EPORT
KT>
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13
MAJOR C. DONALDSON'S
REPORT
ON EMIGRATION.
18 74.
TOKONTO.
LUMSDEN & CO., PRINTERS.
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TO THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF
DIRECTORS OF THE EMIGRATION
AID SOCIETY OF THE COUNTY OF
LINCOLN AND DISTRICT OF NI-
AGARA, IN CONNECTION WITH
HAMILTON AND THE GOVERN-
MENT OF ONTARIO.
Gentlemen, — i . .( .. .
On -my return from Europe on Em-
migration duty, it is necessary for me
to render to you a detailed account of
my labours and expenses connected
therewith as your Commissioner.
After my appointment in July last
it was necesary for me to obtain all
needful information in order to prepare
myself thoroughly for this most im-
portant duty.
I first applied to our Ontario Govern-
ment and rccoived all the info}-matiou
in their possession relative to my un-
dertaking. ''-'■■'
On Monday, the 8th day of September
last, I left Niagara by boat for Europe,
calling at Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal
and Quebec on our Governments' Hon.
Commissioners, and received letters of
introduction, maps,' pamphlets and all
directions necessary for my missionary
tour on emigration in Europe.
On the 13th day of September I took
my passage on board the Steamer
" Prussian " for Ireland and Liverpool,
and sailed at 11 a.m., and arrived after
a pleasant passage on the ninth day at
6 a.m., at the green banks of sweet old
Ireland, aU on board rejoicing at the
beautiful sight. We delivered mails
and passengers, and proceeded down
* the beautiful coasts of Ireland and Scot-
land to Liverpool, where we arrived on
the tenth day at 6 a.m. with great re-
joicing. We all breakfasted on board
at 8 a.m., an.l at 11.40 a.m. I took train
for [^London (200 miles,) and passed
through the most dehghtful country I
ever saw. It may well be called a Par-
adise. I arrived at magnificert old
London at 5.80 p.m. on the 2.'3rd of
September, making the whole passage
in less than ten days (2,()18 miles).
On the 24th September I calh'd on
the Dominion Commissioner at his of-
fice in London, 11 Adam St., Adelphi,
and delivered letters of introduction and
directions from our Government's Com-
missioners of Emigration, the Hon. Mr.
Pope, and A. McKellar.
I immediately called upon Mr. Wil-
liams, at the Boys' liefuge, in Loudon,
to secure fifty or one hundred boys for
the farmers in Canada, but failed on
account of the high rate of passage
(£'4 15s. sterling). He said he would
let me have what boys I required and
could get good situations for at the
same reduced rates .of passage as farm-
ers and then- sons and daughters -
(£2 63.), and would wait until Spring,
when no doubt the pas'sage rate will be
reduced.
I was then immediately put in com-
munication with the Labourers's Union
in Berkshire and Cambridge by a Gov-
ernment agent who was just returning
to Canada ; and in the course of six
days I hr.d the promise of seventeen
farm families all ready to place them-
selves under my direction, and be ship-
ped for St. Catharines, Ontario,' where
houses and labour were awaiting them
amongst the members of our Emigra-
tion Aid Society.
1 was delayed by the Lonodon office
from the 1st of October until the 15th
in getting the warrants in the hands of
Mr. Memory, (the Secretary of the
Labourer's Union at Newbury) to ship
the families referred to. On that morn-
ing the Labourers and ourselves all
took train for Liverpool (250 miles) and
arrived on board the steamer Sarma-
tiiiii for Canndii, tho ^anio ovoning.
The next day I gave (rcorfro Pivfcy, who
seciuod to bo tho most iiitellij^'out of
tho Emij^'i'auts, ii list of thu mombe/s of
. our Eiiiin;ratiou Aid Hooiety in Sc.
Cat^iariuos, who hid apphod to roo for
them ill! and J cautioned Paty to he
(laroful aud taKc care of tho list for foar
he might go astrfty. I also sent a
'•opv of this hat to our Secrotary-
• Treasurer two weeks before they were
shipped.
During my delay in and about Lon-
don I became acquainted with several
gentlemen erf large estates and means,
who are strongly impressed with the
notion of forming colonios in Canada,
and sending out a large number of
tenant farmers and labourers, and
settling them on oar Free Grant Lands.
I never can forget the kind reception
as a Canadian 1 received in London.
I then left London for Glasgow,
Perth, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, con-
tinually lecturing,, distributing maps
pamphlets and my cards, to the num-
ber of four-thousand upon the g"°at
advantages and inducements which are
offered by the Governments of Canada to
actual settlers.
During my sojourn'in Scotland, I be-
came acquainted with several gentle-
men of large means who are strongly
impressed with the advantages of for-
ming large Scotch Colonies in the
United States ; and one gentleman has
taken up a large tract of land in Kans-
sas, aud has induced a great num-
ber Lo settle there. But taere was
great objection to this place on account
of the severity of the climate in sum-
mer, and often in winter, the bad brack-
ish water, and sometimes none at all,
in the long summer droughts of throe
months, which caused a great deal of
sickness and sun-stroke, especially
when the thermometer rose to 100 °
and sometimes 120 ® .
I at length was made ac^^uain-
^ ted with the Secretary of the Cham-
bers of Agriculture of Scotland, whom
I found tho most thorough Agricul-
turalist and business- man I had met
in all my travels in Europe, and in full
contidanco with the whob; farming com-
munity of Scotland, and part of Eng-
land. He had a large sum of money
placed in his hands to invest in lands
m hansas, if he approved of the locality
as a place for settlement ; but, being a
practical man, he was not easily de-
ceived, and he has abandoned Kansas
for the present, and ho accepted maps,
pamphlets and all information about
Canada from me. I spent a portion of
several days with him discussing the
greatsubjoot of colonisation in Ci?nada;
and as soon as ho has consulted with
his Board of Association upon the
advisability of making Canada a field for
settlingScotch Colonies, they will pro-
ceed to examine our line country, and
if they decide in our favour, Ave may
expect a large capital laid out in im-
proved farms, or reclaiming and settling
our fine forests and prairie hinds in
Ontario, Manitoba the far West, and
other parts of Canada.
I tlien returned to Glasgow and ar-
rango^ to ship forty or fifty ship car"
penterj for St. Catharines and Port
Dalhousie shipyards, and then left Glas-
gow on the 22nd October for Belfast,
Ireland, and remained there three days,
where I met with the same usual kind-
ness, and was glad to hear from Cana-
dian friends. I became acquainted with
the Member for Belfast, our Dominion
Agent, Mr. Foy, and the Dominion
Agent of the line of steamboats to Que-
bec, Mr. Gowan. These gentlemen
were very kind and gave me a deal of
information concerning Emigration in
Ireland. I found the city of Belfast a
beautiful, neat, and thriving place ox \
business, and the people, with whom I
came in contact, very kind and in-
telligent.
I telegrnphed to Mr. Johnson of Can-
tuck, with whom I had some corres-
pondence concerning a large number
of labourers for our public works on the
3
Welluud Canul, and liu ropllcd tlmt ho
could not meet me at that time. My
time was now becoming short as I iu-
tendod to sail for home on the 4th of
December.
On account of the change in our Gov-
ernment, and the money crisis in the
Unit "^JPfati'H, oansinfj' tliopsnnds to b«'
thrown out of employment, and vast
numbers returning home to Europe ev-
ery vfisdk, I made up my mind thvt Citn-
ada would soon have a full supply uf
American Emigrants and Libouiers,
I alsa obsecvod that JosopJi Arch had
retui'uod to England, and aj I vvi.shcd to
meet him, I retni-uod to Liverpo( I in
search of him. Thenco I proceeded to
Leamington where I found hitn, and
strongly advise all Emigrants intend-
ing to settle on Free Grant Lands to go
to service with practical farmers and
learn all kinds of Canadian farm work,
especially the use of the axe and edge
tools for six months, whioli they will
hud a great advantage in making a be-
^'»'»niing on now land.
It will be advisable for the settlors to
employ a few good practical axe-men to
go in with them, who understand erect-
ing cottaj^os, making rails, and building
fences, and clearing land, and roughing
in the bush, and thoy will soon learn
the whole art of Canadiau farming.
I attended his groat meeting at
Leamington on the 1st of December at
7 p.m. Not less than six th{)u.sand farm-
spent a half day witli him. I found ^J^s "'"^ i^^ourers with their wives, sons,
him pretty well posted concofniu'^ the and daughters, were present, and all
Emigration to Canada, and the settlin^
of the Free Grant Lands. We only
disagreed on one point, building cof,ta-
ges and clearing three or foiir acres of
land by the Government, and IdHving a
debt of, say, forty pounds for the Emi-
grant to pay off in f > .;; rr p' ; years. I
proposed that the Government should
furnish one year's provicion, and seed
for each family that might require it,
instead of a cottage, and that the Emi-
grants build their own cottages, which
they can do at less than one-half it
would cost the Government to do it for
them. With one year's provisions and
seed tliey can overcome difficulties, and
raise their own provisions afterwards,
andremain nearly free from debt. A large
numbei.' of famiUes going in together to
settle, will assist each other to build
their own cottages, and they will find it
very agreeable and pleasant to meet to-
gatiiar, and assist each other. It used
to be f^iiv happiest time, wlien we were
all poor, and were always ready to as-
sist a new settler to build bis cottage
and sha»*e with him our small means.
Joseph Arch is undoubtediy a most
8.b1e, seK-taught man, and understands
■well what work of all kinds is, except
the axe which is soon learnt. I would
most anxious to hear tlie joyful news from
their President (who is, as it were, a
king among them) about Canada, which
was delivered most correctly and con-
scientiously ; and no doubt it will as-
tonish England and Canada to see the
great rush and tide of Emigration to
Canada next spring.
I left Leamington on the 2nd Decem-
ber for Liverpool, and made preparations
for sailing to Canada, by way of Port-
land, on board the steamer Nestorian.
We left on the 4th of December at 10 a.
m., and arrived on the morning of the
IGth December, at 6 a.m., at Portland.
It was a beautiful clear sky, and it was
indeed a cheerful thing again to see the
sun, which for twelve days I had not
seen. I then proceeded homewards,
calling at Montreal, Ottawa, and To-
ronto, and arrived at home on Satur-
day morning the 20th I ecember.
I must say that notwithstanding all
that has been done to enlighten the
people of Great Britain and Ireland
about us, the old world knows verv
little indeed about us, and they are per-
fectly ignorant about Canada. On al-
most all occasions in conversation with
men, on the subject of Canada, often
some one would say, "Oh, yes, I have
a brother or a neighbour or afriend in
America." And in reply to my question,
*• Wheroaboutfl ?" tho annwor would be,
Now York, BoHton, Philadftlphia, Chica-
go, KnuHaH, Illinois, Decota, or some
J other part of tho [United StatfiH, the
party being frc(iuently under tho im-
preuHion that thcHO placos were btill
belonging to the British.
Now, by tho last Emigration Report
fur tho lasi five years, there have ar-
rived in Canada upwards of five hun-
dred thousand emigrants, and out of
this largo number only one hundred
and fifty thousand are settled in Cana-
da; all tho rest havo gone over our fine
railways to the United States ; and I
}iave no doubt that a very largo pro-
portion of these fuDy believed thoy
were going to settle in Western Cana-
da under tho British flag — such is the
lamentable ignorance which prevails
• aincmg that class of emigrants !
All my lectures were intended to dis-
abuse their minds of any such ideas ;
and to infor]n them that Britain lost
the " American Colony " when they re-
belled against British rule and asserted
their independence in 1776, and that
they are still independent of British
laws and of British institutions. I also
explained to them that Canada alone
was British, and would ever be a part
of the BriLish Empire; and by the use
of maps showed them plainly the po-
sition of the United States, so as to
prevent any confusion in their minds
about what was British and wliat was
foreign.
These points having been explained,
I pointed out to them that no British
^ ibject (who would of course be a " for-
eigner " in the United States) could
hold a deed of freehold land in the
States without first forswearing his al-
legiance to his native land and Queen
Victoria. I met several persons on
their return home on account of the
money crisis in the States, who said
they were obliged to take thi^ oath or
lose theii* property.
AIho "foreigners " settling in Britain
or Canada must all become British
subjects and take an oath of allegiance
to our Queen before they can enjoy the
full privileges of British subjects.
In conclusion I strongly recommend
that tho Governments of Canada will
without further delay select the most
influential men to meet the British
Parliament, and to unite tho two govern-
ments in this great cause of Emigration
to this the western part of the British
Empire, say to the number of four
millions of mon which will release
her of her surplus population; and
will ad(J greatly to our strength and
loyalty and prosperity, as wo are only
four millions of inhabitants in one of
the largest and most prosperous countries
in the world, capable of settling fifty
millions inhabitants of prosperous and
happy farmers, machinests, and mercan-
tile business mon, and make us what wo
must be, the right arm of [ he British
Empire.
(Signed,) Major C. Donaldson.
Director and Commissioner of Emigration Aid
Society of the District of Niagara and St.
Catharines, iu connootiou with Hamilton
and tlie Govern'^-ient of Ontario.
The following are the resolutions : —
Moved by Alexander Muir, and se-
conded by P. Larkin,
That the report just read of Mr. C.-
Donaldson's mission on Emigration as
our commissioner to Europe, including
cash expenses, be received and adopted,
and printed, and an assessment levied of
a third call of twenty-five per cent, up-
on tho capital stock of the Society to
pay tho same. — Carried.
G. A. Clark, President.
Moved by Alexander Muir, and se-
conded by P. Larkin,
That a vote of thanks to Mr. Donald-
sou for his energetic and persevering
labours in so short a time in Europe in
sending out so many fine, healthy farm
labouring families, and arranging for a
large tide of Emigration of farm labour-
otd, tenant farmers, domestic servants
and capitalists to come out to Canada
next Spring. — Carried unanimously.
G. A. GhJiSK, President.
