vi Preface. 



obtained from any of tho land apents. Homesteaders in the first year of Bettlemcnt 

 ore entitled to free permits to cut a specified quantity of timber for their own use 

 only, upon jxiymcnt of an ofHce fee of 25 cents. 



It must be distinctly understood that the land regulations arc subject to varia- 

 tion from time to time. Settlers should take care to obttiin from the Ian', agent, 

 wh?n making their entry, an explanation of the actual regulations in force at that 

 time, and the clause of the Act under which the entry is made endorsed upon the 

 receipt, so that no question or dilKculty may then or thereafter arise. 



British ('oluiiihia. — In this province any British subject who is the head of 

 ft family, a widow, or a single man over 18 years, or an alien proposing to become 

 a Uritish subject, may acquire the right from the Provincial Government to pre- 

 empt not more than 160 acres of Crown lands west of the Cascade Range, and 320 

 acres in the oast of the province. The price is 4s. 2d. an acre, payable by four 

 annual instalments. The conditions are — (1) Personal residence of the settler, or 

 his family or agent ; (2) improvements to be made of the value of 10s. (id. an acre. 

 Lauds from KJO to G40 acres may also be bought at from $1 to $5 an acre, ac- 

 cording to class, without conditions of residence or improvements. 



The Esquimau and Nanaimo Eailway Syndicate have not yet fully arranged 

 the terms upon which they will dispose of their unoccupied lands. They own 

 about 1,500,000 acres, but they are much broken up by rock and mountains. 



The land belonging to the Dominion Government lies within the " Railway 

 Belt, " a tract 20 miles wide on each side of tho line, which begins near the sea-board, 

 runs through tho New Westminster district, and up the Fraser Valley to Lytton ; 

 thence it runs up the Thompson River valley, jwist Kamloops and through Eagle 

 Pass, across the northern part of Kootenay district to the eastern frontier of 

 British Columbia. The country is laid out in townships in the same way as 

 in Mttu'toba and tho North-Wcst Territories. The lands may be purchased at a 

 price not less than $5 (£1) per acre — free from setthMuent conditions, no sale, 

 except in special cases, toe.xceed (!40 acres to any one person. The lands may bo 

 '• homesteuded " in certain proclaimed districts by settlers who intend to reside on 

 then). A regifctration fee of $10 (£2) is charged at the time of application. Six 

 montlis is allowed in which to take possession, and at the end of three years, on 

 proof of continuous residence of not less than six months annually and cultivation, 

 lie acquires a patent on payment of $1 per acre for the land. In case of illness, or 

 of nccos.«ary absence from the homestead during the three years, additional time will 

 bo granted to the settler to conform to the (iovernment regulations. Any person 

 after IL' months' residence on his homestead, and cultivation of 30 acres, may obtain 

 a ])atent on i)aynient of $2.50 (10a) per acre. These conditions apply to agri- 

 cultural lands. 



In addition to the free-grant lands available in Manitoba 

 Lands for and the North- West Territories, several companies have 

 Sale. large blocks of land which they offer for disposal at 



reasonable rates, from $2.50 up to $10 per acre. Among 

 others, the Canadian Pacific Eailway Company (Land Commissioner, 

 Mr. L. A. Hamilton, Winnipeg) has about 14 millions of acres ; 

 and the Hudson Bay Company (Chief Commissioner, Mr. C. C. 

 Chipman, Winnipeg) has also a considerable area. The same 

 remark applies to the Canada North-West Land Company (Land 

 Commissioner, Mr. W. B. Scarth, Winnipeg) and the Manitoba and 

 North- Western Eailway Company; and there are several other com- 

 panies, including the Land Corporation of Canada. The Alberta Coal 

 and Eailway Company also own nearly half a million acres of land in 

 the district of Alberta. The prices of these lands vary according to 

 position, but in most cases the terms of purchase are easy, and 

 arranged in annual instalments, spread over a number of years. 

 Mr. E. Seeman, c/o The Manitoba and North-Western Eailway 

 Company, Winnipeg, has purchased about 80,000 acres of land from 



