[Hill, John?] (1819, 1826)‘ Information to Emigrants: Some Account of the Island of Prince Edward, with Practical Advice to those lntending to Emigrate by a Late Resident of that Colony. Second Edition — 1826?. J. M. Richardson, London. 31 pp. [Part of this pamphlet (pp. 12—22) was first printed as a letter to the editor, in the January 1819 issue of The European Magazine]

The central core of this pamphlet (pp. 72-22) was first printed as a letter to the editor of The European Magazine in January 1819. This letter had been written as a response to ”a most absurd account of Prince Edward Island in the New Month/y Magazine of September last [containing] a jumble of inconsistencies, contradictions, and absurdities”— [see Anon. 1818]. This core letter, with the addition of a substantial body of new material, was then

published as a pamphlet some time after October 7819. (There was also a second edition (perhaps in 1826} containing some corrections and additions, including a new four page in troductionl. Both the letter and the pamphlet were published anonymous/y, and though it is not certain that they are by the same author (in fact an attempt is made (p. 8) by the author of the additions to imply they are different persons), they appear to be both the product of the same person. Who that person may be is another question. Several clues suggest John Hill (b. 7 754, d. 784 7), a Cascumpec-based merchant and the proprietor of Lots 2, 4, 5, 6 and half of Lot 7: in evidence given to the Land Commission of 7860 John Hill was reported to have written a pamphlet; the pamphlet contains a map of the Cascumpec Bay area (the only part of the island so favoured}; and that area is much better known to the author/s) and described more extensively than any other (both in the letter and the additions). (It is also referred to in the letter as ’here’ (p. 2 7) — unlike other parts of the island that are termed ’there’.) Though there is no blatant promotion of the Cascumpec area to prospective emigrants, there are occasional subtle comments implying that that area has particular advantages for new and less wealthy settlers. Whoever the author(s) is/are, he/they clearly have known the island for many years: ”from a time when the population did not exceed 5,000 inhabitants” (p. 4, the additions) — which must be as far back as the l790s — which would fit in with John Hill ’3 first visit to the island in 7 790. Thereafter Hill lived periodically on the island until the 18205, which again fits in with the author of the article who must have been in England in 7879 but who visited the island again before the second edition was published. Also in support is the fact that Hill set up a London-based company in 7 87 8 under the name of Hill and Son.

REFERENCES:

Anon. (1818) Some Account of Prince Edward’s Island, and its Advantages as a Settlement for Emigrants. The New Month/y Magazine, 1 September 1818, pp. 114-17. London.

Bumsted, J. M. (1988). Hill, John. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, VII: 406—09.

Robertson, l. R. (ed.) (1988) Proceedings before the Land Commissioners' Court. The Prince Edward Island Land Commission of 1860. Acadiensis Press, Fredericton, NB. pp. 84-85.

The part reprinted from a letter in The European Magazine of January 1879:

The appearance of the country in the summer is beautifully picturesque. It is in general level, or in rising slopes; there are no mountains, nor any very high hills, but in the middle of the island, there are some nearly as high as the Sydenham hills.2 The

7799 SPEC/19$- uncleared part of the country is uniformly covered with trees, consisting principally of Pine, Spruce, Hemlock-Pine, Beech, Birch, Maple, Poplar and Oak; of the latter there is no considerable quantity. [p. 13] Cutting timber winter is the season in which the inhabitants employ themselves in cutting down ,-,, winter. timber. When the snow is on the ground is the most eligible time for drawing it out

of the woods to the sides of navigable rivers, where it is, in the spring, put into the water to be rafted to the depot of such merchants as are in the habit of taking it in payment from the settlers. This is also the season in which the farmers get their timber for fencing their lands and for repairing their farms. [p. 14]

[the] oxen are remarkably tractable at the plough, and drawing timber out of the woods. [p. 15]

Game. Hares and partridges are plenty, and are free for any person to kill; [p. 16]