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Un des symboles suivants apparaltra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols y signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmte A des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul ciichA, il est film6 A partir de Tangle suptrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nteessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrant la mAthode. rata telure. D 32X t 2 3 1 2 3 4 1, 5 6 SHORT VIEW OV TUB PRESENT STATE OF THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS tN 1>HB PROVINCE OF LOWER-CANADA, Bordering on tJie Line 45o. WITH HINTS tOR THEIR IMPROVEMENT, B» THE HON. AND REV. CHARLES STEWART, A. M^^ Minister of St ARMAND, Lower^Canaoa, ano CHAPLAIN TO THE LORlt BISHOP Qt QUCBSC. •Jt is the imfullest thing in the World to forsake or destitute a Plantation on^e in forwardness ■ for, besides the dishonour, it is the guiltiness of blood of many commiserable Persons. BACON. ?/ MONTREAL : TRINtliD BY NAHUM M0WE8. 1815. LP ■ SSH9 isj*.? frequent ing East ■\ crn boun I from the ■ chusetts, Tliey art cial Boui Latitude does not l^re usual iships wh thirty yc pDistricta The < ^mild th: [North ol ISoil is ii i^ation. There lins in t the Com lilly tha tered wi )ut in t lany fin lent sites Liket the Clou y (Eastern Townships, la a general nj^me frequently given to ail the Townships extendi ; ing East from the River Richelieu to the East* crn boundary of the Province, which divides it from the States of New-Hampshire and Massa* fchusetts, of which last State Mame forms a part* eTIiey are bounded on the S juth by the Provin^^ cial Boundary Line, the 45th degree of North Latitude. To the Northward their extension fdoes not admit of particular description, as they ftre usually understood to compiise the Town. «hips which have been settled within these last £hirty years, lying in the southern part of the p!)istricts of Quebec, Three Rivers, and Mon^ |treal. The Climate of these Townships is more mild than that of any part of the Province [North of the River St. Lawrence. And the ISoii is in general very good and easy of cuiti* nation. There are not many very high lands or Moun- tins in these Townships. Near the Line 45° the Country is for the most part rather more lilly than further North wai'd, and better wa- tered with Lakes, Rivers, and living springs ^ mt in these Townships in general there are lany fine streams of water, which aiford excels tent sites for Grist- Mills, Saw-Mills, &c. ' Like the rest of the Province all this part of [;he dountry ig a Forest, except where it has J[ 59*0^1 tften cleared by the industry of man. In the Woods, Rivera, and Swanipa, there are Bears, Wolves, and Foxes, Otters, Beavers, Martins, and Muskrats, some Wild-cats, some Dear, and Moose, Hares, and Squirrels of variouf? iorts. There are also wild Ducks and Pat- tridges* and other animals of the lieathered tace. But Birds do not abound ; and Game, and furred animals are not plentiful. The Bears sometimes do considerable mischief in the cornfields, when the maize is young ; and the Wolved in winter frequently (^ostroy many sheep. ' Lake Memphramagog and the other Lakes afford several kinds of Fish, especially Salmon- trout. Salmon, Masquinonge, and. Cat-fish, are caught in the Rivers ; and at the breaking tip o£ the Ice in spring in Missiskoui-Bay great quantities of FislV are taken in the mouth of Pike River, viz. Poison-dore, Masquinoug^, Mullet, Pike, Perch, and Suckers. JSturgeon also are found in most of the lli\ ers. The Forest produces the same variety of Trees as is con^mon to the rest of the Province, and a great deal of excellent Timber. But tor the most part the Inhabitants of these Ibwn- ships are too far removed from the navigation of the Rivers Richeheu and St. Lawrence, to admit of their benefitting by the Lumber Trade. Pine and Oak however are less plentiful than the other sorts of Timber. The sap of the Maple Tree affords a sufftcient supi>ly of good new • The Pat(ridge is a species of the Grouse, according to Dr. Morse, who says, neither the Pheasant, Partridge, nor Quail u i fpund ia America. » f In the re Bears, Martins, rne Dear, varioiifs and Pat- iieathered d Game, lul. The ischiefiri ing ; and roy many ler Lakes ^ Salmon- Cat-fish, breaking Bay great mouth of cjiiinoiig^, sturgeon variety of Province, But tor 5se I'own- tiavigatibn irvrence, to ber I'rade. tiful than $ap of the ly of good orJing to Dr, 'y cor Quail i$ Sugar and Molasses for the use of most faml. lies. All kinds of Grain are cultivated and produce good cro})s. Indian ( orn grows very well near the Province Line and on the warmer soils. In some seasons it is very much injured by Fronts and rainy weather; still the Farmers are par- tial to it, as it is very nutritive ibr man and beast. Wheat is cultivated with success in all the Townships, but especially in St. Armand near Missiskoui-Bay. The soil there is gene- rally considered as being more suited to raising wheat than to being kept in pasture, while to the Eastward it is thought to b,e particularly favorable to grazing. 1 he Farmers in general are not sufficiently careful and neat in their sys- tem of agriculture. This is in some measure difficult to be avoided ; and the quantity of new or uncleared land always at hand, in- viting cultivation, presents greater advantages to be derived from its fresh tillage than can be reaped from the dressing of old land more per- fectly. Also the high price of labour, and the great length and severity of the Winter curtail the time andjpbwer of the Farmer in respect of prosecuting a finished style of agriculture. But the Farmers are for the most part too much dis- posed to clear fresh land to the neglect of wh?x has been already cleared. in some of the Townships large quantitie? of Potatoes are raised, from which a pretty good Whisky is distilled. In St. Armand tliere are several fine Orchards of Apple trees j and young Apple-trees are planted on the farms ni general in most of- the townships. Cider is made in St. Armand, Stanbridge, and Cald. tvell's and Chriatio's Manors j and it is to be hoped that in the course of a tew years it will be the common beveraga in all this part of the country. Some Hemp has been raised, but agriculture is not sufficiently advanced on most farms to make the culture of it, at prtsent, a deshablc object, especially, while the popula« tion is so small, and the price of labour is so high, as they unavoidably are in a ntwly settled country. The future culture of it, however, ought to be looked forward to as an object of national importance as well as of individual benefii, for unquestionably this country at no distant period may supply Great Britain with a very great proportion of the Hemp required by her for the equipment of her Navy, &c. to the advantage of tlie Colonists and of the Go- vernment at home, if hereafter due encourage- ment be given to the raising of this valuable plant. Considerable quantities of Potash are made in these townships. The sale (fit is a con- venient and profitable help to settU rs on their first beginning to clear a farm j but when it fetches a great price they are apt to devote themselves too much to the manufacture of it, to the neglect and detriment of their farms i which w^as the case in the years 1809, 1810 and 1811. In Sutton, Bromr, and Potton, and other parts of the country, Bog and Mountain Iron ore are found ; and it is probabie that Mines of variouf> kinds of ore would be discovered m S3veral of these townships were they properly- explored. Black Lead ore has been ivuud in Newport and Eaton, la Sutton there ie an Iron i'Vmv.^. ; * I The tince £ cage, e Chnsti< ftll whi( price of of an i two dol of land, hundrec or four J not poss peciaily to bee: Townsh place, a: in this f soon foil to be att mention I The very urn is respcc ibr with one of ture. at abcu iArmanc tash are is a con- on their when it ) devote re ot it, r farms i 1810 and .nd other ;ain Iron It Mines vereo in properly ound in le ia an The granted Lands in this part of the Pro*- Tince are all held in iree and common sue* cage, except in 8t. Armand, Caldwell's and Ctinstie's Manors/ 8abrcvois, and Bleuii, all which are old French iSeigniories. Ihe price ol Larid in the Townships ior the purchase of an acre in f«e-siniple ma} be reckoned from two dollars to ten dollars, in buying a Parcel ot land, with some impiovements on it, of one hundred acres, or tiom that magnitude to thiee or four hundred acres. But on this subject it is not possible to say any thing with precision, es- pecially in the present time ot V ar ; and it is to be expected that the value ol land in these Townships will rise rapidly after a t'tuce takeg place, and when the iniprovements are made "in this part of ihe country which will probably soon follow that desiiabie event. These cught to be attended to and promoted, and they are mentioned in the sequel. The population of the several Townships k very unequal. The culti^ ation ot each of them is respectively in proportion to its populaticn ; tor with few exceptions all the people in every one of them are chiefly empltyed in agiicul- ture. The whole population may be reckoned at about ^H>,bOO souls. Oi this number JSt. lArmand and IStanstead contain a fourth part, ^lie Inhabitants are almost intirely settlers from the United IStates, at least, the heads of lamilies arc generally of this description. But :in St. Aimand, and Caldwell's and Christie's Manors^ especially, many ot these are Loyalists Jfevho ciime into the pioMUce during the revolu- ionary War, and some ot them since that pe- *• Caldwell's IManor and Clirutis'i J^Ifi^or were formerly ca!!cJ ^c;^t,-iult and Ki-^-an. I !'jo'd. I'Kese are for the most part of Gerrf»ai} or Dutcli Extraction, and formerly tlit) be* longed to the IState of New- York. 'Ihey and their tiimilies are good and LoyiU subjects. TIjc rest of the Inliabitants, in general, are descended from Parents Avho fbrmeiiy belong- ed to the Nevv-Kngland States and during the present War they nave for the most part shown themselves ready to defend their country and property with due fidelity. , .,>,i » { Some persons have entertained an opinion that it would have tended to the security of the Province not to have suffered the 1 rontier Townships to have been settled, but that it %voiild have been advisable to have kept then! in a state of nature, that they might serve as a barrier between the Province and the United States. And some have been averse to iheii being settled by people liom the United States, considering settlers from that country as dan* geroiis subjects. Neither of these (|Mesti6n£3 need now to be discussed. They are over* ruled by existing circumstances, arid they are nnswcred in some measure by latt (Events, a$ the settlement of them has not proved detrimen- tal but beneficial to us in the present war. } . . ■ 1 opinion rity of the frontier checked. In many respects they make the best settlers in a new Country ; and the nu)st certain way of making them and all men good subjects is taking care to promote the we'tare and prosperity of the country they live in. This is chiefly to be done by making laws and regulations calculated to maintain uidustry, morality, and religion among the Inhabitants. Whate\ er tends to the accomplishment of this desirable object adds to the happiness of the People ; and this is the best way of uniting the goveinment and the people in ties of mu* tual interest and affection. It is to be hoped that at the conclusion of ut that it 'the war the grants of Lands by His Majesty's vcpt then! tCiovcrument to discharged Soldiers will sup- serve as a f\y this Country with many good Settlers, le United At the same time it is to be observed that per- e to their ions of this description do not in general make ted States, cood Farmers. To make these grants proiita • ry as dan* pie to the Grantees and to the Government, ciMesti6na perhaps, it would be advisable to hold out en- lue over* couragement to Officers of Regiments of a suit- l they are able character to take a lead in selecting men (fevents, as and going forward with iiiem to settle a portion L detrimen- of a Township, to be granted to them on cer- 2sent war, tain conditions of setthng it, carrying on Im- hing, their jrovements, and so forth. To induce the Sol- heir popU" diers to settle on their lands, giving them the ; evidently ispost necessary implements of husbandry, and tlis MajcS' allowing them Rations for the first, second and iduciv c to ilxird years, would probably have a very good f Colonists eftect. The rations might be reduced one Id come to ti^ird the second year, and two thirds the next : they must ating from ; - not to bf _ g , 10 year.*" The appointment of a few intelligent Farmers to superintend and direct their labours for the first year or two would be essential and necessary to their welfare in the beginning of their settlement. Inducement ought also tb be held out to other Farmers to join with them in the settlement, by giving them Lots inter- spersed in diffeient parts of it, as the Soldiers could not liiil to profit by the skill and exam- ple in husbandry of experienced Farmers living in their immediate neighbourhood. One of the first measures and proofs of im- provement in every country is the accommoda- tion of the Inhabitants in making of roads. Every facility should be given to the procuring of these. The Road Act of the Province is very defective; in several respects ; and it is to be hoped that it will soon be amended. Therfc is too great difficulty in getting roads legally established, owing to the expense of it, the dis- taiic? of the Grand Voycr from this part of the country, and the rules of Court w ith re- gard to ratifying, &c. And when they are es- tablislied, or ordered by Law, there ale scvc ral obstacles in the way of making them. Pro- prietors of uncultivated lands ni the neigh bourhoodof them, more paiticiihirly if thej reside in foreign countries, cannot, at j)resent, be obliged to contribute to the work required to be done on them, and the Cr wn and Clei gy reservation-lets not yet leased have hitherti been exempted from this duty. This evi I • Sinrc writingf the aliovc tlio A»U?irir lias had the siulsfaction r rcaiin^f a Oeiwral OrcltT notifyinp- lo thf 'I roojiR the Prince Uo;-,'cnt bt'iievoltin in»e')tion tn crant rhccikiidj r.nd give thtin abtistarce ■ t!;f.' description here mentioned. a ft intelligent eir labours sential and ginning of ht also tb with them Lots inter- he Soldiers and exam- mers living roofs of im- ccommoda- of roads, e procuring Province is and it is to ed. ^Jlierti oads legally tit, the dis- lis part of rt Avith rc- they are es- re ale sevc- hem. Pro- the neigh rly if thc) at jjreseiit, rk required n and Cler- avc hilliertt 'Ihis evi the satisfaction r e Prince Ki\^ein hem astistarce ■ ought to lie rcmecjied by making lands liable to be attached for the expense of making roads ; and this should be ordered in some proportion to the benefit they derive from them. Also the work required of the Inhabitants to be done on the road ought to be more equally proportioned to their respective convenience and interest in its contiguity to, or distance from their farms. Communication between the different parts of a country essentially contributei to the con- venience and interest of the inhabitants. With- out thi§ intercourse, progress in every kind of improvement is checked j and even when im- provements are made, the benefit of them is greatly counteracted by the want of ready con- veyance an(| intercourse in the neighbourhood of them, and thence to the chief Toayus and Markets of the Province. There is not any road established by law from any of these Townships, either to Mpntreal, Three Rivers, or Quebec, except one laid out by the Grand Voyer from Compton towards Three Rivers (in or about A. f), 1809,) and that one h^s not been worked upon. In the year 181 6, Sir James Craig caused a road to be made from Quebec towards the frontier Townships, pro- posing to extend it to the Province Line in Stanstead but this roud is imperfectly made, only as far as the Township of Shipton. In 1 807 and 1 808, a road was established from the Province Line in Stanstead to the out-let of Lake Memphramagog, and thence to the Easterly bounJiuy-iine of the Township of Granby. It was designed for a road to Mon- tteal, but the Grand Voyer C6ul3 not continue it through Granby, as that Township is not settled, though it was granted A. D. 1803. A Company has been chartered for the pur- t) >se of making a road from the Province Line Hi the Westerly part of St. Amiand to Dor- chester, alias St. Johns, and they had com- menced prosecuting this desirable work when the war put a stop to their proceedings. Another evil arising from the want pfcpm- munication between the Townships and the chief places in the |*rovince, is, that it in- creases the intercourse of the Inhabitants with the United States, whither the access is easy, while it separates them from their own people and establishments in Quebec, Montreal, &c. It is palpable tliat a ready access to the mar- kets of those places is necessary to the im- provement and flourishing condition of the Townships. It has been suggested that a Legislative Act authorizing the majority of the Proprietors in a Parish or Tov» nship to levy a tax in the same in lieu of the statute labour required, wherever the majority shall prefer this mpde of contribu- tion, would have a good effect. Statute labour is seldom duly exacted or applied, especially in these Townships. The difficulty and great expense of legal prosecutions is another evil under which the Inhabitants of the Townships labour, and which solicits amendment. If intercourse with the places where the Courts of Law are held were more easy, this burden would be less felt. Stiii, the dibtance of the Frontier Townships 'from t ye des Ivith ia re ne< ocitt}) onger •toeople %o dest ^uct a with th ^hevw wd ei Jind p( Tiiong t ifudica liheir di ^I'hree %g on (Jiency ilrr'^st iight ^omju 9 retrea clering i airable Ibcasuri Hiws sli This ca jBropose ment m 0ie Frc ^hree to Barn Jlivers 1 'g to I ij continue lip is not D. 1803. the pur- nce Line i to Dor- had com- ork ^v'hen It pf cpjn- s and the hat it in- tants with ss is easy, m people Dreal, &c, ) the mar- to the im- in of the lative Act )rietors in the same wherever contribu- ute labour especially of legal hich the our, and ourse with are held e less felt, own ships 18 Hwm these places is so great, that it is irwcli to te desired they were erected into a District dth a separate jurisdiction. If Courts oi Law "are necessary to the good order of society, nn society ought to be far removed from thtm, longer than the evil can be remedied. 1 he •t)ebple of these Townships are lar from being po destitute of good principles and good con- \iuct as some persons who are not acquainted 'With them have been used to consider them, yet, they would benefit by the restraints and checks %na easier access t6 justice and legal awards Jind penalties which would bp introduced a- Tiiong them by the estal)lishment of a Couit of Judicature in their neighbourhood. Not only %eir distance from the Courts of Montreal and *Three Rivers, but also their situation border- ing on the Province Line increases the expe- 4iency of this measure. Where escape from ilrr'^st or prosecution is rendered so easy by $ight into a foreign land, and where fiigitiv es ||om justice in a neighbouring country will seek i retreat; (evils inseparable from Districts bor- dering on foreign States) it is particularly de- arable that every obstacle in the way of It gal B&casures and the prompt execution of the Biws should as far as possible be removed. This can only be effected by ihe method here ]aroposed. The want of such a legal establish- iient must be manifest when the distance of 0ie Frontier Townships from Montreal and Three Rivers is considered. From IVl ontreal tBarnston is about 120 miles, and from Three ivers to Hereford is about 150 miles, acccid- ijig to the routes now travelled. The conse- \ H ^ic