of the country. On this head we decline giving our opinion; but think that many valuable settlers would have been obtained from the United States, had these been admitted under proper restrictions.

This province, if properly peopled, under good laws well administered, will defend itself against any invasion, and its trade be of much benefit to Great Britain: if settled in its present thin and scattered state, its trade can be of little consequence, and the country must fall a prey to its first invader.

May your laudable exertions, in traversing this province to collect information, be the means of making this country better known in Britain, and of procuring from thence some of its redundant population, so much wanted in this colony.

We have the honour to be,

WATERLOO.

By the undersigned Gentlemen, respectable Inhabitants of said Township, at a Meeting convened for that Purpose.

3d. No churches, two Tunkers and Menonists preachers (the people are principally Germans). 8th. Carding wool 64d. per pound.

9th. Sand, loam, and clay, good and productive; generally level and well watered.

10th. Pine, oak, sugar maple, beech, cherry, cypress, &c.

11th. None discovered, but many signs of iron; limestone in great quantities. Signs of plaster; indications of salt springs: no remarkable springs.

12th. Building stones in great plenty : no price. 20th. Township produces 3000 pounds of wool per annum; 2s. 6d. per pound.

26th. The general rule is, if a man clears wild land, he has the first year's produce. Cropping on cultivated land, a man gets half, and finds himself.

27th. The same as above; extent very great. 30th. Roads very bad, but capable of great improvement: will require great expence.

What hinders the improvement of the township, is, bad roads, want of men and money. Respecting water conveyance; the beautiful Grand river running nearly through the middle of the township, affords a most fascinating prospect to adventure. Capitalists might hereafter form a canal, the whole extent of the river.

JOSEPH LOCKWOOD.
JAMES VAN EVERY.

JACOB ERB.
ABRAHAM ERB,
And seven others.

SIR,

DUMFRIES.

pro

INCLOSED I send you an account of the gress of the settlement of the township of Dumfries*, with answers to a few of your queries. The remainder, no doubt, will be answered by persons longer resident in the country, who are more adequate to the task.

9th. The soil in general is loam; very little clay to be found in the township.

10th. The kinds of timber are, oak, hard maple, beech, basswood, elm, and cherry in some parts of the township. Others are chestnut, cedar, and pine, with considerable of the before mentioned kinds intermixed. Limestone in abundance.

11th. One bed of plaster has been discovered in Dumfries, and proves to be the best kind for cement. ing; also for manure, none is superior. One ton, when ground, will make from 26 to 28 bushels; one bushel is sufficient for an acre. It is known by experience, that on clover, wheat, oats, or potatoes, it will bring more than the land without plaster; it can be had for 30s. per ton at the quarry. 31st. As respects the progress of the settlement of the country, in my opinion many things combine to retard it. In the first place, there is certain quantities of land in each township, called crown and clergy reserves, nearly one-fourth. Combined with that, there are many gentlemen owning large tracts of land unsettled. This causes the settle

*See Table, page 404.

ments in Canada to be very much scattered, in consequence of which, little work is done on the roads, and in some parts where a trifling labour would make it good. Could some plan be formed, to settle the country more compact, and also to make good roads through such lands as are the property of gentlemen at home, not wishing to sell them, would, in my opinion, add much to the progress of the settlements.

There also is a want of enterprise. The minds of the people want rousing up: they only want to be made sensible that their country possesses as many (if not more) natural advantages than any part of North America.

The soil is good, and the means of conveyance to market, connecting sleighing and water carriage, The only necessary requisite is industry

is

easy.

and enterprise.

Your's truly,

ABSALOM SHADE,

Mr. ROBERT GOURLAY,

Queenston.

HALDIMAND.

At a Meeting of the principal Inhabitants of the Township of Haldimand, in the County of Wentworth, and District of Gore, in the Province of Upper Canada, including the Chiefs of the Five Nations of Indians, held at the House of

Frederick Yeoward, Merchant, in Mount Pleasant, in said Township, on Thursday, the 11th of December, 1817, for the Purpose of taking into Consideration the Queries proposed by Robert Gourlay, Esq. and of giving Answers thereto, to enable him to prepare a Statistical Account of Upper Canada.-F. Yeoward being called to the Chair, the following were adopted as Answers to the Queries proposed, and were directed to be forwarded by the Chairman, to the said Robert Gourlay, Esq. viz.

1st. Haldimand-its length is estimated at about twenty miles, commencing at Dundas street, and its breadth twelve miles, that is, according to the original grant, extending six miles from each side of the Grand river, or river Ouse.

2d. Settled in the year 1783, by Captain Joseph Brant, with the Five Nations* of Indians, and a few volunteer white people. The population of the white inhabitants is supposed to be 430; people of colour 30, and the number of the whole of the Five Nations about 1800, residing on the Grand river; the number of inhabited houses supposed to be sixty, exclusive of Indian dwellings.

3d. One established church, with a clergyman attending occasionally.

8th. The price of boards, for 100 feet, one inch stuff, 3s. 9d.; one carding machine; rate of carding wool, 5d. per lb. ; one fulling mill.

* They were originally the Five Nations; now they are properly the Six Nations, and should be so denominated, having adopted a sixth tribe or nation.-R. G.

C C