consist of the rudest
construction, blocked out of the timber which he himself has cut down.
Though the air is clear and bracing, the intensity of the cold in winter
is far beyond what he can conceive, and the heat in summer is so great
for a short period as to blister the skin, if left exposed to the
influence of the sun's rays. The diversity of temperature in the seasons
causes an additional expense in the provision of clothes for the winter.
Musquitoes swarm on every new settlement, and annoy every one by their
stinging and raising inflamed spots over the body. Rubbing strong
vinegar over the parts is said to alleviate the pain. Fires of wet
chips, lighted at the doors of the cabins, will prevent the ingress of
these troublesome insects. When a clearance has been made the musquitoes
are not so troublesome. They dwell chiefly in the woods, and in the
vicinity of swamps, and come out in hot weather. A small, black fly
annoys also very much, by settling among the hair in the morning and
evening. Sleep is completely driven away when they make an attack, and
they produce the most uneasy sensation.

The state of the roads prevents a constant or rapid communication
between places; and in a new country, where coin as the circulating
medium is scarce, and barter exists as the medium of exchange,
difficulties are often encountered in disposing of the surplus stock of
agricultural produce. The intrusion of wild animals is an evil which
ought not to be overlooked as affecting a new settler. If the cattle and
sheep are not penned up at night, they may be partly destroyed by the
ferocity of the bears. Bears, however, are not numerous. But squirrels
and racoons, of which there are plenty, may destroy the corn crops
materially, particularly in any season that is unfavourable to the
formation of beech masts and nuts. Mice and rats eat the seed of the
Indian corn after it is in the ground, so that two or three successive
sowings are sometimes necessary.

The advantages, on the other hand, which emigrants may enjoy in our
American colonies are numerous and important. The first and great
advantage is constant employment, whether labour be required for
the improvement of their own land, or that of an employer. Constant
employment bestows vigour on the bodily frame, and contentment to the
mind. Labour, it is true, is not so high priced in Canada as it was when
labourers were scarcer, but still an able-bodied agricultural labourer
can g