The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-10-22
The New Rugby.

: About the close of the year 1877 an
association was formed by a number of
Bostonians for the promotion OF mi
grafton to unoccupied farming lands,
diverting surplus labor from the over
full workshops of the East to the till
age of the earth--the basis of all indus
tries, and the primary source of all
wealth." This organization adopted the
somewhat-peculiar title of Board of
Aid to Land Ownership"
Extensive journeys of observation
were made by committees sent out under
the auspices of the Board. embracing
.tours through the principal grain-pro-
ducing areas of the West and South. 1t
was not until the following May that the
highlands in Fest Tennessee were no.
ticed. A second visit was made during
the summer Of 1878, when the CORE
spending slope upon the eastern side of
the Blue Ridge, in North Carolina, was
also visited, after which the board pre-
sented the following opinion
"That the mountain plateau of East
Tennessee, in Consideration of its eli
mate, soil, elevshsn, Ysufliciently-level
surface, timber, water, mineral re-
sources, accessibility, natural mechan-
ical facilities, and attractive aspects it's
proximity to o refined sterilization, edu-
scational advantages, and markets, with
the kindly disposition9 of its present
population, oferst greater opportunity
for the accomplishment OF the design of
this board than any other tract visited
in travel for six months, and over dis
lance of about 20, 900 miles, in Western
and Southern States"
The well-known loyalty of the people
of this section to the Union was doubt
less factor in this favorable conclusion
During the past few Yeas, as the fnan-
cial prospects of the United States have
brightened,u those of Great Britain
depressed. By a fortunate circum-
stance, the attention of certain
English gentlemen of prominence was
directed to the Boston project, and as n
result the scene of operations was trans
ferred to London. The English compa-
ny was registered upon Jan. %, 1879,
and at once began to secure lands i'll
Scott, Morgan, Fentress and Overton
counties, Tenn, along the line of the
Cincinnati Southern railway, which was
then rapidly approaching its southern
terminus at Chattanooga.
The Presidency of the board was nc
cepted by Thomas Hughes, Esq g. c.,
who has long since, by word and pen,
earned the distinction of being the cham
pion of the rising generation, and who
hopes to find at least a partial solution
of the vexed question, "What shall En-
gland do with her boys and girls?"
With characteristic English incisive-
ness, Mr.. Hughes has visited the section
selected in Tennessee, aud has devoted
himself to the minutest prelimineries OF
colonization, his faith in the ultimate
success of the enterprise being such
that numbers of his own family are
among those who have already arrived.
The formal opening of the colony oc-
Cured Oct. 5.
At the present time the board has Sc
cured titles to some 80, 600 acres, pro-
posing to enlarge the borders of its pos.
session as rapidly as.expedient until
400. 900 acres have been secured
The name chosen for the new colony
is Rugby, in compliment to one OF
the most popular of Mr.. Hughes books,
pnd the general title of the section is
"The Plateau" this word happily sug-
costing the elevated yet rolling char.
acter of its topography. - Horper's
| Weekly. .es.-