Concluding remarks on Canada--Territory--Climate--Capabilities--Railways
and canals--Advantages for emigrants--Notices of emigration--Government--
The franchise--Revenue--Population--Religion--Education--The press--
Literature--Observations in conclusion.
The increasing interest which attaches to this noble colony fully
justifies me in devoting a chapter to a fuller account of its state and
capabilities than has yet been given here.
Canada extends from Gaspe, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to Lake Superior.
Its shores are washed by the lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario, and by the
river St. Lawrence as far as the 45th parallel of latitude; from thence
the river flows through the centre of the province to the sea. Canada is
bounded on the west and south by the Great Lakes and the United States; to
the east by New Brunswick and the ocean; and to the north by the Hudson's
Bay territory, though its limits in this direction are by no means
accurately defined. Canada is but a small portion of the vast tract of
country known under the name of British America, the area of which is a
ninth part of the globe, and is considerably larger than that of the
United States, being 2,630,163,200 acres.
Canada contains 17,939,000 occupied acres of land, only 7,300,000 of which
are cultivated; and about 137,000,000 acres are still unoccupied. Nearly
the whole of this vast territory was originally covered with forests, and
from the more distant districts timber still forms a most profitable
article of export; but wherever the land is cleared it is found to be
fertile in an uncommon degree. It is very deficient in coal, but in the
neighbourhood of Lake Superior mineral treasures of great value have been
discovered to abound.
Very erroneous ideas prevail in England on the subject of the Canadian
climate. By many persons it is supposed that the country is for ever
"locked in regions of thick-ribbed ice," and that skating and sleighing
are favourite summer diversions of the inhabitants. Yet, on the contrary,
Lower Canada, or that part of the country nearest to the mouth of the St.
Lawrence, has a summer nearly equalling in heat those of tropical
climates. Its winter is long and severe, frequently lasting from the
beginning of December until April; but, if the thermometer stands at 35°
below zero in January, it marks 90° in the shade in June. In the
neighbourhood of Quebec the cold is not much exceeded by that within the
polar circle, but the dryness of the air is so great that it is now
strongly recommended for those of consumptive tendencies. I have seen a
wonderful effect produced in the early stages of pulmonary disorders by a
removal from the damp, variable climate of Europe to the dry, bracing
atmosphere of Lower Canada. Spring is scarcely known; the transition from
winter to summer is very rapid; but the autumn or _fall_ is a long and
very delightful season. It is not necessary to dwell further upon the
Lower Canadian climate, as, owing to circumstances hereafter to be
explained, few emigrants in any class of life make the Lower Province more
than a temporary resting-place.
From the eastern coast to the western boundary the variations in climate
are very considerable. The peninsula of Canada West enjoys a climate as
mild as that of the state of New York. The mean temperature, taken from
ten years' observation, was 44°, and the thermometer rarely falls lower
than 11° below zero, while the heat in summer is not oppressive. The peach
and vine mature their fruit in the neighbourhood of Lake Ontario, and
tobacco is very successfully cultivated on the peninsula between Lake Erie
and Lake Huron. It seems that Upper Canada, free from the extremes of heat
and cold, is intended to receive a European population. Emigrants require
to become acclimatised, which they generally are by an attack of ague,
more or less severe; but the country is extraordinarily healthy; with the
exception of occasional visitations of cholera, epidemic diseases are
unknown, and the climate is very favourable to the duration of human life.
The capabilities of Canada are only now beginning to be appreciated. It
has been principally known for its vast exports of timber, but these
constitute a very small part of its wealth. Both by soil and climate Upper
Canada is calculated to afford a vast and annually-increasing field for
agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Wheat, barley, potatoes, turnips,
maize, hops, and tobacco, can all be grown in perfection. Canada already
exports large quantities of wheat and flour of a very superior
description; and it is stated that in no country of the world is there so
much wheat grown, in proportion to the population and the area under
cultivation, as in that part of the country west of Kingston. The grain-
growing district is almost without limit, extending as it does along the
St. Lawrence, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario, to Windsor, with a vast expanse
of country to the north and west. The hops, which are an article of recent
cultivation, are of very superior quality, and have hitherto been
perfectly free from blight.
Vast as are the capabilities of Canada for agricultural pursuits, she also
offers great facilities for the employment of capital in manufacturing
industry, though it is questionable whether it is desirable to divert
labour into these channels in a young country where it is dear and scarce.
The streams which intersect the land afford an unlimited and very
economical source of power, and have already been used to a considerable
extent. Lower Canada and the shores of the Ottawa afford enormous supplies
of white pine, and the districts about Lake Superior contain apparently
inexhaustible quantities of ore, which yields a very large percentage of
copper. We have thus in Canada about 1400 miles of territory, perhaps the
most fertile and productive ever brought under the hands of the
cultivator; and as though Providence had especially marked out this
portion of the New World as a field for the enterprise of the European
races, its natural facilities for transit and communication are nearly
unequalled. The Upper Lakes, the St. Lawrence, the Ottawa, and the
Saguenay, besides many rivers of lesser note, are so many natural highways
for the conveyance of produce of every description from the most distant
parts of the interior to the Atlantic Ocean. Without these natural
facilities Canada could never have progressed to the extraordinary extent
which she has already done.
Great as these adventitious advantages are, they have been further
increased by British energy and enterprise. By means of ship-canals,
formed to avoid the obstructions to navigation caused by the rapids of the
St. Lawrence, Niagara, and the Sault Sainte Marie, small vessels can load
at Liverpool and discharge their cargoes on the most distant shores of
Lake Superior. On the Welland canal alone, which connects Lake Erie with
Lake Ontario, the tolls taken in 1853 amounted to more than 65,000_l._ In
the same year 19,631 passengers and 1,075,218 tons of shipping passed
through it: the traffic on the other canals is in like proportion, and is
monthly on the increase. But an extensive railway system, to facilitate
direct communication with the Atlantic at all seasons of the year, is
paving the way for a further and rapid development of the resources of
Canada, and for a vast increase in her material prosperity. Already the
Great Western Company has formed a line from Windsor, opposite Detroit, U.
S., to Toronto, passing through the important towns of Hamilton, London,
and Woodstock: a branch also connects Toronto with Lake Simcoe, opening up
the very fertile tract of land in that direction. Another railway extends
from Fort Erie, opposite Buffalo, to Goderich on Lake Huron, a distance of
158 miles. A portion of the Grand Trunk Railway has recently been opened,
and trains now regularly run between Quebec and Montreal, a distance of
186 miles. When this magnificent railway is completed it will connect the
cities of Quebec, Montreal, and Toronto, where, joining the Great Western
scheme, the whole of Upper and Lower Canada will be connected with the
great lakes and the western States of the neighbouring republic. The main
line will cross the St. Lawrence at Montreal by a tubular bridge two miles
in length. The Grand Trunk Railway will have its eastern terminus at
Portland, in the State of Maine, between which city and Liverpool there
will be regular weekly communication. This railway is, however,
embarrassed by certain financial difficulties, which may retard for a time
the completion of the gigantic undertaking.
Another railway connects the important city of Ottawa with Prescott, on
the river St. Lawrence, and has its terminus opposite to the Ogdensburgh
station of the Boston railway. Besides these there are numerous branches,
completed or in course of construction, which will open up the industry of
the whole of the interior. Some of these lines, particularly the Great
Western, have a large traffic already, and promise to be very successful
speculations.
The facilities for communication, and for the transit of produce, are
among the most important of the advantages which Canada holds out to
emigrants, but there are others which must not be overlooked. The
healthiness of the climate has been already remarked upon, but it is an
important consideration, as the bracing atmosphere and freedom from
diseases allow to the hardy adventurer the free exercise of his vigour and
strength.
Communication with England is becoming increasingly regular. During the
summer months screw-steamers and sailing vessels ply between Liverpool and
Quebec, from whence there is cheap and easy water communication with the
districts bordering on the great lakes. From Quebec to Windsor, a distance
of nearly 1000 miles, passengers are conveyed for the sum of 31_s._, and
have the advantage of having their baggage under their eyes during the
whole journey. The demand for labour in all parts of Canada West is great
and increasing. The wages of farm-servants are 4_l._ per month with board:
day-labourers earn from 4_s._ to 5_s._ per diem, and in harvest 10_s._,
without board. The wages of carpenters and other skilled workmen vary
according to their abilities; but they range between 7_s._ and 12_s._
6_d._ per diem, taking these as the highest and lowest prices.
The cost of living is considerably below that in this country; for
crockery, cutlery, &c., 50 per cent. advance on home retail prices is
paid, and for clothing 50 to 75 per cent. addition on old country prices,
if the articles are not of Canadian manufacture. The cost of a comfortable
log-house with two floors, 16 feet by 24, is about 18_l._; but it must be
borne in mind that very little expenditure is needed on the part of the
settler; his house and barns are generally built by himself, with the
assistance of his neighbours; and a man with the slightest ingenuity or
powers of imitation can also fabricate at a most trifling expense the few
articles of household furniture needed at first. I have been in several
log-houses where the bedsteads, tables, and chairs were all the work of
the settlers themselves, at a cost probably of a few shillings; and though
the workmanship was rough, yet the articles answer perfectly well for all
practical purposes. Persons of sober, industrious habits, going out as
workmen to Canada, speedily acquire comfort and independence. I have seen
settlers who went out within the last eight years as day-labourers, now
the owners of substantial homesteads, with the requisite quantity of
farming-stock.
Canada West is also a most desirable locality for persons of intelligence
who are possessed of a small capital. Along the great lakes and in the
interior there are large tracts of land yet unoccupied. The price of wild
land varies from 10_s._ to 10_l._ per acre, according to the locality.
Cleared farms, with good buildings, in the best townships, are worth from
10_l._ to 15_l._ an acre: these prices refer to the lands belonging to the
Canada Land Company; the crown lands sell at prices varying from 4_s._ to
7_s._ 6_d._ per acre, but the localities of these lands are not so
desirable in most instances. The price of clearing wild lands is about
4_l._ 5_s._ per acre, but in many locations, particularly near the
railways, the sale of the timber covers the expenses of clearing. As has
been previously observed, the soil and climate of Upper Canada are
favourable to a great variety of crops. Wheat, however, is probably the
most certain and profitable, and, with respect to cereals and other crops,
the produce of the land per acre is not less than in England. In addition
to tobacco, flax and hemp are occupying the attention of the settlers; and
as an annually increasing amount of capital is employed in factories,
these last are likely to prove very profitable.
In addition to the capabilities of the soil, Lake Huron and the Georgian
Bay present extensive resources in the way of fish, and their borders are
peculiarly desirable locations for the emigrant population of the west of
Ireland and the west Highlands of Scotland.
With such very great advantages, it is not surprising that the tide of
emigration should set increasingly towards this part of the British
dominions. The following is a statement of the number of persons who
landed at Quebec during the last five years. The emigration returns for
1855 will probably show a very considerable increase:--
1850 32,292
1851 41,076
1852 39,176
1853 36,699
1854 53,183
It may be believed that the greater number of these persons are now
enjoying a plenty, many an affluence, which their utmost exertions could
not have obtained for them at home. Wherever a farmstead, surrounded by
its well-cleared acres, is seen, it is more than probable that the
occupant is also the owner. The value of land increases so rapidly, that
persons who originally bought their land in its wild state for 4_s._ per
acre, have made handsome fortunes by disposing of it. In Canada, the
farmer holds a steady and certain position; if he saves money, a hundred
opportunities will occur for him to make a profitable investment; but if,
as is more frequently the case, he is not rich as far as money is
concerned, he has all the comforts and luxuries which it could procure.
His land is ever increasing in value; and in the very worst seasons, or
under accidental circumstances of an unfavourable nature, he can never
know real poverty, which is a deficiency in the necessaries of life.
But in Canada, as in the Old World, people who wish to attain competence
or wealth must toil hard for it. In Canada, with all its capabilities and
advantages, there is no royal road to riches--no Midas touch to turn
everything into gold. The primal curse still holds good, "though softened
into mercy;" and those who emigrate, expecting to work less hard for 5_s._
a day than at home for 1_s._ 6_d._, will be miserably disappointed, for,
where high wages are given, hard work is required; those must also be
disappointed who expect to live in style from off the produce of a small
Canadian farm, and those whose imaginary dignity revolts from plough, and
spade, and hoe, and those who invest borrowed capital in farming
operations. The fields of the slothful in Canada bring forth thorns and
thistles, as his fields brought them forth in England. Idleness is
absolute ruin, and drunkenness carries with it worse evils than at home,
for the practice of it entails a social ostracism, as well as total ruin,
upon the emigrant and his family. The same conditions of success are
required as in England--honesty, sobriety, and industry; with these,
assisted by all the advantages which Canada possesses, there is no man who
need despair of acquiring independence and affluence, although there is
always enough of difficulty to moderate the extravagance of exaggerated
expectations.
The Government of Canada demands a few remarks. Within the last few years
the position of this colony, with respect to England, has been greatly
changed, by measures which have received the sanction of the Imperial
Parliament. In 1847 the Imperial Government abandoned all control over the
Canadian tariff, and the colonial legislature now exercises supreme power
over customs duties, and all matters of general and local taxation. This
was a very important step, and gave a vast impulse to the prosperity of
Canada. The colony now has all the advantages--free from a few of the
inconveniences--of being an independent country. England retains the right
of nominating the Governor-General, and the Queen has the power, rarely if
ever exercised, of putting a veto upon certain of the acts of the colonial
legislature. England conducts all matters of war and diplomacy, and
provides a regular military establishment for the defence of Canada; and
though she is neither required to espouse our quarrels, or bear any
portion of our burdens, we should be compelled to espouse _hers_ in any
question relating to her honour or integrity, at a lavish expenditure of
blood and treasure. It appears that the present relations in which Canada
stands to England are greatly to her advantage, and there is happily no
desire on her part to sever them.
The Governor-General is appointed by the Crown, generally for a term of
five years, but is paid by the province; he acts as viceroy, and his
assent to the measures of the Legislature is required, in order to render
them valid. His executive council, composed of the ministers of the day,
is analogous to our English Cabinet. The governor, like our own Sovereign,
must bow to the will of a majority in the Legislature, and dismiss his
ministers when they lose the confidence of that body. The "second estate"
is the Legislative Council. The governor, with the advice of his ministry,
appoints the members of this body. They are chosen for life, and their
number is unrestricted. At present there are about forty members.
The functions of this council are very similar to those of our House of
Peers, and consist, to a great extent, in registering the decrees of the
Lower House. The "third estate" is denominated the House of Assembly, and
consists of 130 members, 65 for each province. [Footnote: The members of
the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly receive six dollars
(24_s._ sterling) a day for their attendance. The members of the Executive
Council are paid at the rate of 1260_l._ per annum.] The qualification for
the franchise has been placed tolerably high, and no doubt wisely, as, in
the absence of a better guarantee for the right use of it, a property
qualification, however trifling in amount, has a tendency to elevate the
tone of electioneering, and to enhance the value which is attached to a
vote. The qualification for electors is a 50_l._ freehold, or an annual
rent of 7_l._ 10_s._ Contrary to the practice in the States, where large
numbers of the more respectable portion of the community abstain from
voting, in Canada the votes are nearly all recorded at every election, and
the fact that the franchise is within the reach of every sober man gives
an added stimulus to industry.
The attempt to establish British constitutional government on the soil of
the New World is an interesting experiment, and has yet to be tested.
There are various disturbing elements in Canada, of which we have little
experience in England; the principal one being the difficulty of
legislating between what, in spite of the union, are two distinct,
nations, of different races and religions. The impossibility of
reconciling the rival, and frequently adverse claims, of the Upper and
Lower Provinces, has become a very embarrassing question. The strong
social restraints, and the generally high tone of public feeling in
England, which exercise a powerful control over the minister of the day,
do not at present exist in Canada; neither has the public mind that nice
perception of moral truth which might be desired. The population of Upper
Canada, more especially, has been gathered from many parts of the earth,
and is composed of men, generally speaking, without education, whose sole
aim is the acquisition of wealth, and who are not cemented by any common
ties of nationality. Under these circumstances, and bearing in mind the
immense political machinery which the Papacy can set to work in Canada,
the transfer of British institutions to the colony must at present remain
a matter of problematical success. It is admitted that the failure of
representative institutions arises from the unworthiness of
constituencies; and if the efforts which are made by means of education to
elevate the character of the next generation of electors should prove
fruitless, it is probable that, with the independence of the colony,
American institutions, with their objectionable features, would follow. At
present the great difficulties to be surmounted lie in the undue power
possessed by the French Roman Catholic population, and the Romanist
influences brought to bear successfully on the Government.
There is in Canada no direct taxation for national purposes, except a mere
trifle for the support of the provincial lunatic asylums, and for some
other public buildings. The provincial revenue is derived from customs
duties, public works, crown lands, excise, and bank impost. The customs
duties last year came to 1,100,000_l._, the revenue from public works to
123,000_l._, from lands about the same sum, from excise about 40,000_l._,
and from the tax on the current notes of the banks 30,000_l._ Every
county, township, town, or incorporated village, elects its own council;
and all local objects are provided for by direct taxation through these
bodies. In these municipalities the levying of the local taxes is vested,
and they administer the monies collected for roads, bridges, schools, and
improvements, and the local administration of public justice.
According to the census taken in 1851, the population of Upper Canada was
952,000 souls, being an increase since 1842 of 465,945. That of Lower
Canada amounted to 890,000, making a total of 1,842,000; but if to this we
add the number of persons who have immigrated within the last four years,
we have a population of 2,012,134.
Of the population of Lower Canada, 669,000 are of French origin. These
people speak the French language, and profess the Romish faith. The land
is divided into _seigneuries_; there are feudal customs and antiquated
privileges, and the laws are based upon the model of those of old France.
The progress of Lower Canada is very tardy. The French have never made
good colonists, and the Romish religion acts as a drag upon social and
national progress. The _habitans_ of the Lower Province, though moral and
amiable, are not ambitious, and hold their ancient customs with a tenacity
which opposes itself to their advancement. The various changes in the
tariff made by the Imperial Government affected Lower Canada very
seriously. On comparing the rate of increase in the population of the two
provinces in the same period of twelve years, we find that for Upper
Canada it was 130 per cent., for Lower Canada only 34 per cent. The
disparity between the population and the wealth of the two provinces is
annually on the increase.
The progress of Upper Canada is something perfectly astonishing, and bids
fair to rival, if not exceed, that of her gigantic neighbour. Her
communication between the Lake district and the Atlantic is practically
more economical, taking the whole of the year, and, as British emigration
has tended chiefly to the Upper Province, the population is of a more
homogeneous character than that of the States. The climate also is more
favourable than that of Lower Canada. These circumstances, combined with
the inherent energy of the Anglo-Saxon races which have principally
colonised it, account in great measure for the vast increase in the
material prosperity of the Upper Province as compared with the Lower.
In 1830 the population of Upper Canada was 210,437 souls; in 1842,
486,055; and in 1851 it had reached 952,004. Its population is now
supposed to exceed that of Lower Canada by 300,000 souls. It increased in
nine years about 100 per cent. In addition to the large number of
emigrants who have arrived by way of Quebec, it has received a
considerable accession of population from the United States; 7000 persons
crossed the frontier in 1854. The increase of its wealth is far more than
commensurate with that of its population. The first returns of the
assessable property of Upper Canada were taken in 1825, and its amount was
estimated at 1,854,965_l._ In 1845 it was estimated at 6,393,630_l_; but
in seven years after this, in 1852, it presents the astonishing amount of
37,695,931_l._! The wheat crop of Upper Canada in 1841 was 3,221,991
bushels, and in 1851 it was 12,692,852; but the present year, 1855, will
show a startling and almost incredible increase. In addition to the wealth
gained in the cultivation of the soil, the settlers are seizing upon the
vast water-power which the country affords, and are turning it to the most
profitable purposes. Saw-mills, grist-mills, and woollen-mills start up in
every direction, in addition to tool and machinery factories, iron-
foundries, asheries, and tanneries.
Towns are everywhere springing up as if by magic along the new lines of
railway and canal, and the very villages of Upper Canada are connected by
the electric telegraph. The value of land is everywhere increasing as new
lines of communication are formed. The town of London, in Upper Canada,
presents a very remarkable instance of rapid growth. It is surrounded by a
very rich agricultural district, and the Great Western Railway passes
through it. Seven years ago this place was a miserable-looking village of
between two and three thousand inhabitants; now it is a flourishing town,
alive with business, and has a population of 13,000 souls. The increase in
the value of property in its vicinity will appear almost incredible to
English readers, but it is stated on the best authority: a building-site
sold in September, 1855, for 150_l._ per foot, which ten years ago could
have been bought for that price per acre, and ten years earlier for as
many pence.
In Upper Canada there appears to be at the present time very little of
that state of society which is marked by hard struggles and lawless
excesses. In every part of my travels west of Toronto I found a high
degree of social comfort, security to life and property, the means for
education and religious worship, and all the accessories of a high state
of civilization, which are advantages brought into every locality almost
simultaneously with the clearing of the land. Yet it is very apparent,
even to the casual visitor, that the progress of Canada West has only just
begun. No limits can be assigned to its future prosperity, and, as its
capabilities become more known, increasing numbers of stout hearts and
strong arms will be attracted towards it.
The immense resources of the soil under cultivation have not yet been
developed; the settlers are prodigal of land, and a great portion of the
occupied territory, destined to bear the most luxuriant crops, is still in
bush. The magnificent districts adjoining Lake Huron, the Georgian Bay,
and Lake Simcoe, are only just being brought into notice; and of the
fertile valley of the Ottawa, which it is estimated would support a
population of nine millions, very little is known. Every circumstance that
can be brought forward combines to show that Upper Canada is destined to
become a great, a wealthy, and a prosperous country.
The census gives some interesting tables relating to the origins of the
inhabitants of Canada. I wish that I had space to present my readers with
the whole, instead of with this brief extract:--
_Canadians_, French origin 695,000
_Canadians_, English origin 651,000
England and Wales 93,000
Scotland 90,000
Ireland 227,000
United States 56,000
Germany 10,000
Besides these there are 8000 coloured persons and 14,000 Indians in
Canada, and emigrants from every civilised country in the world.
As far as regards the Church of England, Canada is divided into three
dioceses--Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec--with a prospect of the creation
of a fourth, that of Kingston. The clergy, whose duties are very arduous
and ill-requited, have been paid by the Society for Propagating the
Gospel, and out of the proceeds of the clergy reserves. The Society has,
in great measure, withdrawn its support, and recent legislative enactments
have a tendency to place the Church of England in Canada, to some extent,
on the voluntary system. The inhabitants of Canada are fully able to
support any form of worship to which they may choose to attach themselves.
Trinity College, at Toronto, is in close connexion with the Church of
England.
The Roman Catholics have enormous endowments, including a great part of
the island of Montreal, and several valuable seigneuries. Very large sums
are also received by them from those who enter the convents, and for
baptisms, burials, and masses for the dead. The enslaving, enervating, and
retarding effects of Roman Catholicism are nowhere better seen than in
Lower Canada, where the priests exercise despotic authority. They have
numerous and wealthy conventual establishments, both at Quebec and
Montreal, and several Jesuit and other seminaries. The Irish emigrants
constitute the great body of Romanists in Upper Canada; in the Lower
Province there are more than 746,000 adherents to this faith.
The Presbyterians are a very respectable, influential, and important body
in Canada, bound firmly together by their uniformity of worship and
doctrine. Though an Episcopalian form of church government and a form of
worship are as obnoxious to them as at home, their opposition seldom
amounts to hostility. Generally speaking, they are very friendly in their
intercourse with the zealous and hard-working clergy of the Church of
England; and, indeed, the comparative absence of sectarian feeling, and
the way in which the ministers of all denominations act in harmonious
combination for the general good, is one of the most pleasing features
connected with religion in Canada.
In Upper Canada there are 1559 churches, for 952,000 adherents, being one
place of worship for every 612 inhabitants. Of these houses of worship,
226 belong to the Church of England, 135 to the Roman Catholics, 148 to
the Presbyterians, and 471 to the Methodists. In Lower Canada there are
610 churches, for 890,261 adherents, 746,000 of whom are Roman Catholics.
There is therefore in the Lower Province one place of worship for every
1459 inhabitants. These religious statistics furnish additional proof of
the progress of Upper Canada. The numbers adhering to the five most
important denominations are as follows, in round numbers:--
Roman Catholics 914,000
Episcopalians 268,000
Presbyterians 237,000
Methodists 183,000
Baptists 49,000
Beside these there are more than 20 sects, some of them holding the most
extravagant and fanatical tenets. In the Lower Province there are 45,000
persons belonging to the Church of England, 33,000 are Presbyterians, and
746,000 are Roman Catholics. With this vast number of Romanists in Canada,
it is not surprising that under the present system of representation,
which gives an equal number of representatives to each province,
irrespective of population, the Roman Catholics should exercise a very
powerful influence on the colonial Parliament. This influence is greatly
to be deplored, not less socially and politically than religiously. Popery
paralyses those countries under its dominion; and the stationary condition
of Lower Canada is mainly to be attributed to the successful efforts of
the priests to keep up that system of ignorance and terrorism, without
which their power could not continue to exist.
More importance is attached generally to education in Upper Canada than
might have been supposed from the extreme deficiencies of the first
settlers. A national system of education, on a most liberal scale, has
been organised by the Legislature, which presents in unfavourable contrast
the feeble and isolated efforts made for this object by private
benevolence in England. Acting on the principle that the first duty of
government is to provide for the education of its subjects, a uniform and
universal educational system has been put into force in Canada.
This system of public instruction is founded on the co-operation of the
Executive Government with the local municipalities. The members of these
corporations are elected by the freeholders and householders. The system,
therefore, is strictly popular and national, as the people voluntarily tax
themselves for its support, and, through their elected trustees, manage
the schools themselves. It is probable that the working of this plan may
exercise a beneficial influence on the minds of the people, in training
them to thought for their offspring, as regards their best interests. No
compulsion whatever is exercised by the Legislature over the proceedings
of the local municipalities; it merely offers a pecuniary grant, on the
condition of local exertion. The children of every class of the population
have equal access to these schools, and there is no compulsion upon the
religious faith of any. Religious minorities in school municipalities have
the alternative of separate schools, and attach considerable importance to
this provision. Although what we should term religious instruction is not
a part of the common school system, it is gratifying to know that both the
Bible and Testament are read in a very large majority of these schools,
and that the number where they are used is annually on the increase. They
are in Upper Canada 3127 common schools, about 1800 of which are free, or
partially free. The total amount available for school purposes in 1853
amounted to 199,674_l._, and magnificent sum, considering the youth and
comparatively thin population of the country. The total number of pupils
in the same year was 194,136. But though this number appears large, the
painful fact must also be stated, that there were 79,000 children
destitute of the blessings of education of any kind. The whole number of
teachers at the same period was 3539, of whom 885 were Methodists, 850
were Presbyterians, 629 were Episcopalians, 351 were Roman Catholics, and
194 belonged to the Baptist persuasion. The inspection of schools, which
is severe and systematic, is conducted by local superintendents appointed
by the different municipalities. There is a Board of Public Instruction in
each county for the examination and licensing of teachers; the standard of
their qualifications is fixed by provincial authority. At the head of the
whole are a Council of Public Instruction and a Chief Commissioner of
Schools, both appointed by the Crown. There are several colleges, very
much on the system of the Scotch Universities, including Trinity College
at Toronto, in connection with the Church of England, and Knox's College,
a Presbyterian theological seminary. There are also medical colleges, both
in Upper and Lower Canada, and a chair of agriculture has been established
in University College, Toronto. From these statements it will be seen
that, from the ample provision made, a good education can be obtained at a
very small cost. There are in Lower Canada upwards of 1100 schools.
Every town, and I believe I may with truth write every village, has its
daily and weekly papers, advocating all shades of political opinion. The
press in Canada is the medium through which the people receive, first by
telegraphic despatch, and later in full, every item of English
intelligence brought by the bi-weekly mails. Taking the newspapers as a
whole, they are far more gentlemanly in their tone than those of the
neighbouring republic, and perhaps are not more abusive and personal than
_some_ of our English provincial papers. There is, however, very great
room for improvement, and no doubt, as the national palate becomes
improved by education, the morsels presented to it will be more choice.
Quebec, Montreal, and Toronto have each of them several daily papers, but,
as far as I am aware, no paper openly professes republican or
annexationist views, and some of the journals advocate in the strongest
manner an attachment to British institutions. The prices of these papers
vary from a penny to threepence each, and a workman would as soon think of
depriving himself of his breakfast as of his morning journal. It is stated
that thousands of the subscribers to the newspapers are so illiterate as
to depend upon their children for a knowledge of their contents. At
present few people, comparatively speaking, are more than half educated.
The knowledge of this fact lowers the tone of the press, and circumscribes
both authors and speakers, as any allusions to history or general
literature would be very imperfectly, if at all, understood.
The merchants and lawyers of Canada have, if of British extraction,
generally received a sound and useful education, which, together with the
admirable way in which they keep pace with the politics and literature of
Europe, enables them to pass very creditably in any society. There are
very good book-stores in Canada, particularly at Toronto, where the best
English works are to be purchased for little more than half the price
which is paid for them at home, and these are largely read by the educated
Canadians, who frequently possess excellent libraries. Cheap American
novels, often of a very objectionable tendency, are largely circulated
among the lower classes; but to provide them with literature of a better
character, large libraries have been formed by local efforts, assisted by
government grants. Canada as yet possesses no literature of her own, and
the literary man is surrounded by difficulties. Independently of the heavy
task of addressing himself to uneducated minds, unable to appreciate depth
of thought and beauty of language, it is not likely that, where the
absorbing passion is the acquisition of wealth, much encouragement would
be given to the struggles of native talent.
Canada, young as she is, has made great progress in the mechanical arts,
and some of her machinery and productions make a very creditable show at
the Paris Exhibition; but it must be borne in mind that this is due to the
government, rather than to the enterprise of private exhibitors.
Taken altogether, there is perhaps no country in the world so prosperous
or so favoured as Canada, after giving full weight to the disadvantages
which she possesses, in a large Roman Catholic population, an unsettled
state of society, and a mixed and imperfectly educated people. It is the
freest land under the sun, acknowledging neither a despotic sovereign nor
a tyrant populace; life and property are alike secure--liberty has not yet
degenerated into lawlessness--the constitution combines the advantages of
the monarchical and republican forms of government--the Legislative
Assembly, to a great extent, represents the people--religious toleration
is enjoyed in the fullest degree--taxation and debt, which cripple the
energies and excite the disaffection of older communities, are unfelt--the
slave flying from bondage in the south knows no sense of liberty or
security till he finds both on the banks of the St. Lawrence, under the
shadow of the British flag. Free from the curse of slavery, Canada has
started untrammelled in the race of nations, and her progress already bids
fair to outstrip in rapidity that of her older and gigantic neighbour.
Labour is what she requires, and as if to meet that requirement,
circumstances have directed the attention of emigrants towards her--the
young, the enterprising, and the vigorous, are daily leaving the wasted
shores of Scotland and Ireland for her fertile soil, where the laws of
England shall still protect them, and her flag shall still wave over them.
Large numbers of persons are now leaving the north-east of Scotland for
Canada, and these are among the most valuable of the emigrants who seek
her shores. They carry with them the high moral sense, the integrity, and
the loyalty which characterise them at home; and in many cases more than
this--the religious principle, and the "godliness which has promise of the
life which now is, and of that which is to come."
Taken as a _whole_, the inhabitants of both provinces are attached to
England and England's rule; they receive the news of our reverses with
sorrow, and our victories create a burst of enthusiasm from the shores of
the St. Lawrence to those of Lake Superior. As might be expected, the
Anglo-French alliance is extremely popular: to show the sympathy of
Canada, the Legislature made the munificent grant of 20,000_l._ to be
divided between the Patriotic Funds of both nations, and every township
and village has contributed to swell a further sum of 30,000_l._ to be
applied to the same object. The imperial garrisons in Canada have recently
been considerably diminished, and with perfect safety; the efforts of
agitators to produce disaffection have signally failed; and it is stated
by those best acquainted with the temper of the people, that Canada will
not become a separate country, except by England's voluntary act.
At present every obstacle to her further development seems to be removed--
her constitution has been remodelled within the last few years on an
enlarged and liberal basis--her religious endowments have just been placed
on a permanent footing--all the points likely to cause a rupture with the
United States have been amicably settled--and important commercial
advantages have been obtained: the sun of prosperity shines upon her from
the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the distant shores of the Ottawa and the
Western Lakes. She requires only for the future the blessing of God, so
freely accorded to the nations which honour Him, to make her great and
powerful. The future of nations, as of individuals, is mercifully veiled
in mystery; we can trace the rise and progress of empires, but we know not
the time when they shall droop and decay--when the wealthy and populous
cities of the Present shall be numbered with the Nineveh and Babylon of
the Past. It may be that in future years our mighty nation shall go the
way of all that have been before it; but whether the wise decrees of
Providence doom it to flourish or decline, we can still look with
confident hope to this noble colony in the New World, believing that on
her enlightened and happy shores, under the influence of beneficent
institutions and of a scriptural faith, the Anglo-Saxon race may renew the
vigour of its youth, and realise in time to come the brightest hopes which
have ever been formed of England in the New World.