[ganong] origins of SETTL?:MENTS in new BRUNSWICK 77 



New Bruiiswick Législature passed " an Act to provide for, and en- 

 courage the settlement of eniigranits in this province," in wliicii it 

 was provided that certain persons in each county should act as a com- 

 mittee to inquire into the character and condition of emigrants, and, 

 where satisfactory, recommend them for location tickets for lands to 

 be laid out and surveyed in each county. Apparently it was under 

 this law that the numerous emigrant settlements of this period were 

 laid out and settled. The emigran'cs occupied their lands simply by 

 location tickets until they were able to pay the moderate fees, quit 



relieve, if possible, the situation of the many distressed immigrants in and about 

 that place. The committee proceeded to visit the habitations of these unfortunate 

 people, and with few exceptions found them uncomfortably lodged and by no means 

 prepared to meet the approaching winter." (Old newspaper.) 



No doubt this meeting- led to the formation of the following society: 



" The Fredericton Emigrant Society. This Society was formed at Fred- 

 ericton in 1819, for the relief of destitute strangers, being- the first insbitution 

 of that kind formed in the Province. It expended large sums in that and 

 the following years, and besides relieving the temporary necessities of great 

 numbers of destitute emigrants, enabled many of them to settle on new land, 

 who are now in comfortable independent circumstances. It is not at present 

 in active operation, but has funds to a considerable amount." (Sketches of 

 New Brunswick, 35.) 



This Society proved unable to meet the demands upon it and in 1S23 Sir 

 Howard Douglas recommended legislative action to meet the situation. 

 In his address he says " the destitute and distressed condition of emigrants 

 on their first arrival has been such as to render the benevolence of the 

 Emigrant Societies and that of individuals altogether insufficient for their 

 lelief, and their poverty and ignorance of the labour of the country pre- 

 venting them from making imn'ied'iate settlements upon land." As a result 

 of his efforts the New Brunswick Agricultural and Emigrant Society, a 

 provincial institution with branches in the different counties, was founded 

 in 1S25 to aid emigrants. The latter were to be placed temporarily under 

 its charge and to be located on their lands under its direction. This in- 

 stitution appears not to have accomplished what was expected of it and in 

 a few years it disappeared. It was not however, a cessation of poverty 

 which led to its decline, for this characterized most of the immigrants 

 throughout the period. Thus in 1848 a speaker in the House of Assembly 

 referred to " the clouds of wretched people who had landed upon our shores 

 during the past season" (Fenety. Political Notes, 262). It is, however, greatly 

 to 'the credit of the great majority of immigrants that ones given a fair 

 start in this country they rapidly rose from want to comfort and often to 

 attluence. 



In 1832 a law was passed requiring that the masters of vessels arriving 

 in New Brunswick with emigrants should pay to the Province five shillings 

 for each emigrant, the proceeds to be used solely for the relief of distressed 

 emigrants upon arrival, or for conveying such to their destination within 

 the Province. This tax provided £2,183 lis. 8d. in 1834. 



