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Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — !► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole y signifie "FIN ". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included In one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux etc., peuvent dtre film^s A des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6. il est film6 d partir de Tangle supirieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 " i ■' ■'■ 2 3 4 5 6 c. PROPOSED NEW PLAN ov A GENERAL EMIGRATION SOCIETY. BY A CATHOLIC GENTLEMAN. \ LONDON: C. DOLMAN, 61, NEW BOND STREET; T. JONES, 63, PATERNOSTER ROW. DUBLIN: R. COYNE, 4, CAPEL STREET. Price One Shilling and Sixpence. 1842. INTRODUCTION. The following remarks were written soon after the prorogation of the present Parliament, when the speecli from the throne induced a natural expectation that, on its re-assemhling, a beneficial change in the corn laws would alter our commercial })osition ; and that some plan for employing the poor, particidarly in Ireland, in extensively draining and enclosing waste lands, would also be ado])ted by Government, coml)ined with assistance in exporting such emigrants to our Colonies as could no longer be supported here. Pending tlie announcement of such measui'es, the author of this pamphlet was recommended, by those he consulted, to withhold its publication, and defer acting on the plan it proposes for relief till Parliament again met. It has again been convoked, iind no open avowal of limiting the tax to twenty per cent., under any circumstances, on American corn (as contemplated), has been an>iounced in the new bill ; yet it is conceived, that, by corn passing across the lakes, from the United States into Canada, at three shillings duty, and thence, in the shape of flour, at five shillings additional, to England, the same end, in these particular localities at least, may be obtained in an indirect manner, and answer the object of this Society. It is anxiously hoped this privilege will extend to ail British America, particularly to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, many ports of which are open through the whole w inter, while all navigation ceases witli the Canadas ; and no countries more abound with capabilities of mill-power, whether derived from water or steam, as, independent of their numerous rivers, coal is everywhere attainable in Nova Scotia. Emigration, which seems to afford the only means of relief, instead of being aided, as heretofore, by all proceeds of sales of Colonial lands remaining devoted to the export of emigrants, is, in future, to be deprived of one moiety of such proceeds, to defray surveys and other official expenses, so that this last diminisher of pauperism seems more than ever thrown on its own resources and contrivances, and left to appeal, with increased force, for support in carrying out the contem- plated system. ■hi I I- 1 I is NEW PLAN, &c. In offering a new plan of emigration to the British public, it is almost unnecessary to premise, that such is now the rapid increase of population in the United Kingdom — such increase averaging, it is con- ceived, about one thousand a day— that the excess can no longer be supported but by an extended and extensive system of emigration. Australia and New Zealand, though offering daily improving fields for this pvu-pose, are in themselves insufticient to absorb the excess. Independent of the objectionable lengdi of the voyiige, the expense of tnmsit, amounting to about twenty pounds a-head, imposes a Imnt to extended operations in these regums ; since to convey 100,000 emigrants there, would require no less a sum dian two millions sterhng; even one half of which amount it would be ditlicult, if not impossible, to keep in a state of annual renewal.* In speaking of these distant Colonies, it has not, therefore, been unwisely said, by those who study deeply the details of emigration, that to make them rise to such rapid state of improvement as should at once render them extensive consumers of home manufactures, and elevate them in the scale of national importance, corresponding to their vast extent, people of all nations wishing *o acquire real property should, on the plan of the United States, be allowed to possess every privilege of naturalization in common with British settlers. Thus, while European capital and experience wielded the master hand, the mass of population, so necessary, in its combination, to produce great results, might be ilrawn from the East Indies, and adjacent Countries, even now more overpeopled than ourselves. Touching on this subject, may it not be hoped that the imlooked- for rupture with the Chinese is destined, by an all-wise Providence, to open reciprocal advantages in commercial intercourse ; and that, while * Since the above was written— as half the amount paid for land at the rate of £\ per acre (and wlience the emigration fund is derived) will, in future, be retained by Govern- ment to defray the expense of surveys and other Colonial charges (without allowing for other deductions), not more than 50,000 emigrants could be sent there at the above cost, from the proceeds of every 2,000,000 acres. 1 introducing Christianity into China, it may, at the same time, be the means of relieving a nation (whose adaptness for all mechanical and useful labour is proverbial) from a redundance of population almost tantamount to a curse, and transform want into abundance, and Paganism into Christianity, by the importation of many of its starving poor into Australia and our South Sea Colonies? The Centralization System, so ably conceived by Mr. Wakefield, has thrown a new and splendid light on our ideas of colonization. The cities of Adelaide and Wellington have been called into existence as if they had risen at the touch of a magic wand. Australind, and other towns, similarly founded, will shortly be added to the proofs of the efficacy of this system. The success experienced in the early estab- lishment of Adelaide was unprecedented ; but the increased and daily improving means of communication along the shores of Australia have occasioned the migration of many of its most useful labourers and mechanics to other districts, supposed to possess superior advantages. The demand for higher wages, made by those remaining, has now risen so much beyond what the moderate capitalist can afford to give, that, in these districts, where neither convict nor slave labour are ad- mitted, other means must be devised to supply the deficiency, and render perfect that justly proportioned combination of classes, so ab- solutely necessary to the prosperity of a Colony. In New Zealand, the natives may possibly be rendered available in accomplishing this desirable end. In searching for some other field now open to emigration, which may be reached without the objectionable cost of such a passage as that to Australia, and in which the system there acted upon, but made more perfect, might be carried out, British America would first suggest itself. But, unfortunately, that country is so situate, as to present an insurmountable obstacle, for centralization can n.-^ver long be main- tained where higher wages and a more fertile soil can be procured within a few days' journey. Thence it is that masses of emigrants, sent out at a great cost by the Government and individuals, pass over, immediately after their arrival, from these Colonies to the United States. As this migration does not appear likely to be counteracted, capitalists cannot be expected to aid largely in the transport of emigrants thither ; and, for the want of means to defray such expenses, thousands, to whom the change would be the greatest of human bless- ings, are now existing in misery and want ; or, driven to extremity for lack of employment, submit even to part with the last few shillings they possess for a passage in an American vessel, there to be crowded together in hundreds, under circumstances of nearly as great discom- % fort and privation as formerly attended the negroes from the African coast. They arrive penniless in the United States ; more frequently than not, they are disappointed in finding work at the port of landing ; hearing they can secure it in the West, they attempt this long journey on foot, relying solely for support by begging on the way ; and it is known that many full victims to fatigue, hunger, or disease, and never reach that home sought for under every degree of uncertainty. The object in view being to provide a remedy for these evils, it is conceived the means of doing so are ready of application ; and that this centralization system may be carried out to its fullest extent by locating the Irish Catholic poor in the Western States of America, already so much frequented by their countrymen and relatives. The blanks thus created by the export of considerable numbers of these people, from all parts of the kingdom, would materially tend to afford immediate relief under tlie existing pressure; while it is be- lieved tluit the wealtliy capitalist and experienced farmer, of any CREED, will not hesitate to avail themselves of the ever-enduring toil of these poor people, when, as under the contemplated system, their labour can be secured on a soil, perhaps, the most productive in the world. It is not proposed to force nature by cultivating lands where the profitable results may be doubtful ; or to monopolize large tracts of country, and thus lock up the funds of the Society in unwieldy pur- chases, leaving little or no means for the development of the system. Such experiments have been tried ; with what result is well known. It is proposed, in the first instance, to purchase primitive, or other tracts of land, in the United States, of moderate extent, and selected as being most readily brought into the highest and most productive state of cultivation ; or, as being likely, from position, to become the sites hereafter of towns and cities. Such land may be obtained from the Government at one dollar and a quarter per acre. The first settlements should be made in those fertile prairie dis- tricts situated on the southern sides of the Canadian Lakes, where slavery is unknown ; and the elevation and temperament of which will, in all seasons, insure the health of the European settler. They would be comprised in the rich and productive states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri, or Jowa, forming a large portion of the north-western valley of the Mississippi, of which M. De Tocqueville emphatically says, '' If a paradise is to be found on *^ earth, it is there /" Capt. Marryatt, in his impartial and interesting "Diary" in America, says (vol. ii. p. 73), " This beautiful and fertile region appears as if ** Nature had so arranged it, that man should have all the difficulties 6 ! " cleared from before him, and have little to do but to take possession " and enjoy. There is no clearing of timber requisite; on the con- " trary, you have just as much as you can desire, whether for use or '* ornament. " Prairies of fine ricli grass, upon which the cattle fatten in three ** or four montlis, lie spread in every direction. The soil is so fertile, " that you have but to turn it up to make it yield grain to any extent ; •' and the climate is healthy, and, at the same time, there is more tl^an '• sufficient sun in the summer and autunm to bring every crop to ** perfection. " Land-carriage is hardly required, from the numerous rivers and " streams which pour their waters, in every direction, into the Missis- ** sippi. Add to all this, that the western lands possess an inexhaus- " tible supply of all minerals, only a few feet under the surface of their '• rich soil ; — a singular and wonderful provision, as, in general, where " minerals are found below, the soil is usually arid and ungrateful." Of these mineral products, coal, the most useful of all, is inexhaus- tible ; while no portion of the globe can vie with these regions in the united production (wherever their cultivation has been tried) of tobacco, flax, hemp, wool, silk, grain, fruits, and all those animals most gene- rally used or consumed by man ; and cotton abounds in the adjoining districts. If, therefore, restrictions on commerce oblige the United States to increase their manufactories, no other country possesses an equally concentrated produce of raw material, with all that is needful to con- vert it into the manufactured state ; no country can compete with these States in the supply of cheap food to the mechanic ; for, in the north valley of the Mississippi, provisions are procured at barely half the price at which they are sold in New York and the Eastern States. It appears, therefore, the obvious policy of England, to view without jealousy the rise of this peculiarly favoured country, and to aid in a common effort to advance its agricultural improvements, as if it were a Colony of its own. A probable long duration of peace (which the sentiments expressed by the Premier afford us the most sanguine hopes of), adds to the feasibility, as well as to the expediency, of this measure. In return, we should create a constant marhet for our manufactures, by the very act of relieving ourselves from a portion of that redundant jxjpulation, the support of which now so heavily presses upon our resources, and, in America, convert tbem into consumers of our own productions. Under liberal regulations of commercial policy, ages may still pass before the settlers in these favoured regions, while clearing, on an (( (( (( 1 ures, ndant our own \ averajTc, twcnty-fivo per cent, by tlie plcasin^j; and liealtliful labour of agriculture, will be inclined to abandon the i)lou;rli for the spiiuiing- jenny, or the peacel'ul and healthful cottage for the sufKocating factory, where few would be found to toil but from acquired habits, and conse- quent unfitness lor other occupations.* The facilities of conveyin" emigrants to these localities are now rendered most easy and econo- mical ; for, independent of those afforded by the St. Lawrence to Quebec, daily ojjportnuities occur of obtaining passage in well-ap- pointed vessels to New York, I'hiladelphia, or New Orleans, from which places ready means of transit are at hand, by either of the three main routes. To reach those districts in which the Society first contemplate to settle, easy and daily conveyance, during the ])roper seasons, is to fouiul from New York, by the Hudson Iviver and Erie Canal to Lake Erie, to which point (from New York direct) a railway is now, also, in conrse of Yi\\m\ formation. From thence, by means of steamboats on the lakes, ecpial facilities are allbrded to those, depart- ing from cither shore, to make their point of destination. It may not be improper here to notice the opinion of the same traveller. Captain Marryatt, on the importance to both coimtries of tlie steam conmumication on these lakes (" Diary," page 174, vol. i.) : — " How little are they aware, in Europe, of the vastness and extent " of commerce carried on in tliese inland seas, whose coasts are now " lined with flourishing towns and cities, and whose wat(;rs are ploughed '* by magnificent steamboats, and hundreds of vessels laden with mer- " chandize. Even the Americans themselves are not fully aware of *' the rising importance of these lakes, as connected with the west. *' Since the completion of the Oliio Canal, which enters I^ake Erie " at Cleveland, that town has risen almost as rapidly as Buffalo ; it is " beautifully situated ; it is al)Out six years back since it may be said *' to have commenced its start, and it now contains more than 10,000 •' inhabitants." Again, in speaking of tlie multitude who travel by this route alone^ to the delightful provinces of the west, he says (''Diary," page 137, vol. i.) : — * Were proofs wanting of the truth of this fact, they could not be better attested than by no factories of any kind existing in our Colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, though it is universally known that, perhaps, no countries in the world possess equal advantages for such establishments, boih as to boundless water-power, abundance of coal already won, the absence of ail taxes, building land and materials almost for a gift, and food, from the coast swarming with fish, less than half the price it is here ; added to which, these Colonies being the nearest to our own shores of any part of America, the passage to them by steam is now regularly made in ten or twelve days, yet with all these facilities, joined wuh the capability of making three voyages to the cotton ports, while one can be made to England, not an establishment of the kind is to be found; how is this to be accounted for, than by the conviction that the more pleasing and high-paid labour, held out by the agriculturalist in the United States, would soon entice away all operatives engaged in a factory. 8 } •• It appears from the report sent in, tliat upwards of 100,000 emi- *• grants pass to tlic west every year by the route of the lakes, of which " it i8 estimated that about 30,000 are from Europe, the remainder '• migrating from the Eastern States of the Union." In tlie south and south-eastern direction, still greater nutnbcrs pass to these States (which are now beconjing the great point of attraction), by way of Philadelphia ; whence reaching Pittsburgh by canal, the Ohio, with its countless steamboats, affords instant conveyance to all who are intent on reaching these lands of promise. There is a third route, and one which, at no distant day, will, in all probability, be more usually adopted than any other ; viz., by the numerous vessels which, having landed their cotton cargoes in Europe, return to New Orleans; thence steamers daily ascend the Mississippi, which, as far as its junction with the Ohio, is navigable at all seasons, being (unlike some of the waters above that point) uninfluenced by draugnt or frost. No vessel enters the great commercial port of New Orleans, which could not be towed by steam-tugs to the last-named point. Indeed, the Mist;issippi, up to the city and port of Cairo (for the importance of its position, at the junction of this vast stream with the Ohio, has already caused it to be declared a port of entry by legis- lative enactment), might be more properly termed an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, without its storms, than a river, for steam has now given it the same facilities in navigation as the ocean of which it is the most important tributary. And should the Archimedian principle of pro- pelling vessels be adopted, the largest class of merchant vessel may navigate under canvass to New Orleans, and there, assuming her steam power, proceed to Cairo direct, where she might exchange all that invention can provide for almost all the naturally valuable productions of the earth.* It may here bi stated, that, at this port, wheat could have been delivered free on board, according to the average of last year's prices, at from sixteen shillings to eighteen shillings per quarter, according to quality ; and all other grain and salt provisions in a corresponding ratio. Groceries, in return, can here be delivered at as cheap, if not a cheaper rate, than at almost any port in America, for the supply of Upper Canada, and the northern and western parts of the districts chosen by the society for the first residence of its emigrants. The attraction to the West and Mississippi Valley, has, of late years )een so great, that by the census of population recently taken, six million seven hundred thousand, out of eighteen millions, are I ■ * (9 1; 4 * This power may be said to be already passed from theory to practi'' . . niwe shall soon see the above very practicable hypothesis demonstrated. I i •t; I I m 1 we shall reported as being now settled there. Captain Marryatt sums up liis comments ( n this head, by observing that — " so great is now the '* migration from tlic Kastern to the Western States, that tlie former, '* with the exception of a few towns and cities, can no longer he " expected to increase in population till they experience a rcilux from *♦ exul)erant nuinl)ers in the West." Facts are here adduced of siiilicient weight to convince every impartial reader, tliat no part of the United States could be better chosen for the first operations of the Society than that which natives, as well as strangers, are alike eager to possess. Enough has also been saitl in favour of the Society's choice of location, and a glance at the accompanying skeleton map will clearly demonstrate the judgment dis- played ill its selection. The '})art.s coloured blue show the contcm- plated Jield in the United States ; those red, its fields on the Canadian lake shores. Before entering upon the plan by which the labour of emigrants is to be secured to a given sj)ot, anel which forms the leading feature of novelty in the project before us, it may be well to reply to an antici- pated objection which will probably be started ; viz., that no Emigration Society should receive encouragement here but one exclusively devoting its attention to British possessions. The following remarks upon existing facts, of daily occurrence, will, it is conceived, show the fallacy of such an objection. As stated before, of the emigrants now taken out to British America, more than one-half pass into the United States ; and quite as many go there direct, as to all the British Colonies put together. Can other results be ever expected, while the attractions of the soil and climate are greater, the way ever open, indepcnelent labour certain of remuneration, a common language spoken, and all alike consider themselves as members of one family, though no longer residing under the paternal roof? Why not, then, aid in conveying, at a cheap rate, and establishing in comfort, and with the certainty of a prepared home, those who are intent on emigration, and who, should they fail in attaining their object, will be possibly left (as too many unfortunately now are) almost to perish fi oiti want in their native land, or to impose an enormous charge upon the country in poor-rates ? Do v"."^ gain, nationally speaking, more by the Canadas than by the United States ? Certainly not. The latter purchases more than double the quantity of our manufactures than do all our Western Colo- nies ; and wee we alloweel to receive their grain at a duty of twenty per cent., the same rate which they impose on the entry of our goods, a reciprocal profit ot one-fifth would be left to aid the national revenue of each country; and while such a duty would afford the British agricul- 10 III I turist ample protection, this system would tend, in the highest degree, to improve the declining interests of commerce. Twenty per cent, is here named under an idea that it should be a maximum scale of duti/, being, as conceived, equivalent to about ten shillings a quarter ; and after tl"^ acknowledgment made by ministers, that it is their intention so to rearrange the corn laws as to make their operation accord with the views of commerce, it is not unreasonable to assume that the result will be the imposition of a duty of about this amount.* Our American possessions, though they doubtless produce many advantages, are, financially speaking, held at a loss, constantly making large drafts upon the resources of the mother country ; and tracing back history but to a very recent date, wiP. show us how an at- tempt to impose a trifling tax on teas lost us the fine country which is now the subject of remark. The same impatience cf taxation, or, rather, apprehension of over-protection being given to commerce with friendly nations, was manifestly apprehended by the late Governor of Canada, in his forewarning ministers that, if a trade mutually beneficial was allowed to exist between the Parent States and nations lining the shores of the Baltic, our Canadian child would (from a spirit of rivalry) probably follow the example of her sister on the opposite side of the St. Lawrence. Still no misunderstanding should exist — that when and where fair prosjjecis present themselves, and adequate capital is provided, the So- ciety will readily devote its earnest attention to British America, or any other Colony, however distant. Having now disposed of such observations as are calculated to guide the Society in its choice of location, let us proceed to detail the method by which it is conceived the centralization system may be maintained, and labour at a moderate, butalvvays justly remunerating rate, be easily obtained, and entirely devoted, for a given period, to the rapid advancement of any selected spot. This period should be of sufficient duration to insure the foundation of a village, parish, or township, ac- cording as locality, circumstances, or opportunity may direct ; and where the land required no clearing of timber (as in these districts) two or thioe years should be considered ample. It has become a fact, now notorious to all, what wonderful, not to say miraculous, results the temper;^ nce pledge, administered by the Reverend Father Mathew and the Irish clergy, has wrought upon the peasantry of that country. All witness with wonder, and are lost in admiration of its efficacy. • Though this has not turned out to be fact, it is hoped that the same end may, in some measure, be attained, in an indirect manner, by Sir Robert Peel's bill permitting wheat to pass into Canada ai three shillings duty, and thence (being ground into flour; enter here at five additional. 11 That country, where it was almost considered unmanly, and cer- tainly unsocial, to be habitually sober, is now, by the extraordinary power of the pledge thus administered, become as admirable for the industry and sobriety of its inhabitants, as it was previously noted for their irregular and riotous habits. A solemn pledge given to his parish priest, has had influence suf- ficient to make an Irish peasant forego the enjoyment of a pleasure which, according to his estimate of human happiness, perhaps ranked as its chief ingredient, and the relinquishment of which must, certainly, at first, have been one of the greatest privations he could submit to. Is it for a moment to be believed that this man would less rigidly obrerve a pledge to serve the same pastor, diligently and faithfully, ybr a given period, who should promise to lead him and his family from a land of misery and want, to one where, with fair remuneration for his labour, he would be insured wholesome and abundant food, — a comfortable habi- tation, — and that which is most dear to the heart of every Irishman, how- ever uncultivated, the uninterrupted and peaceful enjoyment of the religion of his forefathers, with the same facilities he enjoyed in his native land ? And what would be required of him, in return, for these unlooked- for blessings ? That he should place his labour, and that of his family, at the disposal of the contemplated Society for a period in no instance exceeding three years, at a rate of wages below those of America, but probably double what he would receive at home, under the most fortu- nate circumstances ; and on a spot, toe, where the same amount of money would purchase him double the quantity of the necessaries of life. Less could not be expected by the Society in return for a free passage and transit to the location first assigned to these emigrants, and where a comfortable and suitable dwelling would be provided for them. Several of the most distinguished of the Irish clergy have con- sented to administer this pledge as a reward to such as have strictly observed that of temperance ; fully believing that, in so doing, they would be consulting the best interests of their people, provided it 7vas arranged that a Catholic pastor should always accompany each body of emigrants, unless the intended location already possessed a Catholic church and resident clergyman. Who shall doubt that those who have observed one pledge to forego an enjoyment with such scrup dous exactitude, will not as religiously adhere to the other with its evident advantages ? Little difficulty can attend the working of such a system where the wants, dispositions, and inclinations of their flocks are so well known to the pastor, as is the case in Ireland. He has been constantly habituated to watch over those committed to his care, with the most 12 patient and unremitting attention ; to minister to their necessities ; arrange their differences ; and, in the hour of affliction, sickness, and deatli, to be tlie hearer of that consolation which comes only from Him who said — •* I know my sheep, and my sheep know me." A pledge made to Him will be as surely kept in the distant land as if it were only to be observed at home. Self-interest alone (setting aside the ties of conscience and gratitude) would secure the strict observance of the pledge required ; for, as stated before, nature would in no instance, be forced, and the principle of the Society would be to place the emigrant on a soil which he would never be anxious to quit, by making choice of such onbj as accord with the foregoing descriptions, where little remains to he done hut to take possession and enjoy. The profit- able results of this system to the Society would be very great, and it would bring increase of wealth and numberless advantages to the country of their adoption ; and, what is still more gratifying, would, whilst providing for the temporal wants of thousands, introduce religion and instruction into a country where both are sure to meet with the most liberal encouragement. It is foreign to the objects of the author to reason on the details which should govern the Corn Bill, more than to show how restriction, as at present existing, fetters commerce, and how a judicious alteration, connected with the proposed Emigration Society, might relieve it with- out the slightest detriment to the agriculturist. No crop which could be grown in these districts of America would remunerate for exportation, with the exception of wheat, hemp, flax, or such oil seeds as are bui partially cultivated in England, and for which, with the exception of wheat, she is mainly dependant on countries whose taxation on our manufactures amounts almost to prohibition. The distance would entirely preclude the exportation of fresh meat ; and when no such rivalry need be apprehended, what is there to fear from a moderate importation of wheat, while all animal food here commands such high prices as it now does and must continue to do, since meat fit for our market is proportionately dear and scarce in all ports of the Continent near of access to Great Britain? With this safeguard, why should not the British and Irish farmer and landlord, instead of giving themselves up to despondency at seeing wheat imported, turn their attention to crops of a more profitable nature, less capricious in their growth, or expensive in their culture ; and, in following the laws of nature congenial to our climate, mainly attend to animal and dairy productions. No better proof need be adduced of the superior advantages of this system, than that meat now, and during the late periods of distress (though its use may be said to be confined to a limited class), has com- •m ■ 13 ■'# ■'■''J, "# manded an enormous price, indeed, out of all proportion to grain ; while it is, at the same time, equally true, that its use in prosperous times increases so much in cities and manufactoring towns, that its consumption then almost amounts to profusion ; and in what increased ratio would this aet, if a greater manufacturing population could be p)rofitahly emploi/ed ! Again, it is no speculative matter to assert that the landed interest is convinced of the superiority of this mode of agriculture, hecause it is fully proved by the present request for farms where the four-course system has been followed and considered practicable. By tiiis method, two crops out of four, turni^)s and seeds, are de- voted entirely to animal use, while barley (which may be called the vine of this country) mainly administers nourishment to man in the shape of beverage, or in improving the condition of that most useful animal, the pig, from the enjoyment of whose benefits the poor are happily less excluded than from other viands. Oats divide a share in the same appropriations, and their residue, with beans, peas, tares, form the food of the horse and other animals ; while the straw of both is the main stay of the fold-yard, and their grain in these climates generally makes up in bulk for the extra price of more tender, costly, and precarious wheat. Again, pasture and meadow land bespeak the landlord's knowledge of their superior value by always commanding a higher rent than arable ; and were other proofs still wanting, they could not be better shown than by the heavy penalties which attach in all leases to defiling them with the plough. Would it not also as well remunerate to grow more hem.p, flax, and other plants, suited to the strong lands, where the necessity of fallow- ing interrupts the four-course system, instead of favouring those coun- tries which deny entry, in a manner, to all our manufactures ? Such is the universal course of husbandry in France, Belgium, and all the parts of the Continent ; and why not, when these productions form such large articles of import, allow the entry of wheat with equal facility, at least, under equitable restrictions ; for the growth of one may be said to be as congenial to our climate as the other ? In thus selecting the Irish agricultural population as emigrants on the proposed plan, attention has been paid to three facts ; first, that a knowledge of agriculture (in a greater or less Improved state) is com- mon to all the world, and requires little or no apprenticeship, or pecu- liar skill in the labourer ; secondly, that these people have sacredly kept a pledge to their pastor, and, therefore, may ba again trusted ; and, thirdly, that were this pledge- system to extend to our manufacturing artisans, so far from deriving a benefit from their emigration, we should 14 h injure the parent country ; for with their persons they would not only export their craft, but, if success attended first efforts, it would pro- uuce numerous followers of the same class (with strong feelings of past suffer'rgs brooding in their minds), who, eventually, might have weight enough in the scale of jealousy and democracy to exclude English manufactures from the United States, and thus, with our best operative talent, endeavour to monopolize to themselves the benefits of com- merce as well as of agriculture. It appears to be certainly our interest to plant a market for our manufactures ; and, to insure its taking them off our hands, by imposing no higher tax on the produce of the soil of America than may be com- mensurate with the ad valorem duty levied by the United States on our exports. The experiment, at least, would be a safe one if extended to that country only ; for grain would never be transported thither, for the sake of the licensed entry, from European ports. Why not, therefore, in reference to the proposed system, divest ourselves of all national jealousy ? — The Americans are our especial brethren ; and though circumstances have broken the tie of allegiance, we may yet be more mutually useful than if they had remained our fellow subjects ; and while united, allied, and dependant on each other in commerce, we might hid defiance to the world. Religious pre- judices should also be abandoned in the prosecution of this plan, for true Christian charity knows no distinction of creed ; and it must be distinctly understood that no pledge would be given by the poorest Irish to locate in spots unprovided with chapels and clergy of their own religion, and without which their labour would be unattainable ; there- fore, the requisite funds for the maintenance and education of priests, and the support of churches, must be provided out of the resources of the Society. Without this arrangement the scheme would prove abor- tive, and it would be highly reprehensible and dishonest to administer the pledge. Those who have watched the movements of the bee have seen the young swarm, on leaving the hive (alike the perfect emblem of industry and colonization) in which they were generated, moving from place to place in restless confusion, till, arrested by some cause, not apparent, the mass of settlers clings to some distant bough, unpre- pared with, and unable to provide, a ne " home. The cottager, with anxious care to secure the services of these industrious labourers — perhaps the main support of his family — has prepared a new habitation for them ; but old experience has taught him, that without securing the centre of attraction (the roaming queen), his efforts to retain her follow- ers must be in vain. When she is placed in the new dwelling, then, and not till then, does this young colony settle in a state of tranquillity, and betake itself cheerfully to its useful labours, creating a fresh store of 1 1 1 15 for wealth ; while the parent hive, to all appearance, has suffered no dimi- nution of its strength and powers of production. The religion of his forefathers and his parish priest are the Irish- man's centre of attraction, and his queen bee. The cottager's success is in increasing tiie number of his liives, and thus his wealtli depends on their possession. In like manner you may locate the Irisli ; you may pledge them to tem])erance, to residence in a fixed spot, to give their labour at a fixed price, and entirely to carry out the Society's plan ; but if you expect those pledges to be rigidly and strictly adhered to, you must provide tliem with a place of worship, and a pastor ; you must afford them the peaceful and uninterrupted enjoyment of the prac- tices of religion, according to their ancient creed. Without resident pastors they cannot be retained to give that labour, on a fixed loca- tion, which would otherwise be so cheerfully bestowed. The great advantage to be derived by capitalists, from the exertions of their Irish Catholic brethren, in converting uncultivated into fertile and profitable lands, can never be diminished by any apprehension of mistrust arising from religious prejudice. The increase of tranquillity, and decrease of crime, in Ireland, have kept pace with the greater or less confidence reposed in its Catholic people. During periods of dis- tress, which have been incidental to manufacturing districts in England, the Irish inhabitants, now forming a considerable portion of their popu- lation, have, under the guidance of their own clergy, shown the brightest examples of patience and resignation, whilst suffering under the pres- sure of the severest want and distress. Let the employers in these districts consider if such results could have been produced (when Irish labour was indispensable), without affording to these operatives the means of practising their religion. Why not, then, when this description of labour overstocks the market, render it available, in opening new sources of wealth, and in the conse- quent revival of domestic commerce by the same instrumentality ? Let the rich and enterprising, of all denominations, lay aside alike national and reUgious prejudices, and only establish, in practical work- ing, upon the fertile valleys of America, the same engine of power which enabled Glasgow to rank as the second city in the British domi- nions, assured that the sweat of the Irishman's brow will not fail to produce corresponding profitable results. Nor will the enlightened citizens of the United States, or the English capitalist who may be dis- posed to embark in this undertaking, have any cause to regret that an increase of Catholicity accompanied a great increase of national and individual wealth. Glasgow has been adduced as an example of this position ; for, like most of the rising cities of America, it owes its advancement to an 16 excellent commercial location— one that would amply repay the labour and capital laid out on its design, in the construction of docks, wharfs, factories, and all other necessary establishments of commerce. The demand for labour, in its various works and improvements, exceeded the means of supply afforded even by Scotland, populous and indus- trious as she is allowed to be ; and the employment of the redundant population of Ireland was absolutely necessary to complete those great operations, which could not have been otherwise accomplished. The followers of John Knox had certainly no natural predilection for the reli'Hon of the Irish ; but their labour was indispensable ; and the scale of interest weighing down that of religious prejudice, enabled the enterprising inhabitants of Glasgow to reap the profits of their well- arranged calculations. Wages beyond expenditure, and constant employment for a given period, were the necessary consequences. The Irishman's first care was then, what it is now and ever will be, to devote what little surplus remained after the frugal wants of nature were satisfied, voluntarily to aid in the support of his pastor, and to assist him in the construction of a temple dedicated to the worship of the God who had thus conferred on him means exceeding what his ne- cessities required. Fortunately, judicious financial arrangement, skilful and tasteful architecture, produced a church (like the cathedrals of old) calculated to inspire religious veneration, and capacious enough for the then existing congregation. The number, however, thanks to God, and to the riches flowing in upon their wealthy employers, has now increased to more than 80,000 in this city and its vicinity, and other Catholic churches and pastors have been, and still will be, the natural consequence. Thus has Heaven, in its own time, once more made the poor its instruments for again introducing into our large towns and cities that religion which tlie first humble apostles were instructed to teach to all nations and to all people, and, in this particular instance, restoring those altars to the original faith, the very memory of which the destructive spirit of puritanism in former days conceived it had obliterated for ever. We here see how the interests of commerce and the pursuit of wealth, passing through the filtration of Irish labour wave produced effects which the ignorant attribute alone to a rich priesthood and a wealthy aristocracy. In like manner, to the pence of these poor Irish are mainly attri- butable the splendid Catholic churches which have risen up in Liver- pool, Manchester, Birmingham, and our other great manufacturing cities, to say nothing of how their multiplied mites contributed to the erection of 17 IS ne- the Catliolic cathedral in Moorfiekls ; and tlie progress now making in rearini^ the niaguilic'ent chmxli in the Borough (notwithstanding the awful distress at present so severely pressing on the poor) is greatly attributable to the same cause.* By the method and regulations contemplated by this Society (as the prospectus which is to guide its oj)eration will Adly detail), all direct contributions for such object from any class of society will be avoided ; and it is expected that the fertile soil of America will, with the aid of Irish labour, produce a combination of results highly remunerating to subscribers, much gratification to the friends and supporters of the Catholic religion, and no more regret with those whom prejudice may perchance have biassed against its introduction, than is now felt by those in this country who, in making Irish Catholic labour a stepping- stone to wealth, have simultaneously introduced the knowledge of the true principles which govern its religion, and which will naturally be the more appreciated as it becomes more generally diffused. That they will be viewed without alarm, nay, even held in estima- tion, in the western parts of the United States, cannot be doubted, on reading the annexed extracts from Captain Marryatt's interesting " Diary :"— (see vol. iii., pp. 157—164.) *' If the Protestant cause is growing weaker every day from disunion "and indifference, there is one creed which is as rapidly gaining strength. ** I refer to the Catholic church, which is silently, but surely, advancing. " Though it is not forty years since the first Roman Catholic see was " created, there is now in the United States a Catholic population of " 800,000 souls, under the government of the pope, an archbishop, "twelve bishops, and 433 priests. The number of churches is 401 ; "mass-houses, about 300; colleges, 10; seminaries for young men, 9; " theological seminaries, 5 ; noviciates for Jesuits, monasteries, and "convents, with academies attached, 31; -eminaries for young ladies, " 30 ; schools of the sisters of charity, 29 ; an academy for coloured "girls at Baltimore; a female infant school, and seven Catholic news- " papers. " Its great Jicld is in the West, where, in some states, almost all are " Catholics; or, fr . i neglect and ignorance, altogether indifferent as to " religion. The Cuth lie priests are diligent, and make a large number " of converts every yv. t ; and the Catholic population is added to by the " number of Irish and German emigrants to the West, who are almost " all of them of the Catholic persuasion." * What responsibility will attach to the rich in the eye of heaven, if, with such bright examples before them, they neelect to rival the laudable endeavours of their humble brethren ! The resident clergy nave done much in aid, indeed more than could have been expected from their limited means of support ; other classes, in all grades of society, have also handsomely contributed, but the main supjAy has been drawn from the sources already mentioned. 18 i Captain Marryatt also gives a quotation, in liis remarks on religion, from Miss Martineau's observations. •' The Catholics of the country, tliinkinus to find a rever- " sion in this new world ; the crowned heads of the continent having " the same enmity to free political institutions which his holiness has " to free religious institutions, willingly unite in the attempt to enthral " this people. •' They have heard of the necessities of the West. They have the " foresight to see, that the West will become the heart of the country, " and ultimately determine the character of the whole ;* and they have " resolved to establish themselves there. Large, yea, princely grants " have been made from the Leopold Society, and other sources, chiefly, * Losing sight of spiritual considerations, how clearly, in a temporal point of view, does this observation bespeak the district chosen by this Society as the most certain to realize all anticipated results. 1 hang 19 " though by no means exchisivdy, in favour of this portion of the *' empire that is to be. These sums are expended in ereciing showy •' churches and coHeges, and in sustaining priests and emissaries; every- " thing is done to captivate, and lo liberalise in appearance a system ** essentially despotic." M. De Tocqueville, noticing the same subject, draws very different conclusions as to the influence of the Catholic religion on the free institutions of the United States. " I think that the Catholic religion ** has been erroneously looked upon as the natural enemy of democracy. " Among the various sects of Christians, Catholicism seems to me, on " the contrary, to be one of those which are most favourable to equa- " lity of conditions. In the Catholic church, the religious conmiunity •* is comnosed of only two elements — the priest and the people. The " priest alone rises above the rank of his flock, and all below him are " equal. On doctrinal points, the Catholic faith places all human ** capacities upon the same level. '* It subjects tlio wise and the ignorant, the man of genius and the " vulgar crowd, to the details of the same creed. " It imposes the same observances upon the rich and the needy ; it ** inflicts the same austerities upon the strong and the weak ; it listens " to no compromise with mortal man ; but, reducing all the human race " to the same standard, it confounds all the distinctions of society at " the foot of the same altar, even as they are confounded in the sight of '* God. If Catholicism predisposes the faithful to obedience, it certainly " does not prepare them for inequality; but the contrary may be said of " Protestanism, which generally tends to make men independent, more " than to render them equal." "The Voice from America" traces the influence of Catholicity to the same sources, and, in a very exaggerated strain, remarks — " The Roman Catholic church bids fair to rise to importance in ** America. Thoroughly democratic as her members are, being com- " posed, for the most part, of the lowest orders of European population, " transplanted to the United States with a fixed and implacable aversion '* to everything bearing the name and in the shape of monarchy, the " priesthood are accustomed studiously to adapt themselves to this *' state of feeling, being content with that authority that is awarded to •* their office by their own communicants and members." In addition to these quotations, the witty and shrewd Halliburton (to whom Captain Marryatt briefly alludes), without attributing the increase of Catholicism to other causes than those consequent on the great subdivision of Christian sects in America, thus, through his as- sumed facetious oracle, Sam Slick, gives his predictions respecting its future advance :— (see vol. i., page 290.) T 20 " My poor father used to say — ' Sam, mind what I tell you ;--if a man don't a;;rec in all particulars with his church, and can't go the whole hog with 'em, he ain't justified on that account, no how, to se- parate from diem, for, Sam, schism is a sin in the eye of God. The whole Christian world,' he would say, ' is divi(U;d into two great fa- mihes, the Catholic and Protestant. Well, the Catholic is a united family, a happy family, and a strong family, all governed hy one head, and, Sam, as sure as eggs is eggs, that are family will grub out t'other one, stalk, branch, and root ; it won't so much as leave the seed of it in the ground, to grow by chance as a nateral curiosity. Now the Protestant family is like a bundle of refuse shingles when withered up together (which it never was, and never will be, to all etarnity), no great of a bundle arter all ; you might take it up under one arm, and walk off with it without wiiikin'. But when all lyin' loose, as it always is, jist look at it, and see what a sight it is, all blowin' about by every wind of doctrine, some away up een a'most out of sight, others rollin' over and over in the dirt, some split to pieces, and others so warped by the weather and cracked by the sun, no two of 'em will lie so as to make a close jint. They are all divided into sects, — railin', quarrellin', separatin', and agreein' in nothin' but hatin' each other. It is awful to think on. Toiher family will, some day or other, gather them up, put them into a bun- dle, and bind them up tight, and condemn 'em as fit for nothin' under the sun but the fire. Now he who splits one of these here sects by schism, or he who preaches schism, commits a grievous sin ; and, Sam, if you vally your own peace of mind, have nothing to do with such folks.'" Again, in a supposed conversation between Sam and a deposed Protestant minister, whose amiable character is so beautifully portrayed in the person of Mr. Hopewell : — "•This is too excitin' a subject,' said I, 'minister, and admits of a ' great deal bein' said on both sides. It ain't worth our while to get ' warm on it. As for an established church,' said I, < you know what ♦ a hubbub they make in England to get clear of that are. I don't • think we need envy 'em, unless they'll establish our platform. If ' they did that; said [, and I looked up and winked, ' I don't know ' as I wouldn't vote for it myself.' « Sam,' said he, ' we are a-goin' * to have an established church ; it may be a very good church, and is ' a great deal better than many we have, but still it ain't the church of ' the pilgrims.' * What church,' said I, ' minister?' * Why,' said he, ' ' the Catholic church. Before long it will be the established church * of the United States.' Poor old man ! only think of his getting ' such a freak as that are in his head ; it was melancholy to hear him I 4t < t( t( 81 •• talk such nonsense, warn't it ? ' What makes you think so?' said I, \Vljy,' said he, *Saui, the majority, here, do everything. The ma- jority voted at first agamst an estabHshnient ; a majoritv may at hist •• vote for it ; the voice of the majority is law. Now the Catholics are •' fast gainin' a numerical majority. Don't you believe census or other •* tables ? I know it, and I could easily correct the errors of the census. ** * They gain constantly ; — they gain more by emigration, more by "natural increase in proportion to their numbers, more by intermar- " riages, adoption, and conversion, than the Protestants. With their "exclusive views of salvation, and pecidiar tenets, as soon as they have the majority this becouies a Catiiolic country, with a Catholic govern- •* ment, with the Catholic religion established by law. Is this a great change ? A greater change has taken pUice among the British, the " Medes and Persians of Europe, the iwlumus leges mutari people. " What, then, will the natural order and progress of events now in train " here not produce I I only speak of this — I don't dread it. I hope and •' trust and pray that it may be so ; not because I think them right, ior I " don't, but because they are a Christian church, an old church, a consistent " church, and because it is a church, and any sect is better than the " substitution of a cold, sp;:culative philosophy for religion, as we see " too frequently among us. We are too greedy to be moral, too self- " sullicieat to be pious, and too independent to be religious. United " under one head, and obedient to that head, with the countenance and *' aid of the whole Catholic world, what can they not achieve? Yes, it " is the only cure that time and a kind and merciful Providence has in " store for us. We shall he a Catholic country.'' " (Vol. ii., page 240.) We may not unreasonably draw a favourable conclusion from the foregoing remarks, as to the reception Catholicity will meet with in this free and enlightened country. At the same time, every reader will doubtless remark how singularly learned and thinking men (and ali, with the exception of M. De Tocqueville, professing Protestantism), form the same conclusion as to a final result, however they may differ as to the bias or influence which Catholicity will hereafter have on po- litical institutions ; and while one reasoner conceives it will tend to a levelling system, like that formerly professed by Puritans and Round- heads, the other traces its future tendency as conducive only to the extreme of absolutism and tyranny, vulgarly supposed to be insepara- ble from monarchical government. Without drawing any conclusions as to either result, every one must know that the Catholic, like every other Christian religion, wherever it is practised according to the spirit of the gospel, cannot fail, in its influence, to soften the manners of society, and to curb the spirit of pride which denies respect to superior authority, or tends to a belief 8S § that wc were created to be intUpenilent of each other., — ideas unfortu- nately too common in the early stages of democracy. The voluntary system of religion, happily existing in the United States, imposes on the Catholic clergyman, as well as on the clergy of every other creed, the strongest necessity of regtdating his own conduct hy the strictest observance of every moral and social virtue, attended with a corresponding watchfulness over his flock. A dereliction from these duties would at once involve a loss of re- spect from a Catholic, as from any other Christian congregation, and with it, couipromise the previous sources of temporal support. With these observations we shall dismiss the comments on religion above referred to; and without attempting to dive into the destinies of a dis- tant futurity, they amply remove all present doubts that the Catholic will (lud, in this unprejudiced country, all the freedom he could desire. A suspicion cannot, however, lielp entering the mind, that one of these connnentators at least, looking at religion in a speculative point of view, conceived its nn'nistry as hardly worth followiu'^, where such vigilance and privations were to be more its attendants than rich temporal glean- ings, derivable from its congregations. Leaving aside all spirit of prophecy, and merely arguing from past events in Europe, an established religion should seem to be far more likely to follow in the train of monarchy and a rich oligarchy, than to receive its birth in a free country. The clergy are naturally the friends of the poor and the people ; and, while acting under the proper influence of religion, these necessarily acquire the strongest affection for each other, which causes higher au- thorities immediately to look to the priesthood as a connecting link between them and the community ; and one so necessary in upholding power and dignity, that it is far more probable (notwithstanding the existing prejudice against Catholicity) an attempt will be made here to proclaim the Catholic church the established religion of Ireland, than that such an event should occur in the United States ; but let it happen in either, the effects would be equally prejudicial. Let us now consi- der how the system may be brought to bear in our own Colonies. In Australia and New Zealand nothing would be easier, if adequate funds for the export of emigrants were at the disposal of the Society ; but these, without extraneous aid from Government, or some of the rich land associations of these Colonies, it hardly presumes to hope for. In Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward's Island, much might be done ; but the unceded and uncultivated lands in these pro- vinces, as well as in the Canadas, are more or less covered with timber ; and where the cultivation of land must, from necessity, follow its clear- ance, the progress of agriculture will be slow in the proportion of at 23 least fifty to one to wliat it would be in a prairie country (such as cha- racteri/es the provinces already described in the United istutes), and thus prevent the (niick resale of land broujrht into the fit ,*. ..taj^es of culture, /rom whicli source the profits of this Society '-ill be tutircly derived. The Association will not fail, however, in conjunction with these provinces, to have all liritish Aiiierica carefully surveyed ; and from information received, it appears that the int'Tvale lands of New Bruns- wick and Nova Scotia are so well adaptcnl to the {growth of hemp and flax, as to afford hopes, where the land is cleared, that the Irish peasantry (so well vera^'d in their cultivation) may, by the apj)lication of their labour in this condensed form, soon produce enou<^h to make these crops important articles of export ; thouj^h wheat can, probably, be never grown with suflicient advantage in these regions to enable it to enter into competition with that of the United States. The Canadas, however, and particularly the Upper Province, must always be considered in unison with the rich districts on the southern shores of its western lakes; for, to the latter, both migration and emigration are alike flowing in 30 fust, that its tide, turn when it may, will, ])robably, first revolve on the lake shores of Uj)per Canada; for Capt. Marryatt says (vol. ii., p. 24), " 1 consider Upper Canada, " on the whole, as the finest portion of all North America. In America, " every degree of longitude which you proceed west, is equal to a de- " gree of latitude to the southward in increasing the mildness of the " temperature." The fine portion of America here alluded to, is only separated from the districts which will form the first object of the Society's attention in the United States by lakes, of which the most westerly are p'aced in that degree of longitude corresponding to the mildness of climate mentioned by Capt. Marryatt, and which are consequently not frozen over in the winter so as to impede navigation. The railways, and other means of transit, now under form*^ on in the north- west states of the Union, will, therefore, keep open a Iik of communi- cation, whether as a vent for produce, or to afford facility of approach for emigrants and travellers with the gulf of Mexico ; while the eastern lakes and river St. Lawrence, which now afford the great exit of produce from the Canadas, are closed by ice for nearly four months of the most important period for thrashing out corn and conveying it to market. Independent of these considerations, and the gratification of work- ing out this system in our own Colonies, the Catholic emigrant will meet, both in Upper and Lower Canada, with the same encouragement as in the western states of the Union ; indeed, the Catholic religion in o\, I 111 A (( (( Lower Canada is more or less tlie state religion of the country, while in Upper Canada the great influx of Irish has led to the establishment of a bisliopric in its capital, and Catholic churches exist in every town; and the estimation in which both French and Irish Catholics are held l)v her Majesty's Government, cannot be better delineated than in Lord Durham's able report on British America, while vested with supreme autliority in those Colonies. Lord Durham s:.js (p. 97) — *' The Frencli Canadians were exclusively Catholics, and their " church has been left in possession of the endowments which it had at " the Conquest. The right to tithe is enjoyed by their priests ; but, as it is limited by law to lands, of which the proprietor is a Catholic, the priest loses . is tithe the moment that an estate passes, by sale "^ or otherwise, into the hands of a Protestant. ** This enactment, which is at variance with the true spirit of na- " tional endowments for religious purposes, has a natural tendency to " render the clergy averse to the settlement of Protestants in the " seigniories ; but die Catholic priesthood of this province have, to a " very remarkable degree, conciliated the good-will of persons of all " creeds ; and I know of no parochial clergy in the world whose prac- " tice of all the Christian virtues, and zealous discharge of their clerical " duties, are more universally admitted, and have been productive of " more beneficial consequences. " Possessed of incomes sufficient, and even large, according to the " notions entertained in the coimtry, and enjoying the advantage of *• education, they have lived on terms of equality and kindness with " the humblest and least instructed inhabitants of the rural districts. " Intimately acquainted with the wants and charact^^rs of their neigh- " hours, they have been the promoters Rnd dispensers of charity, and " the effectual guardians of the morals of the people ; and, in the ** general absence of any permanent institutions of civil government, " the Catholic church has presented almost the only semblance of sta- " bility and organization, and furnished the only effectual suppor* for " civilization and order. " The Catholic clergy of Lower Canada are entitled to this ex- " pression of my esteem, not only because it is founded on truth, but " because a grateful recognition of their eminent services in resisting " the arts of the disaffected is especially due to them from one who •* has administered the government of the province in these troubled " times." In speaking of the Catholics in the Upper Province, Lord Durham equally extols their loyalty, and regrets how, even there, the bad and vulgar taste of party persecution should, through the medium of f- 25 ex- but '■■} Orange lodges, Imvo sown the seeds of discord, and prevented the dis- tribution of equal rights and privih?ges. His lordship, with that spirit of justice which is the distinguishing mark of an elevated mind, thus indignantly expresses himself: — *' The Catliolics constitute at least one-fifth of the whole population " of Upper Canada. Their loyalty was most generally and unequivo- " cally exhibited at the late outbreak. Nevertheless, it is said tlu y " are wholly excluded from all share in the government of the country ** and the patronage at its disposal." " In Upper Canada," says Mr. Manaiian. " there never was one "Irish Koman Catholic an executive or legislative counsellor; nor has " one been ever appointed to any public situation of emolument and " profit in the colony. " The Irish Catholics complain very loudly and justly of the exist- " ence of Orangeism in this Colony. They are justly indignant tiiat, in "a province which their loyalty and bravery have materially contributed '* to save, their feelings are outraged by the symbols and processions " of this Association." The evils which are here so much deplored by his lordship, the Catholics confidently hope and trust will no more be countenanced by her Majesty's present advisers, after their professions of ruling with equal justice, than they were by their predecessors in office ; and that such despicable means of disturbing harmony and disgracing civilization will, in future, be unknown, whether in our own Colonies or at home. Should, however, the future conduct of some incorrigible bigots ever again attempt to introduce the repudiated system of ruling by per- secution and the sword, it will be some consolation to think that this Society li7is opened the door to a free and fertile land, where religious persecutions and distinctions, and the fear of want, may be said to be equally impossible. It is sincerely hoped that few may ever have cause to quit our na- tive shores v^ith feelings of injury or resentment, which a departure under such circumstances must occasion ; but that, like dutiful children qi'ittmg the roof of a kind and tender parent, no longer able to support io large a family, they will all, not orly take an affectionate leave, but promise, if circumstances allow, ever to cherish past recollections by a mutual interchange of redundant productions, and thus with such useful reminiscences soften the regrets of distant separation. It has been already stated that, by the leading principles governing the investments of this Society, it will, in no instance, whether in our own Colonies, or in the United States, purchase larger tracts of land in any one district than its financial resources can bring into the first stages D 26 of cultivation, nr • will it invite over enn'grants until employment and a home await then* arrival.* By this method it will not only return quick profits, but also avoid the jealousy, natmally to be expected in a foreign country, of any at- tempt to monopolize large tracts of land. It is therefore proposed to effect sales at periods probably never exceeding three years from the date of the original purchase, or, in fine, when the advancement made in improvement may warrant a handsome profit, merely retaining within each township the land on which the temporary Catholic church shall have been erected, the house of its minister, the schoolliouse, and such a quantity of glebe land as the Society ,nay hereafter determine. Taking the data of profit which this would afford from the best sources of inf)rmation, however great it may appear, it is probably not overrated, if stated at 100 per cent, per annum on all previous outlay ; that is, while constant purchasers, as heretofore, flow in from the East. In the United States, at this period, no system hitherto devised could produce so rapid and systematic a revival of national wealth, or more effectually enable each State to acquit those debts which the vast resources of their country warranted them in contracting, in anticipa- tion of large annual returns from railways, canals, and great public works, no7v left incomplete and profitless, solely from a want of more capital. After paying to the proprietors a dividend of eight per cent., it is proposed that the Society should not contemplate making any greater division of profits, but that it should r'^nvest all its surplus in further augmentation of capital. By these means a constant inr-ease of land will be always advancing in a state of improvement, and, besides adding to the wealth of the Society, be an equal efficient assistance in exporting pauperism from the Parent State. The success of this Institution is (as already explained), from its very nature, mainly dept-ndant on a supply of missionaries, to keep pace with its advancement, and therefore a portion of the proceeds of every re- sale will be set aside as a fund for their educatiim, and another part will also be alio *ed to siqjport charitable endowments, and the educa- tion of the pooi. The dividend to the proprietors (to the exten:; of eight per cent.) always to take precedence of any other division of profits. -j" * It is conceived that, by this system, a wholesome check will, eventually, be placed to the Irish passing to America without previous forethought; and that, by their waiting the benefits of this Institution, any excess in emigration prejudicial to the Parent State will bp more guarded against than accelerated, though such an event, while peace continues, can hurdly be contensplated as possible. f With the exception of interest on debentures, should any money be advanced to the Society by way of loan, instead of by purchase of shares. 27 These will form the leading rules of the financial o])erati()ns of the Society, but vvliich a prospectus will hereafter detail in a more business- like shape. In obtaining purchasers of estates or farms, tliere seems every reason to hope that, beyond those heretofore found in the Union, many will be procured in our own country, where it is obvious that, from the increase in population among all classes, employment and pro- vision for younger branches of genteel families are daily becoming as necessary as for those to whom poverty is no shame. Wealth is solely regulated by competency in every station ; national custom expecting, generally, from persons of all classes, an expenditure more according with their rank in society, than proportioned to their means of defraying it. Thus is the measure of human happiness duly weighed in the scales of equality ; and a prize in the great lottery of human life, mamly dependant on the choice of a partner, deciding alike the crite- rion of enjoyment and relief from care, is far more likely to be drawn by the industrious labourer, mechanic, or tradesman, than by bim who may justly be called the poor among the rich ; or by one whose habits and education but too often leave him to wish in vain for the rational contentment seldom denied to his inferiors in rank. The latter, hardly before youth has advanced to manhood, easily finds a healthy and contented partner to share his toil : his wife and hip rising family are regarded as his comforts, his wealth, and his helpmates ; anxiety is a stranger to his dwelling, while sickness is absent, and while his time is occupied by constant and justly remu- nerating labour. Contrast this with the position of those of the other class, under con- stant disappointment, while looking in vain f-^ -employment suited to their station in society ; and then let it be candidly considered if the benefits contemplated by this Association, in its second stages, would not be as great with regard to one grade of society as to the other. This latter class, from a natural, and in no way blamable, wish to maintain appearances usually expected from their rank, may be fairly said to be intrinsically, perhaps, poorer than the husbandman or mechanic, and, therefore, to stand as much in need of relief. The right of primogeniture, prevailing in this country, renders all equally anxious, upon the acquirement of wealth, to become th^ foun- ders of families. Whether rank can be added or not, the possession of a country resi- dence and domain are considered indispensable ; and, in their mainte- nance, large and heavy charges are incurred. If the estate be small, how dearly does the favoured first-born pay for his right of inheritance; but, passing him over in silence, let us give our attention to the condition of 28 (III ■III; 'I •I 991 his brothers and sisters, and reflect upon what slender means they are expected to support their now-acknowledged position in society. How much better would it be that, in lieu of merely dragging on an exist- ence, under privations which almost involve a sense of degradation, they should, with their scanty patrimony, emigrate to lands where their presence would be welcomed, their small capital produce a hand- some return, and where die dead weight of distinctions in local rank would not clog their efforts in the acquirement of honourable indepen- dence ? Were this system of emigration followed up by the class here alluded to, they would act as leaders in inspiring confidence in the plan amongst the poorer emigrants, whilst their better education and refined manners would give a tone to the rising society of the new country of their adoption. The practice of the law or learned professions is already over- stocked by men of talent, whose exertions to advance are but too often futile; and whose energies are broken by despair, or diverted by disappointment into channels, not only useless, but preju- dicial to society and to themselves. War is now made upon paper ; numerous protocols and lengthened negociations wear out the spirit of enmity, and promotion in the army or navy becomes every day less frequent. Church preferment grows but slowly ; and its hitherto tempting endowments rest upon a very precarious basis. The emolu- ments derivable from the two last, are but a life-interest at best, and seldom proportioned to the attainment of ease, and the expected com- forts of life, till the days of enjoyment are passed away. Commerce is but little suited to the habits of the aristocracy ; and unless a law, like that in Fiance, was enacted, which would limit responsibility to subscribed capital, must naturally be engaged in with great circumspection by those who live upon the hopes of future con- tingencies. Under these circumstances, and to all whose views lead them to seek employment of this description, the proposed system is a boon which should be gladly accepted ; while the plan, if cheerfully carried out, would soon show, as its results, their having acquired an honourable independence, and all the advantages of life enjoyed by their elder brethren, while raising the country of their choice to a rank, in the scale of civilization, equal to that of their native lanci. How many a younger son, unable in earlier life to find suitable employment, passes the prime of youth, and of existence, in useless vegetation (as a sort of half boarder with the head of his family), a round of tiresome visits, or the lounging idleness of a club-house. Thus does one who, on leaving college, would have willingly adopted any line of life leading to the acquirement of independence, by the attainment of apparently cheap luxuries, become insensible to the M 29 necessity of self-exertion. His mind becomes selfish, and the idea of retaining existing comforts is far preferable to risking marriage, without the acquirement of such fortune as would involve no privation of luxu- ries formerly enjoyed. This style of feeling is naturally, and with more excuse, soon acquired by youths entering the army, navy, and many other professions ; and thus the female branches of families in the same class of society, though possessing beauty and every accomplish- ment which nature and a costly education can bestow, have, unless they be the fortunate partners of heirs apparent, but a slender chance of settling in their own rank of life. If rank and beauty, with- out the gifts of fortune, are given in marri.')"-e as a set-off against great disproportion in age, or a like dissimilar"^ of position in society, aldiough such alliances may be recommended by parents or friends with the best intentions, yet how mistaken are often such estimates of human happiness ! Are not the difficulties, therefore, in the way of contracting marriage in early life, between those of the same rank, solely attributable to over-population, and to the utter impossibility of the combined fortunes of a young couple, say from £1,000 to £5,000, enabling them to possess, in the marriage-state, the comforts, or to maintain the appearance, expected from them in their respective classes? The Society proposes to remove the obstacles which now deter such parties from emigrating, by 'preimring land, and (whenever such may be demanded) suitable residences for them; and dien how many, with a very moderate fortune — no more than would have purchased them a commission in the army — would be in a position to marry in the vigour of youth and health, both according to their own inclinations, and in their own sphere of life ; with a moral certainty that their invest- ment, instead of being of a speculative nature, would daily improve in value ; and that prudence and economy, combined with the proposed advantage of cheap and certain labour, would realize for them all the advantages which are enjoyed by the more fortunate elder members of their families. No more dread would then be felt by them than by their inferiors, in contracting early marriages, which, with proper dispositions, most tend to human happiness and morality : and, instead of wishing to control the increase of families, t'.eir augmentation, under such circumstances, would be considered, as C^od intended, one of the greatest blessings which it was in his power to bestow. It may be asked, who could live in such retirement, away from society, and possibly exposed to the wants of labour and attendance, as so many emigrants of a certain condition in life have had cause to complain of? As to the idea of wanting society, numberless locations may be found in the West, either in or near towns, containing from 2,000 30 to 20,000 inhabitants, and where we liave the autliority of Captain Marryatt, tliat all tiie wants whicli shops or stores can supply may be had with more certainty tlnn in provincial towns in Eiii^hind. Should the residence be chosen in a remote or nnocciipied country, let every one recollect the wise saying of De Montesquieu — that little human happiness is ever found out of fainilies, or, as an Englishman would say, apart from their own fireside ; but admitting the case to be otherwise, tlie state of society, as applicable to a country life, may now be rendered perfectly corresponding to their own wishes and former habits, and may be said to be solely dependant on themselves. No one, as in many first-planted Colonies, would here feel the want of servants to fill any menial situation ; and what f'lse but the advantages here enumerated constitutes the fabric of society ? Is it not upon the association of rich and poor, learned and unlearned, master and servant, that its comforts and happiness are entirely dependant ? Should exclusiveness be sought for, but which can hardly be sup- posed, only let ten or twelve settlers, with their families, known to each other, and moving in the same sphere of life, agree to become country neighbours, or, should they prefer it, combine to form a new town, and all this imaginary difficulty would be at once removed. A circle of associates would immediately be drawn round, at all events equal, in point of numbers, to what usually forms a visiting coterie in an English country town, and which wovdd be found rapidly increase. Add to this, that, instead of the seeming banishment inseparable from the idea of emigration to India and to the South Seas, persons of this class in life, who can afford the expense of steam conveyance, will be little more than a fortnight distant from their friends or relatives, even when in the very heart of America, destined, by this Society, for the field of its first endeavours: and capitalists making purchases from the Institution, should they decline farming on their own account, could have always the choice of an industrious tenantry selected from the most deserving pledged labourers at the expiration of their contract. How mutually beneficial would also be the diversion of many of the continental emigrants to this favoured land. More than 50,000 persons of limited incomes are now reported to live, or rather vegetate, on the continent, driven there for economy, and where all necessaries of life cost fully double what they may be obtained for in the Western States of America. Suppose each to spend only £50, it gives an aggregate of £2,500,000 expended without the smallest outlay in English manufactures. Instead 31 of whicli, by locating themselves upon the estates of this Society, by purchasing some of its prepared lands, which will be immediately pro- ductive, tliey will unite healthful occupation and increased economy — become gradually possessors of most valuable estates— and enjoy, at the same time, the pleasing satisfaction of still benefiting their native land, by die constant purchase of English exports. Tlie contemplation of exclusiveness is too absurd to be dreamt of, in face of the hospitable and free entry which the natives of the Union have opened to all foreigners with a liberality unknown elsewhere, giving them, whedier present or absent, an equal right of possessing real estate with themselves ; and by a year's residence constituting them equal in every privilege of citizenship. Every class of writer gives an unqualified commendation to the unbounded hospitality of our American friends. All pay the same tribute of respect to the system of education so universally diffused amongst th'jm, and to the useful results it has produced. Aristocracy is there unknown, but the wish to please, the certain guide to a refined state of society, is everywhere agreeably displayed. The distinctions of the senate, and of high literary attainments, are the only ones prominently acknowledged. The inhabitants of the Union are certainly, to a man, extremely proud of their splendid country. We contemplate with delight and no inconsiderable exultation the pro- digies performed in our own little islands ; but no encomiums on the soil, natural advantages, magnificent scenery, or grandeur of extent, pronounced by the native American, can exceed the testimonies of impartial travellers. The co-opkration of other European nations in promotiitg THE objects of THIS SoC'ETY IS MOST DESIRABLE ; PARTICULARLY OF THOSE POSSESSING A REDUNDANT POPULATION, AND WHO, LIKE OURSELVES, APE ANXIOUS TO FIND A FOREIGN MARKET FOR THE PRODUCTIONS OF THEIR OWN COUNTRY.* This observation is especially applicable to Belgium, France, and a large portion of Germany. They contain a considerable Catholic population, and a priesthood, in the rural districts, like that of Ireland, possessing fully the confidence and affections of the people. These countries, with the exception of France, have no Colonies of their own, a fact which should act as an additional reason for their cordial co- operation. They have all luxurious produce, and manufactured articles to export ; and though grain may not be with them, as with us, an object of barter, they may, after depositing their emigrants and ex- ports, always find a profitable reloading at New Orleans, Philadelphia, New York, or any other port. • The western districts may be said to have a particular claim to the patronage of France, as it was under their former sovereignty that their vast resources and facility of S2 A vent for excessive population thus found, will best refute the im- moral doctrines of the St. Simonians and Socialists, now so widely pro- pagated on the continent of Europe, and render valueless the advice of those intelligent humanists who assert that occasional wars are the best recipe against redundance of population. Though the plan to be adopted by this Society is here proposed to be applied to the Irish and British Catholics only, yet, conceiving that the same system may be most advantageously extended to all other reli- gious bodies and nations, its promoters entirely disclaim all ideas of monopoly and exclusiveness. Their agents will always be instructed to afford every facility in selecting and pointing out the best locations for settlement to emigrants of any nation or creed, who may be willing to follow their example. It is conceived that the views of this Association are now clearly set forth in the foregoing pages ; and, in conclusion, it remains only for the authoi to repeat that, without wishing to impede due protection to domestic agriculture, all taxes on American corn should be regulated by a system of reciprocity. Let this equitable rule be only acted upon, and the barriers which peace, under the sway of restriction, has so unnaturally opposed to the advance of abundance, will be reduced to their proper level. Commerce will then, it is hoped, be raised from its present lan- guishing condition, and be assisted by the plan of emigration (alike beneficial to the mother country and the one of its adoption), now pro- posed to be carried into effect. With such happy combinations, heaven grant that, instead of our feelings being daily harrowed up by the heart- rending details of workhouse discipline, the necessity for such institu- tions may be universally abridged, and Colonies, in conjunction with the fertile plains of America, become, hereafter, the only recognised " unions" of the world. connexion between the northern lakes and the first navigable tributaries of the Mississippi were discovered ' y those enterprising and amiable French Jesuit missionaries, Henepin, and La Salle. As to Belgium and Germany, it is almost needless to call on them for greater support than is already furnished by the mass of Catholic population daily flow- ing from these kingdoms into the fertile West. In proof of this, St. Louis, risen up, as it were but yesterday, in the heart of this country, now boasts of more than 30,000 inhabitants, 12,000 of which are German, Bel- gian, French, and Irish Catholics, mainly attracted by the system of education afforded by the Belgian Jesuits, who have not only been the means of establishing a magnificent cathedral in ihis city, but also a college, now classed so high in affording instruction that, beyond the commendations universally bestowed on its internal arrangements, its rules may be almost said to hold out the best model for diffusing general knowledge through the West. WlllGHl A.NU CO., PIllNTERS, 76, FLKET STllKF.l'. BRITISH F O *2r^jt A ^^ (of tKe ( AND PART OF ) c rr //, J,' The p;irt coloured BLUE, shows the contemplated tield of the Society'? operations in tlie United States; that coloured RED. their proposed limit on the opposite shores of the Canadian Lakes, RhjI-KoiiiI (!iuiul ^C'f IM r-'. IluriuUtrrAIf ,0