Homestead Act.

Most important Act. If a settler have a wife and children, this Act must be dear to him; the farm and buildings, when registered, cannot be taken for debt incurred after the registration; it is free up to a value not greater than 2500 dollars (500l. English); goods and chattels are also free up to 150 dollars (30l. English); cattle "farmed on shares" are also protected by an Exemption Act.

Farm lands in private hands may be bought at almost any price, from 5 dollars (20s. English) to 40 dollars (8l. English) per acre, according to situation and improvement. Terms of purchase are as agreed—generally a portion in cash, and the balance at stated future periods, bearing interest.

The Canadian Pacific Railway Company, the Puget Sound Agricultural Association, and the English Coal Company at Nanaimo, which companies own land in the province, are anxious to promote settlement on their lands on fair terms. I believe that the latter company, in the case of working-men, will exchange town lots in the thriving town of Nanaimo for land elsewhere in the province, in order to stimulate the growth of a town destined to be important. It is a cheering sign, when all persons in the province recognise more clearly the great truth that they have a common interest.