The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-06-03 00:00:00

CANADIAN IMMIGRATION.

The Canadian Correspondent of The Times, writes under
date Toronto, May 15 :
" The Blue-book containing the report of the Select
Committee on Immigration and Colonization has just
been issued. During the year 1875 there was a con-
siderable falling off in the number of immigrants,
which fact the Committee attributes to the Com-
mercial and industrial depression which has prevailed
in Canada, together with the growing indisposition to
emigrate among the classes on the other side of the
Atlantic which usually furnish the immigrants. The
total number of settlers during the year was 27,332. The
year's immigration cost the Government 296,693 dole.
making the gross per capita cost 10 dole. 83c. The per
capita value to the country of the immigrants who become
settlers, apart from the property and money they bring
with them into the country, is variously estimated The
Bureau of Statistics at Washington estimate the value
of each at 809 dole. Dr. Farr has officially reported
to Her Majesty's Government that the value to the
cluotry of a Norfolk agricultural labourer at the age
of 25 is £246 sterling (1,300 dole). As it is claimed
that a large proportion of last year's immigrants belong
to the agricultural class, if an agricultural labourer he
as valuable to Canada as he is to England,ll.o dole. 833
per capita cannot be regarded as a bad investment.
'The ascertained balance of goods and money brought
into the D, minion by immigrants daring the year
1875 was 1,314,573 dohs. The additional unascertained
amount is thought to be very large. Colonel Laurie, of
Nova Scotia, gave evidence before the Committee on
the subject of the settlement of children brought out to
that Province by Mrs. Birt. These chiloren are of a
similar class to those brought out by Miss Rye and
Miss Macpherson, except that they do not include chil
dren from workhouses. They appear to have been all
placed in comtortaole situations by Colonel Laurie who
is, by Proviocisl enactment, constituted their guardian.
He has placed out 325 children, and states that as
many as 500 could be provided for annually in Nova
Scotia. The publication of Mr. D.,yle's report has
had the effect of stopping Miss Rye's operations last
year in bringing out workhouse children to Canada ;
but Miss Macpherson, Mrs. Birt, Mr. Middlemore, and
others have continued to bring out children who are with-
out friends and homeless. Among the specialities of
the immigration of last year was the arrival of 3,253
M,-nnonites, who joined their Mennonite friends in
Manitoba. An Icelandic settlement has been estab-
lished on the west shore of Lake Winnepeg, in the
North-West Territory, and another, which appears to
be successful, in the Province of Nova Scotia. About
two years ago the Quebec Legislature passed an Act to
encourage the " repatriation" of French Canadians
who bad wandered into the United States. The
Canadian says that the scheme is working well, and
states that three townships, atton, Chesham, and
Hamberton which a year ago were inhabited by
only 80 families, have now a population exceeding
3,000. The waters of the Ottowa river are
at present higher than anything the oldest settle:s
remember to have seen and considerable damage
has been done to mills and other property. Within
the last few days some half a million feet of lumber
has been swept away. The Chaudtere Falls are said
to present a magnificent spectacle, crowds going to
witness their unusual grandeur. The Governor-
General, Lady Dufferin, and their family have been
among the visitors. All over. Canada freshets prevail,-
and a great loss of saw logs has ensued an the breaking
of various booms. Besides a very open winter, we
have had a gradual spring— a thing of but rare occurence in this country."

BLIND GENIUS.—The annals of the Blind are the
the annals of a wonderful people. We have had blind
poets —the greatest of all Milton. We have had blind
Men with inexhaustible memories, as James WillsDn,
who knew the Army and Navy List by heart, and used
to inform his poorer friends, who had friends tn either
service. We have had—above the street class—blind
musicians, as John Stanley, whom both Handel and
Gazztni pronounced to be without a superior as a per-
formeF on the organ; and a blind choir, led by a blind
organist, and performing the compositions of Handel,
Mozart, and M,nd-1.-isohn, may now he seen and beard
at the Blind School, St. George's Yelds. We have
had blind mathematicians, as the famous Saunderson,
the LucAsiau professor at Cambridge ; blind natura-
lists, as Hunert, the author of a woncier:ul work or. the
" G-ermination of Seeds," the processes of which he has
minutely described ; and above all, blind travellers,
chief amongst whom was Holman, who travelled all
over the world, and wrote severalbooks, far more
_
minute and accurate in their description o
s than many f
those written by travellere having their eyes open.