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 DOMINION OF CANADA: 
 
 COMPRISING THE PROVINCES 
 
 €tf 
 
 ' ■«-■'• -r 
 
 PEINCE EDWARD ISLAND, 
 NOVA SCOTIA, 
 NEW BRUNSWICK, 
 
 QUEBEC, ONTARIO, 
 MANITOBA, 
 BRITISH C0LU3IBIA, 
 
 NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. 
 
 A HANDY BOOK FOR EMIGRANTS. 
 
 OTTAWA: V 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 
 
 " 18 80. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter. Pagb. 
 
 I. — Emigration from Europe , 3 
 
 II. — Motives to Emigrate ..., 4 
 
 III. — Classes who should Emigrate 5 
 
 i V. — Position and Extent of Canada ♦> 
 
 Y, — Government and Social Position 8 
 
 Government 8 
 
 Religion 9 
 
 Education 9 
 
 ' VI — The Administration of Justice 9 
 
 VII.— The Climate of Canada. II 
 
 VIII. — Farming and Stock-breeding in Canada , . 14 
 
 IX. — Fruit-growing Id 
 
 X. — Dairy-farming, etc 22 
 
 XL— Farms for Sale 23 
 
 XII. — Mines and Minerals 24 
 
 XIIL— The Land System 27 
 
 XIV.— Education 39 
 
 XV. — Postal System, Money, Telegraphs, etc 32 
 
 XVL— A Holiday Trip 35 
 
 XVII. — For the Sportsman, the Angler, and the Artist 39 
 
 XVIII. — "When and How to go to Canada 45 
 
 Steamship Lines 46 
 
 XIX. — Pates of "Wages, Cost of Living, Eents, Clothing, etc 48 
 
 XX. — ProTinces of the Dominion : — 
 
 Ontario 50 
 
 Quebec 55 
 
 Valley of the Saguenay 59 
 
 Valley of the St. Maurice 59 
 
 ;, Valley of the Ottawa. 59 
 
 Eastern Townships 59 
 
 Gaspe 61 
 
 Xew Brunswick , 64 
 
 Nova Scotia 68 
 
 Prince Edward Island 73 
 
 ' Manitoba and North- West Territories 74 
 
 Earl Duflferin on Manitoba and the North- West ... SQ 
 
 Hon. Mr. Sutherland's evidence 94 
 
 Professor Macoun's Evidence 96 
 
 Mr. Kenneth Mackenzie's Statement 109 
 
 Mr. Shantz on Manitoba 117 
 
 British Columbia 119 
 
 Professor Macouns Evidence 1 20 
 
 XXL— Summary 128 
 
 Appendix A, Climate of North- West , 131 
 
 Appendix B, Dominion Lands Act 136 
 
\ ' ■ ''^.■ ■ 
 
 DOMINION OF CANADA. 
 
 INFORMATION 
 
 T 
 
 FOR 
 
 INTENDING EMIGRANTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 EMIGRATION FROM EUROPE. 
 
 The continuous emigration from the old settled countries of Europe, 
 principally from the United Kingdom and Germany, to new coun- 
 tries in different parts of the world, within the last half century, is 
 one of the most remarkable facts of modern history. Over two 
 millions of souls emigrated from Great Britain alone in a little over 
 t€n yeai's ; and yet it appears from the statistics, published by the 
 Registrar General, that the natural increase of the population in 
 England is very nearly a quarter of a million a year over the out- 
 flow from emigration. Even with this outflow, there is crowding 
 in the labour markets, and a large amount of pauperism. Emigra- 
 tion relieves both, while it builds up prosperous communities in 
 hitherto waste places of^the world. 
 
 The figures published by the Imperial Board of Trade show that 
 £21,438,218 stg. were remitted by emigrants from Great Britain to 
 the friends left behind them from the year 1848 to 1878, and this 
 principally in the form of prepaid passages. There is in this proof 
 of a very striking kind of the prosperity of the emigrants and their 
 desire that their friends should join them. The large sum abov« 
 
stated was the amount of remittances only so far as ascertained.. 
 There were other large amounts not ascertained. 
 
 These pages are intended to show reasons why a large portion of 
 this emigrating movement should be directed to Canada ; to indicate 
 the classes of persons who may advantageously emigrate ; and to 
 furnish them with useful practical directions. 4 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MOTIVES TO EMIGRATE. 
 
 The first question which a man who thinks of emigrating should ask 
 himself, is " Why should I do so ] " And it is probably the most im- 
 portant practical question of his life. It involves the breaking up 
 of all the old ties and associations of his childhood, and beginning 
 life afresh in a new country, where everything which surrounds 
 him will seem new and strange to him at first, but with which he 
 will in one year become familiar ; and the general experience in 
 Canada is that| when an immigrant has lived a few years in the 
 country he could not be induced to leave it. 
 
 It is, however, true that emigration has led to many cases of 
 individual hardship ; but these are the exception ; and they always 
 come from the unfitness of the persons who suffer it to emigrate at all. 
 
 Genenlly speaking, where a man is doing well at home, and sees 
 his way to continue to do so, great caution should be used in advis- 
 ing him to emigrate ; and it is a safe rule to h well alone. But a 
 man who is doing well himself, and has a family, may generally find 
 a better chance for educating and advantageously placing his family 
 in life in Canada than in the crowded population at hori.e. 
 
 Above all things, an emigrant should have good health, and be 
 stout-hearted, prepared to do anything that comes to his hand, and 
 to adapt himself to the circumstances of the new country in which 
 his lot is placed. He may have many things to learn, and many to 
 unlearn, and especially should he learn to follow the practices which 
 the experience of the country to which he goes has proved to ]jq 
 wise, rather than attempt those of the old country which he has left. 
 
 The condition of success in Canada is hard work ; and none 
 should come who have not made up their minds to work. The idle 
 and dissipated had better stay at home. 
 
 The Hon. J. H. Pope, the Minister of Agriculture in the Domi- 
 nion Cabinet, stated, in a recent memorandum to the Secretary of 
 
'State for the Colonies, in reply to questions on tte subject of emi- 
 gration, that — 
 
 " There are very many thousands of pei-sons througliout the 
 Dom'nion who came to tliis country as labourers, without any 
 means, in fact almost in a state of pauperism, and tt^nant farmera 
 ■with very little means, who have attained a state of comparative 
 independence, being proprietors of their own farms, and having laid 
 by sufficient means for their declining yeaif?, while they have educated 
 their children and settled them in conditions of ease and plenty. 
 
 " In fact, the inducements to emigrate to Canada are not simply 
 good wages and good living among kindred people, vinder the same 
 flag, in a naturally rich country, possessing a pleasant and healthy 
 climate, but the confident prospect which the poorest may have of 
 becoming a proprietor of the soil, earning competence for himself, 
 and comfortably settling his children." 
 
 The statements in the preceding extracts can be testified to by 
 thousands in Canada ; but it is a fact to be borne in mind that the 
 commercial and industrial depression, shared in common with the 
 rest of the world, greatly checked the labour market. This, how- 
 ever, has apparently passed away. A great work commenced by 
 Canada, which will before long greatly affect the labour market, 
 is the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The question of this 
 work is, beyond doubt, not only Canadian, but it is Imperial, and 
 the solution of it may settle important labour difficulties in Great 
 Britain, and enable her to plant a large portion of her surplus popu- 
 lation in conditions of prosperity under her own flag, and .so 
 strengthen the empire by the peopling of half a continent largely 
 with her own children. ]\Ien who are now a burden wdll, when 
 thus transplanted, Ijecome producers of cereals and live stock to feed 
 the still crowded populations of cities they will have left behind. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CLASSES WHO SHOULD EMIGRATE. 
 
 On this point the following concise and authoritative statement may 
 be quoted from the memorandum of the ISIinister of Agriculture be- 
 fore referred to : — 
 
 " The labour market has been greatly affected for the las^ four 
 years by the commercial and industrial depression which has pre- 
 A^ailed over the whole of this continent. 
 
** The genuine agriciiltui'al labourers, however, wlio have come to- 
 Canada, have all found employment, and considerable numbers can 
 yearly be absorbed. 
 
 " Mechanics, labourers in towns, and minei-s have felt with more 
 severity than labourers in the country the depression referred to, 
 and from these classes have come the unemployed persons living in 
 towns. But, even as respects these, the distress has not been of a 
 nature to call for any general or regularly-organized system of 
 relief 
 
 *•' Very large numbers of persons have crossed the frontier from 
 the United States to escape the very severe distress which has pre- 
 vailed there, and from these the class of peisons known as " tramps"' 
 has chiefly arisen. 
 
 " Mechanics, labourers in towns, and miners should not be ad- 
 vised to come, especially in large numbers, while the present indus- 
 trial depression lasts, unless upon definite information. 
 
 " Professional and literary men and clerks should not be advised 
 to come, unless in pursuance of previous engagements. ^ 
 
 " Considerable num1)ers of good domestic female servants may be 
 yearly absorbed. 
 
 " The immigrants at present chiefly required in Canada are agri- 
 culturists, or the class of tenant farmers in the United Kingdom 
 who have suflicient capital to enable them to settle on farms. They 
 ' may be advised to come with safety, and with the certainty of doing 
 well. The same remark may apply to any persons, who, although 
 not agriculturists, would be able to adapt themselves to agricul- 
 tural pui^suits, and who have suflScient means to enable them to take 
 up farms." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 POSITION AND EXTENT OF CANADA. 
 
 The intending emigrant to Canada should have a clear conception 
 of the general extent and position on the globe of the country which 
 is to be his future home. It mav therefore be stated that the 
 Dominion of Canada comprises a vast territory of about 3,528,705 
 square miles. It occupies half of the continent of North America. 
 
 From East to West it stretches from the Atlantic to th& 
 Pacific oceans ; and its extreme southern point reaches a little be- 
 low the forty-Second parallel of latitude. It occupies a greater area 
 
than, the United States of America. Yery large portions of this 
 vast territory are cultivable ; and tlie other portions are rich in 
 mineral and other kinds of wealth. The proportion of cultivable 
 land suited to the productions of *he tenjperate zone to the uncul- 
 tivable is greater in the Dominion than in the United States. 
 
 Its rivers and lakes form one of the chief physical features of the 
 continent. Its rivei-s are among the largest and most remarkable in. 
 the world ; and its fresh-water lakes are altogether the largest and 
 most remarkable in the world. 
 
 It possesses many thousands of square miles of the finest and 
 richest forests of the continent ; and many thousands of square 
 miles of the most fertile prairie land. 
 
 It possesses the largest extent of land yet open for settlement, 
 adapted to the growth of grasses and cereals, and other productions 
 of the temperate climates, not only on this Continent, but in the 
 world. ^ ' - - 
 
 It has fisheries of boundless extent, unequalled on the Continent 
 if not in the world, both on its Atlantic and Pacific coas- s. 
 
 It has also coal fields of immense extent in the Proviu<-es on both 
 of its coasts ; and it is believed that altogether the largest coal 
 deposits of the world lie under the surface of its lich auu immense 
 tracts of prairie land east of the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 It has gold, silver, copper, iron, lead and other mines of great 
 richness ; and almost every description of the most valuable building 
 materials ; also petroleum, salt, peat, <tc. 
 
 The immense rivers and lakes of the Dominion furnish the grand- 
 est facilities for water communication. The sailing circle, from the 
 mouth of the St. Lawrence to Europe, gives much the shortest 
 distance across the Atlantic. The line across the continent to the 
 Pacific is much the shortest for a railway : the conditions for its 
 construction are the most favourable ; and the passes through the 
 Rocky Mouli tains are the easiest. ^; 
 
 On the Pacific coast it has the same favourable commercial condi- 
 tions, with the finest harbours. 
 
 The water system of the St. Lawrence and the great lakes consti- 
 tutes one of the most marked features in the geogi-aphical formation 
 of North America, and leads directly from the Atlantic to the 
 North West of the Dominion. And from the head of Lake Superior, 
 with the exception of a few interruptions, which can be easily over- 
 come by canals, another system of lakes and rivere extends naviga- 
 tion across the continent to the foot of the Rocky Mountains, by 
 means of which the products, in the future, of this immense territory, 
 will be borne to the sea-board. 
 
 More than 5^^000 miles of railway are already in operation within 
 
the Dominion, 1,100 more miles are in process of construction, and 
 many more are projected, besides the Pacific Railway, which is to be 
 built immediately, and the length of which will be 2,500 miles. 
 
 It has great variety of climates, from the Arctic to that of almost 
 the most southern of the temperate zone, modified by the influence 
 of the great lakes. . 
 
 The climates of the settled portioiis of the Dominion and of the 
 lands open for settlement are among the most pleasant and healthy 
 in the world, and favourable to the highest development of human 
 
 enersfv. 
 
 The Dominion of Canada must, therefore, from these facts, become, 
 in the not distant future, the home of one of the most populous and 
 powerful peoples of the earth. 
 
 As at present constituted, it is divided into seven Provinces, 
 viz : — Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, 
 Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia, together with the vast 
 unorganized North West Territory, out of which, in time, other 
 Provinces will come to be formed. 
 
 Every immigrant will have an inheritance in the great future of 
 the Dominion, and help to build it up. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 .; GOVERNMENT AND SOCIAL POSITION. 
 
 The emigrant to Canada should have an idea of the form of Gov- 
 ernment and social position he will find in his new home. Practi- 
 cally the former is the freest in the world. There is no hereditary 
 aristocracy in Canada. The source of all power is the people, tem- 
 pered and guiied by the constitutional forms of the Mother Country, 
 which have taken deep and kindly root in Canada. 
 
 As respects society it may be stated that it is less raark*^d by the 
 distinctions of caste than in the Mother Countrv ; while there is at 
 the same time a careful preservation of those traditions which give 
 the general features to English society which are found the world 
 over. 
 
 ?—^^-^—---~- GOVERNMENT. : - - : . ^___^ 
 
 The Government, formed on the principle of the Responsibility of 
 Ministers to Parliament, the same as the British Government, is one 
 
cf the freest and best-ordered in the world. It is held in the very 
 hififhest esteem by the people. The Franchise practically extends to 
 erery householdei. 
 
 The seat of the Federal, or Dominion Government is at Ottawa. 
 
 The several Provinces have Lieutenant-Governors and systems of 
 Responsible Local Government, formed on the model of that of the 
 Dominion. 
 
 The Counties and Townshij^s have also their Local Governments 
 or Councils which regulate their local taxation for roads, schools 
 and other municipal i)urposes. 
 
 RELIGION. 
 
 The utmost religious liberty everywhere prevails in the 
 Dominion. 
 
 Immigrants coming to the Dominion from Europe, of every 
 religious persuasion, will find there churches and abundant facilities 
 for the practice of their faith. ■ 
 
 EDUCATION. 
 
 Means of Education, from the highest to the lowest, everywhere 
 abound in the Dominion. The poor and middle classes can send 
 their children to free schools, where excellent education is given ; 
 and the road to the colleges and higher education is open and easy 
 lor all. In no country in the world is good education more gene- 
 rally diSused than in Canada. In many thousands of cases the 
 children cf immigrants who came to Canada without any means, in 
 a state of poverty, very little removed from absolute pauperism, have 
 received thorough education, and have the highest prizes vrhich the 
 country offers before them. They have thus attained a state of 
 well-being which would have been impossible for them at home ; and 
 which afiords the most striking possible contrast with the dismal 
 prospect which the workhouse would have afforded for a large 
 number of them. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 ^_- THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. 
 
 The criminal and civil laws of Canada are such as to afford the 
 emigrant from the United Kingdom the same security as he enjoys 
 
10 
 
 at home. The criminal law is copierl from the English system, but 
 the arrangement of all details is such as to simplify, as much as 
 possible, the administration of justice. 
 
 As in England, judges are chosen from among those wJio, by their 
 ability, learning and long practice at the Bar have worked their 
 way into the front ranks of the profession. The purity of the 
 Canadian Bench is beyond question. Party politics and party 
 feeling generally run high in the Dominion, but never in any way 
 interfere with the admin isti'ation of Justice. The moment a barris- 
 ter accepts the honour offered him, and becomes one of Her Majesty's 
 judges, he disappears from the political arena, separates himself most 
 completely from his former political associates, and assiduously 
 devotes all his time, ability and attention to the full, fair and impar- 
 tial discharge of the high and responsible duties he is called upon 
 to perform. The result is that the Canadians are justly proud of 
 their Judiciary. It has their entire and unbounded confidence, and 
 the expenses of litigation in Canada are, as a rule, very much less 
 than in England, on account of the greater simplicity of the system. 
 
 In every large town and city there is a regularly-organized police 
 force, managed by a superintendent, aud under the control of a 
 Board of Police Commissioners. The cost of maintaining the force 
 forms part of the annual municipal rate, in the country parts 
 there is no regular police, that is, no body corresponding to the 
 county police of England. There are a few peace officers, called 
 " county constables," but they seldom have any criminal matter to 
 attend to, except of the most trivia) character, for the simple reason 
 that the rural parts of the Dominion are comparatively free from 
 crime. There is no more peaceful country under the sun ; no more 
 law-abiding, steady, industrious people than the agricultural popula- 
 tion of Canada. The county gaol is often unoccupied by prisoners 
 for months together, and " maiden assizt.3 " are not at all uncommon. 
 Contrary to the belief entertained by many persons, the Canadians 
 do not carry dirk knives and revolvers any more than they do in 
 England. 
 
 To sura up in a few words, Canada is blessed with a jnire, honest, 
 fearless judiciary ; good, w holesome laws ; and impartial administra- 
 tion of justice ; every juotection for lite and property ; and the 
 Canadians, therefore, are a happy, prosperous and contented people. 
 
11 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 THE CLIMATE OF CANADA. 
 
 There is no more important question for an intending emigrant 
 than the nature of the climate of the country to which he proposes 
 to go. The climate of Canada has been already incidentally spoken 
 of as having great variety — from the Arctic to that of the most 
 southern of the temperate zones. It is more misconceived abroad 
 than any other fact pertaining to the country. Perfectly absurd 
 ideas prevail respecting the rigours of Canadian wintei*s. It is 
 tnie the winters are decided, and snow, in many parts, covers the 
 ground to the depth of two or three feet ; but there are great advan- 
 tages in this — the snow is perfectly dry and packs under foot^ 
 making the best roads, and forming a warm covering for the earth. 
 The dry winter atmosphere is bracing and pleasant. The sunshines 
 brightly by day, and the moon and stars by right, during by far the 
 greatest part of the time. And, besides being pleasant, there is no 
 healthier climate under the sun. There are no endemic diseases in 
 Canada. The sensation of cold is far more unpleasant during the 
 damp days (such as mark the winters in England) than when the 
 winter regularly sets in. .' 
 
 The summers, like the winters, are also of decided character, 
 being, in the main, warm and bright ; and fruits and vegetables 
 which cannot be ripened in the open air in England, will hero ripen 
 to perfection. And the grand fact is that they are much more 
 favourable for the horticulturist and the agriculturist than those of 
 England, with the single exception ol length of time in which out- 
 door work can be done, but this is lully made up by the greater 
 number of days in which men can be employed out of doors during 
 the season, an'I the greater rapidity with which hay, grain, &c., can 
 be won and housed. 
 
 Canada has the latitudes of France, Prussia, Austria, the British 
 Islands, Ku^sia and Swuden and Norway ; and as many varieties of 
 climates as have these countries. 
 
 The intending emigrant in going from the central counties of Eng- 
 land, Denmark, northern Prussia or from the south of Swc^ ^ to 
 Central Illinois, Missouri or Indiana, in the United Stages. ' mst [> 
 fourteen degrees, or nearly one thousand miles due south ai 4 ^^u^& 
 the same change in climate as he would were he to migi'ai. / Pales- 
 tine, Independent Tartary or Persia — that is, must go from a cliu^'^te 
 «f comparatively cool summei-s with a humid atmosphere to one of 
 
12 
 
 intense heat and severe droughts. Those who migrate f.-om the 
 north of England, from Scotland, Norway or Sweden, to Kansas, 
 Central Missouri or Southern Illinois, must undergo a still greater 
 change of agriculture, for thev give up, as their staples, the grains, 
 pastures and maadows, with their accompanying herds and flocks. 
 
 The summer temperatures of England are from 60*^ to 62** ; those 
 of Ceiitial Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, 75^* to 78°. London (the 
 summer months, from July to August) has 61'*; Liverpool 57° 6' ; 
 Edinburgh 57*^ 1'; Dublin 60°; the Central counties of England 
 62° ; the Northern Provinces of Prussia 62° ; the Central Provinces 
 of Prussia 63° ; Berlin 64° 5'; Denmark (Central) 62° 7' ; but the 
 Central i)art of Illinois 75° ; Kansas and Missouri higher still, 77® 
 to 78°. 
 
 These latter temperatures are 15° to 18° higher than those of 
 England and the Northern Provinces of Prussia, ard at least 10** 
 to 15° higher than the best climates for the grains and grasses. 
 
 But high temperatures and a burning sun are not the only 
 enemies with which the emigrant, going so far south, has to con- 
 tend. The want of rain is another and even more grievous defect 
 in the climate in those parts of the United States ; for high 
 summer temperatures with heavy rains are conditions of climate 
 favouring tropical plants ; but high temperatures without rain, are 
 destructive of all vegetation ; and liigh temperatures, with an insuffi- 
 ciency of rain, give only imperfect crops. Those parts of the States 
 just named very much resemble Palestine, Arabia, Persia, Syria and 
 Independent Tartary. Both regions are similarly situated on the 
 continents — both are in the zones of the summer droughts, high . 
 temperatures, arid winds and rapid evaporation, but with this im- 
 portant feature in favour of the Asiatic countries — these lie nearer _ 
 the ocean and Mediterranean Sea, which render the atmosphere^ 
 more humid, and modify the droughts. 
 
 North of these desert and semi-desert areas, both in the old and 
 new worlds, lie the zones of summer rains and moderate summer 
 temperatures, two elements of climate most favourable for the grains 
 and grasses. In Europe, the capacity of the central and higher 
 latitudes for cereals, coarser grains, pastures and meadows, has been 
 fully tested and acknowledged. On this continent similar climates 
 are producing similar effects. Throughout Canada, from the Atlanti* 
 to Lake Superior, these great staples of the central and higher por- 
 tions of the temperate zones produce better, surer and more abund- 
 ant crops than in any of the States to the southwest of the Lakes. 
 Along the valleys of the Red, Assiniboine, Saskatchewan and 
 Mackenzie Tlivers, for more thrai seven hundred miles north of the 
 United States' boundary, wheat is grown, yielding a far more 
 
13 
 
 abundant return than the best portion of the Republic ; and where 
 vrheat ripens in such positions we have the best climates for the 
 coarser grains, grasses and root crops. Barley, the grasses, and 
 many root crops grow twelve hundred miles north of the boundary. 
 These plants are the fruits of the summer rains and summer temper- 
 atures of from 58 *-" to 70 *^ of Fahrenheit. The significance of the 
 facts here stated — the high latitudes to which these ))lants go — is 
 the proof chey give of the immense agricultural areas in the interior 
 of the continent north of the 49th parallel. 
 
 South of these fertile regions and west of the 100th meridian, these 
 plants either fail entirely or succeed but imperfectly, from climatic 
 defects — chiefly from a deficiency or entire absence of rain during 
 the agricultural months, accompanied with high summer tempera- 
 tures ; and over the States lying immediately east of these desert 
 areas the summer heat is too gi-eat for the })rofitable growth of these 
 products, and the rain still deficient, or rendered insutficient through 
 high temperatures and rapid evaporation. 
 
 The most southern part of Canada is on the same parallel as 
 Rome in Italy, Corsica in the MediteiTanean and the northern part 
 of Spain, — farther south than France, Lombardy, Venice or Genoa. 
 The northern shores of Lake Huron are in the latitude of Central 
 France, and vast territories not yet surveyed, embracing many 
 million acres of land of good quality lie south of the parallel of the 
 northern shores of Lake Huron, where the climates are favourable for 
 all the great staples of the temperate zones. 
 
 It may be interesting to look at the climate of Canada in the 
 light of its productions, and, with this view, some quotations will be 
 made from Mr. Marshall's recent (1871) work on Canada, because 
 his opinions are those of a well-informecl stranger, and one who tells 
 us that he entered Canada without prepossessions in its favour, 
 meaning, as we infer, that he was prepossessed unfavourably towards 
 the country, having come into it through the States, and, like most 
 Englishmen, received his first impressions of Canada, both before he 
 left England and afterwards, from Americans. 
 
 Mr. Marshall visited an agricultural show which represented only 
 the country around London, Ontario. Of this he says : — 
 
 "The fine display of produce surprised me. Wheat, barley, oats 
 and other cereals were well represented. Maize shows excellent 
 samples. The roots and vegetables were surprisingly fine. A field 
 pumpkin which I measured was four feet ten inches in circumfer- 
 ence ; a squash eight feet three inches, weighing 150 lbs., (we have 
 seen them 350 lbs., open air growth. No better illustration could 
 be given of a summer semi-tropical in heat and of great duration, 
 than the maturing of the pumpkins and squsish of such great size). 
 
1^ 
 
 The potatoes were the finest I have isver seen. There were a great 
 number of varieties ; citrons, melons, marrows and tomatoes, were 
 also exceptionally large and fine. 
 
 " It is dilficult to s[»eak of the return of grain commonly yielded 
 to the farmer in this country. I have seen some fields that yielded 
 forty bushels to the ;icre — (the Government pamphlet reports fifty 
 bushels on new lands), others not far distant giving but fifteen. No 
 doubt, in a new counti-y, where many turn farmers not before 
 acquainted with it, the average yield gives a poor idea of the capa- 
 bilities of the soil. I remarked one morning a particularly poor- 
 looking crop of Indian corn. On the Sunday, in the same county, I 
 walked through a field of forty acres of this splendid plant, growing 
 to a height of eighteen to twenty feet, and yielding thirty-seven tons 
 to the acre as food for cattle. I plucked an ear nearly ripe, eighteen 
 inches long, and counted six hundred grains on it (p. 79), usually 
 there are two ears, sometimes three on one stock or stem — not of 
 course all so large. 
 
 " Uj)war(ls of a hundred varieties of apples were exhibited. For 
 cooking there were the Cayuga, Red Streak, or twenty -ounce Pip- 
 pin, an imposing fruit measuring sometimes over fifteen inches; the 
 Alexander, of glorious crimson ; the red Astrachan or Snow apples, 
 so named from the whiteness of the pul[) ; the Gravenstein, Baldwin, 
 and many others. For dessert there were the Fameuse, the streaked 
 St. Lawrence, the Spitzenberg, the Seek-no-further, of gold and red," 
 (p. 7G). " The Canadian apple is the standard of excellence," (p. 6). 
 
 " Even in California, the orchard of the Union, the superiority of 
 the Canadian apple was, to my surprise, confessed. Vast quantities 
 are exported to England, and sold as American, their nationality 
 being lost " (p. 77.) " Fruit and vegetables grow generously. 
 Melons and toDiatoes grow equally with the potatoe, pea, turnip, 
 and the rest of the vegetables known in England. The grape thrives 
 "well. Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cr I rambles, cran- 
 berries, cherries, and other fruits, currants, plums, grapes, apples, 
 <kc., grow wild. Orchards everywhere thrive." 
 
 These facts suggest some practical considerations worthy of the 
 ■consideration of emigrants. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FARMING AND STOCK BREEDING IN CANADA. 
 
 Oanada seems specially fitted to supply the United Kingdom witk 
 the farm produce which it is necessary for her to import. The olil 
 
' 15 ■ 
 
 proviucos can supply her with horses and beef and mutton, and 
 Manitoba and the North West with wheat. 
 
 The general healthiness of the climate and the favourable condi- 
 tions for feeding all kinds of stock which prevail in the Provinces of 
 Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and P. E. Island, together with 
 the imiT^ iiise areas available, leave no room to doubt that Canada is 
 capable of supplying all the needs of the Mother Country as respects 
 supplies of hoi*ses, cattle and sheep. 
 
 And the vast areas in Manitoba and the North West now being 
 brought into play will furnish her, as well as other importing 
 countries, an almost illimitable supply of cereals. 
 
 The great strength as well as the great wealth of the Dominion of 
 Canada rests in her soil ; her minerals are of undoubted value ; her 
 fisheries are the finest in the world ; her manufactures are not in- 
 significant and must continue to increase, — yet, it is not on these she 
 nmst chiefly rely for future greatness. She has one attraction 
 greater than all others combined, and that attraction is her broad 
 forest lands and her rich, rolling j'rairies. Agriculture is her 
 strength. 
 
 Fortunately there can be no doubt as to the result. Though a 
 young and new country, as compared with others, she is already 
 known tlie civilized world over as a great meat and corn-producing 
 country. Her staples have a character and a standing abroad suck 
 as her people have no reason to be ashamed of. 
 
 There is no more independent man in the world than the Cana- 
 dian farmer ; he may not have so much wealth as some English far- 
 mei-s, he may not be in a position to cultivate his land to such a 
 degree of perfection, and he may not have so many of the social 
 advantages ; yet, as a rule, he is a happier, a more contented, and 
 a more independent man. His land is his own absolutely. His 
 taxes are light ; his family are well to do ; he is the equal in every 
 respect^ (not unfrequently the superior) of the most successful per- 
 sons in the towns near by. 
 
 In a new country like Canada it would be absurd generally to 
 look for scientific farming as carried on in England. As land is 
 abundant and labour scarce, a great breadth of land is cultivated, but 
 in what high English farmers would consider a rough sort of v,-ay. 
 This is the rule, but there are exceptions. In the Province of 
 Ontario there is a School of Agriculture, connected with a model 
 farm, at which scientific and practical agriculture is taught There 
 are also model farms in the Province of Quebec. The result is a 
 marked improvement of late years in the style of farming in some 
 parts of the country. But there is much to be done yet in this 
 direction. In too many instances the land is merely scratched over ; 
 
16 
 
 and it speaks well for the chMvacter of the soil and climate that 
 under such adverse circumstances such excellent yields are obtained. 
 
 There is no country in the woild that offers more attractions to 
 the English farmer than Canada. The climate is, on the whole, the 
 same as he has been accustomed to, the characteristics of the soil are 
 similar, the crops produced are such as he has been in the habit of 
 growing. With a few exceptions, the style of farmwork varies but 
 little ; and in laws, language and customs he would be at home. He 
 would find very little that was new and strange to him. In ad- 
 dition to all this Canada's nearness to the English market, and her 
 direct connection therewith, constitute important elements in the 
 success of the Canadian farmer. In the far west of the United 
 States, where the chief crop is Indian corn, the cost of transportation 
 to the sea-coast is so great that many fanners have a hard struggle 
 to live, and frequently find it cheaper to use their corn as fuel than 
 to carry it to market, Canada is only nine days' sail from Liverpool, 
 and the means of communication are perfect, Not only do Cana- 
 dian wheat, flour, batter and cheese find their way to England in 
 large quantities, but even such perishable produce as apples are 
 transported across the sea, and generally pay the shipper a good 
 profit on the venture. Then, again, while the Australian meats find 
 their way to England in tins, Canadian cattle, sheep, and horses are 
 carried over alive, with as much ease and safety as are those of 
 Ireland. It is also found that dead meat can be carried to the 
 United Kingdom in compartments specially fitted on steamships, not 
 cnly without deterioration, but with actual improvement. 
 
 As already pointed out, farm work in Canada does not differ 
 widely from that of England. All that is new or strenge may be 
 overcome in a few months. The seasons are similar, though, owing 
 to the snow and frost, no work is done upon the land during the 
 winter. At the same time it is anything but an idle time with the 
 farmer and his men — the live stock have to be looked after, new 
 land cleareil, and grain cairied to market. 
 
 The fieM crops that are produced are wheat, oats, barley, rye, 
 Indian coin, potatoes, turnips, mangel wurtzel, peas, buckwheat, 
 flax, &c. The garden fruits and vegetables are similar to those of 
 England, except that tomatoes, melons, grapes, etc., will ripen in the 
 open air in Canada. Thus the new-comer will find the crops nearly 
 the same as he has been accustomed to cultivate. In the main, the 
 work is siinilar. Machinery is largely in use ; in fact, owing to the 
 circumstance that the work is i)ressed into a shorter time than in 
 England, and, owing also to the scarcity of labour, more machinery 
 is .used in proportion to the population. 
 
 That farming pays in Canada is clear from the fact that more 
 
persons are engaged in it tlian in any other branch of industry. Iw 
 1671, out of 463,424 persons enumerated in the Province of Ontario, 
 as engaged in industries, 228,708 belonged to the farming class ; in 
 Quebec there were 160,041, out of a total of 341,291 ; in N"ew 
 Brunswick 40,394, out of a total of 86,488 ; and in Nova Scotia 
 49,769, out of 118,645. In fact, nearly one-half of the people are 
 encased in aOTicultiire. 
 
 GOO . . 
 
 A sumnur's tour through Canada will convince any reasonable 
 man that farming must pay. The well cleared fields, the herds of 
 sleek cattle, the great barns and stabling, the substantial farm- 
 houses, and the thrifty appearance of the people, all furnish abun- 
 dant evidence of contentment and prosperity. Ask the faraier his 
 experience, and, in nine cases out of ten, he will tell you that he 
 came from the " Ohl Country" fifteen, twenty or thirty yean? before, 
 with an empty pocket, a strong arm and a willing heart. He will 
 tell you also that, in the early days of his settlement, he had to 
 struggle and toil, and labour hard and long ; that he had to face 
 many a difficulty and endure much hardship ; but he is hale and 
 hearty now, enjoying, in ease and comfort, the well-earned rewaid of 
 perseverance and industry. Others will again tell you that they 
 brought out a little money with them, and that, through a proper 
 use of that little, they now find themselves independent of the world. 
 Of course there are those who fail at farming in Canada, but they 
 are few and far between, and an inquiry into such cases would show 
 that, in nearly every instance, the failure was due to the unfitness of 
 the individual himself for the pursuit and not to the country. 
 
 As set forth in another place, the very best class to settle in Can- 
 ada are Old Country tenant farmers, with a small capital. There is 
 many a farmer paying as niuch each year in rent and taxes in hlng- 
 land as would purchase him the freehold of a good farm in Canada. 
 Any man of expeiience having five hundred pounds sterling, or 
 upwards, in cash, may safely try his fortune in the Dominion. 
 
 Jn addition to grain-growing, pastoral farming is now largely 
 carried on in Canada. In many parts the land is specially suited for 
 grazing purposes. In comparing Canada's present standing as a 
 Btock-breediug country with her standing twenty years ago, we find 
 that hei progress in this dirf ctir-n has been most remarkable. It is 
 barely twenty years since the first herd of English thorough-bred 
 short horns was brought to Canada. Previous to that time very 
 little attention had been paid to stock raising. In many instances 
 cattle were allowed to look after themselves. They roamed the 
 forests in perfect freedom, and came home to the " cleariiig " 
 ■when the cold weather set in. True, tho oxen were worked at 
 certain seasons, and did good service in clearicg up the land ; bat 
 
 ___. _-..; _.-. B 
 
18 - 
 
 '/or market piuposes cattle added but little to the settler's incom*. 
 It «'cio tue o|>iiiion of many persons in those days that stock breed- 
 ing; as carried on in parts of England, could never be successfullj 
 carried on in Canada. The experience of the last few years shows 
 that these persons were entirely in error. Though the number of 
 farmers who have ventured on the experiment of stock-breeding on 
 a large scale is not great, the test has been most thorough and com- 
 plete in both Ontario and Quebec, and the result satisfactory. 
 
 Mr. Cochrane's farm in Quebec, and Bow Park in Ontario, fur- 
 nish prominent examples of what may be done in this direction. 
 The collection of cattle at the great stock-breeding farms in Canada 
 is among the most valuable in the world. It is made up of the very 
 best blood of the bovine aristocracy of England. Not many years 
 ago there were no pure herds in the country, except the small 
 species of cows in the French parts of Lower Canada, which were 
 brought in chiefly from Bretagne, and possess the milking character- 
 istics of thf* Aiderneys. To-day there are in Canada many herds 
 with a pure and unbroken record extending back many generations. 
 
 It is a fact established beyond all doubt that the famous short 
 horns of Eiigland not only do well in Canada, but that the character 
 of the stock actually improves in the new country. In not a few 
 instances the offspring of stock taken out from England has been 
 carried over to the Mother Country and sold at high prices. At a 
 recent sale in England a three-year old bull which brought the ex- 
 traordinary price of three thousand six hundred guineas was of Can- 
 adian blood. The herds to be seen at the Provincial and other exhi- 
 bitions are the wonder and admiration of experienced English stock- 
 masters. . 
 
 Short horns are generally preferred, yet there are herds of Ay?- 
 skii'es, Devons, Aiderneys., Galloways and other breeds. 
 
 The best varieties of English sheep and pigs also do well ia 
 Canada. 
 
 Notwithstanding the high prices paid for aristocratic blood, ordi- 
 nary cattle are much cheaper than in England. This is owing to 
 the fact that hitherto the Canadian stockmaster had open to him 
 only the local and the United States markets. This is no longer 
 the case. A short time ago the experiment of sending live stock 
 and dead meat to England was entered upon, and the result was so 
 successful that there are now many persons, firms, and several lines 
 of steamships engaged in the trade. The cattle are landed in Eng- 
 land none the worse for the voyage, and sell readily at good prices ; 
 and the dead meat is rated at the highest standard. The trade is, 
 however, still in its infancy. I he result will be a considerable in- 
 crease in the price of live stock in Canada before long. This will 
 
incline many farmers who have not hitherto done so to enter largely 
 into stock raising. Where the land is suitable they cr.nnot do bet- 
 ter. For English farmers with capital there is an excellent ope»- 
 jng. It is as safe an investment as they could possibly make. Th« 
 foot and mouth disease is unknown in the country. The cattle 
 thriv^e well, and are made ready for market at a cost trifling as com- 
 pared with the cost in England. 
 
 It may also be mentioned that Canadian horses are now shipped 
 to England in considerable numbers and at a ■'^ery handsome profit 
 to the dealer. The ordinary Canadian horse is a hardy, tractable, 
 strong, healthy animal, and answers excellently for cabs, omnibuses, 
 tram cars, and other such work. There are also horses of higk 
 blood in Canada. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 FRUIT GROWING. 
 
 A VERY important branch of farming in certain parts of Canada k 
 fruit growing. It is very generally thought by persons not familial- 
 •with the country that, owing to the severity of the winter, fruits 
 cannot be successfully cultivated except to a very limited extent, 
 and at a great cost. There is no foundation in fact for such an im- 
 pression. On the contrary, in the production of such kinds of fruit 
 as belong to the temperate zone, Canada cannot well be surpassed. 
 The cbaracrer of the soil in many districts is suitable for the apple, 
 plum, pear, etc., while in the hot summer sun the peach and grap« 
 reach maturity and develop fruit having many points of excellence. 
 A hardy kin-1 of grape, whicli has been successfully crossed into the 
 European vaiieties, grows wild in the woods ; the strawberry, rasp- 
 berry, and gooseberry and other small fruits grow in profusion 
 in all the older provinces. The red plum is also indigenous to the 
 soil. 
 
 In specially-favoured regions, such as the Niagara district, peack 
 orchards many icres in extent are to be seen. The peach crop is not 
 always a successful one ; generally speaking, there is a good yield 
 «very second }ear. Though it is anything but probable that Canada 
 will ever rival European countries in the character of her wine, 
 nevertheless her vineyards are increasing in number year by year, 
 And good, wholesome wines are being made. Experience is all that 
 is necessary to develop this into an important industry. 
 
20 
 
 The best evidence we could have of Canada's character as a fruit- 
 growing country is furnished in her success in this direction at the- 
 Centennial Exhibition. The display made by the Province of 
 Ontario was the finest at the show, surpassing all competition, 
 which included nearly every Stpte in the American Union, and 
 astonishing persons who had looked upon Canada as a country of 
 perpetual snow. The Americans honestly admitted themselves 
 fairly beaten by their northern neighbours. The following extract 
 from an article in the New York Grajjhic shows the prominence 
 Canada gained in this respect. Coming from an American source, 
 it carries with it special weight : — . 
 
 " Probably the finest show of various fruits is made by the Fruit 
 Growers* Association of Ontario, Canada, a society which has done^ 
 much to promote and encourage thv^ cultivation o!: fruits in North 
 America. It was formed a number of years ago with this object 
 in view, and has been extremely successful in all its undertakings. 
 The membership includes more than 3,000 persons. Three meet- 
 ings are held every year, at which the members interchange their 
 Tiews u{)on the various subjects connected with fruit-growing. 
 These meetings are held in diffen.'nt parts of the Province of On- 
 tario, in order to be more convenient for members to attend, and 
 once a year new and promii:ing hybrids, trees, and plants are given 
 to members, who are expected to cultivate them carefully, and 
 report the results of their trial. A number of thts members of this 
 Society have achieved a reputation as careful hybridists, and the 
 namej of Arnold, Dem[)sey, Mills and Saunders are held in deserved 
 estimation throughout the pomological world. The best results of 
 their laboui-s are generously placed at the disposal of the Associa- 
 tion, and new and promising varieties of fruits are soon widely and 
 inexpensively scattered abroad and thoroughly tested. 
 
 " The Society also publishes an annual report, embodying its 
 transactions, and preserving such useful information with regard to 
 fruit culture as they may be able to gather, and gives a copy of it 
 to each of its members. In this manner many choice fruits and 
 much useful information are disseminated among the members, hence 
 it is that the fruits produced by them are generally noted for 
 superiority and excellence. 
 
 " At the quarter-centennial of the American Pomological Society 
 in Poston, the Ontario Fruit Growers Association carried away 
 not only silver medals for the best collections of plums, but aisa 
 prizes for the peaches, grapes, and pears displayed in competition 
 with the most noted fruit growers of the United States. Many 
 people suppose Ihat the climate of Canada is a perpetual winter, 
 Wt nothing could be further from the truth. The climate is gen- 
 
fl 
 
 -erally the same as New England or Northern and Central New 
 York ; and Ontario, from whence these fruits come, is the raofli 
 fertile part of the whole Dominion. 
 
 " The present display occii[)ie3 the entire north side of the Pom«- 
 logical B.iilding, and is composed of 1,000 plates of apples, 200 
 plates of ])lums, 200 plates of pears, 90 plates of crab-apples, and 
 25 varieties of peaches, 153 plates of grapes, and a variety of nuta, 
 including walnuts, butternuts, hicliory nuts, hazelnuts, and peanuts. 
 The same Association, in July last, made a display of gooseberriea, 
 currants, raspberries and cherries, some of the first-named articles 
 being an inch in length. They were highly commended by iho 
 judges, as no prize was competed for. 
 
 " One of the finest specimens of fruit exhibited is the Alexander, 
 • beautiful clear red and white apple of large size. Another is the 
 Kent Fillbasket, a large obtuse pyramid, beautifully mottled witk 
 red on a yellow ground. The Virginia Sweet is a showy red apple, 
 rather oblong in shape, and of large size. The Irish Peach Appl© 
 is a great beauty, as well as of fine quality, while the Duchess of 
 Edinburgh is a very hardy apple, mottle red in colour, and of hand- 
 some appearance. It is good either for the kitchen or table, and is 
 highly esteemed by connoisseurs. Sherwood's b^avourite is a fin* 
 yellow and red, and Swayzie Porame Grise is a hardy cinnamon russet 
 of beautiful colour. There are reirarkably fine specimens of th« 
 Snow Apple, which is a bright red outside and a pure white inside, 
 and takes its name from the latter characteristic. Spur's Sweeting 
 is a fine showy apple of rosy waxen colour, and the Chenango 
 Strawberry is a beautiful red apple of conical shape. Many other 
 specimens are shown, among which are thirty-one varieties of new 
 French apples exhibited by James Dougall, of Windsor. All the 
 foregoing specimens named are raised in large quantities in Canada 
 and thousands of barrels are annually exported to Great Britain, 
 and the United States. As a sample of the manner in which they 
 will keep, a ' te is shown of the growth of 1875, in which ths 
 apples are well preserved ar J of good appearance. 
 
 "One of Ihe finest specimens of pears exhibited is the Flemisk 
 Beauty, which grows without a blemish, and is hardy as an oak ; 
 Sickles, Bartletts, Negleys, and the Belle Lucrative are also di»- 
 pla^ed in great quantities, of a quality that compares favourably 
 with any others on exhibition. 
 
 "The plums displayed are rem ukably fine, the most noticeable 
 ones being the Columbia, Pond's Seedlings. Damsons, Gages, and 
 the Lombard. The latter is a beautiful dark crimson, and is very 
 prolific. Hundreds of busliels of these plums are sent every year 
 to the United States, where they find a ready sale and are greatl/ 
 esteemed. 7 
 
" In peaches the Lord Palmerston is doubtless the largest shown. 
 One of these was displayed which was over eleven inches in circum- 
 ference, the qualities being a firm, white flesh with free stone. The 
 Barl^r Crawfords and other varieties are also very fine. 
 
 " In grapes, the Tokalon and many varieties of Rogers' hybrids 
 are the most noticeable. The Autuchon, a beautiful white grape, 
 and the Lindley, light-coloured, and resembling the Catawba, attract 
 much attention. Miller's Burgundy, a grape which grows very close 
 and thick, and the Delaware, a delicious variety, are also favourablj 
 known to fruit cultivators. 
 
 " These are but few of the many specimens displayed. It would 
 be impossible, in a notice like this, to do justice to the entire collec- 
 tion. As a representative collection intended to exhibit the fruit 
 from that section of the country between the Niagara river and Lake 
 Huron, and from the Ottawa to the Detroit rivers it could not be 
 surpassed. The arrangement and classification reflect much credit 
 ■pon the officers of the Association, and especially upon the gentle- 
 men who are in charge. It must be doubly gratifying to them that 
 this very beautiful display of the fruits of the Province attracts such 
 »niyersal attention. Their exhibit has contributed much to the 
 beauty and attractiveness of the poraological department, and thej 
 are to be congratulated upon the fruit-producing capabilities of their 
 •oil and climate, and the taste and enterprise of their fruit-growers." 
 
 With such facts as are contained in the above extract, let it not 
 liereafter be said that Canada is a wilderness of ice and snow. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 DAIRY FARMING, ETC. 
 
 Within the last few years great progress has been made in Canada 
 im. the way of dairy farming. Not long since the cheese manufac- 
 tured in the country was not sufficient to supply the local demand ; 
 ■whereas there are now cheese factories by the score in the Provinces 
 rf Ontario and Quebec. v 
 
 "American" cheese, as it is all called, is well known in England ; 
 Vat very few people are aware of the fact that the best "American '* 
 •heese is mad(3 in Canada. In the window of a cheesemonger's shop 
 in Ludgate Hill, London, Canadian Stilton and Canadian Cheddar 
 are constantly exhibited, and so veil do they suit the palates of 
 Mnglishmen, that many persons prefer them to the English articles^ 
 
alter which they are named. The Canadian cheese is, in fact, the 
 rery best made on the American continent. The cattle are of the 
 TBry best breeds, the pasture is excellent, and the work is cleanly 
 aiul carefully done. 
 
 C'.reat benefits h;i\ o flrvred to the farming classes through the 
 •pening ot the cheesr* factories. Formerly the milk was in many 
 instances given to the pigs, but now there is a market at the cheese 
 factory for every quart of it. Though great stiides have been made 
 during the last ten or lilteen years in cheese making, the industry is 
 atill in its infancy. Judging the future by the past this will shortly 
 assume immense proportions and become one of Canada's great 
 •ources of wealth. It may be mentioned that, at the International 
 Dairy Fair recently held at New York (December, 1879), the first 
 •weepstake prize of $100, for the best cheese made anywhere and at 
 any time, was awarded to Canada, the superior excellence of Canadian 
 theese, which was well known, having now been fairly and clearly 
 •stablished on the most indisputable evidence. 
 
 Butter-making is also largely carried on in the Dominion. Mil- 
 lions of pounds are exported each year. The quality is excellent. 
 
 Near the large towns, market gardening is profitably carried on. 
 A comparatively small capital is necessary, and with industry and 
 perseverance, backed up by experience, a good income is assured. 
 Like everything else, however, none but those who have had ex- 
 perience in Canada should attempt it. 
 
 Poultry-raising is only beginning to bo much looked after ^^in 
 Canada, probably because poultry is so cheap. In course of time, 
 kowever, as the market extends, and as means are found of exporting 
 fowls, geese and turkeys to England, henneries on a large scale will 
 be established. The exportation has already begun. 
 
 Bee-keeping is profitably carried on in many parts of the Dominion. 
 
 These few points shew that what may be termed the smaller 
 Wanches of farming are not neglected by the Canadian husbandman, 
 •till much remains to be done in this respect. 
 
 CHAPTER XT. 
 
 FARM8 FOR SALE. 
 
 Ikproved farms may be purchased in almost all parts of the Do- 
 Minion. By the term "improved farms ' is meant farms either 
 partially or entirely cleared of woods and under cultivation. As 
 
24 
 
 larming is the main industry of the country it may naturally be 
 asked why it is that farms are to be purchased 1 It is customary 
 with many Canadian farmers to bring their sons up to professions 
 or to put tliera in trade. Tiie result is that, when old age comes 
 upon the father of the family, the land is either sold or leased. Or 
 it may be that the old man dies on the homestead, and, in order that 
 the property may be divided among the heirs, it must be sold. Then 
 again, during the last few years, that is since the " Manitoba fever" 
 set in, many farmers in the older parts of the Dominion have sold 
 off, or are desirous of selling off in order to settle in Manitoba. 
 
 It njay be farther stated that a reason why im]>roved farms ia 
 Canada can be obtained on such moderate terms, is owing to the fact 
 that there is a constant tendency aloncj the whole of the north 
 €astern face of the American continent, on the part of a class of 
 settlers, to undertake pioneer life, or to commence anew, in oi'der as 
 well to obtain a larger field than the old homestead, for the sake of 
 the settlement of their sons, as for the love of adventure and of the 
 life with which they started for its own sake, on which they can 
 enter with greater advantage from the capital obtained by the sale of 
 their cleared farms. It thus happens that conditions are afforded espe- 
 cially favourable for the tenant farmer from the United Kingdom, 
 with a little capital, to acquire a farm, on which his previous habits 
 of life have adapted him to work ; while the older settler of the coun- 
 try has more special adaj)tation for the pioneer life than the newly- 
 arrived immigrant. But newly-arrived immigrants of intelligence 
 very soon become acquainted with what may be called the specialties 
 of the country. -^- 
 
 CITAPTER XII. 
 
 MINES AND MINERALS. 
 
 Though the main sources of the wealth of Canada lie in her fertile 
 fields and g» and forests, her mines and raiueials nuist, in coiu\se of 
 time, attract more attention than they have hitherto done, and yield 
 a good return for the capital and labour ex})ended on them. As the 
 Canadians devote their attention chiefly to the more common pursuits 
 of farming and ordinary trade, comparatively little has been done 
 towards developing the mineral resources of the country ; yet the 
 results abundantly prove that there are vast and valuable deposits of 
 
25 
 
 minerals in vorioua parts of the Dominion. A mere enumeration of 
 the minerals that have been discoveved up to this time will enabU 
 the reader to form something like a conect idea of the position of 
 Canada in this respect. Theie have been found gold, silver, co])per, 
 iron, galena, plumhago, antimony, manganese, gypsum, granites, 
 marbles, lithographic stone, slates, burrstones, hones, limestones, 
 sandstones, and brick -cliys, various kinds of precious stones, vast de- 
 posits of phosphate of lime, of salt, and immense quantities of 
 petroleum and peat. These minerals are not confined to any one 
 province. Tn almost every part of the country from the Atlantic to 
 tbe Pacific some of them are to be found. 
 
 Gold mines are worked, though only in a small way, in Nova 
 Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. It is principally quartz mining. The 
 geld fields of British Columbia are famous the world over for their 
 size and their extraordinary yields. They extend over an area of 
 105,000 square miles ; that is, tv/ice the area of England, and yield 
 annually about £400,000 worth of the precious metal. In the early 
 days of gold n)ining in British Colnmi)ia fortunes were sometimes 
 made in a few v^eeks. In 1863 Dillion's claim yielded in one day 
 102 pounds weight of gold. Other claims frequently yielded from 
 ten to fifty pounds of gold in twenty-four hours. But, >yhile those 
 times have passed, as regards the discoveries so far made, the average 
 earnings of miners is about seven hundred dollars a year, which is a 
 high figure. Explorations connected with the Geological Survey in 
 1876, showed the whole country to be auriferous. Gold mining is 
 now one of the chief industries of the Pacific province ; and the 
 probability is that great wealth will yet be developed. 
 
 Silver has been discovered in several parts of the Dominion. 
 The richest deposits, however, appear to be on the north shore of 
 Lake Superior. In 1874, one mine — Silver Islet — yielded nearly 
 500 tons of ore, worth about £100,000 sterling. As it is only a few 
 years since the silver was discovered, the industry is still in its 
 infancy. Want of ca])ital has c'elajed the work of de;velopment. 
 Still several shafts have been sunk, and it is confidently expected 
 that the Thunder Bay district will shortly be sending out great 
 wealth of rich ore annually. 
 
 Iron has been discovered in several provinces, and in many cases 
 the deposits are of great value. The iron mines of Nova Scotia have 
 been successful ly worked for several years. In Ontario and Quebec 
 the quantity raised is increasing annually. The difiiculty in the latter 
 provmces is that there is no coal for smelting purposes ; but as wood 
 is abundant this difiiculty is likel}' to be overcome — in fact, has al- 
 ready been overcome — by smelting the ore with charcoal. One or 
 two companies are now engaged in this industry, and the iron and 
 
26 
 
 steel tiu-ned out by them are of the very best quality. There is a 
 freat abundance of iron oi-o in British Columbia, but it is not yet 
 fceing worked except in a very small way. 
 
 Copper has been founi^ in many parts of Canada. The amount 
 •xportcd in 1874 from Ontario and Quebec alone was 3,142 tons ; 
 in addition to which a considerable quantity must have entered into 
 kome consumption. As witli other branches of mining in Canada 
 more capital is required to properly carry on the work. The ore is 
 moted for its purity. 
 
 Although in the region of the great lakes there is no coal, in other 
 parts of Canada there are immense deposits of this most valuable 
 mineral. In Nova Scotia there are some thirty mines in active 
 operation, and the aggregate out2)ut averages about one raDlion 
 tons per annum. The yield might be increased to any extent ; but 
 the output must, of course, be regulated by the demand. With a 
 ▼ider market, which will come in time, the yield might be increased 
 an hundred fold. Many of the transatlantic steamers take in coal 
 at Halifax and other Nova Scotian ports. 
 
 In the heart of the continent, in that vast region known as " the 
 Great North-West Territories," there are immense deposits of coal, 
 ■upposed to be the most extensive in the world. It crops out on 
 the surface in many places over an area of country hundreds of 
 square miles in extent. This coal deposit is one of the most im- 
 portant peculiarities of that great district. The prairies of Canada, 
 in fact, contain coal enough to supply the whole world for ages to 
 •ome. The Canadian Pacific Railway, now in course of construc- 
 tion, will run across this coal country. Then again, on the other 
 side of the Rocky Mountains, the coal fields of British Columbia are 
 practically inexhaustible. The Comox field alone is estimated at 
 about 300 square miles in extent. The output in 1874 was over 
 80,000 tons : this can be increased a thousand-fold if necessary. 
 British Columbia seems destined to become the greatest coal-produc- 
 ing country on the Pacific side of tlie American continent. In 
 some places the seams are so favourably situated that the coal can 
 be loaded on shipboard direct from the mine. The mineral wealth 
 of this growing province is beyond estimate, and coal forms no un- 
 important part of the whole. 
 
 Petroleum is found in several parts of the Dominion, but chiefly 
 in the Province of Ontario. The total quantity manufactured ; that 
 ie to say, purified after being taken from the earth, varies according 
 to the state of the market. In 1873 it amounted to 14,602,087 
 gallons. In several instances flowing wells have been " struck," but,. 
 as a rule,''the oil ia pumped from the wells by machinery. The 
 Canadian oil, when properly rectified, is of excellent quality, and 
 ■tends well in foreign markets. 
 
27 
 
 "While boring for cil near the town of Godericli, in the Province 
 o{ Ontario, a few years ago, salt springs were " struck" at a depth 
 of about twelve hundred feet. This important discovery induced 
 others to sink wells in the neighbourhood, and the ultimate result 
 was that the salt springs were found to extend into some of the ad- 
 joining counties. The work was pushed forward, and grew rapidly, 
 ■o that at present there are several hundred wells in active opera- 
 tion, yielding thousands of tons of salt each year. In Nova Scotia, 
 also, salt has been discovered. 
 
 The marble found on the Upper Ottawa is of a most superior 
 l[nality. It is beautifully veined, and takes a brilliant polish. The 
 quarries are vast in extent, but only a comparatively small quantity 
 has been taken out up to this time. 
 
 In nearly every Province there are immense deposits of peat. 
 
 Owing, however, to the abundance of wood in country places, 
 very little use has been made of the peat so far. "When wood be- 
 comes scarce and dear an excellent substitute will be found in the 
 }»eat. It has been tested on the Grand Trunk Railway, and has 
 l»een found to answer well in place of coal. 
 
 From what we have said above it will be seen that Canada is not 
 badly off in the way of minerals. She is in possession of every- 
 lliing of this nature that any people can desire, or that is necessary 
 to the progress of any nation. Comparatively little, however, has 
 been done hitherto towards developing the mineral resources of the 
 •ountry. The people have devoted — and properly so, too — their 
 lime and money to agriculture, trade and commerce, and have not 
 •ntered largely into the more speculative business of mining. Suf- 
 ficient, however, has been done to show that Canada possesses incal- 
 wilable wealth in her minerals ; and this wealth will, we doubt not, 
 Iw turned to good account in course of tiaie. Capital and enterprise 
 are all that are required. - 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE LAND SYSTEM— FREE GRANTS AND HOMESTEAD 
 
 EXEMPTIONS. 
 
 Though free grants of land are practically to be procured in every 
 part of the Dominion, the system is not the same in all the pro- 
 vinces. For the information of the reader we subjoin an outline of 
 Ae system in each province. 
 
28 
 
 It is advisable, notwitbstaiuling the great advantage of settling 
 upon land, that the immigrant Lhould have some experience before 
 •doin? so, or obtain a(*curate information about the step he is co*- 
 temi'l.iting. 
 
 Nova Scotia. — In this province there are about 10,000,000 acres, 
 nearly oiie-fifth part ot which con^^ists of lakes and rivers. Of th« 
 whole extent, about 5,000,000 acres are fit for cultivation. Wild 
 lands may be obtained from the Government for about Is. 9d. ster- 
 ling per acre. Here, as in all the otliv:;r provinces, the purchase of 
 land carries with it the ownership of all minerals found therein. 
 
 New Brunswick. — This province contains 17,347,360 acres, of 
 which 13,000,000 are fit for cultivation, with only some 730,000 
 under actual im[)roveruent. Tiie Lieutenant Governor in Council 
 may cause eligible portions of Crown lands to be selected for settle- 
 ment. One hundred acres of land so surveyed may be located to 
 imn)igrants or other male settlers, of the age of eighteen years and 
 upwards, who do not own other land in the province, upon the fol- 
 lowing terns and conditions, viz. : — 
 
 " On ]>ayment of twenty dollars cash in advance, to aid in the 
 construction of' roads and biidges in the vicinity of his location, or 
 upon his performing labour on such roads and bridges to the extent 
 of ten dollars per year for three years, as may be directed by th« 
 Governor ia Council or officer appointed to superintend the same. 
 
 " He shall commence improving his location immediately after 
 obtaiaing permission to occupy the same, and shall, within two 
 years thereafter, satisfy the Governor in Council that he has built a 
 house thereon of not less dimensions than sixteen by twenty feet, 
 and is residing thereon, and that he has cleared at least two acres of 
 said land. 
 
 " Ho shall continue to reside upon said land for three consecutive 
 years, at tlie expiration of which tiuie, provided he shall have cleared 
 and cultivated at leait ten acres of said land, and performed the 
 labour in the manner hereinbefore prescribed, or paid twenty dollars 
 m advance, a grant shall issue to him of the one hundred acres se 
 located as aforesaid ; provided always that, should the means of 
 such person locating as aforesaid be limited, he may from time te 
 time, and for reasonable periods, absent himsolf from said land in 
 order to procure the means of support for himself and family with- 
 out forfeiting his claim to constant residence." 
 
 Under this system several colonies of English and Scotch emi- 
 grants have been settled in New Brunswick within the past fair 
 years. 
 
 Prince Edward Island. — The land in this rich and prosperom 
 Province is nearly all taken up and under cultivation. 
 
MMrl 
 
 4 rm 
 
 'i&'\ 
 
 mj'f. 
 
 
 ■'^. -1^ 
 
 */ 'I' 
 
 M-m 
 
 
 ^^ 1?:^ 
 
 mimm 
 
 'it:'?> J; 
 
 ^r^ 
 
 . *<lt* «[^ 
 

29 
 
 Quebec. — This Province covers a territory of 210,000 square 
 Miles in round numbers, or about i 20,000,000 acres, 10,678 931 
 acres of which have been conceded in fiefs and seigniories, 8,950,- 
 953 acres are held in the townsliips in free and common soccage, 
 and 6,400,359 acres are divided into farm lots. There remain about 
 one hundred millions of acres of land s'ill to be surveyed. 
 
 The Government of Quebec are in a position to offer for coloniza- 
 tion 6,400,000 acres of land, divided into farm lots, nearly half of 
 vhich are accessible by means of good roads, aiid more than two- 
 thirds are fit for settlement. The price of these farms varies from 
 twenty to sixty cents per acre (lOd. to 2s. 6d. stg. ). Upon eight of 
 the great colonization roads, every male colonist and emigrant, being 
 at least eighteen years of age, may obtain a free grant of 100 acres. 
 The number of acres of land at present set aside to be disposed of 
 in free grants is 84,050 ; but the Lieutenant Governor in Council 
 may increase the quantity if found necessary. 
 
 13y the end of the iourth yfar, the grantee must build a habitable 
 dwelling on his lot and have 12 acres under cultivation ; he can 
 then take out letters patent which make him absolute proprietor. 
 
 The Lieutenant Governor in Council may at any time lay aside 
 a district of country for the purpose of establishing a colony or 
 settlement of persons who come to the Province as one party. 
 
 There is in tiie Province of Quebec a homestead law, under which 
 the immigrant's property, on certain conditions, is exempt from 
 seiz ire. 
 
 Ontario — This Province has a territory of 105,000 square miles,* 
 or 69,0'J0,000 acres, and Crown lands may be purchased at one shil 
 ling an acre and upwards, according to situation. The free grant 
 system is as follows : — " Every head of a family can obtain gratis 
 two hundred acres of land, and any person eighteen years of age may 
 obtain one hundred acres in the free grant districts. This offer is 
 made by the Government to all persons, without distinction of sex, 
 so that a large family, having several children at or past 18 years of 
 age, may take up a large tract, and become in a few years, when the 
 land shall have been cleared and improved, joint possessors of a 
 Taluable and beautiful estate. The settlement duties are : to have 
 15 acres on each grant of 100 acres cleared and under crop in five 
 years, to build a habitable house, at least 16 by 20 feet in size, and 
 to reside on the land at least six months in each year." 
 
 The patent is not issued till the end of five years. 
 
 There is a homestead law in force in Ontario whereby the land ot 
 the settler is protected from seizure for a certain number of years^ 
 
 •Now 200,000 ; see page 50. 
 
30 
 
 and thus preserved for his family, no matter what financial difficali- 
 ies he may got into. 
 
 Manitoba. — The scheme for building the Canadian Pacific Rail- 
 way by the proceeds of sales of lands has altered the old system 
 of obtaining lands. But free grants in alternate sections are still 
 given for homesteads. The Government regulations, to be found Ia 
 Appendix B, should be consulted by the intending emigrant. 
 
 British Columbia. — In this province any male person, being a 
 British subject, of the age of eighteen years, may acquire the right 
 to pre-empt any unoccupied, unsurveyed and unreserved Crowm 
 lands (not being an Indian Settlement) not exceeding 320 acres, *• 
 the north and east of the Cascades, and 160 acres in the rest of tb« 
 Colony. A fee of $2 is to be paid for recording such pre-emptiom. 
 The occupation shall be a continuous bona fide personal residence for 
 four years, and when the lands are surveyed, the price shall not ex- 
 ceed one dollar per acre, and the pre-emptor shall have the right to 
 buy his claim. ' ; 
 
 If, during the first four years, the pre-emptor shall cease %9 
 occupy his pre-emption claim, the Commissioners of Lands may 
 cancel his claim, and cause all improvements and deposits to bt 
 forfeited. 
 
 The upset price of surveyed lands is one dollar per acre. Leasct 
 to any extent of unpre-empted and unsurveyed lands, for pastura* 
 or cutting timber, spars, etc., and of 500 acres for cutting hay, may 
 be granted by the Governor in Council, subject to such rent, terms, 
 etc., as the Governor in Council may order. ; 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 EDUCATION. 
 
 Long before school boards were established in England, Canada waB 
 in the enjoyment of a well-organized educational system. Mow 
 th&n a quarter of a century ago commissioners appointed by tha 
 Government were sent to the United States and several Europeam 
 countries, for the purpose of enquiring into and reporting upon the 
 systems of public education then in practice in the places visited. The 
 result was the foundation of a public school system, which has beem 
 improved from time to time, until it may now safely be said that, im 
 this respect, Canada is second to no other country in the world. 
 
 English farmers and others who think of removing to the colo- 
 nies are sometimes deterred by the thought that, in the new land, 
 
31 
 
 they may not find institutions and opportunities for the proper edu< 
 tion of their children. It is fancied that, because a country is youngs 
 it must, of necessity, be wanting in many of the surroundings and 
 characteristics of civilization. A more mistaken idea could not b« 
 possibly entertained ; the fact being that in many respects the new 
 countries — especially those under the rule of the Anglo-Saxon race — 
 are in advance of the old countries, for the simple reason that, i* 
 framing their institutions, while they copy all that is good and suit- 
 iible in the Old World systems, they avoid all that is bad or defec- 
 tive. The educational system of Canada affords a striking example. 
 Not only are there public schools found in every part of the Do- 
 minion penetrated by civilization, but the system is less complicated 
 than in England, a higher standard of education is maintained, 
 while the cost is not nearly so great. The result is that education 
 is universal. School-houses dot the land over. In the Province of 
 Ontario alone, with a population of about two millions, there are 
 about five thousand public schools, while the private schools number 
 close upon six hundred. The teacher invariably follows close upom 
 the heels of the backwoodsman, and no new settlement remain* 
 long without its school-house. There are many men in Canada to- 
 day, occupying positions of prominence, socially and politically — 
 men able to speak and write forcibly, intelligently and well on many 
 subjects — whose entire schooling was received within the four wall* 
 of the rustic school-house. 
 
 The system is as perfect as it is simple. Every township ii 
 divided into school-sections of a suitable extent for one scliool, and 
 in each section trustees are elected to manage its school affairs. la 
 towns and cities a Board of School Trustees is chosen by the people. 
 The Trustees regulate the expenditure of money, order the erectiom 
 of new school-houses when necessary, engage teachers, and have 
 general charge of everything connected with the public schools. 
 The necessary funds are raised, partly by tax upon the ratepayers, . 
 and partly by a grant from the Provincial treasury. Teachers are 
 prepared and trained at normal schools, supported and maintained al 
 the public expense. Instruction is not by any means confined to 
 the mere rudiments of English. In many cases the higher branches 
 are taught, and the children are turned out with a good, sound, 
 practical education that fits them for any ordinary position in life. 
 As a rule, no fees are charged, the schools are absolutely free, and 
 thus the children of the poor have the same oppoi-tunities as th« 
 children of the rich. Such, in a few words, is the public school 
 ■ystem of Canada. 
 
 Education, however, does not rest at this point. For those wh© 
 can afiord it — and nearly all can, for the cost is comparatively 
 
32 
 
 small — there are schools of a higher grade. In all parts of the 
 eountry there are grammar schools, luanaged like the common 
 schools, by a Board of Trustees. At these institutions, as well as at 
 many excellent private schools, the pupils receive a classical educa- 
 tion, and are trained and prepa -ed for the legal and other professions. 
 Above these again there are colleges, possessing university powers, 
 endowed with scholarships of considerable value, open to youths 
 prepared in the lower schools. There are also schools of medicine at 
 Toronto, Montreal and other i)laces ; while the various leading 
 religious denomin-itions have schools or colleges at which young men. 
 are prepared for the ministry. For the higher education of young 
 ladies there are numerous excellent schools, many of which are 
 denonrinational in character. Nor are the afflicted forgotten, there 
 being schools for deaf mutes and for the blind, supported and main- 
 tained at the public expense. 
 
 The public and grammar schools are under the supervision of 
 duly qualified inspectors appointed by the Government. The 
 text-books in use are excellent in every respect ; and all the larger 
 schools are well ])rovided with apparatus for the purpose of giving 
 practical instruction in chemistry, astronomy and other branches. 
 In connection with manv schools there are free libraries cootaining 
 a judiciously-chosen collection of books for the use of the pupils. 
 
 From all this it will be seen that Canada has made abundant pro- 
 vision for the education of her children. No country in the world 
 is better off in this respect ; and the Englishman may make his 
 home there with the utmost confidence of being able to give bis sons 
 and daughters as good an education as he can desire. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 POSTAL SYSTEM, MONEY, TELEGRAPHS, ETC. 
 
 The postal system of Canada extendi to every village and hamlet in 
 the land, no matter how remote from the centres of business and 
 population. The rate of postage is 3 cents ]er half ounce prepaid. 
 The number of letters carried in a vear between Canada and the 
 United Kingdom is over two millions ; newspapers and books num- 
 ber about the same. The ocean postage is 5 cents (two pence half- 
 penny sterling) per half ounce prepaid. The average passage of the 
 mail steamers is about nine days. Postal cards can be sent between 
 Great Britain and Canada for 2 cents (Id. sterling). 
 
33 
 
 The money order system in operation is similar to that of Eng- 
 land. All money order offices are authorized to draw on each other 
 for any lium up to one hundred dollars ; and any applicant may 
 receive as many one hundred dollar orders as he may require. The 
 rates are as follow : — ,., , , . , . 
 
 On orders 
 Over $10 
 
 up to 
 
 .... 10 
 
 20 
 
 5 " 
 
 10 " 
 
 " 20 
 
 ti 
 
 40 
 
 20 " 
 
 " 40 
 
 ii 
 
 60 
 
 30 " 
 
 " 60 
 
 (( 
 
 80 
 
 40 " 
 
 « 80 
 
 *i 
 
 .... 100 
 
 50 " 
 
 2.10.0 
 
 sterling, 
 
 20 
 
 cents. 
 
 5. 0.0 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 (( 
 
 7.10.0 
 
 - • ' - 
 
 
 60 
 
 ti 
 
 10. 0.0 
 
 
 
 80 
 
 n 
 
 The money order offices in Canada issue orders payable at money 
 order offices in the United Kingdom, and vice versa, for any amount 
 up to ten pounds sterling, and grant as many orders uader and up to 
 that sum as the applicant may require. The rates are : — 
 
 On Orders not exceeding £ 
 Exceeding £2.10.0, and not exceeding 
 « 5. 0.0, 
 
 «* 7.10.0, 
 
 It may be well here to give the relative values of English and 
 Canadian money. A sovereign is worth four dollars and eighty-six 
 cents ; half a sovereign, two dollars and forty-three cents ; a crown, 
 one dollar and twenty cents ; half a crown, sixty cents ; a shilling, 
 twenty-four cents ; a four penny piece, eight cents ; and a penny, 
 two cents. A cent and a half-penny are therefore practically of the 
 same value. The sign for a dollar is thus written, $. The money 
 in use in Canada is bronze, silver, gold and bank notes. The one 
 and two dollar notes are of government issue. The banks are pro- 
 hibited from issuing notes under four dollars. The chartered banks 
 of the Dominion are well managed, and backed up by large capital. 
 All bank notes, being convertible to gold on demand, are equivalent 
 to gold, and are universally so regarded. They are, in fact, preferred 
 to gold for common use, as being more portable. Gold, therefore, is 
 practically pressed out of circulation. But any persons -who desire 
 to have it can instantly exchange notes for it. 
 
 In connection with the Post Office Department there is a Savings' 
 Bank system. The offices at which deposits may be made number 
 294. The amount stt»^ding to the credit of depositors, on December 
 31st, 1879, was $3,671,0^0.23. This represents part of the savings 
 of the working classes, belonging, as it does, chiejfly to mechanics 
 aiid working servants. While on deposit the money, of course^ 
 
 c 
 
34 
 
 dj-awB interest ; and it may at any time be withdrawn from the 
 savings bank in accordance with the rules established. 
 
 The Telegraph System of Canada is in the hands ot companies 
 chartered by Act of Parliament. The number of miles of wire in 
 operation is over 30,000. The number of private messages sent is 
 between t-.vo and three million per annum. The lines are in con- 
 nection with the Atlantic cable. The newspapers receive about ten 
 million words each year. Private messages are sent at the rate of 
 twenty cents for ten words within the old provinces of the Dominion, 
 no matter what the distance may be. There is, however, a smaller 
 rate for messages between offices nob more tlian twelve miles apart ; 
 and a half rate for messages sent in the night and delivered the next 
 day. 
 
 The Canadians are a newspaper-reading people. Evsry village of 
 any pretensions has its weekly press ; while towns of seven or eight 
 thousand inhabitants have their local dailies. Some of the city 
 dailies have very extensive circulations. They are to be pin-chased 
 on the day of issue hundreds of miles distant from the place of 
 publication. Being the leading organs of their respective political 
 parties they are eagerly read by the people. And it may be said 
 that almost every Canadian is a politician. The Canadian news- 
 papers are conducted with vigour ami spirit. The enterprise they 
 display in the collection of news is surprising. When Parliament is 
 in session at Ottawa, the Toronto and Montreal papers commonly 
 publish from eight to twelve columns of the previous day's parlia- 
 mentary proceedings ; each report being a special one and trans- 
 mitted by telegraph. And even editorial articles, commenting on 
 the day's debate, ave sometimes telegrai)hed from Ottawa. 
 
 The country weeklies are chiefly loca^ in character ; still they 
 «nter largely into politics. 
 
 There are published in Canada Several excellent magazines, two 
 illustrated weekly papers, and illustrated and other periodicals. 
 
 There are class paf>ers, these being agricultural, commercial and 
 financial weeklies: while each of the leading :'eli2;ious denominations 
 lias its special organ. There are two Masonic monthlies and several 
 other socfety public-itions. In fact the Canadians are unusually 
 well supplied with nt^'spapers and periodical literature. It follows 
 that no man in the land need remain in ignorance of what is going 
 on in the world around him ; and the people generally are well up 
 in the events of tbe day, both home and foreign, and in a position to 
 talk intelligently of their own public affaii-s and those of other 
 0ountiues. 
 
u 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 A HOLIDAY TRIP. 
 
 When so many thousands of the better classes of the English peo])le 
 ■seek health or recreation on the Continent — especially during the 
 summer and autumn of each year — it is a matter of surprise that so 
 few ever think of visiting the New Britain on the oth?r side of the 
 sea. Though all who have taken a run through Canada in the 
 holiday season give a glowing account of the magnificence of the 
 scenery, the perfection of the means of travel, and the comparative 
 cheapness of living, tourists from the Mother Country are not nearly 
 so numerous as the attractions of the journey would lead one to 
 expect. The Americans, who are always in sparcli of pleasant resorts, 
 are wiser in their generation than their English cousins. Hundreds 
 of them visit Canada every summer. They come even from the 
 States in the far south; and are to be met with at the watering 
 places, in the towns and cities and on the railways and steamboats 
 in every part of the Dominion. The Englishman will run off to the 
 Continent, see Paris and Rome; *'do" Switzerland, or sv^elter in a 
 little German watering-place ; and return little better in health 
 ani much poorer in pocket, entirely oblivious of the fact that 
 he might have crossed the Atlantic and spent a few weeks very 
 profitably and pleasantly, and certainly more cheaply among people 
 •of his own race and nationality. Still, we are glad to know that the 
 number of English pleasure-seekers who visit Canada is increasing 
 year by year, and it only requires that the attractions of the journey 
 should become more widely known to make this one of the chief 
 holiday trips for Englishmen and their families. Let us, in 
 imagination, make the trip with the reader. 
 
 On a pleasant summer's afternoon, say about the middle of July, 
 we find ourselves on the deck of one of those movinsf villaares, a 
 trans- Atlantic steamer, in the Mersey. All is bustle and noise ; 
 ■everything seems topsy-turvey, fur the last of the passengers, 
 with mountains of luggage, has just come aboard, and weaieon 
 the point of sailing. In a few moments the last good-byes are 
 said, the tender casts off, the machinery moves, and our great ship 
 glides slowly down the broad stream, bound for the far west. Pre- 
 sently we are in the channel ; if it be rough those with delicate 
 stomachs disappear, while the old sailors pace the deck, talk wisely 
 of the weather, or begin the business of acquaintance-making. All 
 night we plough the Channel northward, and next morning come U> 
 
36 
 
 anchor off Greencastle, in beautiful Loch Foyle, there to await the- 
 English mail and the Irish passengers. Early in the eveningf these- 
 are on board ; one© more " the anchor's weighed," and now we are 
 off in earnest for the Western World. 
 
 When we come to look around us we find that, on thft whole, we 
 are with agreeable people, with some of whom we soon get up a 
 speaking acquaintanceship, which becomes more intimate the longer 
 we are out. Lawyers, doctors, clerg}men, farmers, sportsmen, com- 
 fortable-looking farmers going out to Canada to remain there, and 
 Canadian merchants and buyers. Some of these latter we find have 
 crossed the Atlantic scores of times, and are genial, sociable men,, 
 having a firm and an abiding faith in the future of their young 
 country. The time goes by in a pleasant, dreamy sort of way, for 
 there is rarely bad weather at this season of the year. In the way 
 of amusements and recreation, there are books, cards, chess, music, a 
 concert, w^ith readings and acting charades, eating, drinking, and 
 flirtation ; and, very likely, a little sea-sickness, though probably the 
 victims of the latter would hardly call it an amusement. 
 
 On Sunday there is service in the saloon, to which the steerage 
 passengers are invited. The service is very simple ; the ordinary 
 morning prayers are read, a couple of hymns are sung, the benedic- 
 tion is pronounced, and the proceedings are over. 
 
 On the fifth or sixth day out from Ireland we come in sight of the 
 rugged coast of Newfoundland, and another day's run takes us 
 through the straights of Belle Isle, into the gulf of St. Lawrence. 
 A few hours later we sight the island of Anticosti on the right, and 
 here we see the first signs of civilization, in the shape of a fishing 
 hamlet or two at the water's edge. Further on we enter the mighty 
 St. Lawrence itself, and thence to Quebec we have the land on either 
 side, though at ceitain points, so great is the width of this majestic 
 river, you cannot see the land except in very clear weather. As we 
 advance up the stream we pass village after village of the French 
 inhabitants, their white houses nestling in pleasant gardens, with a 
 glorious background of deep green, stretching away in the distance 
 as far as the eye can reach, and forming a picture only to be seen 
 here. And so we move on, the towns increasing in number and size, 
 till, on the eighth or ninth day out, the grand old fortress of Quebec 
 looms up as we round Point Levis ; a little later our noble ship is 
 tied up at the landing stage, and we step ashore on Canadian soil. 
 
 Quebec is the most Old- World city, and one of the most interest- ^ 
 ing on the American continent. Here we spend a day or two most 
 agreeably. We run out to the Falls of Montmorency, wander over 
 the Plains of Abraham, go through the citadel, and see the sights 
 inside and outside the walls of tliis venerable city ; which, because of its^ 
 
37 
 
 strength, a,s a fortress, is called " the Gibraltar of America." Tlience 
 we go westward, either by train or river steamer ; if by the former we 
 pass through some very iine agricultural districts ; if by the latter we 
 have a sail of 180 mUes up the St. Lawrence — a charming trip and 
 made under the most favourable circumstances in one of those " float- 
 ing palaces " for which the lakes and rivers of the New World are 
 famous. * • •: . ' 
 
 Two or three days may be profitably spent at Montreal, the com- 
 mercial metropolis of Canada, and one of the finest cities on the 
 American continent. The drives around the town are delightful, 
 the churches are massive and grand, while the Victoria Bridge 
 which crosses the St. Lawrence here, at a point where the river is 
 two miles wide, is one of the most wonderful structures in the 
 world. From Montr, al to Ottawa by rail or river is our next 
 stretch. The capital of the Dominion is well worth visiting, for its 
 artificial as well as for its natural beauties. The Houses of Parlia- 
 ment and Departmental buildings are justly ranked amongst the 
 best in America. A well-known writer has described them as 
 being among the " architectural glories of the world." The E,i- 
 -deau and Chaudiere Falls are wonderfully beautiful. Tlie saw mills 
 which are here by the score, turning out their millions of fe^^t 
 of boards each day, never fail to prove full of interest to the 
 European tourist. This is the centre of the timber trade — one of 
 the leading industries of Canada — and at any time one may see 
 hundreds of acres of " lumber," as the boards are called, piled 
 over the islands and on the river banks. By rail from Ottawa to 
 Prescott, thence westward by the Grand Trunk through a fine 
 agricultural country and past many flourishing towns, any of 
 which would be well worth visiting if we had time. We run 
 through, however, to Toronto, 333 miles west of Montreal. This 
 is the second city in Canada in wealth and population, and one of 
 the most attractive. Its public buildings and institutions are 
 numerous ; and, in visiting these, as well as driving through tho 
 wide and beautiful streets, we pleasantly pass a few days. From 
 this point many routes are open to us, but we choose the Northern 
 Bailway and go by steamboat and waggon as far as possible into the 
 Muskoka country ; in other words, into the backwoods of Canada. 
 1% was only a few years ago that these townships were thrown open 
 for settlement, and now they contain a very considerable population, 
 with several flourishing towns and all necessary branches of industry. 
 This is known as the *' Free Grant District," as the land, which 
 belongs to the Ontario Government, is given absolutely free of all 
 charge to actual settlers. The scenery along the numerous lakes 
 and rivers is unsurpassed in rugged beauty. But we shall find thLi 
 
3S 
 
 district attractive chiefly for the reason that it will afford us oppor'- 
 tuiiities for getting an iiisiglit into what is called " ror.ghing it in 
 the bush ; " in other words, we shall see the sort of lile the firsb 
 settlers in the backwoods of Canada load, with all its hardships and 
 its drawbacks, as well as its pleasures and its ireedom. We shall 
 be compelled to rough it ourselves, bub this will only make our 
 exj^erience the more enjoyable. A week or so here, then out into 
 civilization again, up the Northern Railway to the Town of Colling- 
 wood, at which port we take steamer to the head of Lake Superior. 
 This trip through the upper lakes is surrounded with many attrac- 
 tions. We i)ass through the largest body of fresh water in the 
 world, wend our way through groups of charming islands of every 
 iize and shajx?, enjoy the grandly massive scenery of Lake Superior, 
 risit the copper and silvei- mines for which this region is famous, go 
 to the very limit of civilization in this direction, and at the various 
 stopping-places see many families and villages of the Canadian 
 Inuian little removed from his orif^inal condition of barbarism. 
 The head of Lake Superior reached, we may return by another fine 
 line of steamers to Sarnia, and back to Toronto by the Grand 
 Trunk Railway, through on 3 of the finest farming districts of Ca- 
 aada. This trip will occupy about ten days from Toronto. 
 
 A two hours' sail across Lake Ontario brings us to the old town 
 of Niagara, formerly the capital of Upper Canada, now a summer 
 resort. Thence we run by rail up the west bank of the majestic 
 river, a distance of about twelve n>iles, passing through scenes of 
 historic interest, and alight at Clifton, within sight and sound of 
 Niagara's mighty cataract. Two or three days will be sufficient here, 
 though we should be glad to spend as many weeks, did time permit. 
 Taking the Great Western train at Clifton we run westward through 
 one of the finest fruit-growing districts in the world. On every side 
 we see orchards of apples, peaches, plums, and berries, vineyards 
 with their wealth of clustering grapes, and gardens bright with a pro- 
 fusion of flowers. A day at the beautiful city of St. Catharines ; thence 
 on to Hamilton, where another day may be most pleasantly spent. 
 Here, if we have no more time to spare, we may take either ti-ain or 
 steamboat for Montreal, about four hundred miles distant. It will 
 be better, however, to run on to London by the Great Western and 
 thence by the Grand Trunk to Guelph. This will again take as 
 trough the very best farraing district in Ontario, and enable us to 
 form some idea of the agricultural wealth of the Province. At 
 Guelph we might visit the Model Farm, which is carried on under 
 tie Provincial Government, and go over a tew of the splendid farms 
 for which the Count}' of Wellington is remarkable. A few hours' 
 mn by the Grand Trunk again brings us oncej more to Toronto.- 
 
30 
 
 Should time permit, we may mako a trip over one of the narrow 
 gauge railways into the beautiful cowntry north-we^st and north- 
 east of Toronto, and returning take a lake sleamer at that port for 
 Montreal. Wo steam down through Lake Ontario, past many beau- 
 tiful and flourishing towns, at several of which we call, and enter 
 the St. Lawrence at Kingston. Between this point and Montreal 
 we make one of the most charming trips imaginaMe, through the 
 ever-varying but always beautiful Thousand Islands, and over the 
 boiling, surging rapids. Notiiing can be conceived more enchanting 
 and mjre exciting than "running the rapids;" and, when the 
 pleasure and danger are past, and our steamer is moored to the 
 wharf at Montreal, our only regret is that we have not time to 
 repeat the trip. 
 
 If we can at all do so, we must run out from Montreal to Lake 
 Memphreraagog, which is remarkable for the beauty of its sur- 
 roundings. Then on to Quebec by lail, as we came up by water 
 from Quebec. We find the ship in the stream awaiting us ; we go 
 aboprd by tender, and an hour later we are ploughing our way down 
 the miglity liver. We pass once more the pleasant villages and 
 charming watering-places of the Lower St. Lawrence ; take the mails 
 on board about two hundred miles below Quebec ; then start in 
 earnest on our homeward voyage ; and in eight days more are home 
 again in **' merrie England." 
 
 This is a holiday trij> that any Englishman of moderate Ujcans 
 way safely undertake. It can easily be done within eight weeks ; 
 the cost is not so great as if the same time were spent on the Con- 
 tinent, or even at a fashionable English watering-place ; while the 
 attractions which th.'* trip presents are so varied, so novel and so 
 numerous, as to far surpass those of an)> ordinary European tour. 
 
 CHx\PTER XVII. 
 
 FOR THE SrORTSMAN, THE ANGLER AND THE ARTIST. 
 
 Ganada offers a splendid field for the sportsman and the angler. 
 Game and fish are abundant. The game laws are simple, having 
 reference only to the "close" or breeding seasons; the climate is 
 invigorating and healthy ; and experienced guides and assistants can 
 be engaged in any part of the country. The sportsman need experi- 
 ence no difficulty in suiting his taste. He can have any form of 
 
40 
 
 8|X)rt he likes, from bagging squirrels and partridges and pigeons in 
 the old settlements to tussling with grizzly bears in the wild canyons 
 of the Rocky Mountains. The royal •^'ger and the lordly, lion he 
 will not find ; but if he be sufficiently venturesome he may gather 
 together a collection of hunting trDphies of which he will have no 
 reason to be ashamed, and at the same time undergo excitement and 
 danger sufficient to satisfy any reasonable mortal. 
 
 In the way of wild animals there are in the old Provinces, bears, 
 foxes, wolves, moose, cariboo, red deer, otter, mink, pine marten, 
 sable, hares, raccoons, squirrels, etc., while in the Far West there are 
 immense herds of bufiTaloes on the plains, and grizzly bears and other 
 animals in the Rocky Mountain region. Of feathered game there 
 are woodcock, snipe, pigeons, plover, partridges, quail, geese, ducks, 
 brant, curlew, and prairie fowl ; while of eagles, hawks, owls and 
 other such birds there are many varieties. All game is common 
 property ; the sportsman is at liberty to shoot where he likes, what 
 he likes, and when he likes, with this exception that during a certain 
 time of the year it is illegal to take game. This is necessary in 
 order to preserve it from total destruction. However, no true 
 sportsman — law or no law — would kill game out of season. 
 
 The English sportsman should take a good outfit with him, though 
 it would of course be folly to burden himself with an unnecessary 
 lot of " traps." A good-sized portmanteau will carry all he wants 
 in the way of clothing. Tents and all necessary camp furniture, 
 cooking utensils, etc., can be procured in any Canadian town. 
 Rifles, guns, ammunition, knives, steel traps and all other such 
 articles can also be purchased in Canada, if necessary. 
 
 For the sake of companionship, as well as for mutual protection 
 and aid, in case of trouble or difficulty, there should be three or four 
 in the party. English servants are only in the way, unless they 
 happen to ha'^e had experience. 
 
 On arriving in Canada, the party, if they have no friends in the 
 country with whom to consult, should at once call on the nearest 
 Government agent, who, even tliough he may not know much about 
 sporting matters himself (though most of them do), will place them 
 in communication with persons who will afford them every assist- 
 ance. 
 
 In the forests of New Brunswick and Quebec, mt>ose, to say noth- 
 ing of other game, large and small, are abundant ; but it would not 
 be safe to enter on the chase without experienced guides. These 
 can be had without difficulty and at a small cost. Most of them are 
 Frenchmen, or a cross between the French and the Indian. They 
 are active, hardy, enduring, shrewd fellows ; thoroughly trust- 
 worthy ; handy in camp, and cunning on the trail. They will find 
 
41 
 
 the game if it is to be found at all, and when brought down thej 
 know how best to treat such parts as are to be preserved as trophies, 
 und how to cure the choice cuts of the meat. The French and half- 
 breeds are to be preferred to the full-blooded Indian, because they 
 are more cleanly as a rule, and much beiiter cooks than the latter. 
 It is not well, however, to allow any of them, especially the Indians, 
 too much liberty with the brandy flasks. After a hard day's work 
 on the trail, they are deserving of a drop of whiskey and water, but 
 let it be one and no more. Moose an i cariboo hunting is a hard, 
 tiresome and occasionally a very exciting amusement. There are 
 several parties of men in England, most of them ex-officei-s in the 
 army, who visit Canada every two or three years for the moose 
 hunting. They find that quite frequent enough. Some of them 
 have very fine collections of heads and hides. 
 
 As has already been said, while on the moose trail the hunter 
 comes across a variety of other game, beasts as well as birds, and 
 thus he is enabled to form an interesting and sometimes valuable 
 collection. 
 
 Duck shooting is to be liad in every part of Canada. The birds 
 come north in the spring of the year, and -make their homes for the 
 summer in the numerous small lakes to be found in the interior of 
 every Province. They hatch their young on the shores, bringing 
 them up on the wild rice and other food with which the lakes 
 abound. In the autumn they are to be seen in countless thousands. 
 Two men well up in the s[)ort may easily bring dov/n three hundred 
 brace in a day. Such shooting does not compel one to go beyond 
 the confines of civilization. Many of the best lakes for the purpose 
 can be reached from the large towns in a few hours by rail or coach. 
 At or near the lakes there are clean, comfortable, well-ke])t hotels, 
 where one may be accommodateJ for four, six, or eight shillings per 
 day, everything included. Wild geese are frequently killed in these 
 lakes, though as a rule they spend the summer further north, while 
 in the woods near the lakes a day's shooting is almost certain to 
 bring the sportsman a v/ell-filled bag of miscellaneous game. 
 
 The best and most exciting s}»ort to be had on the American 
 continent is buffalo hunting, and the best fields are the grand 
 prairies of the North West. The party should be provided with 
 good breech-loading rifles, a revolver each, and an abundant supply 
 of ammunition ; although the hunt for these by the native Indian 
 and half-breeds is by the use of the common flint-lock smooth bore, 
 which is loaded and discharged at the gallop, with great rapidity, 
 the powder being simply put into the mouth of the barrel, and the 
 bullet dropped on that without any paper or ramming whatever. 
 The firing is, of course, at point blank range, while galloping with 
 -a herd of bufialoes. 
 
4£ 
 
 Tlie hunting gi'ounds may be reached by way of Saniia and Col- 
 lingwood and the Great Lakes to Duluth : thence bv the Northern 
 Pacific to Glyndon ; and thence by the St. Paul ai^d Pacific RiiUway 
 to Winnipeg. There is also the choice of an all-rail route vid 
 Chicago and St. Paul, in the United States. The Lake route will 
 be found particularly pleasant, and the time taken is very littla 
 longer. 
 
 There is a class of men in Manitoba known as " plain hunters," 
 from the fact that thov live chiefly by buffalo hunting. Tliev are 
 nearlv all half-breeds, a cross between French or Endish and 
 Indians, and are imdoubtedly the most expert and succesful buflalo 
 killers on the American continent. The services of a few of tliese 
 men can be secured without diiScultv and at a moderate cost. Their 
 horses, an active, wiry breed, are trained to the s})ort, and appear to 
 take as much pleasure in it as do their masters. At Wifjnipeg 
 men, horsfs, tents, camp furniture and everything else necessary for 
 a hunt ever the prairies can be either hired or purchased. Before 
 engaging guides, however, the sportsman should consult the local 
 agent of the Government, who will readily give him every advice 
 and assistance. The half-breeds are, as a rule, trustworthy, honeab 
 and respectful ; still it is always the best policy to have the advice 
 of one in authority in making your arransrements. 
 
 It is not intended here to describe a buffalo hunt, vvith all its ex- 
 citement, danger and novelty. The sportsu)an, however, may be 
 advised to go and experience it for himself. It is the perfection of 
 hunting, and as horse, rifle and revolver are brouglit into service, it 
 will at once be seen that it has special and pt^culiar attractions for 
 Englishmen, accustomed as they are to both hunting and shooting. 
 To the genuine sportsman nothing can be more enjoyable ; and he 
 returns afier his two months on the plains, feeling that he has at 
 last, for a time, been in reality a dweller in " the happy hunting 
 grounds." 
 
 Those who have time and who have made the necessary prepara- 
 tions may extend their trip westward to the Rocky Mountains 
 in saarch of bears and other large game. They may even pass 
 onward into British Columbia, the forests of which aflbrd splendid 
 sport. 
 
 Prairie fowl may be killed in any number on the plains, while the 
 lakes swarm with ducks and geese. 
 
 Canada has the best fisheries, inland and marine, in the world. 
 ]S"ova Scotia and Newfoundland are famous for their cod fisheries. 
 A recent pamphlet issued by the Nova Scatian Government says : — 
 
 " In some seasons our bays juid harbours te^m with fish of various 
 kinds — mackerel, herring, cod, haddock, halibut, hake, pollock, shid^ 
 
43 
 
 gmelt, percTi, eels, etc. Tjohsters are abundant, and are usually sold- 
 ill the Halifax market at about one shilling per dozen. Good sport 
 is afforded in spearing lobsters at night by torch-light. We have a 
 pleniiful supply of shell-fish, viz., oysters, scallops, clams, quahaugs, 
 mussels, etc. Indeed, no country in the woild can]»roduce a greater 
 variety of sea tish, or in greater abundance. Our rivers and lakes 
 afford salmon, trout, and grayling; and we have no lack of the dis- 
 ciples ot Isaac Walton. Any boy with a bean-pole, a haU-dozen 
 yards of twine, with a hook on the end of ir, and a few angle worms 
 or grasshoppers, may go out in the morning and hill as many trout 
 as will do a large family for breakfast. In some lakes they ate 
 quite large, and are taken as heavy as four or five pounds. In 
 other lakes thoy are small, seldom weighing more than one pound. 
 The little brook trout is an excellent pan fish ; the prince of all the 
 trout tril)e is the sea trout. This fish is taien in large numbers at 
 the mouths of rivers emptying into the Atlantic." 
 
 All the rivers in Canada connecting with sea, on the Atlantic as 
 well as the Pacific coast, contains splendid salmon. The fish were 
 taken indiscriminately and at all seasons up to a few years ago, 
 when the Government stepped in and put a stoj) to the slaughter. 
 The tish are now closed durinsj the breedincj season, and there are 
 breeding establishmeiits, carried on under government, at which 
 millions of young fry are turned out every year. The best salmon 
 streams are in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Qaebec and British 
 Coliirabia. In the upper lakes there are numerous other varieties 
 of fish which make ca})ital sport. Some of the salmon rivers on the 
 lower St. Lawrence are leased from the Government by private 
 parties ; but permission for a week's fishing can be readily obtain(jd. 
 The lakes and rivers up the couiitiy are all free. 
 I Brook trout may be taken in all parts of Canada, but the trout- 
 f fisher's paradise is to be found in the rivers on the north shore of 
 Lake Superior, especially the Neepigon. This is a large, clear, cold 
 and rapid stream affording splendid fishing from its mouth to its 
 source. The fish run from one to seven pounds in weight ; they are 
 firm and hard, beautifully marked, and always '' die game." 
 
 To reach the Neepigon the fishermen go to Collingwood or Sarnia 
 from Toronto, by rail, thence Vjy steamer to Red Rock at the 
 mouth of the river. At Sault Ste. Marie, oti the way u]>, it is well 
 to engage a couple of half-breeds and a canoe, having previously laid 
 in the necessary camp furniture and provisions at Toronto. From 
 Red Rook the party proceeds up the river about eight miles and 
 there camps out. As the country is in a state of nature one must 
 rough i*^ and live under canvas. Three weeks on the Neepigon 
 will make glad the heart of any disciple of old Isaac Walton. It is 
 
44 
 
 "glorious sport, and, as the surrounding scenery is grand in the 
 extreme, the student of nature will find much to admire and think 
 of in after days. The fish that are taken need not be wasted. The 
 half-breeds know how to cure them so that they will keep for 
 months. The writer has eaten Neepigon trout in England, and 
 delicious they were. 
 
 Trout fishing is to be had in other parts of the country less remote 
 from civilization, and good trout fishing, too; while bass, pike, 
 pickerel, and numerous other varieties, some of them very " gamey" 
 and full of play, may be caught in any quantity in the lakes and 
 riversf. 
 
 A.S in all new countries, the fine arts did not make much headway 
 in Canada, until within the last few years. Men are too much 
 taken up with trade and commerce; too eagerly struggling fcr wealth, 
 to give any portion of their time to art studies. Yet as wealth 
 accumulates, and as education elevates the mind, the public taste 
 becomes refined, and a desire for such things manifests itself. 
 Canada is a country calculated by nature to make its people love the 
 grand, the beautiful, the sublime. Her beautiful rivers, her mighty 
 waterfalls, her lovely lakes, her grand forests, her beautiful valleys, 
 her towering mountains, and her charming pastoral scenes present a 
 variety of scenery that cannot be surpassed. Such surroundings as 
 these must tell in time on the tastes of any people. And so we are 
 glad to say it is in Canada. 
 
 Not many years ago, before the present degree of refinement and 
 culture had been reached, a painter could hardly make a living in 
 Canada. Now there are scores. In the Province of Ontario there 
 is a society for the promotion of native talent ; and there is annually 
 a very pleasant re-union, at which the works exhibited are drawn 
 for as in the London Art Unions. The subjects are generally 
 Canadian water colours, though a few artists confine themselves to 
 oil paintings. It would be unreasonable to expect them to rival the 
 works of European painters, yet there are several very promising 
 artists in the Dominion, some of whom may yet be heard of on the 
 other side of the Atlantic. ^ ; *:-- 
 
 The English painter in search of new subjects cannot do better 
 than go to Canada. There he will find every variety of scenery 
 imaginable, while at the same time ho will enjoy an "outing" that 
 cannot fail to invigorate and strengthen both body and mind. 
 
45 
 
 CHAPTER XVIIl. 
 
 WHEN AND HOW TO GO TO CANADA. . 
 
 The spring or summer is the best time of year to go to the old- 
 Provinces of Canada. Strangers should not go there in the winter 
 ■with the intention of becoming permanent residents, unless under 
 the advice of friends already in the country, whom they are going to 
 join. The earlier in the spring one gets to the old Provinces the 
 better. By leaving home about the middle of April, when the 
 steamships commence mnning to Quebec for the season, the emi- 
 grants will arrive at a time when labour is in general demand. 
 
 Farmers who go to Canada with means, and who intend to pur- 
 chase farms on their own account, should not close a bargain till 
 they have had a good look around. Each one should deposit his 
 money in a Government Savirgs' Bank or in one of the Chartered 
 Banks, where it will be perfectly safe and drawing interest. He 
 should spend a year in the country parts ; and it would be all the 
 better for him in the end if he were to engage himself for the sum- 
 mer to an experienced farmer. The knowledge thus attained would 
 stand him in good stead when on land of his own. Though land is 
 often transferred without much formality, it is always the safest 
 course to procure the services of a lawyer before concluding a deed. 
 So far as the labourer is concerned, his first object should be to 
 procure work. He should keep clear of the large towns where 
 he is liable to be led into temptation or to waste his money 
 in idleness. Let him in all cases be guided by the advice of the 
 government agents with whom he is brought into contact, and he 
 will not be likely to go wrong. 
 
 Though the highest wages are paid during harvest, he should not 
 wait for that busy season ; his great object should be to get engaged 
 by the year, so as to be sure of a comfortable home and steady 
 wages during the dull as well as during the busy season. He 
 should bear in mind that, until he gets into the ways of the country, 
 he is worth much less to the farmer than he will be afterwards, and 
 should therefore be careful not to make the common mistake of 
 refusing reasonable wages when offered him on his first arrival in 
 the country. These remarks apply to the tradesman and mechanic 
 as well as to the farm labourer. 
 
 Ail routes by United States ports (Portland excepted) should be 
 avoided, and itoamsliips should be chosen in preference to sailing 
 vessels. There are several lines of steamers running direct to- 
 
46 
 
 Oanadian ports, to wliicli we shall refer more fully presently. Thcs# 
 steam-lines have agents in all parts of England, Jreknd and Scotland, 
 and also in most of the large continental cities. In all cases it is 
 %est to consult ohe nearest local agent, who will readily give every 
 information in his power respecting rates, times of sailing, etc., and 
 will also furnish the applicant with pamphlets on Canada free of 
 charge. If there be no local agent, application should be made to 
 the Canadian Emigration Agent, Canada Government Building, 31 
 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.G. Under any circumstances it 
 is always best to procure one's ticket before leaving home, as a place 
 in the ship is thus secured, and much trouble, annoyance and con- 
 fusion at Liverpool are avoided. Though passengers may book 
 through to any inland town on any of the main lineb of railway, it 
 is preferable to book only to Quebec, at which port all necessary in- 
 formation will be given by the government agent or the railway 
 officials. 
 
 Emigrants going to Ontario or the Western part of Canada, should 
 always, in the summer time, take a steamer going to the port of 
 Quebec, and never to Halifax and St. John, as they save a long rail- 
 way route. . . 
 
 STEAMSHIP LINES — ADVICE ABOUT gAILINQ. ' 
 
 There are several lines of sieamships running from ports in 
 England, Ireland and Scotland directly to ports in Canada, of which 
 full information can be obtained from the hand bills and advertise- 
 ments of the several companies. 
 
 There are lines which go to Quebec, which, we repeat, the emigrant 
 for the west should always take in the summer time ; and there are 
 Jines whiidi go to Halifax and St. John, which emigrants for Nova 
 Scotia and New Brunswick should always take, instead of going 
 round by Quebec. " : ~ .^i rr-? 
 
 In the winter time, or when the St. Lawrence is closed, emigrants 
 for the West can go by either Halifax or Portland. 
 
 Passengers of every grade on all of these vessels are provided with 
 .an abundance of cooked provisions; but steerage passengers must 
 provide their own beds and bedding, and eating and drinking 
 utensils, which can be procured in Liverpool before sailing for a few 
 shillings. First-class passengers are allowed 20 cubic feet ; inter- 
 mediate passengers, 15 cubic feet; and steerage passengers, 10 cubic 
 feet of luggage free. All excess will be charged for. t(OH«,!j^ 
 
 As we have already said, the passenger should procure his ticket 
 before leaving home either from an authorized agent of the line he 
 intends sailing by or through the Canadian Emigration^Agent in 
 
47 ^- ,.:;,;- 
 
 jLondon. It is of the utmost importance also that every member of 
 his family shoukl be in good health, as they will be examined by a 
 medical officer before embarking, and should any infectious disease be 
 discovered the family will not be allowed to sail. Each ship has a 
 medical officer on board, and in case of illness during the voyage ho 
 attends to tiie patients and prescribes for them free of all charge. 
 
 The following instructions are tdken from a recently issued emi- 
 gration pamphlet : '^ S : ' - '.-;'; . • 
 
 As soon as the passenger gets on board he should read the rules ho 
 is expected to obey whilst at sea. He will find them hung up in the 
 steerage ; and should do his best to carry them oul , and to be well 
 behaved and keep himself clean, as this will add much to his own 
 comfort and good health, as also to the comfort and health of others. 
 
 If he have any grievance or real cause of complaint during the 
 passage, he should go and make it known at once to the captain. 
 The arrangements are, however, now so parfect for securing comfort 
 and speed on the great ocean steam-iiues, that complaints are seldom 
 or never heai'd. 
 
 All boxes and luggage should be plainly maiked with the passen- 
 ger's name, and the }>lace he is going to. They will be stowed away 
 m the hold of the. vessel, so whatever is wanted on the voyage should 
 be put into a trunk, carpet bag or small box, which the passenger 
 will take with him into his berth. 
 
 Emigrants are often induced to make a clean sweep and part with 
 everything they have belore leaving the old country, because it is 
 said the charges for excess of luggage are so large that they would 
 come to more than the things are worth. Now there are many little 
 household necessaries which when sold %vould not fetch much, but 
 these same things if kept would be exceedingl}'' valuable in the new 
 country or the bush, and prove a great comfort to the family as well. 
 It is not, therefore, always advisable to leave them behind ; they may 
 not take up much room, and the cost of freight v/ould be little com- 
 pared to the comfoi-t they will bring. The personal effects of emi- 
 grants are not liable to customs duty in Canada. Excess of luggage 
 (unless very bulky) is seldom charged for on the Canadian Railways. 
 
 Lay in as good a stock of clothes before leaving home as you 
 possibly can. Woollen clothing and other kinds of wearing apparel, 
 blankets, house-linen, etc., are cheaper in the United Kingdom than 
 in Canada. The emigrant's bedding, if it is good, should be brought ; 
 and if he has an old pea jacket or great coat he should keep it by 
 him, for he will find it most useful on board ship. 
 
 Agricultural labourers need not bring their tools with them, as 
 Uiese can bo easily got in Canada, of the best description, and 
 suited to the needs of the country. 
 
48 
 
 Mechanics are advised to bring such tools as they have, particu- 
 larly if specially adapted to their trades. 
 
 Both classes must, however, bear in mind that there is no diffi- 
 culty in buying any ordinary tools in the principal towns at reason- 
 able prices ; and that it is better to have the means of purchasing 
 what they want, after reaching their destination, than to be hampered 
 with a heavy lot of luggage on their journey through the country. 
 It must also be borne in mind that the tools bought in Canada will 
 likely be specially adapted to the use of the country. 
 
 Farmers and others with means, going out as saloon passengers, 
 sometimes take with them the greater portion of their household 
 furniture, bedsteads, tables, piancs and other heavy and cumber- 
 some articles. Nothing could be more absurd than this. The cost 
 is very great, the articles are liable to be damaged on the voyage ; 
 and, even should they reach Canada uninjured, many of them will 
 be found to be out of place and the next thing to useless. All 
 heavy household furniture should be sold off ; it is much better to 
 make a clean sweep of it and to go out, so to speak, " in light 
 marching order." Furniture of all kinds can be bought in Canada 
 as cheaply as in England. The pianos made in Canada are second 
 to none. Everything in the way of house furnishings is to be had 
 at reasonable prices, and much better suited to the country than the 
 English made articles. 
 
 By foliowiug out the advice given above one may go to Canada 
 with ease and comfort. The voyage is a short one, from eight to 
 ten days ; the steamships are of the very best class, and the wants 
 and welfare of the passengers are carefully and constantly looked 
 after. In fact, it is little else than a pleasure trip on a large scale. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 RITES OF WAGES, COST OF LIVING, RENTS, CLOTHING, ETC. 
 
 The commercial and industrial crisis which has affected so large a 
 portion of the world set in, with severity, in Canada, in 1874, and 
 naturally very much deranged the rate of wages, which is still very 
 much unsettled. But the depression is now passing away, to be 
 followed by the accustomed state of prosperity in the country. It is, 
 however, yet very difficult to quote a rate of wages applicable to all 
 parts of the country. In the old parts of Canada labourers* wages 
 may be stated to be from eighty cents to a dollar a day, without 
 
49 
 
 board, but less in winter. Agricultural labourers get from ten to 
 twenty dollars per month with board, and more for special work 
 during the harvest, but in winter less. Labourers' wages on the 
 Railway works in Manitoba and the North West are from one dol- 
 lar and a quarter to two dollars a day. But emigrants should bear 
 in mind that Manitoba is & new country, and the labour market 
 limited. They should therefore be well advised before going thither 
 in search of employment. 
 
 Female domestic servants get on an average five or six dollars *a 
 month with board. Higher wages are sometimes paid for very 
 superior servants. Inferior ones get less than the average stated. 
 
 The wages of artisans and mechanics difiier with their trades, and 
 are in many cases fixed by the trades union. As compared with the 
 cost of living they are good ; and they are relatively good as com- 
 pared with other countries. 
 
 It may be generally remarked that, since the depression began, 
 the class of mechanics and artisans and labourers in towns have been 
 cautioned to use great care before emigrating, as considerable num- 
 bers, not only in Canada, but over the whole continent of North 
 America, have been thrown out of employment, from the stoppage 
 or reduction of accustomed industries. 
 
 These remarks have not applied in Canada to genuine agricultural 
 labourers. These, and farmers with small capital, have had the 
 very best prospects open to them, even during the crisis. In fact, 
 men, to make the land give its increase and develop the uaineral 
 resources of the country, are a standing need in Canada. 
 
 As respects the cost of living, it has gone down with the depres- 
 sion of wages. All kinds of meat, potatoes, breads butter, milk, 
 cheese, and in fiict all kinds of provisions are very cheap in Canada, 
 very much cheaper than they are in England ; and the people as a 
 rule live well. 
 
 Generally speaking, the cost of clothing is cheaper in the Old 
 Country than in the New, and provisions cheaper in the New than 
 the Old ; but the difference in the cost of clothing at the present 
 time is not much ; and the emigrant is not advised to burden him- 
 self by the purchase of articles of which he is not iii immediate need. 
 
 The cost of board for immigrants may be stated to average from 
 $2 J to $3 (10s. to 12s. stg.) per week ; and the rent of houses for 
 working men from $5, {£i stg.) to |8 (£1 12 stg.) per month, 
 according to size and locality. There are, of course, higher and 
 lower prices than these quotations. Living is very cheap in Canada. 
 
 As regards employment, the newly an-ived immigrant, without 
 - »eans, is generally advised to take the first offer made to him until 
 *.lie becomes acquainted with the ways of the country. And the; 
 
50 
 
 inducement, as before explained, to come to Canada, is not simplj 
 higher wages and good living among kindred people under the same 
 flag, in a naturally rich country, possessing a pleasant and healthj 
 climate ; but the confident hope which the poorest may have <rf 
 becoming a landowner, and, while securing a competence for himself, 
 comfortably settling and educating his children in a manner he coaUi 
 not hope to do among the crowded population of the Old World. 
 
 CHAPTER XX, 
 
 PROVINCES OF THE DOMINION. 
 ONTARIO. 
 
 Thb old Province of Ontario had an area of about seventy-eight 
 million acres, of which about a third was surveyed, and for the most 
 part granted and sold. But of the surveyed jwrtion upwards of 
 three millions of acres yet remain to be disposed of, either as free 
 grants to settlers or by purchase. 
 
 The recent award, however, of the arbitration on the boundaries 
 of Ontario, gave to that Province an Immense extension of terri- 
 tory, — an extension as great as the whole of the rest of Ontario 
 exclusive of the Lakes Ontario, Superior, Huron and Erie. The 
 Province of Ontario will in the future possess an area of fully 200,- 
 000 square miles. This is 80,000 square miles greater than the 
 area of the United Kingdom ; only 12,000 square miles less thaa 
 the whole German Empire ; only 2,000 square miles less than France ; 
 and equal to the combined areas of Holland, Portugal, United Italy, 
 Switzerland and Belgium. The new territory alone possesses an 
 area greater by 20,000 square miles than the group of countries just 
 named, excepting Italy. 
 
 Ontario is the most populous and wealthy Province of the Con- 
 federaiiou. It had, according to the census of I«S71 a population of 
 1,620,851. Its south-western portions have a milder climate thau 
 Quebec or the Maritime Provinces. Its growth in wealth, princi- 
 pally from the products of agriculture, has been very rapid. 
 
 Occupations and Cities. 
 
 Agriculture forms the principal occnpation of the inhabitantei, 
 Although lumbering in the rich forests, mining in the bouutifol 
 
51 
 
 •deposits, and seafaring occupations, on the great lakes, attract a po»- 
 tion of the labour of the inhabitants. 
 
 Toronto, the seat of the Provincial Government, has a populatiom 
 of 56,092. There are also other cities of considerable extents Ot- 
 tawa, with a population of 21,545, is the seat of the Dominion Gor- 
 ernment, in wliich are erected the Houses of Parliament anil 
 Departmental Buildings. These constitute three of the finest edifice* 
 on the Continent of America. The city of Hamilton has a popula- 
 tion of 26,716 ; London, 15,826; and Kingston, 12,407. 
 
 Resources. 
 
 The soil of the country varies in different localities, but a larg« 
 'proportion is of the very best description for agricultural purposes ; 
 Its water communication, by means ot the great lakes, is unsurpassed; 
 in mineral wealth (excluding the one article, coal) it has resources of 
 the very greatest extent, abounding, as it does, in iron, copper, lead, 
 silver, marble, petroleum, salt, etc. Its immense forests of pint 
 timber are too well known to need any description. The great 
 lakes abound with fish, and the forests with game. 
 
 Ontario is essentially an agricultural country. The producing 
 class, then, is that which the country needs — men to clear the forest 
 lauds, to cultivate the soil, to build houses, to make the ordinary 
 household goods, and to open up communication from one part of 
 the country to another, by the construction of roads and railways ; 
 but it cannot be too strongly imjnessed upon intending emigrants 
 that, of professional men and of book-keepers and clerks, Ontario 
 kas already enough and to spare. 
 
 ' Demand for Females. 
 
 Of the female sex the class most in demand are household aer- 
 Tants ; these are always sure of immediate employment, at good 
 wages. There is a]so a considerable demand for dressmakers, mid- 
 liners, and seamstresses, all of whom can obtain good wages. 
 
 "^ : > Farms and Lands. 
 
 Uncleared land varies in price from 2s. to 40s. an acre, according 
 to situation and soil. Cleared and improved farms can be bought at 
 prices ranging from £4 to £10 an acre. The money oan nearly 
 ftlway" be paid in instalments, covering several years. The leasing 
 of farms is r.n exception to the general rule, as most men desire to 
 -own the land they cultivate. Emigrants possessing means would 
 •4o well not to be in haste to pr.rchase, but to get somo experienee 
 
52 
 
 before takiug so im})ortant a step. Agricultural labourers would 
 study their own interests hy accepting employment as it may be 
 offered on arrival, and they will soon learn how to improve perma- 
 nently their condition. Persons accustomed to the use of mechanical 
 tools, who intend turning their hands to funning, will often find such 
 an acquisition of grey t convenience and value. 
 
 ' . ■ ■ • 
 
 Prosperity of Immigrants in Ontario. 
 
 !Men commencing as labourers, without any capital but strong 
 arms and willing minus, seldom keep in that condition very long, but 
 after a period of more or less duration they generally become em- 
 ployers ot labour themselves. It is this moral certainty of rising in 
 the social scale, when tlie proper means are employed, that brightens 
 the hopes and stimulates the exertions of the needy settler. 
 
 In coming to Ontario, old country people will find themselres 
 8un*ounded by appliances of comfort and civilization similar to those 
 which they left in the old land ; the means of educating their children 
 universally diffused ; religious privileges almost identically the same ; 
 the old national feeling for the land of their fathers loyally cherished ; 
 and an easy means of intercourse, both by steam and telegraph, with 
 every part of the great British Empire, of which Canadians are proud 
 to boast that their country forms an integral and no inconsiderable 
 pai-t. 
 
 Climate and Productiom. , . 
 
 ^t '. ■' * 
 
 The climate of Ontario is warmer in summer and colder in winter 
 than that of P^ngland ; but the air being dry the heat of summer is 
 not found to be oppressive ; while the clear sky and bracing air of 
 winter render that season, in the o{)inion of many, the most pleasant 
 in the year. The frosts of winter have a ])owerful effect in opening 
 the soil, and the snow protects the ground from the winds and sun of 
 the early spring ; then the melting snow fills the soil with moisture, 
 and replenishes the wells with an abundant supply of water. 
 
 Tho productions of Ontario are similar to those of "Western Europe. 
 Cereals, grasses and root- crops find here their appropriate climate, 
 while fruit is productnl in great abundance. 
 
 Hemp, tobacco and sugir-beet are also profitable crops.'^'^ IVl aize 
 and tomatoes ripen well, and in the southern parts of the Province 
 peaches and grapes come to perfection in the open air. The growth 
 of such products as these forms an unerring index to the chyracter of 
 the climate. 
 
:'«ti 
 
 I, 
 
 '.::■ .^^ 
 
W" ■* ■ ' 
 
 ^^^ 
 
58 
 
 . ^i Free Grant Lands. 
 
 On the first of January, 1874, there were sixty-nine townships 
 «pen for location, under the " i'ree Grant and Homestead Act of 
 1868," and the following have been opened since that time, viz., 
 Bangor, Faraday, McCiure, Carling, Hyde, Oakley, Ilidout, Matt*- 
 ¥ran, and Plumer, making in all seventy-eight townshi])S, each con- 
 taining from 50,000 to 60,000 acres. Besides the above, there are 
 twelve more townships appropriated, making in all ninety. Other 
 townships will be opened as railways and colonization roads are con- 
 structed ; and the Georgian Bay branch of the Canadian Pacific Rail- 
 way will, in its construction, pass through townships in Ontario that 
 will be open to settlers as free grants. 
 
 Two hundred acres of land can be obtained, on condition of settle- 
 ment, by every head of a family having children under eighteen 
 years of age ; and any person over eighteen years of age can obtain 
 a free gi*ant of 100 acres on condition of settlement. These lands 
 are protected from seizure for any debt incurred l>efore the issue of 
 the patent, and for twenty years after its issue by a " Homestead 
 Exemption Act." 
 
 In order to make a successful settlement upon a fre« grant, the 
 settler should have at least from £40 to £50 aft«r reaching tis 
 location. - r- 
 
 'ihe old settlers are always willing to help new comers. A hous«, 
 such as is required by the Act, could be erected by «ontract for from 
 £5 to £S ; but with the assistance which the new settler would cer- 
 tainly receive from his neighbours, it might be cected for even less. 
 Siiould it be desiicd to clear the land by hired labour or by contract, 
 in order to bring it more rapidly into cultivation, the cost would be 
 about £3 sterling per aero. The best season of the year to go on to 
 a free grant is the month of September, after harvest work in the old 
 settlements is over. There is time to put up a house, and get com- 
 fortably settled before the winter sets in ; and during the winter the 
 work of chopping and clearing can go on. In this way a crop can 
 be got in during the first spring. The operation of putting in the 
 first crop is a very simple one. Ploughing is at once impracticable 
 and unnecessary. The land is light and rich. All it needs is a 
 little scratching on the surface to cover the seed. This is done with 
 a drag or harrow, which may either be a very rough, primitive 
 implement — a natural crotch with a few teeth in it — or it may lie 
 earefully made and well finished. 
 
 Mine* and Minerals. 
 
 The mineral ^wealth of Ontario can hardly be surpassed in varivtr 
 afll richness, but may be said to be almost entirely undeveloped. ^^^ 
 
54 
 
 V 
 
 Iron in large quantities is found a short distance back from Lake- 
 Ontario, in the country between the Georgian Bay and the Ottawa ;. 
 also, in the same regioU; copper, lead, plumbago, antimony, arsenic, 
 Biiinganese, heavy spar, calc spar, gypsum or plaster of Paris, marbla 
 pronounced by good judges as fully equal to Carrara, or that 
 obtai.ied in Vermont, and building stone, all of them in larga 
 quantities near the surface. Gold has also been found in tlie same 
 region, but not as yet in quantities suflficient to pay well. Mica is 
 also found in considerable quantities, and is very profitably worked. 
 
 On the north shore of Lake Huron are the celebrated Bruce 
 wines of copper, from which ore and metal to the value of about 
 X50,000 are exported annually. Silver is found on the shores of 
 Lake Superior, particularly in the neighbourhood of Thunder Bay. 
 Silver Islet, a small island in this bay, contains one of the richest 
 Teins of this metal ever discovered. There are other veins on the 
 mainland, almost, if not quite, as rich. 
 
 Petroleum is got in the westerly part of the Province in immense 
 and apparently inexhaustible quantities. 
 
 Salt is obtained at Goderich and the neighbourhood, the brine 
 l»ing taken from wells sunk to a great depth below the surface. 
 
 Large peat beds exist in many parts of the Province, and the 
 Manufacture of peat for fuel is now being carried on by two com- 
 panies, the Anglo-American and the Ontario. 
 
 Education. 
 
 One of the chief attractions of Ontario as a home for immigrants. 
 19 its admirable system of Public Education. This has teeu 
 brought to its present perfection by much care and study. The 
 ■ystems prevalent in the most advanced countries of Europe have 
 been carefully studied, and their best points appropriated. 
 
 The public schools are all free. All resident children between the 
 ages of five and twenty-one years are allowed to attend them, and 
 the children of all classes are educated therein without disiinction. 
 
 The public schools are non-sectarian. The children of all denomi- 
 mations are admitted without distinction. 
 
 The school funds are derived from four diflTerent sources. 1. The 
 Bale of lands set apart for school purposes, from the proceeds of 
 which sale is paid the legislative grant, which is apportioned among 
 tho schools, according to school population, and is used only for the 
 payment of teachers' salaries ; 2. Municipal assessment , each city, 
 town or county is to raise by assessment an amount equal at least 
 to the legislative grant ; 3. Money received from the Clergy 
 jReserve Fund and other sources ; 4. Trustees' school assessment. 
 
55 
 
 The scbools are governed by trustees elected from and b? the 
 Hitenayers of the district ; and it is imperative on the trustees of 
 each school to lf>vy a tax on the rateable property within their 
 gecLion sufficient to supply any deficiency tliat may be require! after 
 obtaining the legislative and municipal grants. 
 
 Manufactures. 
 
 The almost unlimited supply of water power tliroughout Ontario 
 affords facilities for manufactures to which that power is ada})ted, 
 and in consequence various descriptions of industry are springing up 
 in all directions. Steam power is also used to a large extent. The 
 principal articles manufactured, are cloth, linen, clothing, leather, 
 furniture, sawn timber, flax, iron and hardware, paper, soap, cotton 
 ftnd woollen goods, steam engines and locotnotives, wooden ware of 
 all descriptions, agricultural implements, etc. 
 
 Special Inducements. 
 
 Persons of moderate but independent means, who are living on 
 ihe interest of their money in England, could double their incomes 
 by settling in Ontario, where from seven to eight i)ei' cent, can 
 easily be obtained for investments on first-class security. Add to 
 this that living and education are much cheaper than in the Old 
 Country, and it will be at once obvious how great are the advantages 
 Ontario offers to this class of persons, and especially those with 
 families. »«•* v 
 
 Another class of persons to whom Ontario offers special induce- 
 ments are tenant farmers who are ambitious of changing their 
 condition as leaseholders to that of freeholders. ImiM'Oved farms 
 •an be bought in Ontario for the amount of capital necessary to carry 
 on a leased farm in Great Britain, thus placing the well lo-do farmer 
 ia a position of independence. 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 Thb Province of Quebec comprises a territory of 210,000 square 
 miles or 129,000,000 acres of land, divided in this way : — 
 
 , , Conceded in fiefs 10,678,981 
 
 In free and common sor-cage.. 8,950,953 
 ' Surveyed into farm lots 0,400,000 
 
 ~ -- - 26,029,9^4 _.^__ 
 
 Still to be surveyed 102,970,066 
 
5t 
 
 This Province was originally settled by the French. The first 
 English settlers who really fixed their homes in Quebec were the 
 Unite^l Empire Loyalists, whom the War of Independence in the 
 United States caused to emigrate to Canada. To recompense their 
 allegicince the British Government granted them magnificent grants 
 of land in the Bastern Townships in Quebec, and in the peninsula 
 formed by the great lakes of Ontario. In this way there exists to-daj 
 in the Province a mixed population consisting of French and English 
 speaking people. 
 
 Education. 
 
 In order to make clear the social features of the Province we shall 
 illustrate first the system of education. The Minister of Public 
 Instruction controls and directs public instruction in this Provinc*. 
 This important public functionary is assisted by a council of twenty- 
 one members, fourteen of whom are Catholics and seven Protestants. 
 If at any time ten Catholic or five Protestant members of the council 
 shall be of opinion that their respective educational institutions 
 should be separately manag&J, in that case the law provides for 
 separation ; and it then resolves itself into two, so that the members 
 of the different religious creeds shall have the exclusive management 
 of the schools of their respective denominations. Nothing indicates 
 SL desire to put into operation this clause of the law which provides 
 for separation ; on the contrary, the most friendly relations exist 
 among the gentlemen of different religious denominations who con- 
 stitute the council. 
 
 Primaiy education is obligatory, in so far as every taxpayer is 
 bound to contribute to it a moderate sum. The sum levied is equal 
 in amount to the school grant allowed by the Government to every 
 municipality in tke Province. Besides this, heads of families have 
 to pay a monthly fee, varying from five to forty cents, for every 
 child between the ages of 7 and 14 capable of attending school. 
 There are annually allowed to poor municipalities $8,000 Primary 
 schools are placed under conti*ol of commissioners elected by the rate- 
 payers of each municipality. 
 
 In municipalities where there exist different religious denomina- 
 tions the school commissioners of the majority govern. If the 
 minority are not satisfied with their management as it concerns them 
 specially, they may signify thtir dissent to the president of the school 
 commisjiioners, and select trustees to direct their own schools. Thus 
 the minority, be it Catholic or Protestant, has no fear of being op- 
 pressed. 
 
 There are special schools, called normal schools, supported by the 
 
57 
 
 «feate, wherein school teachers are trained. There are three in 
 Quebec, two CathoUc and one Protestant. There are to-day in 
 Quebec close upon 4,000 primary schools wherein elementary instruc- 
 tion is given to fully 200,000 pupils ; and nearly 300 secondary and 
 model schools attended by at least 40,000 pupils. These schools arc 
 maintained at a joint coat of $1,000,000. Inspectors connected with 
 the educational department visit the schools of the district to which 
 they are appointed to assure themselves of the competency of the 
 teachers and the efficiency of their management. Besides there 
 schools of primary instruction there are special schools, lyceums, 
 commercial schools and schools of agriculture. These number about 
 150, and are attended by $,000 pupils. 
 
 There are, besides these, wherein the classics are mainly taught, 
 fifteen superior schools in the Province. Twelve are Catholic and 
 three Protestant. The Catholic colleges owe their existence to the 
 generosity of the clergy. In the majority of cases the professors are 
 ecclesiastics, who follow their couree of theology while they act as 
 teachers, and are coatent to receive a remuneration of $-40 per 
 annum, besides board and lodging. This explains the low rate paid 
 by pupils for tuition and board, which does not reach the sum of 
 $100 per year. Hundreds of young men, devoid of means, have 
 been and are educated gratuitously in these schools. Owing to these 
 faeilities, education of a very superior order is very widely extended 
 in this Province, 
 
 There are three Universities in Quebec, two of which are Pro- 
 testant — McGill College, founded in 1S27 ; and Bishops College, 
 Lennoxville, founded in 1843 by his Lordship Bishop Mountain. 
 The Catholic University, Laval, like the English ones, is incorporated, 
 but, beyond this, has nothing in common with them. It was 
 founded in 1854 by the Seminary of Quebec, which spent in the 
 undertaking $300,000, and now maintains it at its own expense, 
 without State aid. 
 
 Religious and Cimritahle histitutions. 
 
 These institutions form one of the chief features of Quebec. With 
 the earlier missionaries came tJie Steurs Hospitalieres to care for the 
 sick, and the Ursulines and the Sistei-s of the Congregation followed 
 to attend to the educating of the rising generation, and assist in. 
 civilizing the Indians. These institutions, endowed by the State or 
 by private individuals, have gone on multiplying and meeting the 
 requirements of progress. ' 
 
 iij the side of the Catholic institutions have grown up and 
 prospered those of other religious communities, between which and 
 
$s 
 
 tiso Catholic institutions no rivalry exists, except in doing good. 
 The Government of the Province devotee a considerable portion of 
 its revenues, about $lC0,OiJ0 a year, to the support of charitable 
 institutions. These sliort sketches of the system of education and 
 eharities in Quebec are amply sufficient to illustrate the spirit of 
 broad humanity and fair play existing in that Province. 
 
 Population and Climate. 
 
 At the hist census, taken in 1871, the population cf Quebee 
 amounted to ],i9I,5lG souls ; of these 920,817 were of French 
 origin, 69,822 of English, 49,158 of Scotch, 123,478 of Irish, and 
 the remainder of other origins. 
 
 Classified according to religion, the population of the Province is 
 eom posed of 1,019,850 Catholics and 171,663 Protestants. 
 
 The rigour of the winter in Canada is very much exaggerated in 
 Euroj)e, and so often advanced as an objection to the country that 
 ■wre shall allude to it to show that it is not what it has been repre- 
 Bented. The climate of Quebec is the most healthy in North 
 America; and, perhaps, its people are the haidiest and most vigorous. 
 
 The snow of Quebec is most favourable to agricultural opei-ations. 
 The ground enjoys rest for at least five months of the year, and 
 winter imparts to the soil that vigour which promotes a suddan and 
 full vegetation. In point of quality and quantity the crops will 
 compare favourably with those of other parts of the continent. 
 Quebec is distinguished for the excellent quality of its apples. The 
 melon and tomato grow luxuriantly, and ripen in the open air. 
 Indian corn, hemp, flax and tobacco, when grown, yield a good 
 return. Hemp and fla^c can bo cultivated to any extent in the 
 Province of Quebec. Another instance which will show the climate 
 of Quebec cannot be so severe is that sparrows can be seen during 
 the winter season, no matter what weather, flitting about. The 
 Bummer of Quebec is equal to that of Toulouse ; and fever and 
 •gue are unknown in the Province. 
 
 The Soil and its Productions, 
 
 The soil of the Province is extremely rich, and susceptible of tiie 
 kigliest cultivation. It is adapted for the grov/th of very varied 
 products ; cereals, hay and green crops grow everywhere in abun- 
 dance where the land is at all fairly tilled. Cattle breeding is being 
 carried on on a very large scale, and within three years there has 
 been exported from Quebec to great Britain large quantities of dead 
 •eat and cattle, not exceeded by the best English breeds. For 
 
pasturage tlie lands of Quebec are of special excellence, particularly 
 tLose in the Eastern Township=i and north of the Ottawa. The 
 impulse given to agriculture by the active co-operation of the Gov- 
 ernment is working great benefit and leading to strides little dreamt 
 of fire Years afjo. 
 
 Territorial Divisions and Municipal Institutions. 
 
 As regards civil matters Quebec is divided into parishes, town- 
 ships, counties and districts. There are sixty counties in tlie Pro- 
 vince. For judicial purposes the Province is divided into twenty 
 distiicts. The functions of the municipal institutions are the keep- 
 ing in repair of roads, bridges, and public 'vorks of a ])urely local 
 character, and the maintaining laws favourable to agriculture. 
 
 The affairs of the parish are regulated by five or seven councillors 
 elected hj the ratepayers. A mayor presides over their delibera- 
 tions, and great care is taken that no unnecessary expenses are 
 incurretl. 
 
 Ayricultv/re. * 
 
 The great bulk of t',e rural population live by agriculture. The 
 extent of the farms generally is 100 acres ; farms in the older settle- 
 ments being worth, as a rule, from $2,000 to ^4,000. The sons of 
 farmers invariably push back into the new settlements, where a 
 partially cleared farm may be purchased for abovit $200 ; or purchase 
 a lot from the Crown Lands at a cost of between 30 or 40 cents 
 (Is. 3d. to Is. 8d. stg.) per acre ; or takea/ree grant along one of the 
 •©Ionization roads. There are five main centres of colonization : — 
 The Valley of the Saguenay— The extent of land surveyed and 
 disposable in this district is about 016,600 acres, the price of which 
 ia about 20 cents (lOd. stg.) per acre ; The Valley of the St. 
 Maurice — There are, in the Townships of this district snrv^eyed, divi- 
 ded into farm lots, 441,200 acres of land, for sale at 30 cents (Is. 3d. 
 stg.) per acre ; The Valley of the Ottawa — The number of acres 
 surveyed and divided into farm lots actually to be disposed of in this 
 district is 1,3;8,500 acres, the price of which is 30 cents per acre ; 
 The Eastern Townships — In this rich grazinsc distiict there are 
 922,300 acres of wild land, which the Government is prepared to 
 sell at a moderate rate. The Government lands in this section sell 
 at from 50 to 60 cents (2s. Id. to 2s 6d.stg,) per acre. The Eastern 
 Townships present more than ordinary attractions to the agriculturist 
 •Did capitalist from Great Britain. 
 
GO 
 
 A recent writer on Canada in speaking of this fertile district 
 says : — 
 
 *' Few sections of Canada, perhaps, offer greater inducements to the 
 immigrant tlian the Eastern Townships. The ])roximity of the 
 townships to the American market, and the great facilities for ship- 
 ment to these and the markets of the Dominion, afforded hy the 
 Grand Trunk Railway,* secure the farmer a certain and ready 
 market. 
 
 " The general features of the country being hilly, coupled with the 
 abundance of water in lakes, rivers and springs, afford not only suf- 
 ficient moisture for the crops, but considerable water power for 
 manufacturing purposes. 
 
 " Hardwood is hereto be met with everyvL .0, and, after clearing, 
 a fertile soil is found, in general friable enc "■ ., but in all cases well 
 adapted for the cultivation of cereals and green crops. One of the 
 chief causes of the rapid success which crowns the settler in the 
 Eastern Townships is that from these highlands during the first year 
 he may reap a crop ; frequently even the ashes ot the trees burnt to 
 effect a clearing, help to a great extent to defray the expenses atten- 
 dant upon doing so. 
 
 " The rich mineral deposits of the townships have within these few 
 years attracted thither a considerable popwlation. 
 
 " As a grazing country the townsliips are unsurpassed, and great 
 attention is now paid to the breeding of cattle and the growing of 
 wool This branch of agriculture is very much encouraged, owing 
 to the profitable markets of the United ^- tates, which -Are almost at 
 the doors of the fiirmers. Within the last few years the best breeds 
 of sheep have been successfully introduced from England, and not 
 unfrequently at the agricultural exhibitions in the United States, 
 these and the horned cattle from this thriving district have carried 
 off first prizes. 
 
 "Possessi.ig the advantages of a double market, in consequence of 
 their proximity to the frontier, many of the farmers in tiie townships 
 cultivate on a large scale. In some cases the farms com})rise from 
 100 to GOO acres. This extensive mode of farming creates a demand 
 for agricultural labour, and gives employment to large numbei*s of 
 labourers at good wages. 
 
 *' The settler from England, Ireland or Scotland will find these 
 rationalities numerously represented in the Eastern Townships. 
 Nowhere in the Provinces will he be more at home than in the 
 south-west part of this region." 
 
 •Other lines have been opened since this was writteiij aad are now ia 
 active operation. . - ; 
 
61 
 
 Already a large trade has sprung up in the Eastern Townships in 
 the exportation of horned cattle to England. This trade is raj)idlj 
 increasing, and adding largely to the general prosperity of the district. 
 ' The manufftctttring interests of the Eastern Townships are of con- 
 siderable magnitude, and are constantly on the increase. The water 
 power is practically unlimited, and the local demand alone, to say 
 nothing of the outside market, is sufficient tosu])port a large nnmber 
 of mills and factories, at which agricultural implements and machinery, 
 cloths and other articles are manufactured. Money can be readily 
 invested at a good rate of interest, with first-clasg security. 
 
 Taking it altogether, this is one of the most favoured, as it is on© 
 of the most prosperous districts in the Dominion ; anj.1 is, therefore, 
 well deserving the attention of the English farmer, capitalist and 
 agricultural labourer. 
 
 Gasp^. — In thia district the Government offers for sale 491,900 
 acres of land, at the rate of 20 and 30 cents (lOd. to Is. 3d. stg.) per 
 acre. Besides this on the south shore of the lower St. Lawrence, 
 the Government offers for sale 1,432,200 acres, at 30 cents (Is. 3d. 
 stg.) per acre. 
 
 In the case of a purchaser of wild lands the conditions of sale are : 
 to pay one-fifth of the purchase-money at the date of sale, and the 
 remainder in four equal annual instalments, with interest at per 
 cent, per year ; to take possession of the land sold within six months- 
 from the date of r.i\le, and to reside on and occupy the same, either 
 by himself or through others, for at least two years from the date of 
 sale. In the course of the first four rears the settler must clear and 
 place under cultivation at least ten acres for every hundred acres 
 held bv him, and erect on his farm a habitable house of the dimen- 
 sions at least of sixteen feet by twenty feet. In the case of free 
 grants the conditions are trifling. Possession must be taken within 
 a month, and twelve acres must be undercaltivationat the expiration 
 of four years. The Crown Lands agents are obliged to grant a per- 
 mit of occuT)ation for 100 acres to any person who claims the same, 
 provided only the person has attainad the age of 18. And further 
 to protect the settler a law was passed in 1868, providing that no 
 mortgage should be valid on the land granted to him, nor his farm 
 liable to be sold judicially for any debt contracted by him previous 
 to his entering upon it, and for the ten years following the granting 
 of letters patent. The following among other things are declared 
 exempt from seizure for sale judicially : 
 
 " The bed and bedding of the family, the wearing apparel, stoves, 
 knives and forks, spoons, spinning-wheels, weaving looms, etc., etc.,^ 
 the fuel, meat and vegetables for family use, two horses, four cows, 
 six sheep, four pigs, hay and forage necessary for the support of these 
 
61 
 
 niiimals during the winter ; vehicles and other implements of agrl- 
 xjulture." Certain of these articles maj be attached, however, but 
 only when the debt is contracted in the purchase of such articles. 
 This protection is an evidence sufficiently strong of the interest takea 
 by the Government in the settler. Independently of these pre- 
 visions, societies exist everywhere for the benefit of the agricul- 
 turist ; and colonization societies, whose duty it is to promote 
 settlement and protect the settler, are largely subsidised by the 
 Government. 
 
 Last year a law was passed, which shows the desire of the Govern- 
 ment of Quebec to make emigration and colonization go hand-in- 
 hand. It provides that f 60,0U0 shall be set aside as a colonization 
 fund, out of which the Commissioner of Agriculture, under authority, 
 may cause a certain number of lots of 100 acres each to be prepai*ed, 
 in designated townships, to be offered to settlers who appear to b© 
 in a position to succeed. 
 
 The j)repa"ation of such lots to consist in ^ the clearing of four 
 Acres ready for sowing and the construction of a dwelling not lees 
 than sixteen feet by twenty feet. The cost of the work, including 
 price of land, not to exceed $200 for each lot. Price of the land to 
 be paid for in the usual manner, according to conditions above stated. 
 The cost of the improvements to be paid in five other consecutive 
 yearly payments to become due after the payment of the land, with- 
 out interest until maturity of each payment. The settler in one of 
 the districts where these advantages are offered has the option of 
 making himself, on his lot, the four acres of clearance, and of build- 
 ing a home not less than 16 feet by 20. In such case he shall receive, 
 as an advance, the price of these improvements. This advance shall 
 be paid in fivo yearly instalments, exigible only after the price of the 
 land shall have completely fallen due. 
 
 Manufactures, Trade and Commerce. 
 
 The advantages offered for manufacturing by the ProvInc4 of 
 Quebec are very great. The small manufacturers of Europe, who 
 are unablo to cope with the large capitalists, would find in Quebec 
 immense advantages. The principal articles manufactured in the 
 Province are cloth, linen, furniture, leather, sawn timber, flax, iron 
 and hardware, paper, chemicals, soap, boots and shoes, cotton and 
 "woollen goods, etc., etc., and all descriptions of agricultural in»- 
 plements. 
 
 Mines and Fisheries. 
 
 The richest and most varied ores are found in quantities in 
 •Quebec. Geld is found in the district of Beauce and elsewhere. 
 
copper abounds in the Eastern Townships, and iron is found nearly 
 everywhere. T^ead, silver, platinum, zinc, etc., etc., are found abun- 
 dantly also. Mining, however, in this Province is only in ita 
 infancy. The exports from the mine amounted in 1876 to $365,546. 
 The total exports of produce of the naae for that year in the whole 
 Dominion were $3,731,827. 
 
 The fishiuies of the Province are a great boon to the settlers along 
 the rich land;} girding the coast, and beginning to be a very large 
 Bource of trade. The total yield of the fisheries in Quebec in 1876, 
 according to the report of the Department of Fisheries, $2,097,677. 
 
 Means of Communication, 
 
 The rivers during navigation afford a cheap and easy mode of 
 locomotion. The Province besides is everywhere travei*sed by large 
 main and side roads, and every year the Government spends large 
 flums of money in the construction of colonization roads leading up 
 to ne V settlements. A network of railways is being built north and 
 south of the river St. Lawrence, placing the most distant hamlets i& 
 proximate relation to the markets of Canada and the United States. 
 Where the distant settlements are remote from railway communi- 
 oation the main roads or large colonization roads come into service, 
 and enable the farmer to bring to or carry from his home what he 
 requires for use, or the surplus he has to dispose of. But he has 
 littlo trouble in disposing of his surplus, as hawkers during the 
 winter buy in all sections of the country for Canadian and American 
 markets. 
 
 General Information. 
 
 The most important trade in Quebec is the lumber industry, and 
 this affords nearly everywhere a ready market for the farmer, cer- 
 tainty to the new settler, and in the winter season employment for 
 himself and his horses. The value of exports of the produce of the ^ 
 forest from the Province of Quebec in 1876 was $11,047,082. It is 
 well to state that aliens have a right to acquire and transmit by 
 gratuitous or onerous title, as well 9S by succession or by will, all 
 movable and immovable property in the Province of Quebec in the 
 eame manner as British-born subjects. It is well also to remark 
 there is no Government tax in Quebec; the Province has a large 
 surplus out of which it undertakes and builds all the public works ._ 
 necessary. Owing to the judicious expenditures of money by the 
 Government the progress made by Quebec has been something won- 
 derful. In conclusion it may be fairly stated that Quebec is a good 
 
64 
 
 field for immigration. The Government having 129,000,000 acres 
 of land at its disposal, performed the best service a Government can 
 by making an effective survey. Having divided into farm lots 
 6,400,000 acres of land, it next caused the greater part of this terri- 
 tory to be traversed by colonization roads, founded agricidtuinl 
 societies, and enacted a law to give aid to intending settlers. It 
 has laid the basis of a most important railway communication ; 
 spends thousands of dollars, also, yearly, in promoting education. 
 There are no questionable titles in Quebec, so that the purchaser 
 from the crown has nothing to fear. In common with the rest of 
 Canada, Quebec shares in a perfect postal and telegrapli system. 
 There are also Government savings b;'.nks where a depositor may 
 obtain 4 and 5 per cent, for his money with the most perfect security. 
 Those who settle in Quebec will settle in the central couimercial 
 Province of the Dominion of Canada, and among a most orderly and 
 law-abiding people. 
 
 NEW BRUNSWICK. 
 
 In our sketch of this fine Province we will draw largely from a 
 broad !- *t, with map attached, issued, with the approval of the 
 Government of New Brunswick, a short time ago. One of the Pro- 
 vinces of the Dominion, New Brunswick is governed in all local 
 matters by a Lieutenant Governor, advised by an Executive Council, 
 with a Legislature, composed of a Legislative Council, and a House 
 of Assembly consisting of 41 members, ele«t«d to represent the sev- 
 eral counties. 
 
 New Brunswick borders the Provinces of Nora Scotia and Quebec 
 and the State of Maine (one of the United States of America), and 
 is, with Nova Scotia, nearer Europe than any of the populated i)or- 
 tions of the continent of America. It is larger than Belgium and 
 Holland united, and nearly two-thirds as large as England. It is 
 210 miles in xength and 180 miles in breadth, and has a coast line 
 of about 500 miles indented with spacious bays and inlets, and is 
 intersected in every direction by large navigable rivers. It is 
 generally a flat, undulating country. On i^s north-west coast from 
 the Bay of Chaleurs to the boundaiy ' .^'ova occ.^a, 200 milee, 
 there is hardly a hill exceeding 300 feet lu heigut. There are soma 
 elevated lands skirting the Bay of Fundy and the River St. John, 
 but the only section of a mountainous character is that bordering on 
 the Province of Quebec, on the north, Avhere the country is beauti- 
 fully dive-'sified by oval-topped hills ranging from 5C0 to 800 feet in 
 
65 
 
 beight, clothed with lofty forest trees alraost to their summit, and 
 surrounded by fertile valleys and table-lands. 
 
 j Counties. 
 
 New Brunswick is divided into fourteen counties, classified as 
 follow : 
 
 1st. The sea-board counties, or those on the Bay of Chaleurs. Gulf 
 of St. Lawrence and Straits of Northumberland, comprisin<^ Eesti- 
 goucho, Gloucester, Northumberland, Kent and Westmoreland. 
 2nd. The seaboard counties on the southern or Bay of Fundy coast, 
 comprising Albert, St. John and Charlotte. 3rd. The inland 
 countie'* on the St. John River, comprising King's, Queen's, Sun- 
 bury, York, Carleton and Victoria. 
 
 liivers. 
 
 An inspection of a map will show that tlic surface of the Pi-ovince 
 is everywhere intersected by rivers and streams, adding to the 
 fertility of the soil and furnishing easy access to every localitv. 
 The principal liver is the St. John, flowing 225 miles through the 
 Province. It is navigable for steamers of large class for 84 miles from 
 the sea to E'redericton. The steamers running between St. John and 
 Eredericton almost equal in magnidcence the splendid steamers that 
 ply on the great American rivers. Above Eredericton, smaller 
 steamers ply to Woodstock, about 70 miles funht'r, and when the 
 water is iiigh they make oscasional trips to Tobique, a further dis- 
 tance 01 50 miles, and sometimes thev reach Grard Falls, a distance 
 of 220 miles from the sea. 
 
 Into the St. John flow numerous large tributaries navicrable to 
 Tarious distances : these are the Kennebeccasis, the Washademoak, 
 the Grand Lake, the Oromocto, the Tobicjue and the Aroostook. 
 
 The Miramichi is a large river navigable for vessels of 1,000 tons 
 for 25 luiles from its mouth, and for schooners 20 miles farther, 
 nbove which for 60 miles it is navigable for tow-boats. The Resti- 
 gouclie is a noble river, 3 miles wide at its entrance into the Bay of 
 Chaleurs, and navigable for large vessels for LS miles. This river 
 and triWutaries drain about 4,000 square miles of tcrritijry, abound- 
 ing in timber and other valuable natural resources. Besid s tlieso 
 rivers, thtre are the Richibucto, the Petitcodiac and the St. Croix, 
 all navigable for huge vessels. t'^i-'if^i 
 
 Climate. 
 
 In New Brunswick the summer is warmer and the winter colder 
 
than in England, the ranges of temperature being in the interior 
 from 92'' above zero to IS° below zaro (Fahrenheit); the wholo 
 number of days, however, in whicli the tem^ior^ture is below zero 
 rarely exceeds twenty. It seldom happens that more than four 
 days occur together when the niercury is below zero at all. In 
 general tlie winteis c»re j)leasant, and a few days of extreme cold are 
 notliing in comparison with the average amount of tino weather. 
 People living iu New Brunswick do not suffer more, if as much, 
 from cold as those who live in Great Briti>in and other countries 
 where the winters are more humid and tlie temperature less f,tcady. 
 All busiuess is carried on as actively in winter as in suuimer, p.n^l 
 the peof)le do not wear mere nor ditfeient clothing than that worn 
 in Kngland and the rest of Northern Europe. 
 
 The winter is fairly established at Christmas. In January, as in 
 the other North American Colonies, there is the usual thaw ; in 
 February there is the deepest snow, which seldom exceeds two feet ; 
 in March the sun acquires great power and the snow begins to melt. 
 The snow disappears early in April, and spring ploughing com- 
 mences; seed time continues, according to the season, from the laafc 
 week in April till late in May. In June the apple trees are iu full 
 blossom. In July wild strawberries of fine flavour are ripe and 
 abundant. Haying then begins. In August early uotatoes aie 
 brought to liiarket, as also raspberries and other wild fruits. In 
 September oats, wheat and other cereal grains are ready for the 
 sickle; these are generally secured before October. The autumn 
 is long and the weather is then delicious. This is decidedly the 
 most enjoyable part of the year. There are usually heavy rains in 
 November, but when not wet the weather is fine and pleasant. The 
 rivers generally close du ng tl'e latter part of this month, and by 
 the middle of Decenibcr winter again fairly sets in. 
 
 The operations of the New Brunswick farmer are less impeded hy 
 rain than those of the English farmer, and there are more days in 
 ■which he can profitably work out of doors ; while the action of 
 winter upon the soil, by raising up and spreading the particles, is 
 such as nuiterially to lessen the labour necessary to bring it into a 
 pro]>er state of tillage. 
 
 The manner in whicli all root ci'ops thrive is rennirkable, and the 
 frost, by opening and pulverizing the soil, is one of tl\e agents liy 
 which the larfje oroduct is brought about. The climate is also well 
 adapted for the rearing of cattle. With prop-^r care they n.)l only 
 ■winter v/ell but gain size and flesh. Large numbers of cattle are 
 raised yearly for tiie United States market. 
 
 All the fruits generally found in England are gror^'n in New 
 JBrunswick, especially apples, pears, plums, cheirics^ •curritnls^ 
 
,. ■ 67 
 
 gooseberries and .stravrberries. The potatoes, of which the land 
 yieMs very abundantly, are superior to any in America. Of wheat, 
 the average ))ro(hice to the acre (of sn[)erior farming) is 20 basliels, 
 of barley 21) bushels, of oats 3 t bushels, buckwheat .33 bushels, of 
 rye 20 bushels, of Indian corn 41 Imshels, potatoes 22G bushels, or 
 ()| tons, turnips 456 bushels, or 13^ tons. " Of the climate, soil and 
 ca[)abilities of New Brunswick." says jWajor Uoi-inson, ll.E., in his 
 report of survey to the ilritisli Government, in 1845, '• it is impis- 
 sible to speak too highly," — und Professor Johnson, F.R.S., of Eng- 
 land, the author of several works on agricultural industry, reporting 
 on the soil and agricultural capabilities ot th9 Province, remarks: — 
 
 *' That the soil of New Brunswick is capable of producing food for 
 Ji population of from live to six millions. 
 
 *' 1'hat in the capability of growing all the commDn crops upon 
 which man and beast mainly (hjpend, it would appear tltat the wholo 
 Province of New Brunswick taken together exceeds even the 
 favoured Genesee Valley and the southern shores of Lake Ontario 
 in the State of New Yoik, and, exceeding New York in productive- 
 ness, it will exceed the States of New England ; and if, as ap- 
 pears from agricultural returns, it will bear a favourable compaiison 
 wiih ' Ohio' and Upper Ganada (Ontario), it becomes doubtful, on 
 the whole, jiow far tlie Western States are supeiior to it. 
 
 ** 'J'bat the climate is r.n exceeding healthy one, and that it docs 
 not prevent the soil from producing crops which, other things being 
 equal, are not inferior either in quantity or quality to those of 
 avtrasre soils in Er.frland." 
 
 Large blocks of choice farming land have lately been laid off by 
 order of the Government, from which free grants of one hundred 
 acres am be obta-ned by every head of a lamily containing; children 
 under e:i?hteen vears of ai:e, on condition of actual settlement. 
 
 New Urunswiok occupies a prominent place in the ^Maritime Pro- 
 vinces of the ])omi)vion as a fish-producing country. The value of 
 the lish caught and cured, and mateiial, in 187G, was, according to 
 an oihciai return, 1^1,1)5 3. 388. 4 9. 
 
 hiJusb'ies of the Province. 
 
 Situated on ihe sea, with forests of superior ship tin)ber. New 
 Brunsvvick has long been celebrated as a shi})-buildiiig country, and 
 with, furnishing vessel? remaikable for their model, strength and 
 duiability. With a population in 1871 of 285,594 souls, she had 
 in i87G, on tiie Registry books of the Dominion, at December 31st, 
 i,154 vessels having an aggregate of 324,513 tons. 
 
 The manufacturing interest ot the Province has gicatly incrcr.sed 
 
,68 
 
 during the pasfc lew years. E-Jtabllshments of woollen and cotton 
 goods, boots and shoes, leather, him her, furniture, carriages, doors, 
 SHshus, stoves, paper, soap, agricultural irnpleuients, stoves, nails^ 
 steam-engines, locomotives, etc., etc., are in successful operation, and 
 yearly multiplying, giving employment, directly and indirectly, ta 
 thousands. 
 
 General Information. 
 
 New Brunswick appropriates a large sum annually from th« 
 public revenues to educational oljects, ranging from common schools 
 to a Provincial University. The common s-hools, Jree to <iU, ara 
 supported from the Provincial revenue, and by rate upon tliH entire 
 property of the country. 
 
 Postal arrangements are excellent. Telegraphic communication 
 is found all over the settled portion of the countiy by connections 
 ■with the other Provinces and the United States, and bv Atlantic 
 cable wiih Great Lritain and tlie (^ontinent of Europe. 
 
 JSew Brunswick has })erha))s the greatest number of miles of rail- 
 way, in ]>ropo>*tion to populatit^i, of any count'-y in the world — 
 connecting the capital. St John, with Halifax on the Atlantic, with 
 Pictou on the Gulf of St. Liwrnnce, and all the citit-'S and towns of 
 the I'nited States hy lines rid BaHiroi*, and with Queliec, Montreal 
 and othrr places in Canada by tln^ luterco onial Railway. f>(\sides 
 these, theio are the River dn Loup line via Frederict-^^n and Wood- 
 stock, to the great river St. Lawrence, and several inter[uovincial 
 lines of cunsiileralile importance. 
 
 The bi^st season of th(; year for emigiants is the early spring, 
 arriving in New Brunswiek abmit the nii<ldie of x\piil, wiien th© 
 weather is tine, and fai niins operations commence. 
 
 KOVA SCOTI.\. 
 
 The first European Sf^ttlement of Nova Scotia by the British com- 
 meneecl under the auspices of Lord ('ornwallis in 1749. The ponla- 
 ti'ii of the Province, according to (he census of ISTI, was S 7,'^(lO. 
 The chief city, Halifix, cont.iiis abmit 35,0()i» souls. Nova Scotia, 
 whit;h is n<'W part of the 1^ minion of Canada, is de.s<rii eti. in a 
 little work i^sue<l under the authority ot the (i>vernment of that 
 Province, as •' a P^-ninsula, lyiuic between 4J^ and 4t)^' m.i* ii lati- 
 tude, and l>l*^ and Qtl"-' west Jongitu<U'. it is c mneeied wiih the 
 Province of New Brunswick by a narrow isthmus abt»ut six'e.u 
 
G9 . 
 
 miles wide ; its area is about 3')0 miles in length, by 80 to 100 
 miles in wicUh. Its length rannins: about north-east and south- 
 west The Province contains about 13,000,000 acres of land, of 
 which about one-tifth part consists of lakes and small rivers. About 
 5,0'>(),0(;0 acres of land are tit for tillage; the remainder, which is 
 chiefly a belt on the coast of 'he sea, is rocky and barren, and pre- 
 sents to a stranger visiting our shores a very rough, rugged and ster- 
 ile a})pearance; but the interior of the country is not so. From the 
 appearance of the coast no idea can be formed, could scarcely be 
 iniHginod, of the beauty and fertility of the interior." The coast, 
 although rugged, is indented with numerous dee[)-water harbours, 
 most of which are easy of access, safe and commodious. 
 
 Climate. 
 
 The climote of Nova Scotia, contrary to the general impression iu 
 Euio[)e, is more temperate than that of any other part of Canada, or 
 even that of some of the Northern and Eastern States of the Ameri- 
 can Union. The extreme cold vvliich is experienced iu winter in 
 other parts of America is not felt here, owing perhaps to the*fact 
 that the Province is almost com;)letely surrounded by the sea, and 
 that the Gulf stream sweeps along a few miles of its southern shore ; 
 and, further, that the Province is protected from the chilly north 
 ■winds by an almost continuous belt of mountains, or very high hills, 
 stretching along its northern side. The Province affords great 
 variety of climate as well as productions, the average temperature of 
 Annapolis county being 8 ® higher than in the counties of Cape 
 Breton, and G ^ warmer tiian in the St.'Ue of Massachusetts. In 
 the. central part of the Province the mercury seldom rises above SS** 
 in Hunnner in the sliade, and in tlie winter it is rarely clown to zero. 
 " T!.e clin)ate is extremely healthy ; there is probably none more so 
 in the world. The health returns from British military station* 
 place this Province in the first class." 
 
 The Soil and its Productions. 
 
 The fertility of the soil in several of the agricultural districts it 
 unsurpassed, the production of the farms, both in quantity and quality, 
 in many cases excelling those of the Mother Country. The westsrn 
 cour.Lies of Nova Scotia excel in the growth of fruit, especially im 
 apples, for which the soil and climate are specially adapted. Anna- 
 poii.^. Kings, Hants and Digby counties occupy a prominent plac« 
 in ti.eir production, about 50,0()0 barrels of apples having been ex- 
 ported from Annapolis in a single year. ' - - — 
 
70 
 
 " All the smitll friiita, such as currants, gooseberries, strawherries, 
 raspberries, Ijlackberries, blueberries, huckleWerrios, crauberri»'S, etc.^ 
 are very abundant, both in a wild state and cultivated. The maikets 
 of Halifax and the small towns are well supplied with them in their 
 season Our wild strawberries, though small, are remarkably rich 
 and high flavoured, indeed they are Ikr more delicious than any of 
 the cultivated sorts. The cukivatiou of this fruit seems to increase 
 the size at the expenso of the flavour. The grain and loot crops ar» 
 also excellent ; the avenige production in the Westtru counties is, as 
 nearly as can be estimated, as follows : — 
 
 Wheat per acre 18 bushels 
 
 Eve " " 21 
 
 Baley " " 35 
 
 Oats " " 34 
 
 Buckwheat " 33 
 
 Indian Corn (Maize) 42 " 
 
 Turnips 420 
 
 Potatoes 250 " 
 
 Mangold Wurzel 500 " 
 
 Beans 22 " 
 
 Hay 2 tons 
 
 " The above is a general average of the crops in three counties,, 
 but there are many farms which, being highly cultivated, produce 
 crops that are niucb larger. Beets, carrots, parsnips, beans, peas. 
 (Bquash, pumpkins, melons, tomatoes., etc., are grown in hvye quanti- 
 ties. The crops of hay, timothy and clover, and coarse alt grass ' 
 that are raised on the dyke lands and marshes in the counties of 
 Hants, Kings, Annapolis and Cumberland it re something almost in- 
 credible. Four tons of 2,240 lbs. of timothy and clover have been 
 taken off a single acre, beside:j a light second crop late in the season." 
 
 Dairy farming, which is profitably prosecuted in many countioa 
 of the Province, is susceptible of great extension. Of lato manu- 
 factories of butter and cheese, on a j)retty large scale, have been 
 established in various localities, in which the farmers in th^i neigh- 
 bourhood have an interest and i)articipate in the profits. Much of 
 the profit of the farm arises from the raising of stock for the 
 slaughter house, and praiseworthy efforts have been made to 
 improve, by importations from abroad (chiefly from Great Britain) 
 the bleeds of cattle, sheep and swine. Pasturage generally good 
 throughout the Piovince, and the principal cost of raising stock is 
 that of the h-\y for winter food, which is Jiot very expensive. 
 Sheep farming is not systematically carried en, although, as Mr. 
 Morrison, former Commissioner of Immigration for the Piovince 
 
observe?? : *' As a sliee{)-rf\ising country tlicre is, perhaps, no better 
 locality in America, uotwithstandin r which there is not a single 
 sheep farm in the Province. Every farmer keej)S a few sheep, I'Ul 
 the fiocks are sekloin taken proper care of. A number of thorough- 
 bred shephenls, who would introduce the best breeds of sheep, l>oth 
 for wool-[)roducinf; and f:r mutton, would, in a few years, ni;ike a 
 Bmal) fortune. There is a great deai of land siiitanle f r the puri)!)se 
 in every county, and even auionj? the wild lands there aie Luge 
 tracts of 0()en rough pasture that luiglit be made capable of coataiu- 
 ing vast flocks of sheej) at very little expense. 
 
 " Faruiers in Nova Scotin raise a good deal of pork for their own 
 use an I for market, and many ot the farmers' wives obtain consider- 
 able pocket money by the sale of poultry and eggs. The> also make 
 a great deal of yarn, which they knit and make into socks and warm 
 clothes for their own wear and for sale." 
 
 77ie Fisheries. 
 
 The fisheries of Nova Scotia are an ini}:ortanb interest for that 
 Proviiice. In LSTG, the numl>er of vessels employed was ().')3, nuni» 
 ber ot boats Oj-SS-i. and number of men. 21-, 142. The quantity of 
 codfish cau-ht was 509,968 cwfc., valued at $2, .549,840 ; of mackeiel, 
 70 9.14 barrels, valued at $709,G4O ; of haddock, 1.3,679,214 lbs., 
 valued at $S2!»,752 ; of herrings, 104,142 barrels, valued at $(100,- 
 §70 ; of lol)ster3, 3,348,7 :iO cans, valued at $.")02,308. Of fish (.ths, 
 the cpruitity obtaiue.l was 345,674 galh)ns, of a value of $2 i 4,688. 
 The totd value of the Fisheries of this Province for 187G was. 
 $6,029,050. 
 
 Lumber and Ships. 
 
 Nova Scotia contains large tmcts of woodlands w^liich produce 
 timber for shipbuilding and lum!>er, chic^fly for exportation. Mil- 
 lions of feet of j)ine, spruce, hemlock and hardwood, deals, scant- 
 lings, staves, etc., are annually ship[>ed from th'^ diff rent ports of 
 tlie Province to the West Indies, United States and Europe. Tids 
 Province occujnes the first ])Osition of any country in the world, as 
 a fihiphuilding and ship owning counti-y. The population by the 
 census of 1871 amounted to 387,800 souls, and in 1876, on Dec. 
 31st, it had on the Registry Pooks of the Dominion 2.8G7 veSK(ds, 
 having on aggregate of 529,252 tons ; that is, more than a ton and a 
 quarter for every n)an, woman and child in the Province ; and its 
 ships are to be found in ylmost eveiy j)art of the globe. 
 
. : 72 
 
 jtliues and MineraU. 
 
 This Province is remarktiLle also for its minerals, esppciully for its 
 deposits of coal, iron and gold. Coal mines are extensively worked 
 in Cape Breton and Pictou, and latterly in the county of Ciiiiiber- 
 land. A considerable proportion ot the quantity raised goes into 
 domestic consumption, the chief exports being to the United f^tates 
 and other foreign ports and to the British North American Pro- 
 vinces. The total coal product for 1876 was 709,646 tons. The 
 quantity of the product of the gold mines in the same year waa 
 12,039 oz. ; of iron ore, 15,274 tons ; of gy])sum, 80,920. Valuable 
 deposits of high-class iron ore are found in different jiarts of the 
 Province, whicii of late have attracted the attention of capitalists, 
 who have erected furnaces with a view to extensive manufacturing 
 operations. 
 
 Goverm>iCat. 
 
 Nova Scotia, made a Province of the Dominion of Canada by Act 
 of the Imperial Government, has since 18G7 been governed in gen- 
 eral matters by the Dominion Parliament, and in local matters by 
 the Provincial Legislature. The chief officer is the Lieutenant 
 Governor, appointed by the Governor General, who is advised by an 
 Executive Council of nine members, several of whom are heads of 
 ■departments. The Legislative body consists of a Legislative Council 
 of twenty-one niembers, and a House of Assembly of thirty-eight 
 members, elected by ballot to represent the several counties (18) into 
 which the Province is divided. 
 
 Nearly three-fourths of the population are Protestants, the remain- 
 der, one hundred and two thousand, are Koman Catholics. 
 
 EJiication, which is very general, is iiartly supported by direct 
 taxation, su))pleniented by liberal annual grants trom the Legisla- 
 ture, which in 1878 amounted to about $185,000. At the common 
 schools, whicli are subject to the control of the Government, the 
 average miuiber of scholars in daily attendance has been estimated 
 at one I'undred thousand, and all are free. 
 
 The quantity of land at the disposal of the Government is limited, 
 the price $44 per 100 acres of ciown land — free grants being, how- 
 ever, given to bona fide settlers. 
 
 The price of ordinary day labour is from 3s. 9d. to 5s. sterling. 
 Farm labourers, during spring time and harvest, earn even larger 
 wages, and board besides. The cost of provisions is much lowe? 
 than in England, the pi ice of flour varying from £\ to £1 10s. ste/- 
 ling per barrel ; beef, mutton, veal from 6 to 10 cen.ts per lb. Fish 
 and yegetablcs are abundant and cheap. 
 
- ; 73 
 
 The Province is abundantly supplied with newspappr.s, a larsjer 
 niDuber l)eiug probably published than iu any other country with 
 the same po])ulation. The i)Ostal Hrrangein*ints are excellent, and 
 the rates of [»ostago raoderate. The electric telegraph is found in 
 every sectijn of the Province, and there is direct telegraj)h com- 
 munication with all parts of the Continent of America, and by 
 cable with the Continent of Europe. 
 
 There a'e now, besides the ordinary roads of the country, about 
 350 miles of railway in operatioii, connecting the cajiital of the 
 Province (Halifax) with Annapolis in the west, Pictou in the east, 
 and Cumberland in the north. Other railroads have been commen- 
 ced, and many more projected lines have lieen surveyed. 
 
 External communication oth(?r than by railway is carried on by 
 the Allan, Anchor, and other steamship companies with Jinrope hj 
 steamer ; between Halifax and Boston and Portland, also bj 
 steampr; with Beimuda and Newfoundland, and with places in 
 Canada, by steamljoats that ply in the Gulf of St. Lawrence connect- 
 ing with railwav at Pictou. 
 
 PRIiTCE EDWARD ISLAND. 
 
 This Province is situated on the south side of the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence, between New iirunswick and Cape Breton, and is separ- 
 ated from them bv Northumberland Stiait, which is fiom U to 30 
 miles wide, its extent from east to west is 130 miles, and from^ 
 north to south 34 miles, with an area of 2,134 square miles. The 
 Island entered into the Confederation ot the Dominion of Canada in 
 1H73. 
 
 The coast is indented by numerous bays, two of which nearly 
 divide the island into thref parts, and the harbours are numerous. 
 The surface is gently undu'ating, presenting a charnung asj:ect of 
 hill and dale, and is well watered with numerous springs and livers. 
 I' The soil is remarkably fertile, and it has more land under cultiva- 
 tion in proportion to its size than any of the other })rovinces. All 
 kinds of grain, fruit and vegetables do well. Large deposits of 
 ■what is called '' mussel mud" are found in the beds of all the rivers, 
 some of them from 10 to 30 feet deep, and are used as fertilizeri 
 giving very large crops of hay and clover. Potatoes, oats and 
 barley have been the principal staples for export ; horses also hav» 
 been raised in numbers, and are much sought after by dealers from 
 the Northern New England States. The sheep are find, and art 
 also sought for by New England buyers. Cattle breeding has nol 
 
yet received nuich attention, though tlie pashiraoje is ranuwkably 
 gooti, and both liuy »nd root cvopn yield vei-y large retunn. It 
 is believed that the I«laiid aftords favourable f'acditi' s for the breed- 
 ing ami fattening of cattle for exj)ort to the United KinLjiloin. 
 
 'Ihe tisheiios are among the i)est in the Galf, and i;ive employ- 
 ment to a large number of men. JShipbudding is also one of the 
 princi|»al industries. 
 
 The climate is temperate and healthy, and fogs do not prevail to 
 the same extent as on the coasts of xS'ova Scotia. 
 
 FaiMiis in go d cultivation with buildings and improvements can 
 be obtained lor about $20 an acre. 
 
 A subniaiine telegraph connects the Island with New Brunswick, 
 
 There is one railroad on the Island WiSk miles louij. It is under 
 the control of the Dominion Government. Steamers ply ct)nstantljr 
 between the ports on the Islands and the 8ea])orts of Nova Scotia, 
 New Brunswick and New '^hiLiLmd States. The chief drawback is 
 that during a part of the winter communication is interiupted with 
 the main shore owing to ice blockades. 
 
 MANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. 
 
 If the reader will consult the map of Canada he will find in the 
 heart of the continent a vast distri',*t, extending westward from the 
 Lead waters of Lake Superior to the base of the Rocky Mountains, 
 and northward from the United States boundary line to the Arctic 
 Ocean. This region covers over an area '2,7[)U,()()0 square miles in 
 extent, and is generally known as "The Nor*.ii-West Territories of 
 British America." Down to tlie year 1670 this immense teiritorf 
 was in [Hjssession and under the contiol of the Hudson Bay r!om- 
 pany. In that year, by Act of the luiperial Parliament, it was 
 transferred to the Canadian Government, and now forms part of the 
 Dondnion. 
 
 The new Province of Manitoba is formed out of this territoj-y. It 
 contains about 9,000,0 JO acres of land ; but it is comparatively a 
 speck on the map of the vast territory out of which it has been 
 formed. The soil, which is mostly prairit, and cox ered with grass, 
 is a deep alluvial deposit of ujisurpassed richness. It pr(jLluces 
 bountiful crops of cereals, grasses, roots and vegetables. So rich 
 and inexhaustible is the soil, that wheat has been cropped oti" the 
 same place for fifty years without tnanure, and withu it showing 
 signs of exhaustion. It is especially a wheat gi-owing soil, and ia 
 believed to contain the most favourable conditions lor the growth of 
 
75 
 
 this grain on the continent. Pumpkins, potatoes and roots of all 
 aoits «;row to a very lixr^e sizo, and of excellent quality. Strawber- 
 ries, currants (red and l^laok), raspberries, plunis, clierrie.", I>lue- 
 berrics, whortlelierrics, cranberries (l>oth bush and marsh), grovv 
 wild itnd in abunthmce. Flax is very luxuiiaut. The saine remark 
 may be niade of hops, which gjow wild. The vild grasses of the 
 country, which are very nutritious, are i)?irlicularly favourable for 
 stock-raising of all >»orts. Cattle can be fattened in Maidtol»a. and 
 driven to St. Paul without loss of weight. There are lar^je tracts of 
 ■woods along the streams. The beet-root grows in great abunuanct, 
 but tbe .saccharine qualities of the .sugar-beet grown in that Province 
 have not yet been teste; i. 
 
 Manitoba is situated in the middle of the continent, neaily equally 
 distant between the Pole and the Equator, and the Atlantic and 
 Pacitic Oceans. Its climate gives conditions ot decided heat in sum- 
 mer and decided cold in winter. TIk? snow goes away and plough- 
 ing begins in April, which is about the same time as in the older 
 Provinces of Canada, the Northern United States on the Atlantic 
 seaboard, and the North-Western States, Minnesota and Wisconsin. 
 The crops are harvested in August and September. The long, sunny 
 days of summer bring vegetation of all sorts to rapid maturity. 
 The days aie warm and the nights cool. Autumn begins about the 
 20th September and lasts till November, when the regular frost sets. 
 in. Tie winter proper comprises the months of December, January, 
 February and March. Spring comes in April. The summer 
 months are purt of May, June, July, August and part of Sep- 
 tember. In winter the thermometer sinks to thirty and forty 
 degrees below zero ; but this degiee ot cold in the dry atmosphere 
 of the North-West does noc })roduce any unpleasant sensations. 
 The weather is not felt to be colder than that in the Province of 
 Quebec, nor so cold as milder winters in climates where the frost, or- 
 even a less degree of cold tnan Irost, is accompanied with dampiiess. 
 In times of wind storms, however, the cold is found to be specially 
 BQarohing. The testimony of settlers is universal as to the fact that 
 the winter is, on tiie whole, boch pleasant and healthy ; and 
 former residents of both Ontario and Quebec state that thay like ib 
 quite as well as that of those provinces. 
 
 Snow does not fall on the prairies to an average greater de[)th. 
 than eighteen inches, and buffaloes and horses graze out of doors all 
 "winter. They scratch the snow otif the prairie grass, and grow fat 
 ^ipon it. Horned cattle do grazi out of doors part of the winter, 
 but, in some states of thi weather, they require to be brought in. 
 Instances «re, however, stated in which horned cattle have grazed. 
 out all winter. 
 
76 
 
 Heat and humidity arc the two '»hief e^'^'nents of climate, and 
 these two Jivisions of the North-West, the inairie and wooJed, 
 have high simimer tempei-atures and heavy summer rains. South 
 of the parallel of Manitoba lie the regions of summer droughts 
 and great heat — producing the immense deserts over the western 
 territories of tlje United States. The abundaoce of rain in British 
 America, with summer temperatures sutHcient to mature all the 
 great sta[)les of the temperate zones, makes it a good agricultural 
 country. The absence of sumaier rains, with high temperatures, 
 leaves vast areas of the interior of tlie United States barren wastes, 
 especially those parts of the country westward from tho 100th 
 meridian or west of the Missouri. The following table will serve 
 for comparison between the summer temperatures of the Red River 
 and the countries south : — 
 
 June. July. August. Summer Mtttn, 
 
 Red River 69.10 71.16 t>a.03 67. 7G 
 
 Chicago 62.07 70.08 68.05 07 03 
 
 Iowa .... 06.0 i 70.05 68.09 68.06 
 
 Wisconsin 61.07 68.06 05.07 65.03 
 
 New York 64.02 68.05 66.07 66.05 
 
 Toronto 64.02 67.95 05 66.98 
 
 It will thus be seen that the summer is warmer than that of North- 
 ern Illinois, Western Wisconsin, Northern New York or Toronto. 
 In relation tr ••ricuUurc the intensity of winter cold is not inju- 
 rious, but on •):. contrary it has advantages, and its effect npon 
 physical comfort is mitip-ated, as above stated, by a clear, dry win- 
 ter atmosphere. 
 
 In addition to the above-mentioned enumeration of products it 
 may be more particularly stated that wheat is the special crop of 
 Manitoba. It is not only that the yield ])er acre is very large, but 
 the hard and flinty nature of the grain grown makes it particularly 
 valuable for the manufacture of flour. Flour made from it com- 
 mands a higher price than thut made from wheat grown in more 
 eastern and southern parts of the United States and Canada. 
 Wlieat can now be carried from Manitoba to Montreal at prices 
 at which it will pay, and when the railway is completed to Thunder 
 Bay the rate will not probably exceed 15 or 20 cents per bushel. 
 At this rate of freight it is believed that there cannot be any com- 
 petition with it by wheat grown in the Eastern Provinces or in 
 the United Kingdom, and its growth will Eoon attain very large 
 proportions. 
 
 As bearing on the particular advantages of Manitoba for the 
 •cultivation of wheat, the following analysis of a specimen of the 
 
77 
 
 alluvial soil from he prairie of the Province of Manitoba is given. 
 ]t. is by Professoi V. Emmeiling, Director of the Chemical Labor- 
 atory of the Asricultiiral Association of the University of Kiel, 
 Holstein, Germany : — 
 
 ( I'ranslation of Letter to Senator Einil Klotz.) 
 
 Kiel, 29th April, 1872. 
 
 " Hon. Senator : 
 
 "The analysis of the Manitoba soil is now completed, and the- 
 result is in 100,000 parts : — 
 
 Potash 22S.7 
 
 Sodium 33.8 
 
 Phosphoric Acid 6i'.4 
 
 Lime 682.6 
 
 Magnesia IG. 1 
 
 Nitrogen 486.1 
 
 *' Yours truly, 
 (Signed,) " V. Emmeri.ing." 
 
 (Extract from Letter of Senator Emll Klotz to Ja^oh E. Klotz, 
 Agent jor the Dominion Government.) 
 
 "Kiel, 4th May, 18/2. 
 
 " After considerable <lelay, I succeeded in obtaining the analysis 
 of the Man'.oba soil from Professor Einmerling, Director ol the 
 Chemical Laboratory of tne Agricultural Association of this jdace, 
 and hoj)e it may be of service to you. Annexed I give you our 
 analysis of the most pioductive soil in tlolstein, wherebv vou will 
 see how exeoedingly rich the productive qualities ot the "anitobit 
 soil are, and which fully explains the fact that the land in Manitoba 
 is .so very fertile, even without manure. 
 
 " The chief nutrients are, tiist, nitrogen, then potash and phos- 
 phoric acid which predominates there ; but what is of p^rticidar 
 iinpoitance is the lime contained in the soil, whereby the nit-ogen is 
 set flee, and ready to be absorbed in vogetalde organisms. The lat- 
 ter j)r()| eity is defective in many .soils, and when it is found defective,, 
 recourse must be had to artiticial means by j)utting lime or marl (a 
 clay which contains much lime) upon ihe same. 
 
 '• According to tlie analysis of the Manitoba soil, thero is no doubt 
 that, to the farmer who desires to select for his future home a coun- 
 try which has the most productive soil and promises the richest 
 
78 
 
 liarvest, no country in the world oifers greater attractions than tlie 
 Province of Manitoba, in the Dominion ot* ("anacla. 
 
 < 
 
 ' Anal If sis of lite Uolstein Soil awl Manitoba Soil compared: 
 
 Pfolsteiii Excess of Properties of 
 
 Soil. Manitoba Soil. 
 
 Pot-,ish , 30 ]d^.l 
 
 Soclimn 20 in.8 
 
 Phost>horicAcid 40 20 4 
 
 Lime 130 55-->.6 
 
 Mrigaesia 10 6.1 
 
 Nitrojren 40 440.1" 
 
 The facts: above stated suflPiciently account for the popular experi- 
 ence of the reuiarkable production of wheat in the Province of Mani- 
 toba. 
 
 O.its, bai-ley, rye, potatoes, <tc., are loss restricted in their ran^e, 
 growing five degrees beyond wheat in the Mackenzie River Valley 
 to the Arctic Circle. Barlc^y is a favourite alternate crop for wheat 
 in Manitoba, and yiel is very Lirge returns — with a weight per 
 bushel of from 5(> to 55 pounds.. Oats also thrive well. 
 
 It has not yet been demonstrated by experiment whether fruife 
 trees, such as apples, will flourish on the open prairie. But it 
 iippears from experience ia Minnesota that they will in connection 
 with slielter and forest tree planting. Triere is, however, no doubt 
 that the hardier kinils of npples will do well in Manitoba. This has 
 been sufSciently established. 
 
 Altliough flux and hemp succeed well in Manitoba, the want of 
 markets has prevented their culture, except to a limited extent. 
 Bees do well here, as in similnr northern climates, the clear skies 
 and ricii flora being favourable for them. They live better through 
 the long, cold, dry winters, and consume less honey than in the 
 milder and more humid winters of mo'e southern latitudes. 
 
 The grasses grow rich and luxuriant for twelve hundred miles 
 north of the southern boundary of Manitoba ; and far down the 
 Macken:jie River towards the Arctic Ocean immense herds of buffalo 
 fe.'id upon these plains as their chosen piistures. The significance of 
 this fact is a proof of the vast extent of country in the North- West 
 Buituble for pastures. 
 
 The quality of the beef and mutton raised upon these northern 
 grasses has been pronounced of snjjerior excellence. Amonj; the 
 peculiar advantages of Manitoba, for stock-raising and wool-growing, 
 the most prominent are : 1st. The richne.ss and luxuriance of 
 the native grasses ; the grass is mainly cut on the swamps aaid 
 
79 
 
 fweadowa, wliich clipq-jer tho prairies or fringe the streams and lakes. 
 2o(J. Tiie sjreat extent of unoC'Upieil land, atlorJing for many years 
 to come a wideraniifeof free pi.sturage. 3rd. The remarkable dryness 
 ami ijealthfulness ot the winter. W'ool grows heavier, and mutton, 
 beef and i)0rk are sweeter and more jnicy. It is nearly forty years 
 since the intrudiiotiuii oi sslieep into Red tli^er, and no case of any 
 disease attacking tlieui has ev:?r l)een known or lie ird of. Well fed 
 ewes produce fleeces from 2 to oh pounds. Wethers produce fleices 
 from G to 8 pounds, the wool bt^ing of a good quality. 
 
 It has bsen stated that the climate of Manitoba and tlic North- 
 West is pleasant and liealtliy. It may be added, the dryness of the 
 air. the chiir.icter of the soil, which retains no stigna: t [)jols ^osend 
 forth poisonous exhalations, and the almost tota.' al>s.fnce of fog or 
 mist, the brilliancy of its sualight, the pleasing succession of its 
 seasons, all cons}>ire to m ike Manitoba a climate of unrivalled salu- 
 brity, and the future home of a healthy, prospLM-ous pi^ople, striMig ia 
 physical, intellectual and moral ca[>abililit'6. Fevers and consumj)- 
 tions are almost unknown, and diseases of an ei>idemical character 
 Lave never been known to prevail. 
 
 The average fall of snow is aWout six inches pei* mon*:!]. The 
 snow falls in small quuniities at uiliVjrent times, and is rarely blown 
 into drilts so as to impede travelling. 
 
 When the Noi th-VVest Territory passed into the possession of the 
 Canadian authoritif^s in 1870, the white ])op«lation numV>ered only a 
 few hundreds, and the chiet place was Fort Garry, a me-o ham'et. 
 Since then the Piovince of Manitoba and a considerable part of the 
 territory have been surveyed. In Manitoba a local Government has 
 been established similar to that of the other Provinces. For* Garry 
 has become the city of Winnipeg, with a poj)ulaiion of al)out 9,000 
 souls ; and it is already a place of considerable business, and contains 
 a number of han<lsome buildings. The Province is tilling up rapidly 
 by iu)migration from lMiro[»e, as well as by the migration of farm* "rs* 
 sons and others trom the older Provinces and from the United States. 
 
 That the North- West of British America is de.stined to boconu; tho 
 granary of the continent is clear beyon<l all doubt. Nature has done 
 Ler share, and done it well and generously ; man's labour and indus- 
 try are alone required to turn these broad rolling prairies to £,ood 
 acco\int. A drawback at present is re mo en ess f«'om the oldev pai ,a 
 of Canada, but this will not last much longer. Already a lino of 
 railway, c jnnecting Manitoba with Oiitario, is in course of being 
 built ; this will be linished in a year or two, and then Manitti'oa will 
 ba in direct communication with the outer world throng i Canadiaa 
 territory. Wiunijieg is already connected by rail with the United 
 Stat<)3 railway system. 
 
80 
 
 Anotlier drawback wliicli lias been serious in i>asc years is the 
 visitation of gra.«shoj>ppis. But these have only come peiiodic.illy, 
 with l(Jiiir intervals heLv.*en, And there is reason to believe that the 
 evil can lie overcome, as sett'enieni progresses. 
 
 Taking all the circninsraiioes anl surroundings into consideration, 
 there is probably no country more suitable in every respect \'ov settle- 
 ment by persons from the temperate and northern parts of Europe 
 than the Province of Manitoba. 
 
 The common emigiant route for going to Manitoba from tlie old 
 Provinces is via the Canadian railway system and Lakes Huron and 
 Superi )r to Duluth. Thence^ by rail to Winnipeg. There is already 
 comniniiication by steamboat navigation from Winnipeg city, vid 
 Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatc'aewan to the very foot of tlie Rocky 
 Mountains. Railway construction is also [)roceeding very rapidly 
 within the Province of AIanit,ol)a. 
 
 A light buggy m;iy be driven for a thousand miles in a straighfc 
 line over the open praiiie, the greater part of which is adapted to the 
 production ot wheat, not only in the largest quantity to thoacre, but 
 of the best (juality. 
 
 This tract of country to the east of the Rocky Mountains contains 
 Tznder the surface of its ricli praii-ie land one of the largest coal tieids 
 in the w^orld, which in some plac 'S crops out ot the surface o.^ the 
 banks of the rivers. It is almost impossible to over-estimate the 
 importance of this physical :act, tor the future of the Dominion. The 
 rivers wiiich run east from tiie Rocky Mountains are rich in gold 
 deposits ; and in fact mineral wealth of almost every kind is found 
 in this territory. 
 
 The surveys in connection with the Pacific Railway have es^ab 
 lished tiie fact that the Peace River Valley contains an immense 
 extent of territory, with cliuiaieand other conditions higidy suitable 
 for an agricultural country, as far north as the 59th degree of latitude. 
 
 TUE EARL OF DUFFERIN, GOVERNOR OF CANADA, ON MANITOBA ANIX 
 
 THE NORTU-WEST. 
 
 In the summer of 1S77, Lord Dufferin, in pursuance, as announced 
 by him in jMil»lic speeches, of a |)olicy of personally visiting all the 
 Provinces within his government, made a tour of Manitoba and 'part 
 of KeewMtin. 
 
 In answer to an address of the Mayor and Corporation of Winni- 
 peg, on August Gth, His E.Kcellency, leferring to the prosj^ects of 
 that city, said : 
 
lilliliii: 
 
 Mil '111 iijy ItMi li'!;; I -i-^ 
 
 lii|lllisH'|!iil!!!|iHi^ 
 
 ■h 
 
 i 
 
Kv 
 
 -t ". r- V,, 
 
 ■ ..-j*-- 
 
 
 . f 
 
 •-1 
 
 
 
 
 •A • -'-• • ^ ^ ',' ,- 
 
 
 
 ^r •'■ 
 
 "■•« 
 
 :;,;'# 
 
81 
 
 " I beg to tbaiik you most warmly for the kind and hearty wel- 
 come you have extended to me, on my arrival in your flourishing 
 city, which you rightly designate the metropolis of the Nortli-West, 
 the livinj? centre which is destined to animate with its vital energies 
 the rich alluvial region whose only limit ap})ears to be an ever- 
 receding horizon I am not by any means unacquainted with 
 
 t'>e record of your achievements ; indeeJl, it is probable that there is 
 no Province in the Dominion with whose situation I am better 
 acquainted, so far as information in such respects can be obtained 
 from books and Parliamentary papers ; and it is to perfect, verify 
 and extend t!iat knowledge by personal intercourse with your lead- 
 ing citizens, and by an inspection of the richness of your territory, 
 
 that I iiave come amongst you I have no doubt that this 
 
 city and Province generally, nay, the whole territory of the Korth- 
 West, is now illuminated by the dawn of a great advancement. 
 Although it will not be my good fortune personally to preside much 
 longer over your destinies, 1 need not assure you that your future 
 will always command my warmest sympathies and continue to 
 attract my closest attention ; and I trust that, though at a distance, 
 I may live to see the fulfilment of many of your aspirations." 
 
 On August the 18th, the Vice-Royal Party visited the Pat River 
 Mennonite Settlement, on the east side of Red River. These people 
 had come from Berdiansk, in South Russia, three years before ; and 
 there are now about 7,000 of them in Manitoba, in a highly })rosperous 
 condition. Thev left a comfortable and flourisliincc disti-ict in 
 Russia, because they were conscientiously opposed to military service, 
 which was required of them by a Ukase of the Czar, and becawse 
 they were required to conform to the school system of Russia, and 
 have their children taught, under Russian auspices, the Russian 
 language and incidentally the national creed. The Mennonites said 
 in their address to Lord ])ufferin : 
 
 " We are pleased to be able to sfcite that we are satisfied in the 
 highest degree with the country and the soil, and also the manner 
 in whicli the Government have kept their promises to us. Your 
 Excellency has now the opportunity of seeing for yourself what we 
 have accomplished during our short residence. You see our villages, 
 our fields, and our bountiful harvest — witnesses in themselves that 
 the capaV)ilities of the country have not been misrepresented to us. 
 Under the guidance and protection of Divine Providence, we have 
 every reason to look forward confidently to great future prosperity, 
 our villages multiplied, and our herds increased. We are contented 
 and willing to obey the laws of the land, but we cannot reconcile 
 our religious belief with the performance of military duty." 
 
 Lord Dufierin made the following remarks in reply, which were 
 translated to them sentence by sentence : r 
 
82 
 
 " You li:ive come to a land where you will find tlie people with 
 whom you are to associate indeed engaged in a gieat struggle, and con- 
 tending with foes which it requires their best energies to encounter. 
 But those foes are not your fellow- men, nor will you be called upon, 
 in the struggle to stain your hands with human blood — a task which 
 is so abhorrent to your religious feelings. The war to which we 
 invite you us recruits and comrades is a war waged against the brute 
 forces of nature ; but those forces will welcome our domination and 
 reward our attack by placing their treasures at our disposal. It is 
 a war of ambition — for we intend to annex territory after territory — 
 but neither blazing villages nor devastated fields will mark our 
 ruthless track; our battalions will march across the illimitable 
 plains which stretch before us, as sunshine steals athwart the ocean ; 
 the rolling prairie will blossom in our wake, and corn and peace and 
 plenty will spring where we have trod. 
 
 " The forms of worship you have brought with you, yon will be 
 able to practice in the most unrestricted manner, and we confidently 
 trusttbat those blessings which have waited upon your virtuous ex- 
 ertions, in your Russian homes, will continue to attend you here ; 
 for we hear that you are a sober-minded and God-fearing community, 
 and as such you are doubly welcome among us. It is with the great- 
 est pleasure I have passed through your v^illages, and witnessed your 
 comfortable homesteads, barns and byres, which have arisen like 
 magic upon this fertile plain, for they prove indisputably that you 
 are expert in agriculture, and already ))ossess a high standard of 
 ■domestic comfort. In the name, then, of Canada and her people, in 
 the name of Queen Victoria and her empire, I again stretch out to 
 you the hand of brotherhood and good fellowship, for you are as 
 ■welcome to our afiections as you are to our lands, our liberties and 
 freedom. In the eye of our law the least among you is the equal of 
 the highest magnate in our land, and the proudest of our citizens may 
 well be content to hail you as his fellow-countrymen. You will find 
 Oanada a beneficent and loving mother, and under her f ost€ring care, 
 I trust your community is destined to flourish and extend in wealth 
 and numbers through countless generations. In one word, beneath 
 the flag whose folds now wave above us you will find protection, 
 peace, civil and religious liberty, constitutional freedom and equal 
 laws." 
 
 Lord Dufferin also visited the Icelandic settleme-it on the west 
 shore ot Lake Winnipeg. This colony had not been settled two 
 years at the time of His Excellency's visit; and, in fact, the larger 
 portion of the colonists had only arrived the previous autumn. They 
 had suffered a very severe affliction from an epidemic of small-pox, 
 and the ravages of scurvy. Both these diseases were aggravated by 
 
83 
 
 the insufficient preparations which the Icelanders had been able t« 
 make for the winter, and very rigourous quarantine regulations had 
 only l)een removed five or six weeks before the arrival of His Ex- 
 cellency. It may be remarked tliat tlie colony contained at that tim« 
 about 1,500 souls, and extended from the N. boundary of Manito- 
 ba for about thirty miles on the west shore of the lake. The colony 
 however, in the face of these great discouragements was found to be in 
 a fairlv successful condition. 200 commodious houses had been 
 erected, roads had been cut, and from two to ten acres cleared by 
 each settler. There wer« GOO head of cattle in the colony, and the 
 cows were in good condition and well taken care of. There had not 
 been time to plaat much grain, but that which w.u^ planted was 
 successful. There were good crops of potatoes ; and the soil, after 
 clearing, was found to be rich black alluvium. The fish supply from 
 the lake was abundant, and altogeth?:- the Icelandic colonists were 
 in a satisfied and flourishing condition, writing to their friends in 
 Iceland to join them. Jjord DutTerin, who appeal's to have laken 
 particular interest in this colony, spoke with much warmth as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 "Men and Women of Iceland, now Citizens of Canada, and fellow 
 Subjects of her 2fajest>j the Queen: 
 
 " When it was my good fortune twenty years ago to visit your 
 island, I never thought that the day would come when I should be 
 called upon, as the representative of the British Crown, to receive 
 you in this country ; but the opportunities I have thus had of becom- 
 ing acquainted with your dramatic history, with your })icturesque 
 literature, and the kindness I have experienced at the hands of your 
 countrymen now enable me with the greater cordiality to bid you 
 welcome. I have learnt with extreme sorrow of the terrible trials to 
 which you have been exposed so soon after your arrival by the unex- 
 pected ravages of a terrible epidemic. Such a visitation was well cal- 
 culated to damp your spirits and to benumb your energies, aggravat- 
 ing as it did those inevitable hardships which attend the first efforts 
 of all colonists to establish themselves in a new land. The pre- 
 cautions which the Local Government was reluctantly compelled to 
 take to prevent the spreading of the contagion through the Province 
 must also have been both galling and disadvantageous, but I trust 
 that the discouragements which attended your advent amongst us 
 have now forever passed away, and that you have fairly embarked 
 on a career of happiness and prosperity. 
 
 " Indeed, I understand that there is not one amongst you who is 
 not perfectly content with his new lot, and fully satisfied that the 
 change which has taken place in his destiny is for the better. During 
 
84 
 
 a hasty visit like tlie present, I cannot pretend to acquire more than 
 a superficial insight into your contUt'on, but so far PS 1 have observed, 
 things aj)pear to be going sufficiently well with you. The home- 
 steads 1 have visited seem well built and commodious, and are 
 certainly far superior to any of the farmhouses I remember in Ice- 
 land, while the gardens and little clearings which have begun to 
 surround them show that you ve already tapped an inexhaustible 
 store of wealth in the rich alluvial soil on which we stand. The 
 three arts most necessary to a Canadian colonist are the felling of 
 timber, the ploughing of land and the construction of highways, but 
 as in your own country none of you had ever seen a tree, a cornfield, 
 or a road, it is not to be expected that you should immediately ex- 
 hibit any expertness in these accomplishments, but practice and ex- 
 perience will soon make you the masters of all three, for you possess 
 in a far greater degree than is probably imagined that which is the 
 essence and foundation of all superiority — intelligence, education and 
 intellectual activity. In fact I have not entered a single hut or 
 cottage in the settlement which did net contain, no matter how bare 
 ics walls or scanty its furniture, a library of twenty or thirty volumes ; 
 and I am informed that there is scarcelv a child amongst you wiio 
 cannot read and WTite. 
 
 " Secluded as you have been for hundreds of years from all con- 
 tact with the civilization of Europe, you may in many respects be 
 a little rusty and behind the rest of the world ; nor perhaps have 
 the conditions under which you used to live at home — where months 
 have to be spent in the enforced idleness of a sunless winter — ac- 
 customed you to those habits of continued and unflagging industry 
 which you will find necessaiy to your new existence ; but in our 
 brighter, drier and more exhilarating climate you will become 
 animated with fresh vitality, and your continually-expanding pros- 
 perity will encourage you year by year to still greater exertions. 
 Beneath the genial influence of the fresh young world to which you 
 have come, the dormant capacities of your race, which adverse 
 climatic and geographical conditions may have somewhat stunted 
 and benumbed, will bud and burgoon forth in all their pristine exu- 
 berance, as the germs which have been for centuries buried beneath 
 the pyramids and catacombs of Egypt are said to excel in the 
 exuberance and succulence of their growth the corn seeds of last 
 year's harvest. But, as sun and air and light are necessary to pro- 
 duce this miracle, so it will bs necessary for you to profit as much 
 as possible by the example and by the intercourse of your more 
 knowledgeable neighbours. 
 
 *' I have learnt with great satisfaction that numbers of your 
 young women have entered the households of various Canadian 
 
85 
 
 familie?!, wliere they will nob only acquire tlie En;,'li.sh language, 
 which it is most desirable you should all know, and which they will bo 
 able to teach their brothers and sisters, and — I trust I may add, in 
 the course of time, their children — but will also learn those lessons 
 of domestic economy and housewifely neat-handedness which are so 
 necessary to the well-being, health and cheerfulness of our homes. 
 
 ** I am also happy to be able to add that I have received the best 
 accounts from a great number of peojde of the good conduct, handi- 
 ness and docility of these young Ingeborgs, Ilaghnhildas, Thoras and 
 Gudruns, who, I trust, will do justice to the e[)ical ancestresses from 
 whom they have inherited their names. Many of the houses I 
 visited to-day bore evident signs, in their airiness, neatness and well- 
 ordered appearance, of possessing a housewife who had already 
 profited from her contact witli the outer world. 
 
 *' And while I am upon this subject there is one practical hint 
 which I shall venture to make to you. Every single house I visited 
 to-day, many of them being mere temporary liuts, with, at the most, 
 two small chambers, was furnished with a large, close iron cooking 
 stove, evidently used not merely for cooking purposes, but also for 
 heating the habitation. I believe that this arrangement is anything 
 but desirable, and that, at all events, in those houses where a separ- 
 ate kitchtn cannot be obtained an open fireplace should be intro- 
 duced. I am very certain that if I were to come amongst you in 
 winter I should find these stoves in full operation, and every crevice 
 in your shanties sealed up from tlie outer air. 
 
 " Now, you are surrounded b^ an inexhaustible supply of the best 
 possible fuel, which can be obtained with comparatively little labour, 
 and, consequently economy of coal, which is their chief recommenda- 
 tion, need not drive vou to an excessive use of these unwholesome 
 appliancea. Our winter air, tlnjugh sufficiently keen, is healthy and 
 bracing, and a most potent incentive to physical exertion, whereas 
 the mephitic vapours of an over-heated, closely-packed chamber 
 paralyze our physical as well as our mental acti'''ities. A constitu- 
 tion nursed upon the oxygen of our bright winter atmosphere makes 
 its owner feel as though he could toss about the pine trees in his 
 glee, whereas to the sluggard simmering over his stove-pipe it is a 
 horror and a nameless hardship to put his nose outside the door. 
 
 *' I need not tell you that in a country like this the one virtue pre- 
 «mineDtly necessary to every man is self-relianc^ energy and a 
 determination to conquer an independent living ' df, his 
 
 wife and children, by tlie unassisted strength of his ow*. ^ arm. 
 Unless each member of the settlement is possessed and c jminated 
 •by this feeling, there can be no salvation for any one. 
 
 *' But why need T speak to Icelanders — to ycu men and women of 
 
86 
 
 the gniutl old Norse race — of the necessity of patience under hard- 
 ship, courage in the face of danger, dogged determination 
 in the presence of difficulties ? The annals of your country are 
 bright with the records of your forefathers' noble endurance. The 
 sons and daughters of the raen and women who crossed the Arctic 
 Ocean in open boats, and preferred to make their homes amid the 
 snows and cinders of a volcano rather than enjoy i)eace and plenty 
 under the iron sway of a despot, may afford to smile at any one who 
 talks to tliem of hardship or rough living beneath the pleasant 
 shade of these murnuring branches, and beside the laughing ripples 
 of yonder shining lake. 
 
 " Ti]c. change now taking jdace in your fortunes is the very con- 
 verse and opposite of that which befel vour forefathers. They Hed 
 from their pleasant houies and golden corntields into a howling 
 wilderness of storui and darkness, ice and lava, but you I am wel- 
 coming to the healthiest climate on the continent, and to a soil of 
 unexam})led fertility, wliich a little honest industry on your part will 
 soon turn into a garden of plenty. Nor do we forget that no race has 
 a better right to come amongst us than yourselves, for it is probably 
 to the hardihood of the Icelandic navigators that the world is indebted 
 for the discovery of this continent. Had not Columbus visited your 
 islunJ, and discovered in your records a practical and absolute con- 
 jQrmation of his own brilliant speculations in regard to the existence 
 of western land, it is possible he might never have had tiie enterprisa 
 to temp*- the unknown Atlantic. 
 
 " Again, then, I welcome you to this country — a country in which 
 you will find yourselves freemen, serving no overlord, and being no 
 man's men but your own; each, master of his own f^irm, like the 
 Udalmen and " Bonders " of old days ; and remember that in coming 
 amongst us you will find yourselves associated with a race both kind- 
 hearted and cognate to your own ; nor iii becoming Englishmen and 
 subjects of Queen Victoria need you forget your ow^n time-honoured 
 customs or the picturesque annals of your forefathers. 
 
 * 'On the contrary, I trust you will continue to cherish for all 
 time the heart-stirrino: literature of vour nation, and that from 
 generation to generation your little ones will continue to learn in 
 your ancient Sagas that industry, energy, fortitude, perseverance and 
 stubborn endurance have ever been the characteristics of the noble 
 Icelandic race. 
 
 " I have pledged my personal credit to my Canadian friends on 
 the successful development of your settlement. My warmest and 
 most afi'ectionate sympathies attend you, and I have not the slight- 
 est misgiving but that, i'l ?pite of your enterprise being conducted 
 under what of necessity are somewhat disadvantageous conditions, 
 
87 
 
 not only will your future prove blight and prosperous, but that it 
 will be univers:illy acknowledged that a more valuaMe accession to 
 the intelligence, patriotism, loyalty, industry and strength of the 
 country has never been introduced into the Dominion." 
 
 On the occasion of the vice-regal visit drawing to a close, the 
 citizens of Winnipeg invited His Excellency the P^arl of Dufferin to 
 a pnblic banquet, at which he made a speech in review of his 
 personal observations of the country and the facts he had gathered, 
 from whioli the following are extracts : 
 
 " From its geographical position, and its peculiar characteristics, 
 Manitoba may be regarded as the keystone of that mighty arch of 
 sister Provinces %vhich spans the continent from the Atlantic to the 
 Pacific. It was here that Canada, emerging from her woods and 
 forests, first gazed upon her rolling prairies and unexplored North- 
 West, and learnt as by an unexpected revelation that her historical 
 teriitories of the Canadas, her eastern seaboards of New Brunswick, 
 Labrador and Nova Scotia, her Luurentian lakes and valleys, corn 
 lands and pastures, though themselves more extensive than half a 
 dozen European kingdoms, were but the vestibules and antechambers 
 to that till then undreamt of Dominion, whose illimitable dimensions 
 alike confound the arithmetic of the surveyor and the verification of 
 the explorer. 
 
 " It was hence that, counting her past achiercments as but the 
 preface and prelude to her future exertions and ex])anding destinies, 
 she took a fresh departure, received the afflatus of a more imperial 
 inspiration, and felt herself no longer a mere settler along the banks 
 of a single river, but the owner of half a continent, and in the mag- 
 nitude of her possession, in the wealth of her resources, in the sinews 
 of her material might, the peer of any power on the earth. 
 
 " In a recent remarkably witty speech, the Marquis of Salisbury 
 alluded to the geographical misconceptions often engen^n-ed by the 
 small ness of the maps upon which tke figure of the world is depicted. 
 To this cause is probably to be attributed the inailequatt idea enter- 
 tained by the best educated persons of the extent of Her Majesty's 
 North American possessions. Perhaps the best way of collecting 
 such a universal misapprehension would be by a hummary of the 
 rivers which flow through them, for we know that as a poor man can- 
 not afford to live in a big house, so a small country cannot su[)port a 
 big river. Now, to an Englishman or a Frenchman, the Severn or 
 the Thames, the Seine or the Rhone, vould appf^ai- considerable 
 streams, but in the Ottawa, a mere affluent of the St Lawrence, aa 
 afiiueiit, moreover, which reaches the parent stream six hundred miles 
 from its mouth, we have a river nearly five hundred and fifty miles 
 long, juid three or four times as big as any of them. 
 
88 
 
 " But, even after having ascended the Si. Lawrence itself to Lake 
 Ontario, and pursued it across Lake Huron, the Niagara, the St. 
 Clair, and Lake Superior to Thunder Bay, a distance of one thousand 
 live hundred miles, where are we ? In the estimation of the person 
 who has made the journey, at the end of all things ; but to ns who 
 know better, scarcely at the commencement of the great lluvial sys- 
 tems of the Dominion ; for, from that spot — that is to say, from 
 Thunder Bay — we are able at once to ship our astonished traveller 
 on to the Kaministiquia, a river of some hundred miles long. Thence 
 almost in a straight line v/e launch him on to Lake Shebandowan 
 and Kainy Lake and Biver — wliose proper name b3^-the-by is 
 " Rene," after the man who discovered it — a magnificent stream 
 three hundred yards broad, and a couple of iiundred miles long, down 
 whose tranquil bosom he floats into the Lake of the Woods, where 
 he finds himself on a sheet of water w^hich, though diminutive as 
 compared with the inh\nd seas he has left behind him, will probably 
 be found sufficiently extensive to render him fearfully sea-sick during 
 Ids passage across it. For the last eighty miles of his voyage, how- 
 ever, he will be consoled by sailing through a succession of land- 
 locked channels, the beauty of %vhose scenery, while it resembles, 
 certainly excels the far-famed Tiiousand Islands of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 "From this lacustrian paradise of sylvan beauty we are able at 
 once to transfer our friend to the Winnipeg, a river whose existence 
 in the verv heart and centre of the continent is in itself one of na- 
 ture's most delightful miracles, so beautiful and varied are its rocky 
 banks, its tufted island^ so broad, so deep, so fervid is the volume 
 of its waters, the extent of their lake-like expansions, and the 
 tremendous power of their rapids. 
 
 " At last let us suppose w^e have landed our traveller at the town 
 of Winnipeg, the half-way house of the continent, the capital of the 
 Prairie Province, and I trust the future ''umbilicus" of the Do- 
 minion. Having had so much of water, having now reached the 
 home of the buffalo, like the extenuated Falstaff, he naturally '' bab- 
 bles of green iields " and careers in imagination over the primeval 
 grasses of the prairie. Not at all. Escorted by ]Mr. ISIayor and the 
 Town Council, we take him down to your quay, and ask him which 
 he will ascend first, the Bed Biver or the Assiniboine, two streams, 
 the one five hundred miles long, the other four hundred and eighty, 
 which so happily mingle tlieir waters within your city limits. 
 
 *' After having given him a preliminary canter upon these respect- 
 ive rivers, we take him off to Lake Winnipeg, an inland sea three 
 hundred miles long and upwards of sixty broad, during the naviga- 
 tion of which for many a weary hour he will find himself out of 
 sight of land, and probably a good deal more indisposed than ever 
 he was on tlie Lake of the Woods, or even the Atlantic. 
 
89 
 
 " At the north-west angle of Lake Winnipeg he hits upon the 
 mouth of the Saskatchewan, the gateway and high road to the 
 North- West, and the starting point to another one thousand five 
 hundred miles of navigable water flowing nearly aue east and west 
 between its alluvial banks. 
 
 *• Having now reached tlie foot of the Rocky Mountains our 
 ' Ancient Mariner ' — for by this time he will be quite entitled to 
 such an appellation — knowing that water cannot run up hill feels 
 certain his aquatic experiences are concluded. He was never more 
 mistaken. We immediately launch him upon the Athabaska and 
 Mackenzie Hivers, and start him on a longer trip than he has yet 
 undertaken — tlie ravigation of the Mackenzie River aloi. j exceeding 
 two thousand five hundred miles. If he survives this last experi- 
 ence, we wind up his peregrinations by a concluding voyage of one 
 thousand foar hundred miles down the Fraser River : or, if he pre- 
 fers it, the Thompson River to Victoria, in Vancouver, whence, hav- 
 ing previously provided him with a first-class return ticket for that 
 purpose, he will probably prefer getting home vid the Canadian 
 Pacific. 
 
 " Now, in this enumeration, those who are acquainted with the 
 country are aware that for the sake of brevity I have omitted thou- 
 sands of miles of other lakes and rivers which water various regions 
 of the North- West — the Qu'Appelle River, Belly River, Lake Mani- 
 toba, the Winnipegosis, Shoal Lake, etc., etc., along which I might 
 have dragged and finally exterminated our way-worn guest — but the 
 sketch 1 have given is more tiian suificient for niy })iirpose ; and 
 when it is further remembered that the most of these streams flow 
 for their entire length through alluvial pUins of the richest descrip- 
 tion, where year after year wheat can be raised without manure, or 
 any sensible diminution in its yield, and where the soil everywhere 
 presents the appearance of a highly-cultivated suburban kitchen gar- 
 den in England, enough has Ijeen said to display the agricultural 
 riches of the territories I have referred to, and the capabilities they 
 possess of afi^ording happy and prosperous liomes to millions of the 
 human race. 
 
 " But in contemplating tlie vistas thus opened to our imagination, 
 we must not forget that there ensues a corresponding expansion of 
 our obligations. For instance, unless great care is taken we shall 
 find, as we move westwards, that the exigencies of civilization may 
 clash injuriously with the prejudices and traditional habits of our 
 Indian tellow-subjects. 
 
 *' Happily in no part of Her Majesty's dominions are the rela- 
 tions exLsting between the white settlers and the original natives 
 and masters of the land so well understood or so generously and 
 
90 
 
 humanely interj^reted as in Canada, and, as a consequence, instead of 
 being a cause of anxietv and disturbance, the Indian tribes of tb© 
 Dominion are regarded as a valuable adjunct to our btrength and 
 industry. --,-..:■.- ■■ .: ■--. ;>..,-.- 
 
 " Wherever I have gone in the Province — and since 1 have been 
 here, T have travelled nearly a thousand miles within your borders 
 — T have found the Indians upon their several reserves, pretermit- 
 ting a few petty grievances of a local character they thought them- 
 selves justified in preferring — contented and satisfied, upon the most 
 friendly teims with their white neighbours, and iniplicity confiding 
 in the good faith and paternal solicitude of the Government. 
 
 " In some districts I have learnt with pleasure that the Sioux, who 
 some years since entered our territory under such sinister circum- 
 stances — I do not, of course, refer to the recent visit of Sitting Bull 
 and his people — who, however, I believe, are remaining perfectly 
 quiet — are not only peacable and well-behaved, but have turned into 
 useful and hardworking labourers and harvest men ; while in the 
 more distant settlements, the less domesticated bands of natives, 
 whether as hunters, voyageurs, guides, or purveyors of our furs and 
 game, prove an appreciably advantageous element in the economical 
 structure of the colony. ,- 
 
 " There is no doubt that a great deal of the good feeling thus sub- 
 sisting between the red men and ourselves is due to the influence and 
 interposition of that invaluable class of men, the half-breed settlers 
 and pioneers of Manitoba, who, combining as they do the hardihood, 
 the endurance, and love of entei-prise generated by the strain of 
 Indian b' ^od within their veins, with the civilization, the instruction, 
 and intellectual power derived from their fathers, have preached the 
 Gospel of peace and good-will, and mutual respect, with equally ben- 
 eficent results to the Indian chieftain in his lodge and to the British 
 settler in his shanty. 
 
 " Nor can I pass by tlie humane, hindly and considerate attention 
 which has ever distinguished the Hudson Bay Company in its deal- 
 ings with *he rative population. But though giving due credit o 
 these fortunate influences amonccst the causes which are conducing t ^ 
 produce and preserve this fortunate result, the place of honour mus » 
 be adjudged to that honourable and generous policy which has been 
 pursued by successive Governments towards the Indians of Canada, 
 and which at this moment is being superintended and carried out 
 with so much tact, discretion and ability by your present Lieutenant- 
 Governor, under which the extinction of the Indian title upon liberal 
 terms has invariably been recognized as a necessary preliminary ta 
 the occupation of a single square yard of native territory. 
 
 " But our Indian friends and neighbours are by no means the only 
 
alien communities in Manitoba which demand the solicitude of the 
 Government and excite our sympathies and curiosity. 
 
 " In close proximity to Winnipeg two other communities — the 
 Mennonites and Icelanders — starting from opposite ends of Europe, 
 without either concert or communication, have sousrht fresh homes 
 within our territory ; the one of Russian extraction, though German 
 race, moved by a desire to escape from the obligations of a law which 
 was repulsive to their conscience — the other, bred amid the snows 
 and ashes of an Arctic volcano, by the hope of betteiing their mate- 
 rial condition. 
 
 " Although I have witnessed many sights to cause me pleasure 
 during my various progresses through the Dominion, seldom have I 
 beheld any spectacle more pregnant ^vitll prophecy, more fraught 
 with promise of a successful future, than the Mennonite settlement. 
 When I visited these interesting peoi)le they had only been two 
 years in the Province, and yet in a long ride I took across many 
 miles of prairie, which but yesterday was absolutely bare, desolate 
 and untenanted, the home of the wolf, the badger and the eagle, I 
 passed village after village, homestead after homestead furnished 
 forth with ail the conveniences an<l incidents of European comfort 
 and a scientific agriculture, while on either side the road corn-fields 
 already ripe for harvest and pastures populous with herds of cattle 
 stretched away to the horizon. 
 
 " Even on this continent — the peculiar theatre of rapid change and 
 progress — there has nowhere, 1 imagine, taken place so marvellous a 
 trr.nsformation ; and yet, when in your name, and in the name of the 
 Queen of England, I bade these people welcome to their new homes, 
 it was not the iu)provenient in their material fortunes that pre-occu- 
 pied my thoughts. Glad as I was to have the power of allotting 
 them so ample a portion of our teeming soil — a soil which seems to 
 blossom at a touch, and which they were cultivating to sucii manifest 
 advantage — I felt infinitely ]>rouder in being able to throw over them 
 the jegis of the British Constitution, and in bidding them freely share 
 with us our unrivalled political institutions, and our untrammelled 
 personal liberty. 
 
 " We ourselves are so accustomed to breathe the atmosphere of 
 freedom that it scaicely occurs to us to consider and appreciate our 
 advantage in this respect. It is only when we are reminded, by such 
 incidents as that to which I refer, of the small extent of the world's 
 surfyce over which the principles of Parliamentary Government can 
 be said to work smoothly and harmoniously, that we are led to con- 
 sider the exceptional happiness oi our position. 
 
 " Nor was my visit to the Icelandic community less satisfactory 
 than that to our Mennonite f liow-sulj^^ts. From accidental cir- 
 
;:::::,:•'■ 92 - .v:- •,: .:■..-,,-.:; 
 
 cumstances I have been long since led to take an interest in the 
 history and literature of the Scandinavian race, and the kindness I 
 once received at the hands of tlie Icelandic people in their own 
 island, naturally induced me to take a deep interest in the welfare 
 of this new immigration. 
 
 *' When we take into account the secluded position of the Icelandic 
 nation for the last thousand years, the unfavourable conditions of 
 their climatic and geographical situation, it would be unreasonable 
 to expect that a colony from thence sliould exhibit the same apti- 
 tudes for agricultural enterprise and settlement as would be pos- 
 sessed by a people fresh from intimate contact with the higher 
 civilization of Europe. 
 
 * In Iceland there are neither trees, nor cornfields, nor highways. 
 You cannot, therefore, expect an Icelander to exhibit an inspired 
 proficiency in felling timber, ploughing land, or making roads, yet 
 unfortunately these are the three accomplishments most necessary 
 to a colonist in Canada. Bat though starting at a disadvantage in 
 these respects, you must not underrate the capacity of your new 
 fellow-countrymen. They are endowed with a great deal of intel- 
 lectual ability, and a quick intelligence. They are well educated. 
 I scarcely entered a hovel at Gimli which did not possess a library. 
 
 " They are w^ell-conducted, religious and peaceable. Above all 
 they are docile and anxious to learn. Nor, considering the difficulty 
 which prevails in this country in procuring women servants, will 
 the accession of some hundreds of bright, good-humoured, though 
 perhaps in ^experienced, yet willing, Icelandic girls, anxious for 
 employment, be found a disadvantage by the resident la(Ues of the 
 country. Should the dispersion of these young people lead, in course 
 of time, to the formation of more intimate and tenderer ties than 
 those of mere neighbourhood between the Canadian population and 
 the Icelandic colony, I am safe in predicting that it will not prove a 
 matter of regret on the one side or the other. 
 
 " And, gentlemen, in reference to this point, I cannot help re- 
 marking with satisfaction on the extent to which a community of 
 interests, the sense of being engaged in a common undertaking, the 
 obvious degree in which the prosperity of any one man is a gain to 
 his neighbours, has amalgamated the various sections of the popula- 
 tion of this Province, originally so diverse in race, origin, and reli- 
 gion, into a patriotic, closely-welded, and united whole. 
 
 " In no part of Canada have I found a better feeling prevailing 
 between all classes and sections of the community. It is in a great 
 measure owing to this widespread sentiment of brotherhood that on 
 a recent occasion great troubles have been averted, while at the 
 present moment it is finding its crowning and most triumphant 
 
expression in the establi .hment of a University under conditions 
 which have been found impossible of application in any other 
 Province of Canada — I may say in any other country in the world 
 — for nowhere else, either in Europe or on this continent, as far as I 
 am aware, have the bishops and heads of the various religious com- 
 munities into which the Christian world is unhappily divided, com- 
 bined to erect an Alma Maier to which all the denominational 
 colleges of the Province are to be affiliated, and whose statutes and 
 degrees are to be regulated and dispensed under the joint auspices of 
 a governing body in which all tlie churches of the land will be 
 represented. 
 
 " An achievement of tiiis kind speaks volumes in favour of the 
 wisdom, liberality, and Christian charity of those devoted men by 
 whom in this distant land the consciences of the population are led 
 and enlightened, and long may they be spared to see the efiorts of 
 their exertions and magnanimous sacrifices in the good conduct and 
 grateful devotion of their respective flocks. Nor, I am happy to 
 think, is this good fellowship upon which I have so much cause to 
 congratulate you, confined either within the limits of the Province 
 or even within those of the Dominion. 
 
 " In a world apart, secluded from all extraneous influences, nest- 
 ling at the feet of her majestic mother, Canada dreams her dream, 
 and forebodes her destiny — a dream of ever-broadening harvests, 
 multiplying towns and villages, a^nd expanding pastures ; of consti- 
 tutional self-government and a confederated Empire : of page after 
 page of honourable history added as her contribution to the annals 
 of the Mother Country and to the glories of the British race ; of a 
 perpetuation for all time upon this continent of that temperate and 
 well-balanced systeDi of Government which combines in one mighty 
 whole, as the eternal possession of all Englishmen, the brilliant his- 
 tory and traditions of the past, w^ith the freest and most untram- 
 melled liberty of action in the future. 
 
 " Most heartily do I congratulate you upon all that you are doing, 
 and upon the glorious prospect of prosperity which is opening out 
 on every side of you. Though elsewhere in the Dominion stagna- 
 tion of trade and commerce has checked for a year or two the general 
 advance of Canada, here at least you have escaped the effects of such 
 sinister incidents, for your welfare being based upon the most solid 
 of all foundations, the cultivation of the soil, you are in a position 
 to pursue the even tenour of your ways untroubled by those alter- 
 nations of fortune which disturb the world of trade and manufacture. 
 You have been blessed with an abundant harx'est, and soon, I trust, 
 will a railway come to carry to those who need it the surplus oi 
 your produce, now, as my own eyes have wibiessed, imprisoned in 
 
94 
 
 your storelaousps for want of the means of transport. May tli» 
 expanding finances of the country soon place the Government in a 
 position to gratify your just and natural expectations." 
 
 HONOURABLE MR. SUTHERLAND'S EVIDENCE. 
 
 Committee Room, House of Commons, 
 
 Monday, April 3rd, 1876. 
 
 Honourable John Sutheuland, Senator, of .Kildonan, Manitoba, 
 appeared before the Committee, and, in answer to questions, said : 
 
 I have been in the North- West all my life. I was born within 
 the corporation of Winnipeg. My age is fifty-three years. T am a 
 practical farmer. 
 
 From my long experience there, and from what I have seen in 
 other provinces, I have come to the conclusion that the soil, climate 
 and other natural advantages of Manitoba are conducive to success- 
 ful farming, and that a poor man can more easily make a living 
 there than in other parts of the Dominion. 
 
 The usual depth of alluvial deposit on the prairie is about two 
 and a half feet, and on bottom lands from two and a half to twenty 
 feet. The natural grasses are very nutritious, and cattle can be 
 ■wintered without any coarse grain, neither is it customary to feed 
 any grain except to milch cows or stall-fed animals. 
 
 The usual yield of prairie grass when cut into hay is an average 
 of from three to four tons per acre. It usually grows about five or 
 six feet high, and, although coarse, is very nutritious. 
 
 I consider the North- West as very well adapted for dairy pur- 
 poses, as we have many miles of natural meadows throughout the 
 country, and hay can be cut and cared for about $1 per ton. We 
 have five or six varieties of grasses that are good and well adapted 
 for stock-feeding, while a few othei-s are not so suitable. 
 
 We have occasional frosts ; generally one frost about the first of 
 June, but not severe enough to injure the growing crops, and 
 shovers are frequent during summer. The average depth of snow 
 throughout Manitoba is about 20 inches, and is quite light and 
 loose. 
 
 I would consider it advantageous for a farmer to take improved 
 stock, but not agricultural implements, as they can be procured there 
 at a reasonable rate. They are partly procured from the United 
 States and partly from Ontario. I think the grade cattle might be 
 got in cheaper from Minnesota than from Ontario. 
 
In many parts of the Province tliere are natural springs and 
 creeks on the surface, and good water can be obtained by digging 
 about twelre feet, while in other ])arts it may be necessary to dig 
 some fifty or sixty feet. I recollect only two seasrns which were 
 very dry, but not so much so as to prevent having fair average 
 crops, and in the absence of showers there is sutUcieut moisture in 
 the earth to render the soil productive. ' ' 
 
 The frost penetrates in exposed places to the depth of from three 
 to four feet, that is, where the earth is not covered at all with snow. 
 Where it is covered with snow it is seldom frozen deeper than 
 eighteen inches. Vegetation begins and progresses t ;fore the frost 
 is all out of the ground, and we generally begin sowing when it is 
 thawed to the depth of six inches, at which time the surface is 
 perfectly dry. We believe this frost helps the growth of crops, 
 owing to the heat of the sun by day causing a continual evaporation 
 from the underlying strata of frost. 
 
 I consider the country healthy, and we have not been subject to 
 any epidemic. We had fever in Winnipeg in 1875, but none in the 
 country places. It was brought into Winnipeg, and it owed its 
 continuance there, no doubt, to overcrowded houses and insufficient 
 drainage. We never had small-pox in our Province. As a rule, T 
 think the country is very healthy. 
 
 The average yield and prices of grain are as follow : — 
 
 Wheat, about 30 busliels per acre, price $1.00. 
 Oats, " 40 " ;' 30c. to 40c. 
 
 Barley, " 35 " , ^^ " GOc. to 70c. 
 Peas, '' 50 *' « 60c. to 70c. 
 
 The soil and climate are well adapted for growing root crops. 
 Our potatoes are pronounced the best in the world. Indian corn is 
 not extensively cultivated, and I think the large kind could not be 
 cultivated to advantage, but the smaller kind might, and I think 
 could be profitably grown. 
 
 We have had a ready home market for the last fifteen years for 
 all our surplus produce, consequentl- have not exported any 
 
 farm produce. 
 
 . I think that extensive settlemer , -^ *'i prevent the ravages of the 
 grasshoppers, and we have good reasoii to believe that we will be 
 exempt from them during the coming reason, as there were no 
 deposits of eggs in the Province in 1875, and, in, all probability, we 
 will be relieved from that plague for many years to come. To my 
 own knowledge, the Province was not affected by grasshoppers for 
 forty years previous to 1867, since which date we have had them off 
 and on. 
 
The fences are composed of posts of spruce and poplar, the latter 
 of which, with the bark removed, will last 20 years. Pine and 
 basswood lumber are also used; the former being from $20 to $G0 
 per thousand feet. 
 
 Poplar and oak are chiefly used, and are in sufficient quantity to 
 supply the present demand, but I fear there is not enou ,di to supply 
 a very large poj)ulation, in which case there might be a scarcity of 
 hardwood, but plenty of poplar and tamtiruc, the former of which is 
 reproduced very rapidly. Coal is not known to exist in the 
 Province of Manitoba, but is said to be found about 30 miles west of 
 the boundary of the Province. 
 
 It is customary to plough in the fall, but I have generally found 
 it necessary to cultivate the soil in the spring before sowing, to 
 prevent the growth of weeds. -^ 
 
 I consider Manitoba adapted to sheep-raising, and from my 
 experience have found it profitable. ^ - 
 
 I have raised sixty bushels of spring wheat per acre, weighing 
 sixty-six pounds per bushel, the land having been measured and the 
 grain weighed carefully. I have also received reliable information 
 to the effect that seventy (70) bushels of wheat have been produced 
 from one bushel sown. 
 
 It is my opinion, in the event of a considerable immigration going 
 into the Province of Manitoba, and also into the North- West 
 Territories, that those immigrants will, in the first instance, be 
 consumers, at all events for the first year after their arrival ; and if, 
 as I hope, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway is 
 carried on, I do not doubt that these circumstances combined will 
 absorb our surplus produce until we shall have an outlet for 
 exportation. I may also add that the fur trade has, for many years, 
 consumed a large proportion of our surplus produce, and I expect it 
 will continue to do so for years to come in the North- West 
 Territories. , ^, 
 
 y PROFESSOR MACOUN'S EVIDENCE. ; -3 
 
 Committee Room, House of Commoxs, 
 ^ ^ • -^ . Friday, March, 24th, 1876. 
 
 Professor John Macoun, of Albert University, Belleville, appeared 
 before the Committee and, in answer to questions, said : 
 
 A continuous farming country extends from Point du Chien to the 
 Assiniboine, at Fort Ellice, a distance of 230 miles, without a 
 
97 
 
 break. Beyond this there are 25 miles of dry, gravelly ground, of 
 little account for anything except pasture. Then follows a very 
 extensive tract of country stretching westward to the South Sas- 
 katchewan and extending indefinitely nortli and south. This wide 
 region contains many fine sections of rich fertile country, inter- 
 spersed with poi>lar groves, rolling, treeless prairie, salt lakes, saline 
 and other marshes, and brackish or fi-esh-water ponds. What is not 
 suited for raising cereals is excellent pasture land. Only a few of 
 the salt lakes would be injurious to cattle or horses, and fresh water 
 can be obtained without doubt a little below the surface. 
 
 The soil of this whob region is a warm, gravelly or sandy loam. 
 The surface soil, to a de])th of from one to three feet, is a brown or 
 black loam, the subsoil, being generally either sand or gravel, 
 consisting principally of limestone i)ebbles ; many boulders are found 
 in some sections. The land between the two Saskatchewans is 
 nearly all good. Prince Albert INIission settlement is situated iu 
 this section. At Carleton I crossed the North Saskatchewan, and 
 therefore know nothing personally of the immense region extending 
 west and south thence to the boundary. All accounts, however, 
 agree in saying it is the garden of the country. Good land, generally 
 speaking, extends northward to Gieen Lake, a distance of 170 mile» 
 from Carleton. How much further eastward this good land extends 
 I ail unable to state ; but Sir John Hichardson says that wheat is 
 raised without difficulty at Cumberland House. The good arable 
 land is about 25 miles wide at Edmonton, but possibly not so wide 
 at Fort Pitt, more to the eist, but further north. This region is 
 bounded on the south by the North Saskatchewan, and on the north 
 bv the watershed between it and the Beaver and Athabasca Eivers. 
 Within this area there are five settlements where wheat is raised 
 regularly without difficulty, viz. : the Star Mission, (Church of 
 England,) sixty miles north of Carleton on the Green Lake Road ; 
 Lac La Biche Mission, (R. C.) 100 miles from Fort Edmonton ; 
 A'^ictoria Mission, (Wesleyan) eighty miles east of Edmonton, and 
 St. Albert Mission, (R. C.) nine miles north of Edmonton, and at 
 Edmonton itself. Edmonton seems to be the coldest point in the 
 district in question, and suffers most from summer frosts. 
 
 Next is a very extensive district forming the watersheds between 
 the Saskatchewan and Peace Riveis, and through which the Atha- 
 basca River flows for its whole course, and from which it receives its 
 waters. This region is all forest, and consists of muskeg (swamp) 
 spruce and poplar forest. Very little is known of this region, but 
 the soil where I crossed it is generally good where not swampy.. 
 West of Edmonton, where the railway crosses the section, there i& 
 said to be much swamp, but between Fort Pitt and the Forks of the. 
 
 6 
 
98 
 
 Athabasca there is scarcely aiy swamp, although it is nearly all 
 forest. 
 
 Next conies tho Peace Iliver section extending along the Rocky 
 Mountains from a little north of Jasper's House to Fort Liard, Lat. 
 CI N. ; and from the former point to the west end of Little 
 Slave Lake; thence to the Forks of the Athabasca, and down that 
 Iliver to Athabasca Lake, and from thence to Fort Liard. Tho upper 
 part of this immense area is principally prairie, extending on both 
 sides of the Peace River. As we proceed to the north and east, the 
 l)rairie gradually changes into a continuous poplar forest with 
 here and there a few spruces, indicating a wetter soil. The general 
 character of this section is like that of Manitoba west from Portage 
 La Prairie to Pine Creek. 
 
 Wheat was raised last year at the Forks of the Athabasca, at the 
 French Mission, (Lake Athabasca,) at Fort Liard, and at Fort 
 Vermillion in this section. 
 
 The following observations and extracts will speak for them- 
 selves. I was on Peace River during the whole month of October, 
 1872 ; part of my work was to note the temperature, which 1 did 
 with caie. The average reading of the thermometer at eight 
 ■o'cloek, [).m. for the ten days between the 10th and 19 th October 
 •was 42^^^ in Lat. 56*^, while at Belleville, Ontario, in Lat. 44*^, it 
 ■was only 46 ^^ at 1 p.m., being only 4® higher with a difference ot 
 12° in Latitude. (For details see Pacific Railway Survey Report 
 for 1874, page 9G.) 
 
 Captain Butler passed through the same region in the following 
 April, and states that the whole hillside was covered with the blue 
 anemone (anemone patens), on the 22nd of A prii. (See Wild North 
 Land.) 
 
 ^ Daniel Williams (Nigger Dan,) furnished the following extracts 
 fi'om his notebook : , .^ : 
 
 - ■_-■-'-- -r':-^. <\- "1872. 
 
 •" Tee begiin to run in river November 8th. 
 
 " River closed November 28th. ; — 
 
 ^' First snow October 28th. ;, . '' :^^^y . ?: 
 
 -''-'--■- -V- --;--■ 'v- .: . . "1873. '■■ :,"-/:,. '''.■■:\V^'::^^^--l--&^ 
 
 " April 23rd, ice moved out of river. ' ■ : r j ^ ^ i ■ . .- 
 " Planted potatoes April 25th. * . ^ -\, > v 
 
 " First permanent snow November 2ad. T ~" 3!I>^"'' '^ ; T"^ 
 ** River closed November 30th. '• 
 
 '^ 1874. 
 •^' River broke up 19th April. 
 
19 
 
 tt 
 
 " First geese came 21st April. 
 
 " Sowed barley and oats April 22nd. 
 
 " River clear of upper ice May 3rd." — N.D. Upper ice from abov« 
 ihe Rocky Mountain canyon. , 
 
 ** Planted potatoes May 5th. 
 
 *' Potatoes not injured by frost until 22nd September, Then snow 
 fell which covered them, but soon went otf. Dug over 100 bushela 
 from one plantinaj." Tliis is possibly too large. — J. M. 
 
 " Ice commenced to run in river October 30th. 
 
 " River closed November 23rd. 
 
 v 
 
 " Snowed all night November 4th. 
 
 "1875. 
 
 " Ico broke up in river April 15th. 
 
 "Warm rains from north-west; blue ilies and rain, February 18th. 
 
 ** Ice cleared out in front of Fort, April IGth. 
 
 *' Potatoes planted 8tb, 9th and 10th May. ^ i . 
 
 " Barley and oats sown May 7th. 
 
 " Snow all gone before the middle of April. Tliis applies to l>otIi 
 the river vallev and the level country above." Difference in level 
 746 feet. 
 
 The potatoes were dug out in quantities, and were both large aad 
 dry. On the 2nd August, seventeen men got a week's supply at this 
 time. These men were traders from down the river who depended 
 on their guns for food. The barley and oats were both ripe about 
 the 12th August. (Both on Exhibition at Philadelphia.) 
 
 Extract from the Hudson Bay Company's Journal, Fort St John, 
 Peaee River, for a series of ten years. Lat. 56° 12 North. Long. 
 120° West. Altitude above the sea, nearly 1,600 feet. 
 
 Opening of River. First ice drifting in river. 
 
 1866 — April 19 November 7 
 
 : ! 1867— do 21 ^ do 3 or 8 
 
 18o8— do 20 do 7 
 
 1869— do 23 do 8 
 
 1870— do 26 do No record. 
 
 1871— do 18 do 10 
 
 1872— do 19 .., do 8 
 
 1873— do 23 . . , do 4 
 
 1874— do 19 October 31 
 
 1875— do 16 
 
 In a pamphlet published by Malcolm Mcleod, Esq., in the year 
 1872, he shows that the summer temperature at Dun vegan, 120 miUs 
 
100 ■.-^... .:-:'%.:. :- :^.. -..;-,.-:■ 
 
 farther down the river, is about half a degree less than that of 
 Toronto, the one averaging 5 i° 14 and the other 54° 44. 
 
 At Battle Pdver, over 100 miles further down, Indian corn has 
 ri[)ened three years in succession, and my observations tend to show 
 that the summer temperature at this ])oint is greater than it is 
 higher up. 
 
 At Yerraillion, Lat. 58*^. 24, I had a long conversation with oid 
 !Mr. Shaw, who has had charge of this Fort for sixteen years ;he 
 says the frosts never injure anything on this part of the river, and 
 every kind of garden stuff can be grown. Barley sown on the 8th 
 May, cut 6th August, and the finest I ever saw. ]\Iany ears as long 
 as my hand, and the whole crop thick and stout. In my opinion 
 this is the finest trac!; of country on the river. The general level of 
 the countrv is less than 100 feet above it. ' ' 
 
 At Little Kiver I found everything in a very forward state. 
 Cucumbers started in the oj^ien air were fully ripe ; Windsor, pole 
 beans and i>eas >vere likewise ripe, August 15th. Fort Chipweyan, 
 at the entrance to the Lake Athabasca, has very poor soil in its vi- 
 cinity, being largely composed of sand ; still, here I obtained fine 
 samples of wheat and barley — the former weighing 68 lbs. to the- 
 bushel, and the latter 58 lbs. The land here is very low and 
 swampy, being but little elevated above the lake. At the French^ 
 Mission, two miles above the Fort, oats, wheat and barley were all 
 cut by the 26th August. Crop rather light on the ground. 
 
 Mr. Hardisty, Chief Factor in charge of Fort Simpson, in Lat. 61° 
 N., informed me that barley always ripened there, and that wheat 
 was sure four times out of five. ^Melons if started under glass ripen 
 well. Frost seldom does them much damage. 
 
 Chief Trader Macdougall says, that Forb Liard, in Lat. 61° N., 
 has the warmest summer temperature in the whole region, and all 
 kinds of grain and garden stuff always come to maturity. He has 
 been on the Yucon for twelve years, and says that most years barley 
 ripens under the Arctic Circle in Long. 143° W. 
 
 Tlie localities mentioned were not chosen for their good soil, but 
 for the facilities which they afforded for carrying on the fur trade, 
 or for mission purposes. Five-sixths of all the land in the Peace 
 Iliv«r section is just as good as the points cited, and will produce as 
 good crops in the future. The reason so little is cultivated is owing 
 to the fact that the inhabitants, whites and Indians, are flesh-eaters. 
 Mr. Macfarlane, Chief Factor in charge of the Athabasca District,, 
 told me that just as much meat is eaten by the Indians when they 
 receive flour and potatoes as without them. 
 
 At the Forks of the Athabasca, Mr. Moberley, the gentleman in 
 charge, has a first class garden, and wheat and barley of excellent 
 
-:■;- 101 •;•. ■,;//-;_".:., ;^A :■' :^: -,: : : - 
 
 quality. He has cut an immense quantity of hay, as the Hudson 
 Bay Co. winter all the oxen and horses used on Methy Portage at 
 this point. He told me that in a year or two the Company purposed 
 supplying the whole interior from this locality with food, as the 
 deer wore getting scarce and supplies rather precarious. This is 
 the identical spot where Mr. Pond had a garden filled with Euro- 
 pean vegetables when Sir Alexander Mackenzie visited ?t in 1787. 
 
 The following extracts are fj'om Sir Alexander iMackenzie's 
 travels. He passed the winters of 1793 and 1793 near Smoky 
 River, and writes as follows : — " November 7th. The river began 
 to run with ice yesterday, which we call the last of navigation. 
 On the l22nd the river was frozen acror;s, and remained so until the 
 last of April." Between the 16th November and the 2nd December, 
 when he broke his thermometer, the range at 8.30 a.m. was from 
 27® above to 16*^ below zero ; at noon the range was from 29° t oove 
 to 4*^ below ; and at 6 p.m. it was from 28^ above to 7° below. 
 '' On the 5th January, in the morning, the weather was calm, clear 
 and cold, the wind blew from the south-west, and in the afternoon 
 it was thawin<'. I had already observed at the Athabasca that this 
 wind never failed to bring us clear, mild weather, whereas when it 
 blew from the opposite quarter it produced snow. Here it is much 
 more perceptible, for if it blows hard from the south-west for four 
 hours a thaw is the consequence. To this cause may be attributed 
 the scarcity of snow in this part of the world. At the end of 
 January very little snow was on the ground, but about this time 
 the cold became very severe, and remained so to the IGth March, 
 when the weather became mild, and by the 5th April all the snow 
 was gone. On the 20th the gnats and mosquitoes came, and Mr. 
 Mackay brought me a bunch of flowers of a pink colour and a yellow 
 button {anemo7ie patens), encircled with six leaves of a light purple. 
 On the other side of the river, which was still covered with ice, the 
 plains were delightful — the trees were budding, and many ])lants in 
 blossom. The change in the appearance of the face of nature was 
 as sudden as it was pleasing, for a few days only were passed away 
 since the ground was covered with snow. On the 25th the river 
 was cleared of the ice." 
 
 I consider nearly all the Peace River section to be well suited 
 for raising cereals of all kinds, and at least two-thirds of it fit for 
 wheat. The soil of this section is as good as any part of Manitoba, 
 and the climate, if anything, is milder. 
 
 The Thick wood country, drained by the Athabasca, has generally 
 good soil, but it is wet and cold. At least one-half is good for 
 raising barley and wheat, w.hile much of the remainder would make 
 iirst-class pasture and meadow lands. 
 
\ 102 . - ". . 
 
 I am not no well acquainted with the Saskatchewan section, but 
 from what I know of it, it has generally good soil and a climate not 
 unsuitable for wbeat-raisin":. Between Fort Pitt and Edmonton 
 tkere is a tract which I consider sul)ject to summer frosts, l:)ut it 
 •would produce immense crops of hay. This district is the only 
 dangerous one in the Saskatchewan country. 
 
 Of the high country between the South Saskatchewan and Mani- 
 toba, and south to the boundary, I know but little. If it could be 
 shown that summer frost did no injury in the region in question, I 
 could say that, from its soil and vegetation, the greater part would 
 produce wheat. At all events, barley and peas will be a sure crop. 
 I cannot speak decidedly of this large area, as from its exposed posi- 
 tion and height from the sea, there is a danger of injury to the crops 
 from frosts. The future will decide the point. 
 
 Q. Referring to the cultivable ])arts of the central or piairie re- 
 gions between the Province of Manitoba and the Rocky Mountains, 
 can vou state whether there are earlv or summer frosts which would 
 be likely to prove detrimental to the cultivation of wheat 1 
 
 A. In answering the last question, I stated that I could not be 
 certain from my own observations, but I incline to the opinion that 
 many large areas will be found a' together free from frosts, while 
 others will be injured by them. While crossing the Plains with Mr. 
 Fleming, in August, 1872, the thermometer fell to 30° on the morn- 
 ing of the 1 4th, and ice was formed in some of the vessels, but I saw 
 ^ no injury done to vegetation. This was about ninety miles east of 
 the South Saskatchewan. Captain Palliser records the thermometer 
 failing below freezing point on the 14th August, 1857, in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Fort Ell ice, but vegetation did not seem to suffer. It 
 seems that the first fi-ost to do any injury comes about the 20th of 
 this month, and that it is just as likely to afl< ct Manitoba as the 
 country further west. 
 
 I have noticed the large claims, as respects the yield of wheat in 
 the valley of the Red River, advanced, but doubt their accuracy. 
 From what I could learn, I should think thirty-five bushels per acre 
 as pretty near the average. Cultivation like tliat of Ontario would 
 give a much greater yield, as there are more grains to the ear than 
 ia Ontario. The grain is heavier. Peas will alwavs be a heavy 
 trop in the North- West, as the soil is suitable, and a little frost does 
 them no harm. tT^ 
 
 All my observations tended to show that tlie whole Peace River 
 country was just as capable of successful settlement as Manitoba. 
 The soil seems to be richer — -the country contains more wood ; there 
 are no saline marshes or lakes ; the water is all good — there are no 
 s«mmer frosts —spring is just as early and the winter sets in no 
 
sooacr. The winter may be more severo ; but there is no certuinty 
 of this. 
 
 I would not advise any attempt to settle this region until after 
 the settlement has extended at least to Edmonton, as there is at least 
 150 miles of broken country between the two. - ' 
 
 From my former answers it will be seen that about the 20tli of 
 April ploughing can commence on Peace Kiver, and fiom datJi in 
 my posses-^ion the same may bo said of the Saskatchewan regions 
 generally. 
 
 It is a curious fact that spring seems to advance from north-w^est 
 to south-east, at a rate of about 250 miles per day, and that in the 
 fall winter begins in Manitoba first and goes westward at the same 
 rate. " ' '-'- - • ^^ . ^ - v-. ^ /■ 
 
 The followinor data selected from various sources will throw con- 
 siderable light on the question of temperature. It is worthy of note 
 that Halifax on the sea coast is nearly as cold in spring and summer 
 as points more than twelve degrees further north. 
 
 Spring, summer and autumn temperature at various points, to 
 which is added the mean temperature of July and August, ike two 
 ripening Tnontks. 
 
 , ., Latitude Summer. Spring. Antumn. " July 
 
 north. and August. 
 
 Cumberland House 53.37 02.02 3.3.04 32.70 04.25 
 
 Fort Simpson 01.51 59.48 20.66 27.34 62.31 
 
 Fort Chipweyan 58.42 58.70 22.76 31.80 60.60 
 
 Fort William 48.24 59.94 39.67 37.80 60.5:^ 
 
 Montreal 45.31 67.26 39.03 45.18 68.47 
 
 Toronto 43.40 64.4:3 42.34 46.81 66.5: 
 
 Temisoamingue 47.19 65.23 37.58 40 07 66.43 
 
 Halifax 44.39 61.00 31.67 4().(;7 66.55 
 
 Belleville 44.10 temperature nearly that of Toronto. 
 
 Dunvegan, Peace River 56.0S average summer six montiis 54.44 
 
 Edmonton 53.31 39.70 
 
 Oarleton 52.52 .35.70 
 
 Winnipeg 49.52 64.76 30.13 35.29 65.32 
 
 Any unprejudiced person making a careful examination of the 
 above figures will be struck with the high temperatures obtained in 
 the interior. Edmonton has a higher spring temperature than Mon- 
 treal, and is eight degrees farther north and over 2,000 feet above 
 the sea. The temperatures of Carleton and Edmonton are taken 
 from Captain Palliser's explorations in the Saskatchewan country, 
 during the years 1857 and 1858. It will be seen that the tempera- 
 tures of the months when grain ripens is about equal throughout'the 
 
104 
 
 whole Dominion from Montreal to Fort Simpson north of Great 
 Slave Lake. 
 
 The country, in my 0])inion, is well suited for stock-raising 
 throughout its whole extent. The winters are certainly cold, but 
 the climate is dr}'-, and the winter snows are light, both as to depth 
 and weight. All kinds of animals have thicker coats in cold clim- 
 ates than in warm ones, so that the thicker coat counter-balances the 
 greatei cold. Dry snow never injures cattle in Ontario. No other 
 kind ever fails in Manitoba or the North- West, so that there can be 
 no trouble from this cause. Cattle winter just as well on the Atha- 
 basca and Peace Rivers as they do in Manitoba ; and Mr. Grant, 
 who has been living on Rat Creek, ^Manitoba, for a number of years, 
 says that cattle give less trouble there than they do iu Nova Scotia. 
 Horses winter out without feed other than what they pick up, from 
 Peace River to Manitoba. Sheep, cattle and horses will require less 
 attention and not require to bo fed as long as we now feed them in 
 Ontario. Owing to the light i-ain-fall the uncut grass is almost as 
 good as hay when tl)e winter sets in, which it does without the 
 heavy rains of the east. This grass remains good all winter as ihe 
 dry snow does not rot it. In the spring the snow leaves it almost as 
 good as ever, so that cattle can eat it until the young grass appears. 
 From five to six months is about the time cattle will require to be 
 fed, and shelter v/iil altogether depend on the farmer. 
 
 Q. Could, in your opinion, the arid portion of the Central Prairie 
 region, and particularly that part supposed to be an extension of the 
 " American Desert," be utilized for sheep grazing or any other agri- 
 cultural purpose 2 
 
 A. Laramie Plains, in "Wyoming Territoi y, are spoken of by all 
 American writers as eminently fitted for sheep and cattle farming, 
 and our extension of the " Desert " has, from all accounts, a better 
 climate — is at least 4,000 feet lower in altitude, and from the able 
 Reports of Mr. George Daw^son (1874:,) and Cajvoain Palliser (1858,) 
 I am led to infer that our part of the " Desert," besides being first- 
 class pasture land, contains many depressions well suited for raising 
 all kinds of grain. Mr. Daw^son specially remarks that its soil is 
 generally good, but tliat the rain-ftill is light. Speaking of the woi-st 
 part, he says : " It scarcely supports a sod," but this tract is not 
 fifty miles wide. This is the winter home of the buffalo, and hence 
 cattle and sheep can live on it in the winter without difiiculty. I 
 have seen the Laramie Plains and the cattle u]3on them — I have 
 examined the flora of botli regions, and believe ours is warmer in 
 winter and certainly not so dry in sui uer. 
 
 Mr. George Dawson, speaking of ^]L_j region, says : " In July of 
 last summer (1873,) I saw a band of cattle in the vicinity of the Line 
 
soutli of Wood Mountain, which had strayed from ona of the Unitevl 
 States forts to the south. They were quite wild, and almost as diffi- 
 cult of approach as the buGalo ; and notwithstanding the fact that 
 they had come originally from Texas, and were unaccustomed to 
 frost and anow, they had passed through the winur and were in 
 capital condition." Comment is unnecessary. 
 
 Whatever desert region there is lies between the Souris and the 
 Milk Kiver on the boundary, and the Qu'Appelle and South Saskat- 
 chewan on the north. 
 
 Q. Is there any other wood than poplar in the Peace River 
 country 1 ;,'•.-:/. ;.;:. .;^;,.--^. --=;..- ■•■^ ., :^..^:^A. ■ ■■■■ :■, 
 
 A. TTive-sixths of all the timber is poplar, and is invai-iably a sign 
 of dry soil and good land. Balsam poplar is very abundant on the 
 islands in all the north-western rivers, often attaining a diameter of 
 from 6 to 10 feet, even as far north as Fort Simpson. White spruce 
 grows to a very large size on all the watersheds and the slopes of the 
 south bank of the. Peace Ptiver, on islands in all the rivers, and very 
 abundantly on the low lands at the west end of Lake Athabasca. I 
 have often seen it over three feet in diameter, but the usual size is 
 from one to two feet. Banksian pine^^as not observed on Peace 
 Kiver, but it occurs at Lake Athabasca, and is abundant as you 
 approach the Saskatchewan from the nortii. Its presence indicates 
 sandy soil unfit for cultivation. 
 
 White birch is not abundant along the Peace Piver, but is com- 
 mon on the Athabasca and Mackenzie Rivprs. The Northern Indians 
 make large quanti<-ies of syrup from its sap in sj)ring. 
 
 These are the most important trees. There are no bsech, maple, 
 ash, oak, elm, white or red pine in the country. 
 
 Q. What fruits grow spontaneously in the Peace River country 
 and Athabasca regions ] 
 
 A. The berry of the Amelanchler Cctnacleiisis (Service Berry of 
 Canadians, Poires of the French Half-breeds, and Sas-ka-tum berries 
 of the Indians) is collected in immense quantities on the Upper Peace 
 River, and forms quite an article of food and trade. When I was at 
 Dunvegan last summer the Indians and Half-breeds were camped 
 out collecting the berries which were then in their prime (August 
 6th.) Bears are very fond of them, and resort to the sunny slopes 
 of the Peace River at this time in great numbers to feed upon the 
 berries. The Indian women press them into square cakes while fresh, 
 and then dry thnin for future use, but those intended for the Hudson 
 Bay Company's post are dried in the sun and mixed with dry meat 
 and grease to form pemmican, or are fried in grease for a dessert. 
 
 Strawberries and raspberries are very abundant in most districts 
 on Peace River, especially at Vermillion. 
 
106 
 
 Another rasi)beiTy (Ruhus Arcticiis), of an amber colour, is very 
 abundant at Lake Athabasca and uj) around Portage La Loche and 
 the Valley of the Enj^lish River. Its fruit is converted into jellies 
 and jams, and gives a relLsh to many a |)oor meal. 
 
 High bush crQ.nh2vnes f'Vilmruum paiici/lfri'um a7id OindiisJ slyq 
 very abundant in the wooded distiicts on both sides of the Athabasca 
 and Clear- water rivers and around Lake Athabasca. 
 
 Gooseberries and currants of many species are lound, but are not 
 much sought after. BUk^'x rries, low bus!) cranberries, and the cow- 
 l)erry f Vaccinium Vifis JolcF.a), are abundant in particular localities 
 in the above district. Ta'o species of cherries — the bird cherry and 
 the choke cherry — complete the list. 
 
 The Peace River is navigable from the Rockv Mountains for at 
 least 500 miles by river, — in none of this distance is it less than six 
 feet deep. A canal of two miles would overcome the obstructions at 
 this point. For two hundred and fitty miles below this there is no 
 obstruction except a rapid, which I think is caused by boulders in 
 the channel. Their removal would probably overcome the difficulty. 
 
 The Athabasca is navigable for one hundred, and eighty mile& 
 above Lake Athabasca. Mr. Moberly, an officer in the Hudson Bay 
 Company's service, sounded it all the way from Fort Macraurray, at 
 the Forks of the Clear-water and the Athabasca, to Lake Athabasca, 
 and no spot with less than six feet at low water was found. Between 
 Lake Athabasca and the Arctic Ocean only one break exists, but 
 this is fourteen miles across by land ; after that is overcome, 1,300 
 miles of first-class river navigation is met with, v/hich takes us to the 
 ocean. ■ :^ . : 
 
 The Hudson Bay Company purj)ose opening a cart road from Fort 
 Pitt on the Saskatchewan to the Forks of the Athabasca, and con- 
 template having a steamboat on tlie Athabasca and the Peace and 
 Slave Rivers. By this means ingress and egress will be obtained, 
 and their goods will be more easily distributed to distant points. 
 This road will be made and the steamer built in time for the trade 
 of 1877. "'^^-T. /-.;--^^;.;-:->>:^----^--7v/ 
 
 The moose is still abundant on both sides of the Peace River, and 
 the wood buffiilo is still found between the Athabasca and the Peace 
 River about lat. 57*^. From five hundred to one thousand head is 
 the estimate of the hunters. Black bears are very numerous on 
 the upper jiart of Peace River, and furnish the chief food of tho 
 people in July and August. Cariboo are north and east of Lake 
 Athabasca, and are the chief fo3d of the Indians and Half-breeds of 
 that region. Rabbits are in immense numbers wherever there is 
 timber, and are easily taken. Waterfowl are beyond computation, 
 during September, in the neighbourhood of Lake Athabasca, and 
 
large flocks of Canadian geose are found on Peace River all summer. 
 Ljnx, beaver, martin and fox make up the chief fur-bearing 
 anim'jls. 
 
 Liirge deposits of coal have been observed, by Mr. Selwyn, on the 
 Saskatchewan, between the Rocky Mountain ITouse and Victoria, a 
 distance of 211 miles. He speaks in one place of having seen seams 
 20 feet thick, and in his report for 1873 and 1874, he gives a photo- 
 graph, on page 41, of this seam. 
 
 Rev. Mr. Grant, in ^* Ocean to Ocean," speaks of a seam of coal 
 on the Pembina River — a tributary of the Athabasca — ten feet thick, 
 and from which they brought away specimens that were afterwards 
 analysed by Professor Liwson, and found to contain less than 3 per 
 cent, of ash. 
 
 While on my trip to Peace River, in company with Mr. ETcretzky, 
 in the fall of 1872, I discovered coal in large quantities in the bank 
 of one of the rivers which flow ii.vO Little Slave Lake. It was also 
 seen in small quantities in a number of other localities in the vicinity 
 of the Lake. It is also reported from the upper part of Smoky River, 
 and I have seen it in small quantities on the u[)))er part of Peace 
 River and its tributaries on the right bank. I observed no indica- 
 tions of coal below Smoky River, but Sir John Richardson speaks of 
 lignite being abundant on the Mackenzie. 
 
 Clay ironstone is associated with the coal wherever it has been 
 observed ; although possibly not in paying quantitie.s. Coal, then, and 
 ironstone may be said to extend almost all the way from the bound- 
 ary to the Arctic Ocean. Gypsum of the very best quality, and as 
 white as snow, was seen at Peace Point on Peace River, and for a 
 distance of over 20 miles it extended on both sides of the river, 
 averacjini; 12 feet in thickness. Sir John Richardson savs in his 
 *' Journal of a Boat Voyage to the Arctic Ocean," Vol. 1, page 149, 
 that he found this same gypsum associated with the salt deposits on 
 Salt River, about 70 miles IST.N.E. from Peace Point, and he infers 
 that the country between is of the same character. 
 
 Sir John examined the salt deposits at Salt River and found that 
 they were derived from the water of salt springs, of which he found 
 a number flowing out of a hill and spreading thtir waters over a clay 
 flat of some extent. The evaporation of the water leaves the salt 
 incrusting the soil, and in some places forming mounds out of which 
 the purest salt is shovelled. 
 
 For many miles along the Athabasca, below the Forks, there are 
 •utcrops of black shale from which liquid petroleum i^ constantly 
 •OEing. At various points, at some distance from the immediate 
 bank of the river, there are regular tar springs, from which the 
 Hudson Bay Company get their supply for boat building and other 
 
108 
 
 purposes. Tlie tar is always covered with water in these springs, 
 and something like coal oil is seen floating on this water. Besides 
 tliose mentioned, other springs are known to exist on the Clear- 
 water, a tributary of the Athabasca, and on Peace River, near 
 Smoky River, and Little Red River on the same stream. Sulphur 
 springs are frequent on the Clear-water, and large metalliferous 
 deposits are said to exist near Fond du Lac, on the north shore of 
 Lake Athabasca. Gold is found in small quantities on the upper 
 Peace River, but it is of very little account. Immense quantities of 
 first-class sandstone occur for over 300 miles along Peace River, and 
 other minerals will be discovered when the country is better known. 
 
 Grasshoppers, from their very nature, cannot be yearly visitors, 
 but are .'ilinoi^t. cenuin to be occasional ones. It seems to be a law 
 that insect pests eventually breed their own destruction. This seems 
 to have been their history in the past, and I believe will be the same 
 in the future. A few reached the South Saskatchewan in 1875, but 
 none have ever been seen on Peace River. Owing to the belt of 
 timber which intervenes between it and the Saskatchewan, they can 
 never injure that fine country, nor will they ever do much damage 
 in the Saskatchewan country, as they are likely to move towards the 
 east and north, which takes them away from it. I know of no mode 
 of prevention except tree printing, which will be at best a slow 
 process. 
 
 At six points in the Peace River country, I made a section by 
 enumerating all the flowering plants in the vicinity. These points 
 were Hudson's Hope, just east of the mountains ; St. John's, 60 miles 
 below; Dunvegan, 120 miles farther down ; then Vermillion, about 
 30 miles lower down; then Little Red River, 100 miles further 
 down, and lastly at Lake Athabasca. As will be seen, the flora of 
 the whole river is much like that of Central Ontario, and of the 
 prairie region. It may be as well to remark that we can only deduce 
 the temperature of the growing season from the vegetable produc- 
 tions. The following table gives the result of a botanical examina- 
 tion in a very condensed form : — 
 
 Total. 
 
 Hudson's Hope 211 
 
 St. John 248 
 
 Dunvegan 216 
 
 Vermillion 159 
 
 Little Red River.. 128 
 
 Lake Athabasca . . . 245 
 
 The only plants that show any signs of a boreal climate are those 
 from Quebec. The two at Vermillion were Yellow Rattle [Rlnanthus 
 
 
 
 "West of 
 
 "Western 
 
 EellcTiUe. 
 
 Quebec. 
 
 Mountains 
 
 Plains. 
 
 136 
 
 7 
 
 17 
 
 51 
 
 161 
 
 3 
 
 a 
 
 78 
 
 160 
 
 2 
 
 ;;-:^g'^r:- 
 
 79 
 
 112 
 
 2 
 
 .y- ,..|-.:.. 
 
 44 
 
 ■- 88 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 39 
 
 186 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 50 
 
-'-. 109 
 
 Cristagalll) and High Bush Cranberry [Vibsrnum pauc[florum). 
 The most prominent feature in the whole region .was a richness in 
 the soil and rankness in the vegetation never seen in Ontario. 
 
 Where Peace River leaves the mountains it is at least 800 feet 
 below the level of the plain. At Fort Chipweyan on Lake Athabasca 
 the country is on a level with the water. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PRACTICAL FARMING IN THE NORTH-WEST, 
 iiii. KENNETH Mackenzie's statements. 
 
 The following questions and answers contain a rej^ort of the ex- 
 perience of Mr. Kenneth Mackenzie, a farmer, who emigrated from 
 tha Province of Ontario and settled in Manitoba, Mr. Mackenzie 
 wrote the answers in 1873, to questions sent to him to obtain the 
 information he hai given : — 
 
 Question. — How long have you been a resident of Manitoba ] 
 
 Answer. — Four years. 
 
 Q. From what part of Ontario or the old country did you come ? 
 
 A. Scotland, in 1842, then twenty yeai-s of age ; lived in Puslinch,. 
 County of Wellington, twenty years. 
 
 Q. How many acres of land have you under cultivation at the 
 present time 1 
 
 A. One hundred and forty under crop, and about sixty more 
 broken this summer. We plough the first breaking two inches deep, 
 and the next spring or fall plough it a second time, and turn up two 
 inches more. 
 
 Q. Is it broken from bush or prairie land 1 
 
 A. Prairie. 
 
 Q. What is the quality of the soil, and of what does it consist ? 
 
 A. Around Fort Garry to Poplar Point rather clayey with rich 
 alluvial soil above ; from Poplar Point west, clay loam with fin 3 
 alluvial soil above, but in several places sand loam. There are to the 
 south-west of here places too sandy for good farming land. 
 
 Q. Do you consider it good agricultural productive soil ? 
 
 A. I never saw better, except that which is too sandy. There 
 are settlers north-west from here for fully thirty miles, and although 
 newly settled, they have good, fair crops, and no grasshoppers. 
 
 Q. Is prairie hard to break 1 
 
110 
 
 A. When the summer is wet or moist I would sooner break it 
 than old spear gniss sod, as we do not require to break so deep. 
 
 Q. Whit month do you consider best to break it in ] 
 
 A. June and Jidy, but earlier will do if you have time, as later 
 does not answer so well. 
 
 Q. What kindofa plough do you use for breaking] 
 
 A. American, made by John Dean Moline, but other Americans 
 make good breaking ploughs — light with gauge wheel in front, and 
 revolving coultermould boards and coulter and shear, all steel. No 
 use for any other material here in jdoucjhs but steel. The soil is 
 rich and very adhesive, and even to steel it will stick a little in wet 
 weather, more so after it is broken and cultivated. 
 
 Q. What kind, and whose make, of a plough do you consider best 
 adapt<3d both for breaking and after-ploughing l 
 
 A. The American ploughs answer for both at present. I have a 
 Canadian })lough which does very well, but I think a good light 
 Canadian, all steel, or even glass mould-board, would be better after 
 the land begins to be old or long broken. We cannot go deep 
 enough with the American ploughs when land is getting old and 
 needy. 
 
 Q. How many horses or oxen do you use with each plough when 
 breaking the prairie 1 
 
 A. On a twelve-inch ))reaker, we use one pair horses, or one yok« 
 oxen. When sixteen-inch, we use three horses or two yoke oxen. 
 I prefer twelve-inch ploughs to larger ones. 
 
 Q. How many acres will a good team break in a day 1 
 
 A. About one acre is a fair day's work, z.c, day after day. Some, 
 of course will do more. The large plough and more team will 
 break one and a-half acre. 
 
 Q. How many })loughings do you give the land before cropping, 
 and at what time 1 
 
 A. Two ploughings for first crop answers best, i.e., one light or 
 two-inch in summer, and then two inches more, stirred up, next 
 spring ; we plough both times same way, and not cross the first 
 breaking. I have raised potatoes and turnips last year on first 
 breaking ; had a fiiir crop, but would not like to dopend on it if the 
 season was dry. 
 
 Q. What crops do you gi-ow most extensively ? 
 
 A. This year, spring wheat, ninety acres \ barley, thirty acres ; 
 oats, 1 acre j pe;is, eight acres ; rye, 1 acre ; flax, \ acre ; potatoes, 
 six acres : the rest, roots of various kinds, and clover and timothy. 
 
 Q. What kinds of fall wheat do jou grow % 
 
 A. I have tried fall wheat, but do not consider it a profitable 
 crop to raise here at present. 
 
Ill 
 
 Q. How many bushels do you sow per acre 1 
 
 A. About two bushels per acre. 
 
 Q. \Vh:it is the average yield per acre, one year with the other 1 
 
 A. Fully thirty bushels ; I have had over forty. 
 
 Q. Does Indian corn grow well, and yield a good cro)) 1 
 
 A. It does not mature very well. They have a small kind that 
 ripens, but I do not like it. 
 
 Q. What kind of barley do you grow 1 - 
 
 A. Common four rowed, but think any variety will do well. 
 
 Q. How many bushels do you sow per acre 1 
 
 A. About two bushels. 
 
 Q. What u the average yield per acre 1 
 
 A. About thirty-five bushels, but I havo seen over fifty per acre.^ 
 
 Q. What kind of peas do you grow ? . 
 
 A. Russian blue and small white peas. 
 
 Q. How many bushels do you sow per acre 1 
 
 A. A little over two. 
 
 Q. What is the average yield 1 
 
 A. I think this year about twenty or twenty-five per acre ; my 
 land being new tilled this year, they did not do so well. 
 
 Q. What kind of oats do you grow 1 
 
 A. Black oats. 
 
 Q. How many bushels do you sow per acre ? ' = 
 
 A. Two bushels. v ;^ 
 
 Q. What is the average yield of bushels? 
 
 A. 1 have but little, but I see fields from here to Poplar Point I 
 think will yield from fo^ty-five to sixty per acre. 
 
 Q. Do timothy and clover grow successfully 1 
 
 A. I have had both do well, but timothy seems to do best. 
 
 Q. Do rye and flax grow successfully 1 
 
 A. Kye is a fair crof), and flax I never saw better. 
 
 Q. How are the soil and climate suited to growing root crops ] 
 
 A. All kinds oi roots and vegetables that I have raised each year 
 have done very well. 'r 
 
 Q. Are these crops troubled with flies and insects, as in Ontario ? 
 
 A. I have heard some complain of grubs, but have not suffered 
 any by them on my crops, and I havo sown turnips in May and 
 they did well, and all through June and no flies to hurt. 
 
 Q. Has your settlement been troubled by the grasshoppere 1 
 
 A. Not since I have been here. I am eight miles west of 
 Portage la * Prairie, and no settler was before me west of th« 
 Portage. Poplar Point is about twenty-five miles east of here, or 
 seventeen f'-om Portugal. 
 
 Q. How many times have the crops been destroyed or injured by 
 
112 
 
 them ; at Nvhat season do their ravages generally commence, and 
 how long do thoy generally continne 1 
 
 A. In 1868 thev destroyed all from Portage at tliat time to Fort 
 Garry, and all settled. This year they destroyed all down on Red 
 Eiver or around Fort Garry, and partially up the Assiniboine lUver 
 np to Poplar Point, tut no farther. There are several fair crops in 
 Headingly and White Horse Plains, i.e., half way between Poplar 
 Point and Fort Garrv. 
 
 Q. Do you think that this plague \v'A\ continue when the country 
 is better settUed and more land cultivated ? 
 
 A. I cannot positively say, but think their ravages are partial. 
 Some may suffer, while others escape. They oniy made three clear; 
 sweeps, I am told, since 1812, when the country was first settled,., 
 and then all the portion that was settled was a small spot round 
 Fort Garry. Rev. JSIr. Nesbitt had a good crop in Prince Albert 
 Mission, Saskatchewan, in 1868. 
 
 Q. Are there any crops that they do not destroy ? 
 
 A. They are not so bad on peas as on other crops. » 
 
 Q. Are the grasshoppers the only plague that you have beea 
 subjected to since settling in the Province ] 
 
 A. I have not suffered any as yet from grasshoppers. Blackbirds 
 were very bad at first, especially on oats, and that is the reason I 
 had no more sown this year. T have not seen one-filth so many this 
 year as before. I intend, if spared, to sow more oats in future. 
 
 Q. How do the seasons correspond with ours in Ontario ? 
 
 A. Fall and spring are drier. About the middle of April spring 
 commences generally, but I sowed wheat this year on tlie 3rd of 
 April, and ploughed in 1870 on the 5th of April. ■ "^ ^ ' '^ " 
 
 Q. Is the snow melted by the sun, wind or rain ? ;■ 
 
 A. I^J early all goes with the sun. ^^ ; '^"' 
 
 Q. Have you much rain during the spring t 
 
 A. Very little till May, June and July. 
 
 Q. What time does the frost leave the ground 1 
 
 A. About the 20th of April ; in places it may be longer. ! - . 
 
 Q. Have you much frost after growth commences 1 
 
 A. I have seen a "little in May, but I have not had any of my 
 crops injured by frost since I came to Manitoba. 
 
 Q. How soon may ploughing and sowing be dene 1 
 
 A. You may sow as soon as the ground is black, or snow off. 
 The frost was not three inches out when I sowed my first wheat ; I 
 have it stacked now, and a good crop. 
 
 Q. Is the summer different from ours in Ontario ? 
 
 A. Generally rathe)* drier and vegetation more rapid. 
 
 Q. Have you showers during May, June and July, and have 
 you heavy dews at night ] 
 
lis 
 
 ■ ■ « - 
 
 A. Yes. "^ 
 
 Q. Is growth as rapid as in Ontario 7 
 
 A. I think more so. 
 
 Q. Havo you any Bummer frosts? 
 
 A. None whatever 8inc<* I have been here to injure crops. 
 
 Q. When do you generally cut your hay 1 
 
 A. From 15th July to 1 5th September. 
 
 Q. Does wheat, barley and oat harvest commence later or earlier 
 than in Ontario 1 
 
 A. Later ; generally about first week i;i August 
 
 Q. Is the fall early, wet, or dry? 
 
 A. Early ; generally dry. 
 
 Q. What date do frosts generally commerce ? 
 
 A. First of tho soisoa, about 8th or iDth September, but fine ^ 
 weathesr after. 
 
 Q. When does the winter commence'? How soon is the grcuud 
 frozen, and when does snow fall? 
 
 A. Generally froz3n about 10th or 12th November ; snow about '. 
 Ist December. Some seasons are earlier ; others later. ^ 
 
 Q. Have you deep pnow early in or during the winter ? 
 
 A. Fiist three winters snow would average from IG to 20 inches ; 
 last winter 10 inches. 'J'he frost is generally a steady fieeze. 
 
 Q. Have you many severe drifting snow storms? 
 
 A. Not any more than in Ontario generally; last season, none, 
 but thxt is an exception. 
 
 Q. Have you wood convenient, and what kind? 
 
 A. From two to three miles ; greater part poplar, but some oak 
 and white ash, and small ash leaf maple. 
 
 Q. How do you fence your fields, with rails, wire, or sods l 
 
 A. With rails. 
 
 Q. How deep do you have to dig to get water in yours, as well as 
 your neighbouring settlements ? is it good 1 
 
 A. Generallf they got water from nine to eighteen feet, but in 
 this locality it is not so easdy got. We expect to have a test well 
 this fall. 
 
 Q. Have yon a hay meadow convenient ? 
 
 A. About two miles off I have a large one of my own. 
 
 Q. What grass grown in Ontario does prairie grass, cut for hay,, 
 most resemble ? 
 
 A. Beaver meadow hay ; only ours here,! think better, and more- 
 variety. > ; 
 
 Q. Does it make good hay, and do cattle and horaes feed well om 
 ifet 
 
 A. It makes good hay for cattle, and they feed well on it,, but I 
 4c not think it near so good for horses as timothy hay. H. 
 
114 
 
 Q. What is the average yield in tons to the acre 1 
 
 A. From one ton to two and a half tons ; different seasons and 
 different grasses vary a good deal. 
 
 Q. To what height does grass on the open |)rairie generally grow 1 
 
 A. On hard dry prairies not over ten inches, bat on hay meadows 
 I have seen four feet. 
 
 Q. Is it as pasture equal to our timothy and clover in Ontario 1 
 
 A. No, it is much thinner, and does not start so readily as clover, 
 when eaten or cropped. . 
 
 Q. Do the grasshoppers at any time destroy this gra'js ; or can it 
 at all times be relied upon as pasture 'I 
 
 A. They do a little cropping when very bad, but not, to mr 
 knowledge, to destroy it for hay or feed. 
 
 Q. Hew often do the settlers fire the prairie, and are your crops 
 ever endangered by such fires ] 
 
 A. There is a law against setting out j)rairie fires. I liave not 
 suffered any by them. I plough a few furrows around my fields 
 and fences. 
 
 Q. Is it necessary to burn the grass on the prairie every fall in 
 order to have a good growth the following year 1 
 
 A. Not at all. 
 
 Q. Have you any fruit trees, if so, how have they done 1 
 
 A.I have a few apple trees from seed, not well attended to, three 
 years old. I do not think it very good for apples or pears, unless 
 Ave have a very hardy kind ; Siberian will do well. Plums are very 
 good, and likewise wild grapes, though small, grow finely on the 
 banks of our streams, and better hops I never saw than grow here 
 wild. We use them for our bread raising. Currants, raspberries 
 and strawberries grow wild abundantly. I think the growth of 
 apple trees too rapid, and wood does not ripen, the soil being rather 
 rich, and not much shelter in general. 
 
 Q. What kind of lumber is ^^t plentiful, and what is the 
 4iverage price for good lumber ? 
 
 A. Poplar lumber, heretofore, and from twenty-five dollars to 
 thirty dollars per thousand ; now good fair pine is to be had at Fort 
 Oarry, dressed for same price, and soon we will liave a mill to cut 
 up white wood pine, or mther spruce pine. 
 
 Q. Would you advise persons coming from Ontario, to settle as 
 farmei-s to bring stock, such as working horses, oxen, cows, sheep, 
 pigs, etc., or would you advise tliem to bring with them any machi- 
 nery, such as reapers and mowers, waggons, ploughs, fanning milk, 
 eto. , or can they be bought as cheap in Manitoba as they are brought 
 when we count the heavy freights and risk in doing so ] 
 
 A. I would not advise to bring many horses. At first thev do not 
 
115 ''-■^'-'^-/■'^ \ --■'-■■:- 
 
 thrive so well ; besides grain is expensive till raised. Oxen I prefer 
 at first. They do more work on rough feed, and are far less risky. 
 I think nearly 20 per cent, of the horses die, or are useless the first 
 two years after being here. If a farmer wants a driving mare or t© 
 breed, all well, but by far too many hordes are brought in, till we 
 have more timothy hay and oats raised. Oxen and cows thrive vrell, 
 and none can go wrong to bring them in. They cau be got here. 
 Freight by United States route is very high. On inmiigrants' gocds 
 it costs in general about five dollars and a lialf per cwt ; that is, 
 counting bonding, etc. 
 
 Q. AVhat is the price of a good span of horses in Manitoba ? 
 
 A. I think about fifteen to twenty per cent, higher than same 
 quality in Ontario, no regular paice ; same for oxen, etc. 
 
 Q. What is the price of a good yoke of ox' 
 
 A. I have sold them from $125, $130, $30, $40, $50, $65, $70, 
 $85, to $200 and $210, the latter were prime, i.e., here or im 
 Ontario. - . ^^^^^^^ : : '^ 
 
 Q. What is the price of a good cow ? 
 
 A. I have sold them from $30 to $60. : , 
 
 Q. What is the price of good sheep ] 
 
 A. I have none ; they would do well if people had pasture fenced ; 
 I think they would sell pretty high, but wool, as yet, has been 
 cheap. 
 
 Q. What is the price of good pigs ? 
 
 A. Probably about twenty per cent, over same quality in Onta- 
 rio. There are some very good pigs here. . 
 
 Q What is the price of a combined reaper and mower 1 
 
 A. From $200 to $240. 
 
 Q. What is the price of a good plough, also fanning mill ? 
 
 A. Wooden ploughs, Canadian, do. American, about $40. Fam- 
 ning mills from $45 to '150, both far too high for all the work om. 
 them. 
 
 Q. Would it not be a good speculation to^bring out some thorougk- 
 bred stock, such as cattle, sheep and pigs 1 
 
 A. I think so. My thorouf.hbred cattle thrive well here both 
 summer and winter. 
 
 Q. How do you think the country is situated for dairy, chees«, 
 and butter making ? 
 
 A. Very well ; just the thing required. 
 
 Q. Have you always a ready market for your produce 1 
 
 A. Can sell nearly all I raise at the door. 
 
 Q. What season of the year would you advise settlers (with ©r 
 without families, who intend to settle as farmers) to come in 1 
 
 A. In spring, if possible ; but any season will do. I would advis* 
 
lie 
 
 immigrants with fan«ilies to rent the first year or *' share," and take 
 A little time to select their location, and then to work and put in a 
 crop on tlie [)lace they rent ; generally plenty of farms can be got to 
 rent or share?. My reason for not raising more cats is, that the 
 blackbirds heretofore were very troublesome, and seemed worse on 
 the oats, but tljct-e is not now the one-fifth quantity of them that 
 there used to be, and I hear they are generally worst at first. I in- 
 tend to sow fully 20 acres next year (I would sow more if it were 
 read/) with carrots, turnips and mangel-wurzeL These cro[)8 grow 
 well, but the want of root houses is a disadvantage at present. 
 
 All the land around here, say from SO miles west, i.e., third 
 crossing of White Mud or Palestine River, to say 25 miles east, or 
 Po])lAr Point, is rapidly filling up, especially this summer, but plenty 
 is to be had all the way westward to the Rocky Mountains. I think 
 few countries in the world are superior to ours for agricultural pur- 
 poses, and, although the winter is hard and long, cattle, if provided 
 for, thrive well. I wintered 91 he:id last winter and lost none, all 
 turning out well in the spring. Most of them had only rough open 
 sheds for shelter, and i-an loose. We have none of the wet sleet in 
 spring and fall that huro cattle elsewhere. We are now slacking 
 our grain, and I think ray average will be fully 36 bushels per acre 
 all round ; last year I had 32 bushels per acre. I raised about 300 
 bushels of onions last year. I exjieet fully as good a crop this year. 
 
 I again say, bring fewer hoi'ses into the country, but as much 
 other stock and implements as possibla First-class marsh harvest- 
 ers, or machines which will employ two men binding and of the 
 most impi-oved make, are wanted. I have two combined ones, mad© 
 by Sanger & Co., Hamilton, which answer well, but those that will 
 cut wider and quicker at-c required. There are no hills, stumps, or 
 stones to trouble us, and I have not a single rood lodged this year, 
 although my crojw are very heavy. Straw is generally stiff here, 
 and not apt to lodge. This year we have excellent crops of 
 potatoes, and a neighbour of mine, Mr. Hugh Grant, yesterday, dug 
 an eaily rose potatoe, weighing over two pounds, and not then full 
 grown. I think grain drills or broaclciisfc sowers wouli be an im- 
 provement, as it is generally windy bore in spring. They should 
 be wider than those uned in Ontario, say from eleven to twelve feet. 
 I never saw better buckwheat in Ont^irio than the few- patches 
 grovn hero. I think by ploughing round our farms, and planting 
 lines of trees, wo coukl have shelter, and live posts to which wire 
 fences could be attached with small staples. Timber grows fnat 
 hero. If we had yellow or golden willow, which grows rapidly 
 from cuttings, it would do well. Poles, that I planted, of black 
 poplar, or balm of gilead, are shooting out, and wc could plant 
 

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hardier and better trees amongst them, which, though slower of 
 growth, woukl replace them. In several localities the Indians make 
 maple sugar from small trees. 
 
 I have not seen grain or other crops in either Minnesota or 
 . Dacotah to equal ours in Manitoba. I have been in those States in 
 all seasons of the year, and have friends farming in Minnesota, who 
 are desirous, if they can sell out, of coming here. I have seen 
 people, newly arrived from the old country, grunib'e for a time, and 
 afterwards you could not induce them to go buck. Some tluit did 
 go back soon returned. I have heard of some faint-hearied Cana- 
 dians who, frightened with tales of grasshoppers and other draw- 
 backs, returned without even examining the country, bnt I think 
 we are well rid of such a class. We have a large increase ihis year, 
 principally from Canada, and I think they are likely to prove good 
 settlers. I think, however, immigrants from the old country will 
 be bettor off, as the population there is denser, with less chances ; 
 whilst Ontario, for those who are already settled there, offers as 
 good a chance as here, without moving. The grasshoppers that 
 come here are driven by the wind from the deserts south of us. 
 Our storms are not so bad a** those in Minnesota, as the reports of 
 the last few winters show. 
 
 MB. SIIANT2 ON MANITOBA. 
 
 BEST TIME TO GO, AND WHAT CAPITAL TO COMMEjSfCB WITH. 
 
 Mr. Jacob Y. Shantz, of Berlin, Ontario, who wrote in 1873, at 
 the request of the Minister of Agriculture, a narrative of his visit 
 with a Mennonite deputation, gives the following opinion as to the 
 best time for the settler to go to Manitoba, and the amount of capital 
 on which he may begin. 
 
 TUB BEST TIME FOR THE SETTLER TO GO. 
 
 ' The settler should, if possible, be on his land by the 1st of Jnne, 
 when ho would be in time to plant a patch of potatoes whieh will 
 grow in an ordinary season when ploughed under the prairie sod. 
 The ploughing for the next spring's crops should be done in June or 
 July, when the sap is in the roots of the grass j being turned over 
 
118 
 
 at tliis season of tlie year, it will diy np and the sod will rot, so that 
 the ground will be in proper order for receiving and growing crops 
 in the following spring. 
 
 WHAT CAPITAL IS NECESSARY WITH WIIICU TO COilMENCE. 
 
 This is a question frequently asked — the answer depends entirely 
 upon suri'ounding circumstances. A young man without family, 
 willing to work and save, would secure himself a home in a few 
 years, provided he had only ten dollars to pay the fees for a free 
 grant homestead claim. ^V^ork is to be had at high wages, and he 
 could work for other parties part of the time, and then hire help 
 again in turn to assist in putting up a small homestead house.* After 
 that he cculd plough and fence in a few acres for a crop in the fol- 
 lowing spring. The next year he could earn enough to buy a yoke 
 of oxen and other cattle, and thus, in a short time, he might become, 
 camj)aratively, an independent farmer. A settler v/ith a family 
 ought to have provisions for one year (or the wherewithal to [>rocure 
 tkem). 
 
 Such a one, desiring to start comfortably, should have the foUow- 
 i»g articles, or the means to purchase them, viz. : 
 
 One yoke cf oxen $120 00 
 
 One waggon 80 09 
 
 Plough and harrow 25 00 
 
 Chains, axes, shovels, etc 30 00 
 
 Stores, beds, et€ CO 00 
 
 House and stable, say 150 00 
 
 Tot:il. I4G5 00 
 
 V. 
 
 A pei-son having $800 or $1,000 can, if he wishes to carry on 
 farming on a large scale, })urchaHe another quarter section in addi- 
 tion to his free gi*ant, when he will have a farm of three hundred 
 and twenty acres of land for cultivation, and in addition can cut all 
 the hay he wants in the marshes, if he thinks it desirable. 
 
 In conclusion, I would remark that a poor man can adoi)b the 
 mode of farming on a .mall scale for the commencement, as practised 
 by ^he Half breeds. They have carts made of two wheels and a 
 
 • In resrcc** to work, it should he borne in mind that wliile wages are hi^h 
 ike oountry is new, and the labour market therefore limited. Mechanics espc- 
 tfiallj should take special information before they start. The Pacific Railway 
 w«rk8 will, of course, call for a good many men ; and the proffrcsR of agri- 
 ealtural settlement will pave the way for many kinds of artisans. 
 
straight axle, with two i)ok\s fastened on tlie axle to form sliafts, and 
 a rack or box thereon. To a cart so made is hitched one ox. The 
 cart costs about ten dollars, and the ox and harness ^50 to $60. 
 AVith such a vehicle a man can do all the teaming that is required 
 on a small farm — and after the first ploughing o«c ox can plough all 
 that is required. 
 
 I strongly recommend Manitoba as a home for German emigrants, 
 and as they can obtain large grants of land en bloc, they can form a 
 settlement or settlements of their own, where they can preserve thoir 
 language and customs, as in the Western States of America. 
 
 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
 
 Tlie Province of British Columbia is the n^ost western of the 
 group of provinces which constitute the Dominion of Canada, and 
 has a coast line of about 500 miles on the Pacitic Ocean, with innu- 
 merable bays, harbours and inlets. It has an area of 220,000 square 
 miles. The harbour of Esquimalt is the best on the Pacific north of 
 >San Francisco. It has an almost even depth of 3G feet, with an 
 excellent bottom, and it is perfectly safe and sheltered. It is well 
 lighted, and may be entered with facility at all times. Only a tongue 
 of land, 750 feet wide, prevents free communication between it and 
 the harbour of Victoria. Still further on the east coast of the Island 
 of Vancouver is Nanaimo, sixty-live miles from Victoria. It is well 
 situated, large and safe. The coal mines are near this port ; there 
 are also fine quarries near, and it is very important, as the most con- 
 venient ]iort for the fisheries, especially whale fisheries. 
 
 Barclay Sound is on the west coast of the Island. It opens into 
 the Pacific Ocean itself, and is about thirty-five miles long. At its 
 head it is only fourteen miles from the east coast, and «'asy commu- 
 nictttion may be had with it. The water is very deejj. and once in 
 liarbour, the shelter is perfect. 
 
 The harbours on the mainland are Burrard Inlet, Howe Sound, 
 Bute Inlet, Milbank Sound, River Skeena and River Nass. 
 
 Burrard Inlet is situated on the Gulf of Georgia, a few miles from 
 New Westminster. It is nine miles long, deep and safe. It is the 
 port from which the lumber trade is chiefly carried on. It is very 
 ©asy of access to vessels of any size or class, and convenient depth of 
 water for anchorage may bo ^oi]^ in almost every part of it. 
 ^ Howe Sound is north of Buri3pd Inlet, separated from it by Bo vren 
 Island, and comparatively difficult of access. 
 
 Bute Inlet is much further north, is surrounded with lofty moun- 
 tains, and receives the waters of the River Hamatlico. \ alde^ Island 
 lies between its mouth and Vancouvei". 
 
120 
 
 Milbaiik Sound, still fnrtlior north, will >»ecome valuable as a 
 harbour, a3 the guld mines on Ptiace Kiver attract population. 
 
 The Kiver Skeena is now ascended by steam vessels from Nanairao, 
 and is one of the routes to the Ominica gold mines. 
 
 The Kiver Nass, a little further north, is near the frontier of 
 Alaska. It has been a-^cended by a steamer more than twenty-five 
 miles. It is believed that the rec^io^. it waters is rich in gold, and 
 both it and the Skeena are valuable for the fisheries. 
 
 The Piovince of British Columbia from its climate and great min- 
 eral wealth may bede^:cribed as at once the Britain and California of 
 the Dominion of Canada. It has also great v/calth in its forests and 
 its fisheries, and its harbours are the nearest ]ioint on the coiitineni 
 to the heart of the j^reat eastern trade with China and Japan. They 
 ai*e also favoured bv the trade winds. It has been decided that 
 Burraid Inlet shall be the Western terminus of the Canadian Pacific 
 Ilailwa}^ and 125 miles of this end of the line are now under 
 contract. 
 
 As respects the agricukurai resources of British Columbia th© 
 following particu'ais are condensed from the evidence of Professor 
 John Macoun, as given before the Immigration and Colonization 
 Committee of the House of Commons of Canada in 1876. Mr. 
 Macoun accomj)anied the Director ot the Geological Survey, in th» 
 capacity of Botanist ; and also the Chief Engineer of the Pacific Rail- 
 way, in an exi)loring expedition across the continent. The following 
 is the substance of his evidence : 
 
 "The Island of Vancouver is about 300 miles in length, with am 
 average breadth of about 60, and probably contains 20,000 sqiiar* 
 miles. Whatever sdII I saw was good, but the surface is so much 
 broken by rock that it is altogether impossible to tell the amount of 
 good arable land on the Island. There is no doubt the day will come 
 when Vancouver will support a large population — partly agricultural 
 and partly engaged in mining, lumbering and fishing. The land 
 which is under cultivation around Victoria at present consists of rich 
 bottom land much like the patches of rich soil found among the 
 Laurentiin rocks of Ontario. It is genetally wet in spring, but, by 
 a proj)er system of tillage, seed could be sown much earlier than it is 
 at present. W^hen I reached Victoria, May 2nd, 1875, very little 
 spring ploughing had been done, and yet apple trees were in full 
 bloom, and in some [)laces grass Wi^P^t foot high. The climate is wei 
 in winter and spring, but the summer is dry and very pleasant 
 
 *' Vancouver cnn -never become an agricultural country ; but, witk 
 a different class of settlers from those thiit do the loafing and th© 
 grumbling in Victoria, it will b<\joine in timo a very valuable portion 
 of the Dominion. 
 
121 
 
 " The climate of British Cohiiiibia, west of the Cuscados, including 
 Vancouver Island and Q:;een Charlotte';; Islands, is wondei fully like 
 that of Great Btitain, except that the summers are very much drier. 
 A warm current of water flows dow t the west coast of America, jusk 
 as the Gulf Stream flows up along the coasts of Great Britain, and 
 in its passage warms up the cojust ffom Alaska to the Columbia, and 
 gives to tho western slope of the Cascades those forests which are the 
 wonder of the world. The vapour rising from the warm sea is blown 
 inwards, and, becoming condensed by the cooler air of the land, falla 
 in rain or fog upon the slopes and valleys and produces the moisb 
 climate of the winter and spring. During the summer months the 
 temperature of the land and s^-a are slightly reversed, and the land, 
 instead of condensing the vapour, dissipates it — at least in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Victoria. 
 
 " The Valley of the Frascr below the Cascades is included in this 
 region, and has a climate much like that described above, except that 
 I would expect a wetter sumn)er than there is on the coast. 
 
 ** Twenty-five miles above Yale we pass the outer Cascade Kange, 
 and in doing so pass from almost consUint rain to the op})Os"te ex- 
 treme. Al)Out 12 miles higher np we pass over another mountain 
 and reach a region of complete aridity. 
 
 ^* At Lyttou we are fairly in the interior basin, and from here to 
 Clinton the waggon road passes through a region wliere nothing can 
 be raised except by irrigation, and this means can only be employed 
 to a limited extent. 
 
 "The road passes through about 70 iniU-s of tliis country, and 
 during the greater part of the year the ground is scarcely ever 
 moistened bv a shower. The river flats and lower hill sides are 
 almost without vegetation. Scarcely anything of a wcodv natur© 
 except 'Sage Bush' can grow, but, as you ascend the hills, bunch 
 grass begins to form a sward, and after attaining a height of about 
 2,500 feet above the sea the lower limit of tlie Douglas pine is 
 reached, and above tiiat the forest is almost continuous. It is upon 
 the slopes between the forest and the dry valleys that the splendid 
 gi-azing lands of British Columbia are t*) be found. The Nicola 
 Valley is of this nature, and the only soil in it St for farming pui- 
 poses is found in the narrow A'alley along tho river, or on th© 
 * benches ' to which water can be brought for irrigation purposes. 
 The whole region, from the American boundary on the Columbia by 
 Okanagan and tho Shuswap Lakes, Kamloops and north-westward 
 across the Fraser, to and beyond the Chilcoten Plains, is arid, and to 
 a great extent only suitod for a grazing country. Taking this 
 section as a whole, it is only fit for pasture, but all the level portions 
 on which water can be brought will produce enormously, as the soil 
 
122 
 
 ererywliore is good, being only deficient in moisture. Owing to the 
 light snow fall and the comparative mildness of the weather, cattle 
 winter out without difficulty. 
 
 " The waggon road leaves this section nt Clinton, and passas over 
 % very elevated portion as far as Soda Creek on the Frazer. This is 
 a very rough section, l)ut still it is far fi-om being barren ; much 
 good land is scattered through it, Imt not continuously. It is 
 mther a risky business to winter stock on these hills, but still it is 
 done. The greater part of this ti-act is covered by forest, nnd hence 
 has a greater r;iiu and snow fall than the lower country. The sj>ring 
 too is much later, being nearly three weeks behind that of the Nicola 
 Valley. The spring in the latter valley seems to be about as early 
 as that on the Lower Frazer. Vecretation is about as far advanced 
 on the 1st of May in the Nicola Valley as it is at Belleville, Ontario, 
 OH the 24th. 
 
 "In the vicinity of Quesnelle the land is comparatively good, and ! 
 irrigation is unnecessary, although many are of the opposite opinion. j 
 Mr. Selwyn brought home with him wheat, oats, barley and timothy, | 
 wliich were raised in the neighbourhood, and certainly they were j 
 as fine samples as could be produced anywhere. * 1 
 
 "Taking a retrospective view of the country from this point, I 
 must say that British Columbia does not prasent a field for the 
 agricultural immigrant at present, but will when her mininginterests 
 are considered of more importance than at present. British Columbia 
 above tiie G;iscades can never export her agricultural products witli 
 ]»rofit, and whatever is raised in the country must be consumed 
 there. That there is enough good land co raise all the food neces- 
 sary for a very large mining population is certain, and that the day 
 will come when one will be there is just as sure. 
 
 " Between Quesnelle and Fort St. James, on Stewart's Lake, is a 
 wide extent of country (180 miles) with a very diversified aspect 
 and a cool, moist climate. The Valley of the Nechaco River is very 
 wide and perfectly level. On both sides of the river are beautiful 
 prairies and poplar copse wood, and at the time we passe<l 
 (June 15) through it, everything looked beautiful and inviting. I 
 cannot speak with certainty of the absence or occurrence of summer 
 frosts, but if thev should not be severe this would be one of the 
 finest tracts (Nechaco Valley) in all British Colombia. - i " 
 
 " The whole country above Quesnelle seems to have a cool, moist 
 climate, and to be more like Quebec in ita productions than Ontario. 
 Fort St. James, on Stewart's Lake — the highest point in the district 
 — iias always been known, to produce garden vegetables, potatoes, 
 barley and oats, but, whether wheat has ever been raised or not, I 
 am unable to say. All this region is an elevated plateau witu 
 
123 
 
 broken rocky hills at intervals, but scarcely jmytliiiig whicli could 
 l>e called a mountain. Should the railway pass as far north as the 
 Neshaw, many fine settlements would spring u[) along the river. 
 
 "Labour is much higher than in Ontario, usually prices being 
 from $40 to $G0 per month. There is no more diiliculty in culti- 
 vating land in British Columbia than in Ontario, but the price f^aid 
 for the labour performed is too high. Where irrigation is rofjuired 
 the expense must be greatly increased, but the yield is very great 
 in such locations. 
 
 " The Chinese monopolize many lines of mau'ial labour, and by so 
 doing prevent the immigration of white labourers. They are the 
 market gardeners, labourers of all descriptions, house servants, 
 cutters of wood, laundry-men, etc., to the whole Colony. One result 
 of this is that the country is not j)roperly develoj>ed. These people 
 are only sojourners in the land, and, like many others, remain only 
 for a time, and carry their gold away with them. 
 
 " What British Columbia wants is a class of men who aie not 
 above manual labour, and who have made up their minds to remain 
 in the country and become j>ermanent settlers. Such njen can only 
 be acquired by holding out proper inducements to thtiii for settling 
 in the country. 
 
 "That section spoken of as being west of the Cascades and 
 including Vancouver and Queen Charlotte's Islands, is covered with, 
 ])robably, one of the finest forests in the world. Chief amongst the 
 trees is the Douglas Fir (Abies Douglasii), which is the chief forest 
 tree, and which is used throughout the country for building purposes, 
 and for export in the form of deals and spars. 
 
 "White Cedar {Thuja gi<jantea) is another giant, and in the valley 
 of the Frazer and up the coast attains to an immense size. The 
 Indians use this wood altogether in the construction of their houses, 
 and in buildinsr those large canoes which are the wonder of the 
 eastern people. i : 
 
 " The other trees are a species of Yew, another of Alder, two 
 species of Fir {Abies Menziesii and grandia) ; two species of Pine 
 {Pinus contorta and moiiticola) ; two species of Ma])le {Ac&r macro- 
 phyllum and circinutum) ; Hemlock Spruce {Abies Mcrtenslana) is a 
 common tree on the mainland ; while a species of Oak {Qucrctfs 
 Gayrrana) is abundant on the Island, but has not been detected on 
 the continent. An evergreen tree {Arbutus Menziesii) is quite 
 common along the coast of the Island, and, both summer and 
 winter, its foliage contrasts finelv with that of the sombre-hue<i 
 DoHglas Fir. 
 
 " In the second, or arid district, a Pine {Pinus ponderosa) takes 
 the place of the Douglas Fir of the coast, and is a very vnluable 
 
124 
 
 tree, jtn*owing to a laigo sixo, witli clean trunk, nn<l rasembling the 
 Rod Pine ot Ontario very much. The tops of the lower niountuins 
 and the Hides of the higher ones support a heavy growth of DougUi 
 Kir, hub it is fjir Irom heing the beautiful tree of the coast. 
 
 " Tlio tim^ er of the third region is not so good, and consists 
 principally of Poplar and Black Pine (^Pinu8 contorta) with occa- 
 i]ion;tl groves of Douglas Fir on the higher hills. Black and White 
 Hpruco with a little Balsam Fir make up the remainder. 
 
 "The soil in the valleys, whether they are narrow or wide, 
 ' benches ' or otherwise, is always good. The valleys are partly 
 alluvium and partly the detritus washed down from the hills. 
 Ap[)arently there was a time when the rivers stood much higher 
 than they do now, and the * benches' which show along their sides 
 were tiien about on a flood level with the river. Since then the 
 river lias successively broken through the barriers which confined 
 it, and left these terraces (' benches ') at various heights. The 
 slopes of all the hills are more or less grassy, and the valleys along 
 thtir base have scarcely any loose stone upon them in consequence. 
 
 "I was in Victoria from the 12th to 28th December, 1872, and 
 from the 2nd to 14th May, last year. While I was in Victoria in 
 1872, a lali of snow and slight fvust took place, and the papers 
 came out next day with an account of the extraordinarily cold 
 weather, and I was led to infer from that that such weather was not 
 common in winter. Jessamine, roses, and violets were in flower, 
 and everything betokened a mild winter. The summer on the coasi 
 is everything that can be desired, being dry and pleasant. 
 
 " In the arid region the spring is about as easly as on the coast ; 
 the winter is comparativtdy cold, with yery little sncw, and the 
 summer is dry and hot. Summer frosts citn do no harm in these 
 regions. ,/ 
 
 " From Clinton upwards thcf winter is very cold, with a consider- 
 able snowfall and frosts extending through the month of May, 
 and possibly into June. I heard of no injury from frosts at Ques- 
 nelle or any point on the Frazer, but noticed frost on the grass on 
 the 27th May, at or near ISoda Creek. From this date imtil th© 
 4th June, the weather kept cold, but there waa no frost- On th« 
 28th June at Ma(?leod's Lal^e, latitude 55°, there was a severe frost, 
 and many wild flowers weie injured, but nothmg was hurt in th« 
 garden. This frost extended to St. John's, east of the mountains, 
 but no further. 
 
 " One important point in coimeotion with spring or summer frost 
 should be kept in mind : that swampy soil is more liable to injury 
 from frost than dry soil, and a frost occurring in a swampy region 
 is DO proof that the ourrounding country is liable to suifer from 
 
125 
 
 tnoh frost. Wo all know tlmt in the vioinity of swamps vro have 
 •light frosts in many purts of Ontario even aa lato a«i the bcti;inniug 
 of June, and ntunbers of farmers cm point out spots in tlieir wheat 
 fields injurcid by them. 
 
 *' I would expsot spring frost in t!n uppor r(»gion, but havo no 
 knowledfje of the fact, other than what I before stated. 
 
 " I think that on the whole British Columbia has a Yory healthy 
 climate, and one that would tend to long life. 
 
 " Various species of raspberries, currants, goosebonirs, straw- 
 berries, and blueberries are found througrhout the countrv. Tho 
 Oregon grape {Berf>eris aquifolium and nervosa) extends all the way 
 from Vancouver to lat 55"* in the interior, and to Alaska along 
 the coast. ' ' • ' 
 
 " Perhaps there is no better place in tho world for raising fruit 
 than Victoria. 
 
 "Apples and pears of a very large size are product in such 
 abundance that the former can hardly be sold at any price. Tho 
 orchards are all in the low^, wet grotnjds, and will begin to decay in 
 a few yeai*s, whereas if they weie planted among the rocks, where 
 the oak grows, the trees would live longer and pix)bably produce 
 better fruit. I can see no reason why grapes could not be pi"0- 
 duced in abundance on any part of Vancouver, if the summer tem- 
 perature is high enough. After the railway is built, Vancouver 
 will send immense quantities of fruit into the interior, as it can be 
 raised to any extent and of every kind. 
 
 *' From the boundary line to Alaska there is not a bay, fiord or 
 river that is not teeming with fish. Salmon are caught in gi-eat 
 numbei*s, l>oth in spring, summer and autumn. Last spring large 
 quantities of fish Wv^re being caught at New Westminster for export. 
 An establishment for the canning of salmon has been established 
 there, and it is to be hoped that this is tl^e beginning of a very 
 prosperous business. Salmon ascend the Fraser all the way to 
 Stewart's Lake, which they reach about the month of August; they 
 likewise ascend the Skeena into the Babine Lake, and are caught 
 by the Indians and Hudson Bay Comjiany's people and dried for 
 winter's use. The salmon of Babine Lake are both larger and fatter 
 than those caught in Stewart's I.ake, and are therefore brought 
 across to supply Fort St. James with food in winter. 
 
 " Sturgeon 700 lbs. weight are often caught in the above-men- 
 tioned lakes, and eve»y lake and stream in Upper British Columbia 
 teems with trout of rJifieretit species, besides many other varieties of 
 teas value. 
 
 " Of salt-water f!sh I saw the * Houlican ' in the Fraser in myriads 
 last spring. Many were lying dead along the river, and serve^l aa 
 
12G 
 
 food tor various anirauls. Halibut were very plentiful in Victoria, 
 aiMl many other seatish. I believe the fisheries of British Columbia, 
 if properly conducted, would eventually be as profitable as those of 
 the Gulf of St. liawrence. 
 
 " About the island of Formosr, on the eastern coast of China, a 
 current analogous to the Gulf Stream is observed moving to the 
 north-east. It ])asses Japan, and part of it enters Behring's Sea 
 and warms the northern part of Alaska, while the other part is 
 deflected further to the east, and passes down the West Coast of 
 America, carrying with it the heat necessary to produce the excep- 
 tional! v warm climate of Vancouver and the West Coast generallv. 
 It is this stream which gives the heat and moisture that are the 
 cause of the magnificent forests found from Alaska southwards. 
 The forests of Norway and those of Western America are the pro- 
 duct of the two great currents — the ' Gulf Stream' on the east and 
 ' Kuro Siwo ' on the west, and sceptics may rest assured that the 
 value of the West Coast timber far exceeds that of the Eastern 
 Provinces. ^ . . 
 
 " Gold has been found in paying quantities at Okanagan on the 
 American Boundary, — at Shuswap Lakes — at Cariboo — on the 
 Ominica — on the Stickeen — and latterly at Cassiar, and an exam- 
 ination of the map will show that all this gold is produced from 
 mountains lying between the Kockies and the Cascades. Copper, 
 iron and silver have been found at various r^oints in the Cascades, 
 and coal is abundant on Vancouver and Queen Charlotte's Islands. 
 I just mention these and i\sk : Are these all, or are they merely indi- 
 cations of wliat is to come ? AfOer having travelled over 1,000 miles 
 through British Columbia, I can say with safety that there will yet 
 be taken out of her mines wealth enough to build the Pacific Rail- 
 way. Consider that gold has been found in paying quantities, at 
 various points, along a northwest line for more than ten degrees of 
 latitude, before you decide that the foregoing statement is that of an 
 enthusiast." 
 
 In addition to the above statements of Mr. Macoun, it may be 
 remarked tiiat the Geological Survey in connection with the Pacific 
 liailway have established that gold exisfs over the whole extent of 
 the Province, from the Cassiar Mines to the U. S. boundary. And 
 recent quartz workings have developed great richness. The Minister 
 of Mines has shown in his last report that the average number of 
 miners engaged in the gold mines of the Province is 3,171 ; tne 
 average earnings per man per year f 6G3 ; the yield in 187G was 
 nearly two million dollars ; and the total yield from 1858 to 1876 
 was $39,953,018. The output of coal in the year 187G v/as 139,191 
 tons, which was rather less than the quantity sold. The coal ot 
 
127 
 
 British Columbia is sought for in San Francisco on account of its 
 superior excellence. 
 
 As respects lands, the following particulars are taken from a 
 recent publication by the Agent-General of British Columbia : 
 
 '• The soil of British Columbia is at the disposal of the Parlia- 
 ment of the Province, not of the General Government as in the 
 United States. 
 
 " Fuhlic Lands. — The Land Act of 1874 makes most liberal pro- 
 vision for the acquisition by settlers of land, either as Free Home- 
 steads, or by purchase. Land can be secured against seizure. 
 
 " Free Homesteads. — Heads of families, widows, or single men of 
 18 years and upwards may obtain free grants of 320 acres eastward 
 of the Cascade range of mountains, or of 160 acres in other parts 
 of tlie Province. The settler selects his own land, records it in 
 the othce of the District Commissioner, the fee for which is two 
 dollars, and at once enters upon occupation. After two years' 
 occupancy, and certain conditions as to improvements having 
 been complied with, a Crown grant or conveyance will be made, the 
 only expense of which would be five dollars — so that a farm of 320 
 acres may be obtained in a beautiful and healthful country for about 
 thirty shillings ! 
 
 " Sale of iurvei/ed Lmids. — Lands, the surveys of which have 
 been duly made and confirmed by notice in the Government Gazette, 
 are open for purchase at the rate of one dollar per acre — to be paid 
 in one full payment, or in two annual payments of 50 cents per acre ; 
 ])ayment to be made in two years from time of purchase. 
 
 '•' Unsurveyed Lands. — Pei-sons desirous of purchasing unsurveyed, 
 unoccupied, and unreserved Crown lands must first have the land 
 surveyed by a surveyor approved by the Government. 
 
 " Tracts of land near the land actually occupied can be leased for 
 grazhoj purposes, on terms designed to be liberal to the pre-emptor. 
 Such leased land is liable to be ' pre-empted ' by otheis, but, in that 
 case, the lessee's rent is reduced proportionately. 
 
 '* Land covered with wild hay can also be leased in the above way, 
 but not more than 500 acres of it to any one person, and not for 
 lonirer than five vears. 
 
 " Mining and timber leases will be named under theii' proper 
 heads furtlier on. 
 
 " Military and naval officers in Her Majesty's service are entitled 
 to free grants on certain conditions. The Agent-General will giv« 
 information. 
 
 Homestead Act. — Most important Act. If a settler have a wife 
 and children, this Act must be dear to him ; the farm and buildings, 
 when registered, cannot be taken for debt incurred after the registra- 
 
128 
 
 tion ; it is free up to a vahio not greater than 2,600 dollars (£50() 
 Eaglish) ; ojoDds and chattels are also free up to 500 dollars (£100 
 English); cattle * farmed on shares' aro also protested by an Exemp- 
 tion Act. 
 
 •* Farm lands in private hands maybe bon<^ht at .ilmost any price, 
 from 5 dollars (203. English) to 40 dollars {£S English) per acre, ac- 
 cording to situation and improvement." 
 
 GHArTEIl XXL 
 
 ■-SUMMARY. 
 
 The preceding pages give a plain and unvarnished statement of the 
 capabilities and resources ot the Provinces and Territories of the 
 Dominion of Canada. It has been considered better to under rather 
 than to over-state the advantages which Canada offers to emigrants 
 qualified to make their way in the Colonies. Every disappointed, 
 still more every deceived emigrauo naturally becomes hostile to tho 
 country by whose authorities he has been induced to leave his native 
 land on false or exaggerated representations. Whatever disappoint- 
 ments, however, may be met with cannot be laid to the door of the 
 Dominion Government, which has warned unsuitable eoiigranta 
 against coming to Canada, and has carelully pointed out the descrip- 
 tion of settlers whose propects of success, as a class j seemed most 
 assured. Individually, each man of each cla.ssmuat ©"ve his advance- 
 ment to his own cliuracter and qualiticatious. 
 
 The DoMiNioif OF Canada, as has been shown, consists of seven 
 Provinces and the immense tract of country known as the " North- 
 West Territories." The five Eastern Provinces constitute the olc'est 
 settled parts of the country, and have very varied resources. Those 
 on the Athuitic seaboard, in addition to tlieir agricultural lands, are 
 noted for their extensive sea fisheries, a lucrative trade, employing 
 many vessels and men, and for ship building, which is an important 
 branch of industry. Immense deposits of coal are found in Nova 
 Scotia, besides gold and other minerals, which also abound in th» 
 other Provinces. Mining industries are, there can be little doubt, 
 destined to assume large propoFtions as the couiitry becomes raore^ 
 thickly settled. Great strides have been made in these Provinces in 
 manufactures of different kinds, there being every facility for their 
 prosecution. The products of the forest are a large source of revtnue 
 
129 
 
 and employ large numbers of men, botli in tlie woods and in preparing 
 the material for market, either in a partially or completely finished 
 state. The supply of animal food which can be exported from these 
 Provinces is limited only by the demand, the trans- Atlantic trade 
 being but of recent origin and for some time simply an experiment. 
 Now that it has been demonstrated that it can be successfully con- 
 ducted, it must assume larger proportions yearly ; and th^ vigilance 
 that has been exercised to prevent the introduccion of disease among 
 the herds has been rewarded by immunity from loss from that cause. 
 The favourable conditions on which cattle, sheep, etc., can be raised, 
 and the nearness to European markets, must make the rearing and 
 fattening of cattle for exi)ort of increasing importance to the farmers 
 of these Provinces. 
 
 British Columbia, on the Pacific Coast, has a large extent of 
 splendid timber lands ; most productive fisheries, which are yearly 
 becoming more valuable, and deposits of co ',1, whose excellence is 
 undoubted, and which, being easily accessible, is cheaply w^on. The 
 value of the gold mining of this Province is well known. 
 
 The North- West Territories, including in this terra the 
 Province of Manitoba, present every indication of becoming the 
 granary of the world. All who have closely examined the country- 
 agree as to its wonderful fertility, and the facility with which its 
 lands can be brought under cultivation. The construction of the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway, now being prosecuted, will rapidly open 
 the country and give easier access to ma* kets ; and already popula- 
 tion is pouring in to occupy what but a few years ago was known^as. 
 the " Great Lone Land," but which before long will be filled by 
 industrious and prosperous communities. 
 
 There is thus a varied choice in Canada for those who seek to 
 emigrate. Among the farming population some may prefer to enter 
 uix)n improved land, in old settled localities where they can engage 
 in stock raising and dairy farming to advantage, and to these the 
 Eastern Provinces offer great inducements, the farming being more 
 varied in character and the dairy products of acknowledged excellence. 
 In the North-West, for some time at least, wheat must be the great 
 staple, although there can be no doubt that stock raising will accom- 
 pany it ; as for meat and dairy products there must inevitably be a 
 demand from the men engaged in the work of building the Pacific 
 line, as well as for export to the South, where the cattle which have 
 lieen raised in the Territories are in demand. Every facility will be 
 given to those who come to settle and to make homes for themselves 
 
 J 
 
130 
 
 Tand thoir children, but it must be borne ia mind that no Grovemmenk 
 aid can secure men fi*ora failure who are not fit to cope with the 
 difficulties inseparable from a new condition of things. It is for each 
 man to i-esolve for himself to succeed, and success can only be at- 
 tained by earnest, faithful and persevering labour. There is no 
 royal road to independence ; theie are always difficulties, but they 
 jcnn be overcome by the man who detero^ines to conquer them. 
 
 5)0M1NI0N GOVERNMENT AGENTS TO WflOM APPLI- 
 CATION MAY BE MADE. 
 
 JMi/ax, ^\S E. Clay. 
 
 tSi. John, N.B J. Livingstone (Acting), 
 
 'Quebec (CityJ L. Stafford. 
 
 Montrecd J. J. Daley. 
 
 Ottawa W. J. Wills. 
 
 Toronto J. A. Donaldson. 
 
 JIamilton John Smith. 
 
 '.London (OiU.) A. G. Smythe. 
 
 AT DULUTH, 
 
 duiing tlie season of navigation, a special agent is placeil, Mr. W. C B. 
 Grahame. He will be in attendance on the arrival of all steamers, 
 to assist emigrants in the bonding of tlieir baggage, and otherwise to 
 give them iniormation. 
 
 All emigrants should be implicitly guided by his disinterested 
 official advice in preference to listening to persons whom they do not 
 Jknow, who may have interest to deceive them. 
 
 AGENTS IN MANITOBA. 
 
 Dufferin J. E. Tetu. 
 
 Winnipeg W. Hespeler. 
 
 These agents will give emigrants all possible information and 
 advice. 
 
 SPECIAL CAUTION TO SETTLERS. 
 
 It may save a great deal of trouble if immigrants will bo careful 
 ^not to settle on Sections 8 and 26, these being Hudson Bay Lands, 
 or on Sections 11 and 29, these being School Lands. The DominioA 
 Lands Act s[>eeially sets aside these Keserves, and they are not open 
 to the public. 
 
131 
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 NOTES BY PROFESSOR MACOUN ON THE CLIMATE OF MANITOBA 
 AND THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. 
 
 The region included in tLe following observations lies between the 
 boundary (latitude 49°) and latitude 60'' north, these parallels 
 forming the southern and northern boundaries of the territory while 
 it extends from the 95th meridian to the Rocky Mountains, follow- 
 ing their north-western trend to latitude 00° north. 
 
 For many years this vast extent of territory Liy as a blank on 
 ihe maps, almost unknown to Englishmen or ("anadians, and 
 counted valueless except as a fur-bearing country ; yet, as long ago 
 M 1812, Lord Selkirk said that the valley of the Red River alone 
 would maintain a population of over 20,000,000. Ihe Americans 
 were always alive to its true value, but, like true patriots, extolled 
 Uieir own country in preference to the land of the stt anger. Over 
 20 yeare ago, their writers called attention to it, and VVheelock 
 spoke glowingly of it in his work on Minnesota. Seven years nince 
 I had the good fortune to spend a number of months in the ten ifcory^ 
 and ti-avelled over its whole extent from east to west, and, being 
 impressed with its importance as a field for immigration, I have since 
 then taken every opportunity to make myself acquainted with its 
 climate and capabilities. In the following pages will be found my 
 conclusions and the facts upon which they are based. 
 
 Geologists have been aware for a length of time that high arid 
 plnius, about 40° north, always ameliorate the climate of countries 
 north of them ; and Blodgett, in his wcik en the Climatology of the 
 United States, says that high and arid plains are decisive of a high 
 degree of summer heat, with an arid atmosphere and little rain or 
 snow. Within the United States there are at least 500, UOO square 
 miles of arid country, almost constantly receiving enormous quanti- 
 ties of heat l»y day and giving it off at night by radiation. The 
 general level of this plateau is fully 0,000 feet. At Laramie Ciiy it 
 is about 7,000 feet above the sea, but from this point it rapidly falls 
 off to the north, so that when it roaches the boundary (lat. 49°) at 
 Pembina it is considerably less than 1,000 feel in altitude, and at 
 tfie base of the Rocky Mountains under 4,000 feet. As the plain 
 descends to the north the rainfall increases, the " cactus" and *' sage- 
 Ibnish" give place to bunch-grass, and this, north of the line, soon 
 pissca into sward, quickly followed as wo proceed northward by 
 
} 
 
 132 
 
 oopse wood, which, north of the Saskatchewan, is replaced by an 
 jispen forest, and this on the water-shed into one of spruce. No 
 appreciable alteration in temperature takes place, but only an increase 
 of moisture, as we pass to the north, and with this increase of 
 humidity a more equable temperature is noticed. Less i*adiation 
 takes place as we leave the high treeless plains, and, consequently, 
 the variation of temperature is less strongly marked between day 
 and night. 
 
 A careful examination of Blodgett^s and Dove's charts shows that 
 the isothermals curve upward from the Gulf of Mexico, and reach 
 their northern bend, in the United States, on the 110th meridian. 
 Here in hit. 50° the mean summer temperature is placed at 70*", 
 while at Winnipeg, 600 miles to the east, it is 65°. Following these 
 lines 9° farther north, we find that the isothermal of greatest heat 
 passes Fort Vermillion, lat 58.24, on the Peace River and Edmon- 
 ton on the Saskatchewan, both of these points being noted for their 
 productions. On the Pacific side the isothermals commence to curve 
 north from the head of the Gulf of California, reaching our boundary 
 at the 115th meridian, having actually crossed the Kocky Mountains 
 before reaching this point, thus producing those warm dry winds 
 of the south-west, which are known in Montana and north of the 
 boundary as " Chinook Winds." These winds are noticed more 
 particularly in winter^ and often raise the tempei-ature over 60** in 
 the course of an hour or two. They are noted for being both warm 
 and dry, as they evaporate tlio snow as fast as they melt it. Their 
 efi*ects are not much felt north of lat 52°, and how far east they 
 extend is not known. • . r .v . 
 
 Here, then, we have two currents of warm air flowing constantly 
 into our territory, the one from the Gulf of Mexico, the other from 
 the Gulf of California, and unitedly giving us heat and moisture 
 which they have carried over the " Great American Desert " to leave 
 on the lower plain to the north. Owing to the hsight and aridity of 
 the *' Desert " much heat is absorbed during the day, but it is 
 constantly sent into the atmosphere at night, causing the air above 
 the plain to be just as warm at night as during the day. Fort 
 Laramie, in Wyoming Territory, is in the same latitude as Boston, 
 and yet, strange to say, the former, althcugh 7,000 feet above the 
 sea, has a summer temperature as high as the latter. A very little 
 reflection will show that, were the " Desert " an inland sea, the 
 wintei-s of our interior would be like those of Eastern Europe, and 
 we would have a cooler summer and a warmer winter. In an article 
 like the present it would be out of place to discuss the climate of 
 Easte^rn Europe, but the forces which enable the Russian to build 
 his Capital almost on the 60th parallel are precisely the same as 
 
133 
 
 those which send the warm air of the Gulfs 'to ameliorate the 
 cliYnate of our own north-west, and cause wheat and otiier cereals to 
 be j)rodiiced, in the highest perfection, as far north as this same 
 parallel. The following table of temperature is extracted from the 
 Meteorological Report for 1876. 
 
 - '^)" '•'}''- ' ■ " --- , '■ -"■■ 
 
 • 
 
 35-4 
 
 39-8 
 36-7 
 
 • • • • 
 
 38-2 
 
 52-1 
 53-3 
 51-8 
 44-6 
 51-5 
 
 • 
 
 S3 
 •-S 
 
 59-2 
 60-6 
 61-0 
 68-8 
 65-5 
 
 • 
 
 65-8 
 63-3 
 59-0 
 63-4 
 68-8 
 
 5b 
 
 3 
 
 63-3 
 57-0 
 53-5 
 63-2 
 70-2 
 
 . 
 
 s 
 
 -♦J 
 
 <u 
 KC 
 
 51-8 
 50-3 
 47-2 
 46-9 
 57-5 
 
 OS 
 
 t s 
 « a 
 
 ^«> 
 
 S4-6 
 54-0 
 51-5 
 
 • • • • 
 
 58-6 
 
 Average 
 for 3 montha. 
 
 Winnipeg, lat 50°, long. 97=' 
 
 Fort McLeod, lat. ftO^, long. 113".. 
 Fort Calgary, lat. 51°, long. 114".. 
 Fort Simpson, lat. 61 », long. 113«>.. 
 Toronto, lat. 44", long. 79° 
 
 62-8 
 60.2 
 57-8 
 61-8 
 68-2 
 
 It will be seen by the above data that Fort McLeod and Winnipeg, 
 although 600 miles apart, have almost the same temperature, and, 
 more surprising still, that Fort Simpson, although 770 miles due 
 north of Fort Macleod, is warmer. Here we have a triangle with 
 its three angles having almost the same summer temperature — its 
 base being GGO miles in length, its perpendicular 770 and its 
 hypothenus^ 000. Further observations will largely increase this 
 area, but, no continuous observations having been taken, we do not 
 hazard a statement. 
 
 After temperature, the most important factor is humidity, and 
 here, again, we have a remarkable example of a well-known natural 
 law. As stated above, the winds are constantlj'' drifting northward, 
 and in winter, owing to their passage across the "American Desert," 
 which is now very cold, they lose most of their moisture, and pass 
 over our prairie as dry winds. In summer the very reverse of this 
 takes place — the dry, hot plains prevent deposition, and hence the 
 winds come loaded with moisture, and give the summer rains which 
 cause such astonishing growth in June and July. In most cases, 
 this dryness of the atmosphere is injurious to growing crops, but, 
 owing to the situation of the plains, in our case it is a positive good, 
 the rains coming just when wanted, and ceasing when of no further 
 use to the growing erop. The following data, taken from the 
 Meteorological Report of 1876, illustrate this. 
 
134 
 
 Quarterly rainfall at Winnipeg. 
 " *« Toronto. . . 
 
 Winter. 
 
 00- 
 6-51 
 
 Spring. 
 
 6-69 
 6 63 
 
 Summer. 
 
 10-52 
 6-74 
 
 Autunm. 
 
 004 
 3- 18 
 
 Snowfallj in inches, at Winnipeg 
 .,,i,u« " Toronto,. 
 
 let half '2nd half 
 
 of year. 
 
 28-6 
 67-7 
 
 of year. 
 
 29-7 
 45.7 
 
 Tt will be seen by tbe above table that tbe rainf;01 at Winnipeg in 
 summer and spring is nearly equal to that of Toronto for winter, 
 apiing and summer, and, where Toronto has over three inches in 
 autumn, Winnip.3g has scarcely any. Tlic absence of autumn rains 
 in the west is a priceless boon, as it enables the farmer to thresh and 
 harvest his grain without injury, ajid, besides, gives him excellent 
 roads when h** needs tliera most. 
 
 The progress of the seasons and the labours of the husbandman, 
 throughout the north-west, may be summed up as follow : — Early in 
 April, the hot sun dissipates the slight covering of snow, and, 
 almost immediately, ploughing commences, as, after the frost is out 
 six inches, spring work may begin. Seeding and ploughing go on 
 together, as the ground is quite dry, and in a few days the seed 
 germinates, owing to the hot sunshine ; the roots leceive an 
 abundance of moisture from tbe thawing soil, and, following the 
 retreating frost through the minute pores opened in it, by its agency 
 |)enfctrate to an astonishing depth, (oft«n two foet) all th3 time 
 throwing out innumerable fibres. By the time the rains and heat 
 of June have come, abundance of roots have formed, and the crop 
 rushes to quick maturity. It is just as much owing to the opening 
 power of the frost as to the fertility of the soil that the enormous 
 crops of the North-West are due, and, as long as the present seasons 
 continue, so long will the roots penetrate into the subsoil, and draw 
 rich food from the inexhaustible reservoira which / know are there. 
 
 After the middle of August the rains almost cease, and for ten 
 weeks scarcely a shower of rain falls, giving the farmer ample time 
 to do all necessary work before the long winter sets in. These gen- 
 eral characteristics apply to theclimat-eof the whole North- West, and 
 the same results are everywhere obs'^rved over tracts embracing 
 300,000 square miles of territory. One imiwrtant result of thii 
 peculiar climate is the hardnes:s and incrcasetl weight of the graia 
 caused by it. Another, equally important, is the caring of tfco 
 
135 
 
 natural hay, and our experience cf the last two months 
 has been that the horses and cattle do better to collect their 
 own food on the prairie than to be fed with hay. All stock- 
 raisers know that it is not cold that injures cattle or horses, but 
 those storms of sleet or soft snow which are so comroon in Ontario 
 and the Ea.stern Provinces. Such storms as those jire never seen in 
 the North- West, and the cattle are never wet from November to 
 April. 
 
 Many intelligent persons are afraid of the winters of the North- 
 West, as they measure the cold by the thermometer rather than by 
 their cwn sensibilities. It is not by the thermometer that the cold 
 should be measured, but by the humidity of the atmosphere, as, 
 according to its humidity so is the cold measured by individuals. All 
 through the fall my men never noticed a few degrees of frost, and it 
 was no uncommon thing to see a man riding in a cart without his 
 coat when the thermometer was below freezing j)oint J. A. 
 Wheelock, Commissioner of Statistics for IVlinuesota, wrote as fol- 
 lows concerning the atmosphere of tliat Sttite, over 20 yeai-s ago : — 
 **TI»e dryness of the air in Minnesota permits a lower range of tem- 
 perature without frosts than in moist climates. The thermometer 
 has freqrently been noticed at 20 degrees without material injury to 
 vegetation. In the damp summer evenings of Illinois and Ohio, for 
 ♦example, the heat passes off lapidly from the surface of the earth and 
 from })lants. Frosts develop under such circumstances at a com- 
 paratively high temperature. The constant bath c-f moisture has 
 softened the delicat,^ covering and enfeebled the vitality of plants ; 
 und tiius a fall of the thermometer, which in Minnesota would be as 
 harmless as a summer dew, in Ohio would sweep the fields like a 
 fire." 
 
 What Wheelock says of Minnesota is equally true of the North- 
 Wrst Territories, and more so, as they are certainly drier than it. 
 Dry air is a non-conductor of heat, and as the dryness increases with 
 the lowering temperature, the increasing cold is not felt by either 
 animals or plants, and we find a solution to the paradox, that, 
 although water may freeze, vegetation is not injured except when a 
 humid atmosphere is in immediate contact with it. The increase of 
 dryness in the air has the same efiect as an increase of warm cloth- 
 ing for man and beast, and we sufiered less from a temperature of 
 10 degrees below zero, this winter, though lying in tents, without 
 fire, than we would have done in Ontario with 10 degrees of frost 
 
 In conclusi'^n, after seven years* study of all available material 
 and constant observation, I can state as a fact that our peculiar cli- 
 mate is caused by the great American Desert, which, in fact, com- 
 mences at the lOOlh meriditui, exactly south of our prain«», and ex- 
 
136 
 
 tends with little interruption to the boundary of California. The 
 winds passing over it descend on our interior plain, giving out heat 
 and moisture in the summer, and in the winters wrapping the whole 
 country in a mantle of dry air, which moderates the climate so much 
 that without the aid of a thermometer no one would believe the cold 
 was so intense. We, then, have a dry, clear, cold winter, — -a dry 
 spring with bright sunshine — a warm summer with an abundance of 
 rain, but not necessarily a cloudy atmosphere, and a dry^ serene 
 autumn, with possibly a snow storm about the equinox. 
 
 An atmosphere like this, with a soil of abounding fertility, ex- 
 tending over a region of almost boundless extent, causes me to feel 
 that the words of Lord Beaconsfield were those of a far-seeing 
 statesman, and that our gieat !N^orth-\Vest is truly a land of 
 *' illimitable possibilities." 
 
 26th December, 1879. 
 
 John Macoun, F.L.S. 
 
 APPENDIX B. 
 
 KEGULATIONS RESPECTING THE DISPOSAL OF CERTAIN 
 
 PUBLIC LANDS FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE 
 
 CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. 
 
 . DEPArvTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 
 
 r - ^ Ottawa, Oct. 14th, 1879. 
 
 Public notice is hereby g'veii that the following provisions^ 
 which shall be held to ap[)ly to the lands in the Province of Mani- 
 toba, and in the Territories to the west and north-west thereof, are 
 substituted for the Regulations, dated the 9th July last, governing 
 the mode of disposing of the Public Lands situate within 110 (one 
 hundred and ten) miles on each side of the line of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway, which said Regulations are hereby superseded : — 
 • 1. '* Until further and final survey of the said railway has been 
 made west of th« Red River, and for the purposes of these provi- 
 sions, the line of the said railway shall be assumed to be on the 
 fourth base westerly to the intersection of the said base by the line 
 between i-anges 21 aad 22 west of the first principal meridian, and 
 
137 
 
 thence in a direct line to the confluence of the Shell River with the 
 River Assiniboine. 
 
 2. *' The country lying on each side of the line of railway shall 
 be respectively divided into belts, jis follows : — 
 
 "(1) A belt of five miles on either side of the railway and 
 immediately adjoining the same, to be called Belt A ; 
 
 '* (2) A belt of fifteen miles on either side of the railway, adjoin- 
 ing Belt A, to be called Belt B ; 
 
 " (3) A belt of twenty miles on either side of the railway, adjoin- 
 ing Beit B, to be called Belt C ; 
 
 " (4) A belt of twenty miles on either side of the railway, adjoin- 
 ing Belt C, to be called Belt D ; and 
 
 *' (5) A belt of fifty miles on either side of the railway, adjoining 
 Belt D, to be called Belt E. 
 
 3. " The even-numbered sections in each township throughout the 
 several belts above described shall be open for entry as homesteads 
 and pre-emptions of 160 acres each respectively. 
 
 4. " The odd-numbered sections in each of such townships shall 
 not be open to homestead or pre-emption, but shall be specially 
 reserved and designated as Railway Lands. 
 
 5 " The Railway Lands within the several belts shall be sold at 
 the following rates, viz : — In Belt A, $5 (five dollars) per acre ; in 
 Belt B, $4 (four dollars) per acre ; in Belt C, $3 (three dollars) per 
 acre; in Belt D, $2 (two dollai-s) per acre ; in Belt E, $1 (one dollar) 
 per acre ; and the terms of sale of such lands shall be as follow, viz : 
 — One-tenth in cash at the time of purchase ; the balance in nine 
 equal annual instalments, with interest at the rate of six per cent, 
 per annum on the balance of purchase money from time to time re- 
 maining unpaid, to be paid with ea^h instalment. 
 
 6. " The Pre-emption Lands within the several belts shall be sold 
 for the prices and on the terms respectively as follow : — In the Belts 
 A, B and C, at $2,50 (two dollars and fifty cents) per acre ; in Belt D 
 at $2 (two dollars) per acre ; and in Belt E at $1 (one dollar) per acre. 
 The terms of payment to be four-tenths of the purchase money, to- 
 gether with interest on the latter at the rate of 6 per cent, per an- 
 num, to be paid at the end of three years from the date of entry ; 
 the remainder to be paid in six equal instalments annually from 
 and after the said date, with interest at the rate above mentioned 
 on such portions of the purchase money as may remain unpaid, to 
 be paid with each instalment. 
 
 7. "All payments for Railway Lands, and also for Pre-emption 
 Lands, within the several Belts, shall be in cash, and not in scrip or 
 military or police bounty warrants. 
 
 8. " All moneys received in payment of Pre-eniptiora Lands shall 
 
138 
 
 mare to and form part of the fund for railway purposes, in a siucitar 
 manner to the moneys received in payment of Railway Lands. 
 
 9. " These provLsioua shall be retro-active so far as nilates to any 
 and all entries of Homestead and Pre-emption Lands, or siles of 
 Bailway Lands obtained or mad^ under the Regulations of the 9th 
 of July, hereby superseded ; any payments made in excess of the 
 rate hereby fixed shall be credited on account of sales of such lands. 
 
 10. "The Order in Council of the 9th November, 1677, relating 
 to the settlement of the lands in Manitoba which had been previously 
 withdrawn for railway purposes, having been cancelled, all claims of 
 persons wlio settled in good faith on lands under the said Order in 
 Council shall be dealt with under these provisions, as to price of 
 Pre-emptions, according to the Bolt in which such lands may be 
 situate. Where a pei-son may have taken up two quarter-sections, 
 under the said Order in Council, he may retain the quarter-section 
 upon which he has settled^ as a Homestead, and the other quarter- 
 section as a Pre-emption, un<ler these provisions, irrespective of 
 ■whether such Homestead and Pre-emption may bo found to l)e upon 
 an even numbered sectiwi or otherwise. Any moneys j)aid by sucli 
 person on account of the lands entered by him under the said Order 
 in Council, will be credited to him on account of his Pre-emption 
 purchase, under these provisions. A peisonwho may have taken up 
 one quarter-section under the Order in Council mentioned will be 
 allowed to retain the same as a Homestfead, and will be pernjitted to 
 enter a second quarter-section as a Pre-emption, the money paid on 
 account of the land previously entered to be credited to him on 
 account of such Pie oniption. 
 
 11. " A J entries of lands shall be subject to the following: pro^~i- 
 sions, refli>ecting the right of way of the Canadian Pacific liaii ./ay, 
 or of any government colonization railway connected therewith, viz : 
 
 a. *' In the case of the railway crossing land entered as a Home- 
 stead, the right of way thereon, and also any land which may be 
 required for station purposes, shall be free to the Government. 
 
 b. "Where the railway croL'ses Pre-emptions or Railway Lands, 
 .entered subsequent to the date hereof, the Government may take 
 possession of such portion thereof as may be required for right of 
 way or for station grounds or ballast pits, and the owner shall only 
 be entitled to claim payment for the land so taken, at the same rate 
 per acre as he may have ])aid the Government for the same. 
 
 c " In case, on the final location of the railway through lands un- 
 surveyed, or suivoyed but not entered for at the time, a person is 
 found in occupation of land which it may be desiralde in the public 
 interest to I'etain, the Government rfserves the rij^ht to tnke posses- 
 sion of such land, paying the squatter tlie value of any improvements 
 he may have made thereon. 
 
139 
 
 12. "Claims to Public La ntla arising from settlement after the 
 date hereof, in territory unsurveyed at the time of such setttemeni, 
 and wiiicli may be eml raced witlun tha limits affected by the above 
 policy, or by the extension thereof in the future over additional ter- 
 ritory, will be ultimately dealt with in accordance with the terras 
 prescribed ab'' ve for the lands in the particular belt in which such 
 settlement may be found to be situate, subject to the operation of 
 8ul>-8ection c of section 11 of tl ese provisions. 
 
 13. " All entries after the date hereof of unocc.ipied lands in the 
 Saskatchewan Agency, will be considered as provisional until the 
 railway line through that part of the territories has been located, 
 after which the same will be finally disposed of in accordance with 
 these provisions, as the same may apply to the particular belt in 
 which such lands may be found to be situutod, subject, as above, to 
 •the operation of sub section c of section 1 1 of these provisions. 
 
 14. "With a view to encouraging settlement by cheapening the 
 cost of building material, the Government reserves the right to gi'ant 
 licenses, renewable vearlv, under Section 53 of the * Dominion Lands 
 Act, 1879,' to cut merchantable timber on any lands situated within 
 the several belts above describetl, and any settlement upon, or sale 
 of lands wiihin, the territory covere<l by such licenses, shall for the 
 time being be subject to the operation of such licenses. 
 
 15. " The above provisions, it will, of course, be understood, will 
 not affect sections 1 1 and 29, which are public school lands, or sec- 
 tions 8 and 26, Hudson Bay Company's lands." 
 
 Any further information necessary may be obtained on applica- 
 tion at the Dominion Lands Office, Ottiiwa, or from the agent of 
 Dominion Lands, Winnipeg, or from any of the local agents iii 
 Manitoba or the Territories. 
 
 By order of the Minister of the Interior, 
 
 l^ J. S. DENNIS, 
 
 Deputy of ihe Minister of the Interior. 
 
 Lindsay Kussell, 
 
 Surveyor-General. 
 
140 
 APPEND rX 0. 
 
 CHANGE OF ALLEGIANOE. 
 
 OanaJa, being part of the Britisli Empire, the emigrant from the 
 United Kingdom to any of the Provinces or Tenitories of the 
 Dominion of Canada makes no change in his nationality or allegiance- 
 by settling there. The emigrant to the United States must, on the 
 other hand, abjure his own country absolutely and entirely, as will 
 be seen by the following oaths, which ea<ih immigi-ant must take in 
 order to l)ec*ome a (rit.iw»n of the United States: — 
 
 1, Robert Crown, do declare on oath, that it is bond JyU my 
 intention to become a citizen of the United States, and to renounce 
 for ever all allegiance and fidelity to all and every foreign Prince, 
 Potentate, State and Sovereignty whatever ; and particularly to 
 Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Gi*eat Britain and 
 Ireland. 
 
 ■Rf>HKHT l^KOWK.. 
 
 Bwuni in oj>t<n Court, 
 
 this 1 . - 
 
 Oath at. thfi. llitm of Adimsai^yn. to CUizennhip. 
 
 1, l^obeit Brown- do solemnly swear that I will supjK^i-t the 
 Constitution of the United States, and that I do absolutely and 
 entirely renoiince and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every 
 foreisjn Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever ; and 
 particularly to Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great 
 Britain and Ireland, of whom I was formerly a subject. 
 
 noBKRT Brown.