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LAND-JOBBING. 403 
Speculation and land-jobbing carried to such 
a pitch cannot but be deemed great evils in 
the community; and to prevent them from ex^ 
tending into Canada appears to be an object 
well worthy the attention of government; but 
it seems unnecessary to have recourse for that 
purpose to the very exceptionable measure of 
withholding a good title to all lands granted 
by the crown, a measure disabling the land- 
holder from taking the proper steps to improve 
his estate, which gives rise to distrust and sus¬ 
picion, and materially impedes the growing 
prosperity of the country. 
It appears to me, that land-jobbing could 
never arrive at such a height in Canada as to 
be productive of similar evils to those already 
sprung up from it in the United States, or 
similar to those further ones, with which the 
country is threatened, if no more land were 
eminently distinguished for his prudence and foresight, per¬ 
ceiving that land had risen beyond its actual value, and per¬ 
suaded that it could not rise higher for some years to come, 
advertised for sale every acre of which he was possessed, ex¬ 
cept the farms of Mount Vernon, The event shewed how 
accurate his judgment was. In the close of the year, one of 
the great land-jobbers, disappointed in his calculations, was 
obliged to abscond; the land trade was shaken to its very’ 
foundation 5 bankruptcies spread like wildfire from on© 
great city to another, and men that had begun to build pa¬ 
laces found themselves likely to have no better habitation 
for a time than the common gaol 
