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Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 mm* 1 ^mm "ji^*.- . SUMMARY ■•'i ' ^ ,-'."^ '.f4' :ir* '/, m ' '-'a' . '*> ■S: . »«"' *r or iNFORMATldN AN1> EVICENCfi CANADIAN COMPANY. 1824. *■<■?*-■ '\ "#■ ^^ /-' I Ci / 1^ I i i 'I •11 ■11 I* ni l ui . juu»^ 1 1 1 «!W KlU'l'i " •.'.•.'.•iHf.?-- I '->fc ^'M^.:_ • ^^■-- --ui^-s^m. 4 c — -Oh '/: f>v o p ',rfv^^,.> ! ,i ff '' % - j^ 'g r i ^' i ^ '!Si !- " Jf <'*'ri^'^^^^*^^' «j». ■ fl>W..*»l''-^ d 4 ^ / / ^'tf II'. » V ^ / // ■ O o ■ tJ I 'it\ j ^\- \ I)-t,0 s^rrr'^ . 'v71-^ /^'-'/ \ '. J-^*^'.,. j^» i5M„iw»-,i, M,..iy,/. ^^^-~^. v^r 'x; ,, ,■: VI, ,..'.■! ..'k « ^ f J IU> » T', •^ r I I ,^--i-' ; - I p.» M** H'ri-lu / i / K,....S 1 y^ .•v^^^ / .1 , Vr \fi-.n ' /■''•■J /• / \ \ l# A i -I.!, K..»h^.| if--. 'M /'"^m.,;/'""^" A. <• ' ' ' I •. ■ (B • ' '11. .\.„"'\, ' \ .•„l.|..,li,i.i'' \j-iifi. ' •( — ^— f- 'I, X ' •- ^ r»,n.t^._ 1; .1 ^■ K_ ■•'•*■... ' 'iri»f' "^r^ >'>,;■ "M I.OOitf,''^ ^Fopii.;i I,. K K J K \ / Prtsi" <•».— <-.»^ \ IC . .%l\^ i.n '« Ui'''' i'*' Hi *** ,,j„ v.»« u*"^. ■■*^-I.i»u. .•„»,^, ,, X Plan 4> A ..to,. ntlVril'Al. SKI I'l.I'Ml' N i'S I • ; ■ !■; i» I \ .\'AiJ.\ if. 1 . \..-*t' ^^\'^ ,?r-^5Hint"'' ' 1"'' 7 / -r^^ — r--J- /"'■"^K'.vv. i^-'Mr^'-i'-Wj,, tr wv'^v'^'*":^• I'.riir'ili I'i'l'' Murr A v^-W A' 3'; ''y i^^V^Pf /Ti^ li^^ .^.. '^^^.W'*-- iU'"- X..^' r"l ,o-:,v T,,.1 .I(\ ;!.,...,V 'I ,'y v N At I S l'll-ilcH'U»» I \(.ii'- lAai" ■^■';^■\ L, ;;^ t ■ne to time of capital in small sums, under super- intendance. at the legal rate of interest in the colony. Nvhich is (i per cent., to such settlers on the lands of the company as may require it, withholding the titles tdl the advances are repaid, as well as the price of the lands. To promote the general improvement of the colony, whether it may be m making inland communications connected with the lands of the company, or working minerals applicable to the wants of the country. To give, in this country, to persons intending to emigrate, local information as to lands in Canada, and to facilitate the transmission of their funds. The advantages which will arise from directing capital to these objects, are evident by what has taken i)lace in the section of the state of New York, imme- diately adjoining Upper Canada. There several opulent individuals from Europe, as well as Americans, purchased large tracts of land, and spent many thousand dollars in preparing them for settlement. The capital invested in these speculations has been returned with great profit, and that part of the < ountry is at this time one of the most flourishing and best peopled districts in the Union. These gentlemen commenced their undertakings in the woods, by building inns and mills, and making roads for the accommodation of settlers ; many of whom they assisted with capital, and sold the lands to them at a determine 1 price, pay- able in a certain number of years, withholding the titles to the lands until the settlers had repaid the capital with interest, together with the price of the lands. As the tracts were in this manner settled and disposed of, many lots, which, in the beginning of the operations, were considered of the least value, gradually became more valuable, so that those which remained longest unsold, often in the end brought the best price. The returns to the company will be precisely similar to tliose by which the American speculators have been so richly repaid, with the superior advantage in the commencement, that the operations will not be undertaken in a wilderness, but in a settled country, among a population augmented by the natural increase, and by the arrival of emigrants, with a rapidity hitherto unknown, and where the only drawback on industry is the want of capital, which will be supplied by the establishment now pro|)osed. arc The documents and information contained in the Appendix have been hastily collected, to enable those who have not previously considered the subject, to understand something of the actual state of Canada, and in what manner the proposed Canadian Company would contribute to the progressive improvement of that country. The map shows in what manner the townships are laid out, and the diagram, the arrangement of the lots and roads in each township. r INDEX TO APPENDIX. I I 10. .XGIUCL'LTUIIE, state of, p. i. '2:!. CANADA LOWER, trade of, p. Id. population of, p. 28. militia of, p. 28. CANADA UPPER, account of, p. 1. CANALS, where wanted, p. 12. Moiitical and La Ciiinc, p. 1 1, cost of, p. 15. improvement of Ottawa by, p. ;il. Grand River, and Kingston, p. 1(2 utility of, p. 32. CAPITAL, want of, p. 17. 21. CLIMATE, p. 1. 30. i;migrants, p. 7. encouragement to, p. duties of, p. 30. HOUSES, log, p. 18. IMPROVEMENTS, p. 7. 30. LANDS, cost of clearing, p. 1'. value of, p. 13. 20. 25. expense of, p. 24', 25- NAVIGATION, improvement required, p. 12. improvements suggested, p. 1 1. POPULATION, p. 7. density of, in Lower Canada, p. 23. Lower Canada, estimate ol', p. 23. PRODUCTIONS, grain, p. 3. 26, 27. fruits, p. 4. vegetables, p. i. means of disposing of, p. 18. tobacco, p. 32, 33. 12. 17. 20. 22. PRODUCTIONS— (0«//Hi(t(/. hemp and flax, p. 32. hemp cultivated, p. 33. sheep, p. 33. commercial, p. 3 i. RESERVES, crown and clergy, p- fi. where best situated, p. 13. 21. impediments to improvement, p. 25, '26. 28. 30. ROADS, lines of, p. 21. effects of, p. 22. expense of making, in tlic Hull district, p. 'Zi, 25. military, p. 32. SETTLEMENTS, Talbot, p. 3. 7. SETTLERS, duties of, p. i. 30. in Lower Canada, p. 23. SITUATION, p.l. SPECULATORS, American, p. 9, 10. Sir Wm. Puleney, p. !>. 11. Holland Company, p.!). Ml. Parish, p.!). Mr.LeRoy, p. 9. Canadian, p. 1 1. SOIL, p.2. TOWNS, p.31. TOWNSHIPS, leaders of, p. 24- to what extent cleared and .settled, p. 25, 26. 34. progress of Norwich, p. 20. extent of, p. 30. TRADE, summary view of, p. l(i. imports and exports, p. 19. i notice uf, p. 35. APPENDIX. EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION, WITH AUTHORITIES. EVIDENCE RELATIVE TO UPPER CANADA. Mr. WiLMOT HoiiTON laid before a Select Comviitt^e of the House of Commona the follomng Paper, drawn up at his request hi^ Colonel Talbot. «' Remarks on the Province of Upper Canada. By the Founder of the " Talbot Settlement." " Position and Extent of Upper Canada, *' The province of Upper Canada commences at between 73 and 74. degrees of west longitude, its western extremity being at about S*". Its southern boundary extends from 45" 20' to 41° 40' of nortli latitude. To the north it may be said to advance as far as the pole. That portion of its territory, which is now in course of settlement, is computed to be not less than seven hundred miles in length from east to west, having a mean breadth of one hundred and fifty miles, or there- abouts. " The whole of this extensive tract of laud possesses peculiar advantages in point of situation ; the River of St. Lawrence, and Lakes Ontario, Erie, and St. Clair, furnishing a continued and easy water communication along its entire southern line. There are several other navigable lakes a.id rivers which intersect it in a northern direction, all of which are connected with the St. Lawrence. " Climate, Soil, and Productions. " Climate: The climate of Upper Canada is considerably milder than that of the lower province, and the winter shorter in the same proportio.i. In both these respects it improves as you proceed to the westward ; so mucii so, that al- though the frost generally sets in in November at the Point au Bodet, on Lake 1 i a St. Francis, its eastern extremity, and continues in t!,at neighbourhood tdl the n^iddleof Apr.1, it rarely commences on ^^^^^ ^^^^-^ oO^' ^'^^^ ^^'l^^t^ mas, when it usually disappears between the '2..th of March and 1st of Ap, d The greatest depth of snow around Lake St. Francis . about three feet, vv^ ch gradually diminishes to eighteen inches on the borders of Lake Ene F.om York on Lake Ontario upwards, neither black cattle nor sheep reqmre housmg during the ^vinter ; aid the new settler, with the addition of a small quant.ty ot strawf can keep his stock on the tender branches of the trees felled by lum >n clcarinK his land, until the ret.nn of spring. On a companson w.th the chmate of Great Britain, the heat in the summer months is somewhat greater, but never oppressive, as it is always accompanied with light breezes. There is less ram than in England, but it falls at more regular periods, generally .n the spr.ng and autumn. The winter cold, though it exceeds that of the Br.tish Isles, .s the less sensibly felt, in consequence of its dryness, and seldom continues intense for more than three days together, owing to the regular fluctuation of the wmd between the north-west and south-west points. It may be observed that the wu,ter season is the most favourable to land carriage, as the roads then admit of sledging ni all directions, which is a very expeditious mode of conveyance, and attended with but little draft; 80 that one horse or ox can in this manner easily draw double what he can upon wheels. It is hardly necessary to state that in a country so overspread with timber there can never be a deficiency of fuel. As the forests disappear the climate improves. " 5oi/: — Upper Canada is blessed with as productive a sod as any in the world and it is easily brought into cultivation, us will appear when the agricul- tural system there pursued is noticed; the nature of the soil may be invariably- discovered by the description of timber it bears. Thus, on what is called hard timbered land, where the maple beech, black birch, ash, cherry, lime, elm. oak. black walnut, butter-nut. hickory, plane, and tulip tree, &c. are found : the soil consists of a deep blpck loam. Where the fir and hemlock pine are intermixed in any considerable proportion, with other trees, clay predominates ; but where they grow alone, which is generally on elevated situations, sand prevails. Inis also happens where the oak and chesuut are the only trees. These sandy soils, though naturally unfavourable to meadow and pasture, are found to produce the brightest and heaviest wheats, and can, with the assistance of gypsum, which abounds in many parts of the jirovince, be made to bear the finest possible crops of clover and India corn. In moist seasons the clays furnish the greatest burthen of grass. Perhaps there does not exist in any quarter of the globe, a country of the extent of Upper Canada, containing so small a quantity of waste land either of marsh or mountain, yet there is not any deficiency of water ; for independently of the numerous rivers and streams which flow through the country on every side, good springs are universally found either on the surface or by digging for them. " Natural Productions .■—The forests abound in excelieiil limber, adapted to all uses, and furnish a consitlerable supply both to the West Indian and British markets. That whicii is chieHy exported consists of the oak and lir. The timber most esteemed in Upper Canada for building and farming purposes, is the white oak (very similar to the English) ; the yellow pine, a sort of deal which cuts up into excellent boards, as does also the tulip tree, which there grows to an immense size. This latter timber is by many considered the best for weather boarding, from its superior facility in taking paint, and being of the poplar tribe, it is less liable than most other woods to accidents from fire ; as it never blazes ; the oak and hickory are principally used for ploughs, cartwheels, &c. •' The black-walnut, cherry, and curled maple, work up into durable and beautiful furniture of all sorts. From the maple, the settlers, by a very simple and easy process of tapping, obtain in a few days a sufficient quantity of sugar to supply their families for a year ; many, indeed, manufacture a considerable surplus for sale. The bark of the oak, hemlock, and black -birch, is employed in tanning ; but that of the first is prclcrred for this purpose. Br.tter-nut bark affords a durable brown dye for woollen, cotton, and linen-yarn. Soap may be made in any quantities ^'om the wood-ashes, with the addition of a certain proportion of tallow or grease of any kind. Plumbs, cherries, crab-apple (which latter yield an ex- cellent preserve), gooseberries, currants, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, cran- berries, walnuts, chesnuts, and filberts grow wild in the woods, where game is sufficiently abundant; consisting of red-deer, hares, pheasants, woodcocks, snipes, and quails, with many other birds, good for the table ; in which enumeration should not be omitted the wild pigeon, which, at certain periods of the year, migrate from the westward in flocks of such magnitude as surpasses all description, and are excellent eating. «' In the Talbot Settlement, wild turkeys are met with in great numbers, often from fifty to one hundred in a troop. The borders of the lakeo and rivers also contribute their quota of tiie feathered race, such as swans, geese of different kinds, together with the many varieties of duck, teal, and widgeon, most of which have a delicious flavour ; t le waters themselves swarm with excellent fish of various sorts, many of which are unknown in Europe; In proportion as the country is explored, Salt springs are discovered, which, when properly worked, it is expected will yield an adequate supply of salt to the province ; there are also mineral springs, some of which have great efficacy in removing rheumatic and scorbutic disorders. Of limestone and clay for making bricks there is no want. Iron-works are likewise established in several situations ; and from the quantity of ore found, they promise to be exceedingly productive. «• Grain, ^-c. — Tiie grain grown in Upper Canada consists of spring and winter wheat, oats, barley, rye, buck wheat, and Indian corn, the last of which is a most important article of consumption. Peas are the only field pulse cultivated there ; the summer heats being considerably too great for beans of green crops. There are potatoes, turnips, pumpkins, clover (red and white) and timothy grass. Both flax and hemp succeed remarkably well, and the latter will proba- t Hy, at no very distant day. become an object of tbe greatest importance both (o the colony and the mother country. Even at present a very considerable saving to government might be obtaincJ in encouraging the growth of tins article in Upper Canada, where it would be mannlactured into cables, and cordage for the naval establishments on the lakes, at half the expense it now costs, owing to the distance of transport. , t- i- , «« Fruit and vegetables .- — All the fruit and herbs common to the English kitchen garden thrive well in this province, and sevoral of the former, which cannot in all seasons be had in perfection, without forcing in England, succeed there in the oi)en air ; such as peaches, nectarines, apricots, grapes, and melons, all of which are excellent in their kinds. There is also a great variety of apples, pears, plumbs, and cherries of the Hnest quality which are known to European orchards. The stone-fruit is also raised on standards. •« Agriculture: — Course of crops: the soil being of such a nature as not to need manure, the same attention is not there paid to the regular succession of croi)s as in Great Britain. After wheat, which is generally harvested in the month of July and beginning of August, rye can be sown on the same ground in the autumn to advantage } the rye crop is frequently laid down with clover dr grass seed, which, unless the farmer is pressed for ground, will continue to furnish good meadow and pasture for four or five years, otherwise it is ploughed up before winter, and in the spring put into pease, spring wheat, Indian corn, barley, oats, or buck-wheat, all of which answer very well ; the two first rather benefiting than impoverishing the land. The leaves and tops of the Indian corn likewise excellent winter food for cattle, particularly milch cows. After any of these latter crops wheat may be sown again ; potatoes and turnips succeed well upon newly cleared land as a first crop, potatoes being put into the ground with a hand-hoe, from the beginning of May till the middle of June : turnips are sown about the first week in August, after ;!ic greatest heat has subsided, and at which time the i\y has disappeared, simply requiring the harrow. It is to be under- stood that the new land is never ploughed for the first and second crops ; timothy is live grass most cultivated, as it affords a large burthen of the best hay. besides good after-grass ; however it is best mixed with clover, to which at serves as a support, and prevents matting. " Duties of a new settler: -On application made to the superintendent of iT^e hurd-gratlting department of the district in which he proposes to settle, he Will obtain a ticket of location for a certain quantity of land; furnished with this, his first care ought to be to select a proper situation for his house. This should be placed, as near as may be, to the public road on which liis lot abuts, and con- tiguous, if possible, to a spring or run of water. Having chosen his spot, he then sets about clearing a sufficient space to erect his hoinic on, taking care to cut down all the large trees within the distance of at least one hundred feet ; the di- mensions of the house are generally twenty feet l)y eighteen; and the timber used in conbtructin- the walls, consisting of the rough stems of trees cut into those 3 It'iigtlis, IS iiol to excccil two Icet in iliamctor; tlii' height of tlic tool' is coiii- nioiily about ti itceii feet, wliich alVortls a grouml-rooin, ami one over hea.l ; the house is roofeil in with shingles (a sort of wooden tiles,) split out of the oak, chesiuit, or pine timber ; a door, windows, ami an ajjerture lor the chimney at one end, are next cut out of the walls ; the spaces between the logs being tilled up with split wood, and afterwards plastered both inside and out with clay or mortar, which renders it perfectly warm. When once I he necessary space for the horse is cleared, ar.d the logs for the walls collected on the spot, the expense and hhout of the settler in erecting his habitation is a mere tritie ; it being an establisl.ed custom among the neighbouring settler? to give their assistance in the raising of it ; and the whole is performed in a few hours. The settler having now a house over his head, commences the clearing a sufficient quantity of land to raise the annual supply of provisions required for his family. " The following is the method in which land is cleared. The brushwood is first cut down close to the ground, and piled in heaps as it is cut ; next come the saplins, or young trees, to the size of six inches in diameter, these are cut into short lengths and laid on the brushwood. Such timber as may have fallen by age or accident on the space to be cleared, is then sought out, the stems of which are chopped into lengths of eleven feet, and the lops and tops piled with the brush- wood, &c. ; these operations performed, he may set about cutting down the large trees ; they are chopped at about two feet and a half from the root, and tlie stem of each tree is cut up into lengths of eleven feet. The limbs andto))s are cut into short lengths and packed on the brushwood heaj)s. When the whole of the large trees on the ground to be cleared, are disposed of in the manner just described, the brushwood heaps, as soon as sufficiently dry for the purpose of burning, (which in the summer months is the case in a fortnight) arc set fire to. During the process of burning the heaps must be attended to, and the ends occasionally pushed in, in order that the whole may be consumed ; after tiiis has taken place, the ground is ready lor what is called logging ; this is performed by a yoke of oxen, with chains to fasten round the ends of the stems, (reserving such as will split into rails,) which are drawn together and piled up in different heaps. Three or four mer arc generally required to attend this work ; these last heaps may be immediately set fire to, if the weather be dry, and likewise require to be watched by a man, who is to push in the logs as the centre becomes hollow. Afler all is con- sumed, excepting the lengths intended for rails, the ashes are either spread out on the land, or collected for the makers of potash, who give about 4(/. per bushel for them. If the cleared ground is sufficiently near to a potash work for transport, the price "iven for them nearly covers the expense of clearing. The land is now prepare^ • fencing and sowing : for the latter object, the ground is merely gone over in cross directions with a triangular harrow. This form is adopted that it may pass through the stumps, which still remain in the ground. Potatoes and Indian corn are put in with a hand-hoe ; amongst the latter pumpkin seed may be sown without injury to the corn. The properest season of sowing wheat is n J i I 1 (5 :;ciicially iVolu llic ciui ol Aiiiiust to llic iiiiiUlk' ol' SopU'iubtT ; but on tlicsc m-wlv cicarctl laiul.s, thai ilo not rcciuirc plougliiiig, it can he sown at any time bftbrc tlic frost sets in, altlioiiah it cannot reasonably bo expected that late sown wlieat should jjiod-ice so abundant a crop as that wliich is put into the ground early. Tlie (|uanli»y of seed used is one bushel only per acre, and tiie usual re- turn is from twenty-live to lorty bushels ; whereas in Hngland, the farmer sows three bushels to the acre, and the yield docs not exceed thirty bushels. The other grains are sown in the Ibllowing proportions : a peck of Indian corn will plant one acre, yielding from Ibrty to one hundred bushels ; pease r^iuire two bushels and a half to the acre ; oats two bushels, barley three, rye one, and buck wheat lialf a bushel. A settler arri\ing in. June, if industrious, can with ease prepare five acres li,r wheat, to be sown the same autumn ; after which he may employ himself in clearing fresh ground for his spring crops, and at the end of the Hrst fourteen uionths he will find himself amply supplied with bread and vegetables ; these, with the addition of a cow, and a pig or two, will be all that is necessary for his sustenance. His cow and hogs will find their livnig in woods during the greatest part of the year, and only need a trifling support in winter. There are distU- Icries generally establisheil throughout the country, where the settler can obtain spirits in exchange for his grain on very moderate terms. Brewing also might be carried on at little or no expense, as the soil and climate produce hops of the best quality ; grist and saw-mills are also sufficiently uumerous in all parts of the ])rov'nces. Whenever the settler can afibrd to lay down in grass a sufficient (jiantity of land for the keep of a few sheep, he can from the wool, with the aid of a small patch of flax, manufacture whatever clothing his family may want. It may be as well to remark in this place, that the use of the axe generally appears at first somewhat awkward to the emigrant from Europe, but practice will soon reconcile him to it ; such persons, however, as prefer hiring American choppers, and possess the means of so doing, can easily find contractors for the work. The usual charge for chopping, burning, fencing, and bringing the land into a proper state to receive the seed, is at the rate of about 41. 10s. per acre, the workmen finding their own provisions ; an expert chopper will clear, ready for burning, an acre of heavy timbered land in eight or ten days. " From the foregoing observations a tolerable idea may be formed of the ad- vantages to be derived by a poor family emigrating to Upper Canada, the very first year assuring its members abundant means of living well, and each succeed- ing one enlarging its scale of comforts. The settler in the first place obtains from the Crown a grant iu perpetuity of from fifty to acres, according to the size of his family, and his means of improvement ; his labour therefore is wholly expended upon his own property. " A large family of children, instead of proving a burthen upon him, contri- bute greatly to his assistance ; as useful employment is constantly to be found even for small children in a new settlement. Public schools are universally esta- blished throughout the province, upon a liberal foundation. •' I'd allbnl some icluu ol the ia|iulii) wuli wlmli a new ^iitU'iiuiii \ull ail viiiicc under proper management, it is only necessary to state, that the writer of (his tract having been entrnsted l)y his Maje-^ty's {rovernment with the h)eation and general snperintenilance of those extensive ilistricts on the shores of Lake Krie, which at |)resent bear tlie name of the Talbot Settlement, has, by his exer- tions in opening roads iit convenient distances, aided by the peeidiar advantages to the soil and climate, collected aroinid him a |)0])nlation of twelve thousand souls at the least, in the short sj)ace of ten years. The geneiality of these set- tlers, on their arrival in the province, were i)ersons of the very poorest ilescrip- tion ; whereas they may be now said to form as independent, as contented, and as hapi)y a body of yeomanry as any in the world. " This, too, has been accomplished in a situation which, little more ilian ten years ago, appeared an impenetrable wilderness, ami was above one hundred miles removed from all human intercourse." Queries ansxi-ci'cd hi the Honourable and Rcveicnd Dr. Stuachan, and by P. Robinson, Esq. Members of the Council of the Province of Upper Canada. ' QUERIKS. Has the improvement of Ca- nada, particularly of t.'ie Upper Province, with respect to the value of property and the in- crease of population, been in any degree considerable within the last seven years ? To what extent may emigra- tion have been carried during the last seven years l-* ANSWIillS. The population has increased prodigiously during the last seven years, but the emigrants have been chiefly persons of little or no jjro- perty, with the exception of half-pay officers, who are entitled to gratuitous grants. Lands in Canada, being in some degree a cir- culating medium, are estimated in the market high or low, in projjortion to the value of their produce, the lowness of which, for several years back, has caused much distress to many who were not provident when it was high ; conse- quently persons forced to sell, have seldom got the value of their property, sometimes not half the value, but those who are not in distress, will not dispose of their property ui an under price. The average number of emigrants who have landed at Quebec during this period, may be taken at upwards of 10,000 annually. In one year more than three ihousanil orilers QUF.IMKH. ANSWICKS. Suppose :i Company were formed in Eiiglaiul to promote the agriciilturiil improveiiieiit and population of Canada, from what sources would tliey derive any return for their capital ? (or land were grunted by the present excellent Lieutenant Governor. Were such a company in possession 'A' large " blocks" of land, and the whole of the f !rown Reserves in any district, a new in:petns would be given to the province. Uy good roads and build- ing mills on the blocks or tracts, the lands would immediately become valuable. Offices for the sale of their lands might be oi)cnen in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, fur::ished with cor- rect maps and descriptions. The character of the Company would gua- rantee tl-.c safety of the purchaser in respect to his title — and to shew fairness, the Company might direct their lands to be shewn free of all expence to the agents of any |)rivate associa- tions or small capitalists who might be disposed to purchase. These remarks ciiiefly regard the blocks. In many of the populous townships, the reserves would be purchased by the native inhabitants, in order to settle their children near themselves ; for example, ir =;i my of the townships, there are already^^'OOfamilies, most of which possess one lot of 2CM) acres ; but we slu;)! suppr 2 tnat the 200 families possess among them only 150 sucli lots. Now the grantable lots in a township are about 240 and 90 reserved lots, that is, forty-five tor the crown, and forty-five for the clergy. The population from emigration and natural increase, doubles in about 12 years, so that in that time the 200 families would be 400 families, and re- quire at least l.W lore lots of land, but 240 less, 150, leaves 90 remaining unoccupied, so that the reserves would in that time be called for. This supposition is placing the matter in the most disadvantageous point of view, because many of the unoccupied lots belong either to the inhabitants of the same township or other individuals, who, knowing the value of lands in the midst of a populous settlement, hold them high, so that the Company would in all probabi- lity sell the reserves mucli sooner than is here (jUEHins. ANSWEnS. What is the cause of that dif- ference which all travellers have remarked between the United States and Canada, where the soil and climate are so similar : in the former every thing is re- presented as alive, active, and prosperous; in the latter, all dull and languid ? anticipated, being satisfied with a moderate pro- tit. In fine, were a little capital thrown mto the province, and tlie ])ublie attention drawn to- wards it, liuuis woulil rise four-fold, and \et be cheap to the actual settler, as the produce would rise in proportion, from the rapid ad- vancement of commerce, of enterjirize, and in- crease of a circulating medium. This (juestion admits of a most satisfi'.ctory answer. Upper Canada was settled first oy refugees from the United States after the peace of 17^3, all of whom were destitute and wholly without capital ; every ace ssion of inhabitants has been nearly of the same descrij)tion. Whatever wealth is to be found in the provi.ice has been made entirely from the soil : never yet has one single capitalist come into the coiuitry, purchased a large tract of land, built mills, made roads, and, as the Americans say, prepared it for set- tlement. The consequence has been apparent languor, compared with the neighbouring States, many persons becoming comfortable, but never acquiring great capitals : but in the American States, the late Sir William Pulteney for exam- ple, the Holland Company, Mr. Parish, Mr. Le Roy, and a thousand others, purchased large tracts, spent many hundred thousand dollars in their preparation for location, sold at high prices, and after a few years, recovered the ca- pital laid out seven-fold. The same may be done in Canada at this moment, and with the certainty of speedier returns than the speculators on the other side, as the population of Can-.da is much greater than the parts of the country were, where they commenced their operations. 10 Queries ansioered by Ike Right Reverend Father Macdonell, Bishop of Rhoesina. QUERIES. What do you conceive would be the most effectual mode of encouraging emigrants possess- ed of a little capital to settle in Canada, independent of the cheapness of the land ? Suppose a Company were ii^rmed in England for this pur- pose, what would be the sources of income, or the return for the capital so invested ? What is the cause of that dif- ference whicli all travellers have remarked between the United States and Canada, where the soil and climate are so similar : in tlie former every thing is represented as alive, active, and prosperous; in the latter, all dull and languid in comparison ? ANSWEUS. Weue twenty or thirty acres cleared in lots of 200 acres, it would be a great inducement to tliat class of emigrants to sit down at once in Canada; but certain)/ the most efficacious way of inducing emigrants to go to Canada and re- main in the country, would be to help tliem with the means of clearing the lands and settling tlicmselves. The Company sliould Iiave lands on easy terms from Government; it should agree with settlers to take those lands at a certain regulated price, and assist the settlers to clear tliem in the American way ; taking an obligation from the settler to repay the money advanced, and the price of the land, within a certain period of years. Thus the difference between the price paid by the Company to Government, and the price which the Company would receive from the settlers, would in my opinion constitute a very rational source of return to the Company. In the United States the lands are ! ought in large tracts by speculators, men of capital. The first thing those gentlemen do, is to open roads in different directions, through the tracts which they purchase, and to build mills in favorable situations, thus attracting settlers to their lands; and by disposing of lots along the roads and in advantageous situations, giving encouragement to build villages. These speculators help the new settlers with loans, &c., and do not give them titles to the land till such time as they have fulfilled the condition, and have repaid the capital with interest of the money advanced to them. When it happens, as it sometimes does, that the settlers fail in their engagements, the lands revert to the speculators willi all the improvements made on them, and then are in a condition to II QUERIES. ANSWKIIS. But you have said that there are no speculators with capital in Canada, similar to the Ameri- cans : of what avail then will it be, that these waste lands are brought to sale, when the energy is wanting that is required to animate the country? Do you know any thing of the Pulteney Lands on the Ame- rican side of the St. Lawrence ? bring a much better price trom the next that desires to purchase them. As the tracts are thus improved, the lots which were at first considcrcil of little value by settlers, are gradually made more valuable, in- somuch that those which remain longest in the hands of the speculators, generally bring the greatest prices. Now, on the other hand, with regard to Canada, the crown and clergy reserves, and the concessions granted to military claim- ants, keep more than three-fourths of the whole province in a state of nature, and deprive the settler of the assistance of his neighbours in making bridges and roads, to bring his produce to market, and from the towns such things as his family requires ; prevent mills and other accommodations from being erected; thus cramp- ing the exertions of the settlers ; insomuch that many after clearing the lands and working for years on them, abandon them in despondency. If those obstructions, of which 1 have spoken, were removed, and the lands free to be sold, capitalists would soon rise to render them profit- able subjects of speculation. I do even conceive that men of capital would come from England and Europe, and deal in the American manner with those lands : besides, the natural progress of the agricultural population of the province would create a market ; for it may be justly said, that the ycjuth of Canada all aspire to become possessors of land, and there are no spots so desirable as those very reserves which are a dead weight on the prosperity of the province. Yes: I had an opportunity many years ago of reading the correspondence of the agent of Sir W. Pulteney, respecting those settlements. From that correspondence it appeared that the progress of their operations were, as 1 have described the process of the American speculators. It also ap- peared thatSir W. Pulteney and his associates had laid out large sums of money, perhaps as much as sixty or eighty tiiousand pounds in building inns and mills ; and making roads and bridges before 1'^ quehies. ANSWEIIS. they got much !Ctmr,. l)iil now tlic lands, which were nut woitli hall' a dollar an acre -' ■■ ; ,, when they began their operations, arc worth on ■; .t,; an average from tliirty to forty dollars an acre. How long had these opera- Tliere was very little return made for the first tions been going on before the eight or ten years. The retmn for the succeed- lands came to make so great a ing five was considerable, and the profit has since return ? continued to increase in a prodigious ratio, quite incalculable. Do you conceive if similar undertakings were instituted in Canada, that similar results would follow from them ? ' What are those superior natu- ral facilities ? I think that the results would be quite equal ; for the natural facilities in Canada are more fi;ivorable than those on the American side. The great channel of internal navigation, the St. Lawrence, from Montreal to Amherstburg, a distance of nearly 800 miles, might be rendered navigable for vessels coming across the Atlantic, and steam boats, by cutting a canal, first, from the Cascades to Cotau du Lac a distance of thirteen miles, and from Cornwall to the head of the rapid Pla*^. a distance of forty miles, and from Burlington Bay at tiie head of Lake Ontario to the mouth of the grand river that flows into Lake Erie, a distance of about thirty miles. Government is excavating a canal to avoid the great rapids of the Ottowa, and besides these, the whole country is intersected by streams and lakes in a maniicr quite peculiar to itself, afford- ing the mean^ of inland navigation in every direction. Queries ansiaercd by William Gilkison, Esq. long resident in Upper Canada. QUKRIES. ANSWERS. What is the average cost per Lands uncleared of their standing timber acre of clearing land in Upper and brushwood, (not of roots,) including fencing, Canada in favourable situations, for the average price f)f about seventy-five and in what may be called un- shillings per acre. favourable situations y It )>< inimnicrial lo the l;ii)i)iuer whore the 13 «iLT.Uirs. What is the average value of land, generally, per acre, after it has been cleared ? What would be the difference in comparative value of a lot of 200 acres in a state of nature, and the same lot where fifty acres slwU have been cleared ? What would be the value of a lot of 200 acres cleared, with a house, &c. thereon ? in what districts do you con- sider the most desirable reserved lands to be situated, bearing in mind that the enquiry is made with referaice to operations on a large scale ? land may be situatcil, but the quality of its timber fixes the rate. Lands covered with oak, ash, elm, hickory, or maple, and the like, are the most easily cleared, and may be called favour- able : those with white pine, cedar &c. unfa- vourable. There are but few lots (lots consist of '200 acres,) cleared of more than half its limber ; and when sales or valuations are made, this is done by average of the whole quantity in the lot : their price varies according to situation and state of buildings. Average may be ^50/. I have about 2000 acres in a state of nature, some of them exceedingly well situated, which I would not sell under 15,y. an acre ; but tracts of land have been sold for 3s. an acre. Last winter 1 sold 200 acres in the township of Cornwall, with a house and barn on it, for 420/. This farm had been several yer-s in the market; it had sixty acres of cleared land, but no fence. A 200 acres lot, is in no case ever cleared of more than half of its timber. The value, taking it with the first houses, barns, &c., may be estimated at, from 250 to 300/. The answer to this query up])lie3 to land settled within eight years, during which tiie first buildings are sel- dom changed. It is impossible to give a satisfiictory answer to this query. A reference to the Surveyor General's maps, &c., and to the field notes of his deputies, can alone be relied on. I have always heard the districts of Niagara, Gore, and Mid- land District, named as containing the most valuable of the crown and clergy reserves. 14 CANALS. "TlieinliabitantsofLoworCanailii proposeto render the navigation of St. Law- rence uninterrupted, by cutting canals at those places where the rapids impede it. This is quite practicable ; but I fear there are not wealth and public spirit enough in the two j)rovinces for such an arduous undertaking. I say the two provinces, because the inhabitants of both would in an equal degree be benefited by any improvement in the navigation of that river, which ministers in so great a degree to their mutual convenience and prosperity. However, an incorporated company have lately undertaken to cut a canal between Montreal and La Chine> the expense of which is estimated at 80,000/, sterling. It will be about eleven miles in length, and will receive a supply of water from the St. Lawrence. The trade between Upper and Lower Canada is at present so great, that the stock- holders in the concern confidently believe, that a large dividend will become duo to thenj in the course of three or four years after the canal has been completed." Howison's Sketches of Upper Canada, page 3. " The canal between La Chine and Montreal is advancing towards its com- pletion. But the most important measure is that projected in Upper Canada, for uniting the lakes Ontario and Erie by means of a navigable canal. A meeting of the merchants of Upper Canada took place at York on the '1th of March. (1821.) The design and general utility of the proposed measure were explained. All the persons present subscribed liberally for the stock *, and we hope the projected communication will be carried into effect on a scale proportionate to its import- ance, and that it will be made sufficiently large and commodious to admit vessels capable of navigating the lakes. The falls of Niagara form the only obstruction to navigation from the St. Lawrence to the head of lake Superior, a distance not very far short of fifteen hundred miles. " But in order to give full efiect to these measures of improvement the great object yet remains. This is to remove the obstructions which at present inter- rupt the course of the St. Lawrence between Montreal and lake Ontario. The whole distance is about one hundred and eighty miles: but vessels of some burthen already descend to Prescot about sixty miles below the lake, thus reducing the distance to be improved, to about one hundred and twenty miles. There is not sufficient capital in the Provinces to enable them of themselves to engage in an undertaking of such magnitude. But at a time when Great Britain is over- flowing with unemployed capital, it is not surely too much to hope that a part may be devoted to this useful purpose ; more especially since there never was a project so capable of realizing views of profit, or so far removed from the chances of failure. * By titc la«t accounts it uppcars that their example had been generally followed throughout butli provinces. «« The inhnd seas of America, exteiuUngin a line fifteen luimlred miles long, into the very iieart of the continent, connecting its remotest i)arts with each other, surronnded by c-juntries of great fertility, al)0\ o all, affording, by the depth of their waters, uninterrupted navigation, have but one outlet — the St. Lawrence. To improve the navigation of this river, therefore, is to facilitate the intercourse of Great Britain with the vast regions of the interior — it is to enable the inhabi- tants to export their produce with less difficulty, and at a cheaper rate, to her markets, and to receive in return her manufactured goods at a less price. " The Americans, in order to secure as large a share as j)ossible of the advant- ages we speak of, are cutting a canal three hundred and fiftv-three miles in length, from lake Erie to Albany, whence goods are conveyed down the Hudson to New York, a distance of one hundred and eighty miles, in vesseJs. But such are the superior advantages possessed by the St. Lawrence, that were the ob- structions which at present interrupt the navigation of that rive omoved, nothing could prevent us from engrossing the whole commerce of the lakes, and render- ing Quebec and Montreal, as they are by nature intended to be, the great en- trepots for the commerce of the interior.'" •' That the trade of Canada is at present sufficiently great to cover the expense of the proposed undertaking, there can be no doubt, and still less that tiiose who engage in it might reasonably look for additional returns from the increased trade which would be the inevitable result of its completion. At present batteaux are ten days in ascending from Montreal to Kingston. Were the obstructions which now impede navigation removed, there can be no reason assigned why the same distance should not be accomplished, either by steam boats or other vessels, in one-fourth of that time. The expense of transporting goods would be diminished in the same proportion : so that tolls sufficiently high to make a handsome return for the capital invested, would be scarcely felt. The tolls on the New York Ca- Bal, fiom Buffaloe on lake Erie to Albany, if we are correctly informed, will amount to about 5 dollars per ton. The canal, according to statements recently laid before the New York legislature, will cost 7,5(>7,'^71 dollars. • The interest of this sum, at five per cent, is 379,803 dollars : so that the transport of 75,000 tons of goods will be sufficient to make a return of five per cent, to the stock- holders. " Proceeding upon similar data, and supposing that the projected improve- ments on the St. Lawrence would cost G00,000/. the interest of this sum would be 30,000/. To secure the speculators from loss, therefore, the transport of 40,000 tons, reckoning the tolls at \5s. per ton, would be re(|uired. Now by statements before us, it appears that in the year 1823, there were imported into Canada 132,G3t tons of goods, and exported 138,219 tons, of which full one- half, or about 135,000 tons, must have been transported on the St. Lawrence. There can be no doubt, therefore, but that the trade of Canada, even in its pre- sent state, is sufiiciently great to cover a much larger expenditure than that which the projected improvements would demand." Coluuial Register, No. L Maijim^. * The far greater part of tlic stock is held by British capitalistg. 11 H ifi Summary VicK of the COMMERCE of Loxicr Cuiimla for the Year [ii2ri. TRADK. " The number of vessels built tliis year is only one more tlia>i the last ; in tons •in access of 351. Tiiis branch of commerce, for which we arc so advantageously situatetl, is not carried on to the extent which niiglit be expected. It is perhaps not generally known, that in New-Brunswick, at the Port of St. John's alone, in the same period, 4'2 ships, i)rigsand schooners, earring 80U2tons, were registered. Our winters, in which many of the labouring classes are idle, and therefore labour is low, would lead us to think, that they might be built as cheap here as any where: but individual interest, where capital exists, is always the best judge of such speculation. We are glad to find liiat something more in tiiis way is likely to be done this season. " On comparing the imports of dutiable merchandise, we find them somewhat greater this year than last, and in reality, from the depreciation in value of most of the articles, they must have exceeded in quantity those of last year. This increase may be attributed to the progress of our population, which doubles in every twenty years. The Revenue, owing to the operation of the 3d Geo. IV. Chap. 119, or Canada Trade Act, must have been materially increased. *« The value of all imported merchandise, however, is greater last year than this, by 5,3231. 2s. — this year's amounting to 737,596/. 7*. 4>d. and last year's being 742,919/. 95. W. " Of Wines — the importation of such as i:re in greatest demands, exceeds that of last year by 84,31 (i gallons, a very unusual thing, we suppose, being more than double that of last year. The 3d Geo. IV. Chap. 45, permitting the importation of wines direct from foreign parts, luider much more iavourable circumstances than heretofore, may account for this, whicli however, is not a fair criterion of the consumption, but may be the consequence of speculation in a new channel. As a corroboration of this, the last year's importation of French wines was only 4925 gallons — that of this year is 27,lGO gallons. " In Brandy, probably from the same cause, the increase has been marked : the importation of last year being 14,301 gallons only, and that of this year 59,308 gallons ; an increase of about ^75 per cent. " In Rum, — the decrease is 317,278 gallons, or about 25 per cent, this year's importation amounting to 970,2G5 gallons, and last year's to 1,287,543 gallons. " In Sugar, — the difference is not worthy of notice. " In Teas, — the importation of last year was 131,379 lbs, ; of this year it is only 70,925 lbs. ; forming but an inconceiveably small portion of the actual con- sumption of the country. This subject, we arc glad to see, has attracted the at- tention of the Legislatures of both Provinces, and some remedy to an evil equally 17 detrimental to the interests of the Motlier Country and the Colony mav be looked lor iu consequence. " h\ Molasses,— tiierc is about tliree hundred per cent, ia favour of last y ear'i iuiportatiou." — Colunial liegiitcr. EXPENSE OF CLEARING, " Waste land may be completely cleared and fenced at the rate of 4/. per acre ; however, if the quantity is large, and tlic work contracted for, the cost will not be so great. Farm-labourers, if hiretl by the day, receive from three shillings to four shillings and sixpence, exclusive of board. A man's wages arc 3/. per month, besides board ; but if he is hired by the year, lie receives less in proportion. Women servants can hardly be procured, and they generally receive eighteen shil- lings or a guinea a month. A moderately good horse costs 20/. or 251. ; a yoke of oxen the same sum ; a good cow from 51. to 7/, ; a sheep is. (id. ; a large sow 2/. ; and other domestic animals in proportion. Wiieat averages 4*. 61/. a bushel ; rye 4.?, ; oats 1a-. lOd. ; buck-wheat 3s. ; Indian corn 3.?. ; j)otatoes '2s. ; apples 2.5. Gd. ; hay, per ton, 2/. When farms are rented, it is generally upon shares. The tenant is furnished with horses, oxen, and agricultural utensils by the owner, who receives one-third or one-half of the whole produce, as may have been agreed upon. This system is tolerably equitable, it being for the interest of both parties that as much land as possible should be laid down in crop." Howison's S/cetches, page 250. " Notwithstanding the quantity of lubour necessary in clearing a piece of land, the first crop seldom fliils to aftbrd a return, more than sufficient to repay all that has been expended. The clearing, fencing, sowing, harrowing, and harvesting an acre of waste land will cost about 51. 5s. The produce is usually about twenty- five bushels of wheat, which on an average are woi tli Gl. After the land has been in crop, its cultivation beco .les mucli less expensive. The cost of nuttnig in a second crop (ploughing being then necessary), will not exceed 2/. per acre, while the produce will amount to perhaps thirty-five or forty bushels ; thus aflfording a clear profit of from 4/. 15s. to 61. Ws, after 1/. 10^-. has been deducted for harvest- ing and threshing." Howison's Sketches, page 265. WANT OF CAPITAL. " Money is so difficult to procure, that almost all the farmers are obliged to pay those they hire with grain of some kuid, which being unsaleable, those who receive it are obliged to bartiM- it away with loss for any thing else Uiey mav K 18 re(|uire. He who lias a little money at conimaml in Upper Canada will possess many advantages. lie will get Iiis work done at a clicajjer rate tlian otlicr people who have none ; and, in making purchases, will often obtain a large dis- count from the seller. A third cause of the high wages of labourers is the exorbitant rate at which all merchandise of British manufacture is sold in Upper Canada, the retail prices of such being, on an average, l.'iO per cent, higlier than they are in ^Iritain. The different articles of wearing apparel cost nearly twice as much U6 they do on the other side of the Atlantic, and are of very inferior quality." IIowisoN's-S^e/cZ/e*, page 251. MEANS OF DISPOSING OF PRODUCE. " When the farmer is able to raise a larger quantity of produce than is required for the support of his family, there are several ways in which he may dispose of the surplus. In many new settlements the influx of emigrants is so great as to pro- duce a demand for grain more than equal to the supply. In Talbot Road, the average price of wheat has of late years been 4.9. 6d. per bushel, whi'e in most other parts of the country it was selling for 3s. and 3s. Gd. ; shewing evidently, that the farmer will sometimes find the best market at his own door. But should there be no demand of this kind, he may carry his produce to the merchants. They will give him in exchange, broad-cloth, implements of husbandry, gro- ceries, and every sort of article that is necessary for his family, and, perhaps, even money, at particular times. He will likewise often have it in his power to barter wheat for live stock of different kinds, and can hardly fail to increase his means, altliough without a regular market for his surplus produce, if he gets initiated into the system of traffic prevalent in the country." Howi son's Sketclies, page 268. LOG-HOUSES. «' The usual dimensions of a house are eighteen feet by sixteen. Tiie roof is cover jd with bark or sliingles, and the floor with rough-hewn -flanks, the inter- stices between the logs that compose the walls being filled up with pieces of wood and clay. Stones are used for the back of the fire-place, and a hollow cone of coarse basket-work does the office of a chimney. The whole cost of a habitation of this kind will not exceed 12/., supposing the labourers had been paid for erect- ing it; but as almost every person can have much of the work Aoni^ gratis, the expense will not perhaps amount to more than 51. or G/." Howisons's Sketches, page 262. w •a 2 '^i>r^'3X-»'00 °3 5* . •^ >-< rH l-H »H f^ 1^ S|SJ ■«a< s 3 i>-(S»oo ".-J as n o cj \^ 2 a =^ =^" «" « « e^" '^'" ^ It^ r::'^ ^ 4 ^ 4 "O t>. 50^-0 50 CO O •* -O O Declai and Manui •^a0rfoOOi- ■* o i>o 00 MViMMMa^M^'-at , CJ « OJ O O Oi -1 X o ^ T3 a f •< rH Pi c3 . 2 -5^<«Tf<-fiX'«f»0Oi-i 2 -3 o c) .0»OOJ>J>r-r^C5CO X •g -5 rH _ rt ■' M v 'S s SS JQ'S® :? 2?^ "^ o •a > ■a '3 5E 1 o x^ c» t^ o< eo 6 o» S ^ -o Ci x" oT x" CO* ■*" '*;" X ;2 oojopcocjco-o^LS 'O^CXCOO^OO'SJ^r^ « O - a 5s "oVJOrHTfiXOilOO^O «2 g" .xi>(5.c<(K0»^ 3-T ^ '-< 1— ( 1— ( rH §^ s-g C'di-Hcocci'oxcioo !?•- '-•'Ci^O'OOX-Oio O c t-; X^ X^ -^ 0*^ ^ X «0 IS- s^ Tt< ".-i X o o »o X -o Cs if. ^ 2 O <-• CO OS too i><0 -^o t>. «'"^ 1-H &( o 2 o ^Ot^0*®<0>— y-lOr-l S • ^ fl .-1 t^oor^o>'?5*OGiocj oj cd ^^^ >i ^ t>©» X CO >oo o^ t^^XX'fCO-^o/ti .2'^ G ci, "^^ "^ ^ ^« "^^ -^"-^ ^- ^ ^C23 t^o c^« x"-o"tC Efi '^S^2t^!3irtocif^ o 'HO'COQOOO'O^OO^ S bo§ 0{>XO>0»-(©J50->fi xxxxxxxxx a> o Si s o ■^ rn 0» 3 X o f-l «s ^ o « 2§ 9^ yo VALUK OF LAND. In Upper Caiiiida, waste land varies 'u value according to its situation. Near villages, and pojjuloiis parts of the country, its price is from i-l. to 8/. an acre; however, when it lies remote from any settlement, and has no |)articular local ad- vantages, it may sometimes be pmchased in tracts at the rate of two or three sliil- lings an acre. Cultivated land sells much higher, particularly when bought in small (piantities, its price being then sometimes '-'()/. or 30/. per acre. A liuiii containing two hundred acres, thirty of which are under cultivation, and :i log- house and barn, may be purchased for QMl. in the Talbot Settlement, where the majority of British emigrants now take up their residence. A farm of similar extent, situated any where iipoti the frontier, l)etwecii Niagara village and Fort Erie, could not be bought tor less than eight or nine hundred pounds. In the back settlenients, farms are always for sale at prices much lower than any I have mentioned ; but tlve disadvantages incidental to their situation render them not very desirable for any person. In many of the villages of Ui)pcr Canada, lots containing half an acre sell for 50/. or()0/.; and the lands in their immediate vicinity often bear a proportionably high value. IIowison's Sicklies, page 'ilS. The man who bought eight or ten thousand pounds >vorth of land, would derive no revenue from it for perhaps as many (eight or ten) years. The persons to whom he sold it out in small portions, at a very advanced rate, ])robably would not be able to pay any part of tiie price, until they had cleared and frequently cropped it, and thus gained sometliing by their labours } but the speculator would secure himself all the time, by not granting a deed to any settler, until he had paid the amount of his purchase. When money did begin to flow in, he would receive a return not only equal to the interest of the capital he had laid out, but triple or quadruple the amount of the capital itself. Howison's Sketches, page QTJS, % Additional Queries ansxvercd by Dr. Stuaciian and Mr. Robinson. QUE11IE8. ANSWEttS. What is the average cost per acre of clearing land in Upper Canada, in favourable and un- favourable situations ? About 1/. sterling. At present mp.ny farmers save nearly half of this expence, by preserving and selling their aihes ; and the first crop is generally considered to pay the clearing. In the labour of clearing, how ^ good chopper will cut down the timber in long time would it require, as the six or seven days ; to log and clear up the acre work is commonly performed, requite a yoke of oxen, and four men for a day, forone man to clear an acre; and or a day and a half; the whole reduced to the how long, and how many men, labour of a single man, may be reckoned at according to the usage, would twenty days work. '^ require to dear fifty acres r" Q\ Wliat is the average value of land, generally, per acre, after it lias been cleared ? What would be the diHerence ■" comparative value of a lot of 1200 acres, in a state of nature, and the same lot when 50 acres shall have been cleared? .\.N^wi;it.s. This dej)cnds entirely on situation. It would not in some places be worth the expcnce of clearing, did not the first crop commonly defray this expence. This also dejiends ujioii situation. At pre- sent every thing is rather dull ; generally speak- ing, the lot worth .W acres cleared, would treble its original value. How much may the cost be A comfortable log-house. may be built for ot a farm house, constructed for 20/., or 25/. a lot of 200 acres? What would be the value of a lot of 200 acres, cleared with houses, &c. thereon ? In what districts do you con- sider the most desirable reserves to be situated, bearing in mind, that the enquiry is made with reference to operations on a large scale ? No distinct answer can be given to this ques- tion. Some farms have been sold for one thousand pounds, and at various prices down to 200/. Every thing depends upon the soil, situ- ation, and value of produce. The London district, containing perhaps thirty townships, the crown reserves of which, after allowing for such as may be under lease, contain about 250,000 acres. \Vhat would you considers The answer to this question, cannot be dis- nricdcratc and fair price for tinctly given, as no reserves have ever been sold • tliem, were an individual ap- but high prices have been given for a transfer of plying to buy lots of these a lease, reserves? Additional Queries answered hij the Right Reverend Bishop Macdonell. QUERIES. ANSWERS. What do you \now of the There has been an attempt made in Upper roads opened in T pper Canada? Canada to open a line of road from York to tlie boundary of the province, tonrhinn' Lower Ca- nada. The line has, in tact, been opened, but •es.' UUKUibS. What other roacU are there in Upper Canada ? Do you know, however, of your own knowledge, what effect the opening of any of these roads had on the value of land ? ANSWKKS. the road is not yet well made; wheel carnages, however. gD in every j)art of it. The distance is not less than three hundred miles. From the same boundary to river de Lisle, in the lower province, a distance of seven miles, the roail lias never been completed, owing to impedi- ments thrown in tiie way by Mons. Bocheau, of New Longuille. A line of road has been opened, but not com- plcteil, from the St. Lawrence to the Ottawa, through the townships of Charlottenburgli, Locheil and Treadwell seigniory ; another line has been lately opened through tlie Indian re- serve in Charlottenburgli, all the way to Plan- tagenet. A third line has been opened from IVescot, to the ''.ideau and Richmond settle- ments. A fourth from IJrockville to the Pei.\ settlement, along the Ottowa from Vaudruil, in the lower province to Treadwell seigniory, through Hawksbury, there is another road. There is also a road opened from Perth settle- ment to Kingston : likewise from York to Lake Simco, a very good road ; and from York to Nagara, and from Niagara to fort Erie, the road is open. After the roads were opened and improved, the lands were considered, in the eastern district, and along the roads, to have doubled in value : there might be local circumstances which con- tributed to this immediate increase of value j but undoubtedly the main cause was, the open- ing of the roads. Robert Gillespie, Esq. who has resided many years in Canada, on being ap- plied to for information relative to different points, returned for answer, as to the expence of clearing land: — " The general expence of clearing wild land in Canada is about 12 dollars per acre." ;:y , As to tliu usage with respect to cultivation : — •• I believe two and a half to three bushels (Winchester) arc generally sown per acre. I am not aware that seed is ever lent for a premium in kind, but know that settlements are frequently done in this way— the seed is found, the house is built by the proprietor, and the tenant has half the produce, with the understanding that he goes on an adjacent lot, clearing as he can Jor himself, which lot he has granted to him. A great part of the difflculties experienced by new settlers arises liom the want of some sort of habitation, and of food for the two first years." Extracts from the Evidence attached to the Fmt Report of the Committee of the House of Assembly of Lower Canada, relative to the Crown Lands, The Honourable James Cuthmkrt examined. Question. What is your opinion of the density oi' the population of the settled part of the Seigniories ? Answer. The population in the old Seigniories is very dense, and in my division of Militia in 18()i., there were from nine hundred to one tliousand Militiamen, and in 18^0, twenty-four luintlred men above sixteen years of age. Q. I imderstand you have travelled in Europe and the United States of America, did you ever observe an agricultural population so dense as that of this Province ? A. In no country where I have travelled, have I met with such a dense Agricultural Population as in this country, except in French Flanders and Brabant. The Honourable Roderick M'Kenzie examined. Q. Is there any, and what number of British Emigrants settled in the manors or lordships in the District of Montreal, and if so, when did the said settlements take place, and are the settlers satisfied with the said tenure? A. I am not prepared to state the number of British Emigrants settled upon Seigniories in the District of Montreal. Several hundreds have applied to me within three years, but it was not in my power, however desirous I might be, to encourage them. Still settlements are of late forming on the banks of the L'Chigan, both in the Seigniories of Terrebonne and La Chenaie. Spirited and independent Emigrants, (some of whom have travelled far and near for a home) take farms at all hazards, as fast as the land can be surveyed, and roads can admit. " I. Tlic Reveuenu Mu. Dk.mers, Superior ottlie .Seminary of Quebec, examined. Q. What are "^^lic causes which have prevented His Majesty's Canadian sub- jects from settling the huuls in free and common sockage? A. One of the principal causes, is thewantof pecuniary means of purchasing land.s and afierwards clearing them. I do not think there is now to be procured in the townships, a tract adequate to the support of a family tor less than 100/. *vlr. Philemom WiuGHT, of Hull, in Lower Canada, examined. I have resided in this country twenty-three years. Previous tO' residing in this country, I resided in the province of Massachusetts ; I was induced to come in this country, by the proclamation of General Clarke, which held forth the prospect of obtaining lands, to persons desirous of investing Capital in land, and under their form of Government. Q. Did you obtain a grant of any and what waste lands of the Crown, and at what time ? A. I was leader for a quarter of a township. Ten of un obtained a patent for twelve hundred acres each. I surveyed the whole of the township of Hull, wherein these lamls were situated, being a township of 8'21''2y acres. I got the Order in Council, on the 25d March 18U0, the patent was issued in 180G. Q. At what expcnce was this survey made f A. I cannot speak to the exact amount of the expencc, it could not be less than 700/. The expenses were greatly increased by the remoteness of that town- ship from any other settlement, being at a distance therefrom of not less than 80 miles. This survey contained the concession lines as well as the outlines, and I have not yet been reimbursed by the other grantees of the other three-fourths of this township, for their proportion of this expence. Q. What portion of the land given to your associates, remained in their hands ? A. The agreement between me and my associates was, that 1 should pay out of my own pocket all the expences of survey, of patent fees and travelling ex- penses, in consideration whereof, they were to assign to me 1000 acres each, out of the 1^00 assigned to them, which was accordingly done. Q. What is the number of acres of ground cleared, in your hands and in the hands of your sons ? A. About three thousand acres. Q. In what state have been and are now the roads and highways in the township of Hull, how and in what manner have they been made, kept up, and repaired ? - A. When I first settled in the township of Hull, there was not a single tree cut down. I have opened all the roads with some assistance, to make it possible for my people to pass and repass. One stone causeway in particular, cost me above one thousand pounds. The total of the amount of money, spent by me and some of my neighbours upon these roads, for the twenty years past, amounts to '^HWh ly.v. ()500J 37800 3'20(KK) 318t00'M-5000| 1 1 1137 (i910oi 12100 45000 1 1 226(X) 47700 456 '2'27W\ 11200 8800 11200 13500 Amounting to Annual Average, IJusli. Wheat, 1,367,700 195,386 libls. Flour. Cwt. Biscuit. 197,637 67,856 '2H,'23S 9,69t Barley, oats, and peas, near the average of the ten years, ending in 1802 ; flax seed less : the previous ten years give an average on seven years of two mil- lions two hundred and seventy-five thousand bushels of wheat, and two hundred and twenty-seven thousand barrels of flour. I consider fi-om the resoui cos of Canada alone. The difference now I ascribe to the great cncrease of population and the stationary state of cultivation. Biscuit, first ten years is nearly doubled, to that of last seven years in proportion. The soil and climate of Canada come the nearest of any part of the world we are acquainted with, to those of the hemp countries of Europe : the judicious and extensive introduction of that article would be a mine of wealtii to this country, and there would be a certainty, under the fostering assistance of the most bene- ficent of all governments, of a constant demand and liberal prices. The hoiii t and innocent peasantry of this country most unfortunately have a dislike to coi n spirits : until the manufacturing and consumption of this, is gene- rally introduced, there will be a want of demand for the native grain ; this branch of bu.siness would afford employment to many hands, and the offals is the best feed for bestial : let us look to the United States, to Great Britain or Ireland, and the other eastern or corn countries in l']uropc, and there we see how this branch I 28 aids the operations of i he cultivator of the ground, and in Upper Canada the j)e()i)lc may now be said to deny themselves the use of foreign spirits, not by legal enactment, butby tlieir patriotism and good sense, in finding a home market for their grain by distillation and brewing. If live thousand puncheons of good whisky were annually made in Lower Canada, the country would be independent of foreign demand for grain, which is at the best precarious, and this quantity is not half of our yearly supply of rum now-a-days. Tlie manufiicture of barley into beer and spirits, of late years, I estimate from forty to fifty thousand minots, and did not, at any period, reach one hundred thousand minots. The C^ensus taken in 17iSt is as follows: Nmnlicr S 3 «;! >0 04 •* |5 !t5 8 S. ■sootmoj JO si'Tpna § 8 8 8 8 1 § 1 S 8 r-4 tr •sua,! puB i o o o o p o o m O 0» CO Ji Sj O « « -H 01 ^ Oi i 1 1 )sBi 'iB.iiiA^ JO sioiisng i 1 i § i i 1 i i § i 5 •A\()p«.ii\; puH ii3no((X 'itMiuoAoaduij j.iimn A\ou soj.iy JO a.Kiuinx s § g S g 13 8 5 8 8 5 1^ • -< •op 'u,ixo JO -"N CM 0) Oi o o> •* Ol « « 04 01 * •> •op 's,vvo3 JO -o^ CO oi ■* 04 04 e» — o» ■♦ ■* 04 8 •op'uMOJO •"N O 04 s o a. o oo ■BOAIWN O.TOl.I tVl\s\ JO Dutchess County, State of ^ o o o o J!. 5 a'v o ga a a a a ss^^^^^ Dutchess County, State of N. York Ditto Ditto •siuspissy JO samuN o jMichael Stover. Fred. Stover. Adam Stover. Sears Mold. Sam. Cornwell. Elias Moore. John Syple. 1 •c u (3 M 1 1 Peter De Long. Peter M'Lees. i 1 ;)ii ■ c;iIAKAC:TEil OF THE COUNTRY. « Canada is a country suscept!' 'f f' iirimense improvement. Its navigable rivers are numerous, and its lakes ol >- extent unknown in other i)arts of the world. Both offer a quick and easy coimnunication between the different parts of the province. A few short canals would render the country accessible by water in all directions. Its plains are fertile ; and tliough tlie greater part are still covered with wood, they must one day submit to tiie hand of industry, and support a numerous population. Tiie country is in general rather level than otherwise, yet every river affords falls, and some of tlicm sufficient to drive the heaviest machinery." Bell's Hints to Emigrants, [)age l?^- " To whatever part of the i)rovincc settlers intend to go, they should push forward as quick as possible, as tliose x/ho come last have always the disadvantage of going farthest back in the woods. Those, however, who purchase or rent lands In tiie improved parts of the country, succeed tar better than tliose who at first plunge into the forest, and engage in employments, the nature of winch they do not understand. The manner of renting a farm in this country is gene- rally this : the landlord, besides the land and houses, finds cows, horses, farming utensils, and perhajjs seed for the first year y the tenant does all the labour, and the produce of the farm is divided between them in such proportion as shall have been agreed upon, generally equally. This is a good plan for emigrants, at first, as even though they should afterwards go into the woods, and take land of their own, they will then have some knowledge of the mode of agriculture practised in the country, and will have some stock to begin with on their own farms. " Emigrants ought at first, if possible, to purchase or rent land on which some improvement has been made. Few, indeed, are able to purchase ; for most of the settlers that go out there are at first poor : but, if they have any ready money at all, a farm may now be obtained at a very low rate, even lower than the ir.iprovement cost. Farms containing 100 acres may be l)ouglit at from 50 to 100 dollars, according to their situation and goodness. But they should be cautious about buying land upon a location ticket, that is, without a deed. Bell's Hints, page Sll-. " A township or parish is generally about len miles square ; it is divided by lines into twelve parts or concessions, and each of these parts into twenty -seven lots ; each lot containing 200 acres, except the last, which contains only 100. Ordinary settlers formerly received each 200 acres ; but since the last war they usually receive 100. Every seventh lot is set apart for the support of the church, and is called a clergy reserve. The clergy connected with the church of England form a corporation for the management of these lots, and lease them for twenty-one years whenever they can find tenants ; but as most of them lie waste, they aie great hindrance to the improvement of the country. Bell'a- Hints, page 73. " Upper Canada, though more elevated than the lower province, yet, being more to the south, possesses a milder climate ; and, in consequence, offers better encouragement to agricultural pursuits. The first settlers being discharged 31 sol.liers anil loyalists, who liud lands assitrncd tluMii at tlio end of the first American war, settled along the north bank of the St. Lawrence, ahont forty years ixao. Since that time the population has received accessions every year of eniitfranfs, both from Great Britain and the United States. From the fljrmer, indeed, it received few, till within the last eight years, being overlooked as a place of little or no importance; but of late many thousands, who could well be spared from iiome, settled upon its plains, and are now employing their energies with advan- tage, both to themselves and their country. The English language is, of course, generally s])oken through the province. " York is the seat is of government, and has already a.ssumed the appearance of a town, though it was laid out only in IJ'Jl- It was taken, and partly burnt, by the Americans during the late war. Its population is something short of 1J)00, though some travellers have represented it as amounting to ni --e than twice that number. The town stands on a plain, at the head of a bay, on the north shore of Lake Ontario. It is 175 miles west from Kingston, and 375 from Montreal. It contains a handsome building, lately erected, for the accommodation of the two houses of Assembly. The country in the neighbourhood is well cultivated, and sujiplies its market with abundance of provisions at a moderate rate. " Kingston, which is situated at the outlet of Lake Ontario, though not the seat of government, is both the oldest and the largest town in the province. It is built on a point of land formed by a bay on the one side, and the lake on the other. It was laid out in 1784, and contains, in 1823, a population of 2(X)0, besides the garrison. The houses are mostly built of limestone, which is found in the neighbourhood in the greatest abunda.nce, and of an excellent quality. When first dug, it is of an azure colour, but after exposure to the air for some time, it becomes nearly white. The fort and the naval dock yard are situated about a mile to the eastward of the town, on the opposite side of the bay. Here the little navy, employed upon the lake during the last war, is dismantled, and rests in peace. The largest vessel is the St. Lawrence, built for lUO guns. Nia- gara is the next town in importance. It is pleasantly situated on the west side of the St. Lawrence, or Niagara rivf^-, where it falls into Lake Ontario. Queens- town is eight miles higher up, „.id is the place where goods intended for the upper part of the province are landed, to be carried beyond the fid Is. It is a thriving and agreeable place, and already contains many good houses, though it was burnt by the American army during the last war." Bell's Hints, page 175. Mr, Bell states the expence of clearing at from twelve to sixteen dollars an acre. CANALS. " The river Ottawa contains a long and dangerous rapid called the Longue Sault, which neither boats nor rafts can pass without the greatest difficulty. This obstacle is to be removed, by building locks, and cutting a canal on the north bank of the river to the length of about twelve miles. This undertaking is now ■ executing al the expense, anil inidor tli..- .liiection of government. About one- half of the cut is alreatly completed, ami is attended witii very considerable expense, most of it being through a hard rock. When finished it wdl tend greatly to improve the country ; as, besides its original intention, it wdl open a direct and easy communication between Montreal and the numerous settlements formed, and to be formed on the banks of this fine river. «« The military road from the Point of Nejiean on the south bank of tlic Grand River, to Kingston, is already opened, but not finished. The distance from the Point to Richmond is twenty mile;-', from Richmond to Perth thirty miles, and from Perth to Kingston about seventy miles ; so that the whole dis- tancc from Montreal to Kingston by this route will be '2hO miles." Bell's Hhil.s, page 79- " A canal has long been talked of between the Grand River and Kingston, and we hear that it is soon to be commenced, surveyor? being employed in examining the difierent lines, in order to determine which is best. It is probable it will ascend the Ridcau River, pass through the lake of that name, as well as some of the smaller ones with which the province abounds. Its length will not be less than a hundred miles, and will probably be to cut about half that dista-.ce. This undertaking will greatly improve the country, employ a great number of hands, and atlbrd a ready means of conveying the farmer's produce to market.' Bell's Hints, page 87. Mr. Stuart, in his little work, entitled " The Emigrant's Guide to Upper Canada," speaking of the lands round Lake Erie, says, " The great cataract of Niagara, however, shuts them out from the sea; and although the intervening distance of land-carriagc which it produces bo not great (only nine miles), yet it is sufficient, together with the additional distance, to give them a decidedly iufe- rior character in this respect. Canals, no doubt, will ere very long, lower this balance against them ; but it will probably never be effaced, until productions, suitable to their warmer air only, be cultivated to a proportionate extent." Page 49. ToiiAcco has not yot been imported into this country from Canada for any commercial object ; but samples iiave been received of a good quality. The additional expense in li.iiiging Canadian tobacco to market above that of the United States has been this year considered by his Majesty's government, and an abatement of duty, to the extent of three pence per pound, allowed. Stuart, in in hir, " Emigrant's Guide," states that " Tobacco is also produced in every part of the province ; but the western district is probably the only part where it could be advantageously cultivated to commercial extent ; and there it need have hardly any limit but the means and other views of the cultivator. It has been tried on a small scale near Amherstburgh, and has been judged equal in manu- facture to any obtained from the United States." Page 35. On the subject of hemp, flax, and tobacco, the following extract from a private letter will be found interesting : — " London, '20th May, IS'-Ji. " Wlicn I came to London, in I8O7, from LTpp^r Canada, to emleavour to prevail upon the government to purchase fvom a rope-work in which I was then interested, the cordage wiiich they required for the marine department on tiic Lakes, you did me the favour to draw up the memorial to tlie colonial ilepart- ment. This document stated, that the culture of hemp hcing in its inlancy, the memorialist, for himself and the peoj)le of the western district where he lived, requiring the fostering hand of govermnent to enable tiiem to prosecute a la' horious and important branch of agriculture, which, fiom experiments maile at tiie dock-yards, between the sti.'ngth of their hemp and cordage, had been found to be fully equal in quality to the hemp imported from Russia for the use of the British navy : and he prayed that his case, from the difficulty of exporting such a bulky article as hemp, for 7OO miles, before it could reach the vessel dastined to bring it to the mother-country, might meet with that encouragement which the colonists thought themselves entitled to — the supply of the government vessels on the Lakes. " The result of this application was, an order to the Commissariat to supply themselves in part uJi Canadian cordage ; and this continued until the war of 1812 broke out, during which the manufactory was destroyed; and, 1 believe, none has been erected since that period. We carried on business at Amhersi! burgh, at the mouth of the Detroit river. " There is not the smallest doubt that a great part of the lands of Upper Canada are exceedingly well adapted to the cultivation of both hemp and flax, particularly those of the western district, the principal district for hemp ; but that district is so distant from Mont-cal, and its population so small, and scattered over the country to such an extent, that aie raising ol hemp from these united causes seems to be entirely abandoned as an article of exportation. The first great difficulty which occured to the hemp raiser, was the want of hands, in the first place, to pull it at a proper season ; in the second, to rot it correctly for breaking ; and in the third, to break and clean it for market. They could get over the first and second of these causes, but the third was Srmountable, from the great labour required; the high rate of wages then fiom twelve to fifl teen dollars a month, besides the labourers' board, bed, and washing. We had neither breaking nor sketching hemp-mills; but we had them for flax, which was never raised for any other purpose than for domestic use. The inhabitants, after they have been settled four or five years, manufacture the principal part ot then- own clothing from flax and the wool of their sheep. The late Lord Sel- Kirk imported some choice Marinos and South Down sheep into Upper Canada; but. whether from the inattention of his agents, or the effects of the climate, they did not succeed to his wishes. And they have now, like the iettlers which he also imported, acquired the habits and customs of the inhabitants they came to live among. This was what might be expected from the people ; but the sheep were expected to improve the breed of the country. " The culture of tobacco, when I was Canada in I8I7, was nothing more than the raising of a few plants by the lover of that plant, for his own personal I 9lt use. Now, I am crcililily infoiim'd, there was last summer from seventy to eighty hogsheads of Upper t'aiuula tobacco brought into tlie Montreal market ; and nearly the whole of it came from one district, and that one the least popu- lous of the whole, I mean the western district. Its soil, climate, and distance, from Montreal, is the cause of its population turning their attention from hemp to that of tobacco. This district is admitted on all hands to contain the richest lands of the province." Addilional Infoiination from Du. Stuaciian. 1. 'V\\Q principal line of road is, with the exception of small portions, where the population is thin, good for travelling from one end of the province of Upper Canada to the other, in so much so, that a company last winter petitioned the legislature for an exclusive charter for fourteen or twenty-one years, to run a stage through the whole extent of the province. 2. Where the townships are populous, the roads are getting tolerable, and the laws now in operation will, in u very i'ew years, make them as good as they arc in any part of the United States. This, indeed, is already tlie case with the greater part of the main road. 3. The reserves are all checquered on the map, on a regular plan or system, before the land is surveyed. Some townships in the Western district having been in part settled before the law passed for allotting one-seventh for the clergy, the reserves have been phiced in these townships in the middle, and con- stitute a block, but the number of such is very small. TOWNSHIPS. In 1823 it was estimated that of '^70 Townships which had been surveyed and divided, 132 •■settled in these proportions — C)5 townships containing from 2(X) to 500 families. 4,G l(X»to200 ditto. 21 50 to 100 ditto. 1.32 in all. COMMERCIAL PRODUCTIONS. The fur-trade of Canada is in the hands of the Hudson's Bay and the North West Companies, which having been lately united, now form one concern. The peltries which they annually export has been estimated at about 150,000/ Prior to 1810, it could not be said that Upper Canada had from her forests contributed any considerable supplies of timber to the British navy. The first m specimens ot masts from C'liiiada were sent to Knglaml in 18(K'. In 1804 up- wards of a Imiulrcd were sent liomc, and from that time the supply began to in- crease, till in 1810 upwards of 7(H)() pieces were sent (ioiu (Jliiebec. All other kinds of timber and lumber now constitute a great part of the staple exports of the country. Pot and pearl ashes are also regular articles of export ; but it is to the agri- cultural produce of the country, chieHy in hemp, flux, tobacco, and liops, that an extension of the trade for returns is contemplated, for while the restrictions on the trade in corn are continued, it would be impolitic to calculate on any con- siderable increase of exportation to this country of what are called bread-stuff's. There is, however, one article of export from Canada in a great degree peculiar to our North American Colonies, namely, that of ships or vessels for sale in Europe. This, as will be seen by reference to Account of the Trade of Canada for 1823, constitutes a very important branch of the commerce of Lower Canada, and is not included in the value of the custom-house returns. London ; Trintcd by A. A It. Spotlisn ooiit, New SUti-t iiiuarc.