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Show TRAVELS THRO·UGH LOWER CANADA: yard was filled with as fine cattle as could be fecn in any country; and the dairy afforded C/ccllent butter, and abundance of good cheefc. Befides tl1e dwclling-houfe before mentioned, there were fev T.11 log hN1fcs on differen t parts of this [anTI, inhabited by the people who were engaged in clearin<Y the bnd. All thefc appeared delighted with the fituation; nor wcr~ fu ·h of them as had come a {hort time before from Engla11d at all difpkafcd with the climate; they informed me, that they had njoyed perfdl hcn lth from the moment of their landing, aml found no inc nv ·niencc from the intcnfc cold of the winter fcafon, v.:hich appears fuch an infu pen bk objc.{l:ion to many againfl: fcttli 1g in " a-nada. ' his fcttl mcnt, together with the town01ip it is fituatcd u pon , arc the prop rty of a ckrp·yman forrncrly rdident at ~ebcc. The town. fhip is ten miles fqmre, commencing where the m.oil r mote of the old fcigniories end, that is, within eighteen mil s of the city of ~ebec; but though within this 010rt difl:ance of a large city, it was almofl: totally unknown until about five or fix years ago, when the prefent proprietor, with a party of Indians and a few friends, fct out himfelf to examine the quality of the lands. They proved to be rich; the timber was luxuriant; the face of the country agn:cably clivedificd with hill and dale, intcrfp rfed with beautiful lakes, and intcrfcCl:ed by rivers and mill {heams in every direCtion. Sitmted alfo within fix miles of old fettlcmcnts, through which there were efl:abli01ed roa ls, being convenient to a market at the capital of Canada, and within the reach of fociety at leaf!: a agreeable, if not more fo, than i to be fou n l in all America, nothing fe me i vvan ting to rend r it an eligible fpot for a new fcttkm nt; accordingly the proprietor made application to government; the land was furveyed, the townibip marked out, and it W<tS a1lottcd to him merely, however, by a certificate of occupation. SeverJ.l other gentlemen, charm d with the excellent quality and beautiful difpofition of the lands in this part of the country, have taken up adjoining town{hips, but at none of them have any fettlement been made, nor is it probable that any will be, until the proprietaries get better titles; indeed, it has excited the furprife of a numerous fct of pcopk lJ1 R E F L E C T I 0 N S. in the province, to fcc even the little fcttlcmcnt I have fpokcn of cflab1i0lcd on land held under fuch a tenure. That unexceptionable titles may be fpccdily m:.tde out to thefc lands is finccrely to be hoped; for m:~y we not, whenever th:.tt mcafure (}n\J take place, cxpdl: to fcc thcCc beautiful provinces, that have fo long remained almofl: unknown , riling into general notice? May we not then expect to l)(:hold them incn:afing rapidly in population, and making hafl:y {hides toward the attainment of that dc~rrce of profj)crity and confequcncc, which their foil, climate, and many other natural advantages have fo eminently qualified th em for enjoying? And furely the empire at large would be greatly ben ·fitcd by fuch a ch:.lllgc in the l1ate of Canada; for as the country incrcafcd in population, it would inct·eafe in riches, and there would then be a proportionably greater demand for Engli{h manufaCl.ures; a flill greater trade would alCo be curied on then between Canada ami the Well: Imlies than at prcfcnt, to the great advantage of both countries*; a circum!lancc that would give employment to a grca tcr number of Britifh {hips: as Canada alfo incrcafeJ in wealth, it wonld be enabled to defray the expcnct:s of its own government, which at prcfcnt falls fo heavily upon the people of Gn.:J.t l ritain : neither i thct·c rcafon to imagine that 'anada, if allowed to attain fuch a Hate of profj)crity, \Vould be ready to difunitc herfclf from Great Britain, fuppoilno· that Grc:1 t Britain ihould rem:1in as pow rful as at prcil:nt, and tint Canad.l ontinucd to be governed with mildncf· and wifdom; for Ole need but turn towards the United States to b onvinccd that the grt:at mafs of her people were in the poJ1diion of as much happi ncfs and liberty as th o(:..: of the neighbouring ·ou11 try, and that whatever D1e might lok by cxpofing hcrkl to the horrors of a J:wguinary war, fhc could gaill no cncnti,d or immediate at!v,tntages whatiocver, by anl:rting her own independence. All thofc articles of Americ.m prod uce in of the llritill1 \Vcfl. Jml ian ifl.cs wou!J draw th eir demand in the vVcfl. Tnd ic may be had on nlll<:h fupplics frol•l Canad;t r.:ahcr th.L•l f o•n any other better L<'JJns in Canada than in the nitcd States ; p.~rt ot· 1 mcr.ca. The £: · v cargoes :tt prcfcnt and if the CnJndiJn merchants had runicl cnt rent frOJH Q.~.!dl~C !ways comm l) I a prcfn.;nce capit.!s to en:~.ble them to trade thith~ r !:J.rgcly, in the Well Indian m:~.rkct1 over th'J(l! r~nt from lhcJc can hardly be a doubt but th:n the people :1ny part of the lJnitecl Stat., . |
