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Show ~3+ TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA: . n.· · 1 t be hid upon the grantee; he fer {nccuht"on, certain rdl:ncL1011S mJg 1 ' . h . 1 1. {h'p by a cJaufc m t e 1 atcn t, m-mirrht be bound to improve 11s town 1 ' . l r. c1. l b c h . fifth of 1t un C1S to ac.Lua 1. l · the f.tle of more than a 10t1rt 01 · ' · va h arln g ' . ld be refi lent thereon ~:-. fcttler~, , until a cert::un number of people 01ou_ . . _ . r Such a clauic would cffcelually prevent the evJI; for It l.S the gt ~nt~n g of very extcnnr: ve t . .n.s of wafte land.:; to individuals, Without bmdm ~~ l :lLL ' • t them in any way to l.t nprovc them, w 1l! ·C h g·t v es rife to fpeculatwn am bnd-jobbing. . . . .. 11 1 r 1 of clear titles to the by others it 1S 1magmecl, that the vv1t 110 11 g . d. Ltnds is a meafure ::tdbf ted mere 1y f.o r t 11 C pur. P o fe .o f l).r eventmcr a 1- . 1 1 . f t 1 · g place by emtgratton. 1 1in ution of the 1111a )Jtants rom a <.In . ' Not only townD1ips h:we been grant d b Y c· crtific.:~tes of occupatwn, ln. t alfo numberlefs [mall port1.o ns of 1a n d' f r 0 1n one hundred acre up- wards, J1articuhrly m. Upper Cana d a, to roy,., rfls .111d othcr. , who h ave I ' at diffi-rcnt perio ls emirr rated from t I1 C U nt·t e d St a tes . Thefc . people ~ave all of them improved their feveral allotments. Dy withholdiug at:y better title, therefore, than t 11 at o f a certl· fi c ...l tc ' they are com plctc.y tied down to their farms, unlefs, m· dce d , t 11 ey t1 1 1·1 1 1~- 1 roper to aban.•do n them, together with the fruits of many years labour, without recelvmg any compenf'ation whatfoevcr for fo doing. It i not probable, however, that thefe people, if. they had a clear title to their land , would return back to the Umted States ; the royalifl:s, who were driven out of the country by the ill treatment of the other inhabitants, certainly would not; nor would the others, who have voluntarily quitted the ountry, return, whilfi felf-interdl:, whic_h bl them originally to come into Canada, operated in favour of then· re· maining there. It was the profpect of g<:tting land on advantag~~us terms which induced them to cmjgrate; land is ftill a cheaper arucle in Canada than in the United States; and as there is much more wafle land in the former, than in the latter country, in proportion to the num- ) The plan of binding every pc1 fon that fl\G llld take up :t town01ip to in1provc it, by provtding a certain number of fettbs, has not wholly efc:tpcd the notic~: of govcrnm~:nt; for in lhc licence~ of occup<Hion, by which ca h town~ !hip i~ allotted, it is !lipulatccl, that every perfon !h.dl providu forty fetth:rs 1r 0r h'I S town nlt ' p.' b. ut :\S n given time i mcntion\!d for the procunng of thcf~ fc nlcrs, the llipulation becomes nuga-lory, ber 0 B S E R V A T I 0 N S. her of the inhabitants, it will prob.1bly continue fo for a length f tilll · to come. In the United States, at prefcnl, it is impofliblc to get l.1 1Hl without paying for it; and in parts of the countt·y where the fc il i<> rich, and where fome fettlcments arc already mad , a tra~..'t: of lane.!, fullicicnt for a moderate farm , is :{; nrcely to be procured under] undrcds of dolbr ·. In Canada, however, a man has only to make application to govcrnn cnt, and on hi taking the oath of allegiance, he immediately get<> one hundred crcs of l!Xccllcnt uncleared ]and, in the neighbourhood of other icttl0mcnts, gratis; and if able to improve it directly, he an get even a la1ger qHantity. But it is a fact worthy of notic , whi h banifhes every fufj)icion rd,ltivc to a diminution of the it habit111t taki11 r place b' emigt ation · i11to the States, that great numbers of pc plc fr m the ftates aClually emigrate into Canada annually, whilll none of the ( rtnadians, who have it ia their power to difJJofc of th eir property, emigrate into the United States, except, ind ed, a very few of thole who have rcfidccl in the towns. According to the opinion of others again, it is not for either of the purpou· ali cady men Lioned, th:l.t clear title arc withheld to the lands gr:mtcd by the crown, but for that of binding down to their good behaviou r the people of ea h province, more panicnLlrly the Americans that have emigrated from the tatcs lately, who arc regarded by many with an eye of fufpicion, notwith{bnding they have taken the oaths of allegiance to the crown. It is very unfair, however, to imagine th at thefe people would be ready to revolt a fecond time from Great Brjtain, jf they were made fiill more independent than they arc now, merely be aufe they did fo on a former occafion, when their liberties and rights as men and as fubject:s of the Briti.lh empire were fo fl1amefully difregarded; on the contrary, were clear titles granted with the land bc: fl:owed by the crown on them, and the other fubjeets of the province, infl:ea.d of giving rife to difaffeetion, there is every reafon to think it vould make them fiill more loyal, and more attached to the BritiD1 government, as no invidious difiintl:ion, could then be drawn between the con lition of the land holders in the States and thofc in Canada. The material rights and liberties of the people would then be full as extcn- H h 2 five |