FOLLOWING THE FLAG.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7526, 16 April 1890, Page 6

FOLLOWING THE FLAG.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRES3. Sib, —In one of your "Topics " recently you noticed Sir Charles Diike's late issue of " Greater Britain," iaad there appeared to be a slight atuouut of surprise that, when Canada oifered to give 160 acres of land to any emigrant who would settle in Manitoba, the larger number 6t emigrants from the British Isles went to the United Slates. When Sir Charles, a considerable number of years ago, crossed the American continent, he followed what is now the beaten track, and consequently did not experience the same amount of climatic inconvenience that is to be encountered in a <* North-west Passage by iand" through British territory. Probably, wit Lout sufficiently considering the subject, Sir Charles has allowed his ideas to be biassed by the proposal!! of emigration agent 3 and the Dominion Government. It may appear seductive to an emigrant to receive an offer of a gift of 160 acres of land in what is undoubtedly a fertile country, ready for che plough, but on inquiry he may find the offer is not so very acceptable. A glance at the map shows that che United States are bounded on the north by British America. A large number of American - and British people shrug their shoulders, and not without reason, at the inclement climate of a large portion of the Dominion. ■ Old Canadian* consider any part of America north of 45deg. is rather too severe a region to live in comfortably. Maize will ripen as far north as 45deg. The . soil in Canada is mostly fertile: The older settled parts along the St. Lawrence, which indudes the great lakes and the peninsula oa the bordeca ef Lake Erie, are as thickly populated as the old settled parts of the United States. ' All the necessaries of life can be grown to perfection,, and in that portion south of 43deg N. peaches are grown, and the vine flourishes fairly well. But what about Manitoba ?" Manitoba is in 50deg N. latitude. This means &.month longer winter than at Toronto, withies five months real winter, two months frosty spring, three months real summer, and two months autumu, with occasional flurries of snow. A respectable authority says that a day or two towards the end of September it was. warm and pleasant; the air was balmy: a number of Indians were travelling on horseback; suddenly a slight haze appeared, and the Indians became alarmed; after travelling a little < further they dismounted, formed a circle with their horses' backs, as much as possible to where they expected the wind to come from. They had hot long to wait before what is called a blizzard burst upon them. So sharp and cutting was the snow-laden blast that horses and men all perished. Last year we were informed that in at>lizzard children were frozen to death in going from school to their homes not more than a hundred yards distant. It is all very well to talk about beautiful prairie land, fit for the plough, but what about timber and firewood ?...In. Kansas, which is % mild climate, many of the poorer settlers, on the prairies, made halfburrows to live in. at the first start, for want of timber. That kind of residence would scarcely answer in. Manitoba without plenty of firewood. With the great difference in climate, and plenty of cheap land in the United Statesman emigrant can hardly. be expected to follow the old flag for the sake of about £40, the selling price of l<3o acres of land in the States. Besides, the relationship between Great Britain and the United States is so near that there is somewhat of a reciprocity ot feeling. A large number of the earlier settlers in Canada emigrated from Pennsylvania. A few miles north of Toronto there is a large settlement of American Quakers.

The facilities for intercourse are so great in these days that the sentiment of nationality is somewhat blunted by cosmopolitanism. British capitalists are now to be found in all countries. In old Spain most of the mines are worked by Cornishmen with British capital; Valparaiso is largely settled by our countrymen; the Argentine Republic has received a great accession of immigrants from our Mother Country. Our countrymen are not the only people who neglect their flag. Germans are to be found everywhere; there is erery reason to believe that they prefer living under our government, or that of the States, to their own ; they a'goverament ready made for them, irermans and Scandinavians readily amalgamate with the English-speaking people, but Iα emigrating, seem to prefer the milder climates. Frenchmen seem to prefer their own colonies. -Spaniards and Portuguese, as a matter of course, go to the warmer countries.—Yours. &&, '■/ l<s VIKtXAKD.