| Title: | From Thomas William Magrath, Esq., Upper Canada, to the Rev. Thomas Radcliff, Ireland. |
|---|---|
| ID | 4543 |
| Collection | Authentic Letters from Upper Canada [Rev. Thomas Radcliff] |
| File | radcliff/1 |
| Year | 1831 |
| Sender | Magrath, Thomas Wm |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | superintendent for settlers |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Erindale, Toronto, Upper Canada |
| Destination | Ireland |
| Recipient | Rev. Thomas Radcliff |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 2584 |
| Genre | cost of voyage, living expenses, account of passage |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Erindale, Toronto, Nov. 1831. My dear Sir, I am glad to hear that your sons are coming to this country. I am sure they will be excellent settlers, and hope they will make this their headquarters until they fix on their future place of residence. My father's former letters will no doubt have informed you of the Governor's kindness in appointing me an agent for superintending the settlement of emigrants; which circumstance having afforded me so many facilities of observation, I am induced the more readily to accede to your request that I should impart all the information I possess, on the, now, engrossing subject of emigration. I shall therefore at once proceed to furnish you with a statement of the expenses of bringing out and maintaining, for twelve months, either a family or a single person, of the upper class of settlers. The cost attendant on the transport, from Liverpool to York by Quebec, and the subsequent location of my father's family (from which you may form a correct judgment of other cases differing in point of number) were as follow: — In May, 1827, our family consisting of my father, mother, sister, cousin, three brothers, myself and a female servant, nine in number, took our passage in the brig Donegal of Whitehaven, in which we had the accommodation of the entire state cabin, containing six berths, and two state rooms, with the services of a steward, for £50 0 0 The cost of provisions calculated for 80 days . . . . 20 0 0 Expenses in lodgings at Montreal (with our own provisions brought on shore). . . . 2 0 0 Travelling charges of my father and mother, sister and cousin to Prescot, 130 miles by steamboat and stages . . . . 10 0 0 Expense of conveying my brothers and myself with luggage weighing 20 cwt., at 4Js per cwt., and our expenditure in taverns, &c, during nine days, while on our passage up the St. Lawrence in Durham boats from Montreal to Prescot . . . . 10 0 0 One day's charges at Prescot where our entire family met 2 0 0 From Prescot to York (230 miles) by steamboat in first cabin . . . . 20 0 0 Carried forward . . . . £114 0 0 Carried forward . . . . £114 0 0 Expenses at York in lodgings for ten days or a Fortnight . . . . 13 0 0 Conveyance of luggage and family to settlement; Suppose . . . . 8 0 0 Total cost from Liverpool to settlement in Upper Canada with every comfort and respectable accommodation . . . . £135 0 0 Or 15l. for each individual I have estimated the luggage at 20 cwts. Ours was 7 tons, 3 cwts.!!! The largest quantity ever landed by a single family on the Wharf at York, and for transporting it from Montreal it cost my father 28l. 12s.; but in my calculation and estimate, I have allowed the more usual and economical quantity of one ton. With respect to our sea store, one-third only was consumed, as we made the voyage to Quebec in twentyseven days. The surplus quantity, however, was of essential service to us, afterwards, in our lodgings at York, and some of it we brought forward to Erindale. My father had made a written contract with the Caplain at Liverpool, by which the latter was bound to land us at Montreal, and also, to allow us the privilege of remaining on board there, while arranging for our passage to York; and this prudent arrangement obviated the incurring any serious expenses until our arrival at the last mentioned place. The Captains frequently land their passengers at Quebec, although they have been paid for their passage to Montreal. I am informed, however, that an act exists, by which they may be fined £20, if convicted before a Magistrate, of compelling passengers to land any where but at the place agreed on. The contract ought to be entered into in writing, to prevent misunderstanding. My father compelled our Captain to defray the charges of our passage to Montreal from Quebec, as he did not proceed with his vessel farther than that port. You may think with Captain Dalgetty on the subject of provant, and wish to know what sea stock we brought with us: Two hundred weight of corned beef, packed in a pickling tub, well hooped, and with a bar of iron across the lid with a hinge and staple to it, a& every thing you bring, must be securely locked, or the more hungry emigrants on board, will share with you. On putting to sea, the Captain emptying this vessel of the brine, filled it with sea-water, it was then lashed to the foot of the main mast on deck, for the convenience of getting at it daily. One hundred weight of biscuit, do. do. flour do. do. oatmeal The last, excellent for burgoo which will remain on the stomach during sea sickness, better than anything else. If we had taken out a great deal more, it would have proved an advantageous spec, as the Canadian oat-meal is scarce, and of inferior quality. We had ten shillings worth of bread; fresh beef and mutton; half a dozen of hams; half a dozen of tongues; live fowls; two dozen of wine; two gallons of rum, potatoes and some other vegetables. But to resume the calculation of expenses, it will require for a family, such as we have under consideration, at least £100 for provisions in the busk during the first year, besides the subjoined outlay, for the purchase of land, building of house and offices and providing furniture, implements and seed. Two hundred acres of land, at 10s . . . . £100 0 0 Log house, 30 feet by 20 feet . . . . 35 0 0 Barn, ox house, stable and cow house, all under one roof . . . . 50 0 0 Clearing ten acres at £3 10s. per acre . . . . 35 0 0 Bedsteads, chairs, presses, &c. . . . . 12 0 0 13 Bushels of seed wheat . . . . 3 5 0 2 Cows . . . . 6 0 0 Horse . . . . 13 0 0 A pair of oxen . . . . 10 0 0 Waggon . . . . 15 0 0 Yoke and chains for oxen . . . . 2 0 0 2 Axes . . . . 1 0 0 3 Iron Wedges . . . . 0 10 0 2 Harrows with teeth . . . . 1 0 0 2 Spades . . . . 0 5 0 2 Pitch forks . . . . 0 2 0 2 Two-inch screw augers, with all other sizes down to half inch . . . . 0 15 0 Pick Axe . . . . 0 3 0 Tack, smoothing and trying planer . . . . 0 6 0 Hammer and hatchet . . . . 0 3 0 Brace and set of bits . . . . 0 10 0 1 Handsaw . . . . 0 7 0 1 Brush hook . . . . 0 5 0 A set of chisels, four sizes . . . . 0 6 0 The above tools should be purchased at Liverpool, where they are considerably cheaper than here; or in Dublin, if the emigrant sails from thence; at the house of the Messrs. Perry, Pill-lane, who are of the Society of Friends; and for whose moderate charges, and highly honourable conduct on several occasions, to ignorant customers, I can vouch. This establishment contains such a variety of articles, that the emigrant should read this list over in their shop, and he will find it save him both time and trouble. By the above calculation, which as well as I have been able to note it, is critically correct, a gentleman with a family, may fix himself on his new estate in any part of Upper Canada for £421 17s. viz. Total cost from Liverpool, to Settlement . . . . £135 0 0 Purchase of land . . . . 100 0 0 Building house and offices . . . . 85 0 0 Clearing 10 acres . . . . 35 0 0 Articles of furniture . . . . 12 0 0 Seed wheat . . . . 3 5 0 2 Cows . . . . 6 0 0 1 Horse . . . . 13 0 0 Oxen and waggon, yoke and chains . . . . 27 0 0 Tools . . . . 5 12 0 1032522964840 £421 17 0 And supposing him to have altogether, a capital of £1000, he may lodge the remainder at York, in bank stock, at 12 per cent; and if he takes out this capital in gold, (which he ought to do) he will be allowed from 3 to 4 shillings according to the rate of exchange at the time, on every sovereign. Leaving the married folks and their children on their farm, I shall proceed to give my bachelor friends (having a sympathetic feeling with those unfortunate fellows) all the information in my power. But I must first admit that I do not recommend single gentlemen to come here, where, (I speak of the retirements in the bush) the only comforts they can expect are cigars, sour cider, the eternal annoyance of an ugly old housekeeper (one of the greatest plagues on earth,) and the glorious irregularity of a bachelor's house. Seriously, I would suggest long and earnest hesitation before they decide on fixing themselves here, as agriculturists; and I would more strongly advise them (having a shrewd guess at the comforts and advantages of such connexion) to marry before they come out, if they can meet with cheerful, accommodating, and economizing lasses with a little of the needful; indeed whether possessing this last qualification or not, such girls would be in themselves a treasure here. If a smart and pretty widow, under thirty five, with a snug jointure or disposable fortune, with three or four ready made sons and daughters (the riches of the Canadian colonist) be inclined to migrate hither, I pledge myself to provide a mate for her, either in the person of my cousin Charles Alley, who measures six feet without his shoes; or of my second brother, who exceeds him in height by 3 inches. This hint may not be amiss in its results to us, though confidentially conveyed to you. I will suppose a young man to have the usual clothes, &c. of a gentleman; in addition to these, let him bring: A moleskin jacket, price . . . . £1 10 0 One doz. striped cotton shirts . . . . 2 0 0 One doz. of thick, country knit, worsted stockings . . . . 1 0 0 4 very warm night caps . . . . 0 4 0 4 Guernsey shirts . . . . 0 12 0 4 pair flannel drawers . . . . 0 14 0 4 Blankets . . . . 1 10 0 139483143240 Carried forward .. £7 10 0 Carried forward . . . . £7 10 0 Sailor's jacket, waistcot and trowsers . . . . 2 10 0 2 pair of very strong shoes, high enough to protect the ankle . . . . 1 4 0 4 Pillow cases . . . . 0 6 0 1 curled hair mattrass . . . . 14 0 6 Towels . . . . 0 5 0 Canteen, with all necessary cooking apparatus . . . . 3 10 0 One of Butler's medicine chests with his medicine directory . . . 2 0 0 1 Fur cap and gloves . . . . 0 15 0 4 pair of thick Russia duck trowsers . . . . 1 10 0 1 pocket compass . . . . 0 3 0 1843405360990 Total £20 17 0 with the implements and tools mentioned (pp.5, 6) amounting to . . . . 5 12 0 233511147122 Total £26 9 0 Boots and shoes are bad and dear in Canada, and tailors' work is higher than in London; but the less money that an emigrant expends on any article which he may not want for several months, the better for his purse and other comforts here. No single man should think of supplying his own provisions for the voyage; he cannot inspect the dressing of them; should he club with a family of strangers providing theirs, he will find, when about to land, a much greater diminution of his stock than he had anticipated, and experience in the end that he has been humbugged. What is called, and considered a cheap passage, should be avoided by those who are not greatly straightened in means, as it usually proves the dearest in the end. It is bad management to make one's self miserable for the sake of a few pounds, during perhaps a long and boisterous voyage; shut up, it may be, during six or eight weeks, with all the inconveniences of breakfasting, dining, sleeping, and gelling sick in the same wretched apartment of a crazy merchant vessel. Our passage was short and favourable, else we should have been heartily sorry for having chosen the Quebec course, which is longer than that to New York, and always more tedious; the vessels being of an inferior class, and slower in their rate of sailing. Add to this the danger of the Newfoundland Banks, the navigation of the mouth of the St. Lawrence, and the number of leagues to be traversed between Quebec and York, occupying nine or ten days, while the other line of inland navigation from New York to the same points by the delightful Hudson, and the canal to Oswego, occupies but four or five days, with the advantage of seeing the most interesting parts of the States. In short the election, when practicable, is decidedly in favour of the passage to New York from Liverpool, where merchant ships, (or packets of the first class,) with every accommodation that the most luxurious person could desire, are always to be met with. The passage in the best merchantmen can be engaged for twenty guineas, with every delicacy of the table, and spirits of all kinds, ad libitum. In the noble packets, called Liners, the total charge, including wines of the best description, is thirty-five guineas. If the emigrant have money to spate, he can pass a few days agreeably at New York, if not, he has the power of immediately removing his kit to the first steamer that starts for Albany, a distance of 150 miles, to which place he will be conveyed for nine shillings. His passage thence to Oswego, on the lake Ontario, by Canal boat, all expenses included, will be 3l. 10s.; and from Oswego to York 1l. 15s.; making a total cost, from New York to York, the grand point of his destination, in either case, of 5l. 4s. In my next I shall give you a comparative view of the cost of settling in the Bush, and on a farm partially cleared. I remain, very dear Sir, Your's faithfully, T. W. MAGRATH. |
