farms in this country, bringing with them their effects, also several Canadians have returned.

The free grant settlemnts are doing well; they have raised large crops the past Feason. There has been a falling off in the settlement of the free grant land, owing, I think, to the best land for settloment being taken up. Most of the good farming land in the county belongs to the New Brunswick Railway Company. The past year has been marked by a large degree of prosperity, owing to the heavy crops, especially hay, oats, buckwheat and root crops. There has also been a marked improvement in live stock in this county within the last few years, especially in short-horn cattle and grade sheep. Farmers have been getting good prices for all kinds of stock, Americans coming over and buying everything in the way of cattle and sheep, and paying good prices.

This county is yearly improving in population and wealth. Trusting the above will answer your purpose, if not too late,

Your obedient servant,

GEO. A. BEDELL.

COUNTY ST. JOHN, ST. MARTIN'S, 28th December, 1883.

DEAR SIR,-I send you a report of St. Martin's Agricultural Society, St. John County. Soil, light and gravelly.

Principal crops-Hay, oats, buckwheat and potatoes.

There is a great improvement in cattle and horses. Our people are now paying more attention to farming. Owing to the gravelly soil of our parish, we can beat the Province in growing good potatoes. Ship building is now confined to small vessels. Eighteen millions of saw-logs got out last winter. The season being dry, they were not all sawed, consequently there will not be so much lumbering this winter. When we get the railway through from St. John, it will be a great benefit to our parish.

Yours truly,

BENJAMIN WISHART,

President Agricultural Society.

NEW DENMARK,

VICTORIA COUNTY, 15th January, 1884.

DEAR SIR,-On account of being in the woods, I have not been able to reply to your letter before. The settlement of New Denmark has, during the past year, made very satisfactory progress. The season has been very favourable to farming, and an abundant crop has been harvested. The experience of those settlers who left the settlement during last year has had a very good effect on the minds of those remaining for not one of them has been able to report favourably, but all who are honest about it, agree in stating, instead of improving their circumstances by leaving New Brunswick for the highly advocated garden fields of the Western States, they have impoverished themselves, and strongly advise their friends to remain.

The number who left have been more than replaced by the new arrivals, which this year have been fifty-two persons.

The rapid increase of the herds of cattle, the large quantities of produce, such as grain, butter, eggs, beef, cattle, &c., shipped to market; the general signs of improvement in the circumstances of the settlers, is a good proof of the fact which has 80 often been demonstrated, that New Brunswick as a home for emigrants from Scandinavia, Great Britain and other parts of modern Europe; can not be surpassed by any other country on the American continent, with its healthy and pleasant climate, rich soil, magnificent forest of valuable wood, splendid water privileges, and very easy markets. New Brunswick can easily fill any reasonable expectations, and would undoubtedly, if proper means were adopted, be sought as a home, by thousands of those stout-hearted and able-bodied men, who every year leave their fatherland for the promising plains of America.

First of all, the system of giving land away free should cease. This would secure a better class of immigrants in general-and instead of being as it is now, an expense to the Province, it would be, by putting a fair price on the land, made to not only cover the expense of advertising, road building, surveying, &c., but would give a surplus.

There is no reason whatever why the land of New Brunswick should not be sought after by immigrants with means, as well as any other place in America, and I cannot suppose that there is any doubt on any body's mind, that it would be in the general interest of all to have the fertile lands of New Brunswick taken up and converted into productive fields by a good class of emigrants; 2,300 acres of land have been taken up here this year.

Yours truly,

H. PETER LYSGAR PETERSON.

The number of acres ungranted in the Province, 31st October, 1882 :

In addition to the above, the New Brunswick Railway Company own nearly 2,000,000 acres of the best farming land in the Province, 10 shillings sterling per acre at present.

Compare the products of wheat and oats crop, as given in this report, with that of the United States, for the undermentioned States :

Michigan

Wheat.

Indiana

Illinois.......

Wisconsin.

Iowa.....

Minnesota...
Kansas.....

Nebraska.............................

St. John and suburbs are important manufacturing centres.

Mille, foundries, machine shops and factories of almost every kind are scattered all over.

The Waterous Engine Works at Brantford, Ontario, through their resident agent here, have sold a number of their portable steam engines, &c., all over this Province and Nova Scotia.

From other counties I have no report, though urgently solicited.

I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

SAMUEL GARDNER.
Dominion Immigration Agent.

The Honourable

No. 10.

ANNUAL REPORT OF WINNIPEG AGENT.

(W. C. B. GRAHAME.)

DOMINION GOVERNMENT IMMIGRATION OFFICE,

WINNIPEG, Man., 31st December, 1883.

SIR-I have the honour to present to you, this, my second Annual Report, of work done in the interest of immigration, at this Agency, during the present year. As Winnipeg is the grand point of distribution for immigrants to this part of the Dominion, the Agency here may, with truth, be called the "Castle Garden" of the North-West, lacking, however, the many conveniences and facilities, for the prompt disposal of the new-comer, with which the officials of that great immigration depot are blest.

This country has been visited, during the summer, by numbers of influential and wealthy representatives of European capital and enterprise. Among them I would mention Herr Spielberg, member of the Saalkreis, for Halle, one of the principal University towns of Germany.

This gentleman was, undoubtedly, one of the most practical and observing of delegates.

My assistant (Mr. H. J. Maass) conducted Mr. Spielborg through the district, and ably carried out my instructions, in doing all in his power to let the delegate see both sides of everything.

He (Spielberg) hai many personal interviews, holding long conversations with the farmers, carefully entering into all the minutiae of their experiences, in re soil, climate, crops, stock, water, fuel and, in fact, everything he could think of, that would in any way affect the well-being of the settler.

In these interviews and conversations Mr. Maass acted as interpreter.

On the return of Mr. Spielberg from the West, I persuaded him to make the trip by team, from Winnipeg to Emerson, up the west bank of the Red River, thus enabling him to visit the thriving settlements of the Mennonites, and hear from the lips of this worthy people (in his own native tongue) praises of a land, the fertility of which, combine with their own industry and frugality, has elevated them from poverty to comparative ease, comfort, and in many cases, affluence; and in addition to which they enjoy the most complete religious and political freedom.

Before leaving the country, this gentleman expressed himself not only well pleased with what he had seen, but surprised that such a vast area of rich territory should be so long in existence, without the rest of the world knowing more of its wonderous productive capacities.

There was still, however, another surprise in store for him. He could not credit the numerous reports, re the old settlers cultivating their farms, year after year, without using manure.

To confirm these statements, however, he was introduced to a Mr. Sutherland, of Kildonan, whose parents came to this country with the Earl of Selkirk, about the Year 1815, since which period their farm has been cultivated without the use of

ma ure.

We saw the immense manure heap, an accumulation of sixty years, forming a mound and promontory into the river.

11-64

Mr. Sutherland threshed from the present season's crop between 30 and 40bushels of wheat to the acre. There was was also a potato patch of about three-fourths of an acre, from which Mr. Sutherland expected a yield of between 300 and 400 bushels. All this from land 60 years under cultivation without any artificial fertili zer, was almost too much for the credulity of our Teutonic guest.

It is, nevertheless, a fact, as Mr. Sutherland's mother, now a very old lady, was present, and conversed freely about her young days, when she first came to this country with the "good Earl of Selkirk," whose name is still revered by the few that are yet remaining of the old Selkirk Colony.

I would also mention the visit of His Royal Highness, Prince Hohenlohe, who, with his suite, travelled over the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway as far as the Rocky Mountains.

Messrs. Williams and Owen, delegates from the Welsh Quarrymen's Union, the Rev. Hugh Huliott, of St. John's Vicarage, Bethnal Green, London, also many prominent members of the English press visited this country during the summer, with a view to ase rtaining its resources, its future, as a field for immigration, and for the safe investment of capital.

Among these I would mention the following names:-Mr. Charles Anderson, Jr., of The North British Agriculturist; Mr. Walter Darkin, of Bell's Weekly Messenger; Mr. Francis, Corre pondent, and Mr. Talbot,Correspondent and Artist, of the London Pictorial World; Mr. R. S. Trimble, of the Fermanagh Reporter, one of the leading country journals of the North of Ireland.

Mr. Trimble visited the greater portion of the district, accompanied by Mr. Maass, assistant; examined the land and the crops, held personal interviews with the farmers, and would believe nothing but what he saw and heard from the highest possible authority, namely, the actual cultivators of the soil.

He returns to Ireland to publish, through his journal, his experiences in, and opinions of, the great North-West,

I have received numerous letters, from the Western States, asking for information about Manitoba and the North-West.

These letters are mostly from practical farmers, whose farms are not sufficiently large for their fast increasing families, and who are anxious to come where the "young folks" will not only have plenty of room, but will receive bountiful returns for labour, expended on these fertile lands.

This expected immigration from the United States, is due to my personal efforts, under your directions, in that part of the country for the past few years.

I have also received letters of inquiry, from the East Indies, Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies, in addition to which, letters of inquiry are pouring in daily, from all parts of the Old World.

The supposed lack of fuel, in the country, has caused many intending emigrants to hesitate before taking the final step. This obstacle is, however, a thing of the past, for, with the development of the immense coal deposits, we will not only have sufficient fuel for home consumption, but will be able to supply our neighbours, southof the 49th parallel, with this very necessary article.

There is, also, abundant proof of the existence of gold and other minerals all of which will aid materially in attracting the settler and the capitalist to this land of plenty.

There is another very decided advantage, this country will gain, in the securing of immigrants, namely, the near prospect of completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, thus enabling the immigrant to pass on, from point of debarcation to the North-West, without the necessity of crossing the American frontier, as there can be no doubt that this temporary transit, through the United States, has lost to the Dominion many valuable settlers.

Until the railway connection is established, the immigrant will lose no time in travelling via the lakes to Port Arthur, as the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's magnificent fleet of steamers will carry the passenger to his destination, about as rapidly as he could travel by the present rail route.