"Mr.——, a member of the House of Representatives, and one of our largest and most energetic proprietors, told me to-day, that he found it more difficult to obtain agricultural labour now than he did last year. Since Saturday, applications have been made to the immigration agent to procure for settlers, six ploughmen, a drayman, a bullock-driver, ten men to reap, boys to milk and attend to cattle, and several others, and he has only found one ploughman and nothing more.

"I am sorry to say that the ships which have arrived lately have brought a very small proportion of working men of the right sort—not that there are plenty of people seeking employment, for a large number of them appear to have landed here absolutely without money, expecting to find employment next morning; but there are hardly any young men accustomed to agricultural labour among them, and a large number hoping to be employed as storemen, cigar manufacturers, light porters, overseers of labour, land stewards, &c. Quality is the thing not quantity. There are also carpenters, shoemakers, and such like; I dare say, for the most part, very proper immigrants, if they had not come here under the impression that they would not require to support themselves without work for a day. These will all get employed, but they can't be absorbed all at once at all times. It is not what are you willing to do will be asked, but what can you do?

"Some emigrants affect, or really do consider themselves deceived when they find that they are exposed to the competition of others when they appiy for land which has not previously been proclaimed as open for sale or collection.

"'When an emigrant tells an Immigration agent he has land orders, he says, 'Go to the land office with them, taking with you all the persons named in 'the orders, as they must appear personally; the deputy commission will 'endorse upon the order that they have been duly presented on such a date, 'and will also inform you,' if you ask him, in what district there is land open 'for sale or selection; also, where there are lands not yet open, but proclaimed, 'or about to be proclaimed, open for selection. Go, then, and see these lands 'first, those already open. If you see any thing to suit you there, on coming 'back to the land office, if no one has taken it in the meantime, you have only page 57'to fill up a printed application for it, and hand it in along with your land 'orders, and the application will be granted as a matter of course. In case, 'however, some other immigrant should have fancied the same land and taken 'it up while you were looking for it, do not set your heart exclusively on one 'allotment, but pitch upon two or three if possible, in order that if you fail in 'getting one you may be sure of the other. There is no competition for land 'that has once been proclaimed for sale or selection after the day upon which 'it was open for sale. The first applicant gets it. If, however, you fancy to 'have the pick of a new block proclaimed to be open, say three weeks hence, 'then you must give in your application with your land orders before noon 'on the day fixed by the proclamation. After twelve the applications are all 'opened by the commissioner in open court. If no other person has applied 'for the same allotment that you have applied for, it is marked in the office-'book and on the plan as granted to you. If another person, however, has also 'applied for it, unless you shall settle between yourselves which shall have it '(as we have not yet discovered any way of giving two or more persons the 'same piece of land), it is put up to auction between you (the applicants), the 'Land-orders representing the upset price of 10s. per acre, and the one that 'bids most above that gets it.' I can see no fairer way of acting than this, and I think that if it were so explained to them before leaving England, no one would think of grumbling at it. The Government keep a person in pay in the district where the most of the land is situated, to point out the land to persons who want to see it, when a party is made up to go and inspect it; and when a party is made up to go and inspect any other district, the Deputy Commissioner is always ready to supply a guide to show it them. Again, the Government don't want people to bid against each other for land, knowing that it is better for the country that settlers should expend their money upon the land than in buying it; but if two are determined to bid against each other, there is no help for it. This does not, however, very often occur, and when it does the opposition is of a very mild kind. It is inexpedient that immigrants should arrive here between the beginning of May and August, to men of capital it is not of so much consequence, winter being the best time for having forest land cleared; but laboring men, unless they are woodmen, or a few good ploughmen, may have to wait longer for employment than at other seasons of the year, and should it happen to be a wet winter, the spirits of newcomers are apt to fall very low for a short time.

"The immigrants chiefly required are, either men having at least £500, if not, men accustomed to work—if working farmers they will do as well with one-third of that sum as the other will with the whole of it—good ploughmen, some agricultural labourers accustomed to hedging, ditching, &c., &c., and a sprinkling of other tradesmen from time to time, as country blacksmiths, wheelwrights, &c.

"My only desire in thus writing to you is to make matters plain, so as, as far as possible, to hinder persons from emigrating who are not likely to prosper; for, assuredly, unless the individual immigrant prospers, he cannot add to the prosperity of the province."