The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-07 00:00:00

sett'ers to enable them to Maintain and establish
themselves at the outset.
Nova, SCOTIA.—The public lands have been sold
here by auction under the authority of an Act of
the Local Legislature, passed in 1840, and to be in
force for three years. It is prescribed by the Act that
the upset price shall never be lower than Is.; in
practice it appears to have been hitherto 2s. 6d. ster-
ling per acre, and at that price 11,355 acres appear
to have been sold during last year. Much of the most
valuable land has been alienated from the Crown ;
and the House of Assembly has it under considera-
tion tofix the price at ls. 9d. per acre instead of dis-
posing by auction.
PRINCE EDWARD'S ISLAND.—A very considerable
amount of land is still remaining in the possession of
the Crown : 216 acres, in different Royalties, appear
to have been sold last year, at an average price of
21. Os. 6d., and three and a half acres of town allot-
ments at an average price of 681. 12s. 10d.
NEWFOUNDLAND.—The disposal of land here con-
tinues under a temporary arrangement, by which sale
by auction was established at an upset price of 2s.
per acre. The demand for land and the agricultural
proceedings appear generally steady.
WEST INDIES.—The mode of sale established in the
West Indies is that of auction, and the upset price, if
any sales occur, is not less than 11. per acre ; except
at the Bahamas where the price has been reduced to
12s. per acre. In some of the islands, as Trinidad
and Guiana especially, there are large tracts of
ground still in possession of the Crown, available for
settlement. In one instance in Dominica 63 indivi-
duals joined together and paid 21. per acre.
CAPE or GOOD HOPF..—In this colony the Crown

still possesses a large amount of land. The sale is
generally made by auction, but there appears little
desire on the part of the public to purchase; in some
instances the amount received for land has not paid
the expenses of sale. Port Natal is reported to be
unfavourable to the formation of a British colony.
CEYLON.—In this country the mode of sale is by
auction, at an upset price of ss. per acre ; 78,687
acres were sold during the past year, the greater part
at not more than the upset price, although some went
as high as 17s. 6d. per acre. A large proportion of
the surface of this valuable island still remains at the
disposal of the Crown. It is proposed to raise the
pdee to 11. per acre, and afford the purchasers greater
facility in the acquisition of land.
FALKLAND ISLANDS.—The Governor who was
sent out last year has already furnished a report of
the prospects of the British settlers here : there is
reason to think that a hardy and industrious popula-
tion would find means of support here. In St.
Helena, Sierra Leone, Gibraltar, and Malta, the
extent of land for sale is of course very small.
The return of the number of persons who have emi-
grated from the United Kingdom during the year
ending January 5, 1842, furnishes the following view :
—Emigrants from the United Kingdom to the
United States, 45,017 ; to Texas, 46 ; to Central
America, 106. British Emigrants to the North
American Colonies, viz., to Canada, 26,362 ; New
Brunswick, 7,291 • Nova Scotia and Cape Breton,
2,344 ; Newfoundland, 336 ; Prince Edward's Island,
1,831. To the West Indies, viz., Jamaica, 1,273;
British Guiana, 147 ; Trinidad, 87 ; other West
India islands, 623 ; Falkland Islands, 27 ; Western
Africa, 65 ; Cape of Good Hope, 368 ; Mauritius,
40; Moulmein, 4. To the Australian Colonies, viz.,
to Sydney, 17,492 ; Port Phillip, 9,894 ; Van Die-
men's Land, 806 ; South Australia, 175 ; Western
Australia, 357 ; New Zealand, 3,901. Showing the
total number of emigrants from Great Britain for the
past year to have been 118,592 souls.
From a comparison of the emigration from the
United Kingdom in the half-years ended respectively
sth July, 1841, and sth July, 1842, it appears that
the increase in the number of emigrants to the United
States has been 20,476 persons ; to Canada, 14,347 ;
to other American colonies, 1,071 ; to other parts of
America, 24; to the Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius,
and Africa, 79. Decrease in the number of emi-
grants appears in the case of the West Indies, whither
629 less have emigrated, and to Australia and New
Zealand, which have fallen off 10,455 in the period
mentione I above.

RECAPITULATION OF "METHODS OF SALE.—From
the fore roing statements it results that the existing
mode of selling the waste lands in the various colo-
nies is as follows :—ln Canada by fixed price, in the
Australian colonies by the mixed system of auction
first, and sale and at the upset as a fixed price after-
wards ; and in all other colonies by auction slope.
SURNETS.—An addition has been made, principally
during the past year, to the surveying establishments
in several of the land-selling colonies. The evils of
assigning to individuals lands of which the boundaries
a

. -
,re imperfectly ascertained and defined, in however
strong language they may have been represented, can
scarcely be exaggerated. Many years will probably
elapse, and much vexatious and expensive litigation
have to be endured, before the defects of the surveys
in some of the older colonies shall be remedied. We
are glad, therefore, of any step which is taken to pre-
vent the recurrence of such evils in the new terri-
tories into which the superabundant capital and popu-
lation of this country is so rapidly pouring itself.
Six additional surveyors and two draughtsmen
were last year sent to New South Wales, one sur-
veyor-general, and five assistants to New Zealand,
three additional surveyors to Western Australia, and
four additional to Ceylon. The fitness of the indivi-
duals who were sent, was in most instances ascertained
professionally before they received their appointments.
In the Cape of Good Hope also, where the arrears of
business connected with the survey of past grants is
stated to be so considerable, the department has been
increased, and put upon a more efficient footing. The
able Report of Captain Dawson, of the Royal En-
gineers, upon the best mode of conducting the sur-
veys of the waste lands in New Zealand, has been
transmitted to all the colonies possessing such lands,
and while much advantage in point of accuracy will,
we doubt not, be derived from following his sugges-
tions, it may also be hoped that if his estimated scale
of expenditure should be found sufficibnt for so intri-
cate a country as New Zealand, it will not require to
be exceeded anywhere else. This Report has already
been presented' to Parliament, having been published
in the Appendix to the Report of the Committee on
the Affairs of South Australia.

CLASSES ELIGIBLE FOR FREE PASSAGE TO AIN-
TRALIA—The leading principles upon which we (the
Commissioners) select the emigrants who are for-
warded in the ships engaged by our Board are, that
their trades and occupations shall be suited to the
wants of the colonies ; that their ages should be such
that their labour may be available to the colonies for
some years to come; that their families be not too
numerous, both on account of the.objections to them
by colonial employers, and also because mortality is
so likely to arise amongst young children on the voy.
age ; that unmarried females should go under proper
protection ; and lastly that the sexes should be in
equal proportions. It is possible that our selectio,n.s
would be more acceptable to the colonists if we could
include among them a greater number (at 4408 men.
But the extent of the disproportioA the sexes in
the Australian colonies is alrea.d,y Kt great that it pro-
bably ought on no account to he 'increased. By an
analysis we have made of latest returns which
have been received, it appears that in New South
Wales the proportion of free women to free men is 3
to 4i ; of convict women to convict men is 2 to 23;
in Van Diemen's Land, of free women to free men is,
3 to 4 ; of owlet women to convict men is 3 to 23;
in Western Australia, of women to men 3 to 5.

We conclude our analysis of the Report, by quoting
the remarks of the Commissioners upon several im-
portant subjects connected with the welfare of emi-
grants. In Addressing themselves to the Secretary
for tho Colonies, the Commissioners make the follow-

.
ing remarks :
PASSENGERS' Ac',--We would advert to the
amendments which we had the honour of suggesting
in the Passengers' Act, and which were embodied in a
Bill introduced by your Lordship at the commence.
meat of the present session, and now nearly
through Parliament. The constant communi passed
cations
which we have held with your Lordship's denay,t,
knetit
upon the subject of these amendments reuder it
un-
necessary that we should enter upon them at
a
length upon the present occa.sioa. The whole our
suggestions,
, to s
suggestions moreoveA with the grounds lumnirnu.lll,l;tai:
they rested, were laid before Parliament— --c"
necusly with the introduction of the
btheespluffiluceielpanti, therefore
objects of this law
ll by your
!,ieQrn etahliPtermlst, may
yt
regulate th© number of tate in
.31. Pauengers in each
are, Ist, to
ship, and to provide for their
on 1-10A0 j idly, to ensure a I °ter accommodation
seaworthiness of tho vessels ; and
sicmi and water for their Ili() ,14.,7" supply of provi-
3T, to provide for the
4thly, to protect
the emigrants. from
various. stages of their undertaking the numerous frauds 'to which at
and Inexperience expose them, rtaking their helpnessness
rious that the provbiana it had become noto-
rious
and of the most ketsettrse'ssiEngvilnsatoufregrweaetrem
of 'the former Act had proved
insufficient for tho* oil'
tually occurring under it. It became our duty,
therefore, to habi-
tually
suggest such amendments as the ell-