HAVING resided many years in Prince Edward Island, and being much interested in its prosperity, I have ventured (though conscious of my want of abilities to do justice to the subject) to print the following account of that Island, which I trust will be found just and correct as far as it goes: the object is to make the Colony better known among those who are interested in its prosperity or on whose judgment and determinations its future prospects depend, and I flatter myself, that the account which I have given of the progress and state of the settlement, will shew that any disappointment which has been experienced in regard to its colonization and settlement, is fairly to be charged to the neglect of many of those into whose hands, the property of the lands unfortunately fell, and not to any defect in the climate or soil. The accounts of the Island which were published soon after its conquest, were so favourable, both in regard to its fertility, and the natural beauty of the country, that a great part of the proprietors (who never saw the Island) seem to have expected, that it was to be settled by a resort of people in consequence of its natural advantages, without any exertion on their part, and that their large grants of forest lands were to be converted into valuable estates, by the labour and exertions of people, who they expected would be tempted to resort to, and settle in the. Island, as their tenants, without any expence or exertion on their part.

They did not consider, that it was in the neighbourhood of a vast continent, in many parts of which, lands were to be obtained by grant from the Crown, in such tracts as were suitable to every class of adventurers, and that men emigrating at their own expence from Europe, to seek for settlements in America, would naturally resort to countries in which they might be able to obtain lands from Government in perpetuity, rather than to a country where the whole of the soil, though uncultivated, was private property, and in which they could only settle as tenants to people who themselves were making no exertions for the benefit of the country, or contributing in any respect to alleviate the difficulties incident to its situation and circumstances.

To this unfortunate mistake in the conduct of the proprietors, is to be attributed the slow progress the colony made for many years; but the principal difficulties of a new settlement being now surmounted, better prospects seem to open upon its future progress, many of those, by whose connection with the colony its settlement was so long impeded, have retired, and have been succeeded by others who have more activity, and juster views of their own interest, and the value of the country; and should the measures which have been in contemplation for the benefit of the colony, be carried into effect, there can be no doubt but its future progress to complete cultivation and settlement will be as rapid, as it has hitherto been remarkably slow.

Since the following pages were written, I have seen two recent publications, one entitled "Strictures and Remarks on the Earl of Selkirk's Observations, &c. by Robert Brown, Esq. " the other, "Remarks on the Earl of Selkirk's Observations, &c. (anonymous)" I am no "trader in emigration," but in justice to my fellow subjects in the British Colonies, I cannot avoid taking notice of some things contained in these publications.

If the state of the Highlands, and the prospects of improvement under the judicious system of management now said to be pursuing for that purpose, is such as these writers represent it to be, I cannot conceive any necessity for that vein of misrepresentation, that runs through these books as to the state of the colonies, and the prospects to be expected from settling in them; they have their difficulties, that is certain, and any man that emigrates, under an idea that he is going to a country where he is to live without labour is most grossly deceived: on the contrary every man who expects to thrive in a new country must work and be industrious, they are not calculated for indolent dissipated people, such will find in old countries many substitutes of which they will here be entirely destitute, and we think it sufficient to say, that the natural and moral state of things in the colonies is such, as promises to every industrious man an ample reward for his labour, with a certainty of leaving his family if not wealthy, still with such prospects as will divest his mind of all anxiety on their account: I do not mean to make any comparisons; I am no way desirous of holding out incentives to Highland emigration, and I could appeal to very distinguished Members of the Highland Society on that subject; but as a colonist I cannot help saying, that these gentlemen have taken most unwarrantable liberties with their fellow subjects in asserting, that, a system of espionage is established in the colonies, to prevent letters giving an unfavourable account of their affairs from reaching this country; and that letters purporting to be written by emigrants to their friends in Scotland, giving a flattering account of the country, are manufactured there, and transmitted for the purpose of deceiving others: these are heavy charges, and should not have been hazarded lightly; I have been five and thirty years acquainted with the colonies, and will venture to assert, that no evidence to justify such an infamous charge can be produced: any person acquainted with the state of these countries, will be satisfied that the first part of the charge must be unfounded, as the greatest part of the letters sent from thence to this country are by private hands, and merchant ships, that load. in the different ports; these cannot be all "traders in emigration, " or interested in deluding their fellow subjects, and opportunities of this kind occur to frequently, and from such a variety of places as to make such attempts impracticable, and as to the criminal trick imputed to them, of writing letters in the name of poor people who cannot read or write themselves, I believe it is equally without foundation; it is possible that such a thing may have been done, and therefore it is easily asserted; and that may serve a temporary purpose where better matter is not at hand, but I will venture "to foretell without being inspired with the spirit of Prophecy, or gifted with the second sight, " that if the account which these publications give of the present state of the Highlands, is not better founded, than are the charges against the colonists, that before Highland emigration is stopped very different measures than any yet resorted to, will become necessary: the account which I have here given of the conduct of the proprietors of Prince Edward Island, will sbew how little foundation there can be for supposing any of them connected with such practices; from 1776 until 1803, not one of them was concerned in carrying a single emigrant from Scotland, and with respect to the common settlers a great many of them are so far from wishing to encourage emigration to the Island that they do every thing in their power to prevent it: every man that comes to the colony is looked upon by many of the old settlers as a misfortune to them, as it lessens the chance of getting the lands escheated for non-performance of the terms of settlement; an object which they have long considered as much more interesting to them than any benefit to be expected by encouraging their friends in Scotland to become their neighbours. I have more than once witnessed great chagrin and disappointment among them on any accession of inhabitants, particularly among the Highlanders, who being more addicted to raising cattle than agriculture, require, according to the custom of their country, large bounds; which makes them often think that a township is little enough for them where it does not contain, perhaps, twenty families: these are facts well known in the island, and will account naturally enough for the dismal letters which Mr. Brown states to have been received from that country.

Charges of a criminal and disgraceful nature against a distant community of our fellow subjects, who are so situated as to have no means of guarding against or repelling such attacks, till after they have, probably, had the full effect intended by their accusers, does not seem a very honourable proceeding; and I think it not unlikely, that on this occasion, it will lead to discussion and disclosures, which may have effects the very reverse of what the authors of these publications intended.

If without more authentic evidence than can be brought in support of these charges, any man were to publish to the world, that persons are employed in the Highlands, to take up and destroy all letters that come to the country, directed to poor people, which may be supposed to come from America; or, that very strong temptations are held out to particular people who have emigrated, to induce them to return, and to give such accounts of the state of the colonies as may deter others from emigration. Such an assertion could not fail giving general offence, and no respectable person who is acquainted with the morals and customs of Scotland would think it any justification to the author to say, that such a thing is talked of among the lower orders, or that such and such "traders in emigration" had asserted that they knew it to be a fact; and yet, just on such authority, do the authors of these performances venture to impute equally unworthy conduct to their fellow subjects in America.

A great noise has been made about Highland emigration, and the public mind has been agitated on the subject by various publications, calculated to alarm the nation as if there was an absolute danger of that district of the kingdom being depopulated; and under the impression of this alarm, Parliament was induced to pass an act, which under the appearance of preventing emigrants going to America, from suffering any hardship or inconvenience on the passage to that country, enforces a number of regulations to be observed on board ships carrying emigrants; which on the whole, rather more than doubles the real expence of a passage across the Atlantic; this mode of making emigration so expensive, that it must be out of the power of the very poorer class; I take it for granted was adopted in compliment to the constitution, by which the power of going to, or settling in any country not in an actual state of hostilities with our sovereign, has always been acknowledged; but I very much doubt whether in ten years it will be found to have diminished emigration. It will certainly have a considerable effect towards preventing people going off in the way that would be most comfortable to them; men, women and children together, two or three hundred in a ship at a moderate expence, that would leave them something wherewith to make a comfortable beginning in their new situations with the additional advantage of a free choice in that respect. They will now be compelled to go off in fifteens and twenties, and instead of going to our own colonies which is represented to be their wish, they must go to the United States, to which alone they will be able to procure passages from the great intercourse that subsists between them and the west coast of Scotland; every ship bound to them, it will be soon found, will carry as many emigrants as can be done without subjecting them to the regulations of the late act and the number of ships from the ports in the firth of Clyde, and the north of Ireland, will be found perfectly equal to carry all that wish to go, as much so as if the business was left on the old footing, and, I am confident it will soon appear, that all that the late act has effected, will be, that instead of preventing emigration, It has driven thousands desirous of settling in our colonies to the American States; and such has been the sole effect of the clamour with respect to emigration for the past twenty years. Millions of capital, and thousands of industrious people, who might have been advantageously settled in our own colonies, have been sent to the United States to nourish the pride and insolence and increase the power and resources of perhaps, our most inveterate enemies. It is curious to notice the noise that has been made about highland emigration for some time past, at the same time that not a word is said of the emigration from this end of the island, which is of so much more real consequence. Yet upon enquiry I am confident it will be found, that full as many people, and at least, one hundred times as much property, has been carried to the United States by emigrants from the ports of London, Bristol, and Liverpool, within the last ten years as from all the kingdom of Scotland in double that time. As a colonist I may be permitted to say, without offence to my countrymen in the north, that we would have willingly parted with our share of highland emigration, for a very small proportion of the English capital and industry that has been carried to the United States in this period.