language the same policy has converted the Cape colony, from a mere Dutch settlement, into a country, in its laws and customs, essentially British. Every one who ever wrote a book set out with declaring his reasons for so doing. So does our author, the Backwoodsman: he says, in his introduction, "When a man writes a book, the public, if they take any interest in his lucubrations, wish to be informed on two points; first, what were his motives for writing at all; and second, whether he is qualified to write on the subject he has chosen; and as these desires are natural and reasonable, I shall willingly gratify them at the outset.

"Some authors write, for fame, some for money, some to propagate some particular doctrines and opinions, some from spite, some at the instigation of their friends; and not a few at the instigation of the devil. I have no one of these excuses to plead in apology for introducing myself on the public; for my motive, which has, at least, the merit of novelty to recommend it, is sheer laziness: To explain this it is necessary to state, that for some years past I have been receiving letters from intending emigrants, containing innumerable queries respecting Upper Canada; also from the friends of such children of the forest in posse, who seasoned the unpalatable task of writing on other people's business with the assurance so consolatory to my vanity, that I was, of all men in the province, the one they considered best qualified to give such information, &c. These letters, always couched in the most polite terms, commencing with the writer's most sincere sorrow for taking up so much of my valuable time,' and ending with the "most perfect reliance on my knowledge and candour,' required to be answered; and so long as they came like angel visits few and far between,' it was no great grievance to do so. But after having written some reams in answer to them, and when every other packet brought one -and no later than last week I had two to answer-things began to look serious, and so did I, for I found that, if they went on at this rate, I should have no 'valuable time' to devote to my own proper affairs. And therefore it being now mid-winter, and seeing no prospect of my being able to follow

my out-of-door avocations for some weeks, I set myself down in something like a pet, to throw together and put in form the more prominent parts of the information I had been collecting, to the end that I might be enabled in future to answer my voluminous correspondents after the manner of the late Mr. Abernethy, by referring them to certain pages of My Book."

But our Author imagines, that some body doubts his efficiency to write on such a subject. Hear his own words :"As for my qualifications to give information relative to this province, I can only state, that it is now nearly twenty years since I first came to the country, having served here during the war in the years 1813-14, and 15; and that since the year 1826, my principal employment has been to traverse the country in every direction, and visit nearly every township in it, for the express purpose of obtaining statistical information. If therefore the reader will only be pleased to allow, that my judgment is equal to that of the ordinary average of mankind, it must be pretty evident that I have sufficient knowledge for the undertaking; and I, on my part, can assure him or her (for I am in hopes I shall have both sexes for my readers) that I will, according to the formula of the oath, speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.""

We are much inclined to believe that we have before us in this little volume, as much truth as is generally given on such occasions, and certainly even allowing for the favour shown that noble country by our author, it must be a world of superior capabilities to our old worn-out hemisphere. Now there is a species of cant much used at teatables by those who see on every lump of sugar gouts of negro blood, and which has in itself nearly as much sense and shew of knowledge as is displayed on the like occasions. We mean the whim about depopulating the country; sending out Protestants to a country where there is no provision for their souls, and such unmeaning, parrot-like talk. We agree with our revered friend Martin Doyle, and request that you will hear him.

"I do not want to strip the country of its population-the landlords of their tenantry-or the snug farmer of his comfortable subsistence, by urging

any wild or doubtful speculation. I am for letting well enough alone,' or if it is to be bettered, let it be at home; but I am very desirous to rescue from over whelming distress, those who struggle without succeeding, paupers in every thing but in health and strength, in able bodies and willing minds. A field is now open to such adventurers, and I would from my heart, exhort them to try it." Now if we were going to write a book on emigration we would take that extract for a motto, and having divided it into heads, would give a chapter or so on each. We do not wish to diminish the population by emigration, but we wish to send those men, who by their steady adherence to their principles have brought on them the anger of the midnight legislator, beyond the reach of the bullet or the steel. We are unwilling to rob the landlord of his tenant, but we wish to give security to the Protestant farmer, who in his present state is liable to be made a bankrupt, having his barns and his corn stacks made a midnight signal and a token to the country that the laws and vengeance and justice sleep. We would not deprive the snug farmer of his comfortable subsistence; but we are willing to make ready a habitation every whit as snug for him, who in disgust, despair, and perhaps bodily fear, is anxious to try that land which has ever been a shelter to the needy. To these add "those paupers in every thing but health and strength," and we have the sum total of those whom we wish to see settled in America.

Our readers, of course, recollect that this Backwoodsman made a hit or two at Peter M'Cullogh and his compeers, and he modestly declares "that though avowedly ignorant, I am not without my own theory on the subject of distress and emigration." Why not? A man of such acumen as this Doctor, is as likely to strike upon the truth as any, and we cannot do better than give an extract or two on this head.

"From many causes, of which machinery is the most prominent, Great Britain can manufacture as much in ten months as all her customers can consume in twelve. It follows, therefore, that manufacturers must be onesixth of their time out of employment. Now if this sixth were apportioned in the shape of one day in each week, the poor people might scramble through,

by pinching a little from the means they gained on the other five working days. But when it comes to two or three months at a time, then commences distress and poor rates. Patriotism and potato mobs in our manufacturing towns; and in parliament-what Dame Quickly would call an old abusing of God's patience and the King's English,' in a debate on the state of the country. The cause of which state lies all the while too close under the noses of the disputants to be visible to those who are looking for it with telescopes, in the moon. The disease is a superfluity of manufactures, and a paucity of consumers: the remedy, to send the overplus of the manufacturing population to the colonies, where at one and the same moment they bear the character of manufacturers and assume that of consumers."

The theory is not bad, and although we cannot exactly say, "rem acu tetigisti," yet we must acknowledge that our author has made a "pretty consider able tarnation fine" lunge at the mark, and he is so far right that he has hit the cause of the manufacturing distress, but for the universal distress, the "distress of nations," we must look for a higher reason, perhaps some infliction for the national apostacy: we shall have cause more fully to treat of this subject hereafter, and we must not now forestall our ideas

"Who should come to Canada," is the heading of his first chapter and his motto:

Come a' the gether,
Your a' the welcomer early.
SIB WALTER.

And this is a chapter well worthy of the attention of all who have any idea of flitting; but there is one part which might discourage those who intended to invest capital in machinery, we will quote the whole passage.

"Unless a man of large capital, by which term I mean about £5000, has a large family, he had better lend the surplus on mortgage at six per cent. than invest it in business, except he means to become a wholesale store keeper in one of the towns. If he attempt to set up a mill, a distillery, a tannery, a fulling and saw mill, and a store, as is often found to be profitable from the one trade playing into the hands of the other, and if he has not sons capable of looking after the differ

ent branches, he must entrust the care of them to clerks and servants. But these are not to be had ready made; he must, therefore, take a set of unlicked cubs and teach them their business; and when that is fairly done, it is ten to one, but having become acquainted with his business and his customers, they find means to set up an opposition, and effectually take the wind out of their former patrons sails; when, however, a man has a large family of sons, he can wield a large capital in business and to very good purpose." We have frequently heard this passage brought up in answer to those who declared their belief that such businesses were profitable in America; and the objectors uniformly took the meaning of the sentence to be, that each and singular of these mills, distilleries, &c. were in themselves unprofitable, when it is obvious to any, not blinded by prejudice, that the Backwoodsman meant all these trades taken conjointly might be rendered a losing affair by the managers playing booty. This is plain from the context, "from the one trade playing into the hands of the others," which could not be, if our author did not mean that the one man of capital had set up all these branches of a great concern.

Our author deals in theories, but they are such as we should wish to see put in operation, not only as national, but even parochial undertakings. The Backwoodsman is a person who bas considered the awful state of his original country, and with the eye of one, conscious of the powers of our colonies to relieve that miserable state, has pointed out a road, by which the load on our prosperity may be remov ed. The evil of pauperism is not of a stationary character-it progresses, not only in numbers, but in misery and demoralization. For the children of the present paupers, in a few years become the parents of a flock as bad, if not than the generation just past away: were the number of paupers to remain as at present, the evil might be tolerated, as it now is, badly to be sure, and not without grumbling; but still possible to be borne: but as the poor will be so stiff-necked as to fulfil the great end of creation, and so self-willed and wrong-headed, as to cast behind their backs the precepts of Malthus and his crew; pauperism must in a few years arrive at such a pitch, that the

worse,

poor rates will be no longer borne in the sister Island; and as for this country, it will be but an extended mendicity asylum. This evil is not so imaginary as is supposed by some-in some parishes in England the rates bear such a disproportion to the fair produce of the land, and are such an incubus on the industry of the better class of inhabitants, that discontent and murmuring, and curses both loud and deep, are gaining ground with fearful rapidity. What these symptoms in an English mob prognosticate, even a Whig might be able to tell, at least, if there be any truth in the adage "experientia docet," we know of none better able to give information. The theory offered to the public by the Backwoodsman is as follows:~

"There is one species of emigration, which it is astonishing should never have struck the authorities at home, and which would be most beneficial to all parties-I mean, infant emigration.

"The idea was suggested to me nearly six years ago by my late worthy and excellent friend, Major William Robinson, of the King's regiment, a gentleman intimately acquainted with the province, where his name is endeared to the inhabitants by his determined bravery, added to a gaiety and good humour, which rendered him at once the favourite of all ranks and classes, and the most efficient partisan leader, with the exception of, perhaps, General Brock, that Canada possessed during the arduous struggle with the United States."

"From the time I returned to the country, I have consulted many hundreds on the feasibility of the scheme, and, in every instance, have been assured, that it was not only practicable, but would be highly beneficial to all concerned: the plan is briefly as follows :—

"Let a number of parish children, as from six to twelve years of age, be sent out to Canada, under a qualified superintendant.

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Let there be established in every county, or in every two or three townships, if necessary, a commissioner, or board of commissioners, to receive applications from farmers, mechanics, and tradesmen, wanting apprentices or servants, taking from them a bond with securities, that they will teach them their trade, craft, or mystery, keep

them, educate them, and, when their apprenticeship is up, give a small sum, (say 281.) to set up in business, those who have been indented apprentices. With younger children, whose work will not at first be equal to their maintenance, it will be only necessary to bind the person taking them to educate them; for, by a law of the province, parents or persons standing in loco parentis, are entitled to the work of their children and wards, till they attain the age of majority."

When we first read this passage, it struck us, that, as the children were removed necessarily from under the surveillance of the board of commissioners, it might be exposing the tender infants to a great risk of ill usage; but a little reflection led us to recollect a previous passage, when our author tells us, "that the labour of a child of seven years of age,is considered worth his maintenance," and our doubts vanished at once on our reading the concluding remarks, with which the doctor closes the consideration of this admirable theory.

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The objection that would strike an Englishman most forcibly to such an arrangement, would be the possibility of the children being ill treated; but this is hardly a supposable case in this country. Their labour is too valuable for their master lightly to risk the loss of it by ill-usage, where the boy could so easily abscond; and in this country, the fault of fathers and mothers bears more to the side of a total disregard of King Solomon's advice, as to the propriety of using the rod, for the purpose of promoting infantile morality, than an over zealous conformity with the dicta of the inspired writer; besides public opinion would always side with the child, and as if this plan were to be carried into effect, the children must, in some degree, be considered as wards of the King, and the legislature could easily provide some simple and summary means, whereby any injustice or infraction of agreement might be punished promptly and efficaciously."

So far to clear away any doubts concerning the welfare of the child; now let us hear the benefits accruing from this proposed measure

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The advantages of this system must be apparent to all. Parishes would get rid of young paupers, who, in the course of time, grow up, and perhaps,

become a heavier burden on the parish by the addition of a family, and would get rid of them too at an expense not exceeding one-fourth of what an adult could be removed for, seeing that £4, would the maximum for which they could be conveyed to Canada, and here we would get settlers at an age when they could easily be habituated to the work, the climate, and the ways of the country." We wish that this theory, so admirably adapted for the relief of our poor, was put in a train for execution, as there is no Reform bill to talk about this session, we may look for something of national importance, for the relief of the general distress.—Repeal will be scouted by the conjunction of conservatives with whigs, and Ballot will we opine, be kicked out along with any ministry base enough to propose it; we may therefore hope, that the state of the country and of her commerce, will be laid before the House, and we wish that this little volume was in the hands of every member of that house; for it has little or no prejudice in its pages, and the plans suggested throughout are, we verily believe, the result of experience and observation. To those about to emigrate, we recommend this volume, as well as that under the name of " Hints," written by an Irish gentleman. Those who are Candidate emigrants will find in these volumes, all the details of necessary exports, and after the plain direction there given, we shall no longer laugh at the export of warming pans to Brazil, if we find emigrants bringing loads of timber work to America. We shall before we close this review, have occasion to revert to one other chapter of the Backwoodsman, we must now speak a little of our Irish books, or better still, let Martin Doyle speak for himself, on a topic on which it is necessary that the emigrants should be well informed-we mean the comparative merits of the Canadas, or the British North American Colonies, and the United States, Martin speaks just as we should expect from a gentleman and an Irishman.

So long a period has elapsed since these were colonised from the British Isles, that we have, in a great degree, lost the feeling that they are of a common stock with ourselves; but in the Canadas we meet thousands of our own countrymen located there, (comparatively within a few years,) with all the feelings, habits, tastes, &c. of British subjects, living under the protection of British laws, and having all the privileges of commerce which are possessed by us. In short, there is a strong and intimate bond of union between the parent country and the Colonies; but if ever again we should be so unfortunate as to be driven into war with the States, the new settlers there, from the British dominions, would be placed in a most painful situation-obliged either to take arms against their relatives from these countries, or remaining neuter, (an unlikely thing in time of war,) to risk the ruin of their properties by the Americans, whom they would not assist, on the one side, and the British, who would confound them with the Americans, on the other. And he who is not a sworn subject of the States, cannot inherit property, and would be looked upon, if he did not take the oath of allegiance, with a very jealous eye, he would be considered "neither good fish or good flesh! Besides, I really believe, that the Canadas are more healthy, than any of the States. Even that of Ohio, on the north western boundary, is not so temperate and healthy, as the parts of Canada adjoining. In many parts of the States of America, slavery still continues; what native of these free islands would endure the sight of it?" Martin then goes on to give his opinion, why Upper Canada, is better than any other of the British North American Colonies; it is superior he says to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, because these latter settlements being so near the Atlantic, are frequently enveloped in fogs, and are raw damp countries in consequence, during a great part of the year; and Upper Canada is superior to the Lower province of the name; because that in the latter, the heat of summer and the cold of winter is excessive, and fogs prevail, especially near the sea; the soil, he says, is inferior, and that soil also dearer than a better quality in the upper province, and we quite agree with him that these are no trifling considerations to those

whom want of property at home induces to seek it abroad.

The lower province is about 24 degrees north of the upper, and invariably colder in winter, and the winter is also longer, varying from three to four weeks additional to the season in the upper province, as our Backwoodsman says. The regulation of the heat of the sun is unaccountable to us. There is no part of Upper Canada that is not to the south of Penzance, yet there is no part of England where the cold is so intense as in Canada, and stranger still, the cold in Britain is never equal to the intense frost of Virginia, which were it on the European side of the hemisphere, would be looked upon almost as a tropical climate, it may be that the emormous surface of leaves, over which the winds blow, may cause such a rapid evaporation, as to account for this phenomenon, and this we are inclined to believe to be the case, because in even partial clearings, and within the memory of men now living, the climate of Lower and even Upper Canada, has become much milder; yet the severity of the winter cannot be either so dreadfully harsh, as is generally thought, or nearly so destructive of life as our own comparatively mild climate; it is not so severe, for every one looks upon it as the pleasantest time of the year; and in a summary of the climate the doctor whom we have quoted so often, calls it "in summer, the climate of Italy, in winter, that of Holland;" both of which countries are frequented by British, without many complaints of the heat or cold. Nor is the winter of the Canadas so destructive of life as our own, because of the superior dryness. The salt particles which exist in the atmosphere of sea-bound countries are not found there; roofs of tinned iron of fifty years standing are as bright as the day they came out of the shop, and you may leave charge of gun-powder in your gun for a month, and yet it will go off without hanging fire; damp, more than cold, is known to be the cause of pulmonary complaints, and such diseases are almost unknown in the Canadas, while they are to this day the scourge of Britain, and of the sea coast of America; although the thermometer does range below any thing in Britain, yet the cold is little felt, from the extreme calmness of the air; and thus it is that in Canada, with the thermometer at

a