286 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [YoL. 11. 



become the source of considerable revenue to the Province, as he noted 

 the fact that salt smuggled from "licks" in the United States was selling 

 for as much as ;^5, New York currency, per bushel. 



He endeavoured to conciliate Sir John Johnson, who was believed to be 

 discontented because he had not been appointed Lieutenant-Governor of 

 Upper Canada himself, and whose influence for the election of members 

 of the Assembly it was deemed of great importance to secure. Sir John 

 complained that after having been requested to furnish a list of the 

 " principal characters " in the western settlements to be recommended 

 for seats in the Legislative and Executive Councils, an ill-advised and 

 partial selection had been made, and most of those distinguished in the 

 Revolution had been passed over. Consequently he declined to offer 

 any further advice. He still continued to hold the important office of 

 Superintendent of Indian Affairs, being responsible to the Governor- 

 General alone, and any serious quarrel with him might have very embar- 

 rassing results. 



Simcoe lost no time for paving the way for immigration from various 

 parts of the United States. In one of his earliest despatches he relates 

 that a correspondent in Pennsylvania had informed him that a great 

 number of people in that State were disposed to remove into Upper 

 Canada, and others in Connecticut had assured him that the appointment 

 of Mr. Peters as Bishop would have the effect of attracting many from 

 that quarter, although he remarked that the dela}' which had already 

 occurred in granting a free constitution to the Province had altered the 

 views of many loyalists there. Hearing that many Quakers intended 

 to emigrate from the Eastern States, he decided to send a confidential 

 agent to confer with them on matters which they were too cautious to 

 commit to paper, in the hope of inducing them to come to Canada also. 

 Early in the spring of 1792, he caused a proclamation to be published in 

 English and French announcing that free grants of land would be made 

 to all persons desirous of settling in the Upper Province, one-seventh of 

 the land being reserved for the support of a Protestant clergy, and one- 

 seventh for the use of the Crown. The settlers would be merely required 

 to subscribe a declaration that they would defend the " authority of the 

 king in Parliament." Not more than 200 acres would be granted in the 

 first instance to any one person, but the Government might subsequently 

 grant an additional tract not exceeding a thousand acres. He requested 

 Mr. Dundas to have this proclamation sent to the West Indian papers 

 for publication, believing this to be the surest means of scattering it 

 widely in the United States, as he felt satisfied that the land speculators, 

 if not the Government itself would endeavour to prevent it from passing 

 the northern frontier. 



