The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-10-11 00:00:00

WITH MR. ARCH IN CANADA.

The following Interesting letter e from & correspondent of
the Daily News, under dew Sherbrook, Sept. 15:-
- ' - • - " -

On Thursday, armed with the letter which his Ex-
cellency had kindly promised us on the previous day,
we started for this thriving part of what are celled
the Eastern Townships. Oar first Impression of
Canadiaa railways was, on the whole, favourable,
though I should much prefer a two hundred mile ride
on our "Great Western "to a hundred mile ride on
this "Grand Trunk." Thera is so much shaking that
on unpleasant impression is produced thAt a screw is
loose somewhere. These fight wooden bridges which
span the various rivers ca route m ty be safe
eaough, but they don't look so. An Englishman,
accustomed to the solidity and elaboration of work.
menehip of his own costly lines, finds it difficult to
, believe that these simple steel-lined tracks are all right.
The bridge, however, carried us safely over it on Thurs.
day, and therefore we are bound to speak well of it.
The scenery through which we rode was exquisite.
The authorities of Qurb -c had deputed a gentle-
man well v cquainted with the district to accom-
pany us. On Friday, escorted by this gentleman
and another Government official established here,
we started to spy out the land. By Saturday night
we had gone over some 80 or 100 miles. Our first
stage was forty miles by rail to a village named
Stanstead, from whence we drove back to Blur-
brook. This drive took us through several vil
and poet numbers of forme. I am loony to say our -

vestigations were not satisfactory. If the formers
whom we met last week are • fair ipsaimen of the
4owee Canada farmers, I would eaznesy dissuade the
English labourers from leaving their present masters
to come out and serve under them. Toilworn, narrow-
minded, and apparently without one other idea than
that of how much work they can get out of a man
for the dollars they must pay him, I know of no
agriculturists in England whom I would not elect
to serve under in preference to them. 'What are
your hour,?" we said to one of the farmers who
Intimated hie desire to have an English labourer
sent out to him. " From sunrise to sunset daring
five months, and from x to six during the rest,"
was his reply. "Then all I can say to you," replied
the outspoken Warwickshire man," is that I wish you
may get him." "But our pay, continued the farmer,
" consider how good It is—a dollar and • quarter • day,
with board and lodging." Can't help it," reeponded
Mr. Arch, "what you want is a slave and Britons
never will be slaves." The dried-up, labour
starved owner of hundreds of broad arrest seemed as
much nonplused as English employers have been
by Mr. Arch's strong utterances. The truth
is, these men have led such a hard, tough
life that they are not likely to be very considerate
to others. Of course there are many exceptions,
but WA WAS the rule with these self made men, AA
far., we saw them. On my expressing astonishment
at the absence of labourers from the farms—for, driv-
ing all day through a farming district, I saw no men at
work anywhere, except here and there one whom our
guide ensured us was either the farmer or his son—a
Farmer with whom we stayed to converse fissured us
that they got on very tolerably. " Yonder " said he,
"is • farmer who is worth 6,000 doll;trs, and a
farm of 300 or 400 acres and all hi, ordinszy help
Is one young fellow whom you see now with him," And,
sure enough, as we drove past, there was the tough
old fellow slaving away with his rake among the
barley, and close at hand was the one farm hand. The
comfortable, jrilly faced farmers of Old England need
not grudge these Canadian farmers their rent-free
domain,. Verily there are worse things than rent
audits. I have seen more haggard.farmere since I have
been in Canada than I have met during a forty years'
residence in rural districts at home. And never have I
seen during the same period such miserable looking,
lank and hopeless labourer, as the few whom I have
seen in the service of these terrible taak-maaters.
_

I am afraid this testimony will spread something
like dismay among the Unionists who are looking to
emigration for help from the pressure of their present
circumstances. Let it be clearly understood that these
strieurei du not apply to Canada as the home of the
English labriurer. If, as I am sanguine will t.si the case.
the Minister of Asricultore at the Boat of Government
should fall in with some suggestions which Mr. Arch
will submit to him, a hope of a very bright and inspiring
character may yet arise for the English labourer in
this Western Colony. But unless, as may possibly be
the case, our investigations in Upper Canada should be
more favourable than those which we have gone into
in this lower province, Mr. Arch will certainly not
recommend his clients to exchange their masters of the
Old World for those of the New.

- -
One of the interesting features cf this diking and
most picturesque town di • large cloth manufactory,
which Scottish enterprise ham established. We dined
to-day with the able head of the factory. He has some
500 hands at work, and the business is growing every
year. I am struck with the fine openings presented on
every hand for young farmers with a moderate capital.
I am convinced that our English farming is the One
thing needed to develop the resources of the country.
The bad farming of the men now in possession is
It s greatest misfortune. One gentleman—l think, or
at any rate I hope, an Englishman—has demonstrated
in • most remarkable manner what may be done in the
way of farming up m this fertile continent. We drove
near his estate yesterday, and but for his unfortunate
absence from home we should have called and seen his
farm. He has within the last six months sold ten head
of cattle, reared by himself, for no less a sum than ten
thou.and guineas. One splendid animal ham gone to
England, purchased for the sum of three thousand
guineas.

We started yesterday on a forty miles drive to.
place called Scott's Town, where a few enterprising
Scotchmen have formed a sort of Colonisation Society.
Some thousands of acres of land have been purchased,
and already over a hundred hardy Highlanders and
others are there hewing down timber and carving out
fortunes. We found an exceedingly interesting
community, and the spirit of enterorise displays
itself in a GO-horse power engine hard at work
driving a saw through the timber as it ill felled, and
an excellent dam wbich is being built across the river.
Bye-and-bye water will have to do what steam is now
doing, and the surrounding forests will be rapidly con-
verted into lumber for house building and a thousand
other purposes. The presiding genius of the colony is
Mr. John Scott, a Glasgow man, I believe. He appears
to be just the sort of man for his work, and has little
doubt of having a thousand families established round
him mills before live years are gone. I think he is not
more sanguine than the appearance justities. His
scheme is very much bke that which Mr. Arch will
submit to the authorities at Ottawa next week, as the
only one which will, in his judgment, meet the case of
English farm labourers. Mr. Scott will build a cottage
for each family, and Frant an uncleared plot of land.
The timber on tide laud will be purchased of the men
by Mr. Scott, so that the settler will not only be get-
ting his land cleared for cultivati at, but will be getting
a eupply 1 ready money wherewith to live in the
meanwhile. The cottages are suhatantial erections,
and appeal very comfortable. All the folks seemed
happy and hopeful.

The more we see of the country—and I need scarcely
say that these long drives into the very hsart
of it give no the best possible mesas of judgiog—
the more are we impressed with its imtuens• im-
portance for emigration purposes. It would really
seem as if half Europe might be gathered into its
capacious bosom. There is plainly nothing requi-
site for man that may not be grown upon its rich
and fertile soiL It appears to me that the one grand
requisite for the development of its resources is •
wholesale importation of Scotch or English &grim].
turista. Frenchmen make capital cooks—blessings on
their skill 1 But of their farming I am sorry to say
that to an Englishman's eyes it is as bad as bad can
be.
SCIENTIFIC DEMOLITION.

The remains of Messrs. Goatling's chimney at North-
fleet, the top of which, when on the point of com-
pletion, fell on Thursday in last week and killed
five men, were blown down by the Royal Engi-
neers on Saturday afternoon. The chimney was
originally 2.0 feet high, and after the accident was
about 160 feet above the ground, the top being very
much cracked and leaning over to the north. A charge
of slb. of gun-cotton was first fired in the centre of
the debris In the inside of the chimney to ascertain
the effect produced on the loose masses at the top
by the concussion. The cracks were opened and • few
bricks were brought d nen by it. A charge of 81b. of
guncotton was then placed in the centre of the chimney,
about 20ft, from the ground, by securing the charge to
the end of • pole, which was put through an opening
in the side of the chimney horn • high bank close to
which the chimney had been built. No immediate
result followed, but • few momenta after the charge
was fired two large masses of brickwork fell from
the top, and the cracks in the chimney opened very
much, and extended downwards. After waiting
half an hour, to avoid risk, another similar charge was
fired in the same position, when the top of the chimney
fell and the parts below crumbled to about 30ft, from
the ground. The ruins could now have been safely
pulled down in the ordinary way, but, to maid, four
charges of 1 Vb. each were placed in the cracks in the
chimney and fired. The result, however, was only to
open the cracks further, without bringing down any
quantity of brickwork. The charges were fired by
Professor Abel's detonators and Siemen's dynamo.
electric machine.