BMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I •50 '" UUI- 1^ |Z2 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► V] signifle "A SUIVRE ", le symbola V signifia "FIN ". Lea cartea. planchea. tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmia i des taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un saul cllchA. 11 eat filmA i partir da I'angia sup^riaur gauche, de gauche i droite. et de aut en baa. an prenant le nombre d'imagea nicaasaire. Lea diagrammes suivants illustrant la mithoda. rata ) elure. 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 /^ t /4 COLONISATION: . n / V i" .iiJsA ///y^^ NATURAL, SAFE, AND EFFECTUAL MODE OF RELIEF FOR NATIONAL DISTRESS. BV THOMAS ROLPH, ESQ. {Reprinlnl from the CoUmiul Magazine for July, 1847.] LONDON: SIMMONDS AND WARD, COLONIAL PUBLISHERS, 6, BARGE YARD, CITY. 1847. N LONDON ; FMlNTSa BV UKOROE PEIRC'K, ,'110, STnANO. COLONISATION, &c. r " Emigration (Canada).— AdUrcfs for ' Returns of the assessed value of those Townships in the Newcastle District in Western Canada which were settled by pauper emigrants from Ireland, between the years 1825 and 1828, at the public ex- peiise :' " Of tiie number of the various Emigration Societies formed in Canada in 1840 by Canadiui Proprietors desirous of st tiling emigrants from Great Briti.in and Ireland upcn their e>tates."— (Mr. Poulett Scrope.) To THE Editor of the Colonial Magazine. Sir — The above returns, so kindly moved for by Mr. G. P. Scrope, at my earnest request, together with the recent interesting debate in the House of Commons, during which sounder and juster views of Colonisation were propounded than have been enunciated for the last twenty years, justiPes the hope that the important subject of Colonisation is at length receiving that attention, both from the Legislature and the public, which its intrinsic efficacy and unequalled advantage so eminently deserves. These returns, when obtained and placed before the public, will fully demonstrate the wisdom and success of Sir R. W. Horton's most humane and benevolent ex« periment in the years 1825 and 1828, and prove the priority of his Colonisation plans, to taose reveries and emanations from the cells of Newgate, which appear to have fascinated so manv who have since written, spoken, and turntd their attention to this subject. One would imagine, from the manner in which Mr. Wakefield's name has been so often thrust before the public in connection with Colonisation, that the theory of Colonisation was some mighty discovery of this individual, although the illustrious Bacon had been its eloquent advocate and cham- pion, and Penn and Boone its successful promoters in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Long before Mr. Wakefield's theory was announced the Island of Manhattan, at the extremity of which stands the city of New York, with its half million of inhabitants, had been purchased from the Indians by the Dutch in 1614 for 24 dollars, and owes its present glory, I 4 KOLHII ON' COLONISATION, KTt . j;reatncs8, cunmcrce, populution, ui\d wealth to tlie colonisation of the extensive and fertile territdry in its rear. What matchless presumption in Mr. Wakefield! what measureless fully in his panegyrists to set him up then as the founder of a system of Colonisation that wus to eclip-e all its predecessors, and transfer, as if by magic, the overpeopled in- habitants of some countries, to the vast wilderness of others. His movements in this cause may be well summed up by the following graphic aid pertinei>t extract from " Tancred ": — " Enunciating second hand, with characteristic precipitation, some big- principle in vogue as if he were a discoverer, he invariably shrank from its subsequent application the moment that he found it might be unpopular and inconvenient. All his quandaries terminated in the same catas- trophe—a cunipromise. Al)stract principles with him ever ended in concrete expediency. The aggregate of circumstances outweighed the isolated cause — the primordial tenet, which had been advocated with un- compromising arrogance, gently subsided into some second-rate measure, recommended with all the artifice of an impenetrable ambiguity." The following most just appreciation of Jiord Hacon's merit, in this exalted work of Colonisation, is happily expressed in the leading article of the Standard of the 2L)d June, and is eminently worthy of deep at- tention from the sound sense by which it is characterised throughout : — " Bacon, it is true, wrote when British Colonisation was in its infancy, and when emigration was to be directed to countries altogether unre- claimed, and therefore his letter of advice contains many minute direc- tions at which statesmen of Sir R. Peel's class could easily raise a laugh; but Bacon wrote in this case, as in every oiher case, for all times ; and the wisdom of his ample directions for the treatment of growing and established Colonies has been as fully attested by ex|)ericnce as the prudence of his suggestions for a first plantation — attested by complete success as often as these directions have been followed, and by utter failure whenever they have been departed from. Sir Robert Peel will not improve upon Li>rd Bacon. If we were called upon for a short advice upon the subject of Colonisation, we should feel that we gave a sound admonition in saying, " do exactly the opposite of what you have been doing for 30 years ;" and we could have no difficulty in supporting this advice by the authority of the father of true philosophy. Let us, however, for a few minutes lay on one side the aryiimentum ad vere- cundiam, and try if in the particular instance common sense does not c >ncur, as it does in all others, with the principles of a sound philosophy. We suppose that the design of emigration is either to relieve the United Kingdom of an actual or supposed surplus population, or to ijtiiefit the Colonies, or both, as both objects may be easily reconciled. Now as vou cannot yet banish men guilty of no crime but poverty, and as forced emigration is banishment, you can get rid of your sur[,lus pf)pu- lation only by holding out some temptation to those of whom you wish to get rid', to remove'themselves ; but this temptation you can ofi'er only by preparing for their reception some place where ttiey may expect to be more happv than in their native laud. // »V, then^ in the Colonies to be established', of in the Colonies alnadu established, that you must begin your .1 t \ 4 « JL 'I' / \ ROLPH ON COLONISATION, KTf. 5 preparations. This is the truth thut has been overlooked for thirtv years, and hence the tailurts hitherto — failures of which the most' simple analogy might give warning. When a man wishes to drain a field he begins, if he is not a fool, by preparing u place fur the reception of the redundant water, and he is careful that the place may be such as that the stream shall rur. to it by a natural descent ; be does not direct the outlet against a wall or a hill, still less does he substitute a greater for a less evil, by directing the drainage of his swampy field upon his well- stocked and highly cultivated garden. Now the analogy of Colonisation as a means of relief from a surplus population to this draining process is complete— you mus^t find a place for er.iigrants to which they will natu- rally tend, and you must be careful not to throw them upon places where their presence will be mischievous, not i)eneficial ; but it is plain that if you throw them from you at haphazard, you run the risk of mis- directing them to their own ruin, or to the ruin of others. Such hap- hazard extrusion will, however, be inevitable if you do not begin bv making preparation for the emigrants in the Colonies before sending out a single ship-load." I propose in this article — 1st, to set forth the appalling evils which Colonisation is to remove ; 2nd, to prove that Colonisation is efi^ectual for that purpose ; and 3rd. to point out the mode by which this remedy can best be carried into effect. As a proof of the gigantic evil calling loudly for some immeriiate and effectual antidote, I .=ubjoin the following powerful delineation of Irish misery from an Irish pen : — " Haggard famine and gaunt destruction overspread the land. " The breath of pestilence has blasted our fields. A destroying angel has passed over our Tabernacles. The bountiful earth has refused to give food to the people. The iniquity of man has been labouring for three centuries with unabated and unrestrained activity in the work of ruin. But uow the elements of heaven and the vengeance of the Lord are come to complete the destruction of the poor. There are shrieks of woe on the high nmd — the people are crying madly for bread in the streets, or pining away in silent sorrow and decay, in their comfortless homes. The bounty of the priest and the charity'of the farmer, hitherto the chief available resources of indigence and distress, are already ex- hausted. The potato is gone — the turnips are eaten up— the cabbage is quickly disappearing. Even the dogs are no longer seen about the house of the cottager, and the crows themselves have fallen victims to this destroying famine. Our houses of worship are thinned almost to solitude— a dread silence reigns through the land — our market-places are deserted and may be compared to the wrecks of a ransacked city, or the remnants of a broken army fleeing from defeat. Josephus has recorded nothing in the ssige of Jerusalem more shocking and revolting than the scenes at Skibbereen and Bailydehoh. Wolfish hunger is at every door, death is in every cabin. The dead lie unburied and the dying are'often found entangled in their cold embrace. The people are mute with horror and evidently stupified with this collossal disaster, are variously inclined to sink in ignoble despair, or follow the sturdiest impulse of natural right and dutv. I 6 ROM'H ON ( Ol.ONm.VIION, KT( . " But u deeper deptli ie still y.iwuiiig l)tfore u». The circle ol" u»i»ery 18 widening and will soon embrace the entire population of the land. The fields are untilled — there is no grain to bow them, no adequate provision made for the ensuinj^ season. " Ve have the poor-houses. I)ut they are filled and detested. We havo the Labour Act. It gave partial relief for a season ; but can a single Act of Parliament feed a people, no matter how benevolent the intention of that Act may be ? The evil consequences of three centuries of mis- rule require yumething more than the petty provisions of a iempirising scheme, which professes merely to help the starving, and mocks even them by its austere and in^'ulting regulations. The heroic patience of the people, under all their sufferings, is justly admired and praised. Hut I have witnessed, with indignation, the indignities to which they have been subjected bv the operation of this Act. All their little family secrets, all the humiliating circumstances of their distress, exposed in open court. . . " After travelling a long journey, with hungry stomachs, and waiting a whole day under the open air, in rain and frost and snow, or pushed about by rude and Sriucy policemen, tliey were often dismissed in the evening' without promise of employment, perhaps without an answer. Tho second, the third, the fourth, the tenth scrutiny came ; the same heartless inquiries were repeated, the same cheerless scenes re-enacted ; or if a few of them succeeded, at length, by positive proofs of destitution, in gaining the high honour of being enrolled in the list of labourers, another sea of misery was before them. At the beginning and even still in most cases, only one member of a family could be admitted into this legion of honour— the wages were limited to lOd. a day— those wages were paid only once in the week, many of the days were broken and the wages of course diminished — we may say 7d. a dcy for the entire winter season. Then there were gangers, overseers, and clerks, and check-derks, and surveyors, and committees, and inspectors ; and a cross word or a crooked look at any of them ended generally in the dismissal of a labourer. In a family of six, or eight, or eleven, lOu. a day pay- able at the end of a week, and, perhaps, after allowing for sickness, broken davs, the humour of the pay clerk, and other contingencies, only half that sum paid, was equivalent to an edict of starvation or murder, when meal was sold at 3d. per lb. The same reasoning may by antici- pation he easily applied to the Drainage x\ct. with this difference — that the drainage o*" the land has the permanent effect of remotely con- tributing to the production of food for the people, and of rent for the landlords. These measures may have their fauJts or advantages. They are auxiliaries, but withal, only auxiliaries. Temporising schemes, such as these, will never succeed in restoring the broken frame of society, or in hfting up a people beyond the recurrence of such afflicting destitution. " In circumstances so truly awful the first immediate duty of the Government was to take care that no one died of hunger; for that uurpose grain should have been sought for wherever it grows, the Navigation laws should have been suspended— every available vessel in her Majesty's navv and empire should have been dcsputched to carry 1 t f \ KOLPH ON COLONiaATION, ETC. 7 I It \ home provisione — every restriction on the free import of com shculd have been removed — and food dep6t8 established in every town in Ireland, upon the very first sound of this desolating famine. " Yet not one of these things were done by niinifters until famine had spread its wings all over the land, und thousands had fallen victims to its tormenting sting. Ministers have cruelly neglected their duty, and up to the very meeting of Parliament used all their influence to support a monoply that aggravated thif awful visitation of lieaven. " It becomes, in consequence, the right of the people, and the duty of their leaders, to pruclHim in their aggregate strength, that, unless our future wants be umply provided for — rti)iiration is impossible — the Whigs shall no longer rule this country. Lnid John Russell may, like Tame.- lane, behold with pleasure or indifl^erence the piles of human bones, which, as monuments of his disastrous policy, whiten the plains of Connaught or of Munster. But if the old system of economy be pursued, DO good man can wish to see an administration prolonged, resembling so much, in an abandoned disregard for human life, the bloody career of the Mogul conqueror. " But it is not enough to provide for the present wants of the people. The recurrence of another season s famine must be guarded against : the lands must be tilled and sowed and liberal precautions taken that the coming harvest may be sufficient to feed the people. The people are destitute both of seed and money, and want even b ' 'rer "h to dig or plough the ground. The Government mas* .ivance money for these purposes now, or be prepared for a d( lere- after, in importing foicign food to avert starvation. .I'jily admitted by ministers, that half the expenditure mat re- ductive works of the Labour Act, shall lie charged r ral resources of the empire. Bat as the calamity is national, wi. .eet it by the Imperial treasury ? Tlie outlay required for tie pro^ecte i tillage of the land will be gratefully repaid by the persons whom it may concern ; and even that outlay may be materially dimini?hed, to the advantage of the poor people, by setting soldiers and policemen to work the fields under the inspection of their officer.*, and tackling the dragoon horses to the cart and the plough. If the navy and army of England were engaged in these glorious works of mercy, all the nations of the earth would praise, all future generations would bless the peaceful reii;n of Victoria. " Strangers, unacquainted with the peculiarity of Irish distress, and whose attention of late has been forcibly attracted by the universal famine — whose sound lias filled the earth, may hastily take up the notion that this terrific disaster is to be reckoned among thoee ordinary visitations that sometimes ruefully fall upon nutiuns, and is by no mean*j a proof of deep antecedent distress, or in any way connected with it ; and such persons, judging from the analogy of history, may limit their benevolent hopes to an expectation, that alter this tide of ruin has passed away the people will be replaced in their ffnner condition, and i hat con- sequent prosperity and contentment will prevail. It is the object of this paper to correct that flattering delusion. In my picture of Irish distress I IIOLFU ON (Ot.ONISATION, KTC. I httvs introduced the existing frtmiuc, merely by wiiy of episode, and have put it in the fore;?round ciiiefly for colouring and illustration. "This famine, great and shocking as it is, is only a specimen of our distress ; it reaches back to a long existing cause, and, comprehensive as it is in all its horrors, is far fr )m giving an adequate view of all the phy- sical privationb jf the Irish people which I have undertaken to record. In proof of these assertions, I must go back to ft period antecedent to the famine, anil reveal a state of things which will convince every thinking mind that the duties of Government extend far beyond the temporary $Jleviation of a disaster which Providence has permitted to rebuke and w;r'n our oppressors. '* Long before the occurrence of this terrible visitation the ordinary food of the people was of the coarses't and most unsubstantial kind. It was on the potato that they were doomed to subsist, at breakfast, at dinner, hnd at supper. The old, the yoong, the sick, the strong, the labourer, the ordinary artist, the cottier, the small farmer, had nothing but ihe potr.to. Our land produces in plenty all the ne. ssaries of life, but the I ee^ the mutton, the pork, the poultry, the butter, the eggs, the wheat, the corn, and not unfrequently the milk and vegetables- -all must be sold and sent to fortign markets to satisfy the rapacious claims of the kndlord. " Tills obscure but excruciating system of oppression was so wisely contrived tliut the people might have a supply of potatoes just sufficient to enpport life, and give strength en(jugh to make up the rent for the landlord ; but they could not aspire to any higher luxury. All the other pn-cucts of the earth were secured and mortgaged, in perpetuity, to the landlord by repeated acta of the Legislature. Without a formal enact- ment to that purpose, the effect was, that the existence of the peasnt.t was permitted onlv as an instrument tn uphold the enormous rental of the proprietor ; whilst everything else was, by law and usage, the sacred and indefeasible property of the landlord. Thus was the life of an entire people left dependent on a single root ; and if a substitute inferior to the pot..t ) could subsidise a people, I am persuaded that another Necker would have been found to enforce the use of grass. " It was impossible for a people so circumstanced to make any pro- \i ion for adverse c1ay garb. At night they have scarcely any other covering than the pocT damp rags they wore during the day. Parents find it impos- sible to make those separate arrange;nents at nigh!; between the mem* hers of their little families which religion and decency require, and instinct itself snggesls. But when tlie cold winter wind is blowing it is sickening to contemplate their privations both b) day and night ; no matter how inclement the weather, tliey have no other covering at night, no other clothes by day, than the tatters ♦ it scarcely kept them ahve during the summer und autumn ; or when sickness visits a cold, damp, and ill-thatched cabin, what fancy can picture the torture of the patient and the anguish of the sympathising family and neighbours. The imagination is shocked, and all our feelings ai'e confounded, by the mere contemplation of these heart-breaking scenes of distress and woe. All this is aggravated by want of fuel, even in those parts of the country where turf-bog is abundant, for the cottier classes have none but what they can purchase out of their scanty wages. I forgot to speak of shoes, another indispensable comfort in this changeable climate of ours. Even under the frost and snow, and cold, biting wind of winter, num- bers both o' the old and young, females especially, are met in our streets and highways either altogether unshod, or, to save appearances, wearing some cast-off old things that resist neither wet nor cold ; hence cough, asthma, fever, dechne, and a legion of plagues, that thin the people and bring them to an tmtimely grave. " But what shall we say of their habitations ; they are generally built in some low, damp situation, on a worthless spot of grcund, the avarice of the landlord refusing a more suitable place. The house of a cottier consists generally of a kitchen and a room ; sometimes a single apart- ment is the abode of the entire family. The chimney, for want of sufficient materialr, being an insufficient outlet, the smoke escapes through the door. Where there happens to be a window there is rarely glass. The door is not unfrequeutly an open hurdle or texture of ill jointer', boiirds, through which wind and storm can find an easy 10 ROLI'U ON COLONISATION, KTC, admission. The roof, consisting of decayed sticks and rotten straw, apposes no resistance to c; \d or rain, but aggravates the misery of the inmates by the unwholesome and mephiiic stench it is continually emit- ing. In consequence, the tioors, the .walls, the ruofs, and the beds, are damp, and always transpiring a noxious vapour. " Their turf, their poultry, their pigs, th-:;ir potatoes, when they he 1 them, were generally, for want of accommodation, stowed away in some corner of their wretched cabin. It is painful to dwell on such a picture, especially where there is a family of infant children, or sickness and infirmitv visit these comfortless abodes." Not to harrow the feelings by entering into the minute details of the direful horrors of the disease,' death, terror, and desolation, that has stricken this unhapuy land, I may quote an extract from an address of the inhabitants of the county of Cork to the people of Ireland generally, in order to contrast it with an address from the Irish settlers in Canada to the Queen in 1838 ; — " Fellow Count rymkn.— Famine rages in the dwellings of the poor the young and the old lie on the ground in the streets— the tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst — the voung children ask for bread and no man breaketh unto them. — La- mentations iii, 21. Hundreds of thousands have already fallen victims —the doom of hundreds of thousands more has already been pronounced. We stand among the bodies of the :offinless dead — amongst our grave- yards glutted with victims— our bones are scattered upon the grave's mouth, as when one cuttelh and cleaveth wood upon the earth. — Ps. cxlii, 7. With ^lill solemnity from the depths of our stricken souls we ask. who slew all these? Our garrisoned cities bereft of wealth, of trade, of independence ; our deserted hills, valleys, and plains, de- serted, save in some fa- oured spots, by all but the foreign landlord's driver, and the poor despised plundered drudge, who has not the means or the energy to depart, all give one united answer and point to England and English rulers. V/e are a conquered people and foreigners make our laws." What a cheering— what a startling contrast to the above revolting picture of human woe and despair by the faithfu'. portaiture of the con- tented and prosperous Irish settler. " It is spring time, and as we vvalk forth to enjoy the morning air, the whistle of the ploughman salutes our cars, and calls our n ind to agriculture. Let us cross the fields to yon neat farm-house, with its commodious out-buildings, and its weil-tilled lands. The history of that family and that house conveys a useful and beneficial lesson. Fifteen vears ago the owner was dragging on a miserable life, as a sub-tenant, on a few roods of land in Ireland, participating in the foUie;: and vices, alas ! too common, of faction and debauchery. Poverty at length com- pelled him to seek a refuge and a home in Canada; and the lot which he now occupies was a forest. He si.on roused the native energies of his character, and the wood >.'ave place to his sturdy axe. He fore- swore that which had been the curse of his early life, and his mdustry was crowned with success. His affairs prospered — hi? sons arc growing i I* - HOLPH ON COLONISATION, ETC. 11 ( .^ up to fill a liigher station than ever their father dreamed of, and when he departs from this earth he will leave behind him a respected name and an independent family. We had been talking of his early career ; and, as wlien we sat down to a plentiful breakfast, he returned thanks to God for all his mercies and all nis kindness — his thoughts found utterance in the language of pure and simple piety and gratitude. ' Should we not be thankful (were his words) for our lot is happy. Here we have no taxes, no tithes, no visits from cruel pohce. It is true, Sir, that in Canada no man need be poor if he be industrious, if he avoid quarrelling and contention, obey the laws, and attend to his own affairs.* " On the 4th April, 1838, the Irish settlers in Upper Canada resolved to address the Queen ; and to the address passed unanimously by them on this occasion, I refer you especially to the following extract : — " We most humbly thank your Majesty for the determination ex- pressed by your Majesty's Ministers in Parliamrnt to protect and defend the loyal inhabitants in Canada, in the possission of the many blessings they enjoy in this part of your Majesty's dominions. In this determina- tion we see a new commencement of prosperity — an impregnable defence from anarchy, and a prospect of permanency to our institutions, which will not only restore confidence in these Provinces, but will induce thousands of your Majesty's subjects to comk among us, and partakk OF THE REWARDS OF INDUSTRY AND ENTERPRISE TO WHICH THKY ARE INVITED BY OUR FERTILE AND THINLY-POPULATED COUNTRY, AND ITS EXTENSIVE AND UNTRIED RESOURCES. It RENEWS IN OUR MINDS THE HOPE OF YET SEEING HERE MILLIONS OF YOUR MaJESTY's SUBJKCTS, MANY OF THEM FROM OUR NATIVE LAND, LIVING IN FREEDOM, PEACE, AND PLENTY, UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE BrITISH EmPIRE AND YOUR Majesty's mild and beneficent sway." I have now to prove that Colonisation is the most natural, obvious, and effective remedy for this appalling distress, and, in suggesting the mode by which it can be carried out, i shall set forth some unanswer- able facts to demonstrate its practicabihty and self-sustaining character. I am persuaded that no remedy of equal power, certainty, and advan- tage, could be devised, to remedy the want and poverty of Ireland, as a bold, comprehensive, enlarged, and well-matured measure of Emigration, and that such an undertaking can and might be carried into operation without a shilling cost to the Imperial treasury. Colonel Torrens, in his very interesting little pamphlet, called "Self-supporting Colonisa- tion, or Ireland Saved without Cost to the Imperial Treasury," amongst other equally just and forcible statements, declares, "The question, whetlier tho cost of Emigration can be defrayed out of the value which systematic Colonisation confers on the wastes of a new country, has been set at rest by experience. When the present Earl Grey's important regulations for putting an end to the gratuitous alienation of crown lands, and for applying the proceeds of their sale to emigration, came into operation in New South Wales, in 1844, the sums yielded by the sale of public lands amounted to nearly two millions sterling. Mr. ilutt has shown that, from 18;};i to 1839, inclusive, the planting of a popu- lation of 1.5,000 iruuls, in the previous wilderness of South Australia, la KOLPH ON COLONISATION, BTC. imparted to the lands of thnt wilderness a marketable value which enabled the Colonisation Commirsioners to realise, by the sale ot 282,500 acres, the sum of £262,000, a sum which exceeded by £85,000 the cost of emigration." Still more remarkable, s.tartling, and conclusive are the proofs to be derived from the vast rise in value of property in Canada, a few examples of which I shall have occasion to cite. The mode of Colo- nisation is, however, by far the most important consideration ; and, although there are difficulties inseparable to every plan, they are neither 80 many nor so great as not to be overcome. After a review ot some of them, I will ofFer a practical suggestion that may tend to lessen, if not altogether remove them. Amongst the many potential and distinguished advocates of Colonisation, as a means of removing the evils of pauperism, there are few who have paid more attention to the subject than the Honourable R. B. Sullivan, of Toronto; and certainly, there has been no one more calculated to demonstrate its advantages, remove the difficulties in its path, or render its acceptance more secure with the public. Possessed of great natural endowments — quick perception with sound judgment— ardent temperament with much perseverance— he has devoted his genius and philanthropy to the prose- cution of this measure for many years, and the success which has already followed his praiseworthy efforts at Owen's Sound, on Lake Huron, has induced him to look for a larger field for the prosecution of this glorious and God-like work. A recent adaress, delivered at the Mechanics' Insti- tute Hall, Toronto,* displays his just and comprehensive views, and cannot fail to awaken the attention as well as ensure the admiration of every British patriot. Independent of this vast region, so well adapted for colonisation, Mr. Scrope's return, when obtained, will show what large blocks of land, in the immediate vicinity of large and prosperous settlements, would be allocated by the Canadian landowners on most desirable terms for the prosecution of this laudable enterprise. With such auxiliaries there is every encouragement to persevere. Amongst the various modes of Colonisation adapted for a large and comprehensive measure, incom- pf.rably the best, easiest, most original, and most successful yet devised, or attempted, has been that of Mr. Frederick Widder, Commissioner of the Canada Company, a gentleman of untiring industry, sound judgment, great integrity, much experience, and considerable ability. His plan, already in active operation in the Huron District, has answered ad- mirably, and, as far as it goes, is unexceptionable. I would, however, amplify and extend it considerably. The system adopted by the Canada Company, on the suggestion of Mr. Widder, is that i)f granting a lease to the settler, requiring no payment for the first year, commencing with a small rent the second, gradually increasing it yearly until the expiration of the time fixed, when the pavme'nt of the last year's rent entitles the occu- pant to the land as freehold. The addition to Mr. Widder's plan which 1 would suggest is the settlement of families containing a fair proportion of old and voung, on similar blocks of land, on each of which a log- * The first arlicU- in our iirosiMil inimbtT, ante p. 2r)7.~EniTOR. ROLPII ON COf.ONiaATION, ETC. 13 house should be creeled and one or two acres cleared. I would further advance agricultural imple;iieiit.'<, seed, cow, and a yoke of oxen, every- thing to facilitate the operations of the settler, inducing him to remain, and adding to the value of his security, carefully guarding against too much assistance, so as to cause improvidence on the one hand, or too little, so as to check or impede his industry on the other. In commu- nities of this sort, if the grants or locations were not too large, a propor- tion of skilful artificers, a schoolmaster, and a clergyman might be placed. A system of centralisation to this extent would be desirable, and between every large community of settlers, a site for a village or town might be reserved, always having reference to convenient situation, hydraulic powers, and heaUliiness of the spot. The following notice of Mr. Widder's plan from the Toronto Patriot will enable me to append my views, and suggest the additions that I think would make it a most effectual mode of Colonisation. " We have great pleasure in directing public attention to the adver- tisement of the Canada Company, in which a new method of disposing of their rich and valuable lands is laid before the agricultural interests of the Colony. The advantages of the plans proposed are obvious, and present to the poor, but industrious emigrant, a rare opportunity of set- ling himself in life with a certain prospect before him of independence — the unfaiHng premium on honest exertion. " The Company will lease a lot for ten years, for example—suppose the value of the land to be, say 10s. the acre, the charge as rent is merely the interest of such appraised value at six per cent. " The tenant has the option of purchasing at any time during the first five years at an advance of Is. .'?d. per acre ; during the second five years, or for the full term often years, at 28. 6d. per acre. " By this system of leasing the Company will materially lessen the demand for employment, so frequently dreaded from large immigration, as emigrants, with very limited means, will, on their arrival here, obtain instant and profitable employment on their own account, thus preventing the necessity of their competing for work with those who are totally dependant on daily labour for their existence. " We have seldom seen a plan so admirably calculated to ensure the settlement of wild land on terms at the same time highly encouraging to the settler and advantageous to the ultimate interests of the Company, who deserve eve.-' credit for thus evincing their determination to pursue a liberal and enlightened policy in the disposal of their lands, which must be the means of attracting to this great agricultural Province a large portion of the surplus population of older and richer countries. "We are gratified to learn that during last year the Company placed 1,706 additional settlers on their lands in the Huron District — 1,005 being new emigrants, and 701 settlers from other townships. Their sales of land for the same amounted to upwards of 73,000 acres. " A large and fertile district — the Huron — is rapidly filling up with a loyal and British-hearted population, and is destined, ere the lapse of many years, to be inferior to no section of Western Canada of similar exteot in the exhibition of a marked and regularly progressive improvement." 14 ROr.HH ON COLONISATION, KTC. Now then, be it remembered, that the Canada ('oinpany ofTer those lands for sale on terms which, while they are most easy and accommo- dating to ihe settler, are also most profitable to themselves. If, there- fore, the Government, or what would be still better, a combination of Canadian landowners and British capitalists, aided by the Government, overlooked bv the Government, and controlled by the Government, were formed into a company for the furtherance of Colonisation and laying out of their land, reduce the minimum quantity of land sold, charge less for it, give a longer period for its payment, and more effectually assist the settler upon it ; and if, in addition to this, they were to facilitate, on a large and comprehensive scale, the removal of settlers, in families, to it, there could be no question of the value of tlieir security, and the certainty of the repayment of their outlay. The great matter is to place a settler in a locality, and in so favourable a position as that by his industry, fiugality, and perseverance he may clieerfully repay the advances neces- sary to secure his future independence, and the welfare of his family. That late incomparable character, as Governor, statesman, philanthro- pist, and patriot, Lord Metcalfe, a few days previous to his departure for Canada, the last scene of his glory and greatness, wrote the following letter to Mr. Crawford, a gentleman who has always deeply and zealously interested himself in the cause of emigration and the welfare of his >>ufFering fellow-countrymen : — " Mivart's Hotel, 41, Biook-street, 1st Fel)ruary, 1843, " Sir— I shall have great pleasure in an interview with you and Dr. Rolph on the subject of emigration from Glasgow and Paisley to Canada, being satisfied that the measure is most desirable for both this country and that. " In the mean time, I beg leave to assure you of the most cordial co- operation on my part, to every extent within my power, in the proposed undertaking ; the chief difficulty ot which I conceive would be in taking due care of the emigrants after t'.ieir arrival in the Colony, until they are in a condition to take care of '.hemselves. I should have proposed an interview to-day, but my duty carried me to Windsor. " I have the honour to b3, Sir, your most 'obedient servant, " C. T. Metcalfb." " John Crawford, Esq." Lord Metcalfe's chief solicitude was the due care to be taken of the emigrants on their arrival. This due care forms one of the principal securities for their steady and cheerful settlement of their land, and at the same time removes one great objection frequently and forcibly urged against Emigration, viz., that the able-bodied labourers will be removed, whilst the aged and the young are left behind. I propose that a proper proportion of all ages should go ; I have been a frequent eye-witness of the use, advantage, and comfort to a settler, which the care, solicitude, assistance, and kindness of an aged branch of the family has been. Useful in looking after the children, nursing the sick, superintending the household, providing tor the dumestic wants, attending to the dairy, and many other important occupations. I view a proper mixture of a,5ed \ KOI-PU ON COLONISATION, UTV Id and young as not only an important, but an indispensable ingredient in a large and sound system of Colonisation. They are hostages for the con- tinuance of the settler on his location, and a security against any tempta- tion to quit it. After land has been laid out, surveyed, apportioned, and prepared, the following method, suggested in 1841, might be adopted : — Instead of the present mode of stationing an agent at all the prin- cipal landing-places, three chief agents should be stationed, one at Quebec, one at Montreal, and one at Toronto ; and it might be found necessary to have a subordinate officer at one or more of the intermediate places along the route. The duty of the agent at Quebec would consist chiefly in attending to the debarkation of immigrants, and all matters connected therewith. Montreal, as the grand emporium, would abo be the centre of the system from which, like the arteries and veins of the human body, extending its ramifications in every direction the tide of immigration would be likely to flow ; and as the duties of this agent and of his minor officers will explain the principle upon which the whole system will be put into operation, I shall not carry the reader beyond the district of Montreal. The chief agent being appointed at Montreal, and having instructions from Government to settle any tract or town- ship, or any number of them, shall select a fit and proper person to act as agent in such township, division, or tract. Three quHlifications would be indispensable in this officer — sound practical knowledge of agriculture in Canada from the moment the axe is first raised upon the tall furcst trees till the flour returns from the mill; a competent knowledge of book-keeping; and above all, sterling honesty. This agent or officer proceeos at once to the division or township allotted to him, and in the most central part of his charge he takes up his abode — here he opens a dep6t of all things actually needed by settlers — provisslcns, clothes, and tools. The immigrant having decided at the principal office in Montreal or elsewhere in what section of the country he is desirous of locating himself, receives a ticket to the officer in charge of the settlement of that division, who immediately places him upon a farm, and at the same tirae opens an account with him, advancing to him food, clothes, or tools, ds he may require, taking care at the same time that he is improving and clearing at least in proportion to the amount he advances, so that no loss may be sustained in case of the settler running away. Thus each settler will be provided for till a return crop places him independent of the agent, for provisions at least. Now suppose the immigrant goes on his farm at November, he will require about ten months' provision before his own crop is ready for use ; this may be reckoned at four dollars per month for food, and if he has a family, three dollars a month will find a supply of food for every additional number, so that a family of five persons will subsist during ten months for about forty poi ods, and as very little clothing will be needed the first year, say ten pounds more will suffice for tools and clothes. Thus a family of five persons will be maintained on a farm till they can maintain themselves for fifty pounds, even suppose they produce nothing for ten months. uc scuuuu ycai si;ttii;cjy auyniiug "iii uc ii;:cucu, save uiO'vUCS, and perhaps a cow, and on the third year the settler commences 16 ROLFH CN COLONISATION, tTC. to pay back in cash or kind, as the case may be, and so conlinuea till the seventh vear, when principal and interest are puid up in full ; and the same funds can be spent in the same way in another division or section, and so on, scattering with prudent benevolence the means of inde- pendence to thousands, and literally " making the wilderness and solitary place to blossom like the rose." A small compensation will suffice for the country agents, who, if they have acted faithfully, will have secured the respect and esteem of the whole settlement, and after tiie depot is removed will remain in their locality, where they will open a store on their own account, will be looked up 1o as the leading men of the place, and will become their magistrates, kc. &c., in time. According to this system the Government cannot be hnposed on, as it may treat rich and poor on the same terms, forwarding all, and settling all who desire it, and at the same time giving nothing that will not be received back again. There is much, very much in Air. Godley's plan to recommend it, more especially that portion of it which purposes to enlist the District Councils in the promotion of it. Lord Lincoln thus speaks of it : — " Mr. Godley's plan had excited great attention. He proposed to give stimulus to the demand for labour and for emigrRtion in the North American Colonies. His plan was, that for the first year the emigrant should work for wages, with a view to his setthng on the land at the expiration of a particular period. This would be the means of forming what he called nuclei for settlements, and these nuclei would further be rendered at- tractive by the aid of social and civilised, advantages, and by making provision for the material and moral well-being of the settlers. It was difficult to describe in a few sentences a plan that took up a pamphlet with its details ; but he believed he had not incorrectly stated the sub* stance of these various plans. The plan put forward by the head of the Colonial Department was more extended in its views. Villages were to be planted at the expense or Government, Government were to send out emigrants, and to feed them by a jpecies of commissariat. This he be- lieved was a tolerably fair exposition of the plan." The preparation of the locality and the superintendence of the locaticn would be far better managed by those resident in the Colony, than by fljose who are alike strangers to it as well as to the mode of clearing and cultivating the land, and this renders the supervision of the District Council most desirable. The profits derivable from settlement, population, and improvement are so abundant and undeniable as fully to justify the outlay of a large capital, on this security for its future payment. Sir Charles Bagot in a des- patch dated April, 1842, after much valuable matter, stated, " It is now a recognised axiom among a large class of proprietors to make free grants of a certain portion of their land, to increase the value of the rest ; and there are probably few individuals who would not willingly grant 50 out of every 200 acres to resident settlers with small capital, in the certainty that the remaining 150 acres would infinitely repay them." Of the large and unavoidable expenditure, aided too, as it has been, by the most liberal and generous donations of the English people, fur the purpose of supplying the starving inhabitants of Ireland and Scotland 1^ ! 4 ROLPH ON COLON ISA'l'ION, KIT, 17 with food, I make no complaint. It was unavoidable, but its recurrence should be carefully guarded against. Eight millions of the public money were expended in a few months for an alleviation of this misery, never to be repaid. Surely five millions might be advanced, with a certainty of its repayment, for the prevention of a similar calamity. What security does the Government offer when raising money for the prosecution of a war ? The industry of its inha- bitants! V/hat indeed did they recently offer when raising the money to arrest this awful famine ? The industry of the people i And is there anything in the past history of Colonisation that should induce them to hesitate in offering as a natural, just, and ample security the future value of the lands they colonise ? When the citizens of Toronto felt desirous of concentrating the trade, conr.merce. wealth, enterprise, and population of the Province in their noble city, by improvements in draining, lighting, paving, supplying water, widening streets, securing the health, and adding to the comforts v ' the inhabitants, they did not hesitate to raise the means whereby they were enabled to carry them on, by the issue of corporation notes, which were not only current in Toronto, but throughout the Province, because no one doubted the future wealth and prosperity of this noble city. From a recent report of it? flourishing corporation we find under the head of its finances " the estimates for the current year would stand as follows : — viz., UKVKNUK. City taxes £6,225 Drainage 250 Rental 2,975 Market fees 1,100 Licences, &c 375 Fines, &c 100 £11.025 KXPBNDlTtTRB. Printing . . Police expenditure Fire department Gas .... District for gaol Interest on debt Salaries, &c. Miscellaneous ; . 250 125 650 . . 1,080 600 . . 4.350 . . 2,420 650 Add for indispensable road repairs 400 £10,525 Leaving a surplus revenue of £500 " These latter estimates, however, embrace only the necessary and indispensable expenditures, and appropriate nothing for extending further improvements in the wards and streets of the city. " Ther'i is one view of the comparative state of the city finances in B 1 J8 KUI.FH ON COLONISATION, RTC. 1834, when the city was first incorporated, and in 1847, which is calcu- lated to demonstrate the important fact that the general prosperity of the city, and the increase of its financial resources, have fully kept pace with the increase of the puhlic deht, and the progress of improvements ; and is calculated to remove nny alarm which may have been felt at the large increase of the public debt. " In 1834 the corporation came into existence with a debt upon its shoulders of about £10.030. Gross amount f assessment for 1 834 £2,500 Interest of the debt of £10.000 COO Surplu? of taxes over the interest of the debt in 1834 . £1,900 The pubhc debt in 1847 is £72.500. Gross amount of assessment for 1847 £6,400 Interest of the debt of £72.500 4,350 Surplus of taxes over the interest of the debt in 1847 . £2,050 Showing a greater excess in the amount of the assessei taxes, after paying the interest of the public debt, in 1847 than in 1834. the rate of taxation being the same in both years, while the other brandies of the city revenues show a corresponding progress during the same period. Thn rental of citv property has increased from £1,000 to £3,000, the market fees from' £200 to £1,100, &c. &c. &c. ; and it was stated during the recent discussion that there would next year be an accession to the city revenues of £500 from the rental of the market block, and £1,500 from tavern and shop licences, which would then fall in to the city_say, together £2,000— without any indispensable addition to the expenditures ; while the anticipated acquisition of the turnpike roads and gates within the city might be productive of a still greater addition to the citv revenues." The' following evidence, from a vast body of similar testimony, must be considered quite conclusive as to the ever-augmenting value of pro- perty, from the eiFect which remote settlements produce on the trade, commerce, travel, enterprise, and advance of the towns and cities con- nected with them. The Toronto Herald, in noticing the report of the corporation, thus alludes to the wisdom of its large expenditure : — " But, if the city finances have not only been undepressed, but have iictiiallv improved and flourished during the progress of the large experi- diture "and great increase of the city debt, which the extensive pubhc improvenients during the last fourteen years have occasioned, who shall estimate the ^estimable advantages which the city of Toronto at large has derived from those improvements and that expenditure ? Or, who shall presume to calculate the value of the additional worth of property, the increased personal comforts, and the improved health, which, to a greater or lesser extent, have accrued to every man, woman, and child, in the city, from the improvements which have caused that increase of the public deist? Who. that remembers the 'dirty/ sickly town of •Little York' of 1834, when at certain seasons of the year no man ,'-. ROLPH ON COLONISATION, KTC. 19 '■ ventured to step from the sill of his door without first tucking his trow- sers into his boots, and without, at the very first step, finding himself sunk h«lf-way to the top of those boots in mud ; when no female durst emerge from tlie homfstead — when the smallest loads were drugged through the streets on ox sleds — when all our streets and open spaces were studded with frog ponds, coated with green sliiue, and sending forth, under the sun's influence, poisonous exhalations which invalided one-half of our inhabitants — who, that remembers this state of things, and at the same time contemplates the beautiful city of Toronto of 1847 — with the splendid tunnels which now run through all our prin- cipal streets, and effectually carry away those fertile sources of disease, the stagnant pools and muddy surface waters of our roads ; with excel- lent macadamised, paved, or planked streets ; with splendid planked side walks, which for comfort and convenience are not excelleu in anv city in the known world ; and, above all, with the immensely increased number, value, and beauty of the buildings, both public and private, which have grown up in every direction around us during the progress of those improvements — who is there, we repeat, that, in contemplation of this comparative state of things, does not feel impelled, instead of blaming the corporation for incurring this public debt, to award to that body the very highest meed of praise for effecting those magnificent improvements, which have conduced so largely to the wealth, the health, the comfort, av, and to the happiness of every individual within their jurisdiction ! What honest, sensible man is there in the whole com- munity, who does not desire to see the same policy continued untii every street and lane in the city shall have a full participation in the like advantages ? What unprejudiced reflecting person, in fine, is there to be found among our numerous population, who, instead of traducing and abusing the corporate body for their disinterested exertions in this behalf, will not rather say to the present and to future corporations— * Go thou and do likewise.' " Of the vast value of the property of this city, I may also mention that a small strip of garden-ground, fronting the lake, was sold for building purposes last year for £5,000 ! The value of the property in its prin- cipal streets may be judged by the following notice of a sale by public auction : — " Perhaps the best illustration which can be adduced of the advancing prosperity of our good city, is the value of real estate when brought to the hammer. A striking proof of the force of this argument came under our observation the other day, when Mr. W. Wakefield, auctioneer, of this city, sold to the highest bidder, pursuant to a decree uf the Court of Chancery, a building lot of land, on King-street, 22 feet frontage, by 100 feet in depth, for the sum of eleven hundred and fifty pounds, cash ! being at the rate of about seventeen dollars per inch frontage ! The purchaser was John Radenhurst, Esq., and before evening he was offered a handsome advance on the bargain. On the same occasion, another building lot, closely adjacent to that above mentioned, with a frontage "f 20 fcet> was knocked down to Mr, John. Eastwood, clothier, for nine jidred pounds, cash. These arc sound indications of prosperity, which I 20 ROLIMl ON COLONISATION, KTC. cannot be tru.takcn. l.ecnuse tlie respective purchases being paid for in chA\ were bouKbt for investment, and not speculation. , , , It is u ele.8 to cite further examples ; the matter to be n»08t deeply con"iiered i.. how to turn the«e facts and this ^J-^'f fj° ^^^ f^ account. Uefove offering my concluding suggestion. T cannot refrain rlnoticing and ofFerfng a few observations on Jhe/ec- deba arising out of Lord Lincoln's motion. The Noble Lord, n b s jxceN lent sl^eech, commences by declaring that " his «'7l« ^^'J^^^^^^^J,^ obtain from the Government an inquiry, by means of ^n ""Pa'd com- mission of able men. whose services the Government could command, no the means by which Colonisation might be earned out with reference toVe immediate relief of Ireland, and as bearing upon its present con- dition Tecondly. in inquiring whether Colon sation '"'g >t be made applicable to the relief and benefit of those remaimng m Ireland, as wel is to th increased happiness of those who left it ; and thirdly, and not leas?in n"portance. wKether it could be carried out con^'f "^^J T^^^J ^.^.^^ n rests and feelings of the Colonies themselves. ^^ ^^"""^^^^^ »^^^^^^^^^^ motion hnd reference to Colonisation, as distinguished from Emigration or if the resu t of the inquiry should be. that any of these three objects could not be accomplished, he should certainly be. therea ter. an advo. cl of a measure ci this kind. He would not place himself m the posi- tion of bringing forward any measure which might be justly characterised as . a shSfg out paupers.' a most applicable term which had been Hppired bv the present Judge Advocate to Emigration conducted without o' X manageLnt. He lllieved. cruel as was the co;dU.on -f ^ -^^^^ ,lP of Ireland at this moment, and cruel as would be the alternative, it vould ie far more humane and justifiable to »«- the- - th-nj-^^^^ condition to starve and perish." Again. •' he would be told th^t Colon, a- tion removed the bone and sinew, tha vigour and strength, of the count y frm the land of Ireland, as only those of which the land most w.shed to be relieved would be left behind. He for one. however, did m)t think nor wish t^^.t such should be the case. Those whose strength had been exhau ted in the cultivation of the land were legit mate objects of paro- chial relief, and. as such, no doubt would receive it ; .^ut ^« ^^^^^^^^^^ had already proved to the satisfaction of the House that there was a re- Su ant able' bodied population in Ireknd ready to establish themselves advuntageousiy in other countries, and only wantmg to be ««"* o"J ^J heTown. He would recall to the recollection of the House that every corimittee and every commission appointed to -7^-!^^; ^^^^^^^ tion of Ireland had invariably, more or less, strongly advocated Colon sa- ion a one of the remedialmeasures for that country. The committee ofl830 stated that Emigration might ^e considered as a remedial mea- sure for both landlord and tenant ; and it recommended that facilities hould be afforded in the shape of funds to defray the expense o a pa saee to America for a large number of emigrants. The report ot the comm^sion to which he had before referred, likewise stated that emigra- riodd be adopted as a mode of f ^f for destitu > nWe-bod,^^^ He was anxious to establish the tact mat every . ^*'J„,^"^,r th'e commission had made the same recommendation. L , however, the I ROLPII ON (OM)NI«ATJON, KTC. 21 roost valuable part of Lord Lincoln's speech was hit just tribute to the worth and vAae of the Irish as labourers and settlers in America. *' An- other objection was, that the Irish invariably made the worst Colonists. If they had hitherto been shovelled out from son^e estates, and obliged to emigrate it we no wonder that they had been bad emigrants. But he asked whether .n reality the Irish were bad emigrants, and whether that assertion was not refuted by abundant testimony and by patent facts ? Perhaps one of the most gratifying features duking the distress which existed in Ireland was the remittances made by the Irish to convey their friends and relations to America. Last year no one v/r 'Id have ventured to suppose one-twentieth part of the sum would hav -/ten renii'ted for such a purpose. This was one proof thut, when removed from their own soil and placed in a position where they could exercise their industry and talents, they could thrive as well as the people of other countries. He believed that the character for indolence of the people in the south and west of Ireland arose from external circumstances, and was not inherent in them. He did not believe in that difference which some persons believed to exist between the Ce't and the Saxon. With respect to those characteristics which enabled a people to be honest and Indus- trious, he believed there was nothing in the blood of tht Celt which could incapacitate him from industrious and orderly habits either in the Colonies or in his own country, if the external circumstances to which he was subjected could be removed. (Hear, hear.) He might appeal to the Hon. Member for Sunderland whether some of the best labourers on the railways were not to be found amongst the Irish, and he was fully convinced that the same remark applied to them when employed by the landlords. But as the opinion to which he had alluded had been deliberately put forward in print, he would endeavour to show that it did not exist in those quarters where it would be most mischievous, namely, in the Colonies themselves. A higher authority on Colonial affairs could not be found than Chief Justice Robinson, and that learned judge stated, in a letter to Sir R. Wilmot Horton, that, • taken as a whole, the resident Irish agricultural population of the United States are a most valuable class of settlers, and have done credit to the country from which they came ;' and he afterwards said, that throughout the Province their conduct was ' pre-eminently good.' The same views were fully corroborated by Captain Hall. (Hear, hear.)" Mr Hawes said, " He could assure the noble lord that there was no want of an anxious desire on the part of her Majesty's Government to carry out the objects he had in view lo the utmost of their power. There would be no difficulty in finding fertile land for Colonists, or in finding emigrant labourers. The only obstacle in the way of the attainment of the objects of the noble lord was the want of adequate funds, and unless a commission could devise some means of p/ocuring those funds its labours would necessarily be abortive." Further. Mr. Hawes complains " that the opinions of Colonisation entertained at the present day differed materially from those entertained bv the friends of Colonisation m former times. The old Charter Colonies and the later attempts at Colomsation hud sprung entire from private enterprise ; but it was a remarkable feature 99 ROLFM ON COLONISATION, KTC. in hU the Coloui..Htion schciics of the prcnont day. that they rested entirely on large grant, of public money from the State and which, if the Government refused to support, they were fciined of hem- m- different to Colonisation. Now he (Mr. liawes) heheved that no csh than from £300.000 to £400,000, in small sums, had been remitted home by persons in the Colonies to er.able their friends here to go out *"sifR Ped expressed himself favourable to Colonisation, and in reply to Mr. V. Smith observed. "The right hon. gentleman (Mr, V. nmuh) said that the noble earl had proposed a plan in Ueceudier which he found it necessary to abandon in January ; but surely that was no reason why the whole question of Colonisation should be abandoned If they could open up a permanent outlet for the population o Ireland, they would not onlv be laving the foundation cf the cure for the present and future e-'ils o'f Ireland, but be establishing new points of connection between this country and the Colonies, to which the population might emigrate. The right hon. baronet then proceeded to express his grati- fication at the remittances which had been made from Irishmen settled in the United States and in Canada to their friends n the mother country, and which he regarded not only as most honourable to the character o. the partie- making ther, but mcst encouraging with a view to Colonisation, showing that Irishmen pUu .d in other countries were not inferior to any people ..n the face of the globe. They had a new and a well-known and tried Governor in Canada, in Lord Elgin. The passage to that Colony was now much cheaper-there was the feeling of a common race prevalent amongst those settled in that Colony and in Ireland and they might introduce into Canada a loyal and faithful population which wou d ensure that the connection of that Colony with the mother country would be perpetual. He thought that the circumstances of the country were such that the noble lord would not hesitate to defer to the wishes of the house and make the attempt to see whether they could not dev.se some plan to relieve Ireland from some part of her redundant populatii^.i, ^a bv so doing relieve the people of England of a great burden. ' Last, and not least in importance, was the speech of Lord John Kus- sell who said : " And as to iiifornii^tion relating to Colonisation, lie should conceive the best infornati).) 'hat coul.l H obtam^d and remained to be obtained, was to ^. - 'nd f^in thr ;3ritish American Colo- nies. But how was that to be obtained ? Mr. Godley had suggested that the members of a commit- sion should go over to Canada and hold public meetings in different parts of the Province, and there explain thei. Lans of Colonisation, and ask the assent of those meetings to them. It that were to be ":.c plan adopted to obtain the information nothmg could be tnore unsatisfactory. The assemblage, not knowing what amount ot taxation should be iinposed, ov what the practical details of the scheme would be, would come to a resolution in the way persons did who went to hear a good speech at a meeting, and they would thus have sonrie .orty meetings in Canada approving of the scheme of Colonisation submitted to them, without considering the details of execution. But it thev did really want to get valuable opinions, they should hrst take that ot the i UOLIMI ON (OLONISATIOV, KTC. '23 (Juvernoi-Cipncral in Council; itnd as tliey had talked of the merits '>f other j^overnorn. he Hhould say that no man was more capable than Lord KIgin of fairly placing befor'j the Covcrnmeiit of this country and that llousp u clear and distinct view, both as to the gcnerp.l principles of policy and matters of detail by which their measure should be rcguluted. They should next get the opinion of the Executive Council of Canada, who h d great experience as to the mode of (.mpioyment anfi remuneration of la- bour ; and lastly, they Hhould hu.e the jpinion of the Provincial Assenibly. It was through such cliannels, and not a commission, that they shouhl seek infoimation; for wl it authority could a eommisiioii have to call, upon tlie Executive ('ouncil or Legislai.tre to give their opinions ? A message for in" America which was denied to tnem ai nomc. iuc imu;- uig ic.^^... — ; ROLPH ON COLONISATION, ETC. 25 m two meetings in the city of Toronto, one for relieving the Irish distress, and the other for directing the current of emigration, will demonstrate how anxious the Canadian population are to co-operate in this glorious and most Christian work. The Hon. Robert Baldwin was called to the chair, and John Duggan, Esq., appointed Secretary. 1st. Moved by the Rev. J. McCaul, L.L.D,, seconded by Skeffington Connor, Esq., L.L.D., and Resolved — " That the awful state of destitution to which vast numbers of the inhabitants of Ireland have been reduced, by actual deficiency of necessary food to sustain life, calls for deep commiseration and active sympathy." •2nd. Moved by George Dugg&n, jun., Esq., M.P.P., seconded by W, B. Jervis, Esq., and Resolved — " That we owe unbounded gratitude to Almighty God for granting to the people of this Province abundant harvests and plentiful supplies of the necessaries of life ; and that we recognise in the visitation of famine which has fallen upon our unhappy fellow subjects, an un- deniable demand upon our most extended benevolence and brotherly liberality." 3rd. Moved by J. H. Hagarty, Esq., seconded by Lucius O'Brien, Esq., M.D., anrl Resolved — " That while those amongst us who are Irish feel it our duty more especially to respond to Uiis call, we entertain the deepest sense of obhgation towards those of different origin who generously come to the aid of our suffering countrymen." 4th. Moved by the Hon. R. B. Sullivan, seconded by J. W. Gwynne, Esq., and Resolved — " That we earnestly hope that the p.esent distress may have the effect of turning the atttntion of the Imperial and Local Governments to the subject of emigration and Colonial settlement, so that the territories, now lying waste and unproductive, may be beneficially cultivated ; and the surplus population of the Mother Country, instead of remaining a burden at home, may add to the wealth, strength, and safety of the Colonies of the Empire." A public meeting was also held in the City Hall, his Worship the Mayor in the chair, Mr. Thomas Champion, Secretary. The meeting was addressed by several gentlemen present, and the following resolutions were adopted :— Moved by the Hon. H. J. Boulton, seconded by the Rev. Dr. McCaul, and Resolved — " That there is every reason to expect that a much larger number of emigrants will arrive during the approaching summ than any former year, and that it is highly important that prompt ana im- mediate measures be adopted to prepare for their arrival, and make arrangements for their relief, employment, and settlement of their famiUes in permanent situations in the interior of the country." Moved by the Hon. Robert Baldwin, seconded by Lucius O'Brien, Esq., M.D., and 26 ROLPH ON COtONISATION, ETC. Resolved—" That there be formed a society, to be called 'The Emigrant Settlement Socety.' whose particular duty it shall be to put the emi- grants, on their arrival, in the way of procuring steady employment without delav. at moderate yearl. wages, and of settling themselves and families in the interior of the country ; and. generally, to afford intorma- tion to all persons desirous to settle in any part of the Province. Moved by E. W. Thompson, Esq.. seconded by W. M. Gome, i.sq., ^"Resolved— "That the following gentlemen do form a committee to consider this very important subject, and to adopt such a course of pro- cedure as they shall deem most advisable for the purpose of effecting the obiects of the foregoing resolutions, with power to add to the^ Djn;°ers : —The Honourables Mr. Justice Jones, H. J. Boulton. R. B. buUivan. R Baldwin. J. E. Small; His Worship the Mayor; George Duggan, Esq.. M. P. P. ; C. Gamble, Esq., Mr. Solicitor-General Cameron, J W. Gwynne, Esq., Dr. Workman. J. H. Prioe, Esq., M. P. P. ; J. Cameron, Esq., Commercial Bank; Dr. Hayes. Mr. Sheriff Jarvis. Thomas Gait. William Baldwin, Charles Berczy, Maurice ScoUard, J. Lesslie. S. G. Lynn, Hugh Scobie, George Gurnett. Andrew Mercer. John Ewart. George Brown. J. S. Howard. Donald Bethune. George A. Barber, J. H. Hagarty. James Browne. W. M. Gorrie. Ogden Creighton, Thomas Bell. Thomas Helliwell, T. O'Neil. Alexander Badenach E. R. Rutherford, William Proudfoot. T. G. Ridout. E. McElderry, Skeffing- ton Connor, M. J. O'Beirne, R. Grapper. Thomas Champion, and E. W. Thompson, Esquires; Lucius O'Brien, Esq., M.D. ; and the clergy of all denominations." i • .. r v^j Time admonishes me to close, but there is still another subject ehcited in this debate, so strongly corroborative of all that I have ever spoken, Nvritten. or urged on this subject— of such material and mtrinsic im- portance-indeed, the sum and substance of it all, that I cannot pass it by unnoticed; I mean the prosperity of the settlers, tjie conversion of British paupers into that embodied mass of industry, which has levelled the Canadian forests, tilled the fields, worked on the wharves, dug the canals, suppressed rebellion within its territory, and defended its borders from aggression— in fine, which forms one of the mam features of the natural strength and prosperity of the Province, and the source of en- couragement to our untiring perseverance. Mr Hawes speaks of £400 000. sent in small sums, by these happy and grateful settlers, to enable their poor relatives and friends to quit the starvation in Ireland, and partake of the plenty of Canada. The late Eari Egremont. by whose munificence and benevolence thousands of English paupers, the inmates of its workhouses, have become Canadian proprietors ; and when the returns, which Mr. Scrope has moved for, are obtained, it will be seen that never was any public expenditure more blessed than that obtained by Mr Wilmot Horton, which converted the starving paupers of Ireland into the wealthy, happy, loyal, prosperous, and contented yeomanry of the Newcastle district, in Canada. What a field is here opened for the patriotism and benevolence ot those who desire to turn the wholesale famine and pestilence of Ireland kOhPH ON COLONISATION, ET 27 into agriculture, commerce, and wealth, in Canada. This glorious under- taking throws into insignificance all the enterprises of vulgar speculation. In the glowing language of a late illustrious divine, commerce may flourish or may fail, and, amid the ruin of her many fluctuations, may elevate a few of the more fortunate of her sons to the affluence of princes ; but the transfer of a broken-hearted, poverty-stricken people, to a field where their industry and energy may be rewarded bj- happiness and wealth, is a glory which far outweighs in true dignity all the blazing pinnacles that glitter round the wealth of the nobles of the land. It is, Kideed, a cheering thought to the true Christian philanthropist, that near us, and belonging to us, lies a territory so ample, and a soil so fertile, and a resident population so willing, and success so general in those who have already gone before, as are to be met with in Canada — where, for all our pains, and all our sacrifices, and all our outlay, we should be certain of a repayment more substantial than was ever wafted by richly- laden flotilla to our shores — where the return comes to us, not only in that immediate relief from the most dire and dreadful calamity which can encompass a people, but in that solid increment of value fixed and perpetuated on the recipients of our aid, their conversion from objects of our sympathy and compassion into sources of our admiration and delight. The neglect of a Colony, says Bacon, is a sin : — " It is the sinfullest thing in the world to forsake or destitute a plantation once in forward- ness ; for, besides the dishonour, it is the guiltiness of blood of many commiserable persons." Let it not be longer our reproach as a nation that scenes of such shuddering horror and frightful extent should again take place when we have a Colony like Canada, with such a people ready, willing, desirous of co-operating with us in the '•emoval of such a giant evil and such great disgrace. In the hope and prayer that this glorious consummation may be realised, I conclude with the same desire, so beau- tifully and fervciitly expressed by its late incomparable governor, Lord Metcalfe : — " Long may it be one of the most splendid gems of the British Crown ; long may it flourish a land of liberty, loyalty, industry, and enterprise, increasing daily in population and wealth — a place of refuge and comfort for a large portion of the superabundant numbers which the genius of Britain sends forth to fertilise and civilise the unte- nanted regions of the earth ; long may the happy connection of the United Kingdom and this Colony in the voluntary bonds of mutual aflPection, be an unfaiUng source of benefit and prosperity to both ; and long may Canada rejoice in aiding and upholding the grandeur, might, and integrity of the British empire." I am. Sir, your obedient servant, Portsmouth, June, 1847. Thomas Rolph. P.S. — Since writing the foregoing article, the files of Canadian papers have arrived, containing the opinions of the respective editors on Mr. God- ley's plan. They are almost all condemnatoiy, not so much from an im- partial consideration of the plan itself as the apprehension that it is another scheme of E. G. Wakefield's, which would prove as abortive in the pro- motion of Colonisation as his notorious Beauharnais job, which did nothing but enrich himself, and divert a national canal from its legitiirmte route i >\ ' NJ 28 KOLPH ON COLONISATION, ETC. through the lands of a public company. The views of the editor of the British Whig-^VQ nearly those of the Province of Canada:-" We should not be surprised to hear that that arch vagabond, Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield, has had a hand in the concoction of this scheme. The memo- rial! is well written, and with a knowledge of Canada unlikely to be pos- sessed by either of the three gentlemen, whose names are at the foot ot the circular to the press, published in our last. Mr. Wakefield, by this time, in all probability has spent the money he gained by the Beauharnais Land Company job, and is doubtless willing and able to embark in some other money-making project." . •» Gko. Peikck, Printer, aio, Strand. *,IIJI-J.J4111IH'— — — -^^^