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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 PROVINCE OF MANITOBA; AMD 45" NORTH WEST TELRITORY OF TUB DOMINION OF CANADA. PXTBLISHED B7 THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUKB. • OTTAWA; 1876. ! «'.»i YlloTlHU'iT {^HU HTHO^ ; 7,(1//./ )lu /.( U /, M(".< sa ^ .(> (i?-? i* PROVINCE OF MANITOBA; AND NORTH WEST TERRITOEY OF THE i DOmmON OF CANADA. PUBLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. OTTAWA 1876. PROVINCE OF xMANITOBA • AND NORTH WEST TERRITORY OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA. ^ The information contained in the following pages is published for the mtormation of intending emigrants. It consists :— Ist.—Of the evidence taken before the Select Committeeon Immigra- tion and Colonization, of the House of Commons, of Canada, during the session of 1876. The Committee's report, signed by Mr. Trow, M.P, Chairman, in review of this evidence, contains the following remarks : J .r UK^^ ??'^'"'^^.^^ ^?7° carefully examined Professor John Macoun of Albert University Belleville, who accompanied Mr. Flemin ', cS te'r'^ l^'' ^'.f' ^'^'^'^ S"^^^^' ^^^<^^^ the Continenf 'to he Pacific Coast, in the capacity of Botanist, with reference to the agncultura capabilities of the North-West Territory, particularly b,? S!'t -"^ "^"'^ '\'^'^y t^^t ^^^t ^'^^^ in those hitherto feitiHtv orr/Trr''" •''" agricultural resources of unbounded nin ^T f l,'"^^'^/'^^^'' conditions favorable to their develop- T r \? '^ '^^'^^.^ ^^^ presence of very large deposits of coal and e^enceofp' ^''^M F^^P^rticulars the CommiUee refe the evidence of Professor Macoun herewith submitted. of the pLTaTr ' -t'" '«' '^^™^^'^ ^^'- ^'""'y ^^'^'< an Engineer of the Roct Mn ''^^-^''Tt' ^'^^^ 'T'''^ '^' ^°"ti"«^t t^ th« Middle ot the Rocky Mountains. He corroborates the evidence of Professor the coTntrV? rrr '' '^'' «?^' ^'''^''^ '^ '^'^ ''^ ^^^ adaptabU y of tno country tor extensive settlement "^ "The Committee obtained an order of the House to ask the per- hrpTovlct' of't ' > f^T ^^" '''\'''' ^"^^^^•^-d' ^ Senator f?om tne Province of Manitoba, to appear before them, in order to furnish SnfZt 7f«t^"f. the agricultural capabilities of^hat Prov nc ^Mr fomP in vf, }'^''. ^ ^^P''^' ^''"^ ^' ^^'^dence that the cereals ^Iso VotS f f F,''^''''? '"^ y'''^^ abundantly in Manitoba, as do ^Iso potatoes and other root crops, as well as all the ordinary kinds of garden vegetables. He stated that the smaller varieties of corn* ripened very well in Manitoba, but doubted if the tall American corn would succeed. The latter, it may be remarked, requires the tempera- ture of a latitude further south than the older settled portions of Canada for successful cultivation ; but the fact of the smaller varieties ripening is a climatic test of groat importance to agriculturalists. " With respect to the grasshopper scourge which proved so destruc tive in the Province of Manitoba last year, Mr. Sutherland stated that the grasshoppers have only made periodical visits with long intervals between. lie had personally known an interval of immunity from them of forty years ; and, further, that his examination into the circumstances of their presence last year, led him to believe, with confidence, that the Province would not be troubled with them this year ; and in all pro- bability not for many years to come. " The winters in the North- West, except on the Pacific coast, appeai- be rigorous, but the climate is reported to be singularly healthy, and the seasons for agricultural operations do not appear to be widely different in the Province of Manitoba from what they are in Ontario, but in fact very similar. The summer frosts, reported in the North- West Territory, appear to be precisely similar in character to those which prevail over a very large extent of the northern part of this continent, including the old settled portions of Canada and all the Northern United States. " The Committee, in view of the importance of obtaining full informa- tion respecting the North- West Territory, further examined Captain Walker of the Mounted Police, now in this city, and also Mr. Mucolm McLeod, of Aylmer. The evidence given by both of these gentlemen was strongly corroborative of that of the previous witnesses." 2nd. — A series of answers to questions put to him, is given from Mr. Kenneth Mackenzie,an Ontario farmer, settled on the Assiniboine River, in the Province of Manitoba, giving his experience and appreciption of the country as a field for settlement. His view is, on the whole, highly favorable. 3rd. — A narrative written by Mi*. Jacob G. Shantz, in 1873, is jliven. Mr. Shantz is a German Mennonite, resident in Ontario, who was employed by the Department of Agriculture to accompany a delegate from the Mennonites in Russia, to visit the Province of Manitoba, and act as interpreter. Mr. Shantz' statements claim, in an especial manner, the confidence of his brethren. The Mennonite settlement in Manitoba commenced in 1874 and ' '^'*. 'Continued to tho present time. The early Mennonites, therefore, had the experience of the Grasshopper scourge in 1874 and 1875, yet they continued to write for their brethren to join thera, The reports from there during tlie pros iit year are to the effect that tlicy are highly prosperous. The number of Mennonite settlers is now about 6,300, and the immigration is rapidly continuing, 4th. — A summary of the Dominion Lands Act is given, containing information which is important for intending settlers. The principal point is that any male or female who is the head of a family, or any person who has attained the age of 18 years, can obtain a free grant of a quarter section of 100 acres on the condition of three years settlement ; and also obtain an entry for preemption rights to the adjoining quarter section, which he may obtain at 81 per acre. Pur- chases of Dominion Lands may be made to the extent of 640 acres, at II per acre. But no larger quantity than (340 acres will bo made to any one person. The Province of Manitoba contains about 9,000,000 acres. It is, however, comparatively a speck on tho map of the Vast Territory be- longing to the Dominion of Canada, out of which it has been formed. It is situated in the centre of the Uincut of North America, nearly equally distant between the pole and the equator and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The soil is for the most part prairie, of great depth and richness, and covered with grass. Its climate gives the conditions of decided heat in summer and decided cold in winter. The snow goes away, and ploughing begins in April, which is about the same as in the older Provinces of Canada, or the Northern United States on the Atlantic seabord, or the States of Minnesota or Wisconsin. Crops are harvested in August and September. The long, warm days of summer bring vegetation of all sorts to rapid maturity*. Autumn begins about the 20th of September, and lasts till the end of Novem- ber, when frost sets in. The winter proper comprises the months of December, January, February and March. Spring ccmes in April. The summer months are part of May, June, July, August, and part of .September. The days are warm, and the nights cool. In winter, the .thermometer sinks to 30 and 40 degrees below zero. But this degree I 6 of cold in the dry atmosphere of the North-West does not produce any unpleasant sensations. The weather is not felt to be colder than that in the Province of Quebec, nor so cold as milder winters m climates ^•here the frost, or even a less degree of cold than frost, is accom- panied with darapne=»s. The testimony is universal on this pomt. Snow does not fall on the prairies to an average greater depth than 18 inches ; and buffaloes and horses graze out of doors all winter. The summary of the whole seems to be that the climate of Manitoba is undoubtedly very healthy ; that the soil gives very large products ; that the great drawback is the visitation of grasshoppers, which are common to it and the state of Minnesota and others of the North Wes- tern States. . . The whole of the North-West Territory of the Dominion comprises an area of about 2,750,000 square miles and British Columbia -0,0(.0 square miles. Altogether the Dominion of Caaada comprises a terri- tory about the size of the whole continent of Europe ; and nearly halt a million square miles larger than the United States, without Alaska. Until the completion of the Canalian Railway system, tne best way for emi.-r?nts to reach Manitoba, from the old Provinces of Canada, is via Lak°es Huron and Superior to Duluth ; thence by the Northern Pacific Railway to the Red River ; and thence by direct steamboat communication to Winnipeg. There are regular lines of boats from Sarnia and Colhngwood, which are reached respectively from loronto by the Grand Trunk and Northern Railways. Favorable tares arc afforded to emigrants, and the time between Toronto and Wmmpeg i» about seven days. r .u • *^ It may be further stated that the immense water system of the inte- rior of the continent, west of Winnipeg, is being opened up by steamboat navif^ation to the base of the Rocky Mountains. The emigrants who go to Manitoba for settlement should, for the present, be'of the agricultural class, and possessed of sufficient means to begin with. Sometimes high wages are given to laborers and artisans, but the labor market, in a new country, being necessarily restricted, persons going to seek for employment should have special information before they start. i A > t { 4- NORTH WEST TERRITORY. Evidence taken before the Immigration and Coloniwitiou Committee of the House of Commons. PROFESSOR MACOUN'S EVIDENCE. A > t { I \ observations in the n0rtii-we8t and peace river district. Committee Room, House op Commons. Friday, March 24th, 1876. Professor John Mucoun, of Albert University, Belleville, appeared befor*» the Committee : — B^ Chairman . — Q. What led you io explore the North-West, and what points did yo visit ou your trips? .1. About the middle of July, 1872, 1 met Mr. Fleming at ^ollingwood who was then on his way to the Pacific. Learning t'^at 1 was a botanist, and being desirous of obtaining all the intbrmatioik possible about the interior, he invited me to accompany him. I consented, and formed one of his party as far as Edmonton, op the Saskatchewan, 890 miles by cart road from Winnipeg. By his orders, I left hi'' party at this point, in company with Mr. Charles Horetzky, proceeded to Peace River, by Fort Assiniboine, on the Athabasca to Little Slave Lake, and thence to Peace River. I passed the Rocky Mountains by the " Peace River Pass " during the last days of October, and reached Victoria about the middle of December. Tjast year the Government commissioned Mr. Solwyn. Director of the Geological Survey, to explore the Peace River country, and I accompanied him as botanist. 1 left Victoria, Vancouver Island, about the middle of May, and reached Hudson's Hope, on Peace River, east of the Rocky Moun- tains, July i^lst. I passed down the river to Lake Athabasca, examining the country as I went, and reached there on the 24th August. Distance from the Mountains, by river, 760 miles. On the brd September I left Lake Athabasca and sailed up the Athabasca River for 180 miles. I then went up the Clearwater to Methy Portage, and from thence to Isle La Crosse and Lake, reaching Carleton on the Saskatchewan, October 6th. T then took the cart road toV/innipeg, and reached there November 1st, hnviug travelled over 2.000 aiiles since the 21st of July. Q. What were your instructions ? s A To carefuliv note tho vegetable productions throughout the various regions traversed/to examine the soil, and record everything which I thought might be of use to the country. Q. Did you make a collection of the plants of the parts of the country you visited ? , , « /. t i o A Yes. I have very large coilecticns of the whole flora from Lake feup- erior to the Pacific. These will be distributed under the direction of the Government to various institutions of learning, next summer, and a detailed account will be given in my general report. _ , Q. Judging from the sDccimens you collected, what is your opinion ot the capabilities of the North-West for agricultural settlement ? .1. That the greater part of it is just as well suited for settlement as On- tario, as regards tho products of the boil and raising of stock, there can be no doubt. Its flora show that its summer heat is nearly equal to that of Ontario and greater than that of Quebec. Q. State your opinion as to sections as indicated by your collections f A. A continuous farming countr_, extends from Point du Chien to the Assiniboine, at Fort Ellice, a distance of 230 milen, without a break. Beyond this there are 2.5 miles of dry, gravelly ground, of little ac- count for anything except pasture. Then follows a very extensive tract ot country stretching westward to the South Saskatchewan, and extending in- definitely north and south. This wide region contains many fine sections d' rich fertile country, Hiterspcrsed with poplar groves, rolling, treeless prairie, salt lakes, saline "and other marshes, and brackish or fresh water pond-. 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 whole region is a warm, gravelly or sandy loam. The surface soil, to a denth of from one to three feet, is a brown or black loain. The subsoil being generally either sand or gravel, consisting principally of limestone pebbles; many boulders are found in some sections. The land between the two Saskatchewans is nearly all good. Prince Albert Mission settlement is situated in this section. At Carlton 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 speakinsi, extends northward to Green Lake, a distance of 170 miles from Ctirleton. How much further eastward *bis good land extends I am unable to state ; but Sir John Richardson 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 east, but further north. This region is bounded on the south by the North Saskatchewan, and on the north by the watershed betwe n it and the Beaver and Athabasca River-J. Within this area there are five settlemeats where wheat is raised regularly without difficulty, viz : the Star Mission, (Church T < i > 9 of England), 60 miles north of Carlcton on the Green Lake Eoad ; Lac La Biche Mission, (R. C), 100 .:nles from Fort Edmonton ; Victoria Mission, (Wcslcyan), 80 miles east of Edmonton, and St. Albert Mission, (E. C), 9 miles north of Edmonton, and at Edmonton itself. Edmonton seems to be the coldest point in the district in question, and suffeis most from sum- mer frosts. Next is a very extensive district forming the watersheds between the Saskatchewan and Peace Kivers, and through which the Athabasca 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 forests. 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 is said to be much swamp, but between Fort Pitt and the Forks of the Athabasca there is scarcely any swamp, although it is nearly all forest. Next comes the Peace River section extending along the Rocky Moun- tains from a little north of Jasper's House to Fort Liard, L;it. 61 north ; and from the former point to the west end of Little Slave Lake ; thence to the Forks of the Athabasca, and down that River to Athabasca Lake, and from thence to Fort Liard. The 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 prairie 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. Q. Did you obtain any particular climatic observations other than you in- ferred from the flora, and if so of what nature were they ? J . The following observations and extracts will speak for themselves. 1 was on Peace River during the whole month of October, 1872 ; part of my work was to note the temperature, which I did with care. The average reading of the thermometer at eight o'clock p.m., for the ten days be- tween the 10th and 19th 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 of 12° in Latitude. (For details see Pacific Railway Survey Report for 1874, page 96). Captain Butler passed through the same region in the following April, and states that the whole hillside was covered with the blue anemone (^4?iemone patens) on the 22nd of April. See Wild North Land. Daniel Williarm (Nigger Dan), furnished the following extracts from iis notebook : " 1872. " Ice began to run in iirer November 8th. ■" River closed November 28th. 10 ** First snow October 28th. " 1873. " April 23rd, ice moved out of river. " Planted potatoes April 25th. " First permanent snow November 2nd. " Elver closed November 30th. " 1874. " River broke up 19th April. " First geese came 21st April. " Sowed barley and oats April 22ud. «' Hirer clear of upper ice May 3rd." — N.B. Upper ice from above the Eocky Mountain Canon. '• Planted potatoes May 5th. " Potatoes not injured by frost until 22nd September. Then snow fell, which covered thorn, but soon went off. Dug over 100 bushels from one planting." This is possibly too large. — J. M. " Ice commenced to run in river October 30th. " River clo.sed November 23rd. " Snowed all night November 4th. " 1875. " Ice broke up in river April 15th. " Warm rains from north-west; blue flies and rain, February 18th. " Ice cleared out in front of Fort April 16th. " Potatoes planted 8th, 9th and 10th May. " Barley and oats sown May 7th. " Snow all gone before the middle of April. This applies to both the rivei valley and the level country above." Difference in level 746 feet. The potatoes were dug out in quantities, and were both large and dry. On the 2nd August, seventeen men got a week's supply at this time. Those 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, Peace River, for a series of ten years. Lit. 56=" 12 North, Long. 120° west. Altitude above the sea, nearly 1,600 feet. Opening of River. First ice drifting in River. 1866— April 10 November 7 1867— do 21 do 3or8 1868— 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 2.^ do 4 1874— do 19 October 31 1875— do 16 A X ( > ,» mr 11 1 In a pamphlet published by Malcolm McLeod, Esq., in the year 1872, he shows that the summer temperature at Dunvegan, 120 miles farther down the river, is about half a degree less than that of Toronto, the one averaging 54° 14' and the other 54° 44' . • a At Battle River, over 100 miles farther down, Indian corn has ripened three years in succession, and my observations tend to show that the summer temperature at this point is greater than it is higher up. At Vermillion, Lat. 58° 24' I had a long conversation with od Mr. Shaw, who has had charge of this Fort for sixteen years; he says that 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. Many ears as long as my hand and the whole crop thick and stout. In my opinion this is the finest tract of country on the river. The "eneral level of the country is less than 100 feet above it. AfLittle Bed River I found everything in a very forward state. Cucumbers started in the open air were fully ripe; Windsor, pole beans and peas were likewise ripe, August 15th. Fort Chipweyan, at the entrance to the Lake Athabasca, has very poor soil in its vicinity, being largely composed ot sand ; «till, here I obtained fine samples of wheat and barley-the former weigh- in- 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 Mis- sion, two miles above the Fort, oats, wheat and barley were all cut by .he 26th August. Crop rather light on the ground. ^ t. ciom Mr Ilardisty, Chief Factor in charge of Fort Simpson, in Lat. bi JS., informed me that barley always ripened there and that wheat was sure tour times out of five. Melons if started under glass ripen well. 1 rost seldom does them much dama^^e. t . ^.-.o xt i, *i „ Chief Trader Macdougall says, that Fort Liard, in Lat. 61 N., has the warmest summer temperature in the whole region, and all kinds otgram and garden stuff always come to n.aturity. He has >.een on the lucon for twelve years, and says that most years barley ripens under the Arctic Circle ^° Thelocalities mentioned were not chosen for their good soil, but for the facilities which they afford for carrying on the fur trade, or for mission pur- poses. Five-sixths of all the land in the Peace River section is just as good as the points cited, and will produce as good crops in the future. 1 he reason «o Uttle is cultivated is owing to the fact that the inhabitants, whites and Indians, are flesh-caters. Mr. Macfarlane, Chief Factor in charge of the Athabasca District, told me that just as much meat is eaten by the Indians when thev receive flmr and potatoes as without them. _ At the Forks of the Athabasca, Mr. Moberly, the gentleman in charge, has a first-class garden, and wheat and barley of excellent quality, lie 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 toW me hat in a year or two the Company purposed supplying the whole interior trom thi* 12 locality with food, as the deer were getting scarce and supplies rather preca- rious. This is the identical spot where Mr. Pond had a garden filled with European vegetables when Sir Alexander Mackenzie visited it in 1787. The following extracts are from Sir Alexander Mackenzie's travels. He passed the winters of 1792 and 1793 near Smoky River, and writes as fol- lows :— " November 7th. The river began to run with ice yesterday, which we call the last of navigation. On the 22nd the river was frozen across, 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 1G° below zero ; at noon the range was from 29° above 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 thawinsr. 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 pro- duced 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 ve -y little snow was on the ground, but about this time the cold became very severe and remained so to the 16th 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 (Anemone patens), encircled with six leaves of a light purple. On the other side of the river, Avhich way still covered with ice, the plains were delightful— the trees were budding, and many plants 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." Q. State your impression as to what parts of the country are suitable for cereals, distinguishing wheat from the coarser grains ? A. I consider nuarly all the Pea^- Kiver section to be well suited for rais- ing cereals pf 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 any- thing is milder. The Thickwood 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, while much of the remainder would make first-class pasture and meadow lands. I am not so well acquainted -rith the Saskatchewan section, but from what I know of it it has generally good soil and a climate not unsuitable for wheat raising. Between Fort Pitt and Edmonton, there is a tract which I consider subject to summer frosts, but it would produce immense crops of liay. This district is the only dangerous cne in the Saskatchewan country. Of the high country between the South Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and f 1 I t i^ 1^ I (> i > 13 south to the boundary, I know but little. If it could be shown that sum- mer 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 position and height from the sea, there is a danger of injury to the crops from frosts. The future will decide this point. Q. Referring to the cultivable parts of the central or prairie regions be- tween the Province of Manitoba and the Rocky Mountains, can you state whether there are early or summer frosts, which would be likely to prove detrimental to the cultivation of wheat ? 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 altogether 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 morning of the 14th, 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 re- cords the thermometer falling below freezing point on the 14th August, 1857, in the neighborhood of Fort EUice, but vegetation did not seem to suffer. It seems that the first frost to do any injury comes about the 20th of this month, and that it is just as likely to effect Manitoba as the country further west. , • 1 Q. Have you noticed the very large claims as to the yield of wheat in the valley of the Red River, and can you state what ia the maximum yield per acre, giving any information as to the special qualities or weight of the grain ? A. I have noticed the large claims 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 that of Ontario would give a much greater yield, as there are more grains to the ear than in Ontario. The grain fs heavier, but whether it produces more flour to the bushel, I am unable to say. Peas will always be a heavy crop in the North-West, as the soil is suitable, and a little frost does them no harm. Q. State your impressions from your observation of the capabilities of the Peace River country for successful settlement ? A. All my observations tended to show that the whole Peace River coun- try was just as capable of successful settlement as Manitoba. The soil seemed to be richer — the country contains more wood ; there are no saline marshes or lakes ; the water is all good— there are no summer frosts— spring is just as early and the winter sets in no sooner. The winter may be more severe ; but there is no certainty of this. I would not advise any atteriri. to settle this region until after the settle- ment has extended at least to 'J^i oonton, as there is at least 150 miles of broken country between the two. Q. What time does the season open so that spring ploughing and seeding can be carried on ? H A. From my former answers it will be seen that about the 20th of April ploughing can commence on Peace River, and from data in my possession the same may be said of the Saskatchewan regions ,2,enerally. It is a curious fact that spring seems to advance from northwest 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. Q. Have you any knowledge of the temperature, and how the thermometer ranges during the year ? A. The following data selected from various sources will throw considerable light on this question. 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 fur- ther north. Spring, summer and autumn temperature at various points, to which is added the mean temperature of July and August, ^Ae ttoo ripening moiiths. Latitude Summer. Spring. Autumn. July north. and August. Cumberland Hou«e 53-37 62-62 33-04 32-70 64-25 Fort Simpson 61-51 59*48 26-66 27-34 62-31 Fort Chipewyan 58-42 58-70 22-76 31-89 60-00 Fort William 48-24 59-94 39-67 37-80 60-52 Montreal 45-31 67-26 39-03 45-18 68-47 Toronto 43-40 64-43 42-34 46-81 66 51 Temiscamingue 47-19 65-23 37-58 40-07 66-43 Halifax 44-39 61-00 31-67 46-67 66-55 Belleville 44-10 temperature nearly that of Toronto. Dunvegan, Peace Eiver 56-08 average summer six months 54-44 Edmonton 53-31 39-70 Carlton 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 Montreal, and is eight de- grees farther north and over 2,000 feet above the sea. The temperatures of Carlton 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 temperatures of the months when grain ripens is about equal throughout the whole Dominion from Montreal to Fort Simpson north of Great Slave Lake. ^. Do you consider the country adapted for stock-raising, and how many months in the year is it necessary to keep stock under shelter ? A. The country, in my opinion, is well suited for stock-raising throughout its whole extent. The winters are certainly cold, but the climate is dry, and the winter snows are light, both as to depth and weight. All kinds of 15 animals have thicker coats in cold climates than in warm ones, so that the thicker coat counter-balances the greater cold. Dry snow never injures cat- tle in Ontario. No other kind ever falls in Manitoba or the North-West, so that there nan be no trouble from this cause. Cattle winter just as well oa the Athabasca 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 in 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 re- quire to be fed as long as we now feed them in Ontario. Owing to the light, rain-fall the uncut grass is almost as good as hay when tlie winter sets in, which it does ivithout the heavy rains of the east. This grass remains good all winter as the dry snow does not rot it. In the spring the snow leaves it alniost 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 will 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 agricultural purpose ? A, Laramie Plains, in Wyoming Territory, 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 Dawson (1874), and Captain Palliser (1858), I am led to infer that our part of the ^' Desert," besides being first-class pascure land, contains many depressions well suited for raising all kinds of grain. Mr. Dawson specially remarks that its soil is generally good, but that the rain-fall is light. Speaking of the worst 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 difficulty. I have seen the Laramie Plains and the cattle upon them — I have examined the flora of both regions, and believe ours is warmer in winter and certainly not so dry in summer. Mr. George Dawson speaking of this region says: — "In July, of last summer (1873), I saw a band of cattle in the vicinity of the Line, south of Wood Mountain, which had strayed from one of the United States forts to the south. They were quite wild, and almost as difficult of approach as the buffalo ; and notwithstanding the fact that they had come originally from Texas, and were unaccustomed to frost and snow, they had passed through the winter and were in capital condition." Comment is unnecessary. Q. What proportion of the Central Prairie region belongs to this desert ? A. I am unable to answer this in a manner satisfactory to myself, as I have never seen the region in question. Did I know the limits of the Cactus and *' Sage Bush," I could answer at once. Whatever desert region there is, lies between the Souris and the Milk 16 Eiver on the boundary, and the Qu'Appelle and South SasTcatchewan on the north. Q.ls not the average temperature affected by occasional frost?, so as to injuriously affect agricultural operations ? J. I have partly answered this before, but a few further remarks may be useful. On the 28th of June, while in Latitude 55° north, at McLeod's Lake, west of the Rocky Mountains, we experienced a severe frost. This frost extended eastward to Fort St. John on Peace River in Latitude 56°, about 50 miles from the Peace River Pass, but no further. No other frost was noticed until Sept. 8th, when the potatoes were killed on the Peace and Athabasca Rivers, but, strange to say, I found them untouched in the Valley of English River, at Isle La Crosse, on the 22nd September. Potatoes were killed by the frost on the 2l8t of August last year in Manitoba and Saskat- chewan country. This tends to show that when a severe frost does occur it extends over a wide area, and is more severe eastward early in the season. Mr, ff'igar : — Q. To what depth does the frost penetrate the soil in winter; and does it ever remain in the ground the year through ? If so, is it an advantage to the growing crops ? A. Captain Palliser's expedition, which wintered at Edmonton 1858 and 1859, carefully inquired into Luis important matter, with the following results — On the level prairie the frost penetrated to a depth of seven feet during the winter of 1858, while the next winter it penetrated only to a depth of six feet. The former year tliere was scarcely any snow, which accounts apparently for the greater depth of frost. It may possibly rctuuin in the ground all summer in a swamp, but cannot remain in a fairly dry soil all the year round, except the mean annual temperature falls below freezing point or 32°. It is well known that a coating of moss or straw will keep the frost in the ground until June in Ontario, so that I would not be surprised if I heard that frozen soil was found in Manitoba in July. Captain Palliser found that the ground throe feet below the surface kept getting colder until about the 25th of February, when the temperature began gradually to increase, but it was not until the 23rd of May that i* had risen to 32°. From this I would infer that the great depth to which the soil is frozen in winter is a great benefit to the growing crops both as a fertilizer and as a retainer of moisture. This appears to be the chief cause why Manitoba never suffers from spring drought. Q. Do rains fall frequently during the summer months ? A. From what I could gather from residents in the country, I should think that a want of rain is less dreaded than an abundance of it. I heard no complaints on account of the want of rain in the Saskatchewan country, but t III ■■'r 1 f .»< :V I i ■ >. f 1 i 17 I did hoar them ppcak of the lowerinj? of the temperature by having too niuch ; T therefore think the abnencc of rain should really bo a cause for thankfulness, 88 it is amply compensated for by the depth to which the frost penetrates. If, therefore, its absence prevents one section of the country from producing cereals, its abscnco is just as certainly the cause of their pro- duction in the north. Bi/ Mr. Ri/an : — Q. Is there any other wood than poplar in the Peace River country ? A. Five-sixths of all the timber is poplar, and is invariably a sign of dry soil and good land. Balsam poplar is very abundant on the islands in all thenorth-wefctorn 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 River, on islands in all the rivers, and very abundantly on the low lands at the west end of Lake Athabas-ca. I have often seen it over three feet in diameter, but the usual size is from one to two feet. Banksian pine was not observed on Peace River, but it occurs at L.ike Athabasca, and is abundant as you ap- proach tlie Saskatchewan from the north. Its presence indicates sandy soil unfit for cultivation. White birch ts not abundant along the Peace River, but is common on the Atliabascu and Mackenzie iiivers. The Northern Indians make largo q««m- tities of syrup from its sap in spring. These are the most important trees. There are no beech, maple, St3h, oak, elm, white or red pine in the country. i/y J/y, Ilagar ; — Q. What fruits grow spontaneously in the Peace River country and Athabasca regions ? ^l. The berry of the. lw!c7a?ic/uVr Co?mf?f/?sis(Service Berry of Canadians Poires oftbe 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 them 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 iovik dessert. Strawberries and raspberries are very abundant in most districts on Peace River, especially at Vermillion. Another raspberry {Ruhus Arcticus), of an amber color, is very abundant at Lake Athabasca and up around Portage La Loche and the Valley of the English River. Its fruit is converted into jellies and jams, and gives a re- lish to many a poor meal. £ 18 Hi-hbush cranberries (Vihnnum pnnc[ftonm and Opulus) are very abundant in the wooded districts on both sides of the Athabasca and Clear- water rivers and around Lake Athabasca. Gooseberries and currants of many species arc found, but are not much souL'ht after. Blueberries, low bush crauborries, and the cowberry (Vac- chUum Vitis Jo/o^n), are abundant in particular localities m the above district. Two species of cherries— the bird cherry and the choke cherry — complete the list. ,, . , j i.u -d i Q. From your knowledge of the country between Manitoba and the KocKy Mountains by Peace River— as to the winter and the snow-fall,— can rail- roads be operated as well as in the Province of Ontario ? A. I believe that the snow difficulty will nnun-he so great as in Ontario, because the snow-fall is more than one-half less throughout the whole region, and the evaporation of the snow caused by the increased dryness of the air more than compensates for the occasional thaws in Ontario. Whether the greater degree of cold will be injurious is beyond my province to deter- mine. . . , Q. Would not .settlement follow railway construction the same as m the Western States ? . . i j A. Precisely the same way. No matter how the question is taken up and discussed, the same answer is returned. If the country is opened up, settle- ment is sure to follow. This has ahrai/s been so and always will he so. No sane man can deny this. Mr. Cunningham : — Q. What will open that great country for settlement, atid that forthwith ? 4. A number of railways, Q. Is it wise to postpone " railway construction " through that land ? A. This is a question of finance, and altogether beyond my province to .answer. Q. Is it worth a railway ? A. Itisithe garden of the Dominion, and worth all the efforts which the .united wisdom of the whole Parliament can put forth in its behalf. 3fr. J^atcrson : — Q. Do you see any great difficulty in the way of settlors of reaching the Peace River country by water ? A. Yes: they cannot reach it by witer. If they go by Edmonton, two watersheds have to be crossed — one between the Athabasca and Saskatche- wan, the other between the Athabasca and the Peace Rivers. If they «hould go by Carlton and thence northward, they would have to cross the watershed between the English or Beaver River and the Saskatchewan, or between the .Athabasca and Beaver Eiver. Q. Is there anything like an unbroken water communication between Ma- nitoba and Edmonton on the Saskatchewan ? '% Hi r ■ I + ] 1- \ f 19 A. The only difficulty in tlie way of unlroken water communication is the '. Jones : — Q. Are the settlements of Whites between Manitoba and L. o')--- Lake boeoming very numerous? A The settlements are not numerous, but in the three years which assed between my two trips they had increa.sod wonderfully Prince Albert Mission and Edmonton are the two chief objective 20 points for Whites. St. Albert, nine miles from E.lmonton ; St. Anns about forty niile.s from the satno point, i.n.l Lfic La IJiche arc the pnncjp.'il Hiilf-brced settlement*. Prince Albert Mission v'as c.stablishe.l about ton or twilvo years ogo, bv the Ucv. x>Ir. Nesbitt, a minister of the Free Clmreli. It now boasts ol a population of over sixty families, has three -rist mills, one of whiel. is driven or rather is to be driven, by ntcam. (The whole of the maclun.;ry was drawn across the plains lust summer and arrived at the iMission in bep- tember ) Bishop Maclean resides tliere, and, besides a rrosbyteiian, there is also a Wesley an Minister. Not many years v.'fo it was an open question whether wheat would succeed there, fiast year, aciorduifz; to the Hcv. Geor-'C 3Iacdou.'all, 30,000 bushels weie <,'rown there. The above extract was Uiken from the Montreal Witurss. I expect 3,000 bushels is meant. The other settlements are, no doubt, tliriving just as much, but I liavo no personal knowledge. li.ist sprin- two more settlements were coiuinenced ; one at the crossin- of the South Saskatchewan and the other sixty miles north of Carleton. ' In both, the various cereals were raiso 1 with very sans- f»cto;-y results. At Duck Lake, between the two Saskatchewans, I saw land ploughed up last fall, which will be sowed and planted next spnn^^ O. How many .settlers are there now on the Saskatchewan, and how dJi they reach there ? ^ ., . • i A. I have no means of knowing, but there arc far more than outsider.^ believe. There seems to be a ([uiet exodus of Half-breeds from Manitsba to the Saskatchewan, which will increase in coming years, and those men will be the pioneers of the North- West— moving inwards as .■^ettlenKots en- croach on them until they reach and spread beyond the Pence Kiycr Kven at the present time all the trade done at Dunvegan is with llait-breeds ot the hunter class. They reach the Saskatchewan by cart road Irom Manitoba, ilie distance is about 550 miles from Winnipeg to Prinoo Albert Mission. It is 890 miles by cart road to Edmonton, and from thence to Dunvegan by Fort Assiniboine and Little Slave Lake from 300 to 400 miles. Q. Would you advise parties to settle on the Peace and Saskatchewan Rivers at present ? . , , , , u r . i A. Certainly not. I believe that parties should know tlie tacts, and then if they decide to go into the interior on their own responsibility let them go 1 would, however, advise any man who had a poor prospect of getting ahead in Ontario to go to Manitoba. And yet the class that Manitoba v^ants is not the poor weaklings of Ontario, but men of pluck and determi- nation from all nationalities, and to these she can hold out inducements second to none in America. Mr. Ryan: — Q. Is the water good in tho ?. ^f^c lUver country ? A. The waters of the Saskatchewan, Athabasca and Peace Rivers are 21 r i> 1 > never clear, and in the sprinjj of the year nre very niU'My.' All other waters in t!ie Peace Uiver country mo gooJ. I u'ver huw a brackifh jiool in the whole region. Q. Are the valleys of the Saskatchewan and Peace JJiver healthy for white men ? -.4. Durinj? the years 1872 and 1875, I never saw n sick white wan or Half-breed. My ow,'. health was so much iuijuuved by my first trip that I have been a new man ever since. Meat will keep I'losh an astonish- ing tini ), and this is one of the surest tests of the purity of the atmo- .spbcre. The Indians of Peace River are fading away, an<' will soon disappear. Serui'ilous discuses of various kinds, and pulmonary diseases produced by insufficient clothing are doing their work, and the scanty population is lessoning every year. Q. Does goitre ])revail amoug the white or Half- breed population to any extent ? A. The only place I noticed it was at St. John, on Peace River; it seemed confined to the Half-breed women, and was said to be caused by drinking the river water. Mr. King tdd me he was quite sure drinking the river water caused it. Q. Is there any game ? A. The moose is still abundant on both sides of tlie Peace River, and the wood buCFulo is still found between the Athabasca and the Peace River about lat. 57°. From 600 to 1,000 head is the estimate of the hunters. Black bears are very numerous on the upper part of I'eace River, and furnish the chief food of the people in July and August. Cariboo arc north and east of Lake Athabasca, and are the chief food of the Indians and Half-breeds of that reg'on. Rabbits are in immense numbers wherever there is timber, and 'ire easJy taken. Waterfowl are beyond computation, during September, in the neighbourhood of Lake Athabasca, and large flocks „ii„,.;ii„ n„„v„„ West of Western Total. BelleMlle. Quebec, jiou^iai,,,,. pjains. Hudson's Hope 2il 136 7 17 51 St. John 248 Itil 3 6 78 Dunvegan 240 160 2 5 79 A'ermiilion 159 112 2 1 44 Little Red River 128 88 1 39 Lake xVthabasca 245 186 7 2 50 The only plants that show any signs of a borcr.i climate are those from Quebec. The two at Vermillion were Yellow Rattle (Rhin<(nthis CristagaUi) and High Bush Cranberry (^Viburnion pnucifiorum.) The most prominent feature in the whole region was a richness in the soil and rankness in the vegetation never seen in Ontario. W here Peace River leaves the mountains, it is at least 800 feet below the level of the plain. At Fort Chipewyau, on Lake Athabasca, the' country is on a level with the water. OBSERVATIONS ON BRITISH COLUMBIA. March '25, 1:76. Professor Macoun again appeared before the Committee. Q. Hive you visited Vancouver Island; and, if so, can ^o^ state the area of the Island, and what proportion of it is adapted for agricult'i;al purposes ? A. I have visited the Island, but only that portion in the neighborhood ofVictorin. The Island is about oOO miles in length, with an average breadth o1 about GO, and probably contains 20,000 square miles. Whatever soil 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. Ihere is no doubt but that the day will come when Vancouver will support a large population— partly agricultural and partly engaged in mining, kmbering find 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 Laurentian rocks of Ontario. It is generally wet in spring, but, by a proper system of tillage, seed could be sown much e;)rlier than "it is at present. When I reached Victoria, May 2nd, last year,^very little spring ploughing had been done, and yet apple trees were in iuU bloom, and in some places grass was a foot high. The climate is wet in winter and spring, but the summer is dry and very pleasant. Vancouver wants men of pluck and determination— men who will work and who will respect the worker — men who are patriotic enough to spoak respectfully of then- adopted country— men who, instead of calling on Jupiter, will put their own shoulders to the wheel and push on the car of progress, as we do amidtt the snow and frosts of the East. Vancouver can never become an agricultural country; but, with a different class of settlers from those that do the loafing and the grunibling in Victoria, it will become in time a very valuable portion of the Dominion. Q. What is the climate of British Columbia as regards the various sections of the country traversed by you last year ? A. The climate of British Columbia, west of the Cascades, including Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte's Islands, is wonderfully like that of Great Britain, except that the summers are very much drier. A warm current of water flows dov:n the west coast of America, just as the Gulf Stream flows «/> along the coasts of Great Britain, and in its passage warms up the coast from Alaska to the Columbia, and gives to the western slope of the Cascades those i'orests 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, falls in rain or fog upon the slopes and_ valleys and produces the moist climate of the winter and spring. During the summer months the temperature of the land and sea are slightly reversed, and the land, instead of condensing the vapour, dissipates it — at least, in the neighborhood of Victoria. The Valley of the Fraser below the Cascades is included in this region and has a climate much like that described above, except that I would expect a wetter summer than there is on the coast. Twenty-five miles above Yale we pass the outer Cascade Range, and in doing so pass from almost constant rain to the opposite extreme, About 12 miles higher up we pass over another mountain and reach a region of complete aridity. < > ^ i • t r ^ 25 < k w i • J r , ^ At LyttoD we are fairly in the interior basin, and from here to Clinton the wapgon road paj'scs throngh a region where nothing cau be raised except by irrigation, and tliis means can only be employed to a limited extent. The road passes through about 70 miles of this country, and during the greater part of the year the ground is scarcely ever moistened by a shower. The river flats and lower hillsides are almost without vegetation. Scarcely anything of a woody nature 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' !i,oOO feet above the sea the lower limit of the Douglas pine is reached, and above that the forest is almost continuous. It is upon the slopes between the forest and the dry valleys that the splendid gr}.zing lands of British Columbia are to be found. The Nicola Valley is of this nature, and the only soil in it fit for farming purposes, is found in the narrow valley along the river, or on the "benches," to which water can be brought for irrigation purposes. The whole region, from the American boundary on the Columbia by Okanagan and the Shuswap Lakes, Kam- loops and ncrth-westward across the Fraser, to and beyond the Chilcoten Plains, is arid, and to a great extent only suited 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 everywhere is good, being only deficient in moisture. Owing to the light snow fall and the comparative mildness of the weather, cattle wmter out without difficulty. The waggon road leaves this section at Clinton and passes over a very elevated portion as far as Soda Creek on the Fraser. This is a very rough section, but still it is far from being barren ; much good land is scattered through it, but not continuously. It is rather a risky business to winter stock on these hills, but still it is done. The greater part of this tract is covered by forest, and hence has a greater rain and snow fiiU than the lower country. The spring, 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 Fraser. Vegetation is about as far advanced on the 1st of May in the Nicola Valley as it is at Belleville, Ontario, on the 24th. In the vicinity of Quesnelle the land is comparatively good, and irrigation is unnecessary, although many are of the opposite opinion. Mr. Selwyn brought home witli him wheat, oats, barley and timothy which were raised in the neighborhood, and certainly they were as fine samples as could be produced anywhere. Taking- a retrospective view of the country from this point, I must say that British Columbia docs not present a field for the agricultural immigrant at present, but will when her mining interests arc considered of more 'importance than at present. British Columbia above the Cascades can never export her agricultural products with jirofit, and whatever is raised in the country mu.st be consumed there. That there is enough 20 good liind to raise all the food necessary for a very large niininfj population is certain, and that tlie day will oine when one will be there is just as sure. Jietween Quesnellc 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 A^illey of the Necluico River is very wide and perfectly level. On both side.s of the river are beautiful prairies and poplar copse wood, and at tjjc time we passed (June 15th) through it, everything looked beautiful and inviting. I cannot speak with certainty of the absence or occurrence of summer frosts, but if they should not be severe this would be one of the finest tracts (Nechaco Valley) in all British Columbia. The whole country above Quesnelle seems to have a cool, moist climate, and to be more like Quebec in its productions than Ontario. Fort St. James, en Stewart's Lake— the highest point in the di.strict — has always been known to produce garden vegetables, potatoes, barley and oats, but whether wheat has ev^r been raised or not I am unable ta say. All this region is an elevated plateau with broken, rocky hills at intervals, but scarcely anything which could be called a mountain. Siiould the railway pass as far north as the Neshaw, many fine settlements would spring up along the river. Q. Are agricultural pursuits attended with greater expense in British Columbia than in the Province of Ontario? A. Yes. Labour is much higher, usual prices being from $4-0 to $G0 per month. Tliere is no more ditficulty in cultivating land in British Columbia than in Ontario, but the price paid for the labour performed is too higlu Where irrigation is required the expense must be greatly increased, but the yield is very great in such locations. Q. Does Chinese labour reduer, the prices paid for White labour or not and discourage European immigration ? A. Whether Cliinese labour reduces the price of White labour I am unable to say, but that the Chinese monopolize many lines of manual labour is certain and by so doing prevent the immigration of White laborers. They are the market gardeners, laborers of all descriptions, house servants, cutters of wood, laandry-men, &c., to the whole Colony. One result of this is that the country is not properly developed. Tliese people are only sojourners in the land, and, like many others I might mention, remain only for a time and carry their gold away with them. What British Columbia wants is a class of men who are not above manual labour, and who have made up their minds to remain in the country and become permanent settlers. Those men can only be acquired by holding out proper inducements to them for settling in the country. One means to> accomplish this would be to put a tax on all Chinamen for the privilege of pursuing their various avocations throughout the country, and another would be to lessen the cost of living. As matters are conducted there at present, a i iT t /• ."I S1^. 0- T man would need to have a small fortune, or a very large ineomc, to support ,1 large family in comfort. Were there jnore workers and fewer drones this (cost of living lessened) would soon be brought about, but as it is, the drones must live on tlie workers, and everything costs too much. Q. Can you inform the Committee what proportion ot British Columbia is covered with timber and describe the various kinds? A. That section spoken of as being west of the Cascades and including Vancouver and Queen Charlotte's Islands, is covered with, probably, one of the finest forests in the world. Chief amongst the trees in this section is the Douglas Fir {Ahlrs Doughisif), wliich 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 (Thija gkjantca) is anotlier giant, and in the valley of the- Fraser and up the coast attains to an in)mense size. The Indians use this- wood altogetlier in the construction of tlieir houses, and in building those large canoes which are the wonder of the eastern people. The other trees are a species of Yew. another of Alder, two species of Fir (Abies Jhnziesii and (jrandls) ; two species of Pine (Firnn^ contorfd a7id monticola) ; two sj;iecies of maple (Acer macropJti/lIion (did circinntmn ) f Hemlock Spruce (Abies Mertensicaia) is a common tree on the mainland j while a species of Oak (Quercus Gai/mnm) is abundant on the Island, but has not been detected on the continent. An evergreen tree (Arbntus Jleti- ziesii) is quite common along the coast of the Island, and both summer and winter its foliage contrasts finely with that of the sombre-hued Douglas Fir. In the second, or arid, district, a Pine (Finns jwndcrosa) takes the place of the Douglas Fir of the coast, and is a very valuable tree, growing to a large size, with clean trunk, and resembling the Eed Pine of Ontario very much. The tops of the lower mountains and the sides of the higher ones support fi heavy growth of Douglas Fir, but it is far from being the beautiful- tree of the coast. The timber of the third region is not so good, and consists principally of Poplar and Black Pine (Finns contorta) with occasional groves of Douglas Fir on the higher hills. Black and White Spruce with a little Balsam Fir make up the remainder. Q. How do the valleys in British Columbia compare in extent with our general views of valleys ? A. The British Columbian valleys are more of the nature of ravines (I speak of those in the dry country) than anything else, but there are many level terraces, ("benches") which may be termed valleys, scattered all over the country traversed by me. River valleys in British Columbia, except in the third district, have no existence. Every river seen by me in the middle region ran at the bottom of a gorge, usually called a Canyon, and had not one foot of a valley. The valley of the Lower Fraser is a true valley of deposition, and is altogether composed of the alluvium brought down by the river j one draw-back in connection with it, is the destruction caused every mwmwii9^9Mj wetmum m mf^Mmm/mimvi»iimm,.tmAtfyf ^t 28 ^«ar by tlie river cutting into its banks and wasting tlic land along them. At Sumas this isgoing on so fust that houses have had to be removed alroadv. Q. What is the nature of the soil in the valleys? Do you find rich alluvial deposits in the valleys, or nre they covered with Uie dcbns of rocky fragments washed from the mountains? ,■*.-; ^1. 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. Apparently there was a time when the rivers stood much higher than they do now, and the "benches" -vliich show along their sides were then about on a flood level with the river, ^luce theii the river has successively broken throuirh 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 °ilong their base have scarcely any loose stone upon them ia consequence. Q. Have you a knowledge of the temperature ? If so, how docs the thermometer range during the summer and winter months both on the coast and mland ? Are summer frosts prevalent and injurious to crops ? ^ A. I was in Victoria from the 12th to 28th December, 1872, and from tne 2nd to 14th May, last year. While 1 was in Victoria in 1872, a fall of snow and slight frost 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 coast is everything that can be desired, being dry and pleasant. _ In the arid region the spring is about as early as on the coast ; the winter IS comparatively cold, with very little snow, and the summer is dry and hot.^ Summer frosts can do no harm in these regions. From Clinton upwards the winter is very cold with a considerable snow- ia 1 and frosts extending through the month of May, and possibly into June 1 heard of no injury from frosts at '"uesnelle or any point on the Fraser but noticed frost on the grass on the 27th i^iay, at or near Soda Creek From this date until the 4th June, the weather kept cold, but there was no fro^t On the 28th June at Macleod's Lake, Lat. 55°, there was a severe fro,t and many wild flowers were injured, but nothing was hurt in the garden This frost extended to St. John's, east of the mountains, but no further. One important point in connection with spring or summer frosts should be kept in m:nd ; that swampy soil is more liable to injury from frost than dry soil, and a frost occurring in a swampy region is no proof that the ^^ur- rounaing country is liable to suff"er from such frost. We all know that in the vicinity of swamps we have slight frosts in many parts of Ontario even as late as the beginning of June, and numbers of farmers can point out spots in their wheat fields injured by them. I would expect spring frost in tlie upper region, but have no knowled-e of the tact, other than what I before stated. ° Q. What distance from its mouth is the Fraser River navi-mble for sei- 1 $** ':lf I li going vessels ? ! ^ V I**: 29 A. I cannot say ; but the tide flows up as far as Fort Lnngley and I should judge that vessels could sail up that far if necessary. The Victoria steamer runs to Westminster twice a week, and a steamer from the latter place goes up the river to Yale twice a week. The distance from the mouth of the Kivcr to Yale is over 100 miles. At this point navigation ceases on the Lower Fraser. Q. What extent of arable land is drained by the Fraser and its tributaries ? A. All the information given in my preceding answers regarding the soil belongs to this question. All the land I saw in British Columbia was drain- ed by it or its tributaries. Q. What are the facilities for reaching the cultivable plateaux from the sea- board ? A, From Victoria to Westminster and Y'aleby steamboat ; then by waggon road along the canyons of the Fra.scr and Thompson to Spence's Bridge on the latter river. From here a "trail" leads up the Nicola Valley for an un- known distance. Thirty-two miles beyond this point, at Cache Creek, a road leads to Kamloops and the waggon road passes on to Barkerville in Cariboo. Except a branch road passing from Clint"^-.! to Lilloet on the Fraser, T know of no other roads in the country. Had the 8750.000 offered by the Domin- ion Government been accepted by the British Columbians, and expended judiciously on roads, it would have done more towards opening up the country than a railway on Vanoeuver can possibly do. Q. Vv'here are the present centres of population ? A. Victoria and Nanaimo are the chief places on the Island; and New T'sstminster, Yule, Clinton, Knmloop^;, Quesnellc and Barkerville are the 0-. places of any account on the mainland. Barrard's Inlet may have a Considerable population, but I have no means of knowing. Q. Are the extremes of cold and heat inconvenient or oppressive to Cana- dian or European settlers, or injurious to healih ? Is the climate conducive to longevity ? ^ A. The climate of the coast isjso much like that of England that there should be no better climate for natives of Great Britain ; while that of the mainland above the Cascades ought to bo exactly suited to Canadians, as the climate is nearly the same as we have in the east except that it is drier for the most part. T think that on the whole British Columbia has a very healthy climate and one that would tend to long life. Q. What natural fruits have you discovered in British Columbia, and could fruit be cultivated successfully ? A. Various species of raspberries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, and blueberries arc found throughout the country. The Oregon grape (Ber- hrris aqxdfoUinn 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 the world for raising fruit than Victoria. Apples and pears of a very largo size are produced in such abundance that the former can hardly be sold at any price. '^^ ^---i^ ^-^ „n ;,, ♦u^ i^™ The orchards are all in the low 80 . ■wet grounds and will begin to decay in a few years, whereas if they were planted among the rocks where the oak grows, the trees would live longer and probably produce better fruit. I can see no reason why grapes could not be produced in abundance on any part of Vancouver, if the summer temperature 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. Q. Are there any extensive fisheries on the rivers or consts? What kind of fish are caught ; are they exported and to what extent ? A. From the boundary line to Alaska there is not a bay, fiord or river that is not teeming with fish. Salmon are caught in great numbers, both in spring, summer and autumn. Last spring large quantities of fish were being <3aught 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 the be"innin<' of a very prosperous business. Salmon ascend the Fraser all the way to°Stewart's Luke, which they reach about the month of August; they like- wise ascend the Skeena into the Babine Lake, and are caught by the Indians and the Hudson Buy Company's people and dried for winter's use. The salmon of Babine Lake are both larger and fatter than those caught in Stew- art's Lake, and are therefore brought acroFs to supply Fort St. James with food in winter. Sturgeon 700 lbs. weight are often caught in the above-mentioned lakes, and every lake and stream in Upper British Columbia teems with trout of different .species, besides many other varieties of less value. Of salt water fish I know but little, except one small one— the " Ilouli- can "—which I saw in the Fraser in myriads last spring. Many were lying dead along the river and served as food for arious vanimals. Halibut were very plentiful in Victoria, and many other se;ifish of which I did not learn the names. I believe the fisheries of British Columbia, if properly conducted, would eventually be as profitable as those of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Q. Do you know from actual observation whether any intertropical currents and prevailing winds flowing along the coast of Vancouver and British Columbia have a tendency to ameliorate the climate in a similar manner as the Gulf Stream affects the Maritime Provinces ?_ A, I know nothing of it from actual observation, but that it is so is a de- monstrated fact. About the island of Formosa, on the eastern coast of China, a current analogous to the Gulf Stream is observed moving to the north east. It passes Japan, and part of it enters Behring's Sea and warms the northern part of Alaska while the other part is deflected farther to the east and passes down the West Coast of America, carrying with it the heat necessary to produce the exceptionally warm climate of Vancouver and the West Coast generally. It is this stream which gives the heat and moisture that are the cause of the mao-nificeut forests found from Alaska southwards. The forests of Norway £J^K "^ 31 ' i> •^V «■(«" nnd those of Western America nre tlie product o? the two great currents — the " Gulf Stream " on the ea.stanJ " Kuro Siwo " on tlie west, and sceptics may rest assured that the value of the West Coast timber far exceeds that of the Eastern Provinces. Q. What are the mineral interests of iiritish Columbia ? Are they de- veloped to any extent? Would encouragement to mining interests develop agricultural interests and increase immigrarion to the Province? A. Gold has been found in paying quun titles at Okanagan on the Ame- rican Boundary, — at Shuswap Lakes — at Cariboo — on the Ominica — on the nStickeen — and latterly at Cassiar, and an examination of the map will show that all this gold is produced from mountains lying between the Rockies and the Cascades. Copper, iron, and silver have been found at various points in the Cascades, and coal is abundant on Vancouver and Queen Char- lotte's Islands, I just mention these and a>sk : Are these all or are they merely indications of what is to come ? After 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 Railway. Con- sider 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. Cariboo is really the only pi)int where the gold interest has been developed. Coal is minei at Nanaimo, and these constitute the developed mining interesls of British Columbia. Gold has been found on Vancouver itself, and there is no reason why it should not pay for the working. The only way that British Columbia can bo developed is by encouraging and stimulating her raining interests. Political Economists may theorise, :and interested parties may praise or depreciate, but the stern reality remains : — There can be no pernvment prosperity for Biitish Cobimhia without -a development of her mining interests. As a necessary corollary to this, there would be an influx of agriculturalists, and commerce following in the footsteps of both, would again awake the slumbering energies of her present population, and cause them to cease tlieir grumbling and go to work with a ■will to develop the resources of their adopted country. I, Q. Can roads connecting the diiferent settlements be built other than along the valleys of the rivers, and were the present leading thoroughfares built by Government or private companies ? A. In most cases roads can be built to connect the various .settlements without following the valleys of rivers. Only part of the main road is built along the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, and parties who know the country say that there are better routes to the upper country than the one now in use. All the roads in Vancouver and ou the mainland have been built by Gov- ernment, but the miners say iluit they paid for the latter. I believe the two bridges on thewa<;gon road were built by private companie^i, but they are now in the hands of the Government. 32 In view of tho fact that sonic thousnnJs of minors and lumbermen arc cmpioyea in Pritish Columbia, and that there are in addition to these some forty thousand Indians, would not tho prohibition .»f the nianuficturc, impor- tation and sale of intoxicatinj^ liquor in that country be a blessing to it A. Most assuredly it would, and T mi^ht S'ly that it would be a benefit ta Old'Canada as well; for it is a well-known fnct that many promisini; sons of Ontario and the Eastern Provinces arc at this very time >o onthralleil by tho drinkinsi; nsaces which prevail to such an extent in the I'acific Province, that the clear-headedness of former years seems to have left them. HONOURABLE MR. SUTHERLAND'S EVIDENCE. THE NORTH-WEST AND AOllICULTURAL SETTLEMENT. Committee Room, House of Commons, Monday, April 3nl, 187G. Honourable John Sutherland, Sonutor, of Kildoriun, Manitoba, ap- peared before tho Conunittoo. Q. How lono: have you resided in the North-West, and m what part of t'le territory bave'vou chiefly resided? A I have been in the North-West all my life. I was born witliiii the corporation of ^yinnipeg. My ago is 53 years. I am a practical farmer. , ,^^ , . , , , n • , Q. Ho you consider tho North-Wost a desirable place for residence^ for a practical agriculturalist. ^ t , A. I do. From my long experience there, and from what i have seen in other Provinces, I'have come to the conclusion that tho soil, climate and other natural advantages are conducive to successful farm- ing, and that a poor man can more easily make a living there than in other parts of the Dominion. Q. What is the usual d. pth of alluvial deposits on the prairies and on ijottom lands ? Are the natural grasses nutritious, and can stock thrive through tho winter without a supply of coarse grains ? A. 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 \ory nutritious, and cattle can be win- tered without any coarse grain, neither is it customary to feed any grain except to milch cows or stall-fed animals. Q. What is the average yield per acre of prairie grass ? A. 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. Q. Do you consider the North-West adapted for dairy purposes ? Have you a large area of natural meadows producing hay, and at what price per ton can it be cut and cured ? J JaL II 'I I 1 t 88 I i t A. I consider tho North-West as very well adapted for dairy pur- poses, as wo have many miles of natural meadows throughout the country, and hay can be cut and cured for about 81 per ton. Wo have five or six varieties of grasses that are good and well adapted lor stock feeding, while a few others are not so suitable. Q. Are summer frosts prevalent so as to injure the growth of crops ? Have you frequent refreshing showers of rain in spring and summer, and what is tho average depth of snow in winter? A. We imvo occasional frosts^; generally one frost about the first of Juno, but seldom severe enough to do any material injury to tho growing crops, and showers are frequent during spring and summer Tho average depth of snow throughout Manitoba is about 20 inches and is quite light and loose. ' Q. Would it be advisable for an Ontario farmer contemplating settle- ment in tho North-West to take with him stock and farmin.Mmplo- nients and, if so, of what kind or description ? » i ^1. I would consider it advantageous for a former to take improved stock, but not agricultural implements, as they can bo procured there at a reasonable rate. They are partly procured from tho United States and partly from Ontario. I think tho grade cattle miWiC bo got HI cheaper from Minnesota than from Ontario. * Q. Can good spring water be easily obtained in tho Province of ^lanitoba, and at what depth ? Ih there sufficient moisture to render the soil productive, and are you subject to severe summer drouo-hts A. In many parts of tho Province there are natural sprinT.B ami creeks on the surface, and good water can bo obtained by dWincr about twelve feet, while in other parts it may bo necessary to dw- some fifiy or sixty feet. I recollect only two seasons which were very dry, but not so much so as to prevent having fair average cron^ and in the absence of showers there is sufficient moisture in the oarf h to render tho soil produc o. Q. To what depth does frost penetrate in winter ? Does it continue in tho earth after the commencement of vegetation, and what offoot has this moisture upon the growth of crops ? A. The frost penetrates on 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 progrossea before the frost IS all out of the ground, and we generally begin sowing when it i« thawed to the depth of six inches, at which time the surface is nor fectly dry We believe this frost helps the growth of crops, owini to the heat of the sun by day causing a continual evaporation from i\Z underlying strata of frost. ^"'n uie Q. Do 5'ou consider the country healthy? Is ic subject to fevera and epidemics ? "^ ^«ver& ■ 34 A I consider the country health v, and we have not boon subjoct to anvcnidomk" Wo hu < * 48 J r IT to their trading posts, and garrison at Sitka on tlie north-west (then Russian) coast, and also for supplies to the Hudf^on's Buy Company's trade. For some years it paid 5 per cent, on paid up capital (10 per cent.), but from mismanagement or failure of market, dividends failed entirely, and about 13 years ago I sold out at par. . -'. " The Oregon Treaty gave the Americans the greater part of our lands and improvements, and the indemnity voted, and ultimately after about 20 years paid for it, was one million dollars, an increase in value of nearly ten-fold in eleven years, the treaty being in 1^-48. The fact carries its own obvious significance on the questions of agricultural resources of t.-ju region in ques- tion. The average yield of that wheat field is credibly reported at from 60 to 80 bushels of wheat per acre (English acre). " The Company's farms on the Columbia and the Cowlitz (a northern tri- butary near the coast), constituted, I believe, in t'jeir value, the principal portion of the four millions of dollars of indemnity voted to the Company, and paid by the American Government of the United States under the Oregon Treaty. The terrain of Southern British Columbia — a comparative plateau — from Kamloops to the American boundary (49°) via the Okana- gan Valley, is not a whit less valuable for grazing, and much of it for agri- cultural purposes, tlian any part of the Columbia Valley. Unfortunately for the country's credit in this respect, the late railway surveys have been in what truly may be called a sea of Mountains — its " Highlands," — its Alpine regions of somewhat rugsed mould ; but as the campagnEe, the over fertile plains, and vales and mountain foot slopes of Italy, or southern France, are not to be judged by the neighbouring heights that but minister to their ferti- lity, neither fhi.'xld British Columbia in her physical features in this respect. '•So r a for Southern British Columbia, say from the American boundary to Latitude 54° North. Be^'ond that the- country is less mountainous, and in fact from the Eocky Mountains to the Coast Eange is a line rolling plateau of wood and prairie with much of lake and river of easy and far continuous navigation, and where, at an average height of only about 1,900 feet above sea, the prevailing flora is one indicative of heat and moisture, and a fine climate, with no severer winter weather than prevails in Central Canada, say in the meridian of Ottawa. "It is a region little known, save to the old fur traders of the North-West, and in their Journals and ever faithfully-kept and most credible diaries — from which in my book, ' Peace Eiver,' published here four years ago, I quote largely — we find record of a high degree of fisrtility and agricultural product. "I shall here present but two extracts, viz.: from the late Chief Factor Harmon's Journal of life, for several years there, about 60 years ago, and whicli was printed about 50 years ago and is now scarce. ' At Fort St. J:imes ' (about latitude 54" 30' North, and 1,800 iiset above sea, as estimated by me, and as subsequently ascertained by aneroid measurement by Mr. Iloretzky, of Mr. Fleming's staff). 44 ' the first barley (five f|uarl.s) sown proJuced five bushels, say about 8-4 bushels per acre.' " 'At Fort Frasor' (still further west on the slope of the Cascade or Coast Eange), ' the first potatoes plauted (about a bushel) ])roduced forty-fold.' "Fort St. James is only about 50 miles, in air line, from oM Fort George on the Fraser, to which point, it has just been reported, the Canadian Pacific Railway is being located. The nearest and best access to ocean from that point is by that vallej' — a fine open one according to report— on M'hich old Fort Fiaser was built, iind whence to ocean — Gardner's Inlet, there is (according to old fur trade reports in my possession) at least one salmon stream direct west\yard to ocean, and salmon being unable to leap beyond 12 feet in height, their presence on this plateau by such short cut from sea would seem to indicate a line of route possibly feasible for railway to ocean there. "There would be more good land along such line than any other further south, as all south between the Fraser Eiver and the west coast is higher and colder. "For Canadians, accustomed and able to cope with such winter there, and with the more than ordinary Canadian degree of growing power in climate and soil, this region is really a good one ; and a local market is ever at hand in the gold mining communities of Cariboo, Ominica, and Cassiar. 4 GENERAL BEYOND REMARKS AS TO THE FERTILITY OF NORTHERN REGIONS OF THE SASKATCHEWAN, THE SO-CALLED 'FERTILE BELT' AND CORRESPONDING LATITUDES WEST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. "To remove the general misconception — how inspired, or whence ■derived, it is not for me to say — as to the economic value, fertility and agricultural resources of that further North-\yest, which was regarded by even Canadians in general to be a hyper- borean wild of utter sterility, or fit only for fur hunting, I— at a juncture of events in our political world of British North American Provinces, which seemed to call for such information— wrote, four years ago, a book under the heading 'Peace Eiver,' with notes covering the whole ground from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from the Arctic Ocean to the furthest southern boundary. " The special, and it may be said exceptional fertility of the Peace Eiver Valley, througho'it its whole length of about a thousand miles, from its discharge into the McKenzie Eiver to McLeod Lake on the M^est side of the Eocky Mountains, I endeavoured to show by a narration of facts from journal entries by gentlemen of the Hudson's Bay Company, and from letters and reports addressed to my father i)y/officers in charge along that line of trade route. I never personally 45 travelled it, and therefore was careful to state only what, by rcadintr and reasonable deduction, I thought I could fairly advance on the subject I happened to place an advance co])y of the work in My. Fleming's hands when startin*,' on his transcontinental flvino- trip on survey for the Pacific Railway, and specially called his attention to my tabulation in the boolc of distances and hei^•hts all alont-- to the Peace River Pass, and thence to the mouth of the Fraser imt that stream to Fort Alexandria, and thence to the North Thompson iiranch and the Thompson River proper, and pointin,-' particularly to the Peace River Pass as one of exceptional lowness. ' "It had never been measured, and my estimate as to heiicht was predicated on careful examination of itinerary entries of a canoe yoj-ago from Hudson's Bay to and through it. My estimate was l,7oO feet. "On the strength of the pamphlet, ho detailed from his staff Pro- tessor Macoun, botanist, and Mr. Horetzky, furnished with aneroid i>ly heights were, strange to say, ascertained to be almost perfectly correct. As to the question of fertility, kc, I have now the en- dorsement of Mr. Macoun after having just gone over the whole ground, and much of it twice over; and, as he has kindly given me j.ermission to use his statement, on this point, I would give Mio lollowing extract from his letter to me, dated last nonth : ^ " ' Your writings,' says ho ' first, called attoniion to the country ^ and after having traversed the country from end to end I can say with safety that all your statements regarding the fertility of the ^ country are fully borne out by the facts which came under my own notice. You have certainly not over stated the value. ^ " ' You will find enclosed in this letter a few Woodsia Gabella ironi the Portage of the Clear Water Eiver (see Sir John Richard- son s narrative of his search for Sir John Franklin, vol. 1, paf<-o 119) ^ 1 collected on the 11th September, 1875. Could you send i^to Sir John s brother-in-law with m}- compliments.' " This Clear Water River, I Avould observe, is an oiistern and J-mrcntian (somewhat colder) tributary of the McKenzie, and I had referred to it in terms of special commendation for the beauty and exceptional warmth and fertility of its remarkable valley. " The brother-in-law of Sir John Richardson, referred to is the Keverend H. M. Fletcher, of Alton-Berners Rectory, Marlborouo-h >Viltshire, England, who, in the course of the present winter had addressed himself to the Department of Agriculture here, and also to myself, for information as to the means of getting to the Peace River District, with a colony of about 150 persons, principally farmer^ and all with means sufficient of their own, so he stated, to take theni through and begin settlement there; and he proposed to accompany them and remain a year with them. All he asked for from me was instruction as to route, and from the Government, whether they I 46 would supply them with a doctor, or, at loa.st, with a ' modica chowt; Ho Ktated that ho had Leon routed to tlio act \>y roa^iing in Mr. Flcmin^'H book, ' Ocean to Ocean,' the extracts from my work as to the fertility and climate of the region ; an.l also, ho gave mo to underntand, that from the fact of the widow of the late Sir John Richardson (his, Mr. Fletcher's sister) living with him, /us no^'s as to the flora of the Peace lliver region, especially in its lower and most northern parts, were, in a way, before him, and, besides that, from long ^tudy on the subject, he had formed a favourable opinion as to the special adapta- bility of the country for colonial settlement. He, moreover, said that ho had already engaged in similar work in bringing out some of his people to the Ottawa Valley in 1871, and seeing them settled there. I may state that the Department referred the letter to me, for infor- mation, and my advice was that any such effort at present in that direction would bo premature and inadvisable, if not impossible, until the country should bo opened by Indian Treaty, survey, and roadway. • ^. . "I refer to this incident to show thatthi only two scientists as to the/om of the region in question, who have gone over the ground and are competent to give an authoritative opinion on it, seem to a"-reo as to the except^ional fertility of that so-called hyperborean ^vlld. I never read Sir John Eichardson's report. . .mongst my fiither's papers I see letters from him and Sir John Fran-ilin, but they ;• Month. April May June i July 47 " The Winiiipo/^ Basin, ovoii at Norway Iloufio, at IfH north end, aincl of lift) at which I have distiiu't rocoliection. is on the whole not more severe than that of Lower Canada botweei. Montreal and Que- bec. " In the Saskatchewan Valley — say the North Saskatchewan — at Fort Carlton I know that my ^n'andtather( maternal grandfatiier),(Jhief' Fac- tor Pruden, who built Fort Carlton, and for many yearn held charge of tiiat district, raised easily all ordinary- kinds of garden vegetables raised in old Canada, and all cereals, and, (with some difficulty, how- over, owing to occasional summer frost) oven Indian corn. " Ah to wheat, it has for many years past— about fifty, as I see by letters to my father from an uncle of mine (Chief Trader Harriot), who first took it there, and according to subsequent reports — been <;onstantly raised, even at Lake Ann, Ijeyond Edmonton, whore there is a considerable settlement of old retired servants of the Company. On the Athabasca, further north, at Red Deer Lake, where there is an old and considerable settlement, it lias never failed, and the climate iuid locality are most favourable for it " Still further north, on the Peace River, three hundred miles near- er the North Polo, it is raised, and Professor Macoun has just brought us a specimen of it, * 68 lbs. to the bushel,' which is one pound and three-qui>rtcrs more than the wheat (from our own County of Pontiac) which took the second prize for wheat at the World's Exhibition at Paris in 1867. The fact tells its own tale as to climate in those high- ■cr latitudes of ours. " Wo have, moreover, an exact and reliable record, in careful ther- •momotrical registry, at a central point, viz : Dunvegan, of the climate of tho Peace River region— one kept by mj- old friend and client Avhen I practised at tho Bar in Montreal, David Thompson, astron- omer of the old North-West Company, and to whom the mapping of those far northern lands from Hudson Bay to the Pacific is mainly due. THE THOMPSON REGISTER — DUNVEGAN, PEACE RIVER. Latitude 56" 8 S. Longritiule 117' 13' \V. Fahr. = --Fahr. Mouth. ^ ' 37-6 54 64-5 63 August 60 September 5.") October 40 November.., 14-6 December — 4 January -f- 7 February + 2 March 225 Mean 54-87 Moan of 3 summer months. 62.50 Mean of winter 8-42 Mean of the year 35-51 48 " A« to the period of cultivation (from April to October) '. xa a fact ^vorth notint,' that Dunve^'iin, Toronto mid Quebec do not vary more than half a degree in mean tcniperatiiro, and that jus to JIahtax, tlio ditlorenco i.s only I'^GO'— not far from two decrees In favour ot Diinvo^an. Ah to the winter cold of Dunve.i^'an, its steadiness and dryness are, for both man and beast, better than that of any other plaec in^the Dominion. I never saw any ])erson I'rom that region but;;|wh(> was improved and strengthened in health and body, and I may say mind, by the life; a region of essentially strong life. " As to the climate of British Columbia, it is to bo observed that on the whole, it is moisler and warmer than that on tlie eastern sido of the KocUy Mountains in the same latitudes, but local causes, viz.: the special physical features of the country, with its alternate of rugged mountain range, and comparative level, vary it much. In its south- ern half, the attitude of the cascade or coast range, seems to wall oil from the interior the vapours of ocean waters, which waters never viry beyond 50° to 52° Fahr., the whole year through, while on the northern half of it, or at least between latitudes 53" and 50°, there is a freer play of ocean vapour, with its ever-fertilizing influence over the whole breadth of the country to the Rocky Mountains and even beyond, through tiie Teace liiver I'a.-^s and other passages in the lowered range in tliose latitudes. .■,■,... « Between latitudes 53° and o()°, exclusive of mountain heights, it may bo called mildly Canadian, and with a greater force of vegetable irrowtb. ^ " MINERAL DEPOSITS. " I cannot say much on this head, only that coal " lignite " is re- ported from the Saskatchewan to the Arctic shore, along the ba. ^''« Athalmsoa, Peace 'and McKe zo If \^ H ' "* 'T ^"' '''"''■ ^'* ^^^'•^^'">' """■^°' ""•' tl.oncoto shin at io Hv iMictory, Jlmlson Hay, u.sod to l,o l.y tlietn ^ 2 f"^' "M-f ^'.^''i^^' '"''It iwivigation of these vvutei. highways may bo lam ai six ihousand nulos. => ./ j ^ sh-,"..nM''\"^ ;'^lr'V?"?'''''.r''''' r ^^'i""il»o^'. Brnver, and other .uns oo tall ot bad rap.d.s for boatn, but where canoes are avail- al'le. may aggregate about half that. nuH?!../.!";'?"! ^^' ^^'''7: '""*'' ^^' ^''"''^' ^''^t"'->'. i" which boalB gh K u.ecl, but are not to any extent, wo.dd ag.grogate about two ll'«"'- nd m. o,s n.ore. Total navigable reaches, say lT,0()() miles. • 1 hewhole country IS thoroughly traversed by navigalde streams ^o^agc^> and aii Iroquois or two, the bark canoe, which in 1H28 u ,0.1 (.oyon,orb.mps..n from tidewater, II udson's Bay, to tide-water 0^'ndle •)'p"'''' ';!>''^^'--'-" transcontinent;^'trip of aboul journal dnt'. "'" '"'• ^" '"^ ^"'*''' ' ^'^''^'" ^'''^'<^ ^''^'^ '^'*^ ;• Tho most imrjorlant stretches of navi-^ation are from Red ^o^sllVrT ^^^^'-^;'.«'<"tol>ewan, thence to Kd.nonbm and bre !- In ' ^TI'^^'?'■^ ''''^'^' "^'«'''^ be effected without bicak ut l,ulk, or at least without talcing the boat out of M'ater .^oT-n '"I" Tl^'' Saska.hewan, say about Victoria or be 'ra Pe is itiv ' fr ," ''" ^t'^^i'"^^^'^; t''«'n-e to the mouth of the fX isaboMf >'n /^^ •^/'^^ "^""•^' thence to Mountain Sclv mo? M .?"'"'• 3'"^«ti;etchof 570 miles is of com para- mti> most gentle current and of over-abundant brimming waters. loot ot the llocky Mountains is a splendid stretch of 500 miles com- Tv^ si^o^'r.'/ 'T'' "^'^^''^t^^'l' ^^ithout a single break for bokts of mies o .^.n. ' 'l> .T ''"!'•., ^'^'"^ ') 1^"''^"^'^ ("«t difBcuIt) of ton miles occurs. Lut beyond that, and with a somi-lucustrine course i^al e, and F( rt on the lle^^side, there is unbroken and comparativelv easy navigation for boats, about vqo miles further, and by the r ;'L ;itbont'i'"V'f "'"? ^'^'''' ^^ '''' ^"^'"'^^ Goldlinos! a legion Mitiiout ono bad rapid. "The McKenzio River, from Athabasca Lake to tho Arctic no fu'Ton?th:'?nf ^'T "''^' "'7'"^''' "^ ^'''''y close succession; not U\ trom the Lake, there are only four rapids. The rest of the stream, with a body of water but little less than "our St! Lawrence 50 and in cniTcnt like that between Montreal and Quebec, is a thousand miles and more of ship conr&e. " From Norway House to York Factory, I have passed in one of the ordinary five-ton boats, and which was hauled on skids over the portages. By this route, thoutrh an arduous one, everything, from a pin to artillery, used to be brought into the country. Of late years the Pembina route has somewhat relieved it." I think I have now answered every point of inquiry put to me by your honourable Committee, except that as to the time I Avas in those Territories. On this head I have simply to say that I was scarcely ten years old Avhen I left the country for my education in Edinburgh, Scotland, but that I have a good memory of physical features as well as of incidents and mental impressions. That my kith and kin are scattered over th.e old home land, and that my correspondence with them and intimate friends there, as well as business relations in Hudson's Bay Co.'s altiiirs, have ever been, throughout life, of the closest and most confidential kind ; and m}' own hearth in Montreal, and elsewhere in Canada, has ever been the resort of these friends from the old birth-land, fronvevery quarter of it, and of whicli it has ever been a habit of lite with me to speak and wj'ite, and work for its development into national exister.ce, and to that end I have ever earnestly lent m}' humble service. Of my country I can but speak truth. To he htown is all it needs. Its own : ^rinsic merits will, i trust, under Pro"'dence, do the rest. CAPTAIN WALKER'S EVIDENCE. THE NORTH WEST TERRITORY. Captain Walker, Inspector of the Mounted Police, North- "West Territory, ai)peaied before the Committee. He stated, in reply to questions : — I have been in the Xorth-Wdst Territory since June, 1874. I have travelled fi-om Fort Francis to Bow Kiver, within eight}' miles of the Eocky Mo-nitains. The valleys of the Red River, the Little Saskatchewan, and almost all the streams I have seen, are ver}- fertile, and so is a large portion of the ])i'airie land, which is in evciy way suited for cultivation. Some of the valleys are twenty miles •wide. The most of the land not suitable for cultivation will make good grazing land. We never had much difticult\' in obtaining Avater by digo-ing some seven or eight ieet; for in>.t{\nce on the road from Fort Ellis to FortPelly there was a section of about forty miles where it was thought water could not be obtained, but which wo found by digging ,>>ome seven or eight feet, and in quantity sufficient if N. ih I .^^ 51 •to water some fifty head of etoclc. There is timber on the banks ot all the streams, besides which there are blufts of poplar seatteT-ed <)ver the face of the country. Good spruce and ])oplar are abundant in the nei^i^hbourhood of Fort Pelly, some of the spruce trees beino- as much as three feet in diameter. ^ For the last U-o years farmers have suffered very materially Irom the ravages of grassho])pers. At Fort Pelly lust year the crops and \'egetables looked remarkably well, notwithstanding that the hind had been broken up for the fir«t time last spring, bSt the grasshoppers ate up all the cro])s with the exce])tion of sav three hundred bushels oats. It is the general opinion, however, that the grasshoppers, not having deposited eggs to any great extent will not do much damage this year. At Portage La Prairie there' were good crops notwithstanding the grasshoppers. I think this was owing to the large extent of cultivated land in that section, and I believe that the more the country is brought under cultivation, the less will the grasshopper come. The only drawback to immi- gration 18 the grasshopper plague, and if the country was rid of them. It would be more desirable to live in than many Darts of Ontario. '' ^ The climate is cold, but not felt more intensely than in many parts of Ontario, owing to the dryness of the air, and the steady unchangeable temperature. The heat is not very oi)i)re^8ive hi summer, owing to there being a constant breeze blowiiH^ over the prairies, and the nights are always very cool. '^ The depth of the snow ranges from one to three feet and will average about eighteen inches. The native horses feed out all winter without care, and cattle thrive well when stabled and fed on prairie hay. From my experience of the country, I am firmly of opinion that it IS extremely healthy. We have had very few cases of sickness among the members of the Force, and many of the men are now in more rooust health than they were when they went there n/l'"" IW-Jor traffic is about completely stamped out through the eriorts of the Mounted Police. MR. KENNETH MACKENZIE'S STATEMENTS. The following questions and answers contain a report of the experiouce ot Mr._ ivenneth Mackenzie, a fanner, who emigrated from the Province of Ontanoand settled in Manitoba. 31 r. xAIackenzie wrote the au.swers in 1873 to questions sent to him to obtain the information he has siven •— ' Question.— llov7 long have you been a resident cf Munltoba? Aiisicer. — Four years, Q. From what part of Ont;irio or tiie old country did you come ? 52 A. Scotland, in 1842, then twonty years of age ; lived in Puslinch, County of Wellington, twenty-five years. Q. How many acres of land have you under cultivation at the present time ? 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 ? 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 fine alluvial soil above, but in several places sandy loam. There are to the south-west of hrrc places toa 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 ? A. When the summer is wet or moist I would sooner break it than old spear grass sod, as we do not require to break so deep. Q. What months do you consider best to break it in ? — - * A. June and July, but earlier will do if you have time, as later does not answer so well. Q. What kind of a plough do you use for breaking ? A. American, made by John JJeen Moline, but other Americans make good breaking ploughs— light with gauge wheel in front, and revolving coul- termould boards and coulter and shear, all steel. No use for any other ma- terial here in ploughs 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 adapted both for breaking and after ploughing ? A. The American ploughs an.swer i'or both at present. I have a Canadian plough 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 ? A. On a twelve-inch breaker, we use one pair horses, or one yoke 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. About one acre is a fair day's work, /. e., day after day. Some, of V' 53 or H course, will do more. The large plough and more teams will break one and a-half aeres. Q. ITow many ploughings do you give the land before cropping:, and at what time ? * A. Two ploughings for first crop answers best, i.e., one light or 2 inch in summer, and then 2 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 fair crop, but would not like to de- pend on it if the season was dry. Q. What crops do you grow most extensively ? A. This year, spring wheat, 90 acres, barley, 30 acres, cats, 1 aero, peas, 8 acres, rye, 1 acre, flux, ^ acre, potatoes, 6 acres ; the rest, roots of various kinds, and clover and timothy. ^ Q. What kinds of fall wheat, if any, do you grow ? A. I have tried f\ill wheat, but do not consider it a profitable crop to raise here at present. Q. What kind.s of spring wheat do you grow ? A. Golden Drop, Glasgow or Fife, and a little Rio Grande, I think it is called. Q. How many bushels do you sow per acre ? A. About 2 bushels per acre. Q. What is the average yield per acre, one year with the other ? A. Fully 30 bushels ; I have had over 40. Q. Does Indian corn grow well, and yield a good crop ? 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 ? A, Common 4 rowed, but think any variety will do well. Q. How many bushels do you sow per acre ? A. About 2 bushels. Q. What is the average yield per acre ? A. About 35 bushels, but I have seen over 50 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 ? A. A little over 2. Q. What is the average yield ? A. I think this year about 20 or 25 per acre ; my land being new till this year, they did not do so well. Q. What kind of oats do you grow? A. Black oats. Q. How many bushels do you sow per acre ? A. Two bushels. Q. What is the average yield of bushels ? A. I have but little, but I see fields from here to Poplar Point, I think ■will yield from 45 to 60 per acre. - „,..- — ._.-_... i *,' 54 Q. Do timothy and clover j^row successfully ? A. I have had both do well ; but timothy seems to do best. Q. Do rye and flax grow successfully ? A. Rye is a fair crop, and flax I never saw better. Q. How are the soil and climate suited to growing root crops ? A. All kinds of roots and vegetables that I have raised each year have done very well. , 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 crop", and I have 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 grasshoppers ? A. Not since I have been here. I am eight miles west of Portage La Prai- rie, and no settler was before me west of the Portage. Poplar Point is about 25 miles east of here, or 17 from Portugal. Q. How many times have the crops been destroyed or injured by them : at what season do their ravages generally commence ; and how long do they generally continue ? A, In lc,68 they destroyed all from Portage at that time to Fort Garry, and all settled. This year they destroyed all down on Red River or around Port Garry, and partially up the Assiniboine River, up to Poplar Point, but no farther. There are several fair crops in Headingley and White Horse Plains, i.e., lialf way between P. Point and Fort Garry. Q. Do you think that this plague will continue when the country is better settled and more land cultivated ? A. I cannot positively say, but think their ravages are partial. Some may suffer, while others escape. They only 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. Mr. Nesbitt had a good crop in Prince Albert mission, Saskatchewan, in 1868. Q. Are there any crops that they do not dehtroy ? A. They are not so bad on peas as on other crops. Q. Are the gras.>«hoppers the only plague that you have been subjected to since settling in the Province ? A. I have not suffered any as yet from grasshoppers. Black birds were very bad at first, cspicijilly on oats, and that is the reason I had no more sown this year. I have not seen one-fifth 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 ? ^'l. Fall and Spring are drier. About the middle of April, Spring com- mences generally; but I sowed wheat this year on the 3rd of April and ploughed in 1870 on the 5th of April. Q. Is the snow melted by the sun, wind or rain ? A. Nearly all goes with the sun. Q. Have you n;uch rain during the Spring ? 'lf{ 55 A. Very little till May, June and July. Q. Whiittime does the frost leave the ground ? A. About the 20th of April ; in places it may be longer. Q. Have you much frost after growth commences ? A. [ have seen a little in May, but 1 have not had any of my crops injured by frost since I came to Manitoba. Q. How soon may ploughing and sowing be done ? 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 ; 1 have it stacked now and a good crop. Q. Is the summer different from ours in Ontario? A. Generally rather drier and vegetation more rapid. Q. Have you showers during May, June and July, and have you heavy dews at night ? A. Yes. Q. Is growth as rapid as in Ontario ? A. I think more so. Q. Have you any summer frosts ? -1. None whatever since I have been here to injure crops. Q. When do you generally cut your hay ? A. From I'nh July to 15th Pepteniber. Q. Does wheat, barley, and oat harvesi commence later or earlier than in Ontario ? A. Later ; ,^enerally about first week in August. Q. Is the Fall early, wet or dry ? A, Early ; generally dry. Q. Wiiat date do Irosts generally com menoe ? .1. First of tiie season, about 8th or 10th Soptcmber, but fine weathor after. Q, When does the winter commence; how soon is the ground frozen, and when does snow full ? A. Generally frozen about 10th or 12th November ; snow about 1st De- cember. Some seasons are earlier ; others later. Q. Have you deep snow early in or during the winter ? ^1. First three winters snow would average from 16 to 20 inches; last winter 10 inches. The frost is generally a steady freeze. Q. Have you many severe drifting snow storms ? A. Not any more than in Ontario, generally ; last season none, but that is an exception. Q. Have you wood convenient, atid what kind ? A. From two to three miles ; greater part poplar, but some ouk and white ash, and small a.sh leaf maple. Q. How do you fence your fields ; with rails, wire, or sods ? A. With rails. Q. How deep do you hive to dig to get water in yours, as well as your neighboring settlements ? Is it t^ood ? 56 ^.4. Generally they got water from nine to eighteen feet, ! ut in thi<< locality It IS not so easily got. We expect to have a test well this full. Water, iu some instances, tastes a little salty. We use creek water. Q. Have you 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 h y most resemble ? i o ; ^ A. Beaver meadow hay ; only ours here, I think better, and moro v.iriety V- J^oes It make good hay, and do cattle and hor.ses feed well on it "^ A It makes good hay for cattle, and they feed well on it, but T do not tlimk It near so good for horses as timothy hay. Q. What is the average yield in tons to the acre ? 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 prairie generally <-row ? ^. On hard, dry prairies not over ten inches, but on hay meadows I have seen lour feet. Q. Is itas pasture equal to our timothy and clover in Ontario ? A. No, It IS much thinner, and does not start .so readilv as clover when eaten or cropped. " ' Q. Do the grasshoppers at any time destroy this grass, or can it at all times be relied upon as pasture ? A They do a little cropping when very bad, but not, to my knowled-o to destroy It for hay or feed. ^ '^^nS ^J Q. How often do the settlers fire the prairie, and are your crops ever en- dangered by such fires ? ^ ^ ^^i tu nnifi.J!;""'' '" VT 'n:"°'l^ ''^*^"" °"^ P''^^"*' fi''^''- I J^'-i^c not suffered any by them. I plough a few furrows around my fields and fences y. is It necessary to burn the grass on the prairie every full in order to have a good growth the following? year ? A. Not at all. ^ Q. Have you tried any fruit trees, if so, how have they done '> ' nl/* T A ! S^ ,^?P^' ''^'^ ^'''''" ''^'^' "«* ^ell attended to. three years old 1 do not think It very good for apples or pears, unless wo have a very hardy kind ; Siberian will do wild. Plums are very good, and likewise wi d grapes, though small, grow finely on the banks of om streams, and better hops I never saw than grow here wild. We u.se them for our bread risin-^ turrants raspberries and strawberries grow wild quite abundantlv. I think the growth of apple trees too rapid, and wood does not ripen, the soil bein- rather rich, and not much shelter in general ° fortoIlulK'' ^""^" " ""* P^^"^^'"'' ^"^ "^^^ ^'^ '''' --'^SO price r^c^fiY^^t^l ^""'^"'' he^retofore and from twenty-five dollars to tliirty dollars per thousand ; now good fair pine is to be had at Fort Garry, dreied for same price, and soon we will have a mill to cut up white wood p ne or rati cr spruce pine. i^^jc, ui luiuti -r \ ll ''r f 57 Q. ^yould you advise persons coming from Ontario, to settle as farmers, to bring stock, such as working horses, oxen, cows, sheep, pigs, &c. , or would you advise them to bring with them any machinery, such as reapers and mowers, waggons, ploughs, fanning mills, &c., 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 they do not 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 twenty per cent, of the horses die, or are useless the first two years after being here. If a fiirmer wants a driving mare or to breed, all well, but by far too many horses are brought in, till we have more timothy hay and oats raised. Oxen and cows thrive well, and none can go wrong to bring them in. They can be got here. Freight by United States route is very high. On immigrants' goods it costs in general about five dollars and a half per cwt ; that is, count- ing bonding, &c. If got by Dawson route I expect it will be considerably cheaper. Q. What 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 price ; same for oxen, &c. Q. What is the price of a good yoke of oxen ? A. I have sold them from $125, 8130, 835, 8^0, 850, 865, 870,885,to 8200 and 8210, the latter were prime, i. e., here or in Ontario. Q. What is the price of a good cow ? A. I have sold them from 830 to 860. 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 Ontario. There are some very good pigs here. Q. What is the price of a combined reaper and mower "^ A. From 8200 to 8240. Q. What is the price of a good plough, also fanning mill ? A. Wooden ploughs, Canadian, do. American, about 840. from 845 to 850, both far too high for all the work on them. Q. Would it not be a good speculation to bring out some thoroughbred stock, such as cattle, sheep, and pigs ? A. I think so. My thorough bred cattle thrive well here both summer and winter. Q. How do you think the country is situated for dairy, cheese, and but- ter making ? A. Very well, just the thing rt.juired. Q. Have you always a ready market for your produce ? A. Can .sell nearly all I raise at the door. Fanning mills 58 Q- What is the average price ? before U«;';.b'„« 3,' o1 -TT ""T' ' '»?» '^"''"l' ^<" 1-5" i two season, «rble o^r ™'l '"' '°"? °"'' "■ "'"' *' •''•'«!'«'''» '"^'•"tofore were very T l.nvf ' , }, ^^'^*^ °^ ""o^t blouses s a disatlvaata-e at nro^Pnt C u„ /S ibi ion "ndO?t '' ^7"^"S^-r '''^«^^^"' °" ^^« d^'^ "ftor our tercd tb ou h ,P P • °'- ^ "^" '^'■^"■'^^•^ °f ^e^^'^S S«od stock scat- one a..ed bull L-;;t i. n ^."'^■','f'^^ ^ ^^'^^^hree thoroughbred calvos, and onecaf' The ctnt.v w./ I*,^ f^^^-" Priccs one thoroughbred bull and wooded and of itr.^-wf ^''J^tlior norih west is better watered and U\ that Imr, eaSe Sorter" w/"™' "^ 'f "''' "''"' '" 'P'''"* "'"l i"y average will be ullv 36 bu^M ' "^ ■"""t"'? o" f!™m, aud I think ^ve can afford to^ell for Jess ^^' ^" '' ""P^^^^^^'^t., ie., get cheaper, I again say, bring fewer horses into the country, but s much other stock < ^ ^ klH ^ > ^ 69 and implements as possible. First class marsh harvesters, or mnchines which will employ two men binding and of the most improved make, are wanted. I have two combined ones, made by Sanger & Co., Hamilton, which answer well, but those that will cut wider and quicker are required. There are no hills, stumps, or stones to trouble us, and I have not a single rood lodged this year, although my crops are very heavy. Straw is gener- ally stiff here, and not apt to lodse. This year we have excellent crops of potatoes, and a neighbor of mine, Mr. Hugh Grant, yesterday, dug an early rose potato, weighing over two pounds, and not then full grown. I think grain drills or broadcast sowers would be an improvement, as it is generally wiutance of about a quarter of a mile or so lies the Town of Win- nipeg, the c.ipital of the Province, only founded a few years ago, but which already contains 12 stores, 5 hotels, and a large saw-mill, capable of cutting from ten to til'tcen tlunisand feet of lumber per day. There are also a plan- ing mill, and four printing offices. The houses are mostly frame, brick being the exception ; though brick are now being manufactured there. Stone and lime arc procurable within six miles. The roads, as well as the streets, arc in bad order, with very little sidewalk, but the buildin P''^"'^^''^ ^3.50, and labourers ^'.50 no thl'o2.7JT' '^f^'T' ^^"«h 'ngher perhaps than elsewhere, are not the only advantage, for the sober industrious may, out of the savings of <^h k v^ <.'■> 65 Z'nll^T. "'°"'^'' '''"'"' ^^ °'''''°^^ ^^'''' ^''^ P'''^'"^"^' ^ 1"' ^"d Lome of The in:,rket rates, as far as wc could ascertain them, where the sunplv is 80 irregular and uncertain, were: wheat $1.25 per bushel- oit. «1 rrnL^ bushel barley, SLIO per bushel ; potatoes, 62eLts c^l^^ bo f ^ trom §< 00 to S8.00 per ton; butter, 30 cents per Jb ; e^-s, 30 cents ner dozen ; beef 121 cents per lb. ; laiub the same ; veal, 20 eentr; 'pork, 2"c nfs and fresh fish about 5 cents per lb. Board ranijes from $5.00 to $9 00 per week, though many young men save money by boarding themselvel ' STINKING aiVER SETTLEMENT. This settlement is best reached by way of Headin-ley and thence south over he Pembina trail which crosses Mie Stinking Kivx-r, near the u ,nlr end the settlement. The land on both sides of^he riv r is nea ly o ■ u pied throu^i the extent of townships 8 and 9 in the second range^ Tho settlers are for tlie most part from Central Canaua ^ Stinking Elver contains water at all seasons, clear and good, except at a fe^v points where salt springs affect it for short distances fgood water 1 however be had anywhere by digging to a depth of a dozen^r twTmty fc t' Both banks of the river are fringed with oak and poplar of good sfze u sufficient quantities for settlement use, which increase in size and density i the river is ascended. ui^unnj, ^^ Tlie pr.urie, on either side, consists of a black loam, easily cultivated and of sufficien undulation from the numerous gullies leading to the rivt tc be No th'^iril ' "" ""P'^^^«"tPf."t.tr"-^l«fr]y cultivation and quick growth, frowtl nf 1 "''' 1 "'\ .""'""^^«^«"Pply or marsh hay, the%pon?aneou Townlhips. ' '^''"^' '' ''•' «outh-east over parts of two BOYNE RIVER SETTLEMENT. The liiver Boyne takes its rise in the Pembina xMountahs, and is about 50 miles long, flowing in a north-easterly direction until it Iocs itself hi he EVs'.iH ' '''T"T\^'^r '' '^'^"•^'■"^ '' '^'' ^'«i"i^y or the S ink i," Kiver Settlement Its banks are, for tlie greater part, lined with a frin e of heavy oak timber, to the depth of from a quarter to half a inilc iU towards the mountain it extends into a forest if a number of miles wide' on t e edge of the marsh, however, poplar is the principal timb" met w th' _ Ihe present occupants point with pride to the substantial character of their improvements, their houses being w.ll built and commodious. Some of t<' largest enclosures in the Province are to be met with in this settlmient t being no unusua thing to see a field of 100 acres, of 60 acre , and ISa 'res respectively, used for pasturage, the trouble of fencing being amply rS by the certainty of always finding the cattle when wanted. ^ S^ ma^ori y t& 66 of the settlers here are Canndians, and the land is taken up for a distance of five miles east and west ; beyond that, however, there is an abundance of land equally good, embracing the richest prairie land, with wood, water and hay. The natural advantages of the Boyne district for the raising of cattle, with its abundant supply of water, fodder and shelter, has attracted the attention of the Messrs. Grunt, of Sturgeon Creek, and Campbell Brothers, from Ontario, both of whom have considerable droves of cattle fattening on the prairie. The unlimited supply of acorn.i which strew the ground in the oak- woods would suflSce to feed a large herd of swine. In the Boyne River settlement there are about thirty families. VICTORIA. This settlement commences about three miles north of Stony Mountain, but the latter term would not, in any other than a level country, be so ap- plied. It is a ridge some 70 or 100 feet above the surrounding level, of about throe miles in length and from a quarter to half a mile in width. Tlie eastern side is a gentle slope, but the western is broken, some portions of it being precipitous. It is covered with a fine growth of poplar. The ridge is composed mostly of limestone rocks, which, where exposed to view, appear to run in layers of from a foot to twenty inches in thickness. No better building stone can possibly be found, and the supply is practically inexhaustible. THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF MANITOBA. The traveller, pursuing his journey westward from Winnipeg, would say that all the land which meets the eye is good farming land, but it is only as he reaches Poplar Point that he sees the best of it. The land stretching frou) there to Rat Creek, and from the River Assini- boine to Luke Mmiit ba, c;innot be excelled for agricultural purposes. Practical men, who iiave viewed the wheat lands of Calii'ornia, the extensive plains of Australia, and the wide-spreading prairies of the Western States, agree on this point. The river lots from Poplar Point to Portage La Prairie were, for the most part, taken up ten years ago by native inhabitants i'rom the Red River Settlement below Winnipeg, who have sold out again in turn to Canadians and Hudson Bay Company employees. The land outside of the river lots is also rapidly tilling up. The statements that I have made with regard to the enormous yield of cereals and roots are not over estimated. As a further proof of this, in October, 1871, one ([Uart of fall wheat was sown not far from Winnipeg ; the same was harvested in August, 1872, and produced the very best sample of r;rain at the rate, as alleged, of 72 bushels per acre, which was exhibited at the Minnesota iState Fair, and pronounced the best sample on exhibition. There is stated to be a settlement ou the Lake of the Woods road, on the 'r 1 i » I L in I I i » I 67 I)awson route, witli a beautiful park-like appearance abuttino- on ih. p- .eine in Township X, Range 4, in which'sLerarfaniiSLrO^t^^^^^^^ Springfield, another settlement in an easterly directim frnm W.'r,,,- Fcsents quite a f,,ivi„g appearance, and ZfTiTol'TotZ^^^^ ^oarn ,s another settlement known as SunnysiJe, oontuinin.' ab™ S but that theio are plenty of settlements which he ean joir a5 vanS are S ,.'" *' »';".°''\''°J 'l'" Nortl. West that a new set ler in tlte AVestern i^t/'s?'. Ill Manitoba the land is principallv r rairio ronnlrln,^ «^ ^i • or agricultural purposes, although 'tinibe^. isV^ b"L dT Selnt :bu"n' da.ice or b,uldu.g purposes, feneing, and fuel. In addition to S^Tatt, there' die tl e largo coa fields further west on the Si.katchewan liivcr to be inet'^tlf ""'' '"" ^''" ''''^'^''' ^^''^ ^nst and saw mills are Secondly. In tlie Western States the Railway Commnio^i own fi,^ i a iron. 10 tu 20 mile, on either side of their relpTetTvTLr vlicl le it cannot obtani as Free Grants, but for whieh they have to paT 'onr$" 50 and upwards per acre, aecording to loeality. l/the Provinc7of Manitb' however ho .ettler ean at present make ifis choice of any lots wh c I.;; not yet taken up; he can always join a .settlement, and ne^d .IZt.oZ TlUrdl,,. There are good prospects of both railway and water communis., on before long, tlie facilities for the latter being espS ly 3 the lrom.ce abounding in rivers and lakes which extend throu^i t1 °k th im I tl. tl "'■'■^' ^' •"' '^f'' ?'"'^^' ^o^n^tnin., and eastwards to L k SW Z\T 'f 'xr '^ '"" "V. '^'^'""" "*■«"« ^^^"J''"^ ^'-^J fi%-threc mile? as A steamboat belonging to the Hudson Bay Company already runs on tho I'^'W wav ? ^'1T' '''''r^^- There is Sso mi outld Zl^ h fttatcs by way of IJod Hiver, which s navigable from Fort (^.rrv fl v. i Minnesota and Dacotal, a distance of 288 miles to SrSeni^7 wh"M branch ot the ^vorthern Pacific Eailway from St Paul '>!«; n,?I '• r . . on the boundary hue, which will be completed and in runnin-. oider dur n^ the coming summer, and which is to be extended to Fort GaiTv ^ lourthlu Auolher inducement which Manitoba has to ofl"er settlers is if the free grant of land to which they are entitled is not suffioi^t m^e calx 68 ho procnml nt one dnllnr per .icro, uhcrons in tlic Western States, cvorv boycna the lin)it8 of Rnilway Company's LaniLs, tlic price is one dollar ana twenty cents per ncre. Fi//},/^. Although Manitoba lies to tlio north of Minnesota and Pacotnh the cold IS neither so extreme, nor the snow fall so heavy as in tiie latter Mates atul the changes in the weather are not sudden, as in Kansas and JNebra>.ka States, still further south. Jn Manitoba during winter the weather though cold IS regular, tlio air dry and healthy. Tlie snow is seldom moro han from one to one and a lialf feet deep, and further wc.-^t on Uio Sas- katcliewan it is said to be even less than that. A question frequently asked is: WHAT KIND OF TEOPLE ARE THE HALF-BREEDS? To briefly state their history, then, in tlie year 1 CG9 a Company was formed in London under tlie direction of Trincc Jinpert for the purpose of pro«e. outK.g the tur trade in the region of country surrounding Hudson's E.v tins Company obtained a charter from Kin- Cliarles .11. grantin- to them and tl:e>r successors under the nrn.e of " The Governor and Company of nriventurers tradir • into Hudson's Bay," the sole riirht of tradim, in nil tl^ country w-itered .y rivers flowing into the Hudson's Bay-the charter aNo authorized them to build and fit o.. n,en-of-war, establish forts, and to prevent any otlui rmpany from carrying on trade with the natives in their teiri- tones, and roqunm^. that they should do all in their power to pron)oto discovery. 'J h.s Company frequently brought men from En-d.-Ll an I Scot and as en.p loyees for their trading- posts, and for the purpose of hnntin- nndtrapp.ng-theseintern.arryi.g with , he nntive Ind.ani produced ho In the year 1783 another Company was formal, composed of French Om- admns i rom Montreal who con.nenced the fur trade tu,.her E.st at'd k -i th of Lake Superior, without any permission from the Government or otl. rwise' lius Company, ,t is said, at one time employed five thousand r.en At length trouble arose between the Hudson's Bay Conq,any and t le Frend Company; and frj.quent quarrels arose, sonietinrrs ending in bloodshed In the year 1821 the two rival Companies am.lg.nnUe.l. The French Canadtans also intermarried with the native Indirns^u.-d their do ee.dT,^ "^::^ 1 ^!f^^^^^^roe^^~^n.l.m^-od over It centui; a' -"'^^^ all these Hah-breeds have become, as it were, a distinct race of tKv„,le Iheyare a civihzed class of people. I have been antono^ : .,s . stranger, have boarded and lod.^ed witli them, an,l I Inve iin-nri. K r i ^,cmi very obligingand hospitable, and to theii^h^^lur^ t Zr^J^Zt hive '^loob^l r ' 7"'1 ''' ""^ '' ""^ ^^" ^'-« of Canad ans The; census, that they can nearly all rZ t^^t:^. l^^tl^e^LSf'S, t < i i < I 89 t;'2lti!l^^T^:r^z'^'^r''^'«'''''''^ '''''' "-»= ^« feet roof Hn Ir'^ni '"'''^"- '^'' '^'y-'^''^' '"^'l^*^^ » tiglit in,^ b t al eiylo. ^ *^^''^ """"^^^ "^'^^ '^'^ i^ the old Caaadiaa INDIANS. ARE THECIE MANY INDIANS, AND ARE TUEY TEACEABLY INCLINED ? the^efl' !^;;"°f,^^ ^^^f '"^'^ f'-^a'^'3ntly put to mo, and I can say in an.swer gn^uuds ^r themselves fa. ba^k'h f 1 N;:tWS:^\f X '^::, T^ ut, uitic will DO no troul>lo troui the Indians Th,^ RrlfiMi r v.-^,. *. i ^^3^ ;/\:'"' ^h'^W^ :"^'!" ^^^^^""'^ ^^^ Anii^a S; S-nud S ia s2e of tZ ?fl ^^^^^\^,^^^^''^ ^t^'^^^^' -"J was the cause of the dre.dful massacre of the settlers m Mumesota a fo\v years ago. The United States Government had made a treaU with the Indians uro- niisiug them a certain amouat of mouev out of n.rt nf wl.;.i ff ^I ft-auded by the officials appointed to'di:^^! ' u. -^ d'to'^m ' T Ze? nlnSLJ^ t J'^'^^'r;^ ^'^ Company,^h:::^::^^o?'"lJ cSa and f f-^ H, r % ^''^'\ ^'"'^ ^'^ ^^ ^'^^ ^orth-West of tr di^ 'nosts ni h ,f h'"P'"^ '"^^r^''^ ^"^i^^^y^ '^''^ to work at their ^7 much ^^ "'' °''^ ''''^''' ^'^'^ '''P'- ^^"^ Gavernmeat 70 FROSTS, AND ADAPTATION OP CLIMATE TO AGRICULTURE. I aj^rce fully with the following; remarks made by ]Mr. Fpence in his pamphlet "Manitoba and the North-West of the Dominion." " The liability to disastrous frosts in the soason of growth, and which so <' intimately concerns the interests of husbandry, is not any worse in Mani- " toba than in many parts of Ontario. In the former province the sprinir of " 1869 was an exceptionally late one, and in May several light frosts were " experienced, but which did no serious damage to the crops f in fict the in- " jury was scarcely noticeable ; this may be accounted for from the following " reasons:— 1. The dryness of the atmosphere (which is a peculiarity of this " region) allows a much lower range of temperature, without injury to voce. " tation, than in moistcr climates, and in addition to the heat, gives greater " vigor to the plants, which grow rapidly, but with firm texture, and are " consequently able to resist severe cuM on account of their excessive vitnl- " ity, the S'lme as a person who has partaken heartily of strong diet is better " able to resist the cold of winter. 2. The sudden change of temperature, "which is often the case in this region,— oijc extreme following another in " rapid succession — is less deleterious to vigorous plants than a trradual low- " ering of temperature. The earth and plants still retain the heat pioviously " absorbed, and are thus enabled to bear an atmosphere at 20° much bettor " than at 35° after latent heat has been given off. The snil of the prairie is "generally dry, and is rapidly warmed by the rays of the sun in the spring. " 3. The benefits arising from the dryness of the air are accounted for " from the fact that moisture conveyed in the air has a tendency to soften " the delicate covering of the plants, and thus render them more sensitive to " cold. 4. The heat-retaining character of the soil. For these and several " other reasons that might be mentioned, the climate of Manitoba is lesssub- " ject to killing frosts than might at first be supposed to be the case on " account of iis high latitude." I was informed by Mr. Deputy Sheriff Xesbitt, of Winniperr. that in the year 1870 the first fall frost of any consequence occurred on the 2nd of Octo- ber ; in the year 1871, on the 15th of October, and last year in the latter part of October, which shows that during the growing season frosts are tiot likely to do damage to the crops. With regard to spring frosts Mr. Taylor, an aged gentlenian now upwards of eighty, and residen't in that e(nuitry about fifty years, informed me that he .scarcely ever knew vei^etables to suffer from frosts after they have once started in the spring. The season opens, so I was informed by M^essrs. McKenzie and Taylor forspnng ploughing from about the 20th of April to the 1st of May after which they have very few frosts and cold is very moderate, as the .4ason« change rapidly from winter to summer— winter generally lasts five montb« say from the middle of November to the middle of April. In the year 1871 snow fell very early, on the 12th November, bu( as a rule there is very little- snow before Christmas. When I arrived there, 17th November last fall \ A \ ■[ ^ 71 Although the weather was very cold whon I ^s.,s in the Province vet the air being clear and dry, the cold is not felt as much as it would hi in On! torio, where the air is more moist. On the 28th and 29th iNovember last In o;on Vr'- "°T'?' T'^ '' '^° '' '''° b^l"^ ^^^«- I was out r dfngt makW r "'^" ^''^ days travelling from twelve to sixteen miles without making stoppages, and it did not appear colder to me than it does in On tario when the thermometer is only from 5° to 10° below zero. Durin-Ml^ hSs'ofTtr"'?'^ ^ '^^" '^ ''''''^ P'^^'^-^' ^^-^ ^ ^- proceeding alo^t herds of cattle pasturing on .he op, . prairies without shelter. STOCK RAISING AND WOOL GROWING. We^sra^e'S?J'r?f "'"7 ^''''•^* '' '^°^^'° ^^'''^ ^^^'^"^^^^a and the North- triUou' uTl " ^V'' '"'''"- '' '}'' ^'''' '^' '^'' P^-'^i"es is very nu- tritious, and the supply for many years will bo iucxhaustible. Althou-h the weather is cold, the snow, as I said b. n.re, in>nerally comes late • vet no withstanding, I would consider it more protitabl. to^ut he grass^fo'r tt anvSL I % ?"''./'' ''' ^*f'' ^"^■^^^'^^ ^''''^' ^l^«>-« there is scarcely to cut Z ''^';.' '^^'^ '^'"' ^/"^P' ^°^^ ^^"^•^- Tfc would not cost much een t nt £''r 'l 'J^owers, and t! ^n to stack it in ridges or rows, as I have Sn t . ^.^.?-^'^"^^fy Company's Posts and on several of the stock T tl!.-n . T '^'"''' "° ™"^' ^^''"^ ^ '^''^^'' ='r«^"^ the .table yards. more dHblff^' • ^"'"''''° ''"'^^^ '^'' '"'^^^ P^'^^^^^^^'^ "« the climate is Te Ln^ .! . '? a warmer and damp..- air. The natives who have tried flocks ^wf-''^ ^^^ ^'^^'^P ^° ''f' ">d no disease is known amongst tlie fhet ..?. ^ '•' T"^^ 'T-^'^', '"^, ^^'^"^^ «^"^^^^°^ "^^'-ly the same price who.l^ °'' ''''u^"'^ !° ''^' "^J°^"^"« '^tate., where land is dear, and wheie there is no hay but what is raised on the cultivated farm lands. is tToZ ^'''' .^^fjantage favorable to the raising of cattle and .heep, t onPd hv ' ?;'' '^ of turuips, carrots, and mangolds, in .Alanitoba, men- tioned by me in the earlier pages of this report. FRUIT CULTURE. M rhl?l^T f ^-"^^i. ^«Pf '^"y ^PPl«^. lias been entirely neglected in Manitoba hitherto; in fact there has never been a practical te°t made to r ally knew whether fruit trees will flourish or not. This is owing, prob^ bly to the.e being such abundance of wild fruit, and also to the difficulty of wk tirrif '^n^.P^r'^"^'- ^i^^ "'^^^^^^ ''' ^"tlrely unacquainid with the culture of fruit trees, as they have been bred and born without wTld S ":i' "f'' cultivation. When we find so great an abundance of wild fruit in the forests, I cannot but believe that many kinds of aDoles Tn t fe % r ' ;\^"''^' "^T'^'^'f' ^^°"S the edge of'the timbeJ laE In the State of^ Minnesota, where the extreme snow storms prevail, and Where it is fully as cold, they have very fine fruit. I saw young appk 72 trees of two years' growth, raised from tlio seed by Mr. McKenzic, of Rat Creek, and they looked hearty and of a hirf} sections of one mile square in cacli, together with road allowaneos of one chain and fifty links in width, between all townships and sections, Each section of 640 acres is divided into half sections of 'MO acres, quarter sections of 100 acres, and half quarter sections of 80 acres. A.11 townships and lots are rectangular. To facilitate the descriptions for Letters Patent of less than a half quarter section tlie quarter sections composing every section in accordance with the bouiKi.tries of the same, as planted or placed in the original survey, shall be supposed to be divided into quarter quarter sections, or 40 acres. The area of any legal subdivision in Letters Patent shall be held to bo more or less, and shall, in each case, be represented by the exact quantity as gi"en to such subdivision in tlia original survey ; provided that nothing in the Act shall bo construed to prevent the lauds upon tlie Red and Assiniboine Elvers, surrendered by tlia Indians to the late Earl of Selkirk, from being laid out in such manner as may be necessary in order to carry out the clause of toe Act to prevent fractional sections or lands bordering on any rivers, lake, or other water course or public road from being divided; or such lands from being laid out in lots of any certain frontage and depth, in such manner as may appear desirable ; or to prevent the subdivision of sections or other legal subdi- visions into wood lots; or from describing the said lands upon' the Kcd and Assiniboine llivers or such subdivisions of wood lots, for patent, by numbers according to a plan of record, or by metes and bounds, or by both, as may seem expedient. Unappropriated Dominion lands may at present be purchased at the rat« of 61 per acre; but no purchase of more than a section, or tJ40 acres, shall be made by the same person. Payments of purchases to be made in cash. The Minister of the Interior may, however, from time to time, reserve tracts of land, ps he may deem expedient, for Town or Village plots, such lots to be sold either by private sale, and for such price as he may see fit, or at publi« auction. The Governor in Council may set apart lands for other publ'i * y I f • X 76 < '. 4 f purposes, such as sites of market places, jails, court houses, phocs of publia worship, burying grounds, schools, benevolent institutions, squares and lor other like public purposes. Free grants of (juartcr sections, 160 a.-^s, ire madetr my male or female who is the head of u family, or to any \y rson not the head of a fatiiily who has attained the age of 18 years, on conrliinn of three years' settlement, from the time of en t Ting upon possession, pK vid( 1 the li uitation of quantity shall not preveni the granting of a wood lot < . the saiiiC person. When two or more persons have settled on, and seek t. obtain a title to. the same )-ind, the homesteii'' i'ght shai, be in him who nwtdo flie ft settlement. If both have made iiuprovoni its, a division of the land nihy be or(:;2red in .such manner as m ly pr «erve to the said parties their several improvements. Questions as to the homestead right arising between different settlers shall be investigated by the Local Ago»>t, li the div^xiu,, in which the land is situated, whose rcpo.'t shnll be referred to the . linister of the Interior for decision. ^ Every person , , liming a homestead right from actual settlement must file his application tbr such > 'dm with the Loeal Agont, previously to such settlement, if in surveyed .ands ; if in unsurveyi 1 lands, Avithin three months after such land .-liali have been survcye(^ No atent will be granted for land till the . ration of three years from the time of entciing into possession of it. When both parents die, without having devised the land, and leave a child or children under age, it shall be l.iwful for the executors (if any) of the last surviving parent, or the guardian of such child or children, with the approval .)f a Judge of a Superior Court of the Province or Territory in which the lands li( to %A the 1 nds for the benefit of the inftmt or infants, but for no otiior pui pose ; and the purcliaser in such a case shall acquire the homestead right by mch purchase, and on carrying out the unperformed conditions of such right, shall receive a paient for the laud, upon payment of the I iflice fee.?. Thi' title to lands shall remain in the Crown until the issue of the patent therefor, and such lands sliall not be liable to b- iken in execution before the issue of the patent. If a settler voluiiturily relioquishes his claim, or has been ibsent from the land entered b^ him for more than 6 mouths in any one year, then tho right to such land s .ill be forfeited. A patent may be o1 lined by any person before three years, on payment of price at the date of entry, and making proof of .settlement and cult" itioa for not less than 12 months from date of entrv. All assignments and transfers of homestead rights before the issue oi the patent shall be null nnd void, but shall be deemed evidence of abandonment of the right. _ These provisions apply only to homesteads and not to lands set apart as timber lands, or to tho ^ ( which coal or minerals, at the time ')f entry, are known to exist. 1 ^i* 7() QRAZINO LANDS, Unoccupied Dominion lands ni;iy bo liMscd to nclghborins; settlors for c;raz- mg purpoyos ; but .sitoh jjasu shall ont.iin ac )nditi()n niakin;^ suoli lantl liablo for sottlouiont or for sale at any liini! durinn the term of hucIi loaso, without coinpoiisation, huvu by a proportionate deduction of rent, and a furtlier con- dition by which, on a notice of two years the Minister of the interior may cancel the loaso at any time durin;^ the term, Ujxiccupied Dominion lands will be leased to nci'^hbourin;^ settlers for tho purpuse of cutting hay thereon, but not to tho hindrance of tho sale and set- tlement thereof. MINING LANDS. As respects mining lands, no reservations of gold, silver, iron, copper or Other mines or minerals will be inserte I in any patent I'roin the I'rown, granting any portion of the Dominion lauds. Any person may ex[)lore for tuines (ir miu-jrals on any of the Dominion public lands, surveyed or unsur- veyed, and, subject to certain provisions, may purchase the same. As respects coal lands, tlioy cannot be taken for homesteads. TI.MUKll LANDS, Provisions are made in the Act for disposing of tho timber lands so as to benefit the greatest possible numbn* of settlers, and to prevent any petty monopoly. In the subdivision of townships, consistin;-; partly of prairie and partly of timber laud, sueh of tlie sections as contain island'*, bjlts, or other tract- oi' tim'ijer shall be subdivide 1 into such number of sv oo'l lots, of not less thiin ten and not more than twenty acres in each lot, as will atford ono such woo 1 lot to eacli qu'irtcr section prairie firm in such township. Tiie Local Agent, as sei tiers apply for homestead rights in a township, f-hall apportion to each (|u irter section one of the adjacent wood lots, which fh ill be paid for by the applicant at the rate of SI. 00 per acre, When tho claim lilt h is fulfilled all requirenvnts of the Act, a patent will iss;/e to him for such Wood lot. Any homestead claimant who, previous to the iss le of the patimt, shall eel's any of the timber on his claim, or on t'le wood-lot ap;)ertaining to his claim, to saw-mill proprietors or to any other than settlers for their own pri- vate use, shall be guilty of a trespass and may be prosecuted therefor, and shall forfeit his claim absolutely. The word ti'mher includes all lu:n'>3r, and all products o? timber, includ- ing firewood or bark. The right of cutting timber shall bo put up at a bonus per square mile, varying according to the situation and value of tiie limit, and sold to the highest bidder by competition, either by tender or by public auction. The purchaser shall receive a lease fjr 21 years, granting the right of cut- ting timber on the laud, with tho following couditions: To erect a saw 77 mill or nilllN in connection with such limit or lease, of a cnp'city to cut afc the rate of 1,000 feet broad measure in 24 hours, for evo;y two ami n half squnrc nr.k'S of limit.s in the lea^o, or to eHtnllish such otiier nmnufactory of wootlcnf,'oo(ls, the cquivfbnt of such mill or mills, and the lessee to work the limit within two jcur- 'lo.u 'hodatc thereol', and during each succeeding year of the term ; To take from every t e lu^ cM- down all the timber fit for use, and manu- facture the same into sawn lu' ' .v or some other .salealde product ; "« To prevent all unnccj.^sar- ■ itruction of ^rowing timber on the part of his men, and to prevent tin <. '^in and spread of fires; To make monthly returns to Government of the (|uantities sold or dis- posed of— of all sawn lumber, timber, cordwood, bark, c*to., and the price and value thereof; To pay, in addition to the bonus, an annual f,'round-rent of S2.00 per .vjuare mile, and further, a royalty of 5 per cent, on his monthly iiccdunt; To keep correct books, and submit the Hame lor the inspection of the col- lector of dues whenever required. The lease- shall be subject to forfeiture for infraction of any of the condi- tions to which it is subject, or lor any fraudulent return. The lessee who faithfully carries out these c(»nditionH shall have the refusal of the same limits, if not required for settlement, for a further term not excecdinji 21 years, on payment of the same amount of bonus per square mile as was paid originally, and on such lessee agreeing to such conditions, and to pay such other rates as may be determined on tor such second term. The standard measure used in the surveys of the Dominion is the English measure of length. Dues to the Crown are to bear interest, and to be a lien on timber cut on limits. Such timber may be seized and sold in payment. Any person cutting timber without authority on any Dominion land-^, .-hall in addition to the loss of his labour and disbursements, forfeit a sum not ex- ceeding S3 for each tree he is proved to have cut down. Timber seized, as forfeited, shall be deemed to be condemned, in default of owner claiming it within one mouth. FORM OP APPLICATION FOR A HOMESTEAD RIGHT. I, of do hereby apply to be entered, under the provisions of the Act rcupcctlng the Puhlic Lands of the J)o)niulon for quarter quarter sections numbers and forming part of section number of the Township of ^ containing acres, for the purpose of securing a homestead right in respect thereof. AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OP CLAIM FOR HOMESTEAD RIGHT. I, x\.B., do solemnly s^wcar (or afRrin, as the cise n.'ay be), that I am over 18 years of age; that I have not previously obcained a homestead un- 78 der the provisions of the ''Dominion Lands Act" ; that the land in question belongs to the class open for homestead entry ; that there is no person residing or having improvements thereon ; and that my application is made for my exclusive use and benelit, and with the intention to reside upoa and cultivate the said Land— So help me God. On making this nffidavit and fiHug it v?''h f,he Local Agent and on pay- ment to hnn of ah office fee of ten do^ shall be permitted to enter the land specified in the application. COLONIZATION. If any person or persons undertake to settle any of the public lands of the Domunon free of expense to the Government, in the proportion of one family to each alternate fjuurter section, or not loss than sixty-four families m any one township, under the Homestead provisions of the Act hereby amendod, the Governor in Council may withdraw any such township from public sale and general settlement; and may, if he thinks proper, havin^ reference to the settlement so effoctcd and to the expense incurred by such person or persons in procuring tiie same, order the sale of any other and ad- ditional lands in such to»vnship to such person or persons at a reduced price and may make all necessary conditions and ag. cements for carryin^^ the same into effect. ° The expenses, or any part thereof, incurred by anv person or persons, for the passage money or subsistence in bringing out an immigrant, or for aid in, erecting builJmgs on the homestead, or in providing farm implements or seed ioy such immigrant, may if so agreed upon by tl , parties, be made a charge on the homestead nf such immigrant, and in e:^se of such immi-n-ant attempting tc eva.'e such liability by obtaining a homestead entry oulside of the land withdrawn under the provision of the next preceding section, then, and in such case, the expense incurred on behalf of siich imniigrant, as above, shall become a charge on the homestead so entered, which, w'ith interest thereon, must be satisfied before a patent shall issue for the' land • provided as ibllttws ; (o.) That the sum or sums charged for the passage money and sabsistence of such immigrant shall not be in excess of the actual cost of the saL«e as proved to the satisfaction of the Minister of the Interior ; (h.) That an acknowledgment by such immigrant of the debt so incurred shall have been filed in the Dominion I^ands Office ; (c.) That, in no ca