11 



farms are very tow. Without the lumbering establishments, living ■would 

 be very hard to obtain in that region. Fortunately some of the farmers 

 can sell their cattle to passing drovers. It is not astonishing, therefore, 

 that in this parish, which is so yoiing and so little advanced that it would 

 require every hand for farming, there is still a comparatively considerable 

 emigration to the United States How can it be otherwise ? Our f 'How- 

 country m<"n are now so numerous in the New England States, especially 

 Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and that they constitute important 

 colonies there, retaining their autonomy, their national character, their 

 distimt physiognomy, their habits and their customs and, moreover, they 

 have their own churches, convents, and hospitals, in a word, another 

 Province of Quebec, transported to the United States, whicli can, in many 

 respects, replace to advantage the Canada of their forefathers. 



A young girl whom I met on the way and who had come to spend 

 sonic weeks in her native ])lace, which sshe had left when a child and 

 whieh she hiid not scrn for eight'-en years, replied with an expressive 

 shrug of the shoulders to sonic questions which I asked her r.specting 

 repatriation : "Oh yes, th^'re is no danger. I iind it very miserable here. 

 We arc so well oil'ar Fall liiver ; there the Canadians nre at home, they 

 live altogether, they form the wholi; population of a town, La F/in, and 

 never have any troiiblc about getting work. " (La Flin probably means 

 Flint, the luune ol' a small riv^r which runs through the town of Fall 

 Tlivcr). This is how our French Canadians gallicize English names to 

 retaliate for the anglicizing which afflicts us here. 



I may be permitlcd to insert here some very sensible and very true 

 remarks respecting rc]);)triation made by a man who is a competent judge 

 and who went last year to vi it most of the Canadian centres of Mas- 

 sachusetts and New flampshire : 



" The French-Canadians an' in a much better position than fifteen 

 years ago. They now form important groups in each town ; they have 

 their churches, couveiitis, advocates, physicians, merchants &c., many of 

 whom are very weallhy. Do not imagine that they will consent to work 

 for rt'patriatiou. On thi' contrary, they do all they can against it and en- 

 deavour to increase their nuuil)ers by inducing their I'rioids to join them. 

 They sc • a;ul undi'rstand that they ar« ffaijiing inlluenc.c and that they will 

 soon be in a positioii to make that influence felt in the House of ivepre- 

 sentativi's. Their yu'iests are also anxious to see them iiicrease in number 

 and iniluence, so thai, whatever may be the jileasure they feel in seeing 

 the Province (j)' Qu»'bec prosper, 1 hey will never do auything for repa- 

 triation. 



" Nevertheless a good many workmen hope some day to return to 

 Quebec with suilicient cai>ital to settle on a farm. iJut as the majority 

 belong to the poorest, class, it will take some time for them to carry out 

 heir project ; they are not as saving as they were in Canada, there are 



