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12 3

C AN A D A :

A BBIir OCTLINB OF HBB

^etfgraplial l0siti0n.

PRODUCTIONS, CLIMATE, CAPABILITIES,

EDUCATIONAL AND MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS,

&C., &0., &c

ilubli8i)eti &s 0(ut|ot(t3r

TORONTO, CANADA WEST.

1857.

( :

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Bureau 6r AoRTCULtURB,
Toronto, January, 1857.

This Pamphlet has received the approval of this Department, and is
intended for extensive circulation in Great Britain and Ireland and the
Continent of Europe, in the hope that " Canada" as a distinct and important
, portion of '' North America" may thus become better known.

P. M. VANKOUGHNET.

Minister of Agriculture.

Any further and more detailed information on the subject of Canada, will
be cheei fully afforded (personally or by letter) by^ William Hutton, Esq.,
Secretary.

CONTENTS

fAOB.

5. Introduction.

(). The Geographical position and extent of Canada.
7. The Natural advantages and resources of Canada.
9. Her form of Government and connection with Great Britain.
10, The character of the Populatior. of Canada — Her Cities and Towns.

12. The Laws and Municipal Institutions of Canada.

13. Educational Institutions in Canada.
15. Religion in Canada.

15. Agricultural capabilities of the Soil.

16. Value of Land — Free Grants.

18. The Climate of Canada.

19. Routes through the Province to any part of Canada and the Northern
States of the American Union.

21. Trade and Revenue.

23. Canada as a field for remunerative Industry — Skilled Labour

un'-skilled Labour — Conclusion.
54. Wages in Canada. ^

INTROD UCTION.

•-•-♦-■•-

1. Canadians can well understand the expression of mingleil wonder and
regret which rose to the lips of Count Jauhert, when surveying the magnificent
display of Agricultural Products from Canada at the Paris Universal
Exhibition, " now we can form an estimate of the value of those kw acres
of SNOW, ceded to England with such culpable carelessness by the government
of Louis XV. ;"• for they know, from hard experience, that a name conveys
no idea of the real wealth of a country, until that name becomes openly
associated with the industry of its inhabitants and the triumphs they have won.

During centuries Canada has been spoken of as a distant and unprofitable
waste, and not until the wonderful pageants at London and Paris, in 1851
and 1855, did she take her place among the producing nations of the
Earth, and acquire the richly deserved descriptive title of " a land of hope
not likely to be disappointed. Active, intelligent, enterprising beyond all
other distinct nations, which equally abound in the elements of industrial
production, she claims and demands our attention."!

In Europe it is usual to speak of " America and Americans " when any
part of the Northern half of that great continent is referred to, while the
existence of " Canada," as a distinct country, is ignored or unknown. The
shadow of the great nation of " The United States of America " obscures
it. Europeans too often think only of the latter when they give a thought
at all to the North American Continent. Let it be our place to undeceive
them and to shew that Canada is a country totally distinct from
the United States — free from the blight of slavery, and free, too, from
• La Botanique a rExposition Universelle de 1855.
t M. Tresca. — A visit to the (Paris) Exhibition.

many of the faults which have crept into the social and political
relations of our Republican neighbours. A glance at a Map will shew
the relative position of Canada and the United States.

THE GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION AND EXTENT OF CANADA.

2. If an area be traced in Europe corresponding generally to that
occupied by Canada in America, and the meridian of the most soulhorn part
of Canada be supposed to lie upon the meridian of (Jrecnwicii in Kngland,
the south of France at the base of the Pyrennees will represent the south
frontier of Canada ; the south eastern boundary of this area will stretch
through Trance, Switzerland, Bavaria, and Austria, to a point in the south
of Poland, and a line drawn northwards to Warsaw will delineate the mouth
of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The north western boundary of this area will
extend from the south of France in a northerly direction towards and beyond
Brest, and a line drawn from near Brest to the British Channel, thence
through England, Belgium and Germany to Warsaw again, will establish the
position of a European area corresponding to Canada in America. The
inhabited and highly fertile portion of Canadr. is represented in this area by
those regions which lie in the south, centre, and south east of France, and
in those parts oi Switzerland, Bavaria, and Austria included within its boun-
dary. The other portion, although of vast extent, and not so well fitted for
extended agricultural operations, is highly valuableon account of its timber
and minerals.

The Province of Canada embraces about 350,000 square miles of ter-
ritory, independently of its North- Western possessions, not yet open
for settlement ; it is consequently more than one-third larger than
France, nearly three times as large as Great Britain and Ireland,
and more than three times as large as Prussia. The inhabited or set-
tled portion covers at least 40,000 square miles, and is nearly twice as large
as Denmark, tliree times as large as Switzerland, a third greater than Scot-
land, and more than a third the size of Prussia ; but such is the rapid pro-
gress of settlement through immigration, that in ten years time the settled
parts of Canada will be equal in area to Great Britain or Prussia.

Prior to the year 1840, Canada was divided into two distinct Provinces,
known as Upper and Lower Canada, possessing separate Legislative bodies
or Parliaments for the local government of each. In 1840, these Provinces
were united , although for some purposes tlie old territorial divisions still
exist. Upper Canada is that part of the now United Provinces which lies
to the West of the river Ottawa ; Lower Canada embraces the country to
the East of that river.

This entensive Province is bounded on the north by the British possess-
ions at present in the occupation or guardiauship of tlie Hudson's Jiay
Company ; on the south and east by the States of the American Union
and the British Province of New Brunswick. The western boundary of
Canada, west of Lake Winnipeg, is yet undefined. The Uivcr St. Lawrence,
and Lakes Ontario, Erie, St. Clair, Huron, and Superior, with their
connecting rivers, form a wonderful natural barrier between Canada and the
States of the Union, and a means of communication of surprising extent and
unsurpassed excclleiice.

THE NATURAL ADVANTAGES AND RESOURCES OF CANADA.

3. In all new countries means of communication may be styled the pio-
neers of permanent improvement and expansion. Canada is especially fortu-
nate in this respect ; she possesses, without exception, the most magnificent
system of natural and artificial water highways, in direct communication with
the sea, to be found in either hemisphere. A ship sails from Liverpool, Lon-
don, Bremen, Havre, Hambro', Stockholm, or any other European Port, and
arrives at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, the great marine outlet of the
commerce of Canada and of the Far West. Let us ascend the St.
Lawrence with her, and without changing our vessel unravel this water
system from the ocean to the Prairies of the Far West, through Canadian
rivers, canals and lakes.

Three hundred miles from the vast outlet of the river St. Lawrence we
pass the mouth of the Saguenay, a deep and noble river, navigable for the
largest vessels 70 miles from its outlet. Four hundred and ten miles sailing
from the ocean and we reach Quebec, the great sea port of Canada, with a
large and increasing foreign commerce. Five hundred miles sailing
finds us at the limit of tide water, and we now begin in reality to ascend the
stream of the St. Lawrence ; 590 miles brings us to Montreal, near where
the Ottawa or Grand River of the North mingles its red waters with those
of the St. Lawrence, after draining a valley of 80,000 square miles in area,
lying to the North West, and thus commanding the inexhaustible treasures
of the magnificent forests of a part of Canada, more than t^vlce the size of
Bavaria or the Sardinian States, and six times the superficial limits of Holland.
It is at Montreal that those lasting monuments of eeterprise, courage
and art begin to <levelope the secret of Canadian inland navigation. We
have reached the St. Lawrence canals, seven in number, constructed for the
purpose of overcoming the obstacles to continuous navigation presented by
the rapids. These canals, of different lengths, and great capacity, fitted for
sea-going vessels, enable us to ascend 1 16 miles of river in actual horizontal

distance, overcoming a fall of 225 ft-et above the level of tide water. Fif-
ty-two miles of sailing, KiH miles above Montreal, and we are in Lake
Ontario, 75() miles from the Sea and 234 feet above it. Lake Ontario is
.180 miles long, from 50 to GO miles wide, and 500 feet deep, and has an area
of (itiOO square miles. Swiftly traversing its expanse, in sight probably, of
liundreds of other vessels and steamers, we reach the outlet of the Welland
Canal, through wiiich, by means of 27 locks we rise 330 feet to the waters
of Lake Erie, 104. 1 miles from the sea and OGi feet above its level. Our
progress is still on through Lake Erie, until we arrive at the Detroit river,
1280 miles from the sea. We pass by the city of Detroit, in the Stale of
Michigan, through Lake St. Cbir and the St, Clair river into Lake Huron,
1355 miles from our starting point, and 573 feet above the ocean. We
may now sail on to St. Mary's river, and passing through a short but gigantic
canal constructed by the people of the United States, enter Lake Superior,
with a fresh water sea as large as Ireland before us, and enabling us to attain
a distance of 2000 ni'les from the mouth of the St. Lawrence. Or, we may
sail southwards into Lake Michigan, and land at that wonderful creation of
the Great West, Chicago. Choosing this latter terminus to our inland voy-
age, we find at our feet a net-work of railways spreading over the States and
Territories of the valleys of the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri.

Canadian vessels not unfrequently trace out this varied navigation of
lake, river, and canal we have been unravelling, but in a contrary direction,
and proceed to Europe, selling their cargoes and ships. In 1856 the American
vessel Dean Richmo?id, laden with produce at Chicago, passed the Canadian
canals and waters and excited unbounded astonishment at Liverpool ; but the
year previous theCanadian vessel Reindeer, built at the same water level and
traversing the same route, excited no further curiosity at London than a hope
less enquiry of " where is i^ake Huron ?" Since the Paris Exhibition how-
ever, all IS changed. Canada begins to be known and " demands attention,"
and men who formerly afl'ected ignorance of her political or commercial ex-
istence, are studying the future of that " land of hope which is not to be
disappointed."

The natural advantages conferred upon Canada by the St. Lawrence
river and the Great Lakes are not merely immense, they are incalculable.
Immediate and direct water communication with the sea for20i0 miles of
inland coast, without any reference to the nearly equal extent of coast
belonging to the States of the Union, or the vast affluents which feed the St.
Lawrence and the Lakes, striking deep into the heart of the country, appears
iu itself sufficient to mark out Canada for a distinguished future ; but when

the influence which her vast inland seas exercise upon climate, ven;clation,
health and internal commerce is understood, tlic character of that future
may be partially foretold, even in the youth of Canadian history, and before
her enterprise and capabilities have become fully known and appreciated,
Water power, that mighty engine of industry, is everywhere abun-
dant, and just where it is required, in the midst of magnificent forests of
valuable lumber, for which an inexhaustible mark*!t is springing up in the Far
West Prairie region of the American Union, as well as in France and
England, where, too, a demand is growing (almost too rapidly for the means of
supply,) for the more valuable kinds of cabinet-work woods, with which Cana-
dian Forests abound.

The triumph obtained by Canada at the Paris Exhibition for her
splendid display of Minerals of all descriptions, tells its own tale. The
grand Medal of Honour, awarded to Sir William Logan, the Canadian
Provincial Geologi««t, by the Jurors of the Paris Exhibition, will do more in
calling the attention of European cnpitalisis to the vast mineral wealth of
the country, than the most elaborf.tc description of its distribution and
extent. It was a prize won in a strife where all were strong, and tolls of
rare industry and success in bringing to light the hidden wealth of Canadian
rocks.

IIER FORM OP GOVERNMENT AND CONNECTION WITH GREAT

BRITAIN.

4. Canada is a colony of Great Britain, but is as free and unfettered
as an Independent Nation, The wisdom of the Mother Country has en-
trusted to Canadians the management of their own adairs. The Governor
of Canada, who is also Governor General of British North America, is
appointed by the British Crown, and is its representative in the colony.
He nominates an Executive Council, who are his advisers on all matters.
There are two Legislative Bodies, called the House of Assembly, and the
Legislative Council, the members of which are elected by the people.
The Legislative Council was formerly fdled by nominees of the Crown.

The system of government is that of legislative majorities, and responsi-
bility to electors, in imitation of, and as similar as possible to that
which exists in Great Britain. All public offices and seats in the
Legislature are open to any candidate possessing the confidence of the
people, and holding a certain limited amount of property, and being at the
time a British subject. The elective franchise is nearly[universal. Every

man paying an annual household rental of 80 dollars (£6. stg.), in the cities
and towns, and 20 dollars (je4<.stg.), in the rural districts, is entitled to vote.

Aliens or Foreigners can acquire and hold lands, and when naturalized,
which takes place under very easy conditions, they enjoy the full privileges
of natural born British subjects, in electoral and all other mattera.

The British Government maintains a small force in Canada and the
neighbouring Provinces for protection against foreign invasion, and for the
maintenance and preservation of the fortifications oi Quebec, Kingston, and
other places, in the event of a foreign war. While, therefore, the connection
of Canada with Great Britain secures her against all foreign aggression, she
enjoys the largest measure of political liberty possessed by any people, and
exercises entire control over her internal commerce, laws, municipal institu-
tions, taxation, religion and education. All her internal relations between go-
vernment and people are those of a distinct and independent Nationality ; her
external relations are in a measure controlled by the mother country.
Such is the connection which exists between the Imperial Government and
her Colonial Offspring. It may now be said that it is the earnest wisli,
and even the aspiration, of every true Canadian, that this connection may
grow to a more intimate union in all commercial relations with the people of
Great Britain and Ireland, and in all sympathies which can draw fast and
sure the bond? of friendship between distant nations of the same origin, go-
vernment and blood.

THE CHARACTER OF THE POPULATION OF CANADA- HER CITIES AND

TOWNS.

5. Canada was once a French colony, and until it was ceded to the
British, possessed, exclusively, a French population. In that part of the
Province which lies to the east of the Ottawa river and which is called
Lower Canada, the people are chiefly of French extraction. West of the
Ottawa, or Upper Canada, is essentially British. The population of the
Province now exceeds 2,500,000. In some parts of Upper Canada there
are large colonies of Germans and Dutch, and it is probable that not less
than 30,000 Germans and Dutch are settled in different parts of the Upper or
western half of the Province.

The rise and progress of cities and towns in Canada afford a curious
and most instructive illustration of the expansion of the^countrj, the devel-
opement of its resources, the increase of its wealth, and the activity and energy
of its people. Montreal is the largest city in Canada, and contains about
75,000 inhabitants j Quebec ranks next, with 55,000 j Toronto, third, with

- 11

43,000, The history of Toronto foreshadows the history of other towns in
Canada. In 1842, a period so recent that most will remember it, Toronto
contained 13,000 inhabitants, in 1852, 30,763, and in 1856, 42,000. In
1851 the estimated value of property within the city limits amounted to
$12,469,600, in 1854, to $19,540,000 ; in 1855, to $23,092,000 ; and in
1856 to $28,532,064, or more than doubling in value in 6 years. So also
with the comnrerce of this city ; in 1;^52, the value of imports amounted to
$2,548,858, and of exports, $536,844, whereas, in 1856, the imports were
valued at $6,954,628, and the exports at $2,205,332. Toronto is situated
on Lake Ontario, and may be considered as the type of a thriving commercial
Canadian Port on one of the great Lakes. One more example will suffice, and
that one is taken from the centre of a fine agricultural district ; London, in
Uf per Canada, contained, in 1850, 5,124 inhabiwunts; its population in 1856,
exceeded 15,000, a nearly threefold increase in 6 years.

These startling instances of sudden growth, are by no means exceptions to
the rule; other towns and cities are not deprived of their population to swell that
of more favored and prosperous communities, nor is the country drained to feed
the towns. On the contrary, the progress is general ; increase is the rule
throughout, both in cities and in rural districts.

Every where postal communication is complete ; the most distant
hamlet has ita post office, and the number of offices in Canada is now about
1,500, The electric telegraph passes through every town and almost every
village in the Province, and the number of miles in operation approaches
already 3,500. The approach and arrival of a steamer or sailing vessel at
Quebec is known very nearly at the same moment in every town of the
Lower and Upper portions of the Province. All improvements in the
Arts or Sciences aBecting the commercial or industrial interests of her
people are quickly introduced into Canada, and with numerous elements of
adaptation and progress within her reach, she eagerly avails herself of the
practice and enterprise of other countries.

The great and unfailing source of this steady growth, this
quiet but irresistible onward movement of Canada is immigration ;
the infusion of new blood, the adoption of a new and prosperous
home by tens of thousands from across the seas and beyond the frontiers ; a
home which, with all its immunities, privileges and hopes, is offered to you, re-
quiring no other return than a strong arm, a willing heart, and a confident
self-relying trust in your future, and in the happiness and prosperity of your
adopted country. This invitation, though fesbiy proffered hitherto, because
not coupled with the positive advantages which Canada now enjoys, has.

1ft

succeeded in winning to her shores and fortunes, vrithin the past twelve
jears, a full half million of stout and trusting hearts. , ,< .

THE LAWS AND MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS OF CANADA.

6. It is no exaggeration to say that Canada enjoys more thorough
rational freedom than any country on the Globe.

The Laws of England were introduced into Upper Canada in 1791
and prevail subject to the various alterations made from time to time by the
local Parliament. The Laws of France, as they existed at the conquest of
of Canada, by Britain, prevail in Lower Canada, subject also to the alterations
effected by the local Parliament. The Criminal and Commercial Laws of
England prevail there as in Upper Canada. The Parliament oi Canada
have, and exercise entire control over the Province ; the Imperial Government
never interfere now, unless (which scarcely ever occurs) some great national
interest is involved.

The Municipal system of Upper Canada is admirably adapted to the
exigencies of a young and vigorous country ; its success has been complete.
In order to comprehend it, it is necessary to state that Upper Canada is
divided into Counties, forty-two in number; each county is divided into
Townships ; so, that on an average, each township is about ten miles square.
The inhabitants of a township elect five * Councillors,' the Councillors elect
out of this number a presidmg officer, who is designated the ' Town Reeve ;'
the Town Reeves of the different townships form the ' County Council,' this
Council elect their presiding officer, who is styled the * Warden.' The Town
Council and County Council are Municipal Corporations, possessing the power
to raise money for Municipal purposes, such as making public improvements?
opening and repairing roads and bridges. Repayment is secured by a tax on
all the property in the township or county where the debt is incurred ; but no
by-law for raising money can be enforced, unless it has been previously sub-
mitted to the electors or people. Each corporation possesses the power of
sueing and is liable to be sued, and their by-laws, if illegal, are subject to be
annulled by the Superior Courts of the Province, at the instance of any
elector.

Each Township Council has the power to provide for the support of com-
mon schools under the provisions of the school law ; to construct roads, bridges,
water-courses &c., to appoint path masters or road-inspectors &,c. The County
Councils are charged with the construction and repairs of gaols, and court-

houses, roads and bridges, houses of correction, and grammar schools, under the
provisions of the School Law ; to grant moneys by loan to public works, tend-
ing to the improvement of the country, and to levy taxes for the redemption of
the debts incurred, subject to the proviso before mentioned, namely , the vote of
the people. Villages not having a population over 1000 are governed by a
board of police, and are styled Police Villages j possessing over 1000 inhabi-
tants, they become Incorporated Villages, and are governed by a Council of
five, whose Reeve is a member of the County Council, ex officio ; as soon as a
village acquires a population exceeding three thousand, it becomes a town
governed by a Mayor and Council, and is represented in the County Council
by a Town Peeve and Deputy Town Reeve. When the number of inhabi-
tants exceeds 10,000, it may be created a city, and is governed by a Mayor
Aldermen and Councilmen. All Town Reeves, Wardens, Mayors and
Aldermen are, ex officio, Justices of the Peace.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN CANADA.

7. Upper and Lower Canada enjoy separate School Laws adapted to the
religious elements prevailing in either. Each Township in Upper Canada is
divided into several School Sections according to the requirements of its in-
habitants. The Common Schools are supported partly by government and
partly by local, self-imposed taxation, and occasionally by the payment of a
small monthly fee from each scholar. The total amount expended on
common schools in Upper Canada during 1855 exceeded J6 180,000 stg.
In long settled rural districts each school section is now distinguished by a
handsome brick school-house, furnished with maps, authorized school books
and elementary philosophical apparatus. The salaries of teachers vary from
£130 stg. to £40 stg. in country parts, and from £280 stg. to j£75 stg. in
cities and towns. All common school teachers must pass an examination
before a County Board of Education or receive a license from the Provin-
cial Normal School empowering them to teach, before they can, claim the
government allowance.

The Provincial Normal School is a highly effective and useful Institution
(br the training of teachers, and annually sends forth from 100 to 150 young
men and women, who, having been uniformly instructed in the art of conduct-
ing a school and communicating knowledge, are gradually establishing in
Upper Canada a system of common school education of great promise.

In 1842 the number of common schools in Upper Canada was 1721, at-
tended by 65.978 children ; in 1855 the number of schools was 3,325 atten-
ded by 227,864 children, and the average time during which the schools

were open was 9 months and 20 days. This astonishing increase in so short
a period speaks volumes for the condition and progress of elementary educa
tion in Upper Canada. Each school section is governed by an elective
corporation, styled School Trustees, and is supplied, partly at government
expense, with a small Library of selected literature. The number of volumes
which have already been distributed for this purpose amounts to 120,000.

The Free School system is gaining ground in many parts of Canada ; the
principle it involves implies the support of common schools, open to all, by a
general tax, and the non-exaction of fees. Any school section may adopt it
by the vote of the majority of its inhabitants. Separate Schools for Roman
Catholics are sanctioned under certain regulations.

The Grammar Schools are 65 in number, with 3726 pupils. They are
intended to form a connecting link between the common schools and the
Universities. Teachers must be graduates of some University ; they receive
an allowance from government in addition to fees. The amount raised for
grammar school purposes in 1855 was £12,000 sterling.

Besides a richly endowed Provincial University, supplied with a complete
staff of highly competent Professors and Lecturers, there are several other
Universities and Colleges in Upper Canada in connection with different
religious denominations. The standard of education adopted in some of the
Canadian Universities assimilates as closely as possible to that established in
tlie time-honoured Institutions of Great Biitain and Ireland, and the ranks
of the professorial staffs are generally supplied from the same unfailing
sources. All the expences of a full University course in Toronto, need not
exceed £60 sterling per annum, board and tuition included. To the
Provincial University, and to the University of Trinity College in connection
with the Church of England, scholarships are attached, which vary in value
from j618 stg. to J610 stg., per annum. These are awarded, [at annual ex-
aminations,] to successful candidates competing for them.

The educational statistics of Upper Canada may be thus summed
up:— in 1855 there were in actual operation 4 Universities ; 6 Colleges;
65 Grammar Schools ; 29 private Academies ; 278 private Schools ;
and 3,325 Common Schools ; making in the aggregate 3,710 educational
institutions, teaching 24<0,817 pupils and students, and costing the country,
in great part by self-imposed taxation, d6230,000 Sterling.

In Lower Canada a system of education in some respects similar to that
which has just been described exists, and is rapidly obtaining favour among the
people The Superior Schools there, however, are of a very high order,
and many of the Seminaries attached to religious houses are well endowed
and amply provided with efficient professors and teachers.

. RELIGION IN CANADA.

8. Among Canadians there is perfect toleration in religious matters.
While, howerer, all religions are respected by law and by the people, there
are strict distinctions jealously preserved between churches of different de-
nominations. The Lower Canadian French, are distinguished for
social habits and quiet religious zeal ; and in no country, not even England
or Scotland excepted, can there be fourd so uniform an observance of the
Sabbath in accordance with strict Protestant views, as in Upper Canada.

The prevailing religious denominations may be thus classified according to
the census of 1851, from which an idea may be formed of the present strength
of each leading religious body : — Church of England 268,592 ; Church of
Scotland 75,587; Church of Rome 914,561 ; Free Presbyterians 93,385 ;
other Presbyterians 82,733; Wesleyan Methodists 114,839; Episcopal
Methodists 49,443 ; all other Methodists 52,449 ; Baptists 49,846 ; Luther-
ans 12,107, &c. &c. In Upper Canada the Roman Catholics form about
one-sixth of the whole population, and in Lower Canada about five-sixths.

AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES OF THE SOIL.

9. A reference to the display of cereals and other agricultural productions
made by Canada at the Exhibitions of London and Paris, might be considered
sufficient to illustrate the remarkable adaptation of the soil to their growth
and cultivation ; but so limited a notice would leave the question of perma-
nent fertility still unanswered. When, however, it is known that the area in
which the astonishing crops of wheat are raised, for which Upper Canada is
so justly distinguished, extends over three-fourths of the present inhabited parts
of the country, and that the prevailing soils consist of rich clays of great
depth, the question of permanent fertility resolves itself into that of husbandry.

In the valleys of some of the larger rivers of Upper Canada, wheat has been
grown after wheat for thirty years ; the first crops yielded an average of 40
bushels to the acre, but under the thoughtless system of husbandry then pur-
sued, the yield diminished to 12 bushels to the acre, and compelled a change of
crop, which soon had the effect of restoring the land to its original fertility.
But this system of husbandry has effected its own cure, and led to the introduc-
tion of a more rational method of cultivating the soil. Years ago, when roads
were bad and facilities for communicating with markets few and far between,
wheat was the only saleable produce of the farm, so that no effort was spared
to cultivate that cereal to the utmost extent. Now, since railroads, macad-
amized roads and plank roads have opened up the country, and Agricultural
Societies have succeeded in disseminating much useful instruction and infor-
mation, husbandry has improved in all directions, and the natural fertility of
the soil of the old settlements is in great part restored.

The average yield of wheat in some townships exceeds 22 bushels to the
acre, and where the least approach to good farming prevails the yield rises to
thirty and often forty bushels to the acre. On new land fifty bushels is not
at all uncommon ; and it must not be forgotten that Canadian wheat grown
near the city of Toronto won a first prize at the Paris Exhibition. It may
truly be said that the soil of what may be termed the agricultural portion of
Canada, which comprises four-fifths of the inhabited portion, and a vast area
still in the hands of the government and now open to settlement, is unex-
ceptionable ; and when deterioration takes place, it is the fault of the farmer
and not of the soil. In Upper Canada the yield of wheat last year consider-
ably exceeded 20,000,000 bushels ; and the quality of Canadian wheat is so
superior, that the American millers buy it for the purpose of mixing with
grain grown in the United States, in order to improve the quality of their
flour, and in some instances to render it fit for exportation.

VALUE OF LAND.— FREE GRANTS.

10. Australia excepted, no country can furnish such singular instances of
the rise in value of Surveyed Lands, as the last three years have witnessed
in Canada. The cause, toe, is so obvious, now that it is understood, that
men wonder why the event had not been foreseen years before its occurrence.
The reason is fully conveyed in the assertion that the country was not pre-
pared for it. Eighteen hundred and fifty-two saw Canada without a railway.
Eighteen hundred and fifty-seven sees her with 1,500 miles completed, and
500 more in process of construction. The rise in the value of land is thus
easily explained. Means of communication of the highest order have opened
up the country, made available a vast amount of inert wealth, stimulated
industry, and effected a complete revolution in farming economy within 20
miles on either side of the course they pursue.

The lines of railways are nothing more than a series of accessible markets
for the country they serve. The natural consequence is that every portable
product of the farm has acquired a certain money value, although before
the construction of the railway it may have been absolutely valueless, and
perhaps even an incumbrance. This suddenly increased rate of interest
obtained for the same outlay of labour, has necessarily enhanced the value of
the capital. Hence, land in old settlements, remote from Lake Ports, has
doubled itself in value in five years ; while wild lands in new settlements,
near to which a railway passes, have been trebled, and in some instances
quadrupled in value during the same period. '~ > » i.«

Land adapted for farming purposes can seldom be obtained from land com-
panies, speculators, or private individuals, under thirty shillings an acre. The
Canadian Government being desirous of preventing the acquisition of large
tracts of lands by private companies, or private individuals, for the purpose of
speculation, have coupled the sale of the Government Lands with such con-
ditions as to prevent undue or improper advantage being taken of their
liberality in offering farming land at a low rate. Every purchaser must be-
come an actual settler. This simple condition drives out of the field a host
of speculators who hitherto enriched themselves at the expense of the country,
retarding its progress, and leaving its resources undeveloped.

The Provincial Government have recently opened Three Great Lines
OF Road, and laid out for settlement the lands through which these roads
pass. The roads are styled, 1st. — " The Ottawa and Opeongo Road.''
This road runs East and West, will eventually be 171 miles in length, and
connect the Ottawa River with Lake Huron. 2nd. " The Addington
Road,"' running North and South, 60 miles long, and starting from the
settlements in the County of Addington until it intersects the Opeongo Road.
3rd. " The Hastings Road," running nearly parallel to the Addington
Road, 74< miles long, and connecting the county of Hastings with the
Ottawjx and Opeongo Road.

In order to faciliate the settlement of this part of Canada, the Government
has authorized Free Grants of land along these roads, — not exceeding in
each case 100 acres, and obtainable upon the following conditions : —
1st. — That the Settler be Eighteen years of age.
2nd. — That he take possession of the land allotted to him within one
month.

3rd. — That he put into a state of cultivation 12 acres of land in the
course of four years.

4th. — That he build a log-house 20 by 18 feet, and reside on the lot un-
til the foregoing conditions are fulfilled.

Families may reside on a single lot, and the several members having land
allotted to them will be exempt from building and residence upon each indi-
vidual lot. The non-fulfilment of these conditions will cause the immediate
loss of the land, which will be sold or given to another. The lands thus
opened up, and gratuitously offered by the Government for settlement, are
chiefly of excellent quality, and well adapted, in respect of .soil and climate,
to all the purposes of husbandry.

In addition to the Free Grants along the lines of road which have just
been described, the Government have at their disposal several million acres,
which may be purchased by persons intending to become actual settlers, at

prices varying from One Shilling to Five Shillings per acre. — (lOd. to 4s.
sterling.) It may also be stated here, that other lines of road, f>imilar to
the Ottawa and Opeongo Roads, the Addingtoa Road, and the Hastings
Road, are in course of construction.

The Parliament of Canada, during its last session, incorporated a com-
pany for the construction of a railway to pass through the country from
Lake Huron to the Ottawa, and thence Eastwards.

THE CLIMATE OF CANADA.

1 1 . The most erroneous opinions have prevailed abroad respecting the climate
of Canada. The so-called rigour of Canadian winters is often advanced as a
serious objection to the country by many who have not the courage to en-
counter them, who prefer sleet and fog to brilliant skies and bracing cold,
and who have yet to learn the value and extent of the blessings conferred
upon Canada by her world-renowned * snows.'

It will scarcely be believed by many who shudder at the idea of the ther-
mometer falling to zero, that the gradual annual diminution in the fall of
snow, in certain localities, is a subject of lamentation to the farmer in West-
ern Canada. Their desire is for the old-fashioned winters, with sleighing for
four months, and spring bursting upon them with marvellous beauty at the
beginning of Aprd. A bountiful fall of snow, with hard frost, is equivalent
to the construction of the best macadamized roads all over the country.
The absence of a sufficient quantity of snow in winter for sleighing, is a
calamity as much to be feared and deplored as the want of rain in spring.
Happily neither of these deprivations is of frequent occurrence.

The climate of Canada is in some measure exceptional, especially that of
the Peninsular portion. The influence of the great Lakes is very strikingly
felt in the elevation of winter temperatures, and in the reduction of summer
heats. East and West of Canada, beyond the influence of the Lakes, as in
the middle of the states of New York and Iowa, the greatest extremes pre-
vail,— intense cold in winter, intense heat in summer, and to these features
may be added their usual attendant, drought. '" "-'

Perhaps the popular standard of the adaptation of climate to the purposes
of agriculture is more suitable for the present occasion than a reference to
monthly and annual means of temperature. Much information is conveyed
in the simple narration of facts bearing upon fruit culture. From the head of
Lake Ontario, round by the Niagara frontier, and all along the Canadian
shores of Lake Erie, the grape and peach grow with luxuriance, and ripen
to perfection in the open air^ without the slightest artificial aid. The island

of Montreal is distinguished everywhere for the fine quality of its apples,
and the island of Orleans, below Quebec, is equally celebrated for its plums.
Over the whole of Canada the melon and tomato acquire large dimensions^
and ripen fully in the open air, the seeds being planted in the soil towards
the latter end of Apiil, and the fruit gathered in September. Pumpkins and
squashes attain gigantic dimensions ; they have exceeded 250 pounds in
weight in the neighbourhood of Tc.onto. Indian corn, hops, and tobacco are
common crops, and yield hrf^j returns. Hemp and flax are indigenous
plants, and can be cultivated to any extent in many parts of the Province.
With a proper expenditure of capital England could be made quite indepen<
dent of Russia, or any other country, for her supply of these valuable
products.

The most striking illustration of the influence of the great Lakes in
ameliorating the climate of Canada, especially of the western peninsula, is to
be found in natural limits to which certain trees are restricted by climate.
That valuable wood, the black walnut, for which Canada is so celebrated,
ceases to grow north of latitude 'J-l" on the Atlantic coast, but under the
influence of the comparatively mild Lake-climate of Peninsular Canada it is
found in the greatest profusion, and of the largest dimensions, as far north as
latitude 43" .

ROUTES THROUGH THE PROVINCE TO ANY PART OF CANADA AND
THE NORTHERN STATES OF THE UNION.

12. The following brief enumeration of the means of communication
between Liverpool and Quebec, and between Quebec and any part of Can-
ada or the Northern, Middle, and Western States of the American Union, will
serve to convey some idea of the combined facilities which the completion of
the Grand-Trunk Railway of Canada, the Great- Western Railway, and the
unequalled system of Canadian Ship-Canals, confer upon Emigrants in their
progress through and in the northern part of the American Continent.

An emigrant starts in a sailing vessel or a steamer, from Liverpool or any
other European port for Quebec. In a fortnight or a month, according to
the mode of conveyance he adopts, he lands in Quebec. He may then pro-
ceed by railroad or steamer to Toronto in Upper Canada, or to any inter-
mediate locality ; from Toronto he may pffss northwards a distance of ninety-
four miles by the Northern Railway to Collingwood, on Lake Huron, and
then by steamer to Chicago and the Far West ; or he may go by the Great-

11!

Western Railway of Canada to Detroit, in the State of Michigan, and
thence by rail to any part of the Western Union ; or he may proceed by
rail, or by rail and steamer, from Toronto to Buffalo, and thence by rail to
any part of the Eastern k^tates, or by steamer and rail to Ohio and conti-
guous States, or west by steamer or rail to Chicago and the Far West.

Lastly, in cases where expedition is required, the traveller may proceed
from Portland in the State of Maine, where the Great-Eastern steamer is
to land her cargoes, and where, for the present, is seated the Atlantic Ter-
minus of the CJrand-Trunk Railway of Canada, and reach Toronto, in Upper
Canada, by rail through Montreal, in twenty-five to thirty hours. But when
that wonder of the world, the Victoria Bridge across the St. Lawrence, is
completed, the distance between the Atlantic at Portland, and Toronto, in
the heart of the Lake Country, a distance not less than 625 miles, may be
accomplished in twenty-two hours. Once on the Lakes, magnificent steam-
ers, unrivalled, even in Europe, for size, speed and equipment, traverse
hourly these great inland waters ; and the choice of routes, either by water
or land, is almost everywhere now presented to the traveller. Such is the
unparalleled system of railway and steam communication which brings,
through Canadian waters or over Canadian territory, the great Far- West of
the United States within sixteen days travel of Liverpool, London, Antwerp
or Paris.

i i

The Emigrant who desires speed, comfort and freedom from exactions,
should endeavour to reach the Port of Quebec, wherever may be his desti-
nation in North America, whether it be in the United-States of America or
in Canada. The success of " the Canadian " steamers between Liverpool
and Quebec, during the past year, has established the superiority of this over
every other route. Vessels sailing to Quebec are under rigid regulations for
the protection and comfort of all passengers ; and, once in Quebec, the
emigrant, in his long journey westward over Canadian routes, is under the
strong protection of the Canadian government, which saves him from
extortion and pillage ; and the cost of travelling long distances does not in any
case exceed three farthings a mile in Canadian steamers or over Canadian
railways. From Quebec, by one or other of the routes to which attention
has been directed, he can with more speed, safety and comfort reach his
future home in the United States or in Canada, than if he had landed in New
York or in Boston or any other part of the United States of America.

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TR\DE AND REVENUE.

13. The general Revenue of the Province is derived from customs, govern^
ment land sales, revenue from public works and minor sources of income ; go-
vernment or provincial taxation never reaches the Canadian in a direct manner,
and if he choose to limit his wants to the simple necessaries of life, and clothe
himself, as tens of thousn-* is do, in home-spun, — the stamp of domestic indus-
try and frugality — indirect taxation will only meet him in the articles of tea
or coffee, each of which cost about one half as much as they do in Britain.
The only taxes he is called upon to pay belias the opportunity of voting for or
against ; his opinion, in other words, is taken as to whether the tax is just or
necessary. Such taxes arc for school purposes, road-making and bridge-
building in the township in which he lives, and by which he benefits to a
degree often one hundred-fold greater than the amount of money or labour
he is required to contribute.

The Commerce of a producing country like Canada, drawing its wealth
from its Agriculture, Forests, Mines and Seas, is fairly represented by sta-
tistical tables of exports and imports. The following tables, compiled from
official returns, will show the direction in which the industry of the Province
everts itself. The exports for 1855 are thus classified:

Currency. Dollars.

Agricultural Products £3,257,599 13,030,396

Produce of the Forest 1,986,980 7,947,920

Animals and their Products 398,796 1,595,184

Manufactures 119,019 476,076

Produce of the Sea 114,980 459,920

Produce of the Mine 31,458 125,832