Immigration and the Hudson's Bay Route. 563 



visiting the crofters from the West Highlands, now settled on free 

 grants of land in Manitoba, the Chairman said it must be most 

 gratifying and encouraging to Lady Gordon Cathcart to read the 

 testimony borne by the Professor as to the success of her benevolent 

 experiment. Free Government lands, he continued, in the most 

 favourable localities were being rapidly taken up, but free home- 

 steads were still to be had. The Canada North- West Land Company 

 itself possessed some two million acres of selected lands in Manitoba 

 and Assiniboine, and had an organization both here and at Winnipeg 

 for conducting its affairs, and the company was now able and ready 

 to afford every information, advice, and facilities to farmers or young 

 men with small capital, or, as before, to Highland crofters desirous 

 of going to take up homesteads in the North-West." 



In reply to Sir George, Dr. MacGregor, from whom I have pre- 

 viously quoted regarding the fertility of the North-West, remarked 

 that all he said two years ago about the fertility of the land in the 

 Canadian North-West had been more than borne out. After a 

 reference to the climate, he said the young were those who should 

 go out — persons used to agriculture. The settler who intended 

 farming his own land should have at least £125 clear capital on 

 his arrival, and it would be better if he had more. Going on to deal 

 with the practical matter of emigration, he asked, how was the poor 

 man in this country to get there ? There were multitudes of people 

 in that and other countries, he said, who were precluded from taking 

 advantage of the splendid opportunities which the Dominion 

 Government held out to them, for the simple reason that they were 

 utterly unable to pay the expenses of emigration. The only remedy, 

 he thought, was voluntarily to assist the transference of unutilized 

 labour to lands where labour was in great demand. Where the 

 means of emigration were almost or altogether a-wanting, it was the 

 duty of the Government of that country to intervene, and by some 

 wisely considered scheme to accomplish a work of Imperial necessity, 

 a work which private benevolence was unable to do, and colonization 

 companies were not likely to undertake. He believed it would and 

 must come to that in the long run. Let it be bourne in mind, he 

 added, in conclusion, that the colonization of the North-West had 



