EMIGRATION TO CANADA
We have before us the Quebec Official Gazette of
the 12th March, which contains the examination of
A.C. Buchanan, Esq. his Majesty's Resident Agent
for superintending settlers and emigrants in the
Canadas, before the Committee of the Assembly of
Lower Canada. As the article contains information
that may be interesting to many readers of the
News-Letter, we subjoin the following extract
from it:-
QUESTION - Do you know whether settlers are disposed
to remain in this Province where some encouragement
was made by the Legislature? and what encouragement ?
ANSWER-The majority of settlers that arrive at
Quebec from the United Kingdom have no predetermined
place to which they intended to direct their steps
previous to their arrival. A great portion of those
from Ireland are from the Province of Ulster, and
their feelings strongly attach them to prefer a
British Colony, where they could still enjoy the
blessings of our Constitution.
The idea of Upper and Lower Canada is measured
by the name, many thinking that the term Lower
implies a swampy, low unhealthy situation, and
vice versa; that Upper Canada is a high,
mountainous, and elevated situation; however, the
fact is just the contrary - so much for the poor
credulous Irishman's notion of Upper and Lower
Canada. The Irish and Scotch emigrants are best
adapted for this Province, and my wish is to see
the emigrants generally from every part of the
United Kingdom amalgamated as much as possible
with the native Canadians. I am not aware that
they possess the least dispostion to the
contrary. The numerous instances of success
attending emigrants who have gone to the
States being generally talked of in the United
Kingdom, has naturally a tendency to bias
their feelings towards that country, and the
same reasons are now being felt towards
Upper Canada from the conclusive facts of rapid
success that even pauper emigrants have
experienced there, a more striking proof of
which is not to be found than the success that
has attended about 3,000 poor Irish that were
removed to the township of Cavan in 1816 and
1817, by his Majesty's Consul at New-York, and
who received no aid whatever beyond their
grant of land.
Emigration to Lower Canada has never yet had
a fair chance, or that support or protection that
naturally leads to favourable results. The French
language is certainly a drawback to the stranger
on first arrival in this Province. Hitherto few
of the new and desirable part of the emigrants
find their way into the interior of the Province,
and those that do are generally men that have
loitered a year or two about Quebec as servants
or labourers, and persons connected with rafting
timber or shantys, and who are by no means a
healthy class to form new settlements.
In point of fact the strange settlers on
arrival at Quebec, were perfectly adrift
without a pilot to guide their steps, or render
any authorized disinterested advice, and in many
cases they never had the opportunity afforded
them of putting their feet on shore. - The ship
runs to the ballast ground (distant on the south
side of the river about two miles from the
Cul-de-Sac,) and the anchor is hardly let go
when a number of steam-boat agents and sailor
crimps, flock on board; their object it is
unneccessary to illustrate (1) : Lower Canada
is represented a mere desert, sure starvation,
&c. the credulous stranger believes every word,
and while the dialogue is going on, the hatches
are opened, baggage hoisted out, and in a few
hours the poor emigrant finds himself crammed
on the deck of a steam-boat on his rout [route?]
to Montreal, expecting that on arrival there,
all will be well. When arrived a similar scene
takes place with boatmen from Ogdensburgh,
waggoners, from St. John, &c. &c. and without
time to reflect, and bewildered with the novelty
around, the poor fellow is hurried on step by
step as long as his money lasts, when not
unfrequently sickness ends his troubles, and
if not after reaching perhaps Ogdensburgh or
Kingston, in a miserable batteau or Durham
boat, and finding his resources nearly exhausted
in trying to find verified the disinterested
advice received on the route, he stuggles into
the States truly disgusted and disappointed at
his Canadian reception. This is a true picture,
it has occurred every year, and so long as it is
permitted to exist, and aided by the indifference
and I might say the impossibility for the
strangers finding even the way to obtain a
location in Lower Canada without first expending
more time and money than double the value, may
we chiefly attribute to a greater degree the
trifling settlement of emigrants from the
United Kingdom hitherto in this province, and
not from any objection or predetermination
to the contrary on their part (2). The
voluntary emigration to Quebec is by no means
that of paupers, the original destination
of a portion of them are generally for the
back part of Pennsylvania, Ohio, &c. being the
cheapest route, the greater number are
industrious, loyal farming families, possessed
of means which would, if properly directed,
establish them in the country; but from the
causes already alluded to, their hard earned
gatherings are flitted away without their being
permitted to render any lasting advantage to the
Province, or they themselves becoming good
subjects. Thus by a want of arrangement, and I
fear occasionally over zealous prejudices, are
thousands of valuable settlers forced over the
lines to enrich and augment rapidly the
encreasing [increasing?] power of our ambitious
neighbours.-It is worthy of note that 29,000
settlers arrived at Quebec in the years 1827
and 1828, and I do not believe out of the whole
number, 100 families have taken up lands in
the Province; this I should consider is of
itself a sufficient proof that something is
wrong, and that some measure is wanted.
(1) This last season I have known of steam
boats meeting the ship off Orleans, and in
fact entering the passengers before their arrival
at Quebec; a collusion with the Captain easily
gets the maintopsail laid aback to deaden the
ship's progress, until the emigrants and their
baggage are secured; hence arises in adition
[addition?] to other strong reasons, the absolute
necessity of some legislative protection against
such abuses as I had the honour to submit on a
former occasion, when giving evidence in relation
to the proposed emigrant Hospital.
(2) The repeated delays and disappointments which
emigrants have experienced, soon became the
subject of remark among themselves, and no doubt
is often communicated to their friends in the
United Kingdom, to the prejudice of settlement
in the country.
