Smith's Canadian gazetteer - ElectricCanadian.com

246
To give anything like a correct account of the quantity of produce of variotrsf
kinds—wheat, flour, pork, beef, &c.—raised and exported, would be under the
present order of thinjrs absohitely impossible, as no entry is made of articlesexported.
It is most extraordinary that no provision is made by the provincial
government for collecting some account of the grain and other fanning produce
exported from the province, in order that its capabilities and progress might -be
made public and known to the world. At present, except in some locality
"where the produce shipped is liable to harbour dues, there is no possibility of
arriving at a knowledge of the exports except from the shipping merchants.
A statement has lately been published by the House of Assembly of certain
returns made to it, which contains very little real information on the subject^
thirteen pages, or about half the p;tmphlet being taken up with imports at the
little port of St. Johns. In this return the exports of wheat and flour froin
Montreal and Quebec in 1844 are stated at—Flour, 415,467 barrels; and -wheat,
282,183 bushels. Now, as the quantity of flour and wheat that passed through
the Weiland Canal, the Desjardlns Canal, with that shipped from Hamilton,
alone amounted to—of the former, 448,958 barrels; and of the latter, 2,141,022
bushels; it is manifest that this amount must bQ incorrect; or what becomes of
the immense quantity of both wheat and flour shipped from the various ports
along the coast of Lake Ontario, including Wellington Square, Oakville, Port
Credit, the Humber, Toronto, Windsor Bay, Oshawa, Bond Head, Brighton,,
Port Hope, Cobourg, Colborne, Trent, Belleville, the Prince Edward District,
and the Johnstown District unless the whole of this large quantity is required
for the consumption of the inhabitants of Lower Canada, which will hardly be
pretended. Large quantities of barrelled beef and pork, butter, peas, pot and
pearl ashes, furs, wool, lumber and staves are exported; the aggregate value of
which, if its amount could be ascertained, must be enormous.
In consequence of the suicidal policy of many of the importing merchants in
Montreal, and the forwardei's, the former in demanding too large profits, and
the latter in making enormous charges for freight, the imports of many heavy
articles from Great Britain are falling off, particularly of heavy groceries, such
as tea, coffee, sugar, spices, &c. ; the western merchants finding that they can go
to New York and make their purchases (even paying the additional duties upon
the articles on account of their being foreign goods), at a greater advantage than
they can buy them in Montreal. This has been particularly the case since the
diminution of the duty upon tea imported from the United States; thns, in 1842
the quantity of tea imported into Quebec and Montreal amounted to 1,380,940 lbs.,
and in 1845 it had fallen off to 77(),()15 lbs. In 1844 the number of vessels
employed on the lakes and rivers above Quebec amounted to 86 steamboats,
whose aggregate tonnage amounted to 12,808 tons; and 794 sailing vessels,
barges, &;c., the tonnage of which was 72,842 tons; and the
Property insured by the St. I^awrence Inland Marine
Assurance (k)mpany for the season amounted to £445,176 5
The premium on which amounted to 4,857 11 2
The amount of losses during the year paid by the Company 3,293 7 1
Additional losses not yet settled, but estimated at 1,450
For many years the agricultui'e of the province generally was at a very lowstandard;
but within the last few years it has begun to make great advancements,
and is beginning to keep pace with the inii)roven»ents introduced into
Enu'land and Scotland. The emigi-.ition into the country of scientilie .ngriculturists,
with the establishment of au^riciiltural societies, have been mainly instrumental
in producing tliis great change; stock of a dill'erent and better description
has been imjtorted, and much land that was previously considered by the
old proi)rietors worn out, has been imjiioved and brought back, by means of
judicious treatment, to its old capabilities.
In order to give an impetus to the progress of improventeut in agriculture.