// ~ agitate until their grievances are redressed. ee, She Colonial Werald. 2 , his may suit the lawyers best, he thought it would not at all suit the poor settlers who were hard set to live without subject- ing themselves to contend about the titles of the claimants of land * throughout the Island. Mr. Parmer said—it is objected, that several claimants may ap- pear for the same property; in this case, how are the arbitrators to decide which is the real owner, or bow is the squatter to dis- tinguish, when he is tendered a compensation, whether to receive or refuse it? Suppose a claimant appears before a squatter and says—“ You are on my property—you must take a lease or go about your business:” he tukes a lease, and immediately after, the real proprietor makes his appearance; and he must go through the same process again and again, until the real proprietor ap- pears; in all these cases, the squatter is sufficiently protected by the Bil. He cannot be ejected without getting compensation or a joase, and therefore cannot be injured by the multiplicity of claimants, however numerous they may be. The hon. member for Georgetown (Mr. Thornton) has endeavoured to explain away the remedy in this case ; but in his opinion he has not done so. What are the objections to a trial by jury? Simply because they cannot be earried out of the jury box to examine the land; this is a very trifling objection. How many casescome before a jury, on whieh they are called to give a verdict, that it is impossible for them to see, and for an account of which they must rely on the fidelity of witnesses. Ile was very willing tu go with any mea- sure that would bring real benefit to the squatters, without en- croaching on the rights of others. Mr. Tuorston said, the hon. momber for Charlottetown (Mr. Palmer) told him (Mr. Thornton) that he had lost himself, but he (Mr. Phornton) thought the matter was quite the reverse. lo the first case, the squatter gets a lease, and that is his protection until another comes, and then he gets a fresh lease, and so until the right proprietor appears; and even until the | came, the award of the arbitrators would protect them. # ask the hon. member (Mr. Palmer) a simple question; Sup, he were a squatter, which would he prefer, the award of arbitra- tors or the tedious process of the verdict of a court? though he knew the hon. member was not fond of dilatory proceedings, and was also moderate in bis charges. Me. Pater said, that after the squatter had once accepted a lease, he was no squatter, and before he could be ejected, he must be paid for his improvements; he was not therefore mistaken in his view of the case. It was then moved and carried, that the Speaker take the Chair, the Chairman report progress and ask leave to sit again. Sarorpay, April 1. STATE OF THE COLONY. (Debate continued.) Mr. Rak said that in again bringing this question before the consideration of the House, he begged to allude to tke treatment of the Petitions presented to this House from a portion of the people; and from the sort of notice taken of them by the Honse, they might be very content if they were allowed bread and water. He was well aware that a large portion of the people were in bondage; but the question was, should they continue so? Let us approach this impor- tant question in a proper manner. [He would ask, who are they who should make acknowledgments to the country? He would tell them that agitation began in 1797. It must have some cause for its source; and it is our duty to trace _up the cause, in order to apply the remedy. ‘The cause is not the turbulent disposition of the people, for they were proverbially docile, it was not the influence of the agitators, for they must have had something to complain about, and the people must have felt that their assertions were true, other- wise they would not have acquired that influence. No, no; these were not the cause of the evils complained of; it was the tenure under which the land was held in the Island that was the real souree of the discontent. In the other Colonies, no such cause ef discontent exists, and therefore%there are no complaints; the people are better off, and consequently they are more contented and happy. The land agents are advertising to take produce; but it was ridiculous, and only a scheme to deceive. Of what earthly benefit could it be to a tenant at the Mast Point or North Cape, the land agents re- siding in Charlottetown? How could he transport his pro- duce sucha distance? and if he could not, he was as much at the mercy of the ageuts as ever. He hoped something permanent would be now done, in order to prevent any fur- ther discussion on jc i inion, the rent should be fixed at One shilling currency, and the produce of the land taken as payment; and then he thought the coun- try would be satisfied. He would assure the House that agi- tation was more strong and determined than hon. members were aware of. [Here he read a Resolution.] Now, as re- gards the latier part of it, as the hon. member (Mr. Yeo) sometimes says, “let every tub stand on its own bottom.” Let the fishermen make good their claim; my loyalty in those matters is to leave the fisheries as we found them. ‘Those who would exact fromthe tenants more than they can afford to pay, act contrary to the interest of the country, and even against their own, for so long asa man is in debt, he is dispirited and dissatisfied, whether the debt be £5 er £50, as he is at all in danger of being deprived of his liberty. Loyalty has been much talked about, and he supposed, from all that has been said, that some got credit for very little of that commodity. [Here he read something about Mr. Clarke and his Exeellency.] Great charges of disloyalty and dis- affection are laid on the shoulders ofthe escheators, and it was broadly hinted they were at the bottom of those ebulli- tions of popular feeling; but the truth is, that the high rents ,and the impoverished state of the Colony were the chief and only causes of all the discontent. ''The tenants were _ deeply in arvear of rent, even before there was a word about escheat; the proprietors, and not the escheators, were the cause ofthe riots. In some cases, rent is demanded for 100 _feres, where there is not near so much; so that, from the ex- isting state of things, it is no wonder that the people were discontented and exasperated; and they will continue to f Much confu- sion has also been caused by bad titles. At one time we thought very little about these titles, but now we are come round to ask these very proprietors to take produce for rent, &e. Itislike giving a rattle to a child—it pleases hiin for a while. Mr. Speaker could not help observing that, day after day, the time of the House was taken up in listening to the same story, over and over again. Why does not the hon. member (Mr. Rae} propose a remedy for the evils which he tells us exist? Instead of this, he wanders into topics wholly uncon- nected with the subject. What had his loyalty to do with the state of the Colony. Had he proposed a remedy, it would be more applicable, and be sore attended to by the House than the episodes into which he so often digresses. A part ofthe hon. member’s Resolutions are yery proper, whilst others are not so; for instance, why endeavour by legislation to reduce the rents, when we know we cannot succeed ? We might desire to see the rents lowered and taken in produce, but the question is, can we say the rents *—must be so taken and so lowered}? He would like to know what all this loyalty affair would amount to? He thought the best way ‘we could shew our loyalty would be to live quietly and peaceably among ourselves. As he said from the beginning, he said still—we could not interfere in the contracts between landlord and tenant, We might use our influence to induce the proprietors to modify them, but that was all thatcame within our power. He very much regret- ted a circumstance that had gone abroad, and in which he felt a personal concern. By a reported speech of his, he is made to say, that he recommended the propriety of petition- ing the proprietors—a procedure which, if true, would appear very derogatory to the dignity of the House. He did not, fora moment, suppose that it was for the purpose of wilfully misre- presenting the House the person who takes the notes did so, and he hoped he now would contradict the statement. He did not propose petitioning the proprietors, but to draw up an Address to Her Majesty, in which His Excellency and the Legislative Council be requested to join, to solicit Her Majesty to use her influence with the proprietors, in order to induce them to grant more favorable terms to the tenantry than those contained in the leases. He appealed to the House, as a confirmation of these his expressions. It is no part of our duty as legislators to interfere with the already settled rights of property. It may do very well for certain persons, in certnin places, and for certain purposes, to state to the people that we can; buthe hoped that the House would », by their firmness and decision, that the day of such enary legislation was past. He hoped and trusted the. « hope would not go abroad that it was possible for us alter the tenures already established. Let the hon. mover | . forward, and distinctly state what bis propoaal is, and then the honse will understand him; itis to be supposed that he should take it for granted that he is addressing men of sense, and that the stale tales of former times will fail to convince us; and if the people are not promptly undeceived, they will continue to get up petitions, such as the one late- ly before the House. He believed the allegations in that petition were false. In his district, he did not hear of two cases of distraint for rent during the past 25 years.