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TliK

CANADA,

i-\

.C )i. Ki^LS. Esq.

vrr>ns-»i !• < ii^ hm i.ti.v- 1 1- >■ s^f

-V

SQC^ETv FOR PfiOIVlO^Nij oHRiSTlAN KNOWLEDGE.

77. .);i;«T -M '.":!■ •.' Sr:';KKi. Lin.: «ii,,\'>. Inn I'F.f.ws;

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C ' ."450 •'

^M^'l -

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

■\

'^o

THE

DOMINION OF CANADA,

CHARLES H. EDEN.

Enlaryed and Corrected.

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF

THE COMMITTEE OF QENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION.

APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTINQ

CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDQE.

LONDON:
Soctctg for Promoting Cijristian islnobjlctisf.

Sold at the Depositories :

77 Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields;

4 Royal Exchange ; 48 Piccadilly ;

And by all Booksellers.

1873.

h ■

1473io

■BPEIOTH, raoM m, „,„,^j,

S MAGAZINE."

,«<ij

CLARENDON PRESS. OXFORD

i.:>

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

Under the above name is included a vast tract of
country of about 3,528,705 square miles, or about
half of the entire continent of North America. As
at present constituted, it is composed of six pro-
vinces, namely. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia,
together with the vast and but little known north-
west territory. From its proximity to Great Britain,
and its enormous natural resources, the Dominion
ranks first in importance of our colonial possessions,
and to enter into a minute account of each of the
several provinces, their laws and internal economy,
would occupy far more space than I have at my
disposal. I trust, however, within the limits of
this article, to convey to the reader a general idea
on the subject, and if, by my means, he feels
prompted to make further inquiries, I shall con-
sider myself amply repaid.

Many attempts have been made to explain the

The Dominion of Cmiada.

derivation and meaninj^ of the name " Canada,"
but for the most part the conclusions arrived at
have been unsatisfactory. That it is a slight cor-
ruption of the word " Kanata," signifying, in the
Indian language, the " Place of Homes," seems the
probable theory. The Dominion crosses the entire
continent from east to west, stretching from the
Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans ; whilst its extreme
southern point reaches a little below the 42nd
parallel of latitude. One of the chiel physical
features which it presents, and one that can hardly
fail to impress itself at the first glance on the map,
is the wonderful system of rivers and lakes which
Canada possesses. These give her an incalculable
advantage over less favoured countries. By means
of the noble river St. Lawrence — so named from a
French navigator entering it upon St. Laurent's
Day — direct communication with the sea is obtained
for an extent of 2384 miles, viz. from the Straits
of Belle Isle to Fond-du-Lac, at the head of Lake
Superior. Vessels drawing twenty feet of water
can ascend the river to Montreal, which is little
less than 1000 miles from Belle Isle. A short
distance beyond, however, obstacles to free naviga-
tion commence, in the form of rapids, all of which
have been successfully surmounted by ingenuity
and engineering skill. These natural barriers, by
confining the flow of the river and *' backing up "
its waters, cause them in parts to spread over a vast
area, and hence originate the enormous lakes, or
indeed they almost merit the name of inland seas,
which are found in the interior. These obstructions

'Canada,"

ap'ivecl at
^'8"ht eor-
^^ m the
«eems the
l^G entire
•om the
extreme
le 42nd

P^ysieal

'I hardly

he map,

s which

deniable

' nieans

from a

urent's

stained

Straits

' Lake

water
JittJe

short

vig-a-

^hich

uiity

!, by

vast
, or
eas,
qhs

7%^ Bonmdon of Canada. 7

have been overcome by a system of canals, that
connect for the whole distance the i Tvigable por-
tions of the river, and the total leng. 1 of which is
over seventy miles, having fifty-four locks, and a
grade of S?>^h. ^^'^t. By means of these canals,
vessels of 400 tons can navigate the river be-
tween Montreal and the head of Lake Superior, a
distance exceeding 1398 miles. Steamers pro-
ceeding in every direction, convey both passengers
and merchandise to their destinations, and the
boats of one company plying between Montreal
and Toronto pass through the lovely scenery
of the Thousand Islands, and on their return
trip avoid the canals, and, running the rapids
above Montreal, give additional interest to the
journey.

Besides its river communication, Canada can
boast of a complete railway system, the lines
already completed being over 3000 miles in length.
Of the several companies by whom these railways
are worked, the Grand Trunk is the most exten-
sive, having 1 376 miles of road in complete working
order, and expending from Riviere du Loup, 120
miles east of Quebec, to the western extremity of
the Province of Ontario, where it is connected with
the American railways. The Victoria Bridge, which
spans the St. Lawrence at Montreal, forms part
of this line, and is considered, with good reason,
one of the greatest triumphs of modern engineer-
ing. It measures 9184 feet in span, has twenty-
four arches, measuring 242 feet each in diameter,
and. one in the centre, which measures 330 feet.

I I

The Dominion of Canada.

The piers and abutments are of cut stone, and
support, sixty feet above the highest water level,
an enormous iron tube, at the entrance of which,
at all hours of the day, may be seen entering and
reappearing the vast number of cars which are
oonst^itly leaving Montreal for, and arriving
from, the diiferent localities with which her trade
extends. The cost of building the Grand Trunk
and its rolling stock, added to the sums expended
to purchase the different branch roads which it,
now controls, amounts to 102,802,502 dols., and to
further this enter])rise the Government of the
United Canadas (Quebec and Ontario) advanced
the sum of 15,000,000 dols. In addition to those
completed, there are in process of construction
1100 miles more, whilst charters have been ob-
tained for 800 miles of railway not yet commenced,
apart from the Colonial Pacific Railway, which is
to be built within ten years, the length of which
will be about 2500 miles.

Having given my readers so far nothing but
generalities, I will now take the Province of
Quebec, and enter far enough into detail to enable
the intending emigrant to judge whether he thinks
it adapted to him or not ; and before doing so, let
me endeavour to explain that that part of the
country until lately known by the names of
" Canada East," or " Lower Canada," is now
called the '^ Province of Quebec; " whilst "Canada
West/' or " Upper Canada," is called the " Pro-
vince of Ontario.-" These diiferent names have
been the cause of misleading many people, but

s^one, and
water Jevel,
e of which,'
itering- and

which are
1 arriving-
I her trade
^nd Trunk

expended
which it
's-, and to
^ of the
advanced
^ to those
struction
been ob-

inienced,
^hich is
>f which

'ng* but
inee of

enabJe

thinks

so, Jet
of the
nes of
' now
'anada
^'Pro.

have
» but

T/ie Dominion of Canada,

with the new nomenclature all ambiguity will
fade away.

The city of Quebec, which was the cradle of
the colony, was founded by Samuel de Champlain
in 1608 ; and it is from that time that the French
occupancy of the country dates. Incessant wars
with the powerful Indian tribes by whom they
were surrounded caused a considerable time to
elapse before agriculture became of any import-
ance, the early settlers directing their attention
to the lucrative trades of peltry dealers and
hunters ; but upon the foundation of Montreal
in 1642 new settlers arrived; and when, in 1663,
the French monarch gave the colony a civil
government adapted to its needs, the country
began to develope itself. From that time dates
the system of seigriiories, which held its ground
until its abolition by the Canadian Parliament in
1854. Under this, the land on each side of the
St. Lawrence was divided into large tracts, which
were granted to such settlers t*s by birth, military
service, or some similar claim, were deemed worthy
of such honour, but with this condition, that
within a given time they should people their
seigniorie with a given number of inhabitants,
failing to comply with which the rights of the
defaulters were annulled. That such a plan was
admirably adapted to a new country is self-evident,
for each proprietor became a self-interested colo-
nization agent, and to maintain his own hold on
the soil he had to induce fresh settlers or censi-
iaires to come from France. The term cen&iiaire

The Dominion of Canada.

signifies the owner of a farm granted by tlie
seignior, and the latter was obliged to give the
land without the payment of ready money, but
received instead a rent of two sous and a quart
of wheat per superficial acre. On the farm changing
hands, he also became entitled to one-twelfth of
the purchase-money. Such was the state of the
colony when the war of 1760 put an end to
the French domination ; and when, by the Treaty
of Paris in 1763, it was ceded to England, it com-
prised a population of 70,000 French Canadians,
but it was stipulated in that treaty, that the civil
laws which had hitherto prevailed, and the institu-
tions existing at the time, were to be maintained
in their integrity. In 179 1 a constitutional form
of government was introduced, and Canada divided
into two provinces ; thus the French population in
Lower Canada became the arbiters of their own
destinies. The opening up of the rivers and lakes,
the great increase of commerce, and the frequent
mutations of property, all pointed out that the old
seigniorial system, instead of being an advantage
to the censitaire^ had become a restraint and an
obstacle to the amelioration of property, and it
was accordingly swept away as above mentioned ;
three millions of dollars were voted to indemnify
the seigneurs for the loss of their privileges ; and
of the old feudal rights, there only remains the
primitive proprietary ground-rent [rente fonder e)^
in consideration of which the land was origin-
ally ceded, and even this is redeemable at the
will of the holder. In the year 1867, delegates

The Dominion of Canada,

from all the British provinces met at Quebec,
and adopted the project of Confederation, which
has resulted in the Dominion of Canada of the
present day.

The Province of Quebec has an area of about
134,402,800 acres of land, and the soil of a very
large portion of this immense tract is exceedingly
fertile and capable of high cultivation. Its popu-
lation according to the last census, taken in April,
1 87 1, was 1,191,505, of which number over
800,000 were of French origin. The population
of British extraction is principally concentrated in
the cities, in the southern portion of the eastern
townships, and in the valley of Ottawa; while
the French as a rule occupy the basin of the St.
Lawrence. This diversity of race and language
presents no impediment to the progress and well-
being of the colony ; for it excites in the bosoms
of each portion of the community a healthy spirit
of emulation, which never extends beyond gene-
rous rivalry. A French writer^ of great merit
thus sums up the inquiries instituted by him into
the derivation of the Franco-American popula-
tion : — " The people to whom these remarks
relate sprang not, as many have believed, from
a few adventurers or a handful of men whom
hazard thrust forward, or a few aimless citizens
enrolled by the State. Far from it : the immi-
gration was a real transplanting of an integral

^ La France aux Colonies : Etudes sur le doveloppement de
la race rrHn9aise hors de I'Europe. Par E. Rameau. Paris,
1859.-

The Dominion of Canada,

1''

■I

portion of the French nation, — the peasant, the
soldier, the esquire and the seignieur ; it was a
colony in the Roman acceptation of the word,
which carried the mother-la^d along- with it. The
substance of the people, or rather the vital powers
of the race, represent a real infusion of the life-
blood of the French peasantry into the heart
of Canada; families sought after and grouped
with a particular care, who transplanted with
themselves the manners, the habits, and the
idiosyncracies of their native cantons so faithfully
as to astonish, even to-day, the traveller from
France ; disbanded soldiers, with their officers at
their head, who settled on the land, under the
protection of the old flag ; these were the essential
principles and original elements of the Canadian
population."

When Canada became a British province French
emigration almost entirely ceased, but since the
establishment of some thi i^y families from Brit-
tany, who were sent out at the expense of Miss
Bernard — a project which met with the warmest
approval both from the Government and the
public — hopes are entertained that it will be re-
newed, and it certainly does seem the place best
adapted for the evicted inhabitants of Alsace and
Lorraine.

The climate of Canada is unquestionably re-
markably healthy, and Europeans are enchanted
with the change from the fog and moisture of
their own continent to the brilliant skies and
bracing cold of North America. When I speak

The Dominion of Canada.

of the climate of Quebec, I must be understood to
refer to the whole of Canada, for the main features
are so exactly alike that g'iving* a description of
the seasons in each province would be mere re-
capitulation. The winter in Quebec is, however,
of a little greater severity than in Ontario.
Disease is unknown among the usual population,
except that caused by inequality of diet, or im-
prudent exposure to atmospheric changes. The
extreme dryness of the air is shown by the tin
roofs of the houses remaining so long bright, and
by a charge of powder remaining for weeks uncaked
in a gun. Those who shudder at the idea of the
thermometer falling below zero will be astonished
to hear that where the annual quantity of snow
has diminished owing to the clearing of the land,
its loss is a source of positive regret to the
farmers. The vigour which the soil acquires, en-
abling it to burst into luxuriant vegetation in the
spring, is mainly due to the warmth retained in
the earth by the snowy mantle with which it has
been covercyi. Though the length of the winters
shortens the period during which agricultural
pursuits are carried on, this disadvantage is more
than compensated in the facilities afforded by
the snow-roads for conveying produce to the
market. But perhaps the fact that fruit culture
obtains in Canada to a very large extent will
dissipate many erroneous ideas regarding the
climate. The island of Montreal is distinguished
for the size and quality of its apples ; the isle of
Orleans, below Quebec, has established a name for

i ,

■'1! '

'I' i

:ii

T/ie Dominion of Canada,

its plums. Throughout Ontario maize and to-
matoes ripen well, and in the southern parts
peach-trees and grapes come to perfection in the
open air ; whilst hemp and flax are indigenous
plants. The truth is that many people talk about
the Canadian winter who know nothing whatever
concerning the subject, except that it is very cold.
The " muggy " damp of England is unknown ;
the air is highly exhilarating, the sky cloudless,
and the absence of all sickness, flies, mosquitoes,
and other nuisances, added to the pleasures of
skating, sleighing, toboggining,^ and other amuse-
ments, combine to render it, not the most dreaded,
but the most enjoyable season of the year. The
summer is hot, but fever and ague, the scourge
of the settlers in Illinois and other States of the
Union, is unknown, and the steadiness and uni-
formity of the heat causes all grains and fruits
to mature well and with certainty.

The soil of the ±*rovince of Quebec is admirably
adapted to the production of wheat, which cereal
was largely grown until the appearance of the
wheat fly in 1845 made its cultivation so pre-
carious that the farmers directed their attention
to raising artificial grasses, and to the breeding
of cattle. The name given in Europe to the fly
which committed such havoc is Cecidomyia trltici^
so called from its depredations on wheat, to which
it is nearly as destructive as the famous and closely

r f

^ A pastime much in vogue amongst the Canadians. It may
be briefly described, as sliding down a steep snow incline on a
bark sleigh.

The Dominion of Canada »

and to-
n parts
I in the
ligenous
k about
whatever
ry cold,
known ;
oudless,
quitoes,
ures of
amuse-
ireaded^
'. The
scourge
of the
id uni-
l fruits

airably
cereal
of the
!o pre-
tention
ceding
:he fly
trltici^
which
closely

It may

ne on a

allied species, the Hessian fly. The perfect insect
is one-tenth of an inch long, of an orange-red
colour, with whitish wings, haiiy on the edges,
and black eyes ; the females deposit their eggs in
the centre of the corolla of the wheat flower,
coming out in great numbers between seven and
nine p.m. early in June, several laying on the
same ear ; the eggs are hatched in eight or ten
days, and the larvae, footless grubs, nearly one-
eighth of an inch long when fully grown, feed
upon the flower, rendering it abortive, and not
upon the stem, like the Hessian fly ; they are
yellowish, with a sharp head, and have a quick,
wriggling motion. They quit the ears by the
first of August, descend about half an inch into
the earth, and there remain through the winter.
This plague appeared at the same time in Massa-
chusetts and New York, and only vanished on
being starved out by a change of crop or the sub-
stitution of late-sown spring wheat. The utter
subversion of all the preconceived notions of agri-
culture was a great blow to the farmers, who
looked back regretfully on the wheat crops which
had hitherto supplied them with all the necessaries
of life. Little by little, however, the new method
was adopted, agricultural societies lending their
aid to root up the old theory, and from that time
commenced an augmentation and an amelioration
in the agricultural products. Now the farms are
sown with clover, hay, and grains adapted for
forage, while in the meadows are seen numbers of
cattle, as perfect in their breeding as careful

The Dominion of Canada.

it!

R '

selection and the introduction of the best imported
blood can make them. After some years, the fly
having" disappeared, the growth of wheat became
again practicable, and the harvests of 1868 and
1869 showed most favourable results wherever it
had been resumed ; but the system of herds and
roots had become generally adopted, and most of
the farmers still adhere to it, instead of reverting
to the cultivation of wheat alone.

The great bulk of the population live by agri-
culture, manufacturing being almost entirely con-
fined to the cities. The extent of the farms in the
seigniories on the St. Lawrence is usually ninety
arpents (the old French term for an acre, which is
still retained in the Province of Quebec), and in
the townships about ico acres. This amount is
amply sufficient to enable the industrious settler to
live in moderate ease and comfort, to provide for his
family whilst young, and to give them a fair start
when the time arrives that they should quit the
nest. The summer season is entirely taken up by
the requirements of the farm, then the crops have
to be sown, tended, and got in, the stock have to
be looked to, and in fact nearly all that with us
extends over the whole year is with the Quebec
farmer compressed into seven or eight months.
During the winter months, whilst the male portion
of the family are cutting firewood, clearing fresh
ground, attending the cattle (which at that time
are always housed and stall-fed) and threshing out
the autumn's grain, the female part are within
doors, weaving from the w^ool of their own sheep

II .<

The Dominion of Canada,

uported
the fly
became
168 and
rever it
rds and
most of
verting

y agri-
3ly eon-
s in the

ninety
^hich is
and in
ount is
ttler to
J for his
ir start
uit the
Lupby
38 have
lave to
/ith us
Quebec
lonths.
portion
X fresh
t time
3g out
within

sheep

the rough cloth that supplies the family with
clothing, making mittens, comforters, and gloves,
and seeing to the thousand and one little things
that the reader will understand for himself better
than I can explain.

One great source of prosperity to the province
has been the energy with which its Government
has always seconded the efforts of its more adven-
turous sons, who, feeling cramped within the limits
of a township, have boldly pushed their way into
the interior, and opened out new tracts of country
to the rapidly-increasing population. To men
settling far away from any habited quarter, the
first thing of which they stand in need, and the
absence of which makes itself painfully felt, is a
good road, by which they can at all seasons of the
year communicate with the more civilized districts.
Mindful of this, the Government with a prompti-
tude and foresight which is beyond all praise,
caused roads to be opened wherever colonization
promised success. Between the years 1854 and
1870 no less a sum than one million and a-half of
dollars has been expended by the Treasury in
opening roads through the dense forests of the
country ; the total length of good communication
thus obtained is nearly 4000 miles. It is needless
to say that they have had their reward in the
rapidity with which the land on either side of the
roads has been occupied, and the increased pros-
perity of the province. In addition to the boon
these undertakings have conferred upon the settler ^
they have been of the greatest advantage to the

The Bominion of Canada,

newhf -arrived emigrant^ for tlicy have furnished
him with work, and thus enabled him to provide
the necessaries of life, and to lay by a little money
until he feels disposed to commence on his own
account.

Nor have the efforts of the Government to
people their waste lands ended with the construc-
tion of colonization roads. These were but a pre-
lude to the greater undertaking of turning the
province into a network of railways. Where in
the world do they get the money from for such a
gigantic work ? I hear the reader say. Why, by
borrowing — not money, that would never do —
but an idea, from Norway, and making wooden
railways^ the total cost of which, inclusive of rolling
stock and all fixtures, amounted to only 5000 dols.
(1000^.) per mile, while an iron way w^ould have
cost six times that sum.

By the last report of the Commissioner of Crown
Lands it would appear that the Government of
Quebec are in a position to offer for colonization
6,400,000 acres of lands divided into farm lots,
nearly half of which are accessible by means of
good roads, and more than two- thirds of which are
fit for settlement. The price of these lots varies
from twenty to sixty cents (a cent is a halfpenny)
per acre. The conditions of sale are precisely the
same for the emigrant as for the colonist or
settler, and the formalities required are very
simple.

Whoever desires to purchase a lot of land should,
either personally or by lett'^r, apply to the agent

The Dominion of Canada,

of the locality in which he contemplates settling,
and deposit in his hands a fifth of the purchase-
money. Upon doing this the agent will deliver
to him a conditional act of sale^ bearing his official
signature.

The following are the principal conditions of
the sale : — To pay one-fifth of the purchase-money
at the date of sale, and the remainder in four equal
annual instalments, with interest at six per cent,
per year ; to take possession of the land sold
within six months from the date of sale, and to
reside thereon, and occupy the same, either by
himself or through others, for at least two years
from the date of the said sale. In the course of
the first four years the settler must clear and place
under cultivation at least ten acres for every
hundred acres held by him, and erect on his farm
a habitable house of the dimensions at least of
sixteen feet by twenty.

The sale is only considered perfect when the fore-
going conditions have been fulfilled ; and it is
then ratified by means of letters-patent, which are
granted to the settler free of charge. The letters-
patent cannot in any case be granted before the
expiration of the two years of occupancy, nor until
the fulfilment of all the conditions previously men-
tioned, even though the purchase-money were fully
paid in.

It is the duty of the agents to give information
as to the quality of the different lots of land
situated in their agencies, and to sell the said lots
at the prices fixed by Government to the first pur-

c 2

The Dominion of Canada,

chaser. Not more than 200 acres may be sold to
the same person ; the father of a family, however,
may purchase lots for his sons.

Upon eig-ht of the g-reat colonization roads every
male colonist and emigrant, being- at least eighteen
years of age, may obtain a free grant of 100 acres.
The number of acres of land at present set aside
to be disposed of in free grants is 84,050 ;. but the
Lieutenant-Governor in Council may increase the
quantity if found necessary. Crown land ag-ents,
while there remains at their disposal any of these
free lots, are bound to grant a permit of occupa-
tion for 100 acres to any person who claims the
same, provided the applicant has attained the age
required by law. Within a month from the date
of this permit, the grantee should take possession
of the lot ceded to him, under pain of losing all
right thereto. Before the expiration of his fourth
year of occupation, if he has built a habitable
dwelling" on his lot, and has under cultivation
twelve acres of land, the grantee may take out
letters-patent free of charge, upon which he be-
comes absolute proprietor of his farm.

The clearing of the wild lands, encouraged as it
is by the Government and the earnest good will of
the people, is yearly making the most astonishing
progress. This can be better judged of by the
following figures : — The census of 1 85 1 fixed the
number of acres under cultivation in the province
at 3,605,157 ; that of 1861 at 4,804,325, showing
in ten years an increase of 1,199,068 acres of land
under cultivation. To-day, I may say, with-

The Dominion of Canada,

e sold to
however,

ids every
eighteen

00 acres,
set aside
. but the
rease the

ag-ents,

of* these

oecupa-

aims the

the ag-e

the date

)ssession

sing" all

s fourth

abitable

tivation

ake out

he be-

ed as it

1 will of
•nishin^

by the
xed the
)rovince
;howing

of land
with-

out foar of contradiction, that the number of
acres of cultivated land is double what it was in
1851.

Within the past few years the formation of
societies to aid needy settlers has taken place in
the older parishes, and here a^^ain the Government
has come forward with assistance. During* the
session of 1868 the Parliament of the Province of
Quebec passed a law authorizing the formation of
Colonization Societies, which provided that, up to
300 dols., the first regularly- constituted Coloniza-
tion Society in any county should receive an annual
subsidy equal in amount to the sum paid in by its
members. The law prescribes how the funds of
these societies shall be expended. They are bound,
among other things, to hasten the clearing of the
Crown lands by the establishing of settlers thereon,
and to attract to the province emigration from
distant lands, and to direct the European emigrant
or native settler to such places as may have been
assigned to them by the Commissioner of Crown
Lands, and to furnish them with seed, provisions,
and implements of agriculture.

Also, with the view of protecting the settler
against the reverses which in the beginning
may overcome him in his new home, the Home-
stead Law, passed by the Legislature in 1868,
provides that no mortgage shall be valid on the
land granted to him ; and further, that his farm
shall not be liable to be sold judicially for any
debts contracted by him previous to his entering
upon it.

The Dominion of Canada.

Immediately upon liis occupancy of a lot of land,
and for the ten years following* the granting- to
him of his letters-patent, sundry articles, which are
named, are exempted from seizure and sale by
virtue of a writ of execution emanating- from any
court in the province. The list of things exempted
is too long- for insertion here, but includes bedding-,
clothing, domestic and cooking- utensils, a g-un, fuel,
three months' provisions, two horses or draught
oxen, four cows, six sheep, four pigs, eight hundred
bundles of hay, other forage necessary for the
support of these animals during the winter, and
provender sufficient to fatten- one pig, and to main-
tain three during the winter.

From the above the reader will see how careful the
Government has been for the well-being of settlers.

Now let us turn to the emigrant himself, who
is recommended to leave England about April or
May, when he will arrive at a time when he is
sure to find work, if he wants it. Unless he
has friends whom he is going out to join, the
agricultural labourer is not advised to start after
the month of August. By arriving prior to the
harvest, he is able to get employment at high
wr jes, and the plan of hiring himself out for the
first year is strongly recommended. The rate of
wages differs but little in each province, and I shall
therefore give the average towards the end of this
article.

Let us now turn to Ontario. This province is
situated to the north of the river St. Lawrence and
of the great lakes, Ontario, Erie, Huron, and

Tlie Dominion of Canada.

fc of land,
nting- to
s^hich are
sale by
rom any
xempted
bedding",
•un, fuel,
draug-ht
hundred
for the
ter, and
10 main-

•eful the
settlers.
If, who

pril or
n he is
less he
in, the
[•t after

to the
t high
for the
'ate of

I shall
of this

nee is
ce and
and

Superior. It lies to the westward of the Province
of Quebec, from which it is separated by the noble
stream, the Ottawa. Its northerly and westerly
boundaries are by no means well defined, so its area
can only be given approximately, but it may be
safely assumed at over 121,000 square miles, or
almost exactly the size of Great Britain and Ireland.
Its present population of over 1,620,851 is only one-
fifth of the number it is probably capable of sup-
porting, so there is still ample room for a large
emigration. The natural advantages of Ontario
are very great. The soil varies in different locali-
ties, but a very large proportion is of the very best
description for agricultural purposes ; its water
communication by moans of the great lakes is un-
surpassed ; in mineral wealth (excluding the one
article, coal) it is equal to any part of the world,
abounding as it does in iron, copper, lead, silver,
marble, petroleum, salt, &c., &c. Its immense
forests of pine timber are too well known to need
any description. The great lakes abound with fish,
and the forests with game.

From the Government pamphlet on the province,
I extract the following, which will, in a few words,
give the reader a clear idea of its capabilities and
the attractions it presents : —

" No portion of the Dominion offers greater in-
ducements to emigrants than does the Province of
Ontario. Two facts may be prominently mentioned
as indicating in a comprehensive way the class of
people to which Ontario affords a good field for
emigrating. These facts are : that Ontario is a

TJie Dominion of Canada,

-■\\

new country, and that (at present, at all events) it
is essentially an agricultural one. The producing
class, then, is that which the country needs. Men
to clear the forest lands, to cultivate the soil, to
raise live stock, to make clothes, to build houses,
to make the ordinary household goods, and to open
up communication from one part of the country to
another by the construction of roads and railways.
The classes most needed, consequently, are farmers,
agricultural labourers, day labourers — who will
turn their hands to anything, whether it be sawing
and chopping firewood, working on the roads and
railways, or loading and unloading vessels ; build-
ing mechanics, such as bricklayers, stonemasons,
carpenters, plumbers, painters, and glaziers ; other
mechanics, as cabinet makers, tinsmiths, black-
smiths ; also tailors and shoemakers. Men to
whom wages of four or five shillings a day are an
object — and there are hundreds of thousands of
such in the United Kingdom — will find Ontario
just the place for them, because such wages can
always be obtained as agricultural or day labourers,
by those who are able and willing to work for them.
It cannot be too strongly impressed upon the in-
tending emigrant that of professional men, and of
book-keepers, clerks, and others not directly en-
gaged in the arts of production, Ontario has already
enough and to spare. Of the female sex the class
most in demand are household servants. These
are always sure of immediate employment, at wages
of from twenty to twenty-nine shillings a month,
according to ability. There is also a considerable

i^ents) it
'oducing'
Men

soil, to
houses,
to open
initry to
ail ways,
farmers,
ho will
sawinff
ads and
; build-
masons,
! ; other
, black-
Men to
are an
mds of
Ontario
^•es can
)Ourers,
them,
he in-
and of
ly en-
dready
e class
These
wages
fionth,
erable

The Dominion of Canada,

demand for dressmakers, milliners, seamstresses and
bonnet-makers, all of w^hom can obtain much better
w^ag-es than they can at home.^'

Farmers possessing* moderate means can readily
purchase or lease suitable farms of from one to
two hundred acres, more or less cleared and im-
proved ; and, by ordinary discretion and industry,
can scarcely fail, if blessed with health and
strength, very materially to improve their con-
dition in a few years, and to afford their children,
as they grow up, a favourable start in life. The
price of land varies according to the situation and
the improvements. Wild (that is, uncleared, or
forest) land varies in price from 2*. to 40.9. an
acre, according to situation and soil. Cleared and
improved farms can be had at prices ranging fron
4I. to 10/. an acre. Of course the price will
range much higher than this where buildings of
an expensive character are on the land. The
money can nearly always be paid in instalments,
covering several years. The leasing of farms is an
exception to the general rule, as most men desire
to ow^n the land they cultivate. In good localities,
rents range from eight to twelve shillings an acre
for cleared land. As a rule, emigrants possessing
m ans would do well not to be in a hurry to
purchase, but to get some experience before taking
so important a step. Agricultural labourers would
study their own interest by accepting employment
as it may be offered on their arrival, and they will
soon learn how to improve permanently their
condition. Persons accustomed to the use of

The Dominion of Canada,

mechanical tools, who intend turning their hands
to farming-, will often find such an acquisition of
great convenience and value.

There is a prospect of the price of all kinds of
labour being maintained, and even increased, as
the province becomes settled, and its population
and wealth increase. Men commencing as la-
bourers, without any capital but strong arms and
willing minds, seldom keep in that condition very
long, but after a period of more or less duration
they can, and do very generally, become employers
of labour themselves. By far the greater number
of our now well-to-do farmers commenced life with
little or no capital. It is this moral certainty of
rising in the social scale, when the proper means
are employed, that brightens the hopes and stimu-
lates the exertions of the needy settler.

When the extent and resources of Ontario (some
of which are only beginning to be developed) are
considered, w^ith the salubrity of the climate,
and the fact that it is within three weeks
journey of the mother country, the greatly-
increased attention which it is now receiving as a
promising field for emigration is perfectly natural ;
and in proportion as correct information regarding
its capabilities and the substantial inducements
it holds out to industrious settlers is disseminated
and understood, will be the amount of emigration
to its shores.

In coming to Ontario, old country people will
feel not much greater change than in going from
one part of the United Kingdom to another. In

The Dominion of Canada,

the older settled districts they will find themselves
surrounded by appliances of comfort and civili-
zation similar to those which they left in the old
land ; the means of educating their children
universally diffused ; religious privileges almost
identically the same ; the old national feeling for
the land of their fathers loyally cherished ; and an
easy means of intercourse, both by steam and
telegraph, with the central heart of the great
British Empire, of which Canadians are proud to
boast that their country forms an integral and no
inconsiderable part.

Large tracts of uncleared land are still in the
hands of the Government of Ontario, awaiting the
advent of the settler. The price of such lands as
are for sale varies with the situation. In the
remote regions it is about tenpence per acre, but
for the more accessible tracts, from 2.9. to 15^. per
acre. The regulations under which the lands are
sold vary considerably according as they are of
ordinary character, or specially valuable for their
timber or minerals. Tiie usual settlement duties
required before a patent is issued for the lands
occupied are, the building of a '^ habitable house,"
and twenty acres on a 200 acre lot to bt cleared
and under crop.

As Quebec has its Free Grants, so also has
Ontario. Anxious to promote the settlement of
the yet uncleared districts, the Provincial Govern-
ment has thrown open, upon the most liberal
terms, a large tract of land, where persons may go
and select for themselves the site of a future

' I

r I
I ii

I' i I

:•

iir

T/ie Dominion of Canada,

home. Every head of a family can obtain, gratis,
two hundred acres of land, and any person arrived
at the age of eighteen may obtain one hundred
acres in the Free Grant districts. This offer is
made by the Government to all persons without
distinction of sex, so that a large family, having
several children in it of, or past eighteen years of
age, may take up a large tract, and become in a
few years, when the land is cleared and improved,
joint possessors of a valuable and beautiful estate.
The settlement duties are : to have fifteen acres on
each grant of lOO acres cleared and under crop, of
which at least two acres are to be cleared and
cultivated annually for five years; to build a
habitable house, at least sixteen by twenty feet in
size ; and to reside on the land at least six months
in the year.

The following is a summary of this Act, as
amended : — It authorizes the Lieutenant-Governor
in Council to appropriate lands, not being mineral
lands or pine timber lands, as free grants to actual
settlers, under regulations to be made for that
purpose ; but such grants are confined to the lands
in the Algoma and Nipissing Districts, and the lands
between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay to
the west of a line drawn from a point opposite the
south-east angle of the township of Palmerston,
north-westerly along the western boundary line
of other townships to the Ottaw^a River, and north
of the northern boundaries of Osa, Olden, Kennebec,
Kalador, Elzevir, Madoc, Marmora, Belmont,
Dummer, Smith, Ennismore, Somerville, Laxton,

The Dominion of Canada,

n, gratis,
n arrived

hundred
3 offer is
; without
r^ having"

years of
3me in a
m proved,
il estate.

acres on
' crop, of
ired and

build a
ly feet in
: months

Act, as
jovernor
mineral
o actual
or that
le lands
le lands

Bay to
>site the
nerston,
iry line
d north
nnebec,
elmont,

axton.

Garden, Rama, and the River Severn. No such
grant is to be made to a person under eig-hteen, or
for more than 200 acres. Failure to perform the
settlement duties, which are detailed above, forfeits
the location. The mines and minerals are reserved
to the Crown. The settler may not cut any pine
timber, except for fencing*, building- or other farm
purposes, and in clearing* for cultivation, until the
issue of the patent ; or if it be cut, the settler
must pay timber dues to the Crown. The object
of this reservation of timber is to protect the bond
fide settler, and to ensure the actual settlement of
the land. It is to prevent persons g'oing' upon it
under pretence of settlement, but in reality for the
purpose of stripping it of the timber, which is very
valuable. It does not in any way interfere with
the man who settles upon the land in good faith,
as he is authorized to clear it as rapidly as his
industry or means may permit ; and after the
patent issues all pine trees remaining on the land
become his property absolutely. On the death of
the locatee, the land vests in his widow during her
widowhood, unless she prefers to accept her dower
in it. The land cannot be alienated, except by
will, nor mortgaged until the patent issues, nor
within twenty years of the location, without con-
sent of the wife, if living. Nor will it at any time
be liable to be sold under execution for any debt
contracted before or during the twenty years after
the location, except for a mortgage or pledge
given after the issue of the patent. It may be
sold for taxes.

The Dominion of Canada,

In order to make a successful settlement upon a
free grant, the settler should have at the least
from ^ol. to 50/. after reaching his location. But
it would be an act of wisdom in all such persons,
on their arrival in the country, to deposit their
money in a Savings' Bank, where it would draw
from four to five per cent, interest, and go out for
a year as agricultural labourers. The experience
thus acquired will far more than compensate for
the time lost. The settlers are always willing to
help new comers. A house, such as is required by
the Act, could be erected by contract for from 5/.
to 8^. ; but with the assistance which the settler
would certainly receive from his neighbours, it
might be erected for even less. Should it be de-
sired to clear the land by hired labour or by con-
tract, in order to bring it more rapidly into culti-
vation, the cost would be about fifteen dollars per
acre. By far the best time of the year to go on a
free grant is the month of September, which
allows the settler to put up a house and get com-
fortably settled before the winter sets in.

I trust that now the reader has obtained a
tolerably clear insight into the capabilities and the
Land system of the two great provinces of the
Dominion, and I now therefore pass on to the
Labour question. The classes of labourers most in
demand are the agricultural, agriculture being at
present the chief interest of the Dominion. But
there is also a very large demand for the classes of
common, able-bodied labourers, arising from the
numerous and extensive public works and buildings

The Dominion of Canada.

nt upon a
the least
on. But

persons,
3sit their
uld draw
'o out for
xperienee
nsate for
ailing to
(uired by
from 5/.
le settler
bours, it
it be de-

by con-
to culti-
llars per
go on a
which
^et com-

ained a
and the
of the
to the
most in
eing at
But
asses of
)m the
ildings

everywhere in progress, and this demand will be
largely increased by other large undertakings pro-
jected, notably the Canadian Pacific Railway, and
the enlargements of the Canadian Canal system.
The trades and handicrafts generally, which are, so
to speak, of universal application, can also always
absorb a large number of artisans and journeymen.
There is everywhere in town and country a large
demand for female domestic servants of good cha-
racter. Children of either sex, respectably vouched
for, and watched over upon their arrival, by the
parties who bring them out, may be absorbed in
considerable numbers. The various manufactures
incident to a comparatively new country constitute
an important and rapidly increasing branch of
industry ; and they cause a large demand for
emigrant labour. The getting out of timber from
the forests and its manufacture form a leading
industry of the Dominion, but not one to be much
relied on for newly-arrived emigrants, the various
descriptions of labour which it requires being best
performed by persons who have had special train-
ing in the country.

It may be here remarked that the classes who
should not be induced to emigrate to Canada,
unless upon the recommendation of private friends,
and with a view to places specially available, are
professional or literary men, and clerks and shop-
men. As a rule there is a tendency towards an over-
supply of applicants for these callings within the
Dominion itself, and unknown or unfriended emi-

The Bomhiion of Canada,

f^^rants seeking" employment in them mi<^lit en-
counter piunful disappointments.

With respect to the numbers of those for whom
employment could be found, it is impossii)le to
g-ive any answer but this, the nuwher is practically
unlimited. The arrivals in 1871, and for some
years previously, were quite insufficient to satisfy
one-third of the labour demand, and more than
treble of the ordinary yearly arrival of emig-rants
could be absorbed without making any glut in the
labour market.

Kegarding- the probable wages that emigrants
would earn on their arrival in Canada, an average
taken from the reports of the several Dominion
Emigration Agents, shows that the wages paid
to agricultural and other labourers are from 24/. to
30/. per year with board and lodging, and from
50^. to 60/. without board and lodging ; the latter
plan, however J is but rarely pursued, by far the

most common mode of

engagmg

airricultural

labourers being with board and lodging found.
Skilled farm hands get from opl. to 40/. a year
with board and lodging, and common labourers
from 55. to 6s. ^d. a day. The wages of mechanics
and skilled artisans vary according to circumstances,
from 6s. to i6s. a day.

The w^ages of female servants vary from 165. to
2I. a month with board and lodging. But there
are cases in which higher waoes are paid to ser-
vants, according to capacity, or as there may hap-
pen to be demand. Boys in situations get from
i6s, to 2L a month with board and lodging.

nio-lit

en-

for whom
ossihle to
wactlcallij
for some
to satisfy
lore than
Jmi^rrants
lut in the

migrants
averag-e
dominion
g-es paid
m 24/. to
nd from
he latter
far the
icultural
found,
a year
ibourers
^chanics
stances,

16^. to
t there
to ser-
ly hap-
et from
)dging',

The Dominion of Canada,

according to age and capacity. It may be stated
in connexion with the rate of wages, that food is
plentiful and cheap in Canada ; and the Dominion
is therefore a cheap country to live in.

The following are average prices : — 41b. loaf of
white bread, ^d. to ^d. ; salt butter, ^d. to 1 3^.
per lb. ; meat, 3^^/., ^d. to (id, per lb.; cheese, ^\d,
to ']\d. per lb.; potatoes, i*. to 2*. per bushel;
sugar (brown, but dry and superior quality), Af\d,
to 5d. per lb. ; tea, 28, to %8, 6d. per lb. ; eggs, 6d.
to ()d, per dozen ; milk, per quart, 2\d, to '^d. ;
beer, 2d. to ^d. per quart ; tobacco, i*. to 2^. per
lb. ; and other articles in proportion. The pur-
chasing power of the dollar in Canada is much
greater than in other parts of America, especially
in those things which go to make the cost of
living, and this fact should always be kept in
mind in making comparisons between the rates of
wages paid in Canada and the United States. It
frequently happens that people leave Canada, at-
tracted by the higher rate of wages paid in tlie
United States, and return to the Dominion, where,
although the sum received does not look so grand
on paper^ it more than compensates by going
further.^

In Canada, a large family, if brought up to
habits of industry, is a source of strength rather
than of weakness to the working man. There are
very many thousands of persons throughout the
Dominion who came there as labourers without
any means, in fact almost in a state of pauperism,

* Vidi " People's Magazine " for January, 1873, p. 57.

The Dominion of Canada,

and tenant farmers with very little means, who
have attained a state of comparative independence,
being proprietors of their own farms, and having
laid by sufficient means for their declining years,
while they have educated their children and settled
them in conditions of ease and plenty. In fact,
the inducements to emigrate to Canada are not
simply good wages and good living among kin-
dred people, under the same flag, and in a naturally
rich country, possessing a pleasant and healthy
climate, but the confident prospect which the
poorest may have of becoming a proprietor of the
soil, earning competence for himself, and comfort-
ably settling his children.

As regards political and social institutions, it
may be stated, for the information of the reader,
that the system of government is based on the
principle of the responsibility of ministers to Par-
liament, in the same way as in the Imperial
Government, and is held in the very highest
esteem by the people, as being one of the freest
and best ordered in the world. The franchise
practically extends to every householder. The
several provinces have Lieutenant-Governors, and
systems of responsible Local Government, formed
on that of the Dominion. The counties and town-
ships have also their local governments or councils,
which regulate the local taxation for roads, schools,
and other municipal purposes.

The utmost religious liberty prevails in every
part of the Dominion, and emigrants of every
Christian denomination will find their own

The Dominion of Canada,

churches, and ample opportunity for the practice
of their faith. ^ There is neither State reh'o'ion nor
tithes, and all denominations receive equal protec-
tion from the law.

Means of education, from the hi<2^hest to the
lowest, abound everywhere in the Dominion.'- The
poor and middle classes can send their children to
free schools, where an excellent education is o-iven;
and the road to the colleges and higher education
is open to all ; in short, in no country in the world
is good education more generally diffused than in
Canada.

I must not omit to state that partially cleared
farms, with the necessary buildings erected thereon,
may be purchased in almost any part of the Do-
minion, at very moderate prices, and on very easy
terms of payment. This arises from a disposition
very common all over America on the part of
farmers to sell out old settlements and take up
more extensive new ones. The facilities thus
afforded are particularly advantageous to tenant-
farmers, or farmers possessing small capital, who
go to Canada, as from their previous train-
ing they are not so well adapted to the settle-
ment of wild lands as persons brought up in the
country.

But it is now time that I made some mention of
the other provinces composing the Dominion of
Canada, and as Nova Scotia lies nearest to our

* This of course does not apply to the outlying and sparsely
populated districts.
^ The same remark holds good here also

The Dominion of Canada,

own shores^ and is moreover the eastern terminus
of the Intercolonial Kaihvay, I shall briefly treat
of her prospects and future, premising that from
the vast mineral and other resources contained
within her boundaries, and the growing scarcity of
these articles in England, much attention is now
being directed towards her shores.

The province consists of the Peninsula of Nova
Scotia, a tract of land about three hundred miles
long, and from, fifty to one hundred miles wide,
trending E.N.E., and connected with New Bruns-
wick by an isthmus about eight miles wide on its
north side, between the Bay of Fundy and Northum-
berland Cape ; and of the island of Cape Breton,
which lies at the east extremity of the peninsula,
and is separated from it by the gut of Canso. It
contains about io,ooo,coo acres, one-fifth of which
consists of lakes and small rivers. Of the whole
extent about one-half is fit for cultivation, and
although the sea coast is rugged and rock bound,
the interior is beautiful and fertile. All the
counties have a frontage to the sea, and hence both
farming and shipbuilding are carried on together.
Fruits, such as apples, pears, quinces, &c., are
easily cultivated, and grains or root crops do well.
Indian corn will also ripen, but this produce is not
recommended to a new comer. The Government
holds forth the following advantages in a pamphlet
issued under its supervision. For gentlemen of
means who wish to retire from business, no more
beautiful, healthy, or desirable place can be found
in America. Game is tolerably abundant — wood-

The Dominion of Canada,

ermmus
fly treat
at from
)ntained
a-rcity of
. is now

of Nova
id miles
js wide,
Bruns-
e on its
)rthum-
Breton,
ninsula,

ISO. It

f which
) whole
•n, and
bound,
II the
ce both
ai-ether.
c., are
3 well.

is not
nment
nphlet
len of

more
found
wood-

cock, snipe, partridge, plover, and duck shooting
are excellent ; moose, deer, foxes, and hares afford
good sport, and there is capital trout fishing
amongst the lakes and mountains. The province
contains thousands of lakes and small streams, and
no part of the country is more than thirty or forty
miles away from salt water, where may be found
the best sea fishing in the world. Salmon, cod,
halibut, haddock, mackerel, and herring are
abundant, and the shallow waters team with large
lobsters, which are often sold in Halifax market
for a shilling per dozen.

In the way of minerals the province possesses
coal, iron, and gold, whilst copper, tin, and lead
ores have also been discovered in small quantities.
The Chief Commissioner for Mines and Works
reports that the gold mines have been worked
steadily, and in many cases profitably, but he
regrets that there are a number of mines which
have been proved capable cf being worked at a
profit, that have been allowed to remain idle. I
merely mention this, for this paper does not
profess to touch on gold digging, and I therefore
go on to the same gentleman's report on coal;
a subject which cannot fail to be of interest to us
all. " It is gratifying to be enabled to state that
there has been a satisfactory increase over that of
last year in the products of the collieries in each
of the coal mining centres. In Cumberland
County there was an increase this year over
the coal mined last year of 3500 tons ; in Picton
of i9,coo tons; and in Cape Breton of 15,000

The Dominion of Canada,

tons, and this increase^ it is significant to note^ was
obtained during an unusually short working season,
which was brought to an end sooner than is
customary, by the closing of navigation very sud-
denly and early." The quantity of coal raised in
the year 1871 (the very latest returns obtainable)
was 673,242 tons. The average number of persons
employed was 2469 ; and the total steam power
3000 horses. To us English, who are accustomed
to glance at figures revealing an output of millions
of tons, these small sums will doubtless appear
insignificant; but even whilst I write this, the
Great Eastern is o^^eeding across the broad
Atlantic, bringing in her giant frame 15,000
tons of Nova Scotian coals, to warm and gladden
us during the coming winter ; and as the straw
thrown upwards indicates the course of the unseen
air-current, so does the venture on which the
mighty vessel is engaged show the direction
towards which shivering England turns her eyes
for relief, and but little prescience is needed to
foretell the important position to which her
mineral treasures will eventually raise Nova
Scotia.

This province, according to the census of 1871,
contained a population of 387,804, which is steadily
increasing. The climate is at least as healthy as
any in the world ; the summer warmer and the
winter somewhat colder than England. In
Halifax and the eastern counties the mercury
seldom rises in summer above 86 degrees in the
shade, and in winter it is not often down to

ft]

The Dominion of Canada,

ote^ was

season,

than is

ry sud-

lised in

linable)

persons

power

stomed

lillions

appear

is, the

broad

f 5^000
ladden

straw

mseen

the
eetion
eyes
ed to

her
Nova

871,

adily
y as
the
In
cury
the
to

zero. In the interior — say in the Annapolis
Valley — the winter is about the same, but the
summer is considerably warmer, although, owing
to the dryness of the atmosphere, the heat is not
oppressive.

Wild lands may be obtained from the Govern-
ment for about \s, ()d. per acre, but they are in
most cases thickly timbered. It takes six or seven
years to cut down the trees, eradicate the stumps
from the land, and bring it under cultivation,
and the emigrant should bear in mind that it is
really more profitable to purchase five acres already
under the plough, than one hundred of such
uncleared forest land. The inhabitants of the
province engage in agriculture, mining, commerce,
fishing, and shipbuilding. During the fiscal year
terminating on the 30th June 1872, the number
of vessels built in Nova Scotia was 146, of an
average of over 300 tons each. The following
communication was received from the Provincial
Secretary in 1872 : — " A good class of farmers, who
have sufficient means wherewith to purchase small
farms already under cultivation, would do well in
the western parts of the province. Fruit growers
in particular could make money ; hict this is no
place for paupers. What is required is more
capital and industry, and there is a good opening
for the expenditure and employment of both. In
Halifax (the principal town) female servants are at
present in demand, and a number of good cooks who
could come well recommended would command from
%Qs. to 255. sterling per month."

Iff
III

f ■;'

2^/^^ Lominion of Canada.

The next province proceeding' west is New
Brunswick (whicli, with Nova Scotia, constitutes
what are commonly called in the Dominion the
Maritime Provinces). It is 190 miles loniG^ by
150 broad, and contains over seventeen millions
of acres, of which thirteen millions are cultivated,
and over 73030^0 under improvement. The
population at the last census was 285,777,
and has probably increased since by fifty or
sixty thousand.

The climate is exceedingly healthy and favour-
able for agricultural operations. Professor Johnson
states that the average yield per acre in New
Brunswick is greater than in the Si^.e of New
York or Ohio. Wheat averages 20 bushels per
acre; barley, 29; oats, 34; rye, 9J ; buckwheat,
14; Indian corn, 25; potatoes, 90; turnips, 88;
and hay, if tons.

The Government do not in terms offer free
grants of lands to settlers, but they give what is
vey nearly the same thing. All male persons,
eighteen years of age and upwards, can select, from
tracts laid out and surveyed for settlement, such
quantity as they may require for themselves and
their children. There are no free grants, but for
20 dels. (4/.) they can procure 100 acres, subject to
the conditions that the settlers shall take possession
of the same and commence improving the land ;
and the 20 dels, so paid shall be expended in the con-
struction of roads and bridges in the neighbour-
hood ; or he may, instead of paying the price
named, perform works on the road to the value of

The Dominwn of Canada,

10 dols. a year, for a period of three years, which is to
be considered an equivalent for a money payment.
He is required to build a house of not less dimen-
sions than 1 6 by 20 feet, reside therein, and clear
and cultivate ten acres within three years ; and
when these conditions are complied with, a grant
under the great seal of the province is issued,
vesting the land in him and his heirs. There is a
further provision, that should the means of the
settler be limited, he may, from time to time, and
for reasonable periods, absent himself from his
farm, in order to procure the means of support
for himself and family, without forfeiting his
claim.

There has not hitherto been any vigorous emi-
gration policy pursued. But there are indications
that greater efforts will be made to secure emi-
gration in the future. Any poor man who is
willing to work is sure to get on in New Bruns-
wick. The province is for the most part heavily
timbered; and lumbering, or the preparation of
timber for the market, is one of the great
industries, givin;; employment to a considerable
part of the population, especially in the winter.
Shipbuilding is also carried on to a considerable
extent, though the increasing demand for iron
ships has in some measure crippled this industry.
The number of vessels built in the last fiscal year
was io8, averaging over 308 tons each. The
Emigration Agent at St. John's reports: — "During
the past season there has been a great demand for
all kinds of labour ; and masons, carpenters,

T/ie Dominion of Canada.

plasterers, joiners, and all other branches of
mechanics, have had steady employment and good
wages. In regard to agricultural labourers, so
great has been the demand, that farmers who were
unable to procure them have suffered much loss,
both for want of hands to plant and to reap the
harvest. Our great want, however, is that class
known at home as small farmers. We have abund-
ance of good land to offer them, and all they
require to give them a start is a small sum of
money. If they do not desire to settle on the
Government lands, there are always chances to
purchase, at reasonable prices, partially improved
farms, with log and framed houses, where they can
locate themselves and at once commence farming
operations. There is every prospect of an increased
demand for labour during the coming year, and for
all the branches of mechanics already named, and to
all such as may decide to make New Brunswick their
home, their is every prospect of securing, not only
a comfortable living, but by industry and sobriety
attaining to affluence." The mining resources of
the province are extensive, but they have not
hitherto been much developed. The fisheries are
rich and valuable, and are among the finest in
the world.

Prince Edward Island, which is situated in the
southern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, deserves
some little notice, for it is now de facto an inte-
gral portion of the Dominion, the Act for its in-
corporation having passed the Legislature. It is
separated from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

nches of
md good
urers, so
ivho were
ueh loss,
reap the
hat class
e abund-
all they
sum of
> on the
ances to
mproved
they can
farming
ncreased
k and for
I, and to
ick their
lot only
sobriety
rces of
ve not
'ies are
lest in

in the
eserves

inte-
its in-

Itis
iswick

Th Dominion of Ca7iacla,

by the Strait of Northumberland, the width of the
strait varying from nine to thirty miles. The
island is about 130 miles long, and from 10 to "^i
miles broad, it area being 2134 miles, or 1,365,760
acres. The navigation of this strait is closed by
ice about the middle of December, and is resumed
about the end of April or the beginning of May,
and during this time, mails and passengers are
conveyed across in ice boats. Charlottetown, the
capital, is situated at the confluence of the York
and Hillsborough rivers, and contains nearly
10,000 inhabitants. The soil is remarkable for its
fertility, being nearly all cultivable land. It is
formed for the most part of a rich layer of vegetable
matter, above a bright loam resting upon stiff clay
and sandstone. All kinds of grains and vegetables
grown in Britain ripen in great perfection, and
during the ten years ending in 1871, when the last
census was taken, a great improvement was shown
in the agricultural condition of the colony. The
land not cultivable consists of soft spongy turf, or
a deep layer of wet black mould, which may prove
valuable for fuel. The difficulties connected with
the land tenure have stood much in the way of the
advancement of Prince Edward Island. Into these
I cannot here enter, but by an Act passed in 1868
facilities are offered to those desirous of settling on
the public wilderness lands. Amongst other privi-
leges they are allowed eighteen years to pay for
their farms, the first eight years free, the purchase
money then to bear 5 per cent, interest, to be
payable in ten annual instalments. The population

The Dominion of Canada,

H •'I

in 1 87 1 was 94,021, having doubled itself in the
last thirty years, and, strang-e to say, this increase
is from its own resources^ for there has been a fall-
ing off in the number of the population of other
countries.^

The free school system was established in 1853.
There are now 357 district schools, with 15,000
children on the roll, of whom 9000 are in average
daily attendance ; there are fifteen grammar schools
and one college, tuition free in all but the col-
lege, with the exception of a small fee for fuel.
A railway is now in process of construction
to extend the whole length of the island, and is
expected to be in operation by the end of 1873.
The latest return states : '' Labourers are in
great demand from the ist of May to the ist
of December."

I now pass on to the Island of Newfoundland,
which commands the entrance to the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, and possesses a sea board of nearly two
thousand miles. It is situated geographically be-
tween latitude 46 37' N and 51 37' N and longi-
tude 51 40' W and 59 31' W. The climate is
salubrious, the summer heat being moderate, and
the winter cold not excessive, the thermometer
seldom falling to zero. The interior of the island
has as yet been little explored, and but little
knowledge of it is to be had, for the few roads
that exist are made along the coast and lead only
from one settlement to another. The interior is
supposed to abound in lakes, called by the inhabit-

* Year Book for Canada 1873. Page 183.

If in the

increase

!n a fall-

of other

in 1853.

15,000
average
r schools
the col-
for fuel,
truction
, and is
)f 1873.

are in
the 1st

ndland,
P of St.
rly two
lly be-
longi-
late is
te, and

meter
island

t little
roads

1 only
ior is
habit-

The Dominion of Canada,

ants ponds, but as a geological survey, re^. -tly
begun, is now in progress, much more definite
information must before long be available. A
copper mine is being worked at Tilt Cove in
Notre Dame Bay, nickel has been found in pay-
able quantities, and coal, lead, and silver have been
discovered. The census of the colony does not
furnish any estimate of the cultivated and unculti-
vated land, and there is no other source from
which it can be procured. It is confidently asserted
by those who know the island well, that the
southern and eastern coasts although presenting
a bare and uninviting appearance, offer many
desirable spots for cultivation, whilst the western
shore abounds in extensive valleys of rich fertile
land. But fishing forms the sole employment for
the population, and therefore, the people are dis-
persed along the coast, their houses not being
more than a mile or two from the sea anywhere^
except in the peninsula of Avalon, where a few
villages are scattered in the interior. The whole
prosperity of the colony depends on the fisheries,
and whilst the small population of about 130,000
exports on an average somewhere about one million
pounds worth of the products of the sea, they are
always verging on poverty, as a general rule. One
reason for this, is the manner in which the fishing
vessels are fitted out. The merchant of Newfound-
land is the exporter of the staple, and the supplier
of the means of catching and curing the fish, and
this has led to the credit and supply system so
baneful to any country. Under this system the

T^e Dominion of Canada,

fisherman finds his prospective^ voyag-e mortg'aged
to the merchant, who has probahly not only fitted
him out for the venture, but fed him and his family
during" the preceding' winter. In a bad season the
fisherman, burdened with debt, not unfrequently
abandons the voyage and secretly sells what he
has caught in order to provide for the coming
winter. In a good year the profit to the merchant
is very great, as he himself fixes the price he is to
pay, at a rate to cover all his risks, but in a bad
year his losses are proportionately heavy, and ex-
perience has shown that the disadvantages more
than overbalance the advantages of the system.

Seal fishing is one of the most important inter-
ests of the island. Of these animals there are
several kinds, the harp and the hooded seal being
the most plentiful, and of these the former, though
smallest, is most valuable. The crews of sailing
vessels are paid no wages^ but receive one half of
the catch, which they are free to dispose of to the
highest purchaser. They pay no proportion to the
outfit, except about twenty or thirty shillings
berth money. The allowance on board of the
steamers is one third, but no berth money is
charged. The master, or skipper, is paid from
sixpence to sevenpence for each seal and an excep-
tionally good year may produce from six to seven
hundred thousand seals, though the average is
between three and five hundred thousand.

Cod fishing also employs a large number of
hands, fish to the amount of 4,000,000 dols. hav-
ing been exported in 1870.

The Dominion t ^ Canada,

ly fitted
! family
son the
quently
^hat he
comings
3rchant
le is to
1 a bad
md ex-
s more
3m.

< inter-

Te are

beings

ihough

ailing*

lalf of

the

lings

f the

ey is

from

xcep-

seven

XQ is

)r of
hav-

Education is within reach of all classes, the
Government grants to the district schools being
liberal. The greater part of trade being eirected
by barter, the amount of coin in circulation is not
known, but it is conjectured to ^ a from 8o,ooo/.
to 100,000^. The latest report is from the Colonial
Secretary, in which he says, " This colony has very
little demand for labour, except during the fishing
season, which may be said to last from May to
October. During that period every able-bodied
operative is fully employed, and it is upon the
success or otherwise of that fishery that the con-
dition of the people during the winter in a great
measure depends, as, unfortunately, there is very
little t^ be had by the people in the shape of
employment during the winter, there being but
very few manufactories or other sources of em-
ployment at those times when the fishery cannot
be prosecuted. Agriculture is progressively in-

creasmg.

As there is no emigration to Newfoundland, it
is unnecessary to say more about the disposal of
Crown Lands in that colony, than that it is sold
by auction at 2s, an acre, and that after it has
been exposed to auction it may be purchased by
private sale at the contract price. By a recent Act,
however, the Governor in Council may by his
licence authorize a settler to occupy fifty acres for
five years without rent ; at the end of which time,
if two acres of land have been cultivated, the
settler will receive a grant in fee of the land on
payment of 5^. Newfoundland is at present a

The Dominion of Canada,

separate colony, but there is no doubt that a
very short time will see it embraced within the
Dominion.

I shall next call attention to the Island of
Anticosti, which has recently been purchased by
*' The Anticosti Company (limited), incorporated
by Act of Parliament, assented to on the 14th June
1872, for the purpose of carrying- on all operations
necessary to develope the vast resources in agri-
culture, forests, fisheries, coal, peat, plumbago,
saltsprings, marl, slate, limestone, sandstone, grind-
stone, marble and other economic substances and
mineral deposits which abound on it."

The island is situated in the river and Gulf of
St. Lawrence about 425 miles below Quebec, and
is 140 miles long and ^iS wide at the centre, where
it is broadest, from which centre it gradually nar-
rows as it extends east and west. It contains
upwards of 3750 square miles, or about 2,460,000
acres.

During the spring of 1873, the Company will
proceed to divide the island into twenty counties,
subdivided into five townships each, making in all
lor he latter of about 24,500 acres each; and
^ .1 up a colonization road between Ellis Bay

the western and Fox Bay on the eastern end.
"lowns are to be surveyed and laid out at these
points first, and the chief place of business is to be
established at Ellis Bay.

The island contains, according to Sir William E.
Logan's report, upwards of 1,000,000 acres of
agricultural land of a similar nature to the best

The Dominion of Canada,

that a
lin the

and of
-sed by
oorated
h June
rations
I agri-
nbago,
grind-
as and

Julf of
!C, and
where
y nar-
fitains

0,000

will
nties,
in all

and

Bay

end.
these
to be

mE.

iS of
best

soils of Canada West and of the Genesee County,
New York State; and farming lots of loo acres
or more will be located thereon. Mr. Couper the
Canadian Naturalist says, " The island has a
southern aspect, lying in sunshine from sunrise
to noarly sunset, and this serves to make it a
quick vegetable and cereal producing land. All
garden vegetables and fruits and most of the
cereals can be raised in abundance."

Fishing and curing stations will be erected at
suitable localities, and the magnificent fisheries of
the coast and rivers will be developed and worked
on the most approved methods. These fisheries
are entitled to be classed among the most valuable
in America, and comprise whale, seal, cod, mackerel,
salmon, &c., as well as shell fish. Seals are very
plentiful, and may be caught in thousands in the
bays and sheltered places on the coast all the year
round. Even now with the scanty and primitive
means used by the fishermen, the returns of the
fishings as given by the department of marine
fisheries, are much larger in comparison than any
of the other and more extensive fishing districts in
the Gulf.

Meeting and school-houses will be built at cen-
tral points when needed, and competent teachers
appointed in charge of these. When the several
permanent improvements are somewhat advanced,
the company will take the necessary steps for
bringing the advantages of the island under the
notice of the emigrating population of Northern
Europe, and will likewise make an appropriation

The Dominion of Canada.

in behalf of emigration commensurate with its
importance ; and every facility will be provicled
that may tend to the thorough settlement and
colonization of the island, and to the comfcrc of
the settlers.

The climate is exceedingly healthy, and the
atmosphere clear, pure, and bracing, and rarely
subject to lOgs. In a paper read before the Lite-
rary and Historical Society of Quebec, Mr. Roche
says, "When Anticosti shall be properly known
and occupied it will probably become the resort of
many of those who now seek health or recreation
at the less bracing and less interesting watering
places upon the main shores of the river. And of
the salubrity of the climate there can be no doubt,
for all who have resided there describe it as being
the most healthy place in the world. The first
Seignior (to whom it was granted in 1680 for
services rendered to the Crown of France) used to
reside every summer upon the island, and it is
supposed that he was buried there."

All lots will be sold (not leased) to the settlers
at moderate rates, and a complete registered title in
fee simple will be given by the company; while
the purchase price will be payable in annual in-
stalments, extending over ten or any less num-
ber of years, as may be desired by settlers, and
interest will not be charged during the first five
years. The settlers will be, as at present, free
from taxation.

I bring this to the notice of intending emi-
grants, for it seems to me that the scheme is a

th its
ovided
it and
fore of

id the
rarely
) Lite-
Roche
known
sort of
'eat ion
itering"
ind of
doubt,
being
8 first
^o for
sed to
it is

ittlers

tie in

while

I in-

num-

and
fc five

free

emi-
is a

The Dominion of Canada.

good one, and will eventually offer great induce-
ments to such persons of our surplus population as
have been brought up near the sea, for they will
find ample means of indulging their inclinations,
whether they lean towards the capture and cur-
ing of fish, the cultivation of the soil, or the pro-
curing and selling of the valuable timber, with
which the island is thickly covered.

To the west of the province of Ontario lies the
recently created province of Manitoba, which was
received into the Confederation by Act of Dominion
Parliament, 1870. It contains an area of over
nine millions of acres, equal to 360 townships of
23,040 acres each, with a reserve of 1,400,000
acres, and these figures are exclusive of a very
liberal allowance for roads. The population by
the census of 1871 was 11,945, but this number
is daily increasing.

From a pamphlet by Mr. Thomas Spence, Clerk
of the Legislative Council of Manitoba, approved
of by a joint Committee of the Legislature, I
extract some statements on the capabilities and
resources of the Province : — " The soil is an al-
luvial, black, argillaceous mould, rich in organic
deposit, and resting on a depth of from two to
four feet, on a tenacious clay soil. The measures
of heat a.e ample for the development of Indian
corn, considerably improving westward. Wheat
is the leading staple of the upper belt of the
temperate zone. The limestone sub-strata of this
region, with its rich, deep, calcareous loam and
retentive clay sub-soil, are always associated with

E 1

The Dominion of Canada.

a rich wheat development, while its hot and humid
summers fulfd all the climatologieal conditions of
a first-rate wheat country. Some fields at Red
River have been known to produce twenty suc-
cessive crops of wheat without fallow or manure,
the yield frequently being fifty to sixty bushels to
the acre." Forty bushels is set down as the average
crop, while Minnesota only gives half that number,
and Wisconsin less. This is spring wheat, for
winter wheat has not been tried, though Mr.
Spence is of opinion that it can be successfully
grown. He says, '' the success of winter wheat
depends peculiarly in having a moderate and sure
covering of light snow, not condensed by thaws,
and packed close by warm winds. These are the
decided characteristics of our winters." All the
other subordinate cereals^ such as oats, barley, rye,
&c., flourish equally well, barley in particular
yielding an enormous return, with a weight of
from fifty to fifty-five pounds a bushel. Potatoes,
turnips, cabbages, pumpkins, and cucumbers are
also at home in this province, and indeed^ from
Mr. Spence's report, there seems no limit to the
prodigality of the soil.

For raising cattle and horses, Manitoba is equal
to Illinois, for sheep-farming, superior. The rich-
ness and luxuriance of the native grasses, the wide
range of pasturage, and the remarkable dryness
and healthfulness of the winter, make the province
peculiarly fitted for stock-raising and wool-grow-
ing. Since the introduction of sheep forty years
ago into Red River, no case of disease attacking

t
a]

The Dominion of Canada,

them has been heard of. Well-fed ewes give
fleeces of from two to three and a-half pounds,
and wethers six to eight pounds, of wool of good
quality.

The liability to frosts is not greater than in
many parts of Ontario, and the peculiar dryness of
the atmosphere allows a much lower range of the
temperature than in moister climates, without
causing any iujury to vegetation. From the vast
size of the province it has many varieties of
climate, and is subject to sudden changes, but
the crops are sure, and the quality good. The
winter is milder towards the west. The Saskatch-
ewan Valley has the climate of Ontario, with
one-third less mean depth of snow. Buffaloes
winter on the prairie grasses as far north as Lake
Athabasca, and the horses of the settlers run at
large and grow fat on the herbage they pick up in
the woods and bottoms.

The summer mean temperature is higher than
that of Illinois, Northern New York, or Ontario.
The average snowfall is about six inches a month,
which descends in small, quantities, and is rarely
blown into drifts. With the new year comes the
extreme cold of the winter, the mercury ranging
from fifteen to forty below zero, for a few days ;
but this severity is much softened by the brilliancy
of the sun and the stillness of the air. The atmo-
sphere is dry, with bright, cloudless days, and
serene starlight nights, and this dryness, combined
with the absence of fog or mist, renders the
climate one of great salubrity. The schools are

The Dominion of Canada,

excellent, and there are twenty-three churches of
different denominations.

As a rule, the early spring- is the best time for
emigration, and June is the best month for break-
ing up the wild prairie land. Potatoes may be
dropped into the furrow, and covered by the
plough with the tough sod, and turnip seeds sown
and lightly covered. The emigrant should take
with him a supply of provisions, and the cattle he
may require. Settlers can obtain free grants of
1 60 acres on the following conditions : —

Any person who is the head of a family, or who
has attained the age of twenty-one years, is (since
May 1st, 1H71,) entitled to be entered for one
quarter section, or a less quantity, of unappro-
priated land, for the purpose of securing a home-
stead right therein. Persons owning and occupying
lands may be entered for contiguous lands, but the
whole extent of land, including that previously
occupied, is not to exceed 160 acres.

The applicant, after three years continuous resi-
dence from the time of entering into possession of
the land (of which fact he will be required to make
an affidavit), and paying a fee of lodols. to the
land officer, will be entitled to receive a patent,
free. In case of death, the widow or children of
the settler, or other heirs and devisees, may
receive the patent after the three years' residence.
Any settler who abandons the land entered upon
for more than six months, loses his claim.

Land may also be absolutely purchased from
the Government at one dollar per acre ; and any

pri

all

reii

if'

til

acj

T/ie Dominion of Canada,

person who has entered upon lands with a view to
procure a homestead right, may get the patent at
any time before the expiration of three years
residence, by paying one dollar an acre for them,
if for any purpose he wants the patent before that
time. Ordinary settlers, however, will of course
acquire the homestead right free, by vir.. : of
three years' settlement.

Such is a brief description of t^ '^ew Province
of Manitoba, the future granai; of the world.
The Canadian Pacific Railway, which passes through
its heart, will before long throw its fertile acres
open to all comers^ and ^. splendid future lies
before it. There is one thing that I should
strongly recommei-i to all such persons as may
think of settling in Manitoba, or any portion of
the North- West Territory, viz., to cause them-
selves and their belongings to be vaccinated before
proceeding thither. Healthy as the climate un-
deniably is, and free as it may be called from
epidemics, there is one scourge that now and
again sweeps over this sparsely-inhabited land,
slaying indiscriminately the wandering Blackfoot
and the white trapper. The ravages of small-pox
in the North- West Territory are perfectly appal-
ling, but if the emigrant takes the ordinary pre-
caution of being vaccinated, he may go on his way
with confidence and safety.

Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, has not at
present much more than the dimensions of a large
village ; but it is already beginning to receive an
emigration, as well from the older provinces of

The Bominion of Canada.

the Dominion as the United States and Europe,
and it will therefore soon l)ecome a considerable
town. Navigation is about to be opened by steam-
boat between the Red River and the head waters
of the Saskatchewan above Fort Edmonton, near
the base of the Rocky Mountains, a distance of
over a thousand miles as the crow flies, through
prairie land of unsurpassed richness. The route to
Manitoba, from Thunder Bay to Fort Garry, has
been very greatly improved, and the Canadian
Government convey emigrants between these points
for 15 dols. ; the weight of luggage is, however,
limited to 450 lbs. per individual, and no package
must exceed 150 lbs. for convenience of transport
over the portages. This tract of country to the
east of the Rocky Mountains contains, under the
surface of its rich prairie land, one of the largest
coal-fields in the world, ^v^hich in some places on
the river banks crops out of the ground. This is
a physical feature the importance of which can
hardly be over-estimated when regarding the
future prospects of the Dominion. The rivers
which run east from the Rocky Mountains are
rich in gold deposits ; and in fact mineral wealth
of almost every kind is found in this region.

Beyond the limits of Manitoba there lies a vast,
unorganized territory, stretching westerly to the
Rocky Mountains, and comprising an area of about
two millions ^ of square miles. The northern por-

^ Six hundred thousand square miles of this enormous tract,
are possessed of great mining and agricultural resources. Year
Book for Canada 1872, page 174.

tiol

gr(

TJie Dominion of Canadcu

tion of this enormous extent of surface will pro-
bably continue to remain in its present condition
of hunting and fishing grounds, except that valuable
mineral deposits may be found and worked ; but
a superficies of this territory equal in extent to
several of the great empires of the earth is avail-
able for cultivation, and it contains not only the
richest, but the largest extent of unbroken wheat-
growing land in the world.

The climate and physical conditions for the con-
struction of the Canadian Pacific Railway are much
more favourable than those at any other point
across the Continent of North America, for the
distances are shorter, the elevation of the table-
land much lower, and the passes through the
Rocky Mountains very much easier than at any
other point farther south ; and it is this com-
bination of advantageous circumstances which
robs the gigantic scheme of half its difficulty,
and will attract numbers of settlers from all
parts of the Continent as well as from the Old
World.

British Columbia, which includes Vancouver's
Island, forms the Pacific seaboard of the Dominion,
and completes the chain of provinces between the
two seas. Its total area is 220,000 square miles,
and it has a coast-line of about 500 miles, with
innumerable bays, harbours, and inlets. The prin-
cipal harbours on Vancouver's Island are Victoria,
Esquimault, Nanaimo, and Barclay Sound, and of
these Esquimault is by far the best ; whilst there
are many navigable inlets on the mainland, the

The Dominion of Canada,

particulars of which I am unable, for want of space,
to <:,''ive here.

As an agricultural country, British Columbia
has been much underrated, for it contains many
arable tracts of great extent, some of which, how-
ever, would require artificial irrigation before they
could be permanently settled with advantage.
Between the Thompson and Eraser Bivers, there
is an immense tract of arable and grazing land,
covered with bunch grass, on which the cattle and
horses live all winter, and this grass is reported to
possess more nutritive qualities than the celebrated
blue grass and clover of Virginia.

The forest lands are of great extent, and the
timber most valuable, whilst their proximity to
navigable waters adds enormously to their com-
mercial value. It would be tedious to mention the
different varieties of trees, but I may mention one,
the Douglas pine, which exists in almost inex-
haustible quantities on both the mainland and
Vancouver's Island. The value of this single
species may be imagined, when I say that it
yields spars from 90 to 100 feet in length, can
often be obtained 150 feet free from knots, and
has squared forty-five inches to ninety feet ! It
is supposed to be the strongest fir or pine in
existence, and if splintered by a gale, an incredi-
bly small portion of the trunk will withstand
the leverage of the whole tree. The timber con-
tains a great deal of resin, is exceedingly durable,
and the bark, which is eight inches thick, makes
admirable fuel.

The Bominion of Canada,

The mineral wealth of this province is enormous,
and, merely mentioning the existence of gold,
silver, and copper, I pass on to its most valuable
deposit, coal. Bituminous coal is found on Van-
couver's Island in several places, especially along
they I the east coast, and is of fair quality, superior to
the Scotch, but not equal to the Welsh. The
Dunsemuir coal at Departure Bay is pronounced,
however, to be better for steaming purposes than
Newcastle, and should this prove to be the case,
the excellent harbour at Departure Bay will
enable it to be shipped with the utmost facility.
The bituminous coal on the Nicola Biver, i6o
miles inland^ is said to be superior to that of the
coast. Anthracite coal, very superior in quality,
is found on Queen Charlotte^s Island, and the
whole western coast of Vancouver's Island shows
traces of this mineral. At Departure Bay there
are quarries of very fine sandstone^ from which
blocks fifty feet long by eight in diameter are
obtained. As yet the manufactories are few in
number, but water-power is everywhere abundant.

The climate varies according to the locality,
depending in a great measure upon the vicinity of
the mountains and the level. The low portions
near the sea and on Vancouver's Island have a
moderate climate, with a general range of from
20 in winter to 80 in summer. The spring is
short, lasting from the beginning of March to the
early part of May, and the prevailing weather is
fine and mild, alternated with occasional rain and
squalls. Farming operations may be usually com-

The Dominion of Canada,

menced at the bci^Inning or middle of March, the
^' March winds " being" seldom severely felt. The
summers are dry, with occasional showers, and the
heat is tempered by the regular land and sea
breezes. The crops are usually sown, reared, cut,
and housed with fine weather. The autumn is
marked by cold, moist winds, fogs, and frequent
rain, all of which increase with the approach of
winter, and last until the return of spring. Snow
neither falls heavily, nor lies long, and the frosts
are not severe, the ice seldom exceeding an inch
in thickness. The climate may be perhaps de-
scribed as a dry and warm summer, and a wet and
open winter.

The population, according to the census of 187 1,
was 10,586, exclusive of Indians, who are esti-
mated at From thirty to fifty thousand souls.
British Columbia has not hitherto made rapid
progress in the development of wealth and popula-
tion, mainly because communication with it has
been so difficult ; but the probability is that, with
the favourable conditions it possesses, and the con-
nexion it has made with the Dominion, it will be,
in the not distant future, the home of a large
population and of great wealth.

I fear the patience of my readers will be ex-
hausted by this matter-of-fact description of the
various provinces, but where the subject is so
largo and the space so limited, it is apparent that
only information can be conveyed; and simple
information, uninterspersed with anecdote, is apt
to prove dr2/ reading. Although such items as

waj
sid(
mei
tlia
yea
liaA
ma
ste

try
me
tio

The Dominion of Canada.

ch, the
. The
nd the
[id sea
id, cut,
imn is
equent
aeh of
Snow
I frosts
1 inch
^s de-
et and

wa^es and the prices of provisions must vary con-
siderably at times, I have in all cases taken the
mean, and never quoted extremes; thus I trust
that those items will be near the mark for some
years to come. From hard-earned experience, I
have arrived at this conclusion, " A really steady
man is likely to get on anywhere, but a really
steady man will get on in spite of himself in the
colonies ; " so if any of my readers feel disposed to
try their luck beyond seas, I trust they will allow
me to wish them "God speed" and a rapid realiza-
tion of their best hopes.

1871,

esti-

souls.

rapid

)pula-

t has

with
i con-
ill be,
large

3 ex-
f the
is so
that
mple
3 apt
IS as

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