31st. Nothing retards our settlement more than the lands of absentees, and the crown and clergy reserves being interspersed amongst our farms; and nothing could contribute more to the improvement of our settlement than their being sold to active and industrious persons. We are confident that the province in general would be much benefited by the sale of the lands of absentees, and the crown and clergy reserves to actual settlers. By order of the meeting, ALEXANDER Ross, (Signed) M. BURWELL, Chairman. DUNWICH. At a Meeting of all the Inhabitants of the Township of Dunwich, assembled at the House of Mr. Singleton Gardiner, on Talbot Road, in the said Township, the 11th day of December, 1817, to deliberate upon the Propriety of answering sundry Queries, proposed in an Address of October last, to the Resident Land-owners of Upper Canada, by Robert Gourlay, Esq. Captain Gilman Wilson of said Township, was chosen Chairman, and Mr. Singleton Gardiner, of the same Place, was chosen Secretary. UPON which occasion, the following Answers to his Queries, were unanimously adopted. 2d. The first settlement was made by the Hon. Thomas Talbot, of Port Talbot, Esq. in the year 1808, at which time there was not a white inhabitant within sixty miles on the east, and seventy-five miles on the west. Colonel Talbot encountered many difficulties, with a zeal which will for ever do honour to his memory; by his unremitting solicitations and exertions, he at length prevailed on the provincial executive government, to lay the country between Port Talbot and Long Point, open for actual settlement, which they only did 'partially, in the year 1809 and 10. There are supposed to be about 500 souls in the township, and about 100 inhabited houses. 8th. One mill only. Colonel Talbot's mills, which were excellent, were burnt by the enemy in time of the late war, and are not rebuilt. 9th. Soil in general excellent and marly, and the surface level and well watered. 10th. Maple, beech, black walnut, butternut, cherry, white and black ash, white and red oak, white pine, elin, basswood, and iron wood. 11th. No minerals have been discovered; there are some quarries of limestone. 12th. But few building stones have been dis covered. 13th. But few bricks have been made; the earth however is good for that purpose. 14th. Very little lime has been burnt. 15th. No blacksmith. 16th. Few women servants and but little spinhing as yet; good ground for flax. 23d. First crop wheat, harrowed in; 2d do.rye and Timothy, with clover; when the sod is broken up, we summer fallow and sow with wheat again; no manure has as yet been applied. 25th. Our only pasture is in a state of nature, and is good. An ox will gain 200 pounds by a summer's run; milk and dairy produce good; butter, ls.: no cheese. 27th. No land is let; the most humble individuals here are proprietors of the soil. 29th. But little for sale; the quantity not ascertained. 30th. Roads are indifferent; but the statute labour is fast improving them. Our township is bounded on the north shore of lake Erie, which affords a good water communication towards Montreal. 31st. The crown and clergy reserves intervening so frequently amongst our farms, impedes the improvement of our township; and we are of opinion, that the growth and prosperity of the province in general is impeded by them. These being removed, or disposed of to active and industrious settlers, would, in our opinion, be a blessing to the province. By order of the Meeting, (Signed) GILMAN WILSON, Chairman. ALDBOROUGH. At a Meeting of sundry Inhabitants of the Township of Aldborough, assembled at the House of Mr. Archibald Gillies, of Talbot Road, in said Township, on the 11th Day of December, 1817, for the Purpose of agreeing upon Answers to certain Queries, proposed to the Resident Land Owners of Upper Canada, in an Address of Robert Gourlay, Esq. of October last, Captain Leslie Paterson was chosen Chairman, and Mr. Archibald Gillies, Secretary, when the following were adopted as Answers to the said Queries. 2d. Some time after Colonel Talbot settled at Port Talbot. 9th. Soil excellent, marly and sandy alternately, and generally level and well watered. 10th. Maple, beech, elm, basswood, black walnut, chestnut, hickory, white and black ash. 11th. No minerals have been discovered. Some limestone about the creeks and shore of the lake. 12th. No building stone; but famous rocks for millstones are discovered in many places. 13th. No bricks have been made. 14th. No lime has yet been burnt. 15th. No blacksmiths, masons, or carpenters, who work at their professions. 25th. Natural pasture good. Not ascertained what an ox will gain by a summer's run. and butter excellent, but none for sale. Milk 26th. The first crop is wheat, the second rye or grass. When the grass is ploughed up, the common course is to summer fallow the ground and sow it with wheat. 27th. No land has been let upon shares. 29th. Not much for sale; we do not know the quantity. 30th. The public roads are tolerable, and are improving; the labour required by law to be performed annually by each settler tends to improve the roads fast. We live contiguous to the Thames and lake Erie. The following letter, written to me by a person who once farmed in England, and is now a magistrate and landholder in Upper Canada, may not be without interest to some Readers. SIR, Walsingham, Dec. 9, 1817. INCLOSED you have the Report of Bayham, Middleton, and Howton, which are correct. Please pardon me for troubling you with the following account, any part of which you may think worth notice, you are at liberty to publish in England. I rented a farm of 240 acres of land in the North Riding of Yorkshire, sold my stock and farming utensils, which was all the fortune I had, amounting to about 500 guineas; I concluded this small sum would go a little way in providing for my family in any business that I could take hold of in that country. I consulted my friend General Hale what was best for me to do; he advised me to come to Canada, and gave me a letter to Governor Simcoe. I immediately approved of his plan, and left England in 1793, with my wife and eight children; landed at Philadelphia late in the summer; spent my time in Yew York until June, 1794. I could not get a passage early in the spring, on account of an embargo. I arrived at Niagara the 28th of July, 1794, and was kindly received by the Governor; by this time I had spent the principal part of the money I had brought with me; for out of 500, I had left upwards of 300 guineas in notes, to be collected by a relation who was in business, but was shortly bankrupt after I left England, and I never received a shilling. By this time I became acquainted with the late Hon. Robert Hamilton, to whom I made my situation known, who instantly became any warm friend and supporter. From him I rented a farm for seven years, for which I paid him 100 dollars per annum. He lent me money to buy 20 cows, which cost 500 dollars. I had but one dollar left when I began farming; my meat, grain for bread, seed for the lard, farm ng utensils, &c. were all procnred by me on a promise of payment in September, which amounted to about 500 dollars. I began making cheese the first of May, 1795, which succeeded beyond my expectation; I seldom had in my |