CIHM Microfiche Series (Monographs) ICMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian Institute for Historical Mieroreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes technique! et bibliographiquet The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a eti possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-itre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite. ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la methode normale de filmage sont indiques ci-dessous. D D D n D D □ n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagee Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restauree et/ou pelliculee Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Caites geographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relie avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge interieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutees lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais. lorsque cela etait possible, ces pages n'ont pas ete filmees. □ Coloured pages/ Pagex de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagees □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurees et/ou pellicultes □ Pages Pages Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages decolorees. tachetees ou piquees detached/ detachees Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of print varies/ Qualite inegale de rimpression Continuous pagination/ Pagination continue n Includes ir Comprend index(es)/ Comprend un (des) index Title on header taken from:/ Le titre de I'en-t^te provient- □ Title page of issue/ Page de titre de la I livraison □ Caption of issue/ Titre de depart di D depart de la livraison Masthead/ Generique (periodiques) de la livraison n Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplementaires: This Item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filme au taux de reduction indique cidessous. 'cx :4x tax 22X 12X 16X y 20X .bx 30X 24X 28X 3ZX The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto Library The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers art filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginniiig on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol ^^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire film^ fut reproduit grflce i la g6n6rosit6 de: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto Library Les images suivantes ont dt6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet6 de l'exemplaire film^, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim6e sont fiimds en commen9ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole —»► signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour §tre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 i partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 1.0 I.I 1.25 28 If 1^ |40 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.8 iiilli 1.4 1.6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TIEST CHART NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIAL 1010a (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No 2) strictly Unofflcl*!- xro tbe Sbarebol&crB OF THE fl>U0liofia an& (Bcorfitan »ai2 'WavtQatton Company?. COMPARATIVELY fccent events and changes ir the affairs of this Company having given rise to some comments which are rather misleading, I, theiefore, as the early founder and a continuous director of the transportation :nterests of the Muskoka Lakes, propose to give you a brief narrative of some of my Muskoka experiences, even at the risk of appearing to be discursive, irrelevant, and in doubtful taste ; all my statements, however, can be supported by documentary proof. In the year 1865 I gratified a desire to e-.plore as much as possible, during a limited period of three weeks, of the unsettled territory lying north of the counties of Victoria and Simcoe and south of Lake Nipissing. My first objective point was to the waters of the South Branch of the Muskoka system, which I reached at Cedar Narrows, now Dorset. From thence we had a long paddle over the Lake of Bays to the Portage, where we carried across to Peninsula Lake, which forms part of the North Branch of the Mus- kolta system. We had another long paddle to the head of Lake ^^ernon, passing through where Huntsville now stands — ti.2 land there being both unsurveyed and un- settled. From the head of Lake Vernon we crossed a chain of small lakes and portages until we reached Doe Lake, a portion of the Mai,'netawan waters ; we had then a long paddle of seventy-five miles, varied only by a few short portages. We returned by the same route as far as the south- westerly end of Lake Vernon, where we struck a trail which led us to the most northerly habitation of the Muskoka settlement. We had not then seen a human beinjf for many days, save a few trappers, who were mak- ing preparations for the fall catch. We continued our walk in a soutl.arly direction for about thirty miles to the McCabe's settlement, now Gravenhurst. While staying over night at McCabe's, the hostess, an enthusiastic Muskokai:, laid an injunction upon us not to omit seeing at least Muskoka Lake, the principal one of a fine chain of lakes. We accordingly rowed up this lake as far as the portage into Lake Rosseau, now Port Carting, then inhabited by a few Pagan Indians. The land there was then unsurveyed. We were of course enraptured with the lake scenery, which was my chief inspiration in the desire to develop steam navigation upon the Muskoka Lakes. We had, on the earlier part of the tour, been impressed with the good appearance of much of the soil, and of the fine trees, despite the discouraging reports of the ofTicial explorers of the Crown Lands Department, founded evidently very much upon mere conjecture. The population of the present districts of Muskoka and Parry Sound numbered only a few hundreds, accord- ing to the previous census ot 1861. The annual summer visitors to the lakes, previous to my arrival, comprised one camping party. I prepared a written report of my observations, which some friends urged me to have printed, and to which I added certain proposals and suggestions, all of which I submitted to the members of the then Coalition Govern- ment. My overtures were well received. I was furnished with a letter guaranteeing the right of pre-emption for fSri- '^L settlers {^oinjf in anywhere pending surveys ; a liberal land policy, the making of roads and improvement o( navifja- tion were promised. Upon my part I ajjreed to place a good substantial passenger and freight boat upon the Muskoka waters. I now resolved to formally sever all business connec- tions with the lumber interests of my relatives, and devote my entire attention to the navigation and mercantile inter- ests of the lake district. 1 opened the first general store in Gravenhurst, and made preparations for the building of the staunch paddle steamer " Wenonah." Not wishing to take any funds from the business of my lumbering friends, 1 borrowed a considerable sum of money for an indefinite per *■" 1 my father-in-law, Mr. Proctor, of Beave/ton, wh .koka and Parry Sound a population oi nearly seven thousand souls, and in the re-distribution of seats for the House of Com- mons, representation was jfiven to Muskoka and Parry Sound as a lettoral district for the return of one member. I was prevailed upon, by some leadinjj inhabitants, of both political parties, to stand for the new constituency, and poMed a fjood majority of the votes, but a partisan return- ing officer would not declare anyone elected ; however, when the House met, 1 was at ^nce awarded the seat. I was elected for the same constituency at the two succeed- ing general elections, of 1874 and 1878. In 1883 the above-mentioned districts wc e partitioned, and portions went to three different constituencies. I stood for the mutilated and unshapely riding of North Ontario, which comprised a length of 125 miles by a breadth of less than five miles at one point, with the detached township of Scugog thrown in as a make weight. I was returned on that occasion, but before another elec- tion the Franchise Act of 1H83 Secame law, which not only introduced a new class of votes, but also improperly enfranchised the Indians of Rama and Scugog, who were wards of the Government and voted accordingly. I was therefore defeated, which has so far ended my parliamen- tary career, and which to some extent was a relief, as I never gave regular attendance at Ottawa, having invari- ably made all other interests subservient to my navigation duties in Muskoka, as was publicly remarked by the late Mr. McCarthy, M.P., as being a parallel case to his own, when he was accused of neglecting his parliamentary duties in the interest of his clients. During the winters of 1873-4 a friend induced me to join him in the purchase of a third interest in a square timber exporting concern, with the assurance that it was a perfectly safe and orofitable venture and would augment my slender rever After the transaction was nearly forgotten by me, 1 received a rude awakening in the shape of a statement of the square timber accounts, showing, \ instead of a profit, a loss of $17,000 upon the transaction, which the commercial house of Ross & Co., of Quebec, informed n.e I would h ive to pay, but they would not press unduly for immeu: te r yment, to my embarrass- ment, but required security upon my property. I publi. hed the first Muskoka j^niide book in ^74, and also, the same season, entertained Lord and Lady Dufferin and suite. Comfortable carriages were taken from Washaj^'O to Gravenhurst, put on board the " Nipissing," and then used again for the journey between Port Cock- burn and Parry Sound, where a Lake Superior steamer was in readiness to transport the party to CoUingwood. Col. Cumberland felt constrained to . ^ark to f h.- surprise that the catering upon the "Nipissing Aas superior to that upon the big lake b^at. A heavy passenger coach and freight wagon trafr. had previ- ously sprung up between Wasl. ; ' and < .ruvenhurst, soon to be sup leded by the raiuvay. The Northern Railway being completed to Gravenhurst in the middle of November, 1875, 1 was enabled to transport the comparatively powerful tug and passenger boat "Sim- coe" by train from Barrie to Muskoka wharf, as an acqui- sition to my little fleet. I then disposed of the "Waba- mik " to go to the Lake of Bays. Gravenhurst now continued to be the Northern Rail- way terminus for rather more than ten years during which the steamers enjoyed a most profitable trade. Bracebridge and Rosseau were fine distributing points for the steamers. Three freight sheds were required at each of these points. Passengers and goods from these places were conveyed to northern points in coaches and wagons. In the fall of 1879 I purchased the unfinished steamer "Rosseau" and had her completed for the season of 1880, The construction of the Canada Central Railway — after- wards absorbed in the C.P.R. system— was ..eing rapidly pushed in the direction of the eastern end cf Lake Nipis- sing, and it was while sitting as a desk-mate in i.ie House of Commons with Mr. D. A. Smith— now Lord Strathcona — the idea of forming a joint stock company and of placing a steamer upon Lake Nipissing was originated. Mr. Smith offered to invest $5,000 to $10,000 in the project. I consulted with some others, all of whom favored the project. I then issued a private prospectus, stating that the objects of the proposed company were tc improve the existing plant, and to secure the future business upon Lake Nipissing and possibly of the Magrietawan waters. I stated furthermore that the first year of the company's operations would show a net profit of $12,000. The actual result was a net profit of $12,430.37, which v/as more money than the total of all the new shareholders had paid in for the next three years. A charter for the Muskoka and Nipissing Navigation Company was obtained, and my steamers taken over at the low valuation of $34,075 ; a board elected ; I was appointed general manager, and my bookkeeper was made secretary-treasurer. Before calling upon the new shareholders for a dollar, after the company was formed, I built, at a cost of $23,000, the screw steamers "Muskoka" and "Lake Joseph " at Gravenhurst, and the " Inter-Ocean " at Lake Nipissing, my credit being so good, seeing that I had paid for the "Nipissing," " Simcoe " and " Rosseau," and " VVenonah," excepting $4,000 due my wife's family upon the latter boat ; my indebtedness to Ross & Co. had been reduced to $5,000, which the firm readily agreed to extin- guish in lieu of shares in the new Company for that amount. They furthermore, very kindly, gave me a letter of credit to the Quebec Bank for $10,000 for shipbuilding operations, without any compensation or commission. It was not until the following June that the first call of 10% was made upon the shareholders, which only brought in a comparatively small sum, in fact much less than the cur- rent profits of the steamers even up to that early period of the season. None of the shareholders' money was taken by me personally or upon my account to any one else. 8 Mennwhile navigation to Bracebridge, in spring and early summer, was rendered very difficult, especially for paddle steamers, owing to the large quantity of logs and timber being floated down the river. To overcome this difficulty the successful screw steamer "Kenozha" was designed in the fall of 1882, and was ready early in 1883, making three round trips daily between Gravenhurst and Bracebridge with a fair list of passengers and freight upon each trip. The Canadian Pacific Railway had now approached the vicinity of Lake Nipissing, but instead of tapping the lake at South-East Bay and then onward in a north-west- erly course, as was originally expected, the route was changed to a nearly due westerly course, tapping the lake at a shallow and exposed point, which by a stretch of imagination has been called a bay — North Bay ; the railway then touched at Sturgeon Falls, which we had expected would be one of our best ports. This change of railway route was very disappointing to us. About this time, however, Mr. Booth, of Ottawa, had matured a scheme of diverting large quantities of pine logs from the Lake Nipissing system, by means of a short line of railway from the east end of the lake to Lake Nasbons- ing upon the Ottawa River system. Mr. Booth made us a proposal, in the fall of 1883, to give us large towing contracts at good rates upon condition that we would place a paddle steamer, adapted for the shallow bays, upon Lake Nipissing, and offered to supply good machinery for the same at a great bargain, and to be repaid in towing, and also to relieve us of the purchase of a small screw steamer for which we had been negotiating. I visited Ottawa and made a good contract with Mr. Booth, sub- ject to ratification by the board, but to my surprise the board vetoed the transaction. I had a protest recorded in the minutes of the board meeting, as I felt confident that a fatal step was taken. Mr. Booth thereupon built a powerful light draught paddle steamer to do his own and any other towing which might offer. This event, in con- junction with the change of railway route, practically sounded the death knell of our navigation interests upon that lake. Lumbering being now almost the only traffic upon the lakes, had we accepted Mr. Booth's proposal the very extensive towing, the carrying of men and supplies, with more or less general business for a light draught steamer, a moderately paying employment for our boats would doubtless have been found. In 1886 we launched the combined paddle and screw steamer " Wenonah " at Burk's Falls, for the Magneta- wan service.' The boat proved to be popular and efficient, but the traffic was disappointing, opposition having sprung up unexpectedly the very first season, and has continued more or less ever since, but has now materially abated. The migration of many of the settlers from the Magneta- wan Valley to the Canadian North-West had also a de- pressing effect upon trade. An improvement in the traffic of this division is however confidently looked for in the near future. Our Company was invited, in 1885, to place a good daily steamer upon the Georgian Bay waters, between Parry Sound, Penetanguishene and Midland, to form a circular tour of the Muskoka Lakes and a portion of the Georgian Bay, but it was not until the following August that we acquired the paddle steamer " F. B. Maxwell" upon the aforesaid route. The "Oriole," upon the Muskoka Lakes, was built that season, but never proved a favorite with the public, although she is a serviceable boat. Later in the same season the justly favorite and comfortable steamer "Nipis- sing " was accidentally burnt, and replaced the following spring by her new steel namesake. Railway extension beyond Gravenhurst took place the same summer, and nearly paralyzed our Muskoka trans- portation business, which we felt most keenly during a few following years. Our freight receipts dropped seventy- five per cent., and to make matters worse, serious compe- tition sprang up in the towing business about the same i \ % t 10 % time. The Georgian Bay division, however, gave us some hope, and we added another boat, the " Telegram," to our Georgian Bay service. This boat did good service upon the Byng Inlet and French River route for one season, when we sold her to good advantage, with the intention of replacing her by a paddle steamer, to be chartered. We were, however, only able to see one suitable paddle steamer which the owner would sell at a reasonable price, but would not charter. The majority of our board were, however, unwilling to buy. As a last resort we purchased the staunch, fast and seaworthy steamer " Imperial " for the route. Our patrons on the Georgian Bay were, how- ever, disappointed over the small size of the boat, despite the fact that her record for punctuality was the best hitherto made by any boat upon the route. We became convinced that our patrons would not be satisfied until we provided a larger steamer ; they were, however, patient enough to give us a reasonable time in which to place a larger boat upon the route. I induced our late president, upon a certain Saturday evening in 1889, to allow me to call a meeting of our shareholders to consider the expediency of a more vigor- ous policy for our Georgian Bay division. I went to work early on Monday, and with the office assistance at Graven- hurst, we wrote out about fifty notices of a meeting to the shareholders, and were in the act of posting the letters when a wire was received from the late president counter- manding the calling of the meeting. After the lapse of twelve months he again consented to the calling of a shareholders' meeting, which was held, and unanimously decided in favor of building a suitable boat for the Byng Inlet, French River and Killarney route ; but procrastina- tion had already proved fatal, as our chief patrons had, one day previously, let a contract for the building of the fine steamer "City of Midland" for our intended route. This step led to our ultimate withdrawal from the Georgian Bay route to my intense regret. 1 1 The hoard now, in a well-meaning hut mistaken step, particularly upon the Georgian Bay route, to economize the working- exp.' .ses of the steamers, adopted a scale of decreased wages for employees, which was resented by some of our best officers, and resignations followed. New men were installed upon the " F. B. Maxwell," now re- named the "Manitou," who neither attracted trade nor ran the boat with safetv. The boat was stranded on the rocks and filled early in the fall, and never ran again in the interests of this Company. The " Inter-Ocean," at Lake Nipissing, had already been sold at a heavy sacrifice, and the " Imperial " and " Manitou " soon afterwards shared a similar fate. Consequent upon the above chapter of events, as will be readily imagined, no dividends were paid for a time. The Manager was laid up for a while by a severe attack of la grippe, early in 1891, his only illness during the history of this Company, and the second serious illness of his lifetime. He had, the same year, parted with a block of his shares temporarily in trust, as collateral, to assist a friend to make a payment to the Government upon a very desirable timber limit. It was significant that the next denouement in the same year was a move entered upon by the late pres" !ent, the secretary-treasurer and one of the directors who knew the least of any member of the board about the affairs of the Company, to unjustly blame the manager for the inability of the Company to pay dividends, and to have him sum- marily ejected. The manager, however, held his ground after a severe struggle, being conscious that he was the truest and most valuable friend the Company possessed. He was, there- fore, determined at all hazards to stick to his post ; his shares in the Company were returned in due course, and his health was also, in a large measure -egained. The result of the contest was the permanent retirement of the secretary-treasurer. The resumption of small dividend payments commenced the following year, which gradually 12 1 improved proportionately ^/ith the increase of tourist travel. I deem it proper to remark here, however, that the payment of a ten per cent, uividend for last year was, to say the least, inconsi it with the past { icy of tWe Company, as it can be shown that upon formei occasions but five per cent, has been paid upon a similar amount of net earnings. Matters have gone on comparaiively well, with the exception of a few paltry attempts of two or three mem- bers of the board to belittle my prestige, which I emphati- cally resented. The Muskoka lake system is an awkward one to manage owing to its very irregular conformation, besides log and raft obstructions very frequently cause delays, accidents, and undue wear and tear to the steamers ; however, bv sheer vigilance and energy upon the part of the staff, these difficulties have been materially minimized and serious interruptions to traffic prevented. We are sometimes freely criticized, vihich is to be expected. A humoious American ha' said that everybody " can man- age a railway but tht. managers." The same observation applies to water transportation management as well. The fine large composite steamer " Medora " — now being further enlarged contemporaneously with the lock enlargement — was built in 1893, and proved to be a most valuable acquisition to the fleet. The building of the small but staunch and swift composite steamer "Ahmic" took place in 1897. The building of the handsome and largei composite steamer "Islander" followed in 189-.. The " Wanita," upon the Magnetawan route, was pur- chased about the same time. I have now spent thirty-six consecutive season* closely identiheu with Muskoka navigation, which has had its many days and nights of worry and anxiety, varied by happy opposites. Many pleasant and valued acquaintances have beer formed. I have also been the recipient from time to time o^ nany appreciative testimonials and sou- venirs, some of them being of a tangible nature. The fact that I have been one of the hardest worked and worst 13 paid transportation managers upon the continent has never given me very serious concern. I felt too much interested in the welfare of the Company to brood for a moment over the salary question. The want of a really first-class, up-to-date, high-priced hotel for the Muskoka lakes had been keenly felt for some time past. Seve.-al bold attempts had been made to en- list sufficient capital to carry out a fine large hotel scheme, but all efforts had resulted in failure until a comparative stranger, Mr. E. L. Sawyer, appeared upon the scene, and launched out in the construction of the Muskoka Royal Hotel upon Lake Rosseau, which is now an j'ccomplished fact. Although Mr. Sawyer failed to get sufficient capital subscribed, he however, somewhat recklessly, started its construction, and got the dining-room, vestibule, one bed- room wing and some fine accessories ready to open out in midsummer, and then left others to struggle, success- fully or otherwise, with its finances and 'O complete the construction. I need not explain to you the salient points of Mr. Sawyer's scheme, as you all received copies of his glowing prospectus. My early part in the scheme was in this wise : Mr. Sawyer having desired to acquire a certain amount of stock in this Company from myself and a few others, as a nucleus of a larger Company to embrace a combined navigation and hotel scheme, he succeeded in getting an option for a certain amount of stock fro*^ seven share- holders, three of whom formed a majority of the board of this Company, one of whom, however, subseciuently with- drew from his engagement with Mr. Sawyer. The condi- tions with me were that I v*'as to retain a good block of the new Company's stock, and give active service for a time as mar r and director. Application was made to the board of this Company for its consent in favor of the new Company assuming the title of The Muskoka Navigation Cc mpany. This was agreed to unanimously. The late president and myself t I 14 f f sig-ned the petition for the charter of th-- new Compar.j-; and became provisional directors. For my part, before ever hearing »." Mr. Sawyer, I informed the late president that I was open to some changes, the t -uthfulness of which Mr, Hardy, of Jenkins & Hardy, and others can testify. The late president, however, for some reason, changed his mind and apparently decided to ha- nothing further to do with Mr. Sawyer and his scheme. It must be con- fessed that the movement for a time began to look some- what like a " wild-cat " scheme, tales of reckles ex- penditure began to circulate freely. But it must be said, in justice to Mr. Sawyer, thai he was most anxious to place the affairs of the Compan in the hands of a good board and has acted on his own part most unselfishly throughout. .\p attempt has been made in some quarters to preju- dice my reputation for iiUcgrity in connection with Mr. Sawyer' . scheme. I defy anyone to show wherein I was privy to any questionable transaction therewith, or to any rumored design of coercion, or freezing out movement, or to the depreciation of the value of the shares. On the contrary, I was the first to set a good price upon the shares for the benefit of all the oth-^r shareholders. The outcome of these events may "n .i resulted in some changes in the composition of the ooard, but certainly not for the worse. I will be pleased to give further explana- tions to any shareholder who may desire more particulars. The hotel is practically erected, but at heavy cost. It is, however, the finest of its kind, both as to the beauty of the site and design of the building. It remains yet to be seen what returns it will make to the shareholders. The indications point to a certainty that the establisiiment will earn a very large sum of money this year, but not until the balance is struck after the middle of September will it be known what the financial result has been. Its affairs have been for some months past in the hands of a careful and competent board. It also enjoys the special friendship and support of the G. T. R. to a very appreciable degree. «5 As to its very beneficial effects upon the railway and steamboat transportation, there can be no two opinions. There should therefore exist only the best of good will and wishes upon the part of all for its success, as it has come to stay. Increased traffic for the steamers may be reasonably looked for in the future. At the same time I think the shareholders should know that we do not have everything so much our own way as they might suppose. An increas- ing number of cottagers are lately in the habit of travelling to and from Muskoka Wharf upon their own yachts. There are also several small •• tramp " boats upon the lakes, the owners of which are constantly becoming more aggressive and are no longer content with merely picking up crumbs. Two of these individuals have applied for public berths at Muskoka Wharf, but were, in a spirit of loyalty to us, politely refused that privilege by the G. T. R. Co. I may mention that one of these boats commenced running regu- larly last fall between Bala, Port Carling and Bracebridge, in opposition to our boats, and it is expected that this op- position wil" be resumed at the opening of navigation. It would be ruinous to attempt to give everyone the accom- modation and expeditious service which they demand. We will, however, do the best we can for the general public with the facilities at our command, which are ample tc provide a reasonably good service. Yours very truly. A. P. COCKBURN, A Fellow Shareholder. March, igo2.