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 COHMEBCUL PB08PECTS OF CANABi. 
 
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 Bt W. BBI8TO^*Bff«uxBl. 
 
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 I propoie to defote sn bovr to the tmninttioD of tbeCon- 
 moroial Piwilioo tnd Proipeett of Canada. The ailigeil, it 
 will Im admittod, Ja, fromito iaipertaiieo, daaeiriiig of the 
 moat anple eonaiderairioB. I obd oolf regret tiwt tiie very 
 limited apace of time that I cao pretend to engage yoor «tteo- 
 tion will not permit me to viUie my loreatigaCiot ao eem* 
 plete aa I eoald wkb, and aa ite Intrlniic we?gbt denuHida. 
 
 It may be aeceaaanr, before entering on the aat|j«et«to 
 atate that in treating it I ihall take oare to atoid trenohtngon 
 any qoeatien connected with the party pelitioa of the day. 
 Acknowledging the propriety of the mle laid down for the 
 government of thia Inatitntion, I ahall, of conrae, take caie 
 not to violate it. My eiamination of the veaonroea and 
 proapecta of Canada will be fbnnded, not upon the peaitioB 
 which ahe baa held, or may hereafter hold, under thia or Iba; 
 form of government, or connected with one or other nation, 
 but on Canada aa alie ia, with the reaonroea now at her comi* 
 mand, developed, in part, aa they have been, and more fblly 
 aal trnst they will hereafter be, by the energy and enterpriae 
 of her inhabitanta. 
 
 I preiunie It ia, on my part, perfectly onneceaaary, ad- 
 dreaalDg each an audience aa the preaent, in a city which 
 may as justly be described aa the ofiipring of Commeroe as 
 the city of Venice waa atiled the bride of the sea, to enlarge en 
 the high advantages to be derived to a country from the c«l* 
 tivatlon pf » eommdrolM apirit, and to aaaert the eqeality of 
 
 A9 
 
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4 
 
 ConmerM with the intereito of AgricDltai* tod Manufae- 
 tirea, io the prodaetion of national proaperity. 
 
 It eannot, howefer, be denied that we have in Canada 
 atfennofli adfoeatee for the ebeborageneot and proteetion of 
 ptrtieolar olaaaea, and who claim for the apecial olject of 
 theirjpitinoligei « pireiBreneeot^r other branehee of Inchia- 
 try. Thai, one party ia vehement for agrienitore, at the 
 great producing power of the isonntry, and ia eager to en- 
 force in this country the maxima which have been exploded 
 in Great Britain. TlMt ciy^ffthiae parltoa ia Protection to 
 Agricnltore ; tiie olject which they profeaa to be deairona to 
 olKain le femnoen^ing^in other worda, high ratea for the 
 farmert. Nor, all thia ia highly patriotic, hot the queation 
 ia, how ia it to be;e||8eite|irf. How ia tbeapirit of competition 
 which prevaila in every other branch of bnaioeaa, and which 
 rednces prieea to their jnatJevel, to be prevented from exer- 
 ciiing ita doe influence on the fiurming aa on the other great 
 intereata of the eonntry? The thing ia impoaaible, even 
 were we to admit it to be deairaUe. Canada prodncee more 
 agrieultoral commoditiea than ahe conanmea, and ahe, there- 
 fore, diapoaea of the remainder to other oonotriei. It ia aelf- 
 evident that there cannot be two difibrent pricea for the 
 aame arliole in the iuune market at the aame lime, and the 
 coMequenoe ii, that the price obtained for the anrplna quan- 
 tity, which ia exported, regulatea the price of that aold for 
 hone conaomption. Any attempta, therefore^ that may be 
 made to bolater up tiie price of agricultural produce within 
 thia Cobny, by prohibitive or protective dutiee, must be 
 unavailing;' 
 
 Of one thin^^ we may reat aaaored, that the lawa which 
 lejiulate demand and supply, apply in their full force to agri- 
 culture. The latter will not exceed the former : if agrieol- 
 tttral prodoctiona be in exeeas, agricakore will be found an 
 unprofitable occupation ; a portion qf those engaged in it will 
 devote themselves to other pursuits, and roannfacturea will 
 spring up as a matter of course. With the increased de- 
 mand for, and the diminished supply of agricultural produc- 
 tions, occasioned by the tranafer of su much labor from agri- 
 caUnre to other pursuits, the depression of the agricultural 
 isterest will subside, and it will become an equally lucrative 
 p«fe«iit with other branchea of trade. Thia ia the natural 
 coorseof trade, and had the demand 'for agricultural produce 
 been 'eonfined to Canada alone, we muat long ere this, have 
 
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 arrif Ml at the opoeh in wbieh it woald ba naoaaaaif to with- 
 draw a portioD of tlM oapital and laboar togaged to agirlMl- 
 tar«i and to liaYa t mploycd it in mamifaetoraa. 
 
 Bat bera eomntrce baa atappad in, and by llndifig a OMr* 
 kat for tba anrplaa of oar agricoltaral prodacok boa aaa M ad 
 tba laroiar, with tba proeaadab to parebaaa, wbaraaaetat ba 
 iioda it to bia advantage, tboaa manofaotnrad aiiiaiaa tbal ba 
 laqoiraa. Tbat to tba agrieoltariat, aomnaraa Ib bigbljr 
 advantagaoaa, tbarefbre, naeda no proof. Onr faraMia, 
 ganarally, nowr aee what they were blind to a kw yaara ainaa, 
 tba ImportMnce of fiadiag aa many oiatlceta aa, poiaiUa for tba 
 aala of their prodaee whence, their anxiety Uwt it aboold ba 
 admitted free of doty into every part of the worM. And 
 they are, doubtleai, in the rigbtv^and cooanlt their Irae 
 intereata<— >iD advocating tbia prinoiple; altboagh I believe 
 the caosea which have led, in some meaaurOiito their preaent 
 conviction, are not *o powerfully operative aalbey i m agi ne . 
 One great reaaon for their deiire that our ag ciealtnral pro- 
 docta of Canada tbonld be admitted free of duty into the 
 United Statea market, and their willingpeaa ,tbat United 
 Slatea prodacta of a similar* charactar ahonld be received 
 here free, ia donbtleta the fact, that for the laat two or three 
 yeara, owing to cainea which are no longer in esiateaee, the 
 prieea on the other aida the linea have been eonaiderably 
 higher than in Canada. But a very little reflection will 
 convince any one, that for the futofe no each diaparity, to 
 any conaiderable extent, can exist. Both the United Statea 
 and Caaada prodnce more agrioaltaral col; i.:^itie8 than 
 they consume; and both, therefore, export their ^urpiaa piio- 
 dace. Each country haa the use of the meaoa of iotemal 
 transport which the other potiseseea ; and the produce of one 
 country can be exported through the* other eon ntry, free of 
 duty. If, therefore, the produce of the foreign article be even 
 a abade bwer in price than that of the tiome article, the 
 exporter ahipa the foreign. This ia not theory^ but an estab- 
 liahed fiMt,— known to every one engaged in commerce. 
 The price of Canada wheat and floor laat summer and 
 autumn, waa lower than that of the. United Slatea ; our enters 
 prising neighbors, therefore, purchased lavgal^y in oormarket 
 for the United Statea — not to supply the borne denwnd, wbere 
 it would have had to pay doty,^bat the export defnand, for wbieb 
 it nnawered theaame pafpoae,besideapoaaa9tingitbe properlif 
 of being free of doty. But do not imigiQe that the diflbiendt 
 
 A3 
 
6 
 
 io filMl IftWfM tb*t CtomuRaii tod Unked StttM flotr fo 
 Uw Ntir York anarket, wa» Any tMair like 90 jur em/, the 
 emoent of dotf to wMdi the fanner ie enbjeet in the United 
 Sinteiii No,tbediAreMewueeaieely,6jwr0«tf : perhtps 
 not oter tdi n birrel on iloer. So long u Canadian floor 
 waetobe got at the loweat Ihietion betow United States 
 floiir, it wae of eonrae taken in preferenoe for ehipmeot. The 
 coneeqiMnoe wie,' ae might be fbreaeen, the ? alne of the two 
 beoame oleeelj aeaimilated ; United Statee floor having de* 
 ollned fai ahont an equal rate aa Oanada floor adfanoedi 
 The eflbot of Ikeao opOrationt manifeated itoeM throoghottt 
 the' Weeleni Statea aOd thronghoot Canada, in a lednotkni ot 
 agrieolf«raY|irodooe on the other tide, and aaenhaneement 
 ofvalneon ooreide of the linea* The dety thut became 
 a noNity, esaept in lo fiiraa the obatroetion to commeioe, 
 wbieh the vOxatioQB forma and delaya of Coatom Hooae pro- 
 eeedinga, psodoee. 
 
 Do not, however, imagine that the foreign merchant de- 
 rived all the benefit from this export demand in the United 
 States. Oor Upper Canada merchants and farmers reaped 
 th^ir feU share. Tbey> were foond jost aa aharp and wide^ 
 awoke to the operatiisn of tho United States Tariff as our 
 neighbours^ whom it is joet now the fashion to extol as mo4 
 nopolteero of the qoalities of shrewdness and aotivity ; and 
 they generally availM themselves of the United States mar- 
 ket instead of oor own for the dispoeal of their prodoee^ 
 That tliis dotraoted firom the prodaotiveness of onr poblio 
 works, and that it diminished the eomraerce of Montreal, 
 cannot be deoied-^two great evils^on which, however, this 
 iif not the place fo enlargo--*>bat beyond these evils and the 
 small disparity, in price to which I havefeferred,. it is evident 
 that Caaadia did not soflbr from the doty levied io the UniWd 
 States on her proddee; 
 
 I have been thus particokr m detailing the eflbets of these 
 doties; not with an^ desire to ondervaloe the importance of 
 the nieaanres, Which I am aware ai^ now being adopted with 
 •voiy prospect of soeeess, to obtain their abrogation, but to 
 reet the question on ilo^ proper foundation* I trust I have 
 Olearly demonstratod, that to hnagtne there can beany very 
 great dispari^ in the value of the same eommodity on the 
 two aides of a goografbical lino-^-eaoh country having to 
 supply Of hirgueaporidettiaiidi for wMoh the produee of tiie 
 other oiliiiitty iu available; free of du^^ia an absurdity ; and 
 
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 thit, eonaequently, c^t thote etlealationi by whieh tbt ftmi* 
 •raofCtnadt htira bren attempted to be deloded into tba 
 notioo, that with the wlthdrawat of the duty in the United 
 Stitei, Canadian prodo^e will advanee SO or SOfif eetil.,are 
 fondamentally ienoneoai. 
 
 The extent of the e? il arleilig from these fiscal impediments 
 are these :— There are artioles such as coarse grains, oate, 
 barleyi cattle, &c., and prodoce of the dairy, which Canada 
 prodoees cheaper than the United States, and^ for #hicb the 
 f^ee admission there would be desirable ; as on the other band 
 there are commodities, sneh aa Indian com and hea?y pork, 
 such as is used to a great extent for oor lomberers and for 
 our fisheries, which It wonld be tdvantageoas to the American 
 farmer to havel admitted free here. Snch an interchange of 
 cflmmodities woold be adfantsgeous to the people of each 
 cSibtry, without weighing injorlously on' the agricoltnre of 
 either. Again, there are varibns local demands ^rhich wonld 
 be more conveniently sapplied from foreign markete, than from 
 the markets of their own coontry. A reciprocally free in* 
 tereoorse, ontrammelled by Costom House difBcolties, woold 
 thtia be motaaily beneficial, and a reciprocity treaty so ftr 
 as regards agricoltural productions batween tiie two conn- 
 tries is therefore e? Idently to be desired* 
 
 I fear 1 may be considered as trespassing too mocb oij yonr 
 time by theae necckearily dry details, but my object in the 
 present lecture is not to tickle the ears of my auditory with 
 well rounded periods in favor of this or that particular branch 
 of science or iDdnstry,but to confine myself to practical remarlcs 
 on matters bearing on the subject of my essay,—** The Com- 
 mercial Condition and Prospects of Canada." Taking com- 
 merce in its most extensive acceptation— the interchange of 
 commodities— not confining it either to the internal or external 
 trade of the country, it is evident, that every thing which 
 bears on either the agricaitoral or manufacturing interest ia 
 analogous with it. 
 
 Having thu^, I trust, shewn the identification of the inter- 
 ests of the Agriculturist with the extension of the foreign 
 commerce of the country in agricultural productions, Jt llllay 
 be expected that I should make a few remarks on the cry 
 that is attempted to be raised in favour of some special en* 
 couragement being accorded to the manufacturing interest 
 by our Legislature. I shall not enter at Any length on this 
 subject. It seems to me soflicient to observe, that nanufae- 
 
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 tsrtf wilt ipring ip aiMl eitend io ibit eooatrj wlthovt tpBh 
 txtraiMoiis tid» wbeiMoev0r there ibtll #iiit a reaaoMblt 
 ^rokalMlitj of Um Ir proving a mort profitaUo pamolt Umh 
 afriooltnrt ; aad tliat witlioiit tboro bo ineli a probabilitj, it 
 if not adviiaUo to feater tbom by Legialativo ooaetnonta. 
 lodifidoil ootorpriM may aaftly bo loft to poraao iU own 
 ooorao onlmpoM by artiibial barriora— it oanoot fail to 
 awell tbo fall tido of natboal protpority. Bot to imagioo 
 tbat Ligiilativo interforonto ia reqaiaito to ioitroet tbo eapi- 
 tfUiol bow boat to employ bia own acinay, doea aoem the 
 faioigbt of proeaoptioQ. If foor-flftba of tbo people of Caoada 
 agreo to oaltlvato agrioDltare, It ia faiily to be preaomed that 
 it if a iHoratifo omploymeDt, or tbat there ia no room for 
 more than one-fifth in other poraoiti. I wonid not be nnder- 
 atood to oodenralae mannCMtarei ; on the eontrary, tbevt 
 jBqnally with, bot not more than, agrioQltaro and eommjpe 
 ooodaee to the prosperity of a nation, and are therefore en- 
 titled to eqaal eneoaragement, b,nt not to ipeeial protection, 
 from the LegUlatare. The praotiee of raiting by Coatomt 
 dotiea the soma oecetiary for the eipenaea of the Govern- 
 ment, givok indeed iooldentaUy a proteotioo to manufaotore^, 
 denied to the Agricoltnriit or the roerohant, and tbeie eoo- 
 •Iderably stimulate manofaotoroi to a great extent. Theao 
 dotiea, which In Canada are generally 19} pw eent,^ together 
 wi^h the coat of transport and the expense of porchaaing the 
 foreign manafactnre, make the virtoal protection to our 
 Home roanofaeture fully HO psr cent. This ought to pro?e a 
 strong indooement to domestic mannfaoturea^snd no doubt 
 it does, since they are daily apringing up and, I rejoice to 
 see, rapidly extending. Thia good to the community is ef- 
 fected solely through self-iotereat',tbe most powerful stimnlua 
 that cfo be employed to excite the industry, vad sharpen the 
 intellect and ingenuity oC tnan ; and I, therefore, bo'd for 
 true, the proposition that to each person can be safely con- 
 fided the taak of judging for himself, how best to apply the 
 talents and meana which he possesses. " The statesman,** 
 saya Adam Smith, '* who should attempt to direct privste 
 pMplo-in what manner they ought to employ their cipitals, 
 womld not onlj^ load himself with a most unnecessary atteo- 
 tioUf but aiailme an authority which could not aafely be 
 troated, not only to a aingle per^n, but to no council or 
 aeoate whatever, a^ which oojold no if hero be ao dapgeroua 
 aa iti, tbo hanA of a mfn who bad folly an4 presumption 
 enough to fancy himaelf fit to exercise it.** 
 
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9 
 
 Tbeie mnarki on wbtt it called protoetlon to AgrlcQUnrt 
 •od to Blanurtotorw, and wbieb yoo will obtar? e aro in ac- 
 eordanee with tbe known prinolplas of Fiao Trade, bear 
 strongly on the eolifjeGt of this Cesiy— oar Coomereial Pros- 
 pects— beeaose it is on the. snccess of these principlea that 
 our fntare prosperity will mainly depend. Yon sre all aware 
 that, to fkr as Great Britain Is concerned, the days of pro- 
 tection to Colonial Agricnltoral prodoctions is at an end. It 
 hss been withdrawn, net er to be restored. As well may yoa 
 expect tbe course of tbe tSt. Lawrence to be reversed, and its 
 waters 4rhieh now thunder down the Falls of Niagara, tn re- 
 mount its steeps, as hope that Great BritaM will retrace her 
 ateps, and tax the food of her already over-burdened artisans 
 for the purpose of enriching her great Isnded proprietors, and 
 perhaps incidentally benefitting tbe Canadian Agiiculturist. 
 Tbe repeal of the Corn Laws in Great Britain 1 hold m un 
 fmt aecompli : like the laws of the Modes and PersUns, 
 irrevocable. The queation, therefore, to me appears Koiely 
 to be,— What are our Commercial Prospects, nnider tbe new 
 ■ys(em of policy adopted by Great Britain 7 
 
 To anawer this question correctly, we most examine what 
 are the resources of Canada, and how far those resourees 
 have been developed or are capable of development? 
 Thoroughly to fathom the depths of this suliject, would re- 
 quire more time than I can command. I regret that tbe 
 limits of this Lecture will only permit a rapid glance at some 
 of its prominent points. 
 
 That the Commercial Prospects of Canada should be a mat* 
 ter involved in doubt and uncertainty, can scarcely excite sur- 
 prise, since there is a complete discordance of opinion as to her 
 present actual condition. With the same evidence before 
 the eyes of all, there is a most wonderful diversity in the 
 conclusions drawn from it. Whilst one party draws a som- 
 bre landscape in Indian ink, the other paints a smiling onp, 
 dipping his pencil in eoukur ^ rose. The one travels from 
 Dan to Beersheba— from Gasp6 to ISandwieh — and cries, 
 *' All is barren," whilst the other finds nothing but civilixa- 
 tion and fertility. The one calls Canada a veritable Kanata 
 •—a collection of huts-^its original designation — the other 
 points to the public edifices of Montreal, Toronto, or Kingston, 
 in disproof of the appellation. The one tells us that Canada 
 MS in a state of ** ruin or rapid decay ;" the other, that she is 
 in a state of rapid advancement. Those who take the 
 
10 
 
 j/iomf •Ue of the fietire dillbr to the details. With aome 
 tlieiUMMe it of old ittndiog, daHog I know not bow lonir 
 iiaee b ut ptogffM^weiy .tdv«iieiiigu.witb otberi it it but of 
 reeont orii^ii, bor&tiDg out at fbe li|n« of the repeal of the 
 Britiab Cora Lawt ; whiitt aoeording to ;tome it only broke 
 out in May or September laat— which of the montht it a 
 matler of oontiderabla oneertaioty. AU of this temperament 
 figrse that the only tpeeifie liet in one single wordi which I 
 wfll not whisper In thit Hsll, or in any other place. The 
 tnpporters of the bright side of the picture, also, generally 
 admit that dUBeolties and distresses hafe occasionally beset 
 the Colooial path, bat they look with confidence to their 
 Qltimate removal. 
 
 Non no$trvm Umtas eomponen litet : it is not for me to re- 
 concile such differences of opinion. It is possible that both 
 parties may of ercbarge the picture. It may be, that as the 
 poet says of the two traTellers who having seen a chamelioo, 
 detcribed it— tbe one as green, the other blue— that 
 
 ** Both aro right and both axe wrong." 
 the difibrence being in the object itself when seen in diflbr- 
 ent places. Or, more likely st'll, the difference may arise 
 not from the object presented to the visual organs being dif- 
 ferent hi appearance, but seen through a different medium^— 
 the Ode apectator looking through green, the other through 
 tise bine spectacles. 
 
 I siiall endeavour, however my sympathiea may be enlists 
 ed on the bright side of the picture, not to throw any lint— 
 •eioept a neutral tint— over the landscape, but to draw itas it 
 appears in the elear light of truth. 
 
 Dropping metaphors, let us consider calmly and dispas- 
 sionately bow far Canada possesses, within herself, the ele- 
 ments of commercial prosperity. 
 
 The first point to be considered is her productiveness; 
 that is her capacity of producing such articles as are or may 
 be advantageous objects of commerce. 
 
 Here we are not left to wander in a labyrinth of conjec- 
 tures, we have solid realities to deal with. 
 
 First, as to the country itself. We are all of us perbsps too 
 apt, in considering the resources of Canada, to draw our in- 
 ferences rather from what she is than from what she may 
 hereafter become. With a large strip of territory bordering 
 on the river St. Lawrence, the Ottawa, or op the Gre^ 
 Lafcaty thbly settled in comparison to older cottn\ries, we are 
 
w 
 
 tpt to edttaider thii territorj u the « b9-«n and «nd-«n 'V of 
 OMiidi ; lenroelf |^f log a tboagfat to that bereafUir, #lieti- 
 tbmie prinwnl fdreita whfeh nefor y«t felt the itninf of lU 
 an^ ■hillbe' feMed, and the landa whfeh thoy eot^tifatll 
 bHtoy fcrth a plcn(ite)Mi harveiu-whoii bitfey tdwni add «U* 
 faig^ the maMe of indoitry, thall aprtoir vf^ id plaint Htheitl 
 the fsot of man, at yet, has, p^rhape, net^r trod. 
 
 The Mpetfieiea of Canada, be it remembdted, eofem iti 
 aMa of 880iODO iqoire millii; or 9Ha/)OiO,000 ofaJbieii^hiB 
 inelMea hmd and water. It it within 6 per cent, of beln|p 
 equal in lisa to the' whole thirteen' original SUitet of the 
 Union, at^ the time of their obtainingr their indepenoeniBe: it 
 it nimrly thre# thnet the aii9 of the United Kingdomt of 
 Gireat BHtaln and Ireland; two-thirdt larger than France; 
 and oue^faalf larger than tlie Austrian Empire, inolndlng 
 Htottgary. lit popolation now amonnts to upwards of on^ 
 and-a-half miliibnt, being eqoal to two-flftha of the Wb^le 
 pepttlition of the United States, at tlie time from wKSeh ttey 
 diiie their independence; and about eqoal to that of the" 
 NSbrthem and Western States st that time. 
 
 Orthe immense area of Cintuia, not mbret than about flVe- 
 alMi^«4ialf millions of acret, or abnut one-fonieth part, ar« At 
 ytt brought under eultifation ; which, tsking thte^ popoliitibn, 
 ailjefbtententioned, gives the produce of d} acres cttlllVitdd' 
 land ibr die sustenance of each inhabitant ; Mng mot$ thill 
 dodbl^ the ratio of cultivated land to population in Great' 
 Brittin. Sd smalt a portion of the landV of Canada hu at 
 yM been surveyed,— only about thirty-live millions of aeiM; 
 ^-^tbilt it is impossible to estimate' the total amcnnt of laitdk 
 siitceptible of cultivation for agricultural putpotes; It tuf- 
 flAM, however, to remark, that immigraticn may continncf; t» 
 aillokmettse extent, for aget befbre the country will be fblly 
 peopled. 
 
 At testinfony to the fertility of the soil in Canada, attd itI' 
 eapthnities of production, I shali qu6te the langnage of 
 Bfortin. In bfs history of the British Colonies, he sayt :— ^ 
 "The quantity of good toll in Canada, compared with thtt' 
 eitiWt of country, it equal to that of any part of the globe; 
 and theM'yet mmaint locality for many milliona of the homitf 
 raee: The tett Undt are thote on which the ^<2^ timbtf 
 itrlbilnd^uch at oak, maple, beech, elm, black waldta^ &d. ; 
 though batt-wood, when of luxuriant growth, aUd pfate; wheii^^ 
 terge, clear, and tall, alto hidicate good Und. lluiy of the 
 
otytcfto^ytfcrfjitr ^ /sitt kny gnmndi im Hm imtU. Sp 
 |[ii|^>.4^ ,if«ictl(ltjr-^^^^ i^U in CftuMfti thpl fifty Mielit. 
 o(,i||lifNi| p9r iortiirt fr^ifieiidy pfs^dnpid <^ a funn, wli9n,i 
 U|9 ftnmpi of ifM^ Jvliieb pfoM>lj fl«6«pf jiii fighth #f tip;! 
 wnki6e, me pot MiQ enuliM^ ,; jofii Upitime«f of, iIk^i 
 buibels Mr^qro oeQvr; thd netr Yorkt in Up^' CaiM«i 
 OM! ^fi^^pl ^lilMb ijfvfhftKt ware t^m^frim a tiiffgje aen,^. 
 hill^4\»:^itMwh^iim Mo miied 8iiM4ii|ifff£ ^ ^r 
 
 Wi^ 9i<^ Miceoieiiti to thfi ciiltifttioQ of t^^ioil, Itj 
 etbiH)il)9 woilderid tt tbtt tgriciiltora hM taken tbel««4o|i 
 all Qtber peciijiatioDi, tnd tbtt the proportion odbi| pfiople a|> 
 C(|i|Ada» 608^(94 in •griciUtor«»^^ ■hoold be gresper than in^ 
 odier epnnf^'iet. TbM pcoportfop, I baifQ AlM|(iy itaed« 
 •IPOiii^ to to per centof onr entire pppiplatipi^^,^, ; « .^;»a3 
 
 Afiotbsr large itei^ of the prodontive pof<|eof Ginadi^^^^^ 
 ne<^ f^rcely add, ii Nr fpreatar-ftlmoet bouii^dlo*! W a^?.!. 
 tontp-and promieing for ageato be ji ponrce of urealtlitQ ^/ 
 inbabitints. It baa^een the praotiee of il ^itnin, eiaaacof 
 oar p^liticai economista to nndertaljie this branell^ pC jCfRi^;*;, 
 merpe. In^y opinion it ylel^a to none in importanoe*, JPhtv 
 bi^^y li|pl>ejtm|in b^^ indeed,^ been the pioneer of ci|^i|fi'%|» 
 tic^ i,1|mjDd ail other elaaies lie baa cootribnted to deirfi<^C 
 tbf J^pnenttfral capiLbilitiea of diflRireiit pprtiopa of tbe epii|M,j^ 
 try, Tbe J^mber Trade it, in mai^ reapeeU^ paftlenlaf)]^ 
 adf|ntegeoai lei a coontiy aitniUed aa ia Canada. J^enly |hi^ 
 wbole ^ne of the article couiata in the,^labpnr bNtopridL 
 Upon lit in i|i||iia^fa<tnre, and Itf transport to tl^e ||^i^|»fng 
 niarltot: tbe i^in<punt ^ nioney capita^, in proportio9.,m j^i 
 amount of laboar, jnveate^ In it fa, therefore* conipftniMlfliij 
 limited. Tbe impetoa to onr foreign commerce whicb iillij|^^ 
 trpde baa gifen I need not deioribe : the lboaaiu|i4 Uitgfi 
 abipa wiiicb annually ▼lait Quebec for their Timber ca^ieiifK 
 and tbe gtowing trade with onr neigbboura in the Unitod 
 B^atea, an tl^eoi^ly exemplification neeeaiaiy. 
 
 TdtM Qtber priii^ipal producChAiB of Canada are ber aebe^^j 
 ani thf prodnpe of her fiabei iea ; tbe latter ba?e never bMH^ 
 ciitivttted to any thing liJiLe t6eir fnll extmit, from the eanae, 
 U ii.to be preanmH that other tmpUiymenta bave bMPi 
 fonrfin^Jf^iative^ mji«Uc. 
 
 1L.I 
 
.[l 
 
 1 
 
 18 
 
 These have vp to this period formed the prinoipal exports 
 of Cantdft, and they have inoreaaed in a ratio far beyond the 
 inereaae of ii" population, until they now amoant to opwards 
 of two miil. 4 and a half ponndi currency. Tbia is the 
 sorplna weiiUh which Canada annually produces, beyond her 
 annual consumption ; and this forms the measure of her pro* 
 ductiveness. Now, comparing Canada with certainly the two 
 greatest commercial nations in the world— ^reat Britain and 
 the United States—it is apparent that she is scarcely, if at 
 all, inferior to either of them in this respect. 
 
 From Canada the exports in 1848 amounted as follows :— 
 
 From Montreal and Qaebeo, to - -'- - - £1,749,167 
 . Inland Ports 772^132 
 
 Total £2,521,599 
 
 t^r equal to jSl ISs. 4d. or 96f for each individual of our 
 pbpulation. Now that was a year of unexampled depression 
 occasioned by the losses of 1847 ; there is no doubt that this 
 year the total value will be about 3 millions ; equal to £2 cur- 
 rency per head. All this export consists of articles the pro- 
 duce of Canada. 
 
 In the United States, the value of the exports for 1848, 
 was : — 
 
 Native Products - - '-• -• - $132,904,121 
 Foreign do. ........ 21,132,315 
 
 Total - $154,036,438 
 
 $6 1-3 per head of native produce, or |^7 1-3 if foreign pro- 
 duce be included. 
 
 In Great Britain, the export of 1848 was £46,407,939 
 sterling, jSl lOs. 7d.. per head, equal to about $7i per indi- 
 vidual. 
 
 Thus it appears that Canada— notwithstanding the sombre 
 accounts with which curlpapers have l(l)oly teemed, equals 
 in productiveness the mist prosperous nations of the earth- 
 in other words, that she has a surplus of her producta annn- 
 ally to dispose of, equal, in, proportion to the number of her 
 population, to the surplus produce of any other country. 
 How Canada can be in the deplorable condition In which die 
 has been depicted, I leave to abler c&suists to determine. 
 
 Of coarse the measure of the exports of a cbuntry is that 
 of her imports ; and as Canada exports largely she must in- 
 port to a similar extent. The one trade iny^li^ .|Jie o\l^. 
 
a 
 
 u 
 
 Aporber point on wbfeh the eoromereial pro«pdrity of a 
 eovntrjr nvit be mdmitted mainly to depend, is iti geOgrtpbi- 
 eal position witb regard to otber nationt, and tbe nttnre of 
 ita internal and external eommnnibationi. 
 
 In tbese reapeets Canada may justly claim a pre-eminenoe 
 Ofer many countries, and an equality witb tbe most favored 
 oatiotti. Witb one main cbannel of commnn ation, tbe St. 
 Lawrence, stretcbing from tbe entrance of ber territory, fifteeo 
 bandred miles into tbe interior, navigable during tbe wbole 
 of tbat distance by ships of bnllc and dimensions, soitabie to 
 brave tbe stormiest oceans: with inland seas, capable of 
 bearing on their bosoms thousands of ships ; with innumerable 
 lakes dotting ber surface ; with rivers traversing -the donntry 
 in^evi^ry direction, and thus connecting the interior witb tbe 
 banks of the main stream ; commerce with every part of bis 
 own country, and with foreign nations, may emphatically 
 be said to be brought to every man's door in Canada. Again, 
 with regard to her neighbors, tbe United States, Canada pos- 
 sesses an advantage conce<led perhaps to no other country* 
 She possesses the most convenient, tbe speediest, and the 
 cheapest channel of transport to and from the Western States, 
 whether in their trade with the United States, or witb foreign 
 countries ; and she holds in her own hands the key of this 
 channel, and can at ber o«m pleasure seal itp and dose tbe 
 embouchure. With regard to her sister cok>nieaof North 
 America, Canada is equally favorably situated ; whether they 
 require Canadian produce or the produce of the Western 
 States, the Canadian waters are the direct medium of con- 
 veyance, and the Canadian revenue must be enriched by the 
 tolls on tbe transport. 
 
 Nature provided for Canada tbe means of securing tbese 
 ad|rantage8, but the energies of her inhabitants were required 
 to give them full efficacy. To remove tbe obstacles which 
 lay in the way of tbe navigatiou of our inland wateta, re* 
 quired exertions and sacrifices, sudh as the oldest countries 
 liiigM have shrunk from. But the priae was worthy of tb^ 
 eff>rti and we cannot but feel a pride, now tbat tbe object 
 blM been virtually accomplished— that Statesmen hive been 
 finind, even in Canada, with minds capable of (gaping in 
 anticipation the great advantlges which would flow to the 
 eoonmeroe of the conntry from tbe construction of public wo^ks 
 of la magnitodj^ adapted ta fbe tfiniport of the ph)duce, not 
 cnly of our owi^ coniitrjr, but of Uie wfaola Westeiiof Suies. 
 
 t 
 
\ 
 
 i 
 
 *.- 
 
 In the cone^pUoo of tbaM great worki, Canada took iba 
 pracadenee of bar iiai^;i;bbonra« Taking into contidaratlon 
 the graarer weajtb and largar population of tba United Stataa, 
 It would have bean no dieparaganBent to oar Canadian cbar- 
 acter for entarpriaa, bad we kggttd behind in the race of 
 rifalry. Bot ii waa not ao ; Canada actually outstripped her 
 rival, and in conneotiqg the watera of Lake Erie with Ontario, 
 actaally aecompliabed a great work, from which the United 
 Statea with all their ** applianeea and means to boot** ahrnnk 
 almoat from contemplating. 
 
 Volames ha?e been written, landing our neighbonra of the 
 United States for their great nndertaking, the Erie Canal, and 
 we cordially join in the jnit tribute paid to the geniua which 
 conceived, and the industry and energy which completed that 
 mighty work. It waa dictated by the aonndeat policy, and 
 baa produced the moat beneficial reaulta^ by bringing into 
 oloae proximity the Western Statea^with the seaboard, and 
 thua consolidating that Union amongst the different aections 
 of that great nation, which it ia alike the deaire of their emi- 
 nent statesmen, and the intereat of the world ahould be main* 
 tained inviolate. But whilat tbna paying deserved homage to 
 our neighbours, let us not forget the gratitude that ia due to 
 thoae amongst us, who, amidst difficulties such aa would have 
 deterred leaa ardent lovera of Improvement, have persevered 
 nntil they have aecompliabed a line of Canale^ before which 
 that Ibaeted Erie Caniil sinki into Insignificance. The Erie 
 Canal is doubtless a costly undertaking ; the original outlay 
 waa about eleven mlUioaa of dollara— but beaide our Canal it 
 ia a mere ditch* An immei^ outlay baa been expended 
 on it ; and before it ia completed to the full dimen- 
 sions contemplated, the additional expendhure will have 
 amounted to twenty-three miliiona dollars. But during 
 the whule of the time that baa elapaed aince the coa pletion 
 on the original scale, immenae revenuea have been derived 
 from it, and the additional outlay may well be spared out of 
 the increasing tolls. The wealth of the State of New York, 
 moreover, being taken into consideration, the burthen of such 
 an outlay ia inconsiderable. Bnt in Canada it ia altogether 
 different. Our population ia not one-fourth of the number of 
 thoae interested iti the Erie Canal ; and yet they have had 
 the pnblic spirit to expend apwarda of eleven millions of doU 
 lara in the Wetland and St. Lawrence Canals. Canada may 
 YfpW boaat pf thoae works aa unequalled in the world, 
 
 99 
 
'srs^ :si£ijti=;^aeb.-- 
 
 u 
 
 Thtt thow CaDtlfl ara detCined to prove the key-itone of 
 the ereh of our comnereial emhieoee, no one now^ I believe, 
 will deny. It li on tiieir •aecejt ei public nndertakingi, in 
 drawing to them the bnlk of the transport of prodnce to and 
 from the Western States, and to the tolls derived from that 
 prudnoe, with that on oor Upper Canadian trade, that the 
 immense outlay on them is expected to be reirnhnrsed, and 
 that nltim'itely a large revenoe to the country is expected to 
 accrue. It becomes, therefore, in considering the resources 
 of Canada, necessary to examine what is the extent of that 
 trade Arom which so large an increase is expected to be 
 derived. 
 
 With regard to Canada, I have already referred to lire 
 increased value of our exports ; and the progressive increase 
 on our tolls is a pleasing omen of what is to follow. The 
 following is the rate at which they have hitherto advanced :^ 
 
 They were in 1842 £24,232 
 
 ** 1843 34,604 
 
 " 1844 ^ 44,250 
 
 " 1849 « 41,030 
 
 ** 1846 61,486 
 
 ** 1847 ••••.. 83^33 
 
 " 1848 ....aboat 75,000 
 
 The aeconnte for 1849 are not made up, but> I believe, 
 they will display a considerable increase. To this time our 
 revenue has been nearly entirely derived from Canadian 
 produce, with the exception of that through the Welland 
 Canal, which is in part drawn from the United States vessels 
 and produce. At the ratio of increase of the past years, and 
 Gonsidermg the rapid extension of agriculture and commerce 
 in Western Canada, we may fairly anticipate that that trade 
 will almost immediately suffice to pay the interest of the 
 money invested in the Canalf , and that all the tolls derived 
 from foreigners will be so much profit to the country. 
 
 Let U8, then, briefly consider what will be the extent of 
 foreign commerce which may be expected to pass through 
 our territory. The Western States to which I have alluded, 
 are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They 
 have all burst into eiistence as but of yesterday. la 1800, 
 there were not in these States fifty thousanu inhabitants; 
 now they number about five millions. Sn^h an advance is 
 nnparalleled in history; nor is its march stopped. In all 
 appearance the population and the productions of those coun- 
 tries will go on increasing with equal rapidity. That produce 
 
 ir 
 
 i 
 
IT 
 
 !t 
 
 11 
 
 QMMt b9 iMriytvM tbrovfh eor wftttrt: tto Brie €anil bii 
 Doi th« eapaeity for itt trantport Theie Statitiifre tlw greit 
 gnuiary of the United StatMf theioareeiwheneethederifee 
 tboee immenw lujipliei reqoiiite for the ttiihtetiiifioe of her 
 mtDe&ctoriDif popnlttion in the Eestern Stetee, and for her 
 eiport tnde with Great Britain and the reel of the world. 
 
 . I hftte pet heen »ble to procure itatiitical information of 
 the aoonnt of produce annually chipped from the whole of 
 theae Statea; hut there ia not the leaat doubt that the great 
 bulk of the produce— probably 7-8thi of the amotiot which 
 paaaea down the Erie Canal — ia from that country. In 1848, , 
 it amounted to upwarda of three miiliona barrela of flour, 
 aeveii miilipoa bi^bela of grain, twenty-three milliooe ponnda 
 ofbutter^fdrty-tbtee miiliona pounda of ebeeae, ene hundred 
 aitd fiffcy thburahd barrela of proviaiona, wiih diher artidlea, 
 aa the catalogue describes, too numerous to mention. . From 
 Michigan alone, in 1847, one pillion barrela of flour, one 
 millloD bushels of wheat, with other articles, were exported : 
 the total value of her exporta for that year being upwards of 
 $7,000,000. 
 
 :>Now, the advantages which our line of communication ' 
 ofi^ers over the Erie Cariali are nnque^tidnablit. On this aiib- 
 ject, I shall quote an extract from the Report of the Com« 
 lussioners of Public ^^erks of Cfmada. for the year 1848, 
 which places this matter in a clear point of view :— 
 
 Transport of a barrel of Flour from Buffitlo to Albany, paid in 
 1849:^ 
 
 Tolls on the Canal. 31 cents. 
 
 Freightonthe Canal 46 '* 
 
 Total 77 cents. 
 
 yj ti /i. \ti oaf. ' : . > 
 
 Whereas by ^ 8t. Lawrence route, from Fort Maitland to 
 Montreal, there was paid in the same year on a barrel of 
 Floor:— 
 
 Fortolls IScents. 
 
 Forfireights ...20 ** 
 
 ' J <4ivv,u,;.'- .' : Total. ......... 35 cents. • 
 
 Leaviag a proflt in fltvor of our navigation of 42 cents, or nearly 
 2s. lid. on eaoh barrel of Flour. 
 
 New, as to the freight upwards, we have the following 
 result:— 
 
 b8 
 
18 
 
 On *aeh 100 Ibt. of goods ftoin Albanv to Bnflklo thoio wit 
 
 r> piudml847— 
 
 For toll* 94 cent!. 
 
 Forikeight 19 « 
 
 Total 39 oontf , 
 
 or $7|80 oentt per ton. 
 
 '' Dnring the same yeari on the river St. Lawrence, from Mont* 
 real to dke EriOi there was paid— 
 
 For tolls, 6d 10 cents. 
 
 Forfreight, 3d S ** , 
 
 Total 19 cents, 
 
 or $3 per ton. 
 
 Thus we haye $4,80 cents per ton in faTOnr of the River St. 
 Lawrence, without inolnding the storage and transhipment at 
 Albany and Buffalo, nor the freight from New Tork to Albany. 
 
 Another means of comparison also, perhaps even more im- 
 portant than that of money, and which has not been so much 
 appreciated, and is only just now beginning to be thought of, 
 is that of time. If we establish the point of departure at Chi- 
 cago, the distance to Quebec is 1600 miles. Of this long route, 
 which is now navigable throughout, seventy miles only are by 
 means of canals. 
 
 Steamers capable of carrying 300 tons, can, and really have 
 run from Chicago to Quebec, and vice vena, with facility, in ten 
 days, that is, six days from Chicago to Port Maitland, and four 
 days from that Port to Quebec. 
 
 From Chicago to New York, the distance is also 1600 miles, 
 but the distance which the boats have to run through the canals, 
 is 364 miles, and the tonnage of these boats, being only one- 
 fifth of that of the vessels ushig the Canadian route, a vessel of 
 300 tons burthen arriving from Chicago at Bufialo, in six days, 
 will be obliged to divide her cargo among five boats, nearly the 
 halfofwhich will go straight to New York, and the other half 
 will tranship their cargoes at Albany, into vessels of heavier 
 burthen. Thus, the proportion of transhipments by the Ame- 
 rican route, as compared with ours, will be as 2h: 1. . Now, the 
 time required for the transport of a cargo from Chicago to New 
 York being 18 days, whereof 12 are spent in going through the 
 canals, we shall have a saving of eight days, nearly one-half 
 of the time, in favor of the St. Lawrence, which will save us 8 
 days expenses on the charges of the vessels, and secure us a 
 profit of 8 days interest, on the value of the cargo; all of which 
 •are great advantages, and, with- the -heavier freight and tolls on 
 Lake Erie, must more than counterbalance the inconveniencies 
 of the remamder of our navigation, fVom Quebec to the Gulf. 
 
 ,It is roaoifestiy impossible to estimate correctly the amount 
 of revenue that may bo expected to be derived from this for- 
 eign use of our iiitemal comiiiunicatioos, but some idea of its 
 magnitude may be formed when we reflect, that the nett re- 
 yeaue derived from the Poblle Canals, of the State of New 
 
 « % 
 
 } 
 
 : 
 
 -ss 
 
19 
 
 le 
 ilf 
 8 
 a 
 sh 
 )ii 
 
 M 
 
 If. 
 
 Its 
 
 t 
 
 "' 
 
 *\\ 
 
 Ynrk, tmoQiited, last yetr, to $9,848,000. Soraly, to iofare 
 iA0 conversion of such a trade, or any considerable portion of 
 it, tooor Canals, is deserving of tlie most streonoas ezeriloo 
 b) onr Legislators and Ministry. 
 
 Wlien we consider tiie immense proportion of the phnlae- 
 lions of the Western Country that is intended for the British 
 Mariiet, it cannot be doubted that if once it were elearly 
 shewn that such produce can arrive more expeditiously, 
 more cheaply, and in belter order, at its destinatiou, via the 
 St. Lawrence than by the Erie Canal, great part of that pro- 
 duce would take this route. That such produce can be 
 brought to Montreal or Qtiebec far cheaper, and more ex- 
 peditiously, than to New York, we have already shewn — the 
 difibrence between Montreal and New York, in favour of the 
 former, being about Ss. l}d. per barrel, in Flour, and other 
 articles, of course, in proporiion. It may, therefore, fairly be 
 presumed that the St. Lawrence route will be preferred, pro- 
 vided freights can be procured from Canada to Great Britain 
 at rates nearly equivalent to those from New York. The 
 recent change in the Imperial Navigation Laws will, I think, 
 establish that equality in freights that we to much des!re» 
 and which is so essential to our trade. Under our old sys- 
 tem, although foreign vessels could trade up the St. Law- 
 rence to Quebec, they were virtually excluded from our com- 
 merce— being prohibited from carrying British Colonial pro- 
 duce to the British dominions. If, therefore, they shrived 
 with immigrants or cargo, they could get no cargo back. 
 The consequence, of course, was, a foreign vessel never en- 
 tered onr ports, except on the temporary suspension of the 
 British Navigation Laws in 1847. But, all this is changed by 
 the new policy of England. We are no longer compelled to 
 use a British vessel for the transport of our Colonial produce, 
 but can select our ships in the cheapest market ; there can, 
 therefore, be no longer that disparity in freights between 
 Canada and New York which formerly existed. Some idea 
 may be formed of the tax which the British Navigation 
 Laws have constantly, imposed on our coinmeroe, when I 
 state that in the freights from New York and Montreal res- 
 pectively to Liverpool, there was an average difference, for 
 four years— from 1844 to 1847— of three shillings sterling 
 per barrel. Now, taking into consideration the comparative 
 length and expenses of the two voyages, from Is. to Is. 6d. la 
 the utmost extent of the difibrence that should have existed; 
 
That oar tgrieallvrist wm regolarlj taztd 5 to 7| per 
 ceot., on hit prodoee, for tbo benofit of the British Ship- 
 owner. Sometimet when there was a icareitj of shipping 
 in oor porta the diftrenee of freight between Montreal and 
 New York was as much as 6i. per barrel, or abont eqasl to 
 96 per cent, or one-foorth of the cost of the produce. 
 
 Fortunately for our future commerce this burden is re- 
 mofed, and our chance of success in the race of competition 
 with New York is thereby greatly enhanced. We can now 
 ship our own produce, or that of any other nation, to any part 
 of the world in ships belonging to any nation. Some of the 
 e|bcts of the new system it may.be well to describe. 
 
 Formerly, there being little outward freight from Britain 
 to Canada, more than three-fourths of the vessels came 
 out in ballast, being chartered for a return cargo of timber. 
 The profit on the return voyage must then of necessity be 
 sufficient to repay the cost of the voyages out and hence. In 
 other words, had it been possible to secure cargoes both ways, 
 the freights might have been reduced nearly one half, and 
 paid the shipowners equally well. This, In part, explains 
 the difference in freights between New York and Montreal. 
 To New York, ships generally arrive with cargoes-^to 
 Canada, in ballast. With the extension of our commerce 
 with the West, this will no longer be the case. In the first 
 place, the opening of the trade with the Western country, 
 will lead the inhabitants to appreciate the superior cheapness 
 and expedition of our route over* the Erie Canal, and the 
 Western merchant will order his supplies via the Sr. Law- 
 rence. This will give outward freights to our ships, and 
 thus reduce, as I before showed, homeward freights. But 
 there is another trade now about to open upon ue, which 
 must infallibly equaliie the freights between Canada and 
 New York. I allude to the transport of immigrants from the 
 continent of Europe to the Western States. About two 
 hundred sail arrive annually in the Port of New York loaded 
 with immigrants, to seek a home in the far West. That the 
 balk of these immigrants will hereafter pass through Canada 
 to their destination, seems no longer a matter of doubt. 
 Arrived aC Montreal, they can at once be forwarded on their 
 upward route, in capacious steamers capable of accommo- 
 dating four or five hundred passengers, and pass up to the 
 hesd of Lake Ontario in four days, instead of being cooped 
 up in small Canal boats in the heat of the summer, daring a 
 
^1 
 
 tedtoni journey of tImMt as many weeks, throagh the Eriei 
 Canal to BoflTalo. The cost alone of providing for their avi- 
 tenance by the latter route, is probably greater than the 
 whole fare upwards by our Upper Canada ateamera or pro- 
 pellers. This advantage, atone, must suffice, I am eonvineed, 
 to bring nearly the whole amount of the German emigration 
 this way. It affords me much pleasure to state, that I am 
 aware that houses largely engaged in the forwarding trade, 
 are now making arrangements for the reception by this rontet 
 uf a large number of foreign immigrants ; and I believe that 
 there is reHsmi to hope that Governmental regulations will be 
 made to relirve the transient immigrants of a part of the tax- 
 ation, to which, under our present fiscal laws, he would bo 
 liable. With so great an Increase to the immigration to 
 Canada, the tax imposed on immigrants may well bo reduced 
 one half. 
 
 Now there cannot be the least doubt that if from 100 to 
 200 vessels of the description which visited ns in 1847, 
 during the temporary suspension of the Navigation Laws, 
 should come to Quebec and Montreal, our outward freights 
 would be reduced at least to the same ratea aa those in New 
 York; and that with this stimulus the Canadian ronte must 
 engross that portion of the Western produce which is in- 
 tended for the British markets. 
 
 Another trade, in which we can now defy competition fron\ 
 New York, is that in agricultural productions with our North 
 American Provinces. There cannot be the least doubt that 
 Provisions, Flour, &c., can be landed at any port in the 
 Lower Provinces at least as cheap as in New York or Boston, 
 and of course those markets must be supertseded in thia 
 branch of their tiade. These are some of the fruits that 
 most immediately spring, partly from the cotnpletion of our 
 public works, and partly from the repeal of the British 
 Navigation Laws. 
 
 The power that is given to our Legislature, in like man- 
 ner, to open our coasting trade to foreigners, if acted on in a 
 truly liberal and enlightened spirit, will produce similar re- 
 duction in river freights, and will extend our commercial 
 Intercourse with our neighbours. 
 
 Whilst thus enumerating some of the new trades that are 
 only now bursting on us, I must not omit to refer to that with 
 the States of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, snd 
 New York. It is but of yesterday, yet it has already become 
 
n 
 
 of taeb imporUoMt that the proprietji nty» the abfolnte ne- 
 etnlty, of MMtrMtiDf ■ Ctnal toeooMot tbt St. Ltwreneo 
 with Lakf Cbanplaio, hit of ltt«, ai you aro all aware, oc- 
 evpied a largo aharo of pnbllc altootion. 
 
 In a Roport of tbe Proeeedinga of a Coo? aotloo recently 
 held at Saratoga, for tbo porpoee of fnrtberlog tblt nnder- 
 taking, macli faloable information on tbe aubjeot of thia trade 
 ia pnbliabed. It appeara that et on under the preaent eoatly 
 mode of tninait onr eiporta to tbe United Statea are rapidly 
 increaiing. In 1847 they amonnted tu $200,000; in 1848 
 they had inereaied ten-fold, being $2,600,000. (See Report 
 of Proceeding!, &c., p. 18.) 
 
 From tbe information there collected, it ia et ident that tbe 
 Canal in qneation conid not fail to prove a highly profitable 
 ioveatment ; and forming, aa it will, another link in onr great 
 chain of national internal commanicationt, I can only ex- 
 preaa my aincere hope, that the Government may tbemieltea 
 undertake tbe work. I belie? e that it would be safer in their 
 hande than in thoae of any prirate indiVidaala; that the 
 public would be better served ; and that there would be lose 
 fear either of tbe trade of the country being embarrassed, or 
 of aectional interests being subserved at the expense of the 
 general good. The whole coet of the work would not ex- 
 ceed JS0OO,OOO, and the returna from it would far exceed the 
 annual interea^ on the capital invested. 
 
 This measure is not called for to promote any sectional inte- 
 rest ; every district, each section of the Province is alike in- 
 terested in the completion of a work which would open a 
 trade, of tbe amount of which we can only form a faint con- 
 ception. The produce of the coal mines of the Lower Pro- 
 viiices ; tbe gypsum of Nova Scotia ; the lumber alike of the 
 Ottawa and of the country below Quebec ; bulky articles, 
 Buch as iron and salt, from Great Britain ; the Agricultural 
 produce of Western Canada, and of the Western States, 
 must flow through this channel to an enormous amount. 
 
 Another subject to which I cannot omit alluding, is the 
 Portland Railroad; which, through the energy and public 
 apirit of a few individuals— and especially of two gentlemen, 
 whose names the public voice baa inseparably associated 
 with the success of the measure — has now been placed on such 
 R footing as to become no longer a matter of speculation, 
 but a certainty. In less than three years, the journey be- 
 tween Montreal and tbe seaboard of the State of Maine, will 
 
 - 
 
ts 
 
 '^ 
 
 ill 
 
 be teoomplithed in t few hoori. No loogtr will ovr Wett* 
 •ro prodaet be hermetically seeled ■pdoring a whole winter. 
 No longer will the Western merchant, whether of the Statee 
 or Canada, fear to eend his prodnee to Montrealj lest it shoold 
 arrif e after the close of the navigation, or ao late aa to be 
 enlijjeeted to enormodi freight or f nsnranoe. If not shipped 
 at Montreal, it can be forwarded to Portltnd. Snppliee for 
 oar merchants can then be received daring the wMe winter, 
 and goods for the Western coontry stored in Montreal to 
 await the firat opening of oor navigation, then to be forwarded 
 to their destination. As oar Canals ordinarily open at leaat a 
 fortnight before the Erie Canal, and as the traoeport opwarda 
 to a point at the head of Lake Ontario ctn be eActed in two 
 or three days, whilst from New York it takes almost ae many 
 weeke— can it be doubted that that trade is almost at oor own 
 commtnd 7 
 
 Such are a few of the reflections which spring vp in oor 
 minds when reflecting on the futare commercial condition of 
 Canada. 
 
 I am sensible that in entering into all these details I must 
 have fatigued your attention ; but they are eisentiii to the 
 discussion of the subject, and its importance mnst plead my 
 joetiflcstion. My object has been to shew that Canada la 
 not yet plunged in that state of utter mieery and despair In 
 which she is described by some : that she haa powers and 
 resources within heraelf, end at her own command, which 
 ehe has only rightly to put forth in order to elevate her to a 
 high pitch of commercial prosperity. Tt has, of late, been 
 too much the practice to decry Canada, and to depreciate the 
 character of her people. She is represented aa devoid of 
 energy, and weighed down with difficulties, '< checked in the 
 full career of private and public enterprise," and ** standing 
 before the world in humiliating contrast with our neighbours." 
 I need not eay, that, were this true, to publish it is neither 
 consistent with patriotism ror sound policy. Nattons, like 
 individuals, have their honest pride, and to stimulate them to 
 noble actions the wisest course is surely not to degrade them 
 in their own estimation. Une pairie d^hier, tCaura pat it 
 lendenuUn: the country that cannot look back with pride to 
 the paat, is not likely to look forward with hope to the futare. 
 It ie the glorious reminiscences of past actione that form the 
 meet powerful itimalas to fotare ezertlona. 
 
24^ 
 
 But, I deny that Canada deservea the reproach of slug- 
 gishness, with which some of her sons have unworthily ae- 
 sailed her— for reproach it is on her national character, to 
 allege that whilst all around has been rapid progress, she 
 alone has retrograded or remained stationary. On the con- 
 trary, I contend, and, I believe, I have proved the truth of my 
 assertion, that her progress has been at least — taking into 
 consideration the paucity of her population and the migrating 
 character of a portion of them — as rapid as that of her enter- 
 prizing neighbours, whom I certainly would be the last to 
 depreciate. Looking back on the difficulties which she 
 has surmounted, the wonder is not that so much has been left 
 undone, but that so much has been effected. If any one 
 doubt the truth of this assertion j let him only compare our 
 public works and public buildings with those of other coun- 
 tries of equally recent origin, and we cannot doubt the 
 result. 
 
 In thus hopefully, as T have done this evening, expressing 
 my opinion of our future commercial prospects, I have been 
 led to do so under the conviction that I entertain of our popu- 
 lation, as second to none in all the qualifications that conduce 
 to national greatness. It is not — and history abundantly 
 proves the fact — in proportion to the natural advantages of a 
 country, that her material interests are at all times elevated. 
 It would almost appear that the advancement of nations 
 has been in an inverse ratio to their natural capabilities. 
 Whilst those countries peculiarly favoured by soil and 
 climate have languished, never emerging from obscurity, 
 oth^^rs, destitute of equal natural advantages, have reached 
 the summit of national elevation. Holland affords a striking 
 illustration. It h»i8 been observed of her, that without arable 
 land her cities became the granaries of Europe ; without 
 possessing any of the materials for shipbuilding, she built 
 ncvies that swept the ocean ; without possessing either stone 
 or timber, she constructed spacious cities and superb edifices. 
 The country itself was in constant danger of being submerged, 
 and it required all the skill of its inhabitants to protect it 
 against sudden inundations. Yet the mind of man triumphed 
 over these obstacles ; and that people, with every physical 
 difficulty to encounter, rose to be one of the first and most 
 pawerful nations of Europe. 
 
 Great Britain also— our father-land— presents the nA>Bt 
 memorable instance of the victory of mind. Little could the 
 
£5 
 
 T 
 
 L 
 
 RooMUB poet— when be deieribed the Britbh ai ent off ffom 
 eommonication with the whole world— imagine that the na- 
 tion whom he thns despised was to attain to an eminenee 
 « above all Greek, above all Roman fame ;" to eitend her 
 away over regions nnknown to Rome,— the so-called mistress 
 of the world,— to plant her flag, and spread civiliiation, and 
 diffose Christianity in every quarter of the world— and not 
 her least glory to plant Colonies in distant lands, whose 
 prondest boast will Over be that they are not unworthy of 
 their parentage ! 
 
 Why do I make these observations ? hot that I wonld 
 impress this troth for onr practical government— that the 
 commercial prosperity of a country depends opon the mental 
 and moral character of the inhabitants. All the advantages 
 of nature may be rendered nugatory by man. It is equally 
 in the power of a people to transform fertile plains into a 
 bowling wilderness, or <*to plant a garden in the desert 
 waste.*' The same causes which act on individual act on the 
 national welfare. It is by honesty, by indnstry, by prudence, 
 by frogallty, and by perseverance that individuals thrive. 
 The aggregate of these qualities in a people, joined to public 
 spirit, form the basis of natidaal prosperity. I would not 
 have you confound, however, party spirit with public spirit. 
 Their effects are as different as are their objects. Whilst 
 party spirit Is exercised in the furtherance of private or Indi- 
 vidual advancement, or in seeking to obtain an ascendancy 
 of one part of the population over the remainder, public 
 spirit is engaged in the promotion of the general welfare. 
 One is sometimes mistaken for the other, but on a careful 
 analysis it will be discovered that the one is pure gold, the 
 other merely a gilded counterfeit. 
 
 Well does the poet say, with reference to what constitutes 
 the real strength of a country : — 
 
 What constitutes a State ? 
 Not hiffh-ralsed battlement or labored mound, 
 
 Thick wall or moated gate ; 
 Not cities proud with spires and turrets crown'd , 
 
 Not bays and broad-armed ports, 
 Where, laushing at the storm, rich navies ride ; 
 
 But Mkm, high-minded Mem. 
 
19 
 
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