The New York Herald Newspaper, January 5, 1860, Page 2

NEW YORK HERALD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 1860. — ion of fugitive blacks int midst? While &) c « failure, tod that ang aesistange given to the bi "? ‘galling v » dav aludble : wits eed black sbolitiontete, British sod Amerisam, who erty” and “galling 5 ace dnvalu , Ut Utne engaged In running off tue slaves tical harangues, the practical man wh ! uzZ°4s, 8 OD)y AN injury to the negro, and dollars at the sed philant tou for hiny (rom a comfortable home, and a po: mi y i th n has fitted him, to plunge nim the “poor slay in , ito ruffering, siekness and erime, J shalt! proceed to lay of his charity is actuully bene and | your readers « faith{al description of the principal jegraded thereby. Hegre settlements in Western Caoada, aad of the bavits, : rey me. ss h t npor- Cond tion and prospee's of the residents tant. The ov offects of the uilict? prac: THE BLGIN ASSOCIAT! tically car whether by the sy aling 0 ‘The ettloment of Buxton, 1m the township of Raleigh ‘s are sntin the Rnd county of Kent, about twelve miles from Chatham, is t tion ran’ ction, mire slaves, or by mure distracted condition of the Unia, and the tl! blood between the States. Surely, if we Sad that the acts which produ these c panoful to the slav Curse to him aud to society, instead of a blessing —we shal De worse than insane not to apply the remedy ‘The underground railrosd 1s po myth. A regnlar or ganization, to Which this name has been app) through every free State in the Union, andcmissaries on the borders of every sla alougiall the routes traveled by fugitive stayos, Itts a sys- tomatized association of negroes and republican abolition whites, baving for its object the enticing away of the Blave property of the South, and its safe transportation Into Canada. It has regular gubseribers to its capitat stock to alargo amount, and amongst them in our own State may be found the names of the most prominent politi cians in the republican pa The republican abylition Organs affect to ridicule the Sea of the existeuce of any Bystematic organization of the kind; but the editors of the very papers that would discredit the story record their subscriptions upon the books of the association. Wher- ever practicable, men of o'er are put forward as the ac tive agents of the road, as » ions for all come with & better grace from 2 than from whites; but im every city in the Stat New York, and in al! places tretches agents and ud has od Of note along the States 1) ap ta, the white abolitionists arc interested in the subscriptions, aud a gang of them live in id’eness a ¢ upon the profits As before r a Iarge number of consory honorable mex tot 3 of the unde railroad, under charitable and Chrictigy they contribut » errene lief that they are doing a +, while in fact every dotiar a wrore to thelr neighbors, a blow at the Union, at miuia to eneef the grossest swindles ever pernx imi or rhitanthiony Some id h and unscrupulor the speculators engaged in th'y business may be aflorded by the exposure of a trick practised week after | week, for the purpose of swelling the funds. fogit been rumor that at times, wh ways are scarce and money | needed, any idie vigger lp hired to pass as an escaped slave, These men are exhibited to the charitable | in New York by the agent of the underground railroad, and a sory is told of their aufferings on the road, of their Prekent destitution, aud of the lack of funds to help them Onward on their journey to a “land of freedom.”’ It is Seldom that this appeal fails, and a snug sum is gene- rally collected in New York to assist the flight of the fugi- tive to Canada, But as soon as these poor fellows, flying 80 swiftly from oppression, reach Albany, they are de- tained at that“ depot,” and again put to practical use as A means of raising money. The respectable colored Agent of the underground railroad in that city once more parades then: amongst the charitable—the same tale of their eufterings, eir destitution, amd the lack of means to help. them into Canada, is repeated, and an- other contribution ‘s extorted from those who are inclined to credit the story. From Albany the ‘ property”? is frequently transported to Troy, and there, and at every city thence to the Canada line, the same uso is made of the ‘poor fugitives,” and the cash of the credulous flows into the pockets of these underground railroad Speculators, and remains there. The “poor fugitive” re- weives just suiticient to keep body and soul together, Until be lands in Canada a half clail beggar. The underground railroad is not always worked under ite true name. of an alias, and the money collected for its obje obta.ned under false representations. ‘Colored schools,’’ and *‘ Missions,” ardfhearly all of them the d railroad under a mask. A leading paper in the Free Pres, recently made the following expo- Sition of the real character of an association in that city, known 9s ‘The Refugee’s I clety,’’ the ostensible object of which is to re vis for the fugitive black -— The BP ety te nothing more yor b than the grand receiving aderyround Raitronile fe, has been notoriously of this ne of comimuiica- outier. 3" he ethical qnestion of this siess hold that they are doing bet the larceny of negroes Souris just ool Brown held teat be en he sol is guishing between ro slave the opera the publie at The society is the grant receiving depot on this frontter of the Und 1 Railroad, wh ptie living freight tito s ty and vicintty-on ether olde of the rivers It may be proper to state that the persons connected with this society, numbering a large proportion of minis ters, white and black, deny the truth of the charge t malo against them: but fi ciety, alluded to elzewhere in this report, it will be gseea tbat {t looks abroad for ¢ on au exteaded scale, and that if not designed for the Objects indicated by the De troit paper, itis very likely to prove a profitable’land Speculation to the philanthropists eugaged in it. Viewing it, however which it r in the most favorable light in resents ftzelf, it is certaisly, Wke all similar nion, in violation of nider the protec t, by which un fortunately the ia set at do- fiance. Itotlers, to escape fre and thus aid negro stealing ere are, in f Undergrou and Gerrit ganizations of the —the old Tappan ae of more recent date, in wh he New York Zril jas a prominoat position. The hea former are at 48 Bock man street, New Y Tanpan and Joscelyn, whites, and Charies B. Ray © resident directors The oilice of th iam H, Leor he m sisted by the cther editors of Mr. G lar books of subscription are opene: other cities, gad the names enrolled in “all sorts and conditio States Senators down. THE NEGROES IN CANADA. At the southwest point of the Province of Canada is of men,” a neck of land running down between Lake Erie and the Detroit river, Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair river. It contains the counties of Essex and Kent, the warmest portion of the province, and it is in those counties that the negroes who have @acaped from the States mainiy congrogate. Windsor, situated on the river directly opposite Detroit, is the wost- ern terminus of the Great Western Ratlway, and is in the township of Sandwich, in Essexcounty. On the south and southwest of Sandwich, along the Detroit river and Lake Erle, are the townships of Anderdon, Malden, Cotches‘or, Gosfield, Mersea and Rouney. In the three first namea townships, the negroes are found in large numbers, and tobacco growing is now carried on there to a considerable extent. The comparative mildness of the climate, and the Diack alluvial soil appear to favor the growth of the plant, while the negro is conversant with its culture. In Gosfield township there are some bincks, but compara- tively few, as tho white residents have done their best to exclude them. In Mersea and Romaey the people will not Suffer a negro to remain within the borders of the town Bhips over night. These plaoes are settled principally by Hessians and other sokilers of the war of 1812, the govern- ment baving made grants of land to them there. The town of Amherstburg, abouteighteon miles below ‘Windsor, on the Detroit river, is in the township of Mal den, and is one of the oldest settiements in that part of Tt was laid out as a town in 1797, and was set- dled by familics who, at the cession of Detroit, chose to BO over to the Canadian side of the river. Some years ago a tract of land, about twelve miles from Amberst , Was purchased by some benevolent Guat for the purpose of supporting fugitive slaves upon it. It is known se The Colsheater.sxttloment.. ‘The object was to raisd eontribuivons, to build a school, and to support the ne- . partly by their own labor aud partly by charity. Batic (soon found that the blacks preferred the cha “bor, and they sank into a colony of lazy, = thieves. The settlement has now gone to Sandwich are the townships of Maidstono, vil West Tilbury, in Essex county, ranning St. Clair. Along the river and on’ the bor- lake the iand is settled by French, and along owl ranuing through the centre of the town- ships ents are mainly Scotch and Faglish. But ery few wecrocs are there, and the interior of the town- ach settled. vty, adjoining Essex, the township of Ra. th runs to | se Erie, that of Fast Dover to Lake St. , and Cha(iam and Dawn townships are in the inte ior of the county, In these places the negroes are dense- crowded at iiferent settiements. The northern town- ips of Kent county are too ould for the black race. A thorough personal examination made in allthe town. ips named where negroes are settled has led to the con tion that every scheme for the amelioration of the condi- © ihesugitive aacyeg it Canada bas proved, and must busi member of the | tho most important nogro settlement in this part, proba bly im any part, of the provinces of Canada, It is under the direction of a regularly incorporated association, called tho Flgin Association, and by the title of the act of incor Doration ita object is “the settlement and moral improve- sy ut of the colored population of Cauada.’’ The project of the settlement appears firat to have suggested itself to the Rev.’ William King, a Presbyterian minister, a North of Ireland man by birth, and once a citizen of the State of Louisiana by adoption, Mr. King was the owner of ffteen slaves, all of whom ho emancipated and brought with him to Canada, and most of whom are at the present time residents of Buxton, either as independent settlors or as employés of they former master. Three of them work on bis farm and in big house—two men and one bright and well-looking mulatto girl. Mr. King is men- tioned by Mrs. Stowe, in her unsuccessful novel, “Dred,”” “8 having actually emancipated his slaves ina manner rimilar to that practised by one of the characters in the bock—I do not cail to mind the name. When the project of the Elgin settlement was firat broached, it met the earnest opposition and aroused the indignation of the people of Chatham. The earliest meetings in regard to the experiment were heid, I be- lieve, in Toronto; but it was known what lands were to be purchased for the settlement, and the Chatham folks had evjoyed a sufficient experience in the runaway negro line to desire that no additional inducements should be | offered to fugitives from the States to flock to their viciaity. | Several indignation meetings were held to protest against A gang of | the project, and when it was finally about to be prac- Ucally carried ont, some dozen of the more resolute white residents of the neighborhood, whose property was to be stricken down to haif its former value by this advent of darkies, dec'ured their determination to resort to violence, if neceseary, in order to prevent Mr. King and his blacks from taking possession of the lands, [am informed that on the night be was expected to arrive, those men slationed themselves at the corner of the road where it turvs up to the settlement, armed with rifles, aad pre- pared to shoo him down had be made his appearance. He was, however, accidentally detained, and the lawless plot, if ft really existed, was frustrated. The name of the ussociation would appear to identity the late Governor General of Canada with the move- mert, and | € it8 projectors were not un willie to suiter irapression to go forth that the Lord Bigin actually was & patron of their scheme. The cpvosition of the white cesidents, which has not by any mesos died away evod at this time, manifested itself when the late Governor General visited Chatham. Very few persons called upon him to pay their respects, and eo marked was the pegiect that he inquired its cause. When informed tuat it was on account of his supposed connection with the Eigin Association, he disclaimed hay- tpg taken any part in its formation or hayiug hadany sy m- pathy with tt,and professed cntire ignorance of the con- siderations that bad induced the projecturs w adopt his Lame as the title of their association. The professed object of the experiment was to ascer- tein by trial whether the negro race couid be made self- supporting a8 their own masters and as proprietors of farms, without any pereon to guide or control them; whether, in fact, the colored population of Canada was not fit to be placed on an equality socially, as by the laws of Great Britain they are politically, with the white citi- zeus. The great burden imposed upon taxpayers and upon the charitable by the involuntary and voluntary Support of the pauper negroes imported from the States, an J the pressing need of some movement that would re- | move the moral evil of the idle, dissipated, thieving Its character is often concealed by means | black from the community, appeared to offer sufficient considerations for the wmdertaking; but many who thoroughly understood the negro cl r; and who knew the impracticability of the scheme, be- lieved that while holding out additional inducements to ‘the fugitive viacks to congregate in the neighborhood of hatham, it would prove a failure so far as the impraye- ment of the rave was concerned, and therefore made ali the opposition in their power. ‘The Aseociation of Stockholders was formally made at Toronto in 1849, The stock was divided into shares of ten pounds each, to the amount of five thousand pounds, and the act of incorporation, paased on the 10th of August, 1850, gave them power to purchase nine thousand acres of the Crown or Clergy Reserve Lands, in the township \ of Raleigh, in the county of Kent, and to sell the same in lots to “colored families resident in Canada of good moral ebaracter.”” There isa provision in the act which re- quires (bat the price fixed by the Directors of the Society | for the lands “shail pot exceed the prices paid the go- vernment to any greateramount than is suflicient for tho expense of said corporation, amd six per cent in- terest per annum upon the stock subscribed.”” | As, however, the amount “‘suillciemt for the cnegro | | expenses of the corporation” is an indefinite sum, it can readily be scen that quite a sung land speculation might He at the bottom of this grand scheme of philanthropy. Indeed, the sale of the laud at the settied rate (two Jol- lars and a half per acre), which is, I believe, just double the price paid to the government, would alone realizo the snug surplus of $11,260, without taking into the calcula- tiou the “reversions” of lots by the death of the pur- chaser, his failure to full his contract, or his removal from the settlement after making improvements which add considerably to the prospective profits of the specula- don. oment of the institution is nominally vested eeident and two Vico Presidents, a Treasurer, Secre- aud Board of twenty-four Directors, who are chosen ialiy; but in reality the entire control of the business | is ip the bands of Mr. eng who is the head and front ‘ar ma the operations of the so- | and of the project. @ land, which was originally dof government, is subdivided into of fifty. acres each, and sold to actual set- ers at about $2.50 an acre. Twelve dollars and a half is paid down, and the balance, with interest, in pine annual instalments. The purchaser is bound by certain rules or regulations in regard to the buildings and im- provements which he {s required to place upon his I A house has to be put up forthwith, in sige 18 feet by 24, feet high, with a piazza rauning the whole length ot front. Tho dwelling is set back thirty fect from tho road, leaving a garden in front, which must be en | closed by'n picket fence. ‘There are also regulatious con- | South of Chatham ‘ conid be procured in cerning the formation of roads, the digging of ditches, &c., all of which must be complied with and properly certified to by the local committee before the settler is entitied to receive his deed. Buxton settiemen! about tweive or fourteen miles id about three miles from Lake Brie. It,» a block of land six miles in jength, along. the govern- ment road to Sandwich, and three miles in width. The purchase comprises in all nino thousand acres, and was selected ag offering the largest quantity of land that hat locality jn one body. The lots are laid out in squares, and in front of them roads, or apologies therefor, are cut through the forest. The land was ail bush land when purchased, with the exception of a few lots on the roadside, which were pre- viously in the possoaaion of whites, and a large proportion of which were sold to the association at a great sacritice by the original settlers, who were unwilling to remain in anegro nest. The Innit is low and level, and the soil a | heavy, sui clay, very difficult to work, and not likely | which i | the way, ever to prove very productive. A drive of two hours from Chatham over the snow, thick enough on the ground to cover the irre: gularitics of an otherwise rongh Toad, brought mo to the seitloment. After torning up from the main, into what is called the ‘‘centre’’ road, country appears Wild and unpromising for six miles. There are but few houses on and those of a very poor description. The fact that {a negro settlement is near is made evident from the appearance of black stragglers all along the road; men, women and chiliren, maby of whom walk daily to Chatham from that innate love of a crowd implanted im the negro breast, and with no other object than to lounge idiy in the streets of the town and about the market place, occasionally, perhaps, snapping up any siray trifle that may happen io fall in way of their fingers. Now and then a biack horseman is to be seen making headway for the samo place. Ouce, as Idrove along the road, a singular figure appeared in the distance before me, and set my imagination puzzling, as it approached, to tell what was its precise character. It was all dark as a black cloud, and looked like ‘@ horse with a well filled sack bed its back and a couple of wings flapping away at either side. Upon anearer approach 1 found it to be a little black Canadian pony, bearing a big black negress, in a loose, slovebly black dress, with a ‘Ddiack shaw tied round her bead. As she was riding man fashion, with an entire independence of man’s more convenient babiliments, ber fect nearly touching the ground and flop. ping up and down, covered only as much as the situation would permit by her skirts, gave to her the singular ap- pearance which had at first excited my curiosity. Upon reaching the settlement we come to a collection of about a dozen huts—for they scarcely deserve a better name—one of which, @ trifle more pretentious than the | others, has been used a8 a sort of store and tavern, but is now lying idle, The absence of window glass, 80 ob- servabic in pegro dwellings, aad the diversified character “breakings out’ of straw, filthy clothes and old bats, with which negro casements are always afflicted, is the first distinctive feature of the settlement that strikes & stranger's eye. Thore is a crossroad, on one corner of which stands the solitary store I have ed, and beyond this is a residence of a better ch er thantthe rest, which i# occupied by the Rev. Mr, King. It stands back from the road some two hun- dred feet, and is a long story-and-a half log cabin, with dormer windows in the roof, and a covered porch or plaz- za running along the entire fron’. A swing gate opens to ‘the lot, and there is a carriage drive up to the house, through a garden that may be protty enough in the sea- son of grass and flowers. Ateach side of the gate are log Duildings, painted white, which look at first like lodges to the “ mansion,’ and bestow upon it something of an | aristocratic appearance; but they are only the church | and the schoolhouse of | the settlement, I learned, upon inquiry, that Mr. King and his wife were from home, in Europe, but in their place I found the Rev. Jobn Rennie, a Scottish clergy man, and bis wife. It seemed sirange to see an intelligent gentleman and aflady of pleas- jug appearance and refined manners in such a place; and I did not wonder at the sad expression that stole over Mrs. Rennie’s countenance when [ventured the remark that sbe must indeed miss, in that lonely spot, the so- ciety to which she had cridently been accustomed. I felt the strict truth of the reply, that she had bat her husband and chiki, and the sense of duty they were per- forming, to support and console her. They are truly good people. ith Mr. Rennie I went over the settlement, and saw and conversed with some of the residents. An air of de- pression and desolation pervades the whole place. The log Louses are ali badly constructed and dirty inside. A large cee ee one side of — horse, oa _ mat oer not add to the ‘cleanliness of ihe room or its inmates. Im a majority of the houacs the | | little idea of an eco deficiency of chairs is eapptied by logs or boxer, oF ppy article that happens in the way, or is the easiest altainablc. ‘Tie children—of course there is a good supply of them—are clothed and sloven}y, and the poultry and al damb ale APVAAF tO share the dwelling with them, There secms to be very my of work in the little improve. mebls made upon the lots, A patch is half cleared here, and enother one commenced there. Now a tree is half cht down and then left, and the dostruction of an easier customer commenced. In fact, the lazy, ehiftless charac ter of the “free negro’ is seen in every direction: There are of Course Bome few exceptions—some instandes where the eettler shows energy and perseverance but these cages are Bot more than three or four out of a collection of over one hundred and fifty families, numbering over ope thousand fou!s. ‘The firet settler went on to the land ten years ago. He is a full blooded negro, and his wife is as black ag the Queen of Spaces. The mau's name is Riley, probably de- rived from his former owner, and he escaped from Perry county, Missouri, ‘some years ago. He had a good master and a 5 was per- suaded by a white abolitionist who was in that part of the country “to break his bonds’ and fiy to Canada. He is one of the few exce) to which I bave alluded, as his lot is tolerably well cleared, tnd he appears to be ‘diligent and prudent. There is a sbow of cleanliness in his cabin, and he has paid with tolerable regularity on his ase—a somewhat rare occurrence. His escape from servitude, he told me, was upattended by apy adventures—a fortunate thing for him, a8 he took his wife with bim. Another settler upon whom I called is named Robinson, and is probably the most likely man, as bis wife \s one of the most likely women, on the settlement. |! \s a stal- worth black, very dark colored and strong. He appears to have perseverance, and his wife, a well-looking mu- Jatto woman, is a valuable help to hi She does what fow of her neighbors do—keeps herself, her children and her dwelling clean. She has a bright, fine girl of ten years, and a little curly-headed brown boy about five years oki, There is some show of order and taste in the single sitting-room below which their log cabin contains. The recesses on each side of the hovge fire-place are enclosed by curtains to conceal the cooking utensils and other odds and ends which neces- sarily accumulate in such housekeeping. Some pictures are on the walls and a clean cover on thetable. The door is well swe a the yellow corn is up in a heap outside the house, inst; of inside. sleeping apartment is above, instead of in @ corner of the lower "Rotinson, like ‘his ‘neighbor, Riloy, is an escaped sls inson , 7 is an slave from Missouri, He was owned in Boone county, and ran ‘away about ten yearsago. He struck for the North and ad several narrow escapes of being captured, He was once stopped in the road by a wi closely and required to produce bis papers. Finding himself in atight spot, be “broke” for his life, and run- tl ning down a steep embi it, got int woods, Here was for some days, bat by good luck evaded bis pursuers. His wife, who was also a slave, escaped some years since from Kentucky, by the aid of geome Ohio abolitionists. The Rev. Mr. Rennie, with all his desire to see the colony prosper, was com to admit that the experi- ment bad not answered the expectations of its projectors as yet, and to express his fear that it would ultimately result in failure. The negroes, he has discovered, are reaily unfit to provide for themselves. They seem, as he Suna lo tegples guiding and directing hand, and to be entirely delicient in forethought and purpose. The men who are in bealth no eooner find the warm weather at band than they leave their homes to ‘work out,’’ either as barbers, or boot blacks, or walters, or in any other position that may offer on board a steamboat or ina hotel. This fs at the very season when they could most profitably labor on their land; but their sole ambi- tion seems to’ be toobtain some light employment where no thought of the morrow is needed, and where they can earn a litle money without hard work. They zeturn to their families in the winter. and lay idle so long as the little money they have saved will last. This gone, they go dizcontentedly to chr ing wood, or burning for ashes, and year after year their lots present the same desolate, wild appearance, and their payments for the land are seldom met. Mr. Rennie informs me that the negroes on the settlo- ment suffer terribly in the winter for the want of clothing ‘and good shocs. It is the Jack of these, probably, that oc- easions so much sickness, and is making cousumption 80 fatal a disease among the black population of Canada. In- deed, it is very evident that the Elgin Association is a dead failure, and that the experiment of a self-supporting colo- nization of escaped slaves is doomed to be unsuccessful. ‘The object of the Rev. Mr. King’s visit to Europe is to raise funds by charity to sustain his fading colony; but even if he ts as successful as he can wish to be, the money he realizes will only serve to prolong its existence a few bei and may eventually add to the profita.of those who ave speculated in the land. It is probab! that the money he raises will rather be invested ning off more slaves from the South than ia building cburches and schoolhontes in a decaying settlement. At the Ruble meetings in Edinburgh and elsewhere, at which Mr. King has donations from the charitable, his appeal has always set forth the claims of the fugitive slave in the strongest light. He is reported im the Elinbugh Witness of November the 19th to have stated that at the time of the passage of the Fugitive Slave law in the United States, thirty thousand fagitive slaves found their way into Canada, nearly all of them in ade based and ignorant condition. He also stated that up- wards of one thousand escaped slaves were settled upon the lands at Buxton; but it would appear that his figures are somewhat exaggerated, probably for the sake of etfect upon his audience. It may be get down then as certafn, tliat the Elgin Asso- ciation, incorporated “for the settlement and moral im. provent of the colored population of Canada, ‘has entirely failed in accomplishing its object. It has seriously depre- ciated the value of property in its vicinity, has driven out all the best portion of the whi ation, ‘aud has congrega- ted together a colony of blac 0 are incapable of work- ing their land to advantage, and who are likvly to erentual- ly suffer extermination at tlie hands of that terrible scourge, consumption. I may ada that the crops for the past three years haye been failures, as indeed it seems probable they generally must be. Buckwheat, corn and potatoes were planted last year to meet the doficiency, but without any great success, 1am informed that but for the establishment of a pearlash factory on the settlement by a shrewd Scotch- map, through which the cettlers have boen enabled to re- @lize a pittance out of the gale of the ashes made from burning the wood on their lots, there wonld have been little short of starvation for many of the families, for there is nothing for them to steal in the neighborhood without they pilfer from one another. THE DRESDEN SETTLEMENT. ‘The settlement next in importance in the county of Kent, and the oldeet established in the county, is that known as the Dresden Settlement, in the township of Dawn. Io its character it is entirely different from the Elgin Associaiion, being a common school for manual labor, the ers living much alter the fashion of Mr. Horace Grecley’s well known hobby. “Like the Elgin As. sociation, however, it has proved a total and lamentable failure, its only fruits having been quarrels between tho blacks, and sharp money making tricks on the part of some of the white philanthropists connected with the scheme. The principal man ia the Dawn institution at its inception was an old mulatto of the name of Jobn ©. Brown, who has been for many years a resident of Cana. da, and whose home is now in Chatham. I received a narration of the rise, progress and decay of the seitle- ment from him, and, as the story is interesting, 1 will re peat it in the language of my informant:— THE STORY OF OLD BROWN—NOT OSSAWATOMIE. “Tam one of the oldest, if not the oldest, éolored settler in Canada now livin; J came from Cincianati, in 1829,as esident of the Cincinnati Colonization Society. There were then only three colored men living in Toronto. Oae of them was named J. T. Butler, and he returned to the States and died in Albany some years ago. They had all Of them escaped from slavery. I believe 1 was the first free colored man that ever came from the States to Canada—that is to say, I was half free in the States, for no man of color is entirely free there. I subsequently returned to Cincinnati and fetched out four hondred and sixty negro emigrants, amongst whom were @ great many fugitives. We went to Sandusky, where we chartered a vessel and came over to this side. “The society I represented contracted with the Canada Land Company for the purchase of twenty thousand acres of land, to be called the Wilberforce settlement. The Canada Company bovght the government lands. with the exception of the clergy reserve lands, at the time of the battle of Waterloo, for twenty-five cents an acre. Their deeds arc as good as crown deeds. We were to pay seven shillings and six ponce an acre for our purchase, in ten yearly payments, and at the end of that time to receive our deeds. The tract was located fifteen miles northwest of London, and now the Grand Trunk Railway runs through its centre. We failed in our payments, and ont: succeeded in taking up thirteen hundred acres, whi were paid for and led over to the original settlers, some of whom are still residents there. The balance of the land reverted to the Canada Company. “Ap attempt was early le to raise fonds for the establishment of a high school in the settlement, and a prominent abolition agent, pamed Israe] Lewis, undertook to gather subscrip- ions amongst bis friends in the States and Canada. He Obtained #16,000, of which sum $3,000 was from the La- gislay ‘vis, and then putting into practice the wh ‘Warity begins at home, absconded with the unt. We never saw apy more of Mr. Israel Lewis. “The money which paid forjthe 1,300 acres of land was sent out from Zenia, Ohio. A friend, named on, came out, and brought us $1,200. that had been raised in that place. Of course this Wilberforce settlement was a Wilson, came te Canada to do what he could to assist the colored eopie already here, and to lay plans with ae Canadians for rescuing mote slaves from bondage bringing them over. fg a strictly honest and humane man at , but weak in ent. Twas then br agrocery in Toronto, and my | aoe was the station which fugitive slavee were sent the States, ‘were com.ng ip proity freely, for some good mon were at work. Oxe of them, named Torry, who was al ron out of Yachington, and who died in jail, efficient, and I bave received from him as many ag Lead three in one drove. Bzt they all came then as now, utterly destitute, and I was much bardened to sup- port them temporarily and to purchase axes for to GO Out into the woods with and work at chopping. I pro- posed to Wilson that he should make an effort in the to obtain assistance for the fugitives after they reached Canada. He did so; and Arthur Tappan, Moore, Me. Barper grt Mr. ee eee ran: — York, wit! ir. Avery, an . Bush, a lawyer, chester, raised funds and gent over to ‘deon and myseif jmantity of elothing and raise doe * Gibou! this periods Mr, james Cannon Fuller, of Skene- ateles, a Quaker, and as noble @ man ag over to Toronto to see me. He was an oventhe river at Queenstown. After I hat reported to} refined» and him the euffering condition of the negroes in Canada, he desired to know what he could do for ug in England, ashe westhen about to cross the Atlantic to viet his triemds. He was related to the Sturgis family, Five of the oldest colored men in the place got together and gave Mr. Fuller credentials, and a statement setting forth the Wants of their countrymen here. Iwas one of the five, and three or four months after Mr. Fuller's departure [ received a letter from him, informing me that he had raised $1,708 ‘n England for the rehef of our people Of this sum, two of bis nepbews in the Sturgis family had given fifty pounds, and two of bis pieces, the Misses Gur- bey, had'contributed a tike sum. On Mr. Folier’s return a heated quarrel immediately arose amovg the cotored population of Toronto and the vicinity, as to what should de done with the money, Every wegto seemed to think it bis own, and Joajotiay of Mr. Faller’s mission was ox- presses on ali bands me wanted clothing, some went for building churches, and a very tew favor the pur- chase of land, Lexpressed to Mr, F. my opinion in favor of founding @ manual! labor school, planting negroes on the land to work it, and educating their childrea. His remark to me in reply was:— Friend Brown, it is not yet time for that. Your people are not ripe apres to carry on an institution of that description.’ T then be- lieved that he was mistaken, but I have since found by practical experience that he was correct. The time had pot then arrived, and has not yet arrived, whom sucha colony of our race could be seif-su 1. “Tn consequence of these dissensions, and as the tare 4 ha! been collected for fugitive slaves,@ meeting of &1 was called at Toronto. It broke up in # regular row, An escaped nm pamed Fields was ey EY and insolent, and asked Mr, Fuller who authorized him to b ‘aad collect money for them? 1 recollect Mr. F.’s rep! ani rebuke. It was thig:—‘My friend, you and your asso- cintes were dying of starvation, and I’ strove to save you. ‘When crossing from the other side, I saw a man fallover- board at the landing. Was Ito come and ask permission of the Mayor of this city before I endeavored to take him out of the water?’ + “I felt much precged at the conduct of the panne Friend n came u ~ 5 next ‘morni and I expressed my feelings. said, “Donit be abt. Ict me bear it. Ifthey would do thus in the dryt’ Tanse dd auother peeing at London, and it was resoived to purchase with Fuller’s money a tract of land and establish a manual labor school for colored people. A board of six trustees was appoint- ed. They were, J.C. Fuller, white; Rey. J. Boaf, white, the Congregational minister s: Toronto; Frederick Stone, of Norwich, white; George Jobnson, of Dawn, colored; Peter B. Smith, colored, and myself, Hiram Wilson, white; Josiah Henson, colored, andJ. Shelby, colored, were appointed a committer tofelect a tract of land on which to establish the proposed institution. They fixed ‘upon 200 acres in the township of Dawn, a>oat sixteen miles from Catham, and it was purchased at $4 an acre. It is as good land as there im in Canada. Mr. Fuller paid atonce for the land, and Hiram Wilson and his wife moved on to it. They started with a manual labor school, with seventy persons. The rule was, four hours work every day on the land, and the balance of working hours for echool. In three or four years nearly ono handred acres were cleared, six bonres were built. one of whieh was of brick, and a saw mill was established. Upto that time tho experiment promised success. Shortly after- wards Mrs. Hannah Wilson, who was from Troy, N. Y., was taken sick and died, and in ber the colored people lost a friend who could never be replaced. She was a mother and & teacher to them all. “From the time of her death the institution began to sink. From 8 pros} condition it commenced gradu- ally to decline, until now it is@ total failure. The Trus- tees ppointed Josiah Henson and George Carey to ro- port each year on the financial condition of the enterprise. These men I regard as unfortunate in management, if notas vicious and dishonest men. The Trustees became tired of the affair, anda man named John Scobell, au Fuglish abo- litionfst, who professed feeling for the negro and the ability to do with the institution, per- svaded three or four of them to assign their trust into his bands. I refused togive up my trust, for I suspected Scobell as goon as 1 saw him. One year before this Sco- bell got possession, the Free Mission Baptists of the States had taken hold of the institution, and it began to improve, Tho Rev. Mr. Burns, of Toronto, said those were its sunny days, but Scobell, under an assumed right of ment from two trustees, took forcible possession of the land and buildings, in opposition to myself. He promised the people that he would carry out the requirements of the declaration of trust, by womking them four hours a day. and educating them’ the balance ; but immediately he got possession he broke his pledge. He has since that time cut bundreds of cords of wood and shi troit, The best timber on the lan carried away, and the rents received, and the profits of the mill for the six years he has been in possession have never been accounted for. A subsequent purchase had been, made of two hundred acres, in addition to the original lot. Of this last purchase, twenty acres had been resold to Hiram Wilson, and eighty acres deeded to Josiah Henson. The Dawn Iustitute, therefore, has three hundred acres of land; but it is g inte a deplorable condition, and, s0 far ag the original intention of the founders is concerned, is a total failure.” T have given Mr. Brown's story as told to me, because it is evidence direct froma negro of the unitness of his Hn of rota das ~ rane Coie ugitives self sup- porting, and of the sharp practice of the professional philanthropists who make a trade of affection for the blacks. "The Dawn, or Dresden settlement, bears out by its present appearance all that Brown asserts. There are now two or three thousand blacks in the settlement and its vicinity, and with very few exceptions they are ina deplorably vicious and sutfering condition. ‘THE NEGROES IN AND ABOUT CHATHAM. The town of Chatham, Kent county, is situated on the Great Western Railway, between London and Windsor. Itis a rambling, dirty place, as most Canadian towns of its size are, but is a little wore dingy looking than ordina- ry, on account of the character of its population. Over one-fourth of its population are negroes, and over three- fourths of theee negroes are worthless idlers. They hang over the place like a black cloud, and have checked its growth and broken down the value of property to a ruinous extent. A few years since, Chatham was a bright prosperous village. Now it is one of the most neglected and uppromising in Western Canada. One long, crooked street runs through the town, on which are the principal places of business. Tue market,a brick building, forms a square in the middle of the main street, and round this mart the negroes congregate night and day in full force. One meets half a dozen black faces in the streets to one white. Those who are employed get low wages, eight or ten dollars » month, either as porters, boot blacks, barbers or in some similar occupation; but the greater portion of them live as they can upon the profits of odd jobs, charity, or worse, Thsre are, of course, some negroes superior to the gene- ral run and in a better position than their neighbors; but I am MESES of the colored population of Chatham asa whole. There are two schools for colored children in the place, somewhat poor buildings, but conducted by competent colored teachers, of a half breed. O2e is named Aaron Highgate and the other Mr. Wajpper, and both are from ‘Western Pennsylvania. A colored clergyman holds out | over the market place to an Episcopal congregation, and | there is a colored Baptistand a colored Methodist preacher 1 it to De- has besides, with their appropriate places of worship. The schools’ are mot well attended in the winter, | for the reason that the children have not suflicient clothes to cover them, while shoes are a luxury almost mknown tothem. There is a colored watchmaker—a yellow man—in the town, two mahogany | colored cabinet makers, several black blackamiths, and | any number of low grocery and grogshop keepers of | thé same hue. A colored constable shows his authority | about the market place, and the town of Raleigh sends a colored representative to the Council, while Brown bim- self, my Dawn settlement informant, ran for a similar posi. tion, and came within three votes of an election. Brown, by the way, who isa well informed man, was born at Harper's Ferry, a free man, He was kidnapped and sold in Kentucky, where he learned the trade of a bricklayer and plasterer. He chanced to geta very kind master, who gave him Sealy peer to purchase his freedom, which he accomplished. He hasa daughter in Chatham martied toa mulattonamed James Hausbrow. Sho is a fine, intelligent woman, and the mother of six or eight children. ‘The colored population of Chatham is constantly increas- ing. Acitizen remarked to me in conversation, “They tre flowing in here, untill the whites are terrified at the innndation.”? And well they may be; for their property suffers more and more as the number of Dlacks increases, while the crowd of colored prisoners in the jail affords evidence of the sort of neighbors with which the under- ground railroad furnishes them. THE MOORE COLORED SCHOOL. Abont five miles from Chatham, in a neighborhood in which a number of negroes have gathered, is a school, founded by a Miss Moore, of Philadelphia, for the educa- tion of colored children. A sum of money was left by Mise Moore for the purpose, and her brother, Dr. Moore, visited Chatham, and selected the site for the school. A substantial building was put up, and the interest of the bajance of the money was inv: as a fund for pa i of ateacher. The school is, however, desorted winter, in uence of the poverty and miserable clothing of the ren, ROUND O SETTLEMENT. The settlement which bears this name is located in the townabip of Shrewsbury, about fifteen miles from Chat- ham, on the border of the lake. It is about opposite Cleveland. This is again a settlement on a different plan to either the Dawn or Figin Association. The land is owned by the government, and as an experiment was leased to negroes at a small rental in lotsa. This also was a failure, for the settlers, unable to work their land at a profit, sought all other means of living, and soon became miserably destitute, They suffer much in the winter, for their principal occupation is fishing, shooting and cutting ‘wood for boats, by which they get only a pittance. Ono man who resides there is said to be one hundred and thir- teen old. He hada ha fhe children, two of died last winter, it is ved of actual starva- fon. There are about two hi ‘Rogroes in the set- tlement. Besides these, there are small settlements, negroce # Canaan and Baptist Creek, but they are in @ miserable condition. Negroes are, however, scatter- ed all over the touthern part of the county, amd, ina few instance, there are to be found families who are honest and industrious, and — |. But these are mostly free blacks who have previously been settled in the States, and who bavo taken some capital with them into Canada. THE NEGROES IN ESSEX COUNTY—THE TOWN oF ‘WINDEOR AND VICINITY. ‘Windeor, opposite the city of Detroit, is a place that has felt probably more than any other in Canada the blight of the negro immigration. Naturally a prettily located village, and within afew minutes’ ferriage of the city, it is just the place for country peskdenoes, and for (Be attraction of 9 t.community. There iz a gradual rise from the giver bak up tO a natural terrace that stretebes along for mi and offers beautiful spots for dwollings and grounds, But #he property is now upsalea vie, the growth of tho place is p."ematurely checked, and the respectable portion of the community is fast being driven away or overrun by the lazy’, Worthless and de moralized fugitives from the States. ‘Tis main street of the villoge runs parallel with the river. There are three or four houses dignified by the name of boteis on the streets intended to catch such travellers as may be seduced toto remaising over pight on the Canadashore, and to accommodate the persons in the employ of the Great Westera Railway. They are very poorly kept, and a night's experienceia any of them is sufficient, The Windsor Castle, which looks as much like a castle as like a cow, is the best of ‘these houses, a compliment at which any sensible landiord would grow indignant. There aré a dozen saloons or more on the strect, avd but few stores of any other de- scription, for the people at least know enough to do their Sa. ‘The depot and workstops of the Great Western Railway.give the place some appearance of life; but witbout these, it would be ag dull as a desert- y numbers of blacks are to be seen on the streets, the and grogge- ries, some of them kept bv colored men, swarm with them. ranks are cons swelled by the visits of might be expected, such companious do not improve the it ¥ cor EY ve character of that portion bf the population. THE REFUGEE HOME SOCIETY. ‘The society bearing this name is the principal associa- jon in Essex county for the attempted settlement of escaped slaves. Its prdfessed object is ‘to assist the refugees from American slavery to obtain permanent ‘homes in Canada, and to promote their moral, social, physi- cal and inteilectual elevation.”’ Under the regulations of the society, no land is soli or deed given to any person ‘who is not an escaped slave from one of the States of the Union. Membership is gained in the society by annual subscription, and provigion ig made for the formation of other societies auxiliary to this. ‘The society was established fn 1852, snd its directors are mixed American and Canadian. The land owned by ‘the association is about two thousand acres, principally located in the townships of Sandwich and Maidstono, from seven to eighteen miles distant from Detroit. It is divided into farms, or lots, of about twenty-five acres cach, which 4.0 sold subject to pretty stringent regulations. The price paid by the company was about two dollars per acre, and their sales are made according to the value of the lots, although the original proposition was to sell at the price of cost and expenses, as in the Elgin Association. A con- tract is given to the purchaser, hampered with conditions that it is difficult ‘and very rare for the colored setiler to carry out, and by the rules of the association the property reverts in case of defaleation, the vacation of the land or the extinction of families. The latter is by no means a rare occurrence ; for want, and cold and vegrancy make sickness and death common amon; the negroes. The by-laws require that no timber shal be chopped or removed uatii after the first payment shall be made on the land; that no dwelling shall be erected less than ten feet bigh or containing less than two rooms, and that no liquor shall be manufactured or sold on the settlement. Any violation of these regulations forfeits all claim of the scttler to his lot. It iga noticeable fact that, although the socicty has been in operation seven years, Only one person has re- ceived a deed of his land, and he is « man who had quite a little amount of money in his possession when he jased. was the peseneny. claim to bave over cighty old settlers on their lots, it would appear that the requirements of the contract given preliminary to a deed are very difficult of fulfilment. Indeed, there is some Cpe Delieve, as to the validity of the title given by the society. The deed Thaye alluded to is granted to a negro named Thomas and is signed by Horace Hallock and E.G. Walker, of Detroit, as trustees. Jt contains many stringent condi- tions, crippling to the interest of the purchaser, amongst which is the fol llowiog:— “Provided always and these B ood are upon the ex- tion that the said Shall not sell, ex- ape Sen Or rere, the said land and premises, by expressly agreed and declared that immediately apon the breach of either of the above conditions, the said land 4 premises shali become forfeited, and shall revert uo- conditionally to the said parties of the first part.” It will thus be seen that the society keeps a keen eye on the profits of reversions, which are likely to com- pevsate eventualiy for the slow payment received from the settlers. It is evident from its character that this American. British Abolition Land Association {s in effect, if not directly, a part and parcel of the Underground Railroad, as charged By the Detroit Free Press: for it offort inducements to slaves of the United States to escape from the South to the British 8 in Canada. It will be seen also that asa speculation it is not entirely destitute of Yankee shrewdness. Not only are the land purchases likely to eventually yield a good profit, but yearafter year the society, in the garb of charity and philant pa EY aed begging abroad and never returns without well filled pockets. The Rev. C. C. Foote, of Canada, the General Agent of the society, is a siany, Degen and bas within a few Gays past been plying bis ion in Philadelphia and other cities, soliciting aid for the society, and boasting of its connection with old Ossawatomie Brown. As the di- rectors of the ‘* Refugee’s Home’’ deny that their associ- ation is actually the grand western depot of the under- ground railroad, it is difficult to tell what they do with the funds they thus extort from the charitable. ‘They cer- tainly do not spend it on the negroes in Canada, and their rociety professes to be, and to make ler, ‘‘self- supporting.” The really charitable should look into these facts thoroughly, before oa yield to the importunities of the men who are constantly apy to them so patheti- cally on behalf of the i sat slave.” So far as tha ‘poor elaye’’ on the Refugee Home Society’s lands is concerned it would be a mercy to send him back to a carefal master and a Southern home. Half clad and half starved, he ekes out a sort of existence by petty larceny committed upon bis neighbors who chance to have any- thing to lese. He isa burden to the’community, and no help to himself or to anybody else—unless, indeed, it may be considered a useful Service to be played off'as a ‘decoy duck’? to attract the dollars out of the pockets of charita- bie men into those of the Britigh-American abolition spe- culators in Canadian lands. OTHER SETTLEMENTS IN ESSEX COUNTY. There are other settlements of negroes in Fssex county, in the townships of Anderdon, Sandwich, Malden and Colchester, of less pretensions than that of the society whose operations I have described; but they are all of a character similar to those already alluded to, and do not require notice. They are small, and invariably suuk in poverty. They seem to have sprang up mainly around some charitsble donation of land, to which the idle ne- groes flock as blue flies to a sugar barrel. Wherever these nests congregate decay falls upon the neighborhood, and the white residents either dispose of their land ata sacrifice, or bear the annoyance of idle and dishonest neighbors. The better class of negroce, it is observed, invariably avoid these settlements, and cudeavor to locate themselves apart from their colored brethren. There are some thus situated in Eesex county, who are , industrious citi- zens, and who make their way well and prosperously in the world. THE POLITICAL INFLUENCE OF THE NEGRO IN GA- NADA. In ordor to fully understand the sentiments of the white residents in Canada with regard to the influx of negroes, and the effect it is likely to have ultimately upon the couthwestern portion of the province, it is necessary to bear in mind the political position which the black man oceupies there. Tho laws make no distinction between whites and blacks, and the greasy African, very litile re- moved from a savage, has equal political privileges with the educated European, provided he possesses the qualifi- cation required by the statute for a voter. Of late years the franchise has been liberalized in the province, and the privilege of naturalization enlarged. Three ycars’ residence only is now required of an alien to entitle him to citizenship. - The qualification of a voter for a member of Parliament is the ownership, tenancy or occupancy of real property of the -agsessed value of £300, or of the yearly value of £30, in a city or town, and of the as- seseed value of £200, or yearly value of £20, in a town- ship, parish, or place. The qualification of a voter for any municipal or other office is the ownership, tenancy or occupancy of real property of the yearly value of £5. ‘It will readily be seen that this property qualification is almost universal suffrage. The megroes who settle on lands on the Dawn, Elgin, or Refugee Home Associations without paying a cent of the purchase moncy or rent, aro as good voters as the white citizen who owns houses and lands. There are political demagogues in Canada as well agin the States, who are ready to avail themselves of the negro element, and to descend to all manner of intr and tricks and isms to secure the capital to be made out ofit. Here, at present, such men must confine them- selves to stirring up fanatics by freedom shrieking and the agitation of ‘irrepressible conflict” heresies; there, they have the additional advantage of securing the black man’s yote. It will be understood, therefore, that in the counties of Kent and Essex, where the negroes alreaty actually hold the balance of power, in some places casting one-fourth of the vote, a large proportion of tho white citizens, and these who are actively en- gaged in public life, are compelled to exercise much cau. tion in expressing their views regarding the social and moral efitet of influx of colored persons, and espe- ote & Srved omen fr tate toner to get at the wi ex plain English, and hence, while I discovered that THE SOCIAL AND MORAL EFFECT OF THE IMPORTA- TION OF FUGITIVE SLAVES INO CANADA. While, as we have secon, the British abolitionists in Canada are laboring with the republican abolitionists of America to entice away the slave property of tho South, and to foment a servile insurrection in the Southern States and @ disruption of the Union, thore are men of sense and of honor amongst on, shbors over the borders, vbo deplore this interforenes of MF countrymen ia the aifairs of the repabhic, and apprectate the terrible cates- tropbe to which, if persovered im, it must oventually lead, T conversed with a prominent abolitionist ia Ox tham, hold- ing @ public porition of trast and honor, who tax! me that the first suggestion of the Harper's Forry attack wax’ made to Brown by British abolitionists tn Chatham, and wins’ a8 sured me that he had himself subscribed money to ald Brown in raising mea for the service in Ohio andielae- where in the States. In reply to some questions Tput te him, be stated that be and his associates on the other side looked with expectation and hope to the day, not far dis- tant, when a disruption of the Union would take place; for that, in that case, the British abolitionists would join the republican abolitionists of America in op*a warfare upom the slavebolding States. When Ironinded him that ie patriotic men of the North would ra iso a barrier of brave hearts, through which such traitors would find it dificult to reach be repiied:—‘Oh, we hare, often over calculated upon that; but you for- ot ate shoal have the nS te of the South to help ‘no homes reasors, Teale and the fre-brand. Pee ee cP eremwors) with the 1 conversed on the other hand with conservative, high minded men, who ex the most serious apprehoa- sion that the bold and unjustifiable association of Canadian abolitionists with the negro stealers and ingurrectionists of America would eventually plunge the two countries inte | War. We have seen that the immigration of fugitive slaves into Canada is unattended by any social or moral good te the negro. It is injurious, also, to the white citizens of Canada, inasmuch as it depresacs the value of their pre- perty, diminishes their personal tand Woatrapn the pene und seek rae re Coneuaie mae Sheriff Mercer, of Kent cor » assured me that the criminal statistics of that county prove that nine tenths of the offences against the Inws are committed by colored persons. The same yo bolus in Essex coua- ty, aud the fact isthe more startiog when it is remem- bered that the biacks do not at present number more than one-fourth of the whole population: In the township of Anderdon, Essex county, this fall, nearly every sheep belouging to the white farmers hag been ty My was presented in the return of the Grand Jury county, and some twelve negrofailies, men, Women and childrer, were committed to jail on the charge of sheep stealing. "The cases of petit larceny are incredibly numerous in every townenfp containing: negro ecttiements, and it 19 a fact that frequently the crimimal calendars would be bare of a prosecution] but for the ne- gro prisoners. The offences of the blacks are not wholly confined to those of & light character, Occasionally some horrible crime etartles the community, aud is almost invariably attended hy a savage ferocity peculiar to the vicious negro. If a murder ts committed by a black, it be remap of an ag- gravated and brutal navure. The oflence of rape is ua- fortunately peculiarly prevalent amongst the negrovs. Nearly every assize t8 marked by a charge of this char. acter. A prominent lawyer of the , who mat held the position ot public prosecutor, told me that his greatest dread was of this offence, for that experience had taught him that no white woman was safe at all, times, from assault, and thogs who were rearing daughters im that part of Cada might well tremble at the danger by whieh they are threatened. He told me thathenever saw @ really brutal look on the bumau face until he beheld the countenances of the negroes charged with the crime of rape. When the lust comes over them they ‘are worse than the wild beast of the forest. Last year, in broad daylight, a respecwble white woman, while waiking im the public road within the town of Chatham, was kuock- ed down by a black eavage and violated. This year, nor Windsor, the wife of a wealthy farmer, while driv- ing. alone in @& wagon, was ad by & negro. in broad light, ed out inte dragg: the road, and criminally assaulted in « most inkumas manner. It was impossible to hear the recital” of these ‘DOW Common crimes without a shudder~ ‘The fugitive tlaves go into Canada ag beggars, and the ‘mase of them commit larceny and lay in Jail until they become lowered und debased, and ready for worse orimes. ‘Nor does there seem at preseat a prospect of education doing much to better their comlition, for they do not ap- pear anxious to avail themselves of school privileges as & general rule. worse class of blacks are too poor and too indolent to clotne their children in the winter, and their services are wanted at home in tho summer. The better class affect airs as soon as they become toleral — do, and og ieseterenatgrrengee to any bat white schools. In Windsor there are two, public: colored. achools, but the negroes of that place choose refuse to Allow thelr children to attend thone e ‘eont them to the schools for whites. They were not admitted, and two of the black residents, named Jones and Groen, teeted the question at law, to try whether the trustees or teachers had a right to exclade their children. It was de- cided that the trustees had such power, whew separate Seheole were pots for colored persons. at proper! seriously depreciated in all neighborhoods in which the negroes settle is a well known fact. Mr.S.S. Macdonnel,a resident of Windsor, and & gentleman of high social and political position, is the owner of a large amount of reai cstate in that place. The ~ Bowyer farm, a large tract of land belonging to him, was partitioned into lots some few years since, and sold at auction. Some of the lots were bid ia by negroes of means, among others, by a mulatto named De. 5 peg Detroit. As soon as the white pure’ found that negroes were among the buyers, they threw , and since then the value of the property has been mi |. In several instances Mr. Macdom- Bel paid premiums to the negroes to give up their 5 chases, where they haa bappened to buy in the midst of white a mY renga gee cut up into very uilding lots, by the same gentle- man, one of the conditions of eale’ announced was, that no bid should be received from colored person. De Bap- fiste attended and bid ina lot. When his bid. was re- fused, he endeavored to break up the auction in a row, by the aid of other ney 8, and fail in this, brought an action at law against Mr. Macdonnel. ‘This Mr. M. to defend, but it was never pressed to a trial. in- cidents, together with the attempt of the Windsor ne- roes to ed their children into the schools for whites, illustrate the impudent assumption of the black, as soon he becomes independent, and the deeply seated anti- pathy ot the whites of Canada to their dark skinned neighbors. At the same time it is observable that the ‘free negro” in Canada—that is, the black who was free in the Statee—endeayors to hold his head above the neers and has a profound contempt for the escaped. sl As I desired to obtain the views of intelligent Canadians upon the important questions before me, I requested a Prominent and wealthy citizen of Windsor to favor me ‘with a written statement of his observations on the ef- < fect of the negro immigration, and received the following hastily prepared and brief cotomunication in reply. ‘The opinions expressed are from one of the most accomplish- ed gentlemen in the Province, and are worthy of serious consideration, althovgh the public position he occupies renders it proper that I should not make public use of his neme: Wrepsor, Dec. 28, 1859. Mx Dean Sin—Ie reply to your request, I bog to asy that K woud ully give-you my views at Jeng upon the impor tant topies discussed at our‘interview, did not my pressing: engagements just now occupy too much of my time to make it porstbie that I should do more than hastily sketch down such poustae saecene: tome in the few moments I can devote to sitbjec ‘The copstant immigration of fugitives from slavery it two western counties of the provines of Canads, Keut asd Kesex, bas @ a matter for serious consideration to the rt vat ag tt effects the value ‘as rendering the locality am numbers of fugitive slaves have, by means of the organization koown nero and States a6 "the Under ground Railrond." and of euch associations anthe Dawn a od Elgin Institutes and the Retugee Home Society, been annually introduced into these two counties, no setders from the old country, from the Sintes, or from the eastern part havetaken up lands there, And there is every reason to assign the fact of there being a large colored popula- tion, and that popnlation constantly on the inzrease, as. the chief cause why these counties do uot draw a portion at least of the many seeking Western homes Kentand have beenjustly styled “the Garden of Up- per Canada” The soil in most parts of the counties cannot delightful. TI acres. forsale at & moderate price, but it now seldom happens that a lot of wild land is taken np by a new comer. farmer who bis yeh toeSioud hla ponvemstode Torta mae of his tna who aro growing up, by the noqutetion of au eajstotogor Mi . neighboring piece of wild laud; but seldom or never is the ua- cleared forest intruded upon now by the eneampment of emi- grant families. It may be deoedly, severe, Saxt, Jn crmerel. feet a existence of & large col in Bent and Kesex has prevented locating there wee Hl Hid ai will iE Hf Hi iif Bs EL el a a 8 Hl ve : Fel BI i Hi Bat FH Ee ie A 4 E i 3 e, A gs 4 FI § F483 la EbigE gag z & i E 5 & i i : f i it Hail fe oe f 2% : i fa 4 ie e my ai i i rt wh ct