Year: 1860

Y. Herald, of eight columns, touching the fugi-
tive slaves in Canada, make the following ex-
tracts inasmuch as the narrative is of such
length. The writer gives the result of his OBJ
servations after having been at all the settle
ments, and conversed with the most intelligent
among them.


He says the Runaway Negroes in Canada are
located in two counties Essex and kent-in
the South West corner Of the Province, near
Lake Erie. He says the Underground Rail
Road is regular organization of Abolitionsts,
extending through every free State, for the run
ing off from their masters the slaves into Cana
da.


1t has regular subscribers to the Capital Stock,
and amongst them are to be found the most dis
tingushed Abolition leaders.


1t has its emmissaries and agents on tho bor-
ders Of every slave State and along the princi-
pal railroads and other routes travelled by fu-
gitive slaves.


Wherever practicable colored men are used
as agents to collect subscriptions because they
can do it with better grace, and in every city
and town Of note along the borders both of
Canada and of the slave States, gang of white
Abolitionists live in dleness off the profits Of
the business.


In carrying on their operations the most con-
sumate yankee ingenuity is evnced in turning
the whole thing into a money making institu-
ton. For instance half dozen runaway slaves
are got together, say at Philadelphia, who have
been enticed away from their masters in Eir-
ginia under the delusive idea that they are sure
of bettering their condition. They are rugged
out with half clothing story is got up OF their
sufterings and they are exhibited to charitable
persons with strong appeal for money to help
them on to Canada. The money Is raised to
carry them through. At New York they are
lodged with an agent, and word sent out to the
charitable, the same story is told OF their es-
capes and sufferngs, and the appeal brings out
money sufficient the second time to land them
in Canada. At Albany the same process is gone
through and the money again raised, and so on
until they are finally lodged on British soil,
when they are turned loose or handed over to
the British aboitionists agent. In this way it
is averred, three four, and often five times as
much money is raised as is needed to send them
along, but the most Of which is pocketed by the
willy and money making yankee aboitionists
on the route. And it is stated that often when
the runaways Cannot be got in sufficient num-
bers, the agents will hire free negroes to repre-
sent themselves as runaway slaves, and by 60
ing through the motions in the different cities,
large sums of money are raised from the unwa-
ry and charitable citizens, all Of which goes in
to the pockets of the scheming and bawling alb
clifton agents, and is used to live and get rich
on. AS it is in the Eastern States-and the
most of those persons who are sincere in be-
half of the negro slave and give largely for his
freedom ale made the victims OF designing mon
ey making scamps who are lining their own
pockets and getting rich by keeping up the agi-
tation about slavery, while the poor Niger is
enticed away from good home and set down
in the wids of Canada penniless houseless, and
has but to choose between starvation and steal
ing.


But let us look at the situation and condi
tion Of the negro in Canada, and after he has
been used to fleece philanthropists out OF their
money. I make the following extracts from
the narrative of the writer in the Herald


"Some years ago tract Of land, about twelve
miles from Amhurstburg was purchased by some
benevolent Quakers for the purpose support
ing fugitive slaves upon it, and is known as the
Colchester settlement. The object was to raise
contributions to build school, and to support
the negroes, partly by their own labor and part
ly by charity. But it was soon found that the
blacks pre- ierred the charity to the labor, and
they sank into colony of lazy, worthless
thieves. The settlement has now gone to piec'
eS.


THE ELaIN ASSOCIATION.


The settlement OF Buxton, in the township
of Raleigh and county of Kent about twelve
miles from Chatham, is the most important ne
gro settlement in this part probably in any part
OF the province of Canada. 1t is under the di-
rection OF a regularly incorporated association,
called the Elgin Association, and by the title oil
the act of Incorporation its object is "the settle
ment and moral improvement of the colored
population of Canada"


When the project Of the Elgn settlement was
first broached, it met the earnest opposition and
aroused the Indignation OF the people of Chat
ham.


The name of the association would appear to
identify the late Governor General of Canada
with the movement and its projectors were
not unwilling to suffer the impression to 60
forth that Lord Egn actually was patron o.
their scheme.


r The proessed object of the experiment was tc
ascertain by trial whether the negro race could
be made selEsupportng as their own masters
and as proprietors Of farms, without any person
to guide or control them


The association of Stockholders was formal
ly made at Toronto in 1910. The stock was
divided into shares of ten pounds each, to the
mount of five thousand pounds, and the act o
incorporation, passed on the 10th of August, Is.
50, gave them power to purchase nine thousand
acres Of the Crown or Clergy Reserve Lands ir
the township of Raleigh, in the county of Kent
and to sell the same in lots to "colored families
resident IN Canada of good moral character
There is provision in the act which requires
that the price fixed by the Directors of the So
ciety for the lands 'shall not exceed the prices
paid the government to any greater amount thar
is sufficient tor the expense of said corporation
and six per cent interest per annum upon the
stock subscribed. AS, however, the amount
Sufficient for the expenses of the corporation
is an indefinite sum, it can readily be seen that
quite a snug land speculation might lie at the
bottom Of this grand scheme OF philanthropy
Indeed, the sale of the land 1.-THE settled rate
1.-TWO dollars and q half per acre), which is,
believe, just double the price paid to the gov.
ernment, would alone realize the snug surplus
ofS1125o, Without taking into the calculation
ofthe "reversions OF lots by the death Of the
purchaser, his failure to fulfil his contract or biz
removal from the settlement after MAJ king i'm.
proyements which add considerably to the pros
pectiye profits Of the speculation.


"A drive of two hours from Chatham over the
snow, which lay thick enough on the ground tc
cover the irregularities of an otherwise rough
road, brought me to the settlement. There
are but few houses on the way, and those of
very poor description. The fact that Negro
settlement is near is made evident from the ap