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The following diagrams illustrate the method; Les cart^^, plc> ichcis, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmto A d<^t Ujux de reduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est fiirnA A pertir de I'engle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de heut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nteessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 i ■ 6 THIRD ESSAY. NEW BRUNSWICK, AS A HOME FOE EMIGKANTS : WITH THE BEST MEANS OP PROMOTING IMMIGRATION, AND DEVELOPING THE RESOURCES OP THE PROVINCE. HON. JAMES BROWN, SCIIVKTC8 GKNERAL. SAIKT JOH^, N. B. PRDfTED BY BARNES AND COMPANY, PRISCH TTItLUM STREiT. i8ao. I Met Gui Ma for ] ni PREFACE In December last, the President and Directors of the Saint John Mechanics* Institute proposed two prizes of Fifteen Guineas and Ten Guineas, respectively, for the best Essays upon the subject : '•^New Brunswick as a Home for Emigrants : with the best means of promoting Immigration, and developing the resources of the Province.** The Ersays were to be delivered on or before the first day of March last ; and no less than eighteen were sent in as competitors for the prizes. It was determined that a committee of three gentlemen, uncon- nected with the management of the Institute, should be appointed to act as examiners of these Essays, and judges of their merits. William Wright, Esq., LL. D., Advocate General, the Hon. John W. Weldon, and the Rev. William Scovil, A. M., accepted the Board's invitation to act as such Committee. On the 19th April they submitted their report, in which they speak in flattering terms of all the Essays, and recommend that three of them, besides the two to which they had awarded the prizes, should be published. The following is the Third Essay. Being convinced of the necessity of diffusing as widely as pos- sible the valuable information contained in these Essays, the Direc- tors of the Institute communicated with the Provincial Government, upon the subject of their publication and distribution throughout the Provinces and in the United Kingdom. In the most liberal manner, the Government assumed the cost of printing several PRliTxiCE. 1 tliousaiid copies of each of the five Essays, on tlio solo condition that a certain number should be placed at the disposal of the Executive Council ; and they are new published under that arrangement. The President and Directoi's of the Institute beg to express their sincere thanks to the gentlemen who undertook so readily, and discharged so faithfully, the laborious task of examining the Essays, and their entire satisfaction with the course adopted by the Government, in aiding and encouraging the Institute's effort to make our country and its resources more widely known and more fully appreciated. They sincerely trust that their endeavours to effect this desirable object may not be unproductive of good results. Saint John J JunCy 1860. i jondition |I of the Icr thafc express readily, ling the ^pted by efibrt to id more lesirable i NEW BRUNSWICK AS A HOME FOU EMIGRANTS: WITH THE BEST MEANS OF PROMOTING IMMIGRATION, AND DEVELOPING THE RESOURCES OF THE PROVINCE. *' Now they have turn'd the turf with the spade, Where never before a grave was made ; And deep have laid beneath the soil Of the woodland glade, the man of toil, Who heav'd the dark old woods away, And gave the virgin fields to th' clay ; And the pea, and the bean, by the side of his door, Bloom'd, where their flowers never blossom'd before ; And the wheat came up, and the bearded rye, Beneath the breath of an unknown sky." Happening recently to observe in the newspapers, that the Directors of the Mechanics' Institute have offered prizes for the two best Essays on " New Brunswick as a Home for Emigrants," although I have no pretensions whatever as a writer, and but very little spare time, yet, possessing some practical information, I venture to enter the lists as a competitor. I do not expect to win either of the prizes, but shall feel highly honoured, if my article be found worth publishing. It is not my intention to avail myself, to any great ex- tent, of the labours of others, but to confine my remarks, as far as possible, to matters that have come under my own observation, distinguishing those passages which are bor- rowed, from that which is original, by marking the quota- tions in the usual mannor. The Province of New Brunswick lies between 45^ and 48^ North latitude, and 63^ 45^ and 67^ 50^ West longi- tude — bounded by Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy on the South, the State of Maine on the West, Canada on the North, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on the East. It 6 NEW BRUNSWICK J contains about seventeen millions of acres of land, about ten millions of which are yet ungranted. From a careful enquiry into the resources and capabilities of this Province, instituted ten years ago, it was computed that there were twelve millions of acres of land fit for cultivation, more than half of which is land of superior quality, and that, making due allowance for the growth of wood for fuel, Kew Brunswick is capable of sustaining three millions of inhabitants. Our present population is less than a (quarter of a million, so there is ample room for large additions ; and it is very desirable for all of us who are here now, that our number be largely increased. "VVe want more people to help us to clear up and cultivate our vacant Crown Lands, to make our roads and build our bridges, to cut down, haul, prepare, and carry our timber to market ; to build and man our ships, work our mines, and help to carry on our productive fisheries. The first European settlers of the Province were French, and their descendants still remain here. A few adventurers iifterwards came from New England, and then a consider- able number of disbanded soldiers and loyalists from the revolted colonies, after the close of the American Revolu- tionary war. Emigrants, chiefly from the British Islands, have since, from time to time, arrived, and a portion of them have remained ; so that by immigration and natural increase, our population may be now estimated at two hundred and thirty thousand. Looking at the various industrial pursuits of our people, it appears that the largest portion of them are emplo^^ecl in tilling the soil, clearing up the wilderness lands, and cutting and preparing for the market the timber in the forests. 1 have grouped together these three separate branches of in- dustry, because they are now, and must for a long time to come continue to be, pursued by the same persons promis- cuously. The other portions of our population are separately employed as fishermen, seamen, merchants, mechanics, la- bourers, &c But the farmers and lumberers, taken in a body, outniimber all the others ; and the agricultural pro- perly exceeds in value the aggregate amount of all other property in the Province. Of our twelve millions of acres of land fit for cultivation, there are not yet one million cleared. All the rest, with i AS A UOM£ FOB EMIGBANTS. about careful ovince, •e were more that, fuel, ions of juarter itions ; w, that people Crown to cut :et; to ) carry rench, iturers isider- bm the tevolu- slands, f them 3rease, id and eople, 'ecf in atting its. I of in- rae to omis- •ately js, la- in a pro- other -tion, with I 1 3, the exception of a small portion of barren heath, is covered with wood. The Emigrants, therefore, who could be most beneficially introduced, both as regards their own advan- tage and ours also, should be farmere, and farm labourers, who would help to extend our operations and improve our agricultural system. As the land is covered with a heavy growth of forest trees, the first process is to cut them down and burn them. This, although to a stranger it seems very laborious, is not so in fact ; and beyond the use of the axe, and the means of subsistence for a time, very little skill or capital is required. In June, when the trees are in full leaf^ is about the best time to commence. The piece of land in- tended to be cleared, should first be marked out. The un- der-brush should then be cut close to the ground with a strong scythe, and the small trees be also cut close to the ground with an axe. The larger trees are next to be cut,, two or three feet above the ground, as may be most con- venient for the axeman, and in such a manner that they may lie on the ground in one direction, without crossing each other. The branches are then to be lopped off, and the trunks cut up into logs of convenient length for piling. In this process, care should be taken to have all the branches and combustible materials spread over the ground as evenly as possible, in order that the fire may pass over the whole. A dry sunny day in August or Septemoer, is the best time for burning, and the fire should be set about noon, all along the windward side of the chopping. If the weather be favourable, and the materials in proper condition, all the leaves, fog, bushes, and branches will be consumed, and the whole surface of the ground blackened. TI. ri logs and branches that remain, are then to be piled up in x.aaps and burnt, and the ashes being spread, the land is then ready for the reception of the seed. Burning in the spring is a dangerous process : the fire, by reason of the grounds in the vicinity being covered with withered leaves and other dry substances, is apt to spread through the adjoining fields and woods, destroying such fences, buildings, and standing trees as may fall in its way ; whereas in August or Sep- tember, those combustible materials are so mixed up with the rank vegetation of summer, that the fire is prevented from spreading beyond the limits of the chopping. Wheat is sown broadcast among the stumps^ at the rate 8 NEW BRUNSWICK. of a bushel to the acre, and either harrowed in with a tri- angular harrow, or hacked in with a hoe. Four pounds of red clover, and four quarts of timothy, mixed, is the usual quantity of grass seed for an acre. This is sown aftei the wheat has been harrowed in, and then covered by passing over the ground a kind of bush harrow. Barley, oats, rye, buckwheat, and peas are sown and covered in the same way, with the same quantity of grass seed to the acre. Potatoes are planted by laying three or four cuts in a place, on the surface of the ground, and covering them up in hills with a strong grub hoe ; the hills should be from two to three feet apart. Indian corn is planted nearly the same as potatoes, with four or five kernels in a hill, but not so deeply covered. Yery abundant crops are generally raised in this simple way. Field is annual!}^ added to field, and the new settler who first entered the forest with his pack on his back, and his axe on his shoulder, becomes the owner of a productive fai'm, with his family around him, enjoy- ing all the blessings oi health, peace, and independence. There are some differences of opinion in regard to the m iner, as well as the cost, of clearing up the forest lands. This depends mainly on the quality and condition of the land to be cleared, and the kind of wood with' which it is covered. The clearing up an acre where the ground is sloping, or nearly level ;. the soil firm and moderately dry — covered with an open growth of maple, birch, beech, or other hardwood, or with a mixture of all these, interspersed with a small portion of spruce, hemlock, or fir, will cost about Four Pounds currency. To clear an acre covered with a heavy growth of hemlock, pine, spruce, fir, and cedar, as much of our swampy land is, would cost nearly double that sum ; and when cleared^ the first described hardwood acre, would be worth more than two of the other for a crop of grain, and for many succeeding crops of hay. Still much of this swampy and heavy timbered land, when stumped, drained, and ploughed, will be ultimately found as good as the other, though it should, in the outset, be carefully avoided by all new settlers, and left untouched, until by increased means they are enabled to handle it to advantage, and can afford tor wait a few years for re* muneration. About ten years after the trees are out down, the most of '^ m "M ts. a tri- nds of J usual tei the )assiiig rye; sarxie J acre, place, n hills two to ame as not so raised d, and pack I owner enjoy- dence. to the ; lands. of the ch it is ►und is ily dry ech, or jpersed ill cost overed r, and nearly cribeH 3 other )f hay. when found set, be ached, le it to [br re- lost of .>; AS A HOME FOB EMIGRANTS. W the roots are so much decayed, that many of the stumps are easily removed. The plough will then, for the first time, be in requisition ; but previous to that, no plough is required — no manure needed — and very little practical agricultural kuowledge wanted. New Brunswick is a healthy country, and to use a com- *mon saying, " a good poor man's country," and those who have properly attended to the clearing and cultivation of the soil, have all done wellU There are, however, numbers in the " old country" who would not be likely to succeed as farmers on new land. Many of the mechanics and tradesmen, bred and employed in cities and towns, are too feeble for our laborious farming and lumbering operations. Should any such land on our shores, it would be best for them to seek employment in their respective occupations, in the towns and villages. People afraid of the cold in winter, and the heat in summer, had better remain at home. We want hardy, hale, robust, and courageous men and women, from the rr.ral districts, persons of good morals, prudent, industrious, and sober habits, able and willing to labour " with their own hands," and who would be content with that plain independence which the country so abun- dantly aflTords. Experience has proved, that in all parts of the Province, Emigrants of this description, who came among us poor, or with means v^ry limited, have made good farms, raised and maintained large families, and are now living in comfortable and independent circumstances. Perhaps a little additional information, as well as encou- ragement, to intending Emigrants, might arise from a brief narrative of my own career. I have no reaoon to complain, and if I have not succeeded so well as some others, it has becA altogether owing to my own injudicious management. I was nineteen years of age when I arrived in New Bruns- wick, a stranger and alone. I was not destitute, for I was under the protection of Divine Providence — had excellent health — two suits of clothes — seven dollars in cash,t and a smattering of Hpelling, reading, writing, and . arithmetic, which I had learned in a Parish School. Thus qualified, I went to work with a farmer for my board and lodging, and began to learn to drive oxen and cut down trees. I was very kindly used, and through the haying and harvest season, had half a dollar a day as wages. I afterwards was B 10 iiJEW BRUNSWICK, employed at cellar and well digfjing, and when the winter came on, joined another Emigrant, and went from farm to farm threshing out the grain. In tlie latter part of winter^ I hired with a lumberer — camped out, and wrought in the forest as a swamper. Next season I was chiefly employed in digging cellars and wells, and joined another young man in the purchase of a small lot of wilderness land, of which we cleared three acres, on which we sowed three bushels of wheat the following spring ; from which we reaped and threslied seventy five bushels of excellent grain. Next year we cleared up four acres more, and sowed four bushels of wheat thereon, which produced eighty bushels; after which I sold my share of the little farm. By this time I could readily obtain a dollar a day for haying, and the same for reaping. I was one of five who engaged to reap a field of new land wheat, of twelve acres. VVe had fine weather, and cut it all down, bound and set it up in stooks, in six days. It produced twenty-three bushels to the acre. One generation has passed away since that time, and last year, '* as there I walk'd with careless steps and slow," I saw on the one side a productive orchard, and on the other a crop of hay cocked up, about three-quarters of a ton to the acre. That side of the field has never been either plowed or ma- nured, and has produced a crop of hay every year since we did the reaping. The following year I joined a native ctf the Province in the reaping of a field of twelve acres. This we did in twelve days; the owner tying it up and taking care of it. I have never seen the ground since that time; but last summer I unexpectedly met my fellow- labourer in another part of the Province, somewhat failed, and stooping under the burden of four score years ! is ext year I went off one hundred and sixty miles into the State of Maine, and was there employed six months clearing up land, and working on a new farm. I have mentioned dig- ging, threshing, haying, reaping, and lumbering, as my principal employment, but I engaged in whatever happened to come to hand — such as ditching, fencing, blasting rocks, building log houses, hovels, chimneys, barns, &c- &c. &c. I must confess that I did not take very good care of my earnings, and lost also a good deal of time, but I saved £155 15s., which I paid for one hundred acres of wilderness land, in a very convenient situation, and had enough left to 1 AS A HOSIE FOB EMIOBANTS. U winter irm to ?interj in the )loyed gmau V hich ushels 3d and :t year lels of which could me for ield of eathen, in six One t year, aw on a crop e acre, or ma- nce we tive Of acres, ip and ce that fellow- failed, Next 3 State ng lip id dig- as my )pened rooks, ZC. &Q. of my saved lerness left to build thereon a small framed house and shed, and there commenced house keeping, with property worth about .-6225, the savings of seven years. Iraised sixty bushels of wheat the first year, some of which was a littte injured: by the " rain in harvest." I have camped out thirteen winters and parts of winters, as a lumberer ; and wrought twelve springs at river driving ; have cleared up many acres of the wilderness, and so had opportunities of becoming practically acquainted with the whole process of clearing and settling the forest lands. . , My own case resembles that of hundreds who have come at different periods from the British Islands, and are now scattered over all parts of the Province. Other persons, previously associated, have arrived in groups, and com- bined together in forming settlements, wnere they, or their descendants, still remain. Of these I may name the dis- banded soldiers of the 42nd Highlanders, after the close of the Eevolutionary War, who settled on the banks of the river N«shwaak.'; the 74th Highlanders, who at the name time settled near the Digdequash and St. Croix ; and the Rae Fencibles, who, at a subsequent period, settled in the western part of the County of Cliarlotte. Add to these, the Arran men on the Restigouche — the Irish on Richibucto — the English in Stanley — and many others : all now in a thriving and flourishing condition. . In tho spring of 1837, about thirty emigrant families arrived at St. John, and went to Fredericton, intending to settle on the lands of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land Company. They were a mixture of English and Scotch, from the banks of the Tweed, — farm labourers, healthy and strong, but without means. Disappointed in their engagements with the Company, they appued to Sir John Harvey, then Lieutenant Governor, who sent a mes- sage, recommending their case to the consideration of the House of Assembly, then in Session. At that time, the whole region from llanwell to Magaguadavic (about thirty five miles) was an unbroken wilderness, and through it a line for a Great Road from Fredericton to Saint Andrews had just been explored and marked out ; and a member of the Assembly who had assisted in the exploration, proposed to settle them on this line. He informed the House, that the line passed through an extensive tract of good hard- Id JKEVf^ BBUN8WI0K, wood land, near the S^^^ Oromocto Lake. Hn plan, or scheme, was to lifcy off thirty-two lots, each of 80 rods front, and 200 rods long, sixteen lots on each side of the road ; to pnt all the men under the direction of two jndicious persons, well acquainted with clearing land ; to famish them all with axes and provisions; cut down and prepare for burning an opening, twenty-eight rods wide and four miles long ; peel spruce bark to cover the houses ; burn the chopping; clear the land (three acres on the front of each lot) ; buiTd a log house on each ; bring out the families ; furnish them with supplies ; let them prepare more ground for burning ; sow and plant each his three acres in the following spring ; and pay for all in road work. Such was the outline of the scheme then proposed, and which was agreed on at the time by the House of Assembly, but on pr^aring for the proposed survey, it was dicovered that 2,200 acre» (rfthe intended land had previously been selected by three individuals, and could not, therefore, be obtained. This was a great disappointment, and a great hindrance at the outset. Another tract of land, less favour* able, had to be selected ; some of which was swampy, and not good for first crops. No continuous opening could be made, as in the first proposed scheme ; the choppings had to be made in separate places, and the poor fellows, instead of getting each three acres ready for sowing and planting the following spring, had to toil on for three whole years, before they all got settled on their separate allotments. They proved first rate road makers, and ultimately paid for all the supplies furnished by the Government. The follow- ing is an extract of the Report of the Hon. L. A. Wilmot, Commissioner of the Harvey Settlement, to His Excellency Sir William M. G. Oolebrooke, dated at Fredericton, ^th February, 1844:— ''The great success ^ich has followed the labours of these industrious and valuable settlers, is an unquestionable proof of what may yet be done on our millions of aci'es of wilderness lands. The return shews, that from land where not a tree had been felledin July 1837, there have been taken, durmg the past autamn, 2^0 tons of ha^ and strawy^ and 15,000 bushels of grain, potatoes and turnips. ''It is d^irable that the return may be circnlated among the settlers' fHends and eountrym^i in the north of Eug- A« A HOMS FOB EMIOBAKTS. iU an, or front, id; to 3rS0D8, )xn all irnisg long ; >pine; bniid L them pning ; pring; d, and jmbly, overed ybeen iTQj be avour- y, and uld be gshad nstead [anting ! years, ;tnents. aid for follow- ITilmot, elleney on, 9th ours of ionable ici'es of i where e been strawy among »f Eiig- land, as well as other parts of the Ufiited Kingdom, so that the capabilities of our new land soil may-fppear, and that it may also be made known, that we have at least five millions of acres yet undisposed of, a great portion of which b of better quality than the land at Harvey, whereon the sober and industrious emigrant may create a home under the protection of British laws, and in the enjoyment of British institutions." Those settlers began with nothing. They suffered many hardships, but they were inured to labour, and overcame them all. They commenced in 1837, and in 1843 had pro- perty in cleared land, farm produce, cattle, sheep, swine, etc.^ of the value of £4,289. During all that time, only two deaths had occurred, while there had been thirty-nine births, and all without medical aid! , . u Equally successful were a number of poor emigrant families from the South of Ireland, who settled in a body on a tract of wild land, distant from the Harvey only a few miles. They also began with nothing, and at the end of the second year, gathered seven thousand two hundred and seventy-six bushels of grain, potatoes, and turnips, and besides making more than four miles'of road, accumulated property to the amount of more than £2,000. A great deal has been said and written from tinae io time on the subject of emigration, and the settlement of the«wild lands. Persons learned in language, law, etc., but who themselves never went "a day^ journey into the wilder- ness," have advanced plausible theories, and blamed the Government for not adopting them. Even a good scholar, if he speak or write on a subject which he does not fully understand, is liable to speak or write nonsense. *' Of this the instances are many, i i And these may serve as well as any." One set of these writers afiirm, that if the Government would only select tracts of good land, and open roads through them, and give away every alternate lot, with con- ditions of settlement, they would not only have plenty of eettlers, but would be able to sell the alternate lots at such a price as would more than remunerate the Province for the whole outlay. Now, if this were done, the result would be, that in the outset all the choppings would be separated 14 HEW BETJNSWIOK, from each other, to the great inconvenience and hindrance of the settlement. The nre, in spite of every effort to the contrary (and there would be no inducement to hinder it), would spread over the ungranted lots from clearing to clearing, and no matter how good the soil might be, render ll.em wortliless for first crops, and not available for any useful purpose, until cleared, stumped, and ploughed. No new settler, in his senses, would purchase such a lot, covered as it would be with black, dead trees, smutty windfalls, and noisome weeds ! Other writers assert, that if the Government would only open up roads through good tracts of land, and make them accessible, settlers would flock in of their own accord, and we should have plenty of inhabitants. But we have already more than 2,000 miles of great roads, and 500 large bridges; in addition to these, we have over 3,000 miles of bye roads. Our roads and bridges are, in fact, much superior to those of the neighbouring States and adjoining Colonies, and for our 230,000 people, of much greater extent. We have, in- deed, in several instances, pushed oui roads beyond the wants of our people. There is a very large bodj' of excel- lent land on the eastern side of the River Saint John, be- tween Fredericton and the Grand Falls. Many thousands of pounds were expended in opening a road through this district. It was measured and described, and found to be 103 miles long, from Nashwaaksis to the Grand Falls. The land is excellent, but no settlers went there, and since that time the road is grown up with bushes and disappeared. I once stood on the top of Mars Hill, on a delightful sunny evening in the autumn. The prospect was very extensive, and beautiful beyond description — variegated with all shades and hues, from darkest green to deepest red, spark- ling in the brilliant sunshine. The view extended over at least two millions of acres of first rate upland, partly in Maine and partly in New Brunswick. The character of the land on each side of the line is precisely the same, and Houlton, Presqu' Isle, Tobique, and the other infant settle- ments, appeared like small spots in the vast wilderness. That portion of Maine has since made very rapid progress, while, on our side of the line, the progress has been compa- ratively slow. Why is it so ? The County of Aroostook is esteemed by the people of Maine as the garden of New % ■I i A8 A HOME FOB BSflOBANTS. 15 tdrance ; to the ider it), ring to render for any d. No covered ills, and lid only :e them Td, and already >ridge8; B roads. ;o those and for ave, in- )nd the t* excel- )hn, be- ousands igh this id to be is. The ice that ared. il sunnr tensive, (rith all , spark- over at artly in >r of the me, and it settle- derness. «'ogress, compa- >stook is of New * I '^"^ England, and as such is fast filling np; onr garden is equally fertile and three times as large, and remains to this day nearly an unbroken wilderness! Why is this? Some of our writers point to this fact, mark the contrast, and blame our rulers. Now, in Maine, the regulations, the Govern- ment price of land, and the encouragement given to actual settlers, are very similar to our own, and in no respect more favourable ; so the real cause of the difterence is just this — Tlie County of Aroostook is backed by a dense rural popu- lation, the surplus of which very easily finds its way into this favoured region : whereas, the surplus population to which we are looking is separated from us by the broad Atlantic ! It is in vain that we lay out blocks of land when there is no one to clear them ; and our money is only wasted when we make roads where there are no travellere to use them. The very road which passed through that beautiful district, at a convenient distance from the river Saint John, has never been used, but is filled up by a new growth of timber; and the many thousands of pounds which it cost the Province are entirely lost. By the present regulations, intending settlers may obtain land either by money payment or by labour. It may be purchased at the auction sales which take place in each County on the first Tuesday in every month, at the upset price of three shillings currency per acre ; and n :he money at these sales be paid down, there is a discount allowed of twenty per cent. ; and in all cases where i^orsons of eighteen years old and upwards, not being the owners of any land, desire to become settlers, such persons are entitled each to one hundred acres of ungranted land, wherever they may choose the same, for three shillings currency an acre, without sale at auction, and may eitherpay the price in money, to be expended on the road, or work out the worth of the money in labour at an estimated rate, allowing four years wherein to complete the payment. In this case, the party must clear up five acres of the land, reside on it one year, and com- plete the payment before he receives his grant. About 20,000 acres have been applied for in this way, and appro- ved by the Government, within the last year, under these regulations. It will be perceived, that in this scheme no preference is given to emigrants, they are placed on a foot- ing of perfect equality with the native population, so that le NEW BBUNBWICK. every man who desires it, can easily obtain a lot of land for himself. This scheme is nearly the same as that adopted by the authorities of the State of Maine, under which such rapid progress has l)een made in Aroostook County within the last five years ; and so far as separate individual settlers are concerned, I do not see how it can be improved, or made more favorable than it is now; for whoever, desires to settle may go wherever he pleases and choose his lot of land, which he can obtain " without money," and almost " with- out price ;" his labour on the road being as much for his own benefit as the building of a fence, or any other im- provement about his premises. But where a number of pereons combine together to form a new settlement, a very diflferent process should be adopted. 1st. A suitable tract of wilderness land should be selected, and a road be carefully explored and marked out, to con- nect it with some road or settlement previously made. 2nd. The shape and size of the block to be occupied should be determined on, and the outside lines marked off. An oblong space, with two parallel sides, and four square cor- ners, is tne most convenient. 3rd. A line of road through this block, from one end to the other, should then be explored and marked out by. some suitable person, say a practical lumberer, who understands looking out and clearing roads iu the woods, and hauling loads thereon. This is a most important part of the process, as all steep hills should be carefully avoided. 4th. The Surveyor should then lay off one tier of lots, of one hundred acres each, on each side of the line of road so marked out. Those lots, though all of one size, would not be all of the same shape ; as the line of road, unless the land were level, or nearly so, would be crocked, so that the lots would difier from one another both in length and breadth. This done, an opening should be made through the entire length of the block, by cutting down the trees on the fronts of all the lots on each side of tlie line of road, in the manner heretofore described in the case of the Harvey settlers. Having previously described the whole process of clear- ing, sowing, planting, and harvesting, as applicable in this case, I shall now make a few remarks on the subject of V. AS A HOM£ FOB EMIORAirrS. IT of land I by the ih rapid ;hin the tiers are or made to settle of land, t " with- I for his ither im- mber of t, a very selected, k, to con- de. d should off. An iiare cor* iO end to by. some lerstauds hauling i process, )flots, of )f road so i'ould not in less the , so that ngth and he entire the fronts i manner lers. of dear- ie in this ibject of ■p. % fe. building. " The building spot'' should, in the first place, be well cleared and burnt, — no standing trees or combus- tible materials should be left on it. Some people fancy, that in clearing the land many of the forest trees should be left for *' ornament and use." But this cannot well be done. Trees so left are very apt to be blown down. They are, therefore, dangerous neighbours when left standing within the reach of any building, hindrances to cultivation where they stand in the fields, and great nuisances after they fall. Trees of the original forest, when singles out and separated, will not live. Trees intended for oi ament, shade, or shelter, must either be planted when ^oung or small, or grown from the seed. But to the building: Ist. In the latter part of June, or any time in Jul}', (no other time of the year will answer), take an axe and an adze into a spruce swamp, and peel as nnich bark as will cover the intended house. Hack through the bark of a tree in a circle round the bottom with the axe ; seven feet above this make another circle through the bark with the adze ; draw a perpendicular line with the edge of the axe from the upper circle to the lower, clean through ; from this line raise the edge of the bark from the tree with a sharpened stick — continue the process clear round, and in a tew min- utes yon have a sheet of bark seven feet long, and as wide as the length of the circumference of the tree. Lay the first sheet on level ground, (white side down), and all the rest over it, like leaves in a book ; put a weight on the top, and in a few days they will be straight and ready for use. 2d. Cut your building logs 22 feet long for the side walls, and 16 feet for the end walls. Dig your cellar of such size and depth as you can afford, or as may be most suitable. Make your house 20 feet long and 14 feet wide, inside, notching your logs together at the cornel's. Put plenty of sleepers at the bottom to support the floor and beams over- head, leaving seven feet clear for the height of your rooms. Notch your logs in suitable places for a door and three windows, and saw them out with a cross-cut saw. Make the raflers nine feet long, four on each side. Put three ribs on each side of the roof, and a ridge-pole on the top ; and let your ribs extend a foot over each gable end, and the walls of your house are up. 3d. Lay on your bark, one tier of sheets on each side of 18 SEW BRlfKSWlOK, 1 the roof, and double the third tier over the ridge-pole. Se- cure your bark with poles on the outside, placed exactl^r over the ribs, and fasten them to the same with withs at each end, and you have a good tight roof. 4th. Build your chimney close to the end wall. Split the jambs and mantel out of stone, if convenient ; if not, take flat stones, and make a wide, high fire place, with a mantel of hemlock, which will stand fire bettor than any other wood. Build to the top with stone and clay if you can, if not, use sticks, with clay mixed with straw. 6th. If boards can be had, lay your floors with them. Set oflT seven feet across the end, for two bed rooms, which will leave your other room 13x14 feet. The Harvey set- tlers sawed their own boards with whip saws; but if this cannot be done, the ground floor can be made of hewn spruce, and the upper floor of straight poles. Three small windows will suflice, the one in the end lighting both bed- rooms. A ladder, by the side of the chimney, will answer for stairs, and a hole in the gable end, with a suitable wooden shutter, will serve for the garret window. Your cellar should be about 14x12 feet; it might do for a time without being walled, but will require to be carefully drained, and will be most conveniently entered by a trap- door, in front of the fire place. I need hardly add, that hovels, sheds, bams, and other outhouses, can all be built of the same kind of materials, from time to time, as they may be required. The following is an extract from an advertisement in the " Scottish American Journal," by Robert Shives, Esquire, Emigration Officer at St. John, and the statements therein set forth are, to my certain knowledge, strictly correct: — "The climate is decidedly healthy, and much of the soil very productive. It produces in abundance hay, wheat, Indian corn, buckwheat, oats, barley, rye, peas, beans, potatoes, turnips, carrots, beets, cabbage, and other veget- ables, apples, plums, and great quantities of berries ; also, maple-sugar, honey, beef, mutton, pork, poultry, butter, cheese, and wool ; and the Fisheries around the coasts, and among the islands, are not excelled by any in the world. " In addition to the roads before mentioned, two lines of Railway have lately been commenced, and are making steady progress ; that from St. Andrews towards Canada I 8 I 4. I as '*'^W ^"^^ AB A HOMB FOB EMIGRANTS. 19 le. Se- exactly mths at . Split If not, with a an any f if you li them. I, which vey set- : if this ►f hewn 36 small th bed- answer suitable Your r a time arefullv a trap- d other aterials, it in the Ssquire, therein 5Ct: — the soil wheat, beans, r veget- ; mso, butter, ,sts, and orld. lines of making Canada s I has been opened for traffic a distance of 65 miles, and that from St. John to Shediac 45 miles.* Commodious sea-going steamers connect the southern ports and harbours with the United States, through the Bay of Fundy, and the northern ports with Canada, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island,, m the Gulf of Saint Lawrence ; and six smaller steamers keep up a constant communication on the Eiver Saint John, a distance of 84 miles, between the cities of Saint John and Fredericton, and thence to Woodstock, Tobique, and the Grand Falls, during the summer, 130 miles further. "There are established in the Province 795 Parish Schools, 13 County Grammar Schools, several Academies, and at the head of them all a Provincial University. These are all equally accessible to all classes and denominations, and all assisted by annual grants of money from the public re- venue. All denominations of Christians are on a footing of perfect equality. "There are more than twenty newspapers published in the Colony ; and a very efficient Postal Department has been established, with offices and way offices for the accommoda- tion of the whole community." The extensive trade which has long been carried on be- tween the Mother Country and this Province, has been the means of affording a cheap passage to Emigrants, great numbers of whom have, from time to time, landed on our shores. The great majority of those, soon after their arrival, went to the United States, and we lost a portion of them because we had no well devised practicable scheme for their retention and encouragement. Indeed, the emi- gration question has ever been found a difficult one to deal with, in its application to other Colonies of the British Empire. It is not at all desirable, that the class of emigrants herein proposed, should immediately on their arrival become the owners of land. It would be prudent for farmers having a little money, to take farms on lease for a year or two, in order to have time to make judicious choice. Single men and women would do best to live out among the farmers and lumberers, iu order to get acquainted with the business of the country, — a branch of education very necessary to their future success. * The Road from Saint Johu to Shediac (103 miles) is now complete. 30 NEW BBUKBWIOK, It appears to be the intention of the Legislature to gi^ every possible encouragement to actual settlers, — to have surveys of suitable tracts of land made at the public ex- pense, in manner before described, wherever they are required. Care will I hope be taken strictly to enforce the regulations, in order to prevent fraud. No preference in this matter should be given to Emigrants; they will, of course, be placed on an equal footing with the native popu- lation, so tnat every man of mature age may be able to have 100 acres of his own. It has been proposed to appoint Agencies in the " Old Country," and send itinerant lecturers through the United Kingdom, for the purpose of diffusing correct information in regard to the character and capabilities of New Bruns- wick, in order to induce persons of the right kind to come and settle here. There is no doubt whatever that such a scheme, properly devised, and put under the direction of competent persons, would work greatly to our advantage. One lecturer would be enough to begin with. He should be himself an emigrant, zeau>nsly ana firmly attached to the Province and its institutions. He should be a man who from small beffinnings had, by the labor of his own hands and those of his family, obtained a competent portion of property. He should be a healthy and robust man, in order to be, as it were in his own person, a living proof of what he might say in favour of the Province. I have stated, that such of our new settlers as have attended to the clearing of the land, and conducted their affairs prudently, have been successful. The nature of their operations has, however, in the first instance, been unfavour- able to the acquisition of correct agricultural knowledge. For a number of years, no plough is required, or manure needed. The attention of the settlers is, therefore, directed to the clearing up of the new land, and the raising of crops therorefrom, and in cutting the grass and making it into hay. In these matters, I believe that no people in the M'orld can excel the natives of this Province ; but when the process of clearing the land is finished, they generally turn out to be unskilful ploughmen, and unable to keep the land in a productive condition. The introduction of farm labor- ers, would, therefore, be a great benefit to them, and such improvements as have been made in many parts of the Pro- 1 AB A HOME FOR KMIOBAICTS. n I to gl^ to mive blic ex- liey are brce the rence in will, of re popu- able to le "Old I United >rmation ;r Bruna- to come it Buch a ection of Ivantage. [e should ached to e a man his own it portion ; man, in ; proof of as have led their 3 of their nfaw^our- Dwledge. manure directed of crops ; it into in the (Then the iUy turn the land m labor- ind such the Pro- vince, have come from the skill and labour of emigrants bred to farming in the British Islands. Let them come then, and *^ Be proud to rem* an independent shed, And give the lips they loye, unborrow'd bread — And see a world from shadowy forests won, In youthful beauty wedded to the sun ; To skirt their homes with harvest widely sown, And call the blooming landscape all their own ; Survey, with priue, l^yond* ^ a factor's spoil,* Their honest arm's own subjugated soil ; And, summing all the blessings God has given, Put up their patriarchal prayer to heaven — That when their bones shall here repose in peace, The scions of their love may still increase ; And o'er a land, where life has ample room. In health, and plenty, innocently bloom. Go forth and prosper, then, emprizing band — May He, who in the hollow of his hand The ocean holds, and rules the whirlwind's sweep, Assuage its wrath, and guide you on the deep." * 5et BvrDi' T%I« of** The Twa Dofi.'*