Land Commission (1860) Abstract of the Proceedings before the Land Commissioners' Court held during 
     
     the summer of 7860. J. D. Gordon & D. Laird, Reporters. Published in 1862 at 'The Protestant’ Office, 
     
     Charlottetown, P.E.|. [An abridged version, edited with Introduction by |. R. Robertson, was published 
     
     (1988) as The Prince Edward Island Land Commission of 7860, Acadiensis Press, Fredericton, N.B.l 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The Prince Edward Island Land Commission was set up in 7860 by the Conservative government of Edward Palmer 
     
     to investigate differences between landowners and tenants concerning the land issue in the colony and to make 
     
     recommendations on its resolution. The three commissioners, all of whom were from the adjacent main/and, 
     
     gathered evidence in September 7860 at public meetings held throughout the colony. The report of the 
     
     Commission, officially released in February 7862, contains some useful snippets of information on the forest, 
     
     especially on the differing attitudes of landlords, agents and tenants to the forest — though in some respects the 
     
     evidence is historical, since by 7860 much of the forest had been cleared. The basic attitude to the forest does not 
     
     differ greatly between the three interest groups: all view it as an obstacle, costly to remove, standing in the way 
     
     of the development of their farms or townships, and ultimately of the whole colon y. But during its removal the 
     
     timber was also viewed as a temporary resource exploitable for financial gain. The real area of contention was over 
     
     the ownership of the timber — whatever the legal ownership may have been, both landlord and tenant considered 
     
     themselves to have a right to it — with at the same time agents and other entrepreneurs exerting de facto ownership. 
     
     The evidence presented to the Commission thus shows that the leasehold system on Prince Edward Island had 
     
     important implications for the exploitation of the forests. None of the submissions can be taken at their face value 
     
     without careful evaluation: the various parties are clearly prone to partisan statement, hearsay, co ver—up and even 
     
     outright lying. l The extracts below have been taken from the Robertson reprint unless otherwise indicated.) 
     
    
   
   
    
     REFERENCE: Robertson, I. R. (1988) Introduction to The Prince Edward Island Land Commission of 7860, 
     
     Acadiensis Press, Fredericton, NB. ix - xxx. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     5 September 1860, Charlottetown. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Hon. Joseph Hensley [Counsel on behalf of the tenantry]: 
     
    

    
     He hoped the Commissioners would visit some of the wild and distant settlements of 
     
     Large "668. the Island, look at the heavy trees which the tenant had to clear away and root out 
     
    

    
     before the land was fit for tillage; [p. 34] 
     
    
   
   
    
     William McNei/l, Esq. Chairman of a Committee from Township 23: 
     
    

    
     The Township was then [1771 or ’72], and, indeed, nearly the whole of the Island, 
     
     an unbroken forest, destitute of all means of communication, except by water, either 
     
     with the infant settlements that began about that time to be formed, or with 
     
     Charlottetown, the capital. Now, it has been estimated, at the lowest calculation, 
     
     that the reclamation of an acre of forest land into an arable state costs not less than 
     
     Five Pounds; [pp. 42-31 
     
    
   
   
    
     An unbroken 
     
     forest. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Memorial of the Tenants on Lot or Township Twenty—two: 
     
    

    
     we submit that clearing away the wood costs at least Four pounds ten shillings per 
     
     acre, while any crop which can be grown will not realize the cost of removing the 
     
     wood, together with fencing, planting and harvesting, for many years. 
     
    

    
     Potash. it is true that owing to the burning of the wood where cut down, the potash 
     
     which is deposited in the soil will force one or even two crops on our best lands; but 
     
     it is then exhausted and rendered useless for six or seven years. When the stumps 
     
     are sufficiently rotted to be removed, there is a second expensive operation, costing 
     
     not less than three pounds per acre, — thus it requires eight or nine years of hard 
     
     labor and privation to bring the plough into operation on but a small portion of the 
     
     farm, during which time the returns are small. 
     
    
   
   
    
     some Townships have paid a greater proportion of rent than we. In answer to this 
     
     Pay/”g rent we would submit that on those Townships the rent is taken in farm produce, cattle, 
     
     with lumber. and often in lumber which is procured on the farm of the tenant, at we presume a 
     
    
   
   
    
     Cost of 
     
     clearance. 
     
    
   
   
    
     162