The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-01-11
Cann dian Affairs.
Correspondence aP the Republic.l

TORONTO, CANADA WEST, Jan. 9, 1851.
Canadian topics do not possess paramount inter
eat or Importance in the estimation of your readers
Still, perhaps, you may spare for a scrap
from this portion of her majcsty's dominions
Within the last three months l have had occasion
to traverse considerable portion of this section OIL
the province, and have therefore had tolerable op-
portunities Of ascertaning how people live and in
what direction public opinion is most disposed to
flow.
Beginning at the beginning, let me say, that the
first circumstance which attracted my notice in
the colony was the extent to which intemperance
prevails amongst the middle and working classes
spent the past summer in the western portion O
your great Republic, having travelled parts OF
Michigan and Illinois, and a very large part OF
Iowa. khad previously become acquainted with
Wisconsin. and parts of Ohio. Nothing produced
more powerful impression my mind during
these visits than the strict sobrety which prevails
extending, indeed, in full proportion of in
stances, to total abstinence. / entered Canada al
Hamilton, and was struck with the palpable evil
dence of the prevalence of intoxication. In the
whole of the West did not zee drunken man.
Half hour in Hamilton sufficed to bring in sigh
at least score Of noisy, quarrelsome drunkards
most Of them in charge of teams bound for the
bush. Subsequent observation has confirmed the
belief thus produced that the habit of using ardent
spirits, noxious whisky, and villainous COM
pound called brandy, prevails to extent which
would disgust nine out of ten of American agricul-
turists. do not propose to infiict upon you tenn
perance lecture; but the fact seems to me worthy
of a passing notice.
Despite of failings of this sort, the Canadian
farmer is hard. working soul as you can desire
to sec. His position entails upon him constant la
bor In the first place, he has to grapple with the
difficulties incident to an inhospitable climate.
Stock rearing cannot be profitable, with five or six
months OF house feeding. Again. although the
capabilities OF the colony as n wheat producing
country are indisputable the prices that prevail
far from remunerative. This ia partially attribu-
table to the unfavorable commercial position which
Canada occupies in its transactions with the States
partially also to the feebleness and inadequacy OF
its own commercial arrangements. Lastly, the
occupier of land has to DEAL in its purchase, either
with government TO which broad and consistent
views of policy unknown, with corporations
and companies utterly devoid of principle. In
either case the farmer has hard bargain to drive.
As a general rule, he has to pay for his land
than it is worth. II, as generally occurs he is
able, at starting, to pay the whole of the purchase
money, he has no alternative but to accept lease,
framed on the hardest possible rules from the ope
ration of which he is sure, later, to suffer.
The Canada Company is the most extensive, and
certainly the most Ubiquitous of the land mono
poles. The vast and fertile Huron tract ha.
been placed in its clutches, and its INSCRIPTIONS
and greedy dealings with its unfortunate lessees
are daily becoming more notorious.
An anomaly exists here that cannot explain The
unremunerative price of wheat have just noticed
Equally low prices pertain to all other descriptions
Of farm produce. All descriptions of it realize from
40 to 25 per cent less than can be obtained on the
south side of Lake Ontario. Yet although farm pro-
duce is cheap, farms themselves arc absurdly dear
Farms, dairy, or arabic, in northern New York
arc offered for less sums-much less sums-than
are asked for farms in this part of Canada although
the former have obvious advantages with regard TO
roads, prices markets, society and all other points
which ordinarily influences settlers choice. The
only reason have heard assigned for the extrava-
giant value which is attached to improved land here
is, the prediction which moneyed cmigrants are
prone to exhibit for settling in the British posses
sions. They come direct to Canada, without troub.
ling themselves about farms elsewhere, and, sur