The Huron Expositor, 1978-06-22, Page 10TUES. - SAT. 8:30/WED. 2:30
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10 HURON EXPOSITOR, JtiNE 22, 978
ren ity
by Alice Mb
(Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of articles on the ,
opening of the Huron Tract and. the Building of the Huron Road,
which took place 150 years ago this •summer.)
One hundred and fifty years ago, a small survey party set out
to open a road from 'Wilmot to Goderich, a road which would
open up. Huron and'Perth Counties and make the land on the
Huron Tract- accessible to an influx of settlers:
'by niervcanunittdd to remaining in the Huron Tract after their
labours had finished. Galt wanted men who were as corymitted
to his dream of settling Unuer Canada as he was.
V • • •
Ironically by 1,828, Galt's days in Upper Canada• were
numbered. The Scotsman was becoming increasingly frustrated
• in his efforts to serve the interests of thecanada Company. His
relations with the 'provincial government were steadily
deteriorating, his own board of directors had lost their faith in his
° ability to manage the finances of the company, and Thomas ,
Smith sent out to act as Galt's accountant, was determined to
- ,unseat his "employer.
John Galt, like his compatriot Dr. William Dunlop, seemed a
stra4 choice to be heading up a colonization program in_ the
rit**ee.
•
Health Falling
In• his autobiography, Written when his health was failing and he
had been recalled to Britain by the Canada Company, Galt says
cafitespandidly that his ruling passion throughout his life —is love
of fame" and that "the high faith in his own, powers when
young" never deserted him.
When Galt was a boy, hislamily moved to Greenock, Scotland,
a minor cultural •oasis at the, time. There Galt was not only •
— " eXpnsed to—an excellent'library, bat also hits of cultural activities—
'and a number of men who were close friends of the poet. Robbie
Burns. •
By the time he was .a teenager, Galt was already mailing out
manuscripts for plays to a leading theatrical producer (none were
accepted) and within a few years, his schemes expanded from
purely literary interests to include a canal which would link Loch
Lomond and Loch Long, another plan to re-design the town's
harbour and a third plan (eventually completed) to provide a
better water supply for Greenock.
By 1804, Galt's imagination had outgrown his hometown and
.so the budding author moved south to London and became
involved in all sorts of business ventures, inost of which ended in
disaster, and spent hiS spare hours producing page after.page of
manuscript, most of which remained unpublished.
After a few years of travel,-Galt returned to England again in
1809, and started producing saleable manuscripts, although
today they would seem little more than hack writing. Then, in
1820, by now married and the father of four sons, Galt
discovered-his salvation—the Scottish novel.
Novels
Although Galt soon proved he was no Walter Scott, he did
have a way with novels depicting life in western Scotland, and '
over. the years,' he vrodueed a series of novels based on this
theme--books like Last of the Lairds,. Annals of the Parish. The
Entail (considered his best work), and The Spaewife, later turned
into .a play by another writer and performed before George IV.
John Galt, who stood over 6 feet tall, and, caught his view of
the world through a pair of steel-rimmed spectacles, was possess-
ed atone very valuable personality trait—and that was sublime'
confidence in himself. If he was to achieve the fame he sought,
then he intended to do it—net solely' by his writing, _which he
himself may have recognized, wasn't truly first rate, but also by
his business Schemes. -
So while turning out his Scottish novels, Galt became involved
• With Edward Ellis. a member of the British parliament who was
appointed, the London agent for the Canadian claimants for •
reparations from the •War of 1812. • ' When• the war finally petered out in 18-15, many Canadian
settlers felt they had been badly done by--some had had to pay
levies to the America'n invaders, sonic to the British troops and
others had suffered ,the usual financial losses during the three
years of 'skirmishes along'the hoyders. Feeling that the war
wasn't entirely of their' own making. the Canadian asked for
compensation from the British goyernment. Although the. British
Colonial Office appointed a commission to examine the claims,
they stalled as long as possible in actually Presenting the settlers
with any. cash.'
By 1829, 2,828 people were ruled eligiblefor payments, but
the British government balked at handing out almost 230,000
pounds.
'Lobbyist'
The commissioners decided the only way to unite the settlers
with their 'promised finances was to hire a lobbyist-- and they
chose Ellis and Galt, thinking two heads would be better than
one. '
rrr
went through
w
Tliis purchase wasn't what Galt had originally intended—he
had 'wanted to buy the. Crown lands scattered all across the
colony, 'but from a practical Viewpoint, the offer was one' which
couldn t be refused. •
The Capacla Company was to pay ,145 pounds. 150 for the
land—and erie-third of thepurchaseTrice was to be used to build
roads, bridges, canals, docks and schools,
The Canada Company was to begin making payments on the
land on ,I(1,41y,.1, 1826.:
In 1824, an editori.3.1..in The British Press had already spoken
favourably of 'the proposal to establish the Canada Company.
"As Upper Canada. which, in the course of a few years, must
.become one of the most valuable colonies possessed by this
cetintrY, is from an unaccountable apa thy, which seems
inherent in the people of England with 'regard to all their colonial
possessions, as little known as the interior of Africa, some short
account of it absolutely 'necessary as a preface to our
remarks," the writer said.
Rough Survey
• "When the.attention of the Government was first called to the
province, about 30 y ears ago, a rough survey was made of it, and
the land was divided into townships--not as iii this, and other
cultivated . countries, . separated by the natural boundaries of
rivers, brooks, or mountains, but, as is uniformly the case
throughout America, by straight lines arbitrarily draWn from one
pdint to another. These townships were again, and in the same ,
manner, divided into lots of 200 acres each; and this' was done so
' regularly that, but for the streams which intersected it, the map
of any one township might pass for that of any other, and all bear
a very close resemblance to a chesS-board, the 'checkers
representing the different lots.
The editorial writer ended his article with this advice "for
those who expect to double their principal in a short time, we
cannot recommend it:But we think that sober_people,had better
-=rinvest -their-ifiOney-lic 'such a concern, where there is every
-prospect .of an adequate return from solid security...,"
The editorial writer was one Dr. William Dunlop, a man who
proved ready to match his advice to others not only with money
of his own, but also with the decision to join the emigration to
Upper Canada.'
Dunlop and Galt would be two'of the three most influential.
men in the opening of the Huron Tract.
But, although the government did receive funds from the sales
Of the Huron Tract, the poor Canadian settlers tvlio, waited for
their claims to be settled learned a lesson many other4 would
'also learn over the years. It's easier to give money . to
governments 'than it ever.is to get it back.'
Dublin Park
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$5.00 (after June-23)
Children $2.50 (12 and under)
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM
COMMITTEE MEMBERS OR DUBLIN
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BEEF BARBECUE
Satur,:day, July 1,,t
•
EMS S43.011 proved to have only a half-hearted interest in
lobby leg for the distant Canadians, but Galt attacked 'the
problem with the same enthusiasm that he had many of his, other
schemes. -Finally in 1822, after eloquently defending the claims
cf the settlers, .Galt ornerede the British government into
agreeing they would pay half the cllms if the government of
Upper Canada would foot the other half of the bill. Now Galt's
only problem was to come up with a method of raising the
•
While history doesn't record -Mrs. Galt's response, one can
picture her looking heavenward and muttering, "Not another of
John's' wild schemes!"
But the Canada Company soon proved to be a marketable idea
sand , not just something dreamed up in the .brain of the
imaginative Mr. Galt which would never see fruition On July 20,
1824 the, company was officially formed over some ale at the'
London Tavern, and each director purchased 25 shares in the
'company at the price of 5 pounds per share. Charles Bosanquet
was named chairman of the board of directors and Johe Galt was
made-secretary. The company then appointed two men--one of
them Galt—to travel to. Upper 'Canada and negotiate a purchase
'price-far, the..Crown lands.
The land the company finally purchased was one million acres
of property on the southeast short of Lake Huron, which had
been sold to the government by the Chippewa Indians.
Friday, Saturday,
Sunday
Juiy21-22-23
Watch for Details
Seaforth Lions Club
43rd. Annual
r'r5 sGaforth (Dot 5)9•345'2184
In the old Beechwood General
Store 21/: miles north hf St.
• Columban 'on McKillop -Sideroad
10 at Concession 5.
MER
IVAL
Lots to eat -
Lutcious tender
beef with all
the trimmings.
TICKETS FOR Sat
Vincents, Latrines, Bob &
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Rowcliffe, Whitneys,
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Banks.
Provides a full evening
including all the beef you
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Dinner 6:30,to 8:30
Beef Bar-$-Q catered by Campbell and Cardiff
Dance `Dacia' $3.00 per person At the door.
I'M NOT SURE IF I LIKE THIS MODELLING
BUSINESS? -- Pam. Carter, in dveralls and bonnet,
seems to be pondering whether she really likes being
a model in the fashion show at the Seaforth Craft
Show. (Expositor Photo)
It's 150. years since ou roar r
only one guidelinin hiringthe men who would face the chore of result- alter•anumber of negotiations, a flurry of letters,
hacking the road t rough the forests--the work must be done mare lebbying and a great deal of scheming, was germ which led
to the formation of the aCnaandaadcaoznCopmapnayny.
Canada
The premise was simply this—theBrftish government owned, a
number of Crown lands in Upper Caeda, and wanted to sell the
land. However, the paperwork and time involved in selling the
land, bit by bit; to each individual settler, seemed monumental.
Furthermore, the settlers wouldn't be able to pay for the land
. outright—like most homesteaders, they would have to clear the
land, plant crops and gradually pay off theirp, ebts.
John Galt's m proposal seemed obvious--a company would be
formed which would buy a quantity of these CroWn lands, and it
woirld be the responsibility of the company to handle finances,
bring in settlers, and open up the territory.
0
The funds which the company would pay the government
could be then used in turn to settle the financial claims from the
War of 1812.
By April, 1824, John Galt wrote optimistically to his wife, that,
"'ant carrying into effeet the plan of selling the Crown Reserves
cl land, gentlemen having come home officially so as to en ablethe '
government to proceed according to my Suggestion. The purpose
on which I am employed, is to raise a million pounds4 in shares,
to constitute a company, so that the period of my return (home) is
now. indefinite." He ended the letter with the warning, "say
--nothnig -cif -this to- anybody; ''•
John Galt, the secretary of the Canada Company, laid down money. il
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Saturday
June 2441
Open
Wedding
Reception
for
LORI SMITH
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Seaforth Legion Hall '
June 23
'Music by Mates
'Dublin Centennidi
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.CAMPBELL CARDIFF CATERING.
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may purchase tickets by contacting Mr. Joe Shea, R. R.
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