, and otherwise well watered, and is well timbered in front, towards the Thames, with oak and maple. London. 6. Soil, a rich loam. The Thames runs through it, and on its banks is the town of London, very advantageously situate, where a branch which traverses the township enters it. It is well watered throughout, and well timbered. Malahide. 23. Soil, loam and clay : its front is on the lake ; is well watered, and well timbered. Middleton. 25. Soil, sandy, with swamps, but affords good pine timber, and has good iron ore. Big Creek runs through it : inland. Mosa. 1. Soil, loam and clay. The Thames runs on the south-east side ; and some streams from the Big Bear Creek enter its north-west portion. Well timbered with oak and maple. Nissouri. 7. Soil, a rich loam ; well watered, and well timbered : inland. Norwich. 14. Soil, a rich loam. The Big Creek runs through, and presents some sites for mills : is well timbered ; inland. ■ .V- red, and timbered s on the nes is on watered, Thames, imes runs f London, ich which 11 watered ts front is )ered. imps, but iron ore. I Thames ?ams from t portion. watered, ;ig Creek mills: is LONDON DISTRICT. 97 Oakland, 16. A small inland township. Soil, sandy loam ; not well watered or well timbered : has good roads through it. Oxford. 32. This is a large township, and is divided into east, west, and north. The soil of the whole is loam and clay, well timbered throughout, but the west section is the best watered. The Thames runs through it : on its banks is the town of Oxford, by which the Dundas Street passes. Rainham. 29. Soil, generally clay ; rich and fertile ; fronts on the lake. Stony Creek and other small streams run through it : well timbered. Southwold, 21. Soil loamy : fronts the lake, and has Kettle Creek passing through a part of it: well timbered. Townsend. 18. Soil a sandy loam: well watered and well timbered : oak predominates in the west part, and good pine in the east; and there are some mill-sites in it: inland. The Nfintikoke Creek waters a part. IFalpole. 28. Soil rich and fertile in front, and the rear generally clay ; fronts the lake. The St. Gus and Nantikoke creeks run through it, and afford some mill-sites. Well timbered, and some pine among it. PFalsingham. 31. A rich loam in the front ; and in the rear hungry sand. Fronts the lake, and has F 'I *, • 4 ■V :■•:^l i . ■ ,f . t *' 9B LONDON DISTRICT. Big Creek running through it, on which are some mill-sites. It is well timbered. Westminster, 11. Inland: soil, rich and loamy; well timbered with maple, buck, oak, &c. The Thames bounds a part of it. Windham. 17. Generally sandy, though loamy in parts, and has several swamps. The timber principally pine, but not useful for building pur- poses : the best timber is in the west part : inland. fVoodhouse, 27. Soil, sandy loam in the western part, and rich loam in the east, inclining to clay : fronts the lake ; is well watered and timbered, has several mill-sites, and good roads in front and rear. Yarmouth. 22. A sandy loam, rich and fertile ; fronts the lake ; is well watered and well timbered, among which is good oak. Zora. 8. Soil loamy, well watered, and well timbered with maple, beech, and oak : inland. HURON TRACT. This large tract of land, containing 1 100»000 acres, purchased by the Canada Land Company, is within the bounds of the London district. The general character of the soil given by the explorers is that of ■.' ' i: 1 ■ :h are some 1 and loamy ; k, &c. The bough loamy The timber Duilding pur- art : inland. n the western [ling to clay: timbered, has ont and rear. h and fertile ; pell timbered, ed, and well inland. 00,000 acres, ny, is within The general Irers is that of HURON TRACT. 99 being rich and fertile throughout. The River Mait- land is the principal stream which enters Lake Huron towards the north angle ; but there are many smaller streams which flow into the lake through it. Its frontage to the Huron is considerable, from whence there is uninterrupted navigation to Lake Erie. Settlement is principally going on in the neighbour- hood of Goderich, which is built on the Maitland at its mouth, and has advanced very rapidly in the last three years. The townships of Ellice and Logan lie partly in one of the largest swamps in Upper Canada. The Company are forming roads through it, to join the roads leading to Port Talbot, on Lake Erie, and also towards Gnelph and York. Biddulph. b. Hay. d. Blanchard. o. Hullett. h, Bosanquet. . (In the Hibbert. n. Western District). Colborne. a. Downie. s. Easthope (north), t Easthope (south), w. Ellice. r. Fnllarton. q. Goderich. b. Logan, p. M'Gillivray. / M*Killop. m. Stanley, c. Stephen, e. Tucker Smith. Usborne. k. Williams, g. I. II > d'* . I )\ Si ^^ ; ti \i F 2 ;f 'i'> I IS.' ■ ♦ f :i '.* ' I. '■ r • > t ( 100 WESTERN DISTRICT, This district is a peninsular tract, between Lakes Huron and Erie, and the small Lake St. Clair. There are but three townships — Dawn, Zone, and Camden, that have not a frontage to the lakes, and schooner naviiyation. The two last-named are watered by the Thames^ and consequently have boat navig:ation. The western extremity was early settled under the French, and is by far the most populous. The chief towns are Amherstburg, Sandwich and Chatham. The first is in the township of Maldon, and has a population of 1200, or more, and is a town of some wealth and refinement. It is the chief military post on Lake Erie, and has a safe and commodious harbour, with 3J fathoms of water, and is most beautifully situate. The town of Sandwich is eighteen miles from Amherstburg, to the north. It is seated nearly opposite the large American town of Detroit, the principal town in the state of Mi- chigan ; and the trade between these towns is very considerable. The population is not much less than Amherstburg. Chatham is on the Thames, fifteen miles from its mouthy where a large stream runs into it. The situation is extremely good, and the river is navigable for vessels of considerable burden up to it, 'I'he corporation inspectors do not appear to have reported on the townships of this district indi- vidually, as in most others. The surveyor-general itween Ijakes ike St. Clair, n, Zone, and he lakes, and st-named are nily have boat as early settled lost populous. Sandwich and lip of Maldon, nore, and is a [it. It is the has a safe and 3 of water, and n of Sandwich to the north. American town ; state of Mi- towns is very luch less than hames, fifteen ream runs into and the river burden up to not appear to is district indi- rveyor-general ' WESTERN DISTRICT. )eaks of it thi Th< Th arnes ^ fertile inds thi 101 h river a tine Hat country, extreme ^ sides present a great number of fine plains and ex- cellent meadows: the soil is principally a light sandy earth, mixed with marl and a reddish clay.' There is, however, much land in the townships of Harwich, Maidstone, Romney, Rochesier, Raleigh, and Tflbury, that at present are very wet and marshy, but within the power of being drained, and made good lands *. Hemp and tobacco have both been cultivated with success here ; the latter to a consi- derable extent, and the quality is very good. The natural meadows on the Thames present an oppor- tunity for the raising of slieep advantageously ; and the climate is said to agree particularly with them. A road runs round the frontier, but as the water communication is so good, roadr, are not so much required as in some parts. It is divided into the counties of Kent and Essex. The population in 1831 was returned at 9288, and the assessable pro- perty at 124,577. Essex sends two members, and Kent one to the Parliament. Baldon. 22. Bosanquet. 1, Camden. 7. Chatham. 4. Colchester. 19. Dawn. 5. Gosfield. 20. Harwich. 15. * Point Pele, in front of Mer ey (10), is a marshy lake, sur- rounded with a narrow strip of high land. i i> ■ « f . '• %4 A ■ M i •■.■»! t • ' 1v ^^1'^ If -V<;;.^^ V III 102 WESTERN DISTRICT. Howard. 16. Maidstone. 10. Maldon. 18. Mersey. 21. Orford. 17. Raleigh. 14. Rochester. 11. Romney. 12. St. Clair. 2. Sandwich. 9. Sombra. 3. Tilbury (east). 13. Tilbury (west). 8. Zone. 6. i > Ifi li fi . ■. ■■■:; ■^ .'■ :.i ■ '^ ! J t ■ ,; ;',' . ' ' ■ ■^. *; ; ■, i:^ 1 '' 1 f. ,■ ; ■ '.? ■*;■ ^' I.: 11: I;' ii; (i I if ! I i! t 12. 9. 18 ast). 13. est). 8. ■h APPENDIX *'ii I- ■^^i > W! n In , h ■ 'i! . t : i n ' '•'^, i 1 APPENDIX. > No. I. OFFICE OF HIS MAJESTY'S RESIDENT AGENT FOR THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF SETTLERS AND EMI- GRANTS IN THE CANADAS. Quebec^ 1st August^ 1831. Notice is hereby given to settlers and emigrants arriv- ing from the United Kingdom, and wishing to locate on lands belonging to the crown in Upper and Lower Canada, that there are many situations in either pro- vince whereon they may settle to great advantage, and which will be granted on very easy terms to industrious settlers for actual settlement. IN LOWER CANADA. His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief has been pleased to order the crown lands in the townships of Inverness and Leeds, near Craig's Road, to be reserved for industrious settlers arriving from the United King- dom. These lands are distant from Quebec thirty-six or forty miles, on the south side of the river St. Lawrence, with good roads all the way, and a new road to the centre of Inverness is being made, which affords em- ployment to settlers : the climate is exceedingly healthy, soil of the first quality, abounding in numerous navigable lakes and rivers. Many Scotch, English, and Irish f-'il ■J . ■■1' -■« ,11 §;■' I- ■ ' - ii; /■ . ill i; ■ f: 1' ";'' ■wi t 1 ■ » * t • - ,• •' ■■■" 1 i; J if '. I I' I 106 APPENDIX. families located in this part of the country last summer, and are exceedingty pleased with their situation. The price fixed for these crown lands to actual settlers is 4*. per acre, Halifax currency ; and families whose means are limited will get 100 acres on a quit-rent of 20*. a year, until they are enabled to redeem the pur- chase at 4«. per acre. Crown lands vacant in other townships may be had on payment of a small quit rent. UPPER CANADA. His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor has been pleased to order to be reserved the township of Ops, in the district of Newcastle, Upper Canada, for the recep- tion of industrious emigrants from the United Kingdom, and who may be disposed to settle in that province. There are other situations where emigrants may get locations ; but to those who have no fixed place in view, the township of Ops will be found, in everyway, a most desirable situation. These lands are situate about thirty miles from Lake Ontario, on the north side, and adjoining the prosperous township of Cavan, and near the Rice Lakes. The price fixed for those crown lands to actual settlers is 4s. per acre, Halifax currency, payable in five years, with in- terest, from the time of taking possession, and one year's interest in advance. Persons disposed to locate in either of the above Pro- vinces (if approved of) will be provided with a ticket from the office of his Majesty's resident agent for the superintendence of settlers in the Canadas, at Quebec, to the location agent in the respective townships^ which will entitle the settler to such lot as he may choose, and vacant at the time ; and on the back of such ticket ibove Pro- a ticket nt for the it Quebec, ips; which loose, and uch ticket APPENDIX. 107 1: f st summer, on, ;ual settlers ilies whose [uit-rent of mthe pur- it in other quit rent. r has been of Ops, in the recep- 1 Kingdom, Lt province. :s may get Lce in view, ray, a most from Lake prosperous The price is 4*. per •s, with in- one year's directions will be found for his guidance in proceeding to his destination. Any further information may be obtained (gratis) on applying at the Resident Agent's oflfice, in the Lower Town (Sault au Matelot-street, entrance in St. Peter- street, nearly opposite the Bank of Montreal), daily, from ten till two o'clock ; and emigrants not possessed of immediate means to go upon lands, and who are in want of employment, will obtain information at the above office for their guidance, with the probable demand for labour and artisans, rates of wages, &c. at the various works now in progress in the Canadas*. A. C. Buchanan, Resident J gent for the Superintendence of Settlers and Emigrants in the Canadas. * As emigrants on arriving at Quebec are exposed to nume- rous temptations, they would materially advance their own in- terest if they will exercise a little prudence, and not suffer them- selves to be hurried away by every representation that may be presented to their notice. The heads of families ought to repair, as soon as possible after arrival, to the office of his Majesty's resident agent for the superintendence of settlers, whose especial dui,y it is to give all the information in his power (gratis) to industrious emi- grants, who may wish to settle in Upper or Lower Canada. Labourers are wanted in all the eastern townships, and brick- layers and stone-masons are wanted at the King's Works, on Cape Diamond. (■ .1 V n 11 '^ J rl, . : ' •ll i j 1'* '■ ■ -A I ;,'■ .)' /;• t * 'l M » S''' * ,J ;;'. b t n ■ :i- t ■ \ ) ' ."., *! • 1 « 108 APPENDIX. No. II. CLIMATE, SOIL, AND PRODUCTIONS OF UPPER CANADA. From an Ojficud Report of an Agent of his Majesty's Govern- ment, laid before a Select Committee of the House of Commons, in 1823, by his Majesty^s Under Secretary of State for the Colo- nial Department' The climate of Upper Canada is considerably milder than that of the Lower Province, and the winter shorter in the same proportion. In both these respects it im- proves as you proceed to the westward ; so much so, that although the frost generally sets in in November, at its eastern extremity, and continues in that neigh- bourhood till the middle of April, it rarely commences on the shores of Lake Erie before Christmas, and it usually disappears between the 25th of March and the 1st of April. On a comparison with the climate of Great Britain, the heat in the summer months is somewhat greater, but never oppressive, as it is always accompanied with light breezes. There is less rain than in England, but it falls at more regular periods, generally in the spring and autumn. The winter cold, though it exceeds that of the British isles, is the less sensibly felt, in consequence of its dryness, and seldom continues intense for more than three days together, owing to the regular fluctuation of the wind between the north-west and south-west points. It may be observed, that the winter season is the most favourable to land-carriage, as the roads then admit of sledging in all directions, which is a very expeditious mode of conveyance, and attended with but little draft ; so that one horse or ox can, in this manner, easily draw double what he can upon wheels. It is hardly necessary APPENDIX. 109 '^i\ PPER 's Goiern- f Commons, or the Colo- Ay milder er shorter ects it im- much so, November, lat neigh- Dmmences IS, and it 1 and the it Britain, ,t greater, inied with md, but it pring and lat of the iquence of lOre than uation of st points, the most admit of peditious tie draft ; ily draw ecessary to state, that, in a country so overspread with timber, there can nev(r be a deficiency of fuel. As the forests disappear, the climate improves. Soil. — Upper Canada is blessed with as productive a soil as any in the world, and it is easily brought into cultivation. The nature of the soil may be invariably discovered by the description of timber it bears. Thus, on what is called hard-timbered land, where the maple, IjL'ech, black birch, ash, cherry, lime, elm, oak, black walnut, butter-nut, hickory, plane, and tulip tree, &c., are found, the soil consists of a deep black loam. Where the fir and hemlock pine are intermixed in any consider- able proportion with other trees, clay predominates; but where they grow alone, which is generally on ele- vated situations, sand prevails. This also happens where the oak and chestnut are the only trees. These sandy soils, though naturally unfavourable to meadow and pasture, are found to produce the brightest and heaviest wheats, and can, with the assistance of gypsum, which abounds in many parts of the province, be made to bear the finest possible crops of clover and Indian corn. In moist seasons the clay furnish the greatest burden of grass. Perhaps there does not exist, in any quarter of the globe, a country of the extent of Upper Canada, containing so small a quantity of waste land, either of marsh or mountain, yet there is not any deficiency of water; for, independently of the numerous rivers and streams which flow through the country on every side, good springs are universally found either on the surface or by digging for them. Natural Productions. — The timber most esteemed in Upper Canada for building and farming purposes is the M >■'. i^- ')-..• '. } M ) n ' I no APPENDIX. white oak (very similar to the English), and the yellow pine, a sort of deal which cuts up into excellent boards, as does also the tulip-tree,which there grows to an im- mense size. This latter timber is by many considered the best for weather boarding, from its superior facility in taking paint, and being of the poplar tribe, it is less liable than most other woods to accidents from fire, as it never blazes ; the oak and hickory are principally used for ploughs, cart-wheels, &c. The black walnut, cherry, and curled maple, work up into durable and beautiful furniture of all sorts. From the maple, the settlers, by a very simple and easy pro- cess of tapping, obtain in a few days a sufficient quan- tity of suijjar to supply their families for a year ; many, indeed, manufacture a considerable surplus for sale. Soap may be made in any quantities from the wood- ashes, with the addition of a certain proportion of tallow or grease of any kind. Plums, cherries, crab-apples (which latter yield an excellent preserve), gooseberries, currants, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, cranberries, walnuts, chestnuts, and filberts, grow wild in the woods, where game is sufficiently abundant ; consisting of red- deer, hares, pheasants, woodcocks, snipes, and quails, with many other birds, good for the table ; in which enumeration should not be omitted the wild pigeon, which, at certain periods of the year, migrate from the westward in flocks of such magnitude as surpasses all description, and are excellent eating. Grainy Src — The grain grown in Upper Canada con- sists of spring and winter wheat, oats, barley, rye, buck- wheat, and Indian corn, the last of which is a most im- portant article of consumption. Peas are the only field pulse cultivated there; the summer heats being consi- 1 // t 'V APPENDIX. Ill le yellow it boards, an im- onsidered or facility , it is less n fire, as pally used i, work up Is. From easy pro- ient quan- ar; many, ; for sale, the wood- ►n of tallow irab-apples >oseberries, ranberries, the woods, ing of red- tnd quails, in which lid pigeon, from the passes all Imada con- rye, buck- most im- only field ;ing consi- derably too great for beans. There are potatoes, tur- nips, pumpkins, clover (red andwhite), and timothy grass. Both flax and hemp grow remarkably well. Fruit and Vegetables, — All the fruits and herbs, com- mon to the English kitchen- garden, thrive well in this province ; and several of the former, which cannot in all seasons be had in perfection, in England, without orcing, succeed there in the open air ; melons, in parti- cular, which are excellent. There is also a great variety of apples, pears, plums, &c., of the finest quality which are known to European orchards. The stone-fruit is also raised on standards. Agriculture. — Course of crops : the soil being of such a nature as not to need manure, the same attention is not there paid to the regular succession of crops as in Great Britain. After wheat, which is generally harvested in the month of July and beginning of August, rye can be sown on the same ground in the autumn to advan- tage; the rye crop is frequently laid down with clover or grass seed, which, unless the farmer is pressed for ground, will continue to furnish good meadow and pas- ture for four or five years, otherwise it is ploughed up before winter, and in the spring put into pease, spring wheat, Indian corn, barley, oats, or buck-wheat, all of which answer very well ; the two first rather benefiting than impoverishing the land. The leaves and tops of the Indian corn are likewise excellent winter food for cattle, particularly milch-cows. After any of these latter crops, wheat may be sown again ; potatoes and turnips succeed well upon newly cleared land, as a first crop; potatoes being put into the ground with a hand-hoe, from the beginning of May till the middle of June ; tur- i If it: \ jM I -v 1 ' . ^ I ■ ■ » ■■ ■ J ^\ i ■ ' ■* ; i it ■' '■,,, - i '■• J;'' .' .'■ 1 *■ f '.I ■: c -- I 112 APPENDIX. nips are sown about the first week in August, after the atest heat has subsided, and at which time the fly has disappeared, simply requiring the harrow. It is to be understood that the new land is never ploughed for the first crop. Timothy is the grass most cultivated, as it affords a large burden of the best hay, besides good after-grass; however, it is best mixed with clover, to which it serves as a support, and prevents matting. To this may be added the following general rules, ex- tracted from ' Stuart's Emigrant's Guide,' published in 1820. '• The oak and chestnut generally grow on dry ground ; the latter more especially on ridges. The black oak and chestnut grow on a sandy and poor soil, as do the various species of pine, including the hemlock. White and red oak, blended with other woods, bespeak a strong and lasting soil. Beech and white oak lands seem most favourable for wheat. The maples and black wal- nut — particularly the latter, where it grows in large clusters — point out the richest soils ; generally low and somewhat damp, in a state of nature, but only requiring clearance to become abundantly dry. Amongst the un- derwood, the prickly ash and spice wood promise the best." No. III. Coioniai Office, 9th Feb. 1832. Passages to Quebec or New Brunswick may either be engaged inclusive of provisions, or exclusive of provi- sions ; in which case the shipowner finds nothing but water, fuel, and bed-places, without bedding. Children under fourteen years of age are charged one-half, and under seven }oars of age one-third of the full price ; and for children under twelve months of age no charge is I,*"; •«. APPENDiX. 113 ust, after the I time the fly )w. It is to ploughed for cultivated, as , besides good ith clover, to malting. eral rules, ex- ; published in ly grow on dry es. The black oor soil, as do the hemlock. )ods, bespeak a oak lands seem and black wal- grows in large lerallylow and only requiring longst the un- |od promise the UthFeb. 1832. lick may either llusive of provi- [ds nothing but [ing. Children Id one-half, and full price ; and le no charge is made. Upon these conditions the price of passage from London, or from places on the east coast of Great Bri- tain, has generally been 6/. with provisions, or 3/. with- out. From Liverpool, Greenock, and the principal ports of Ireland, as the chances of delay are fewer, the charge is somewhat lower; this year it will probably be from 2/. to 21. 10*. without provisions, or from 4l. to 5/. in- cluding provisions. It is possible, that, in March and April, passages may be obtained from Dublin for 35s. or even 30*. ; but the prices always grow hio:her as the season advances. In ships sailing from Scotland or Ireland, it has mostly been the custom for passengers to find their own provisions ; but this practice has not been so general in London, and some ship-owners, sen- sible of the dangerous mistakes which may be made in this matter through ignorance, are very averse to receive passengers who will not agree to be victualled by the ship. Those who do resolve to supply their own provi- sions should at least be careful not to lay in an insuffi- cient stock ; fifty days is the shortest period for which it is safe to provide ; and from London the passage is sometimes prolonged to seventy-five days. The best months for leaving England are certainly March and April ; the later emigrants do not find em- ployment so abundant, and have less time in the colony before the commencement of winter. The names of vessels proceeding to the North American colonies, and the addresses of their brokers, may be learnt at all ports of the United Kingdom, including the port of London, by personal application at the Custom House of each port. Th3 officers of Customs, however, will not be able to answer written inquiries on the subject ; and persons residing inland, who may require information of this nature, must depute the inquiry to some one at the G ' '•U ■(: i >1 > •■■Mt ' .'1 '1 ■■.ft ^, m\ ■ J :?;ji^- '>. t, 114 APPENDIX. port where they wish to embark. Many ships are ad- vertised in the public newspapers. Various frauds are attempted upon emigrants which can only be effectually defeated by the good sense of the parties against which they are contrived. Sometimes agents take payment from the emigrant for his passage, and then recommend him to some tavern, where he is detained from day to day, under false pretences for delay, until, before the departure of the ship, the whole of his money is extracted from him. This of course cannot happen with agents connected with respectable houses ; but the best security is to name in the bargain for pas- sage a particular day, after which, whether or not the ship sails, the passenger is to be received on board, and victualled by the owners. In this manner the emigrant cannot be intentionally brought to the place of embarka- tion too soon, and be compelled to spend his money at public-houses, by false accounts of the time of sailing ; for, from the very day of his arrival at the port, being the day previously agreed upon, the ship becomes his home. The conveyance of passengers to the British posses- sions in North America is regulated by an Act of Par- liament (9 Geo. IV. c. 21), of which the following are the principal provisions : ships are not allowed to carry passengers to these colonies unless they be of the height of five feet and a half between decks, and they must not carry more than three passengers for every four tons of the registered burden. There must be on board at least fifty gallons of pure wrter, and fifty pounds of bread, biscuit, oatmeal, or bread stuff, for each passenger. When the ship carries the full number of passengers allowed by law, no part of the cargo, and no stores or provisions, may be carried between decks ; but if there Iff- V APPENDIX. 115 'n\ )s are ad- ints which inse of the Sometimes is passage, here he is s for delay, hole of his irse cannot )le houses ; lin for pas- or not the board, and le emigrant of embarka- is money at of sailing ; port, being )ecomes his tish posses- \.ct of Par- llowing are red to carry |f the height fey must not four tons of lard at least Is of bread, passenger, passengers 10 stores or )ut if there be less than the complete number of passengers, goods may be slowed between decks in a proportion not ex- ceeding three cubical feet for each passenger wanting of the highest number. Masters of vessels who land pas- sena:ers, unless with their own consent, at a place differ- ent from that originally agreed upon, are subject to a penalty of 20^., recoverable by summary process before two justices of the peace in any of the North American colonies. The enforcement of this law rests chiefly with the officers of his Majesty's Customs ; and persons having complaints to make of its infraction should address themselves to the nearest Custom-house. Besides the sea voyage from England, persons pro- ceeding to Canada should be provided with the means of paying for the journey which they may have to make ftear their arrival at Quebec. The cost of this journey must, of course, depend upon the situation of the place where the individual may find employment, or where he may have previously formed a wish to settle ; but to all it will probably be useful to possess the following report of the prices of conveyance, during the last season, on the route from Quebec to York, the capital of Upper Canada. From Quebec to Montreal (180 miles), by steam-boat, the charge for an adult was 6*. 6rf. ; from Montreal to Prescot (120 miles), by boats or barges, Ts.] from Prescot to York (250 miles), by steam-boat, 7s. The journey, performed in this manner, usually occupies ten or twelve days ; adding, therefore, lis. for provisions the total cost from Quebec to York (a distance of 550 miles) may be stated, according to the charges of last year, at ll. lis. 6d, Persons who are possessed of suffi- cient means prefer to travel by land that part of the route where the river St. Lawrence is not navigable by G 2 '-•■ « *> I •A •v. . V'A. ^mik •>;:• H.,,v ' •:> . M- ' ■■•■.■■!■■.•. J- :v t.rf, . V ■•:« ■ ;' '!r'' i. I- i : \ 116 APPENDIX. steam-boats, aud the journey is then usually performed in six days, at a cost of 6/. It must be observed, that the prices of conveyance are necessarily fluctuating, and that the foregoing account is only presented as suffi- ciently accurate for purposes of information in this country ; leaving it to the Government agent at Quebec to supply emigrants with more exact particulars, accord- ing to the circumstances of the time at which they may arrive. ^ [. ■ I ; . ". . < '' ,t : '■V '-^ • I*' ' 'M h IH A hi • i> ii }■■- 'V ' •*; ^ .-f Sb 'it London : Printed by W. Ci-oweb, Stamford-street. / V lly performed )served, that ituating, and ed as suffi. tion in this it at Quebec lars, accord - 2h they may fi; - ^ V, -% eet. / ■^/■\' •'<■