OP WESTERN CANADA, 29 



Tlie larger Almanacs or Calendars of former days contain a good 

 deal of information about Canada. 



In the Quebec Almanac and British Americ^i Royal Calendar for 

 1819, we have "A brief account of Canada written in 1811." It is 

 there stated that " the largest quantity of Avheat ever exported from 

 Canada, was in 1802, It amounted to 1,010,033 bushels. There 

 were besides exported that year, 28,301 barrels of flovir and 22,051 

 cwt. of biscuit. Animal food has generally been furnished in abund- 

 ance in Lower Canada. *- * * The value of the exportations 

 from the St. Lawrence in. 1810 has been estimated by mercantile 

 men at 1,200,000 pounds sterling, including disbursements of ships 

 employed in the trade, the number of which was 661, men 6,578, 

 tonnage 143,893, and also the value of 5,896 tons of neAv ships 

 built in the Province. A considerable proportion of the produce of 

 the United States, and all the furs obtained in the Indian countries, 

 are included in the general amount. The price of labour in the 

 towns," it is added " for four years past may be estimated at four 

 shillings (5 of a dollar) per day throughout the year, one half of 

 which sum has been paid for board and lodging. Bread has been at 

 about 2-Jd. \)er 5)., and beef 5d." 



In 1813 there was published at Philadelphia, "A Geographical 

 View of the Province of Upper Canada," by M. Smith, Mr. Smith 

 appears to have been a citizen of the U. S. He dates his preface 

 from Winchester, Connecticut, and he says, " I was induced to this 

 business about three years ago, while in Canada, from a belief that 

 a full and impartial account of the Province would be acceptable and 

 useful to my fellow, citizens, as of late years many have been in the 

 habit of moving there. And I also knew that a correct geographical 

 account of the Province of Upper Canada had never been published : 

 whatever had been, was brief and defective. I may add that the 

 mildness of the climate, fertihty of the soil, benefit of trade, cheap- 

 ness of the land, and morals of the inhabitants, so far exceeded my 

 expectations and the apprehensions of the public in general, I deemed 

 it my duty to make known the same. I will also observe, that I 

 have wrote from experimental knowledge, and not merely from what 

 has beeii suggested by others. Some may imagine, because I write 

 thus, that I have a partiality, for the English, but this I solemnly 

 deny. I only describe things in their true characters, with the 

 ■ impartiality of an historian, I began this work before the war. I 



