Canada, its growth and prospects; two lectures delivered before the Mechanics' Institute, Toronto, on the 13th and 27th February, 1852.

Let us look at the facts, however terrible they may prove to be.W T ise men hold it well in very bad cases to know the worst.Compare we then Upper Canada first with the Free States of the Union, then with the State of New York, and lastly with Ohio, Michigan,, and Illinois conjoined ; and see what the result will be.According to the American Almanac for 1851, page 212, and " The World's Progress" (a " Dictionary of Dates" published by Putnam of New York in 1851) page 481, theFreePopulation of the United Sates, was, in 1800, 5,305,925.The latter work, (Ap- pendix, p. 704) states it to amount to 20,250,000 in 1851.In 1810 it was 7,239,814, (page 481).Thus it is in 1850 about (not quite) four times what it was at the commencement of the century ; while Upper Canada contains, as we have seen, over ten times the Population it possessed in 1811 or, at the lowest calculation, ten times its amount in 1806.The slow growth therefore turns out to be a rate of progress not much under thrice that of our neighbours who are supposed to be moving ahead of us so fast.Slow growth this of rather an anomalous description.Taking the ten years between 1840 and 1850, the difference is less: though during that time we have advanced at a rate fully twice that of the F;ee States, whose increase has been 45 per cent, (that of the whole States being 33£ ; (.World's Progress, p. 704), while ours has been 94 or 95 per cent.In Lower Canada the increase for the thirteen years between 1831 and 1844 was nearly 35 per cent-to wit, (Scobie's Almanac 1850, p. 53).An increase of fifty per cent, has taken place within the last seven years in the County of Quebec; which has advanced from 12,800 in 1844, to 19,074 in 1851.Let us turn now to the State of New York, one of the best in ths Union.That State contained in 1810, 959,049 Inhabitants.1820, " 1,372,812 do.18.40, 2,428,921 do.1850, 3,200,000 do.-World'sProgress, pp.443, 704.In 1850 its Population is thus three one-third times (a trifle over) what it was forty years before, that of Upper Canada being in the same year close upon eight one-third times what Smith makes it in 1814; or over ten times its amount in 1811, as stated by the Board of Registration.Not amiss this, we should think, for a country of whose slow growth so much is heard.It is, however, towards the West the tide is flowing.Let us pass with it, and mark the results.For the purpose of comparison we have chosen the States of Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois combined, chiefly for these two rea- sons ; first, because they have been, we believe, among the most rapid in their growth -sufficiently rapid at all events to make the comparison fair for the West ; and secondly, because our Statistics enable us to take in a longer period than we could have done in the case of some other States which we should else have been dis- posed to include.Availing ourselves once more of the aid of our old friend, " Ths World's Progress," we ascertain the united Population of these three States to have been in 1810, 247,570-viz.Ohio, 230,760 Michigan, 4,528 ; and Illinois, 12,282.They stand as follows in

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