Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/224

 In Europe there are teeming populations prepared to send forth exhaustless swarms. An improvement in trade, the excitement and waste of war, and the distraction of revolutions, for a time divert attention from the ample provisions in this new world for the masses, but soon hard necessity recalls their crowded populations to these only permanent resources, and compels them to pursue the example set by all the families of man since the Babel scheme was finally exploded. The surrender of the land to the management of the colonial Legislatures has placed the question of emigration in their power. They will compete with each other; the wisest arrangements will be rewarded with the greatest success. Population in such a country as this means an overflowing land fund—ample revenue—a wide basis for taxation, railroads, agricultural prosperity: and last, not least, political strength. We have land—in the United Kingdom and Europe, population—how then can they be brought together? That is an inquiry before which the great Candle Question fades into darkness.

The Prospectus below, good in many points, as far as it goes, does not take in all the aspects of the subject, and would perhaps, if considered alone, be liable to some objections in practice. The great danger would be the abuse of the Remission Tickets. We could not trust an emigration agent, acting alone, and dependent—even if honest—on the information of persons totally untrustworthy. We should be in great danger of a cargo of "reformed convicts," and of the mere paupers of the United Kingdom. It might, however, be possible to prevent such abuses by an active supervision of the scheme, not only in England, but in the colonies themselves.

Let us look what has been the course of colonization in England. A company has be chartered—an upset price of land paid— agents for the transfer of emigrants employed, and large expenses incurred to launch the scheme. The failure of these companies has resulted from their total ignorance of colonization, and the sacrifice of capital in worthless improvements. Would it not be more rational for the colonies to take the task of colonization into their own hands? If a company can hope to operate in England,