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TOi^WPO: 8 Wt!I.I.rK<»t(»» B^rW>lNfl». KTNO StKKKt. t8$8. I r '• . OASAM aWHPASV. I it! II li I III I" ■■»■ I.' •(«'-'. STATEMENT OF FACTS, AND CORRESPONDENCE, CONNECTED WITH CEftTAIN PUBLII! IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HURON TRACT. ISClUmNQ A RAILROAD TO GODERICH; "•1 WHICH n AnDEi> HOME INFOR;MATION upon matters relating to the CANADA COMPANY. LI Bv FREDERICK WIDDER, Ksq., roMMUSIONCR OP THB CANABA CONPANT. TORONTO : printek hy henry rowsell, n Wl:l.l,INUTON BUILDINGS, KING STREST. I85;i. CIRCULAR. The uiidersigned begs to submit to the Settlers of the Canada Company, and to the Public, the Ibllovving state- ment of facts and correspondence connected with certain public improvements in the Huron Tract, including a Rail- road to Goderich. He also begs to submit some authentic information relating to the management of the Canada Company's affairs in the Huron, which recent events may render interesting to the Settlers there, and to the Public generally. Whilst regretting the necessity for giving publicity to an event alluded to in the following pages, he feels it due to the Canada Company and to himself— after the various representations which have recently been made in some of the Provincial journals, and in other quarters, on the subject — to lay the whole facts relating to it before the Public. He desires to offer no opinion. He simply wishes that those wMiose interests or inclinations may prompt them to form one, may have the means of arriving at a correct one; and, that those who have been induced, through improper representations, unjustly to blame the Canada Company in the premises, may have an opportunity of correcting their error. FREDERICK WIDDER. Toronto^ January 31st, 1853. POSTSCRIPT. After the foregoing circular and following statement was printed, Mr. Widder received, from the Court of Directors of the Canada Company in London the subjoined letters, in answer to the following, which he deemed it proper to address to the Court, in view of the representations made in this country in relation to the matters alluded to. MR. WIDDER TO THE COURT OF DIRECTORS. Toronto, 18^/t D(;cemher 1832. *' It will, I hope, bo now evident to the Couri, that it will be extremely desirable to adopt some means to disabuse the public mind of the false state- ments which are put fortli, implicating me in a course of ijrocooding unworthy of an honourable mind, or a gentleman ; the Court arc -■< v,-oU informed upon all my proceedings, that they will find no dilficuHj in placing mo in that position to which I am fairly entitled. " Canada House, "London, lib. January 1853. " The Directors are moat anxious to do everything in their power to meet the wish expressed by Mr. Widder in his letter of the 18th December, to •disabuse the public mind upon the fal.se statements which are put forth regarding him ; ' and they will take the earliest opportunity in their power for accomplishing what he so justly requests." "Canada House, '* London, 14//t January, 1853. "Frederick Widder, Esq. " Sir — The Directors of the Canada Company having observed the state- ments put forth in the Province regarding the recent changes mado in the management of the Companj's affairs, and particularly the very unfounded observations as to your conduct on the occcasion, have desired me to write to you for the purpose of explaining Avhat has led to those changes, which have originated entirely with the Directors, in consequence of what, in their opinion, is required for the Company's interests in Canada, and which it was necessary that you, as the Commissioner remaining in ofdcc, should carry into effect. " Tlie Directoi'3 do not think themselves called upon to justify their con- duct in making such appointments as they think best for the interests of the Company, as it is plainly their duty to make all such arrangements. " They make this remark, however, as the assertion of a principle, and with no disposition to treat with disrespect public criticism, if conducted with fairness and impartiality ; but they feel bound, when observations are mado on your conduct which might leave a painful impression on your mind, or those of your friends, to state for your satisfaction what has led to the recent changes. " From the experience the Directors have had of the Company's affairs since you have acted as a Commissioner, they are perfectly convinced that the present prosperous state of their affairs must chiefly be ascribed to your able and judicious conduct, and they considered it of the greatest importance that you should be cuiiblcd to nj)!"!)' your uufeitcrcd exertions thereto. They have observed tliiit on certain occamons, for years past, some of your most important measures seem to have boon interfired with in a manner calculated to add to your 'liflicultics in jierfo-n ing your uiities, but never so obviously as in a case whicli recently occurred, and whijh convinced the Directors they were no longer justified in allowing the affairs of the Company to remain sub- ject to tho control of two Commissioners having equal uthority, but that it was requisite you should have paramount control, and should be appointed First Commissioner. " The case was that of the Toronto and Ouelph Railroad. The Directors were fully convinced of the great advantage of having railways in all parts of the Province, but they thought it of peculiar importance not only to the Company's interests hut to those of the Province generally, that there should be a lino of railway through the heart of the country, to connect by a short and ilirect route the waters of Lakes Huron and Ontario, and for this purpose desired their Commissioners to give all possible encouragement to the Toronto and Guelpli line. Under these circumstances, neither of their Commissioners couM be jusiitied in taking upon themselves to pledge tuc Company to support other lines, particularly those of a coirpeting character with that from Toronto to Guelpii, thereby committing apparently a breach of faith on tho part of tiio Canada Company to tho Toronto and (Jnclph Company. On this subject the Directors refer to their letter of the 30tli July, explaining their views, Avhich had been cle.'irly expresocd before ; and finding that Mr. Jones had thought fit either f o act in opposition to thooe views, or was unable to understand them, they did not consider him any longer fit to liold their Commission, and determined to make tho change which has since been cfTected. " However painful to the Directors this explanation may be, regarding the conduct of a gentleman who ha? been so long in the Company's service, and who they believe to have been anxious zealously to exert his best faculties for the interest of the Company, it is a tluty * you to state the facts as they are, and to enable you, if you think fit, to explain upon sufficient authority why the recent changes have been made. " I am, Sir, "Your most obedient servant, "(Signed) JOHN PERRY, Sec." ; STATEMENT. From what has been represetilod lo the public, it would appear as if the (Janada Company aiid their Commissioner, Mr. Widdcr, had been doing all they could to prevent the introduction of public improvements into the Huron Trac'., where they have so large a stake. Gross misrepresenta- tions, on the one hand, and the absence of correct informa- tion in the Huron as to the Company's proceedings, on the other, have subjected the settlers to be greatly deceived in this matter. First : — It has been asserted, that Mr. Widder, while in England, in 1845 and 1846, opposed, incidentally, the interests of the town of Goderich, by advocating the Toronto and Port Sarnia line of Railway. The facts are these : — In the year 1845 the Toronto and Lake Huron Railroad Company obtained a revival of their act, and were thereby authorised to construct a railroad from Toronto to any point on Lake Huron. In the same year the Great Western R 1- road Company obtained a revival of their act. A struggle arose between these two companies as to which should first succeed in getting a sufficient capital secured in Eng- land to carry out their respective projects. Mr. Widder became a subscriber to the Toronto and Lake Huron Rail- road Company of 1845— the line most favoured by the citizens of Toronto ; as that to be adopted by this Company was a line through Guelph and Stratford to Sarnia. The parties advocating this line entertained the belief, thai, should they succeed, their line would form the best and most central trunk line west of Toronto, and that branches therefrom would necessarily follow to several points on Lake Huron and the Ri^ er Detroit. Mr. Widder partici- pated in this belief; and as the Goderich terminus met with little favour at that time among the people of Toronto, Mr. Widder conceived that he should be forwarding the pros- pects of a railroad from Stratford to Goderich most effec- tually, by expediting the construction of the road through Stratford to Sarnia. He accordingly lent his aid to the fur- therance of this project. In the same year the Governor and several of the Directors of the Canada Company embarked in the organization of a Raihvay Company in England, having a deed of settlement executed and a large sum of money subscribed, for the purpose of constructing a railway from Toronto through Guelph and Stratford to Goderich. Mr. Widder was sent to England by the Toronto and Lake Huron Railroad Company, for the purpose of effecting an union with the gentlemen associated together in England for the organization of the English Company. On his arrival in England he found that the Great Western Rail- road Company had already met with great favour and success, and had made an impression there prejudicial to the success of the Toronto and Lake Huron Railroad Com- pany. At the instance of the Canada Company, attempts were made to effect an union with the Great Western Rail- road Company, upon the basis of a junction at Guelph, or at some point near to it, whef.from branches might diverge to Goderich, Sarnia and Windsor, opposite to Detroit. Mr. Widder laboured to effect such an union ; and had it been effected, he entertained then, and still entertains, the opinion, that the result would have been most beneficial, as well to both the Companies as to the extensive country west of Toronto. The Great Western Railroad Company, how- ever, would not listen to any such proposition, nor to any proposition of union, other than that of extending their line along the front to Toronto. This could not be acceded to, and eventually Mr. Widder, as agent of the Toronto and Lake Huron Railroad Company of Canada, entered into a provisional agreement with the Chairman of the Hr.'lway Company, then being organized in England, whercLy botli the lines through Stratford to Sarnia and to Goderich might be secured, leaving it an open question, to be determined by the Companies when completely united, to which terminus, Sarnia or Goderich, the road should be first constructed. Mr. Widder did all in his power to ensure the accomplish- ment of this object. It is true that he failed ; for subsequent to his return to Canada, circumstances over which he had no control prevented the consummation of the contemplated union between the English and the Canadian companies. Notwithstanding the railway panic of 1845 and 1846, the English Company, under the auspices of the Governor and Directors of the Canada Company, managed to keep together, and by so doing, the parties who embarked therein have been enabled to advance the interests of the Toronto and Guelph rodd, and they still take an interest in promoting the success of all extensions of, and branches from, that line. For his mission to England, it has been asserted that Mr. Widder received £1,500 sterling from the Railway Com- pany. This is not the fact. He received £400 sterling to defray his expenses — as those who have indulged in such statements might have ascertained, by reference to any of the Directors, or to the Secretary of the Railway Company ; and when it is considered that he remained ten months in England, wholly on account of this business, and labouring to promote the success of the project, the allowance will hardly be regarded as extravagant. In the year 1851 the Toronto and Goderich Railway Company found it necessary to apply for an amendment to their act, and they sought from the Legislature power to divide their capital, so as to construct one line from Toronto to Guelph, and another from Guelph to Goderich, either as one undertaking, or as separate ones. Mr. Widder lent all the aid in his power to effect this object, and to prevent the restriction, by the Legisla- ture, of the powers of the Company to construct a Rail- road to Guelph only. The Legislature, however, restricted the Company to the latter line. Whether such restriction would have been imposed, if the County Council and the people of the United Counties of Huron, Pertli and Bruce had then taken the same interest, in a project to which they had previously been devoted, as they iiave since done in the 8 promolion of a rival line, is doubtful. Mr. Widder, slill entertaining the idea of promoting the extension from Guelph, as originally designed, became a subscriber to, and has ever since endeavoured lo promote the interests of, the Toronto and Guelph Railroad Company. The Directors of the Canada Company, with the same view, have likewise contributed to the success of this company. They embarked in a subscription set on fool to survey an extension from Guelph through Stratford to Goderich, and they were pre- pared to aid in raising the necessary capital, when the 'legislative powers should be obtained. Mr. Widder, and other gentlemen connected with the Toronto and Guelph road, contributed to the same survey. They thought, and had reason to think, that in this project they should meet with the cordial support of the Municipal Council and the people of the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce. In their expectations they have been disappointed, notwith- standing frequent appeals made by Mr. Widder to the Municipal Council, and notwithstanding that a vote was passed by the Council favourable to the object, which vote was subsequently disregarded and abandoned. Under these circumstances, all candid persons, who are cognizant of the various transactions connected with the promotion of railroads in this Province during the last eight years, can easily determine whether the failure lo procure the benefits of railroads to the Huron is fairly attributable to any want of exertion on the part of Mr. Widder, or to any absence of desire on the part of the Canada Company to promote them as much as it was in their power lo do, under the circum- stances ; and, incidentally, to further the interests of Gode- rich and the Huron. Another cause of complaint which has been urged, with much disingenuousness, against the Canada Company, is, that they would not assist the people of Huron to procure the requisite capital, in England, for the construction of ijiravel roads from Goderich to Gait and l^ondon. The facts connected with this matter are these : Mr. Brown,lheTreasurer of the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Brnce, residing at Goderich, applied to the Canada Company (see Appendix for the whole correspondence, beginning with letter No. I, and ending No. 8), to assist these Counties m the negotiation of their debentures in Eng- land for £30,000, to construct these roads. The Court of Directors of the Company, on the 25ih July 1851, in reply, expressed their utmost willingness to aid the Counlies in the matter, and at once agreed to act as their agents in the sale of the debentures ; requesting, at the same time, more precise information, and making suggestions to the Council as to the best mode of proceeding. Mr. Brown, the Treasurer, on the 24th of November following — the Municipal Council of the Counties having in the meantime met — replied, direct to the Court of Diiectors, thanking them for their acquiescence in the wishes of the Counties, and transmitting various details of the scheme, with the by-law of the Council authorising the issue of the debentures. But, in the meantime, public attention in England was directed towards the various railroads projected in Upper Canada ; and the confidence reposed in the resources and stability of the Province led the Canada Company to the belief, that the continuation of the railroad from Guelph to Goderich might be accomplished. Acting upon this impres- sion, and regarding this railroad as of much greater impor- tance to the Counties than the projected gravelled roads, the Court wrote, on the 2nd January 1852, to Mr. Brown, com- municating these views, but expressing their readiness still to negotiate the debentures for the original purpose, if the Council continued to desire it. The Court also took occa- sion to point out what they regarded as an illegality in the by-law authorising the issue of the debentures. To this communication the Treasurer, on the 28th Feb- ruary 1852, replied, saying that he had submitted it to the ('ouncil, who made the following report upon it : " Tlmt the Trensuivr continue liis correspondence with tlie Canada Company, in Kiiirland, regarding the loan of J630,000, maicing known to them tlu> steps taiccn by this Council to provide for tlip payment ol" intcri'si and tlie redemption of the said loan, in order iliat some ilciiiiitt' information may be laid before the Council at the meeting to he licld at the ])a3sing of the by-law in the early part of May." fi 10 A copy of a by-law to remedy the illegality pointed out by the Court was also enclosed by the Treasurer, who, at the same time, indulged in some remarks upon Mr. Widder, for advocating a railroad, in July 1851, to Goderich, to cost £250,000 — this was the continuation of the road from Gueli'h.— (These strictures of the Treasurer are fully met in the course of this statement, where the road in question is more at large spoken of.) The Treasurer likewise spoke very highly of certain prospects held out by Sir Allan Mac- Nab, that the Great Western Railroad Company would extend a branch of their line from Woodstock to Goderich ; but he further intimated, that though the people of Huron were fully sensible of the importance of the Court's sugges- tion with } '"gard to the railroad, they, nevertheless, thought the time had not yet arrived to agitate the matter with success. In answer to this letter, on the 7th of April 1852, the Court expressed their readiness to do everything in their power to negotiate the sale of the debentures ; and that the by-law, correcting the illegality they had pointed out, would very materially facilitate their movements. They also suggested, as a matter of covenience and official usage, that any future correspondence upon the subject might be carried on with their ofHce in Toronto. To the great surprise of Mr. Widder — after the foregoing very distinct understanding — the first intimation that he had of the further intentions of the Treasurer in the pre- mises, was a visit from him in Toronto, in the early part of June Ibllowing, to inform him tJiat Mr. iniliam Cayley had been employed to negotiate these debentures in London. Mr. Brown also took the opportunity — intending at one time to go to England upon the subject himself — of say- that he had taken counsel's opinion upon the by-laws ing, adopted by the County (-ouncil, in consequence of the Court's intimation as to the illegality of those first passed, and was astonished to find that these new by-laws were pronounced worthless by his Counsel. The end of the matter was, that Mr. Cayley found some monied parties in London who were willing to negotiate the debentures, if 11 the Canada Company would guarantee the principal and the interest. That body, of course, was not in a position to bo asked, or to grant, such a thing. Now these are the simple facts — as will be seen by the correspondence — of this gravel road debenture affair ; and why the Canada Company — who, from the first, did every thing in their power, both in setting the Municipal Council right with regard to their by-laws, and iii making every sug- gestion which they thought could benefit them — should now be made the subject of attack, because of the failure of the negotiation of these debentures in other hands, is indeed difficult to conceive. To proceeed now to the railroad matters. It will be seen by Mr. Brown's letter of the 28th February 1852, (see Appendix, letter No. 7), that he was perfectly aware that in July 1851 Mr. Widderwas zealously eiigaged in promoting a railroad from Toronto to Guelph and Gode- rich at the session of the Legislature for the latter year. Mr. Widder, as far as it was proper for him, in his position, to interfere, took, with others, every possible step to obtain a charter for this road. But the Legislature, influenced by considerations which it is not necessary to go into here, limited the road to Guelph, with the undeirstanding how- ever, that it should, the next year, be extended to Goderich. But the proceedings at Goderich since, in connection with the Buffalo and Brantford line, prevented the contemplated extension of the Toronto and Guelph road to Goderich, and it was instead, at the recent session of Parliament, extended to Port Sarnia. That 1 ';. Widder was unremitting in his exertions to secure to Goderich the benefit of railway communication ; and that, in connection with the Canada Company, he did everyining in his power to attain this object, both by per- sonal eftbrts, by influencing and aiding others, and by advising a liberal expenditure of money on the part of the Canada Company — whenever this was thought desirable to attain the common end — he begs to refer to the followiug letters and documents, as distinct and unequivocal proof. Before, however, quoting these, it may be well to observe, 12 that Mr. Widder desires lliern to answer the double purpose — first, of sliowinc; his own personal exertions, and the ('anada Company's desire to secure a railroad to Goderich; and second, of the particular line of road to which they became bound, by acting with, and by their promises and undertakings to, others, to promote. In February 1852, llie Toronto and Guelph Railroad Company were using every exertion to push the interests of their undertaking, and to enlist the support of those whose position or circumstances uiiglit enable them to aid them. Mr. Widder, from his previously understood views in favour of extending a branch of this road from (lUelph to Goderich, and from his position as (."ouuaissioner of the Canada Com- pany, was sought to lend his assistance. And, on the 26th of the month last menfion(?d, lie addressed a letter to the Canada Company in London on the subject, of which the following is a copy : ToiioNTO, 'IVilh Feb;/., 1862. " ] need nut, 1 aiU 8ure, at tliis epoch in tlic [lositioii of Canada and the Company's affairs, enter upon the importaneo of the advantages to arise to their interests through tiie construction of Railways passing near or through their temtories, and I only liave therefore to inform the (.'ourt, that by the additional suhscriptious. obtained •within a few' days, to the extent of £10,000, to the Toronto and (iuelph Railway Company, the £150,000 rcquii'cd under their <'harter to enable tlicm to proceed with their operations, has been secured. The election of Directors will shortly be made, and the needful done to cai-ry into effect their project, {'onsidering the great impor- tance of the work, as leading to a continuation oi' a line to Goderich, I have bestowed some attention to it, and the mode liy which the capital required could be procured upon tlie Municipal Debentures granted to the Railway Company. I have consequently deemed it well to address the rrovisiona! Directors (of whicli 1 am one) the letters of which the enclosed ai'e copies, dated the 18th instant and this day. I shall bo an.vious to have the Court's sentiments upon tliis subject, as soon as convenient, for my future gnidancp." To this the Directors of the Company made the following reply : London, H)//t 3f(trc/i, 1852. " I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2()th February. "Tlie Directors obseiTC the letters addressed by Mr. Widder, on the IHtii and 26th February, to the Directors of the Toronto and (iuelph Railway <'ompany, and shall be anxious to hear their reply, and to know .vliat courBe has been pursued for raising the capital necessary for the completiou of this work, in the success of which they feel great interest." 13 til se lis MR' WIDDER TO THE COURT OF DIRECTORS. ToKONTo, 4/A March, 1862. " 1 consider that if tlic work in iiuestion (the Toronto and Ouelph Rail- road) if commenced under favouraWe auspicoH, giving amoral assurance that it will be accomplished, that the immediate result will be a continuation on to a terminus on Lake Huron , .n fact, I have reason to believe, that upon this assumed success, a party is now engaged in foi-ming a Company for tho purpose — whether thnt termiuus will be at Goderich, Saugeen, or Samia, will, I imagine, depend upon circumstances — but more especially tlie direct- ing influence that may be brought to bear through its monetary demands. The Great Western (.'ompaiiy, whose directing control centres in the city of Hamilton, will no doubt, as they have already done, exercise all their influ- ence to frustrate any extension of the Toronto and Goderich line, which, if alone limited to Goderich, would be of .serious consequences to their interests ; but if it were also to take a south-westerly course to London, or Woodstock, the inevitable result would be, to make it supplant the present line from the latter points to Hamilton, in favour of the direct and natural line from Toronto to those two towns. If the Great Western Company were enabled to get the line from Hamilton to (iuelph, the day Avould be remote before any continua- tion of it would be permitted, or be made to Goderich, Sarnia, or Saugeen. These considerations have induced me to enter into the project now in hand here, and to see if it could not be carried out in a manner that would benefit the Canada (^ompany to a very important extent in popularity, and resulting in great pecuniary I'dvantage, ensuring a continuation to Goderich." Here follows details of a plan for raising the capital for the Railroad. "London, 26/A March, 1852. " The Directors desire me to say that they concur in the opinions expressed in Mr. Widder's letter of the 4th March, as to the advantages to the Canada Company of the Toronto and Guclph Railway, and in the expediency of giving any assistance they can, as agents for the Directors of the Toronto and Ouelph Railway, Iti disposing of the debentures of that Company : and that they are willing to act as such agents on the terms and in the manner recommended to the directors of the Toronto and Ouelph Railway in Mr. Widdcrs letter to them of the 20lh February." The Canada Company having thus acquiesced in Mr. Widder's views, and having become fully identified with the interests of this road, the following correspondence took place between Mr. Widder and them in connection there- with : — TonoNTO, \st April, 1852. " I am extremely anxious that no time should be lost in the commencement of the survey from Guelph to Goderich, that we may prevent influences car- rying the line to other points. This object might be accomplished by the Canada Company finding the funds in part, or for the whole cost, according to the necessity of the case. The Railway Company cannot, of course, under their present Act, proceed in the matter; but the various Township Munici- palities may, conjointly with the Canada Company, enter upon the project, and shoidil contribute, in sonic shape or other, towards the expense. I shall be glad to have the (Jourt's sentiments upon this interesting matter." London, 'I'inl April, 1852. *' I am also instructed to say that the (Jourt authorise you to contribute to the extent of ,£500 towards the fimil to be raised for making the suivey of the proposed line of Railway from Guelph to Goderich." 14 •'London, 7(h May, 1862. '•Tiie Directors have now to acknowledge the receipt of the ilcsolutionn of the Finance Committee of the Toronto and Guelpij Railway Company, oC the 18th of April last, and to state that they will nse their best exertions to sell the £200,000 debentures, proposed to be issued, on the most favourable terms which can be obtained in this market. It is not possible to say what the price may be, or whether they can be sold at all, as this must depend upon the state of the money market here, when the debentures reach the hands of the Directors; but they hope 100 ])er cent, may be obtained for them, although securities of a somewhat similar nature have been selling at a considerable discount. " In acting as agents for the Toronto and (iuelph Railway Company on this occasion, the Directors of the Canada Company will make no charge for commission on the sale of debentures, the only expense will be the usual charge of the broker they must employ — namely, one-fourth, or five shillings per cent, upon the amount paid. In order to give confidence in the safety and validity of the £200,000 debentures intending to be sold, it is important that the Directors of the Canada < 'om))any should be informed by what means the remaining capital retjuireil lor tlie completion of the Railway is to be raised, and also that they should be informed, and l)e able to shew, under what authority' — whether by Act of Parliament, or otherwise — the Directors of tlie Toronto and Guelph Railway are at liberty to issue the bonds in tiues- tion, and to charge them upon the undertaking itself." MR. WIDDER TO COURT OK DIRECTORS. ToiKiNTo, ord June, 1802, '• 1 now forward to the (Jourt a copy of my letter of the 27th ultimo, coiu- municatiiig to the Toronto and Guelph Railway Company the Court's offer to negotiate the debenture-' for the completion of that work. The accompa- nying reports of the Finance ru.scd your remarks upim my inquiry as to '"hether the County (Council or Township Mmiicipalities would contribute, in debentures or other- wise, towards the cost of survey of the Railway from Guelph to Goderich, by which I perceive that you are all of o])inion that the gravelled roads are of primary importance, the Railway secondary, and that therefore, until the former are secured, you will not assist towards the construction of the latter. I regret much this indifference towards the Railway, because there is a great risk that it will result in taking the line in a different course to that which I have been endeavouring to secure. There are difficulties enough to overcome in securing the tcrminu.s at Goderich. without the apathy, and, in my mind, mistaken views upon the vastly superior benefits to be attained by Railways over gravelled roads (which are well as adjuncts to, and must follow, the former), that prevail in Goderich and adjacent Townships. In this position cif matters, would it not be advisable and far more advantageous to the Com- pany's interests, to endeavour to secure the terminus at the Sables ? The line from Guelph to Stratford, direct to tliat Riyer, would pass through Townships wlicrein the Company's stake is considerable, ami especially in those surrounding the Sables, in which their undisposed land is larger than elsewhere. An excellent port might, I believe, be easily and cheaply formed. I throw these ideas outforyour consideration ; torif we cannot, througKa com- bination of difficulties, some of them not to have been anticipated, secure for Goderich the benefits it has been r.csirod to confer upon it, we must, at all events, use every effort to prevent the terminus being made out of the Com- pany's tract, which I see great obstacles in preventing. You. the Treasurer, Mr. Brown, and the good people of Goderich, labour under a very great mis- apprehension, in reference to the Canada Company, in supposing that they have evinced less interest in the promotion of your favourite scheme, than towards the Railway. A re-perusal of the Court's letters of the 2nd .January will shew you that they slated they were dmrous to afford all reasonable assistance as Agents in the transaction of raiting the required Capital for the Gravelled Road* by the sale of the debentures ; and their letter to Mr. Brown assured him of the same in as clear terms as it is possible to express it, — The Court pointed out the worthlessness of the bye-law imder which it was proposed to raise the loan; suggested a new one should bo made, and various alterations in the fonn of debentures, wh ich were to be redeemed in London, and the interest payable there also ; and they further stated, what must be apparent to every one, that it was impossible to foresee whether such securi- ties, even if perfectly legal in their form, would be saleable or not in the English market. This con only be tested by a trial. Since this corres- pondence took place, I am uninformed of any new question having arisen which should, by possibility, induce the Treasurer, the people at Goderich, 19 «r eren yourself, to bellevo that the (>ourt had (without uny fuHhtr communi- ration on the »uhjeH) altorod their good feelings and desire towards assiHtlng in raiding the required capital — that they are doing more for the Railroad. Such, however, is not the case : they havo offered to uct tm Agenln in the raising of capital fur t/uur 'Gravelled Koudd,' und they have done im more for the Railway, that I am uware of. " I remain, &c.. (Signed! •KRRD. WIDDER." * **Tiio8. Mkuokr Jonish, Kmq." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER, IN REPLY. " My Dkar Sir— Oouekich, \L\th Aprtt, M)2. " I am in receipt of your letter of the 2()th instant. I did not say in my letter of the llith instant, to which yours Is a reply, that -until the gravelled roads were secured, these Counties^ would do nothing towards the construc- tion of a Railroad, provided they saw any probability of obtaining the latter.' Nor did I say that any uputhy oxisted on the subject. What I said was, ' that until they saw a prospect of obtaining the amount necessary for tho gravelling of our two great leading roads, I thought it would be difficult to induce them to incur any responsibility in (Uinnwtion with the Railroad project,' and I also said ' we all feel, of course, deeply interested in securing a Railroad, which, passing through our Couutii's, ahull have iti terminus at Goderich, and will use every exertion, in co-operation with .vm nul the Railway Company of Guelph, to secure it; but we also want our gravelled roads.' I have read over my letter, and I can find nothing in it from which the inference can fairly be drawn that any apathy exists here in regard to a Railroad ; our past conduct fully, I think, proves directly the contrary. — When Mr. Gwynne was lighting our batt'.e for us in London, and the Toronto people doing all they could to defeat the projeiit of making Goderich the Western terminus, we sent Mr. Lizar.s home to support him at a consderable expense to ourselves. We also had a line of survey nm, and made such exertions as, consiilering the extent of oiu' means, fully proveil the warm interest we took in the project. We feel the samt: interest still ; and it is most gratifying to us now to find that self-interest has at length removed from the eyes of the Toronto people those scales which formerly blinded them to the merits of Goderich as a teni'mus, for had not the Great Western and the Northern Railroads taken from them the Lake termini they had been previously contending for, they would never have admitted that Goderich pos- sessed any merits nt all. Let me assure you that if you think any apathy exists here in regard to the project you are now advocating, you were never more mistaken in your life. The Great Western terminus is already, as we all know, determined on — being Sandwich. That of the Northern has to be determined upon. What point are they likely to give preference to ? Had I a voice in the matter, assuming that there was no possibility of carrying the adoption of Goderich, I should say the Fishing Islands, and for the fol- lowing reasons : — Barrie is a point already determined upon, and the road so far, I believe, is under contract. Fosing that Guelph, and the viirio\is Municipalities which have sub- scribed for the lino to that town, would oppo.se any extension to Goderich — they will endeavour, as far as their interests are concerned, to be content with Guelph. They think that line is certain of paying well, and that the further outlay of capital would render that result e.xtremely doubtful or postpone it. Guelph, independently, is not in favour of a Hue to Goderich. As far as I can ascertain, people there will not like any communicatiun through their town, being well aware of the consequences, and will do all they can to have a transhipment into their line from any other, but no fusion. "As to the expectations raised in your town, by the Great Western Com- pany, of having a line by-and-bye from Woodstock, L attach little impoi'tance to them. The Reeve of Wilniot writes me, that he has it on the best authority, th'it a branch from the Great Western will be made through Wil- niot to Goderich, and that this is the reason why the Gait and Waterloo people are backing out of the gravelling and planking the road to the Huron. " Upon referring to your letter of the 12th instant, I see that the Council will have in hand £8. 000 to £9,000 before you will require any money for your purposes, and yearly afterwards £3,300. Would it not be, under all the circumstance:;, a more prudential financial operation to make the works with your own direct means, than to encum' jr yourselves with an onerous loan abroad? Surely with the resources at your command, it is scarcely wise to borrow £30,000, and uicur the incidental costs of the loan. (Signed) " F. WIDDER." "T. M. Jo'iEs, Esq., Uodfrich." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER. IN REPLY. "M. DK.iR Sir— Goderich, iJth May, 1852. " I am in receipt of your letter of the 28th ultimj. Agreeably with your request 1 now return you the copy you sent me of the correspondence between the Treasurer and the Company. " Your long quotations from my letters regarding the rail and gravelled roads are no doubt perfectly correct, but the conclusions you have drawn from them are most erroneous. No apathy exists in regard to the Railroad project ; but the settlement most wisely, as I conceive, look upon the grav- elled roads as demanding their first attention, and they will secure them. 22 As regards the opinion existing in Guelph against their line being ooutinued farther west, and the confidence they feel that a line from Toronto extending no taxther will pay well, I shall only say that their infatuation is most incom- prehensible to me; but that, fortunately, now, is Me«r business, not mme, or that of these settlements : for if the Great Western give us a branch from Woodstock, or, far better still, as you assure me they propose doing, from Oalt, OUT purpose will be much better served than by one from the Guelph line. In every point of view, according to my judgment, either Woodstock or Gait will be a ^'etter line for these settlements than Guelph, and if the Great Western p' opose making one or other, we shall be rendered indepen- dent of the hostile feelings of the Guelph and Toronto people, which you have called my attention to. " The information which I gave you, an to the funds which our Council will be in possession of, was perfectly correct ; but I connot arrive at the conclusion, from that data, which you appear to have done, as to the expe- diency of giving up the idea of negotiating our debentures, and thus of deferring, for many years, the completion of our roads, when by a contrary course we shall accomplish the all-important work in less than eighteen months. " I note your opinions as to the probable terminus of the Northern Rail- road. Mine is different, as I have already stated, and for the reasons given. " I have addressed a letter to the Council, ou the eubject of contributing towards the expense of the siu-vey of the line from Guelph here, and to-morrow I expect to be able to communicate to you the result. (Signed) "THOS. MERCER .ION KS.'" "Fbbd. Widdkb, Esq." Extract of a Letter from F. Wiodek, Esq., Toronto, to T. M. .Iones, Enq., Goderich, dated Wth May, 1862. *' Youi" remarks upon mine of the 28th ultimo, as to Railway matters, are, I find, so amply and well disposed of in my letter, as to leave me nothing further to add. I note your application to the W.arden, and the Council's reply. I am not aware, however, that any parties in Toronto propose to apply for a Charter for the extension of the Guelpli und Toronto line to Goderich. A notice has been long since given for the extension of that line, but whether it will be to Samia, Saugeen, or Goderich, or other parts, will depend upon influences which may be brought to bear. Extract of a Letter from Thomas Mkecer Jones, Esq., Dated Goderich, iSth May, 1852, to F. Widder, Efq., Toronto. " 1 now enclose you the copy of a letter which I addressed to the Warden of the County Council, on the subject of a contribution towards defraying the expense of ^ho survey of the projected Railroad from Guelph to Goderich : also of the Report of the Committee to whom it was referred." MR. JONES TO THE WARDEN OF THE UNITED COUNTIES OP HURON, PERTH AND BRUCE. " Dear Sib— Godeeioh, May 4th, 1852. "TL« correspondence which has passed between your Treasurer and the Canada Company will have shewn yoi that the Company feel deep interest in securing, if possible, a Railway communication through this tract, with its terminus at Goderich ; and it is proposed, as I am informed, by certain parties in Toronto, to apply for a Charter for the extension of the Toronto and Guelph line to this place. It is therefore of importance to be prepared with a survey of the line, as early as it can be conveniently made. I have little doubt that the Canada Company will contribute liberally towards that object, and the expenses of the survey, which my colleague, Mr. Widder, writes me, would be about £2,000. 23 " I am unable, of course, to offer any opinion on the amount which the Company may contribute, but, in the absence of that information, I would respectfully submit, that the Council might enter upon the consideration of the portion of the whole amount which they should contribute, provided the Canada Company, or private individuals, should make up the balance. " The active exertions which the inhabitants of these United Coimties have, on several occasions, made for the establishment of Railway communi- nications through them, and the warm interest which they are well known to feel at the present time, in common with the rest of Canada, in the construc- tion of these important works throughout the Province, renders it imnecessary for me to point out the important advantages which the Huron Tract would secure, by the construction of a line through it, in completion of a Railway communication between Goderich and Lake Ontario. As an investment, it would, I nrmly believe, be the best paying line in Canada, and at the same time be of the most extensive benefit to the Province ; and I need not here advert to the benefit which it would be of to our own immediate interests, as it is sufiRciently obvious to any one giving the subject a moment'ti consideration. " I am. Dear Sir, " Your's very faithfully, (Signed) "THOS. MERCER JONES." "Wm. Chalk, Esq., " Warden of the United Countiem of " Huron, Perth and Bruce." Extract from the Report of the Committee on Finance, of the Municipal Council of the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce, on the preceding Letter, " Letter from Thomas Mercer Jones, Esq., calling attention to the impor- tance of making provision for the survey of a route for the extension of the Toronto and Guelph Railway to Goderich. Having already imposed a heavy tax for the construction of a Gravel Road and the Maitlaud Bridge — which is to be proceeded with forthwith — ^your Committee consider that this Council will be unable, at present, to enter very extensively into any arrangement for the survey or promotion of a Railroad. They would, however, recom- mend that the sum of X300 be alloweil, to assist in making a survey, in the event of such a survey being made by the Canada Company or any other party." MR. WIDDER to MR. JONES, ON TORONTO AND GUELPF EXTENSION RAILROAD. •'My Dear Sir— Tokonto, .assurance you give me, that the necessary capital would be forthcoming. I regret, very much, however, that you should not have confided to me the .-^roimds upon which you feel so confident of that s.itisfactory result, for I should then be in a better position for acting in co-operation. I have already informed you that the feeling of these Coun- ties is strongly in favour of what, in my own opinion, is unquestionably the better route for their interests, tluU of a junction with the Buffalo and Brant- ford line, at, or near Paris — for that would accommodate the whole of tho Counties and connect them at once with every line of Railroad in the Pro- vince, and afford them the most expeditious communication with tho Railroads in the United States. '• In my opinion, that line would be most unquestionably more for the interest of the Canada Company to promote, than a line from Guelph, con- necting with that to Toronto. If, however, the capital necessary for the work is seciured, or the prospects bright for obtaining it, the line may succeed in opposition to the Brautford one, but we have strong assurances that the latter one will be carried through. Vou have no doubt seen, in a late Brant- ford paper, an article on the subject, 'ind in the Goderich papers an account of a meeting held in this place for the promotion of that object ; and on the •29th June, or this month, a large meeting will beheld here, at wl.. oh the attendance is e.xpeoted of a deputation from Buffalo and Brantford ; and about the end of tho present woek wo expect Mr. Wullnce up to make a preliminary survey of the line, and he is, [ am told, a Uailrnad surveyor of some celebrity. <' Mr. Christie, from Paris, was up here lately, with whom I had a good deal of conversation on the subject, and he has taken a very warm interest in it: will attend the meeting which is to be held hero on tiie 20th instant; and I have been assured that the Buffalo people will take one-third of the stock ; the Brantford people will take a large amount also, and if it were to be carried through Woodstock, I am assured the Woodstock people would do tho same. Whilst I was down at Sandwich, a deputation proceeded to Brantford from this place, to attend a meeting there, and they returned j'estcrday with such satisfactory reports, that the town is quite excited, and all feel confident that we are at last really to have a Railroad ; and if judicious proceedings be adopted, I do not apprehend the least difficulty in inducing tho different Municipalities to take the requisite amount of stock for affecting the object. The only difficulty will be the negotiation of the debentures : but that would at once be obviated, if the Company were to co-operate with them. " I am, &c, (Signed) -'THOS. MERCER JONES." " Fred. Widdkb, Esq.'" 25 MR. WIDDER TO MR. JONES, ON TORONTO AND GUELPH EXTENSION RAILROAD. "My Deau Sir- Toronto, Sth June. 1852. " 1 yesterday received your letter of the 2n(l instant, in reply to mine of tlie 3l3t ultimo, in which you state, after the correspondence which has passed between us on the subject of the proposed extension from Quelph to Goderich, you were not prepared for my communication, and still less for the assurance, you say, 1 give you that the necessary capital would be forth- coming ; and you regret very much that I should not have confided to you the grounds upon which I feel so confident of that satisfactory result, as you would then be in a better position for acting in co-operation. " If you will take the trouble to refer to my letters to the Court, copies of which have been long since in your hands, you will perceive the reasons whv I have taken an active part in promoting the Toronto and Guelph road; and why I have successively urged the Canada Company to lend their aid in obtaining the requisite capital for the project, was solely with a view to its extension to Goderich. Seeing the chances of success were increasing for the accohiplishment of the line to Guelph, I urged upon the Court, in my letter of the 1st Api-il, the necessity of losing no time in making a survej' to Goderich, and that the Company should, if needful, bear the entire cost of it, although the Municipalities to be benefitted might contribute towards the cost. Upon sending you, on the 6th April, a copy of that letter, I inquired of you to what extent your County Council and Township Councils along the proposed line, from Guelph to Goderich, could be moved to contribute to the cost of survey, which I estimated at about £2,000. I mentioned, also, that I was agitating the matter with influential parties whom I knew, to ascertain what could be done. You made application, in consequencs of my urgency, to your County Council on the 4tli May for a contribution for the survey, and that body agreed to grant £300 for that object, in the event of its being effected by the Canada Company, or any other party : the Council excused themselves from granting a larger sum, on the grounds that they have im- posed a heavy tax for a gravel road and Maitland bridge, and therefore con- sider they are unable, at present, to enter very extensively on a survey or promotion of a railroad. Subsequently the Court's authority is received to contribute £500 towards the survey, as recommended in my letter of the 1st of April ; and I take steps to render this authority effective, and advise you accordingly, and expressing a belief that if the Councils see we are in earnest and will take stock by subscribing in debentures in the proposed Company, that thi requisite capital would be found. I think it requires no very quick apprehension to arrive at the sequence of the correspondence and proceedings of the Company, which you are informed upon ; that, if they anxiously pro- mote the Toronto and Guelph Railway by consenting to sell their debentures, find a large sum for the survey on to Goderich, the Company will at least render a like service for the project ^ii to Goderich. I had not, nor have any other information than what you possess, to arrive at the conclusion I have. The subscription list for the survey is being proceeded with actively, upon the terms of the endorsed heading, and we of course have full confidence that your treasurer will pay us the £300 pursuant to the order of your Council, although you refrain from any allusion to my last remark on this point. I did not write that Mr. Shanly would be in Goderich on the tst in.stant, but that he would be prepared to commence the survey at that period. " I do not think it necessary to touch upon the project of ti. e Brantford railway to Goderich, fui-ther than to say that I believe you wil' f.nd, upon reference, tiia*. you have upon no previous occasion mentioned the question of any junc- tion with the Brantford company, and until the receipt of the Goderich papers I had never heard that any such view had been dreamt of. I believe, if my informant be well advised — and I think, from his influential position towards the Buffalo and Brantford company, that he knows — that nothing will be done for any extension of their line until they have completed their present work, 26 'I; which is quite sufficient for their means and powers ; that eren then the line will in all probability go to Guelph direct, and no further ; that the movement to Qoderich is not ou the part of the Brantford and Buffalo stockholders, but originated at Qoderich, through the instrumentality of some parties whose interests might be found to centre at the Bayfield, where a port might be formed ; and that a survey of some twelve miles might be saved in distance and expense, in stopping there rather than making Qoderich the terminus. The Brantford company have no power to extend their line, neither have they given the required parliamentary notice to obtain it. As at present informed, ( cannot help thinking but that the excitement got up will end to the advan- tage of the (Juelph route, and do nothing else. I remain, &c., (Signed) FRED. WIDDER." " T. M. Jones, Esq., Qoderich." Sm: MR. JONES TO MR. BROWN, TREASURER, &o. "GoDKKicu, 11th June, 1852. "I have the honour to inform you that the Canada Company have subscribed £500 towards defraying the expense of the survey of a line of railroad in extension of that from Toronto to Guelph ; and therefore the Directors of the Railroad Company look with confidence to the receipt of the amount granted by the Municipal Council for these United Counties by their by-law of the 15th ult., viz., £300 ; and I beg you will do me the favour to inform me whether I may give them that assurance, as I have now a letter from Toronto asking me the question. If you can conveniently answer this letter in the course of the morning, you will confer a particular favour upon me. "I am. Sir, your very ob't serv't, (Signed) "THOS. MERCER JONES, "Commmioner." "QEoaaB Brown, Esq., "Treasurer United Countkn of Huron, Perth ^ Bruce." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER. My Dkar Sib- GoDERicH, lll'A June, 1852. ■' I am in receipt of your letter of the 8th inst. My reasons for expressing surprise at the assurance you gave me that the necessary capital would be forthcoming for the extension of the Guelph line of Railroad on to this place, were founded on the previous assurances which you had given me, that in Toronto you had not been lucky enough to hear any one advocate Goderich as a terminus, but that you had heard the Saugeen and Samia mentioned. You also told me that the Guelph and the other Municipalities who had sub- scribed to the line to Guelph would oppose any extension to Goderich, and that they would endeavour, as far as they were concerned, to be content with Guelph ; and I have not until now liad any reason for believing that those serious diflSculties, as I judged them, had been overcome. From your present communication however, I find that they either have been overcome, or else that you did not mean by your remarks to convey to me the unfavor- able conclusions I have drawn from th ixn ; and I am most heartily glad of it, and much gratified at finding you .so sanguine as to a certainty of having a Railroad from Toronto to this place. I do not think you need entertain any fears as to the object of the promoters of the Brantford and Goderich line having any intention of making Bayfield their terminus. I am too well acquainted with the vastly superior advantages which the one port has over the other, to entertain any such apprehension — in no single point of view has Bayfield any advantage over Goderich, nor is |it in any point of view on au equality with it. I think, however, I know the reason of your 27 taking that view of the subject — at least, my supposition is, that you have heard that overtures have been made to me by certain parties for the pur- chase of the Bayfield property. •♦ As I have already said, I most heartily wish that your favorable anticipa- tions may bo realized ; but I must say at the same time that a line from Paris would be vastly more beneficial to the interests of these United Counties, and, as it would at the same time be so advantageous to the Great Western line, and the Brantford and Buffalo one, to possess the advantages which would be secured to them by the Goderich, Paris and Brantford one, their entire co-operation, assistance and support might be confidently relied upon. *' At Paris the Great Western and the Buffalo line would be struck, and thence the traveller would be placed in direct communication witli every Railroad in the province of Canada, and in the United States ; and from this place to New York would reach his destination in about thirteen hours less than by the way of Guelph and Toronto, and the length of Railroad to be constructed through these United Coimties would be seven miles less than by the way of Guelph, whilst at the same time the distance to Hamilton via Paris would be only 108 miles, and that to Toronto 140 miles; and, were it necessary, I could enumerate many other important advantages which these counties would derive from a Railroad to Paris, in comparison with one to Guelph ; and even though a line were now in existence from Toronto to this place via Guelph, I am satisfied it would not prevent the establishment of one from Paris to Stratford. The projectors of the Paris line contemplate running it to Strat- ford, and thence to this place. "Toronto has, I think, lost the western trade fur ever, and the rivalry which has so long existed between her and Hamilton is at length nearly terminated, and in favor of the latter. " I am sorry I should have neglected to notice the remark in your former letter relative to your expectations that the subscription of the County Council towarrh defrayi g the expenses of the survey of the line from Guelph here, would be forthcoming — in fact, it did not occur to me that any notice was required, for I considered, myself, that uiMer their By-law, the Council was pledged to issue their debentures fcr it, on the fulfilment of the conditions under which contribution was made ; and that the treasuiTr was bound to pay it when in fimds ; and it struck me tliut you looked upon the matter in the same light. I have however, in consequence of your pre- sent observations, written a note to the treasurer on the subject this morning, and I now enclose you his reply, together with the letter which I received from the county treasurer communicating the decision of the Council upon my application originally. "Since writing the foregoing,! have again looked at your letter of the 8th instant, and I perceive I have omitted noticing your remark as to the ex- citement having been got up at Goderich by parties there who were interested in Bayfield, and that the movement was not made by parties interested in the Brantford and Buffalo Railroad. Whoever has told you this has greatly deceived you, for to my own certain knowledge, the Brant- ford and Buffalo line in connection with one to Goderich, was never spoken of, nor did the movement originate in Goderich. Woodstock was certainly spoken of, but never Paris or Brantford — but this is of little moment — I only hope that the agitation of either one or the other line may not end in our having neither, for the interest of the Canada Company, and for the interest and advantage of the settlement generally. For the convenience of the in- habitants, I nhoidd much rather see the Paris line adopted; but, rather than have none, I should jump at one by the round about way of Guelph and Toronto ; but you may rely upon this fact, that the interests of the Canada Company would be more benefitted by the Paris line than any other, and the returns to the stockholders be vastly larger on it than any other. To tap the Great Western, is in my opinion, the true policy of these Counties. "Take a map, draw a line from Goderich to Stratford, thence to Paris, thence to Blackrock, or rather Fort Erie; again from Paris to Hamilton and to Detroit. 28 "Having done this, draw a line from Stratford to Guelph, and from Guelph to Toronto. '• Then reflect upon the Hues of Railroad, which, starting from Buffalo and Detroit — being at Paris — are open to you, and to which from Pari* Railroads conduct you. " Then contrast your position at Toronto with it. I'oKr conclusions, however, you have already communicated to me, and so have 1 tnine — but give us a Railroad either way, and I shall rejoice. •'Before closing the subject I must have one last word more upon it : '■'■Seventy-eight miles of Railroad will take us to the Great Western Railroad, which I look upon as a road secured, and we should then be thirty miles from Hamilton. *' Ninety miles of Railroad would take us to Guelph, and then weshoiUdbe fifty miles from Toronto — the Toronto and Guelph line, I believe, not yet imder contract. "I quite agree with you, that the Brantford and Buffalo Coijipany have no power to exterd their lino to Goderich. I am myself quite satislied on that head; but there are many who think differently. "No power exists yet, however, for the extension of the line from Guelph, so that in this respect, each arc on a par. " I have been told that it was the influence of the Great Western that pre- vented the passage of tlie bill extending the line to Goderich, at the last session of Parliament. "The influence of that Company will, no doubt, be exercised in a similar manner next scsLiion, whilst they would support one to Gait from Guelph. "And I know that they would give their hearty support to aline from Goderich to Woodstock, and I think they would do so to Paris. "Always, my dear Sir, "Yours, faithfully, " THOS. MERCER JONES. '• FitED. WiDDEE. Esq." MR. WIDDER TO MR. .JONES. •'My Deau Sir — Toronto, lath June, IBb'i. " I have received your letter of the 1 1th instant. As far as I am informed, you are much mistaken in believing that there is any alteration in tha position of Railway affairs, or in the conclusions I derived from them, as given fully in my previous communications. I believe my authority was good for saying that the excitement to obtain a continuation from Brantford to Goderich d'd not proceed from the Brantford and Buffalo Company. You write, ' to my certain knowledge the Brantford and Buffalo line, in connection with the one to Goderich, was never spoken of, nor did the movement originate in Goderich ; Woodstock was certainly spoken of, but never Paris or Brant- ford' — but if you will refer to your letter of the 2ud instant, you will find that the following paragraph, viz. — ' I have already informed you that the feeling in these counties is strongly in favor of what in my opinion is un- questionably the better route for their interests, that of a junction with the Buffalo and Brantford line, at or near Paris,' &c., &c. " It is too late for the Canada Company or their Commissioners, after what they have been doing for some months past to promote a line of Railway from Toronto to Guelph and Goderich, upon which measure their labor and money has been freely bestowed, and your County Council have also voted £300 towards it — it is too late, I repeat, to abandon that project and advo- cate another which was never dreamt of until within these last two weeks, when certain parties became alarmed at the Canada Company's move to secure the line the Company have long advocated. If the people and County Council of your United Counties are determined to take up the Brant- ford line, the Canada Company's labors and anxieties cease, and we must only hope that the Huron interests are not being sacrificed by projectors, who, if they really have a desire, lack the means to accomplish their promises. ■ft 29 Ab it is, I am glad I have urged you to ascertain how the matter stood aa to the JC300 reccommended by the Finance Committee, to be given upon your strong advocacy of the superior aduanlaget of the Toronto, Guelph and Goderich over any' other line, for the purpose of survet/ing it. Do the people at Goderich think that any individual will advance the money out of his own pocket, to be reimbursed when it suits the pleasure or convenience of the councils' officers ? With those £300 we should have sufficient for obtaining a complete siurcy, not a preliminnry useless one, obtained solely to mislead ; but as matters stand now, 1 do not feci justified in spending monies confided to my trusteeship, under the belief that no difficulties could possibly be op- posed to their conferring a positive benefit upon the settlers in the Huron. " I am, &.C. (Signed) " FRED. WIDDER." " T. M. Jones, Esq., Goderich." MR. JONES TO MR. VVIDDEU. "My dear Sin: "Goderich, 18th June, 1852. '\I am in receipt of your letter of the I5th inst., in regard to railway matters. I have already stated that I know well the movement in favour of the Buffalo and Brantford route did not originate in Goderich ; while you, on the other hand, still consider that it did. I feel satisfied that I am correct ; and if I were informed of the grounds upon which you entertain a contrary opinion, I think I could satisfy you as to the fact of my being so. •'You give mc quotations from my letters of the 2nd and 11th instant — the latter to the eff'ect, as above stated, and the former stating that the feeling in these counties was strongly in favour of the Brantford and Bufi'alo route. All I can say is, that my thorough conviction is, that the two statements are perfectly correct. " You express your satisfaction at having urged me to ascertain how the matter stood as to the £300 recommended by the Finance Committee to be given, upon my very strong advocacy of the superior advantages of the Toronto, Guelph and Goderich, over any other line, for the purpose of surveying it. '■ If by the underlining you mean to intimate that 1 so described the Guelph line, I can only say that such expressions are not in the copy of my applica- tion to the Council, which is now before me. You no doubt saw the report of a meeting held here on Tuesday the 25th May, with i^ view to establishing or promoting the project of a railroad from this to Buffalo ; and no doubt you read the opinions there expressed by the speakers. I was myself then at Sandwich. "I am not well, so I must now conclude, but I shall write you further next post. "Always, my dear Sir, yours faithfully, " THOS. MERCER JONES. " Freu. WiDDEB, Esq." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER. " My DEAR Sir ; •Goderich, 20th June, 1852. " I wrote you by last post. You are aware that there will be a Railroad meeting here on the 29th instant ; that whilst I was down at Sandwich a preliminary meeting had been held here in consequence of overtures which had been received from Brantford ; and that the result was, that the dispatch of delegates to attend a meeting of the Directors had been determined on. The delegates went down, and, as I have already informed you, their recep- tion is reported by them as having been most satisfactory. And a body of surveyors are now on the line, sent on by Buffalo, who are to have their report ready for submission on the 21)th. The head surveyor (a Mr. Wallace) has been here, and I am told that he is most favourably impressed as to the great advantages which the proposed line offers in every respect. I shall attend the meeting, as then the merits of the two lines will be discussed, and I shall take the opportunity of stating to it the forward position which the Guelph 30 Company are in, the eontribuUon made by the Company towards defraying the expense of the surrey of the continuation of the line to this place, and their offer to negotiate the debentures which may be issued by the different municipalities for the construction of the work ; and that thus, if the United Counties only act in co-operation with the Toronto Directors in the further- ance of that line of continuation, it will be completed without any doubt. I have hitherto been of opinion that the chances of getting that line established were very small, and I was led to think that it had no friends in Toronto, and strong enemies in Guclph itself; and I therefore felt great pleasure when I learned that the Buffalo and Brantford people Iiad proposed extending their line, provided these United Counties would give their support to it. If I have the opportunity afforded me of speaking on the 29th instant, I shall endeavour to place the advantages which the Ouelph route possesses in being organized and in being supported as it is, and urge upon their serious attention that their co-operation is alone wanted to secure the extension, and shall do all I can to give due weight to the consideration of those advantages. " I have written a letter to the Warden, requesting him to issue a deben- ture for the £300 promised towards the expense of the survey by the CJouncil ; and as soon as I receive it from him, I will send it you. " In accordance with the decision of the meeting held here on the 25th ult., Mr. Brown in the chair, and reported on the 27th in the ' Signal,' — the pro- ceedings of which, when reported to me on my return from Sandwich, took me completely by surprise — letters were written to each of the Reeves, requesting them to consult with their respective constituencies as to the pro- priety of taking stock in the projected railroad from Brantford line ; and I suppose they will all attend the meeting, and communicate the decision which their constituencies may arrive at. They tell me the Brantford people are satisfied that no charter will be necessary lor the extension of their line to this port. " I suppose you will have seen our Treusui'er, Mr. Brown. It is generally believed here that Mr. Cayley has so far arranged regarding the negotiation of the debentures, that it will not be necessary fbr him to go to England^ and we are looking anxiously to hear whether such is the case or not. "Always, &c., "THOS. MERCER JONES. "Fbedkkick Widdeb, Esq." MR. WIDDER TO MR. JONES. "My dkar Sir: "ToKONTo, 23rd y«we, 1852. "I have received your letters of the 18th and 20th instant. As to my interpretation of your letter of the 4th of May last to the Warden, asking for a grant towards the expense of surveying the line from Guelph to Goderich, I certainly could not have fancied, imtll the receipt of your letter of the 18th instant, that whilst you were only seeking that assistonce, your arguments and opinions were not designed to apply to the line in question, but to another. I observe the course you purpose pursuing with reference to the meeting on the 29th instant. I would suggest that you do not state ' that the Canada Company will negotiate the mimicipal debentures issued for the conrstuction of the works,' but that you should in lieu thereof state, that there is every reason for believing that the Canada Govipany will in evert/ respect render the same assistance and facilities for obtaining the requisite capital which they have so readily and generously afforded to the Toronto and Guelph Company, and through which it is confidently believed the money will be obtained upon the most favorable terms. I would again impress upon you, for your government, that the position of railway affairs remains substantially as I have already set forth in my previous communications, and that the Toronto and Guelph Railway Company have neither the power to enter into an engagement to proceed to Goderich or elsewhere, or to spend any money for the purpose of a surrey. 31 " Mr. BrowD, your Treaaorer, will have oommonioated, what might hare b«en anticipated by any party conversant with money transactions in England, that Mr. Gayley has been completely unsuccessful in negotiating the loan of .£80,000 sterling for the gravelled-road scheme. The Royal Exchange Society, to whom he applied, aa a preliminary, made it an absolute condition that the regular payment of interest and principal shouU bu guaranteed by some responsible party. Of course such guarantee is not obtainable : if it were, there would be no occasion to send to England for the money, which could be easily obtained in Toronto itself at par. However, it appears the whole ques- tion has been summarily disposed of by the opinion your Treasurer has pro- cured from Mr. J. H. Cameron, that the by-laws for procuring the money are unquestionably worthless. "I send enclosed a copy of my last letter, No. — , dated — instant, to the Court, and remain, &c., (Signed) "FRED. WIDDER. "Thos. Msbceb .Jones, Esq." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER. ' My ukar Sib : "GoDEBiCH, Ist July, 1862, " I am Ji receipt of your letter of the 23rd ult. Vou remark, that until you had received my letter, you could not have imagined that my arguments, when applying to the Warden for u grant towards defraying the expense of the survey of a railway line, were not designed to apply to the Guelph line, but to another. " I have read over my letter referred to, and I cannot conceive how you have construed any remark in it as applicable to the Brantford line, ''hrough- out the whole letter, the Guelph, it appears to me, is the only one •. . can be considered as applicable to, and that line is specially and most distinctly mentioned as the one for which the contribution was requested ; and I think it was a letter written in a style calculated to induce the Council to grant the request, and which they readily did. " You will have heard before this, of the result of the great railroad meeting in this place on the 29th ult., from Dr. Clarke and Mr. Dnggan. I now send you the 'Signal,' which contains a report of it. Tlie question was brought before the Council yesterday, and they have authorized the Warden to take stock in the Buffalo and Brantford extension line to the amount of £125,000, on certain conditions. The vote was nearly a unanimous one. I was, as you will perceive from the report, called to the chair. " I never did or could contemplate telling either the Council or any parties whatever, that the Canada Company would negotiate the municipal deben- tures. All that I intended doing was to state what the Company had promised and done for the Guelph line, and I was much gratified at receiving from you the suggestions contained in yoiu" letter of the 23rd on that head ; and you will observe that I gave the meeting my individual opinion on that subject as nearly as possible in your own language. The feeling throughout the whole counties is most strongly in favour of tiic Paris and Stratford route. I do not know of more than four who were advocates of the other one, after the merits of the Paris one had been pointed out ; and there is but one feeling as to the necessity of a railroad communication, and the important advantages which it would secure. " I regret the illegality of the by-law lor raising by debentures £30,000. It is strange how Mr. Wilson should not have discovered the defect. The first one passed, although revised by him, was declared illegal. The second one was again revised by him, and it turned out to be no better than the former. " I add nothing further on the subject of the railway, as the newspapers will tell you all I know on it. "Always, my dear Sir, yours faithfully, (Signed) "THOS. MERCER JONES. "Fred. WiDDEB, Esq." t 32 SPEECH RBAU BT Mr. JONES at thk Meetino at QoDKniCH. " The presRnt meeting, aa you are well uware, haa been called in conse- quence of a resolution passed at a previoua meeting, held hero on the 27th May last, to take into consideration the question of these United Countiea taking stock in the projected extension of the Brantford and Buffalo line to thU port ; but although originating in a meeting called for that Hpecial pur- pose, according to a letter which 1 hold from the Chairman of the Committee appointed at that meeting, it is by no means restricted to the discussion of that single line. But it is intended through it to obtain the sense of these Counties as to which line it is most to their interest to support — for you are well aware that the project of two lines has been preswed forward and your ■upport solicited by the friends of each. One from Toronto through Guelph and Stratford, und the other from Buffalo through Paris and Stratford ; and it is for you to determine — First, shall we support either — or, in other words, shall we secure a Railroad communication with its terminus nt Ooderich or not ? If wc declare in tiie affirmative — then which line is it moat to our interest to support ? The advocates of each line will supply you with ail the arguments in favour of each particular route which can bo advanced, and you will then have deliberately to weigh those on one side against those on the other, and then to decide. And, feeling deeply us I do the conviction of the vast importance of llailroads, luid the incalculable benefit which a line judiciously determined upon, passing through these United Counties, w^ould secure to them, provided a judicious selection of the terminus at or towards Lake Ontario, with Ooderich as the starting point, should be made, I experience much gratification that so many gentlemen from a distance, interested in, and well ponied up on Railroad matters, should have honoured us with their presence to-day — for, independent of the advantage we shall gain from the information we shall receive from them — their presence, coming from a dis- tance, as many of them have done, affords a most gratifying evidence that they view the project with interest, and that a line of Railroad connecting Lake Ontario with Lake Huron, having Ooderich as its terminus, is consid- ered by them as an undertaking certain to yield a good return as an invest- ment, and, as a certain consequence, well calculated greatly to advance our welfare. Two Directors from Toronto, representing the Toronto and Ouelph Line, and the proposed extension of it to this place. Dr. Clarke and Mr. Duggan, are present. Also the Mayor of Buffalo, Mr. Christie, the member for AVentworth, and the Warden of the County of Brant. The first named gentleman being the president of the Buffalo and Brantford Line, and who is a warm advocate for its extension to this place. Those gentlemen and others, advocates of eacii route, will supply you with i>ll the arguments in favour of each particular one which can be advanced, and you will then have deliberately to weigh them against each other, and then t. ('>ecide. You are. no doubt aware that the Canada Company have consentvMi to net as agents for the negotiation of the debentures in England issued by the Guelph and Toronto Line, free of charge, and that the Directors of tlmt line now propose extending it to Ooderich, and that the Canada Compan\ have made them a contribution of £500 towards defraying the expen.se of the survey. In thua acting they have evinced the deep interest they take in the project of estab- lishing a line of Railroad through these United Counties, and not only has this strong interest been thus shewn to exist by their liberal contributions when the project has been matured, but for some time past also in their cor- respondence with your Municipal Council and Treasurer they have shewn it by urging you to support the construction of such a line of communication. " Having made these remarks, it now becomes my duty to state that should the decision of this meeting be that it is to the interest of these United Counties to support the Ooderich, Stratford, Paris and Brantford Line, in preference to the Ooderich, Stratford and Guelph Line, 1 am fully justified in believing that the Canada Company, whose sole object in offering their assistance is the promotion of the welfare of these Counties — leaving it to the Counties themselves to decide the question as to which line is the most likely to promote it — that they will in every respect render the same asBistance and 33 facilities for obtaining the requisite capitnl tlirough the negotiation of your debentures, as they have so readily and generously aflfnrded to the Toronto and Ouelph Company, and through which we may rest confident the mon ey will be obtained on the most favourable terms. " The Committee appointed at the last meeting, in their address, have set forth the advantages which a Railroad communication would confer upon these Counties in so strong a light to the farming interest, iiud have shewn us, as I think, so convincingly the large balance of gain over expenditure which it would secure, that it is hardly necessary for me to iidd anything on that head. "It has been there shown, 1 perceive, that au outlay of JEI 17*. Gd. in the shape of an assessment ft discharging the interest and principal of the cost of constructing such a work, would produce a return of £12 Hh. to the owner of a farm assessed at £200 value, through the increased price which would be obtained on the sale of the produce of it. " It may bo contended that a farmer assessed at £200 would not have 400 bushels of wheat to dispose of — of this you are fur better judges than I am, or most likely the framers of that address ; but, though the farmer might not have so much wheat, ho would have other produce, and making all rea- sonable abatement from the profit thus estimated, the margin left is so large that the gain is cleiirly shewn to be great. iJut it will bo observed that these calculations of profit arc foimded on the assumption that the Railroad would cost as much as the Halifax one was estimated at, or £5,000 per mile ; whereas, according to the rough estimate formed a^tor going over the line by Mr. Wallace, au eminent engineer, it will not exceed £;5,G00 a mile, making a difference of £1,500 a mile, and thus a very large abatement in the assess- ment rate necessary to be imposed for discharging its cost, and a consequent large addition to the gain to the farming interest, over the estimate given by Mr. Kydd, has to be made. I would strongly impress upon your minds this most important fact. If by means of a Railroad 12i cents a bushel more for your wheat should be obtained, whilst the assessment imposed for defraying the construction of the work should only amount to o cents, a clear gain is secured to the farmer, on every bushel of wheat he has to dispose of, of 9.J cents, less the cost of transportation on the Railway, and bis p lin will be in the same ratio on every other article of produce. Surely u is unnecessary to add any fui'ther argument in order to prove the great advantages which a Railroad would thus secure to us. *' One argument more, however. The Railroad, in diminishing the cost of carriage on all our imports, our merchants would be enabled to dispose of their goods at a cheaper rate — certainly to the extent of the difference between the cost of transport and the value of their own time and expense in visiting distant markets on such roads as we now possess compared with a Railroad. A distance on a Railroad being surmounted in a little over two hours which, in the most favourable seasons, would now require twelve hours, and in the November, January and February months, possibly twenty-four hours. "Then, again, we must bear in mind the important effects which would more especially be felt in this place. Think you not that if we have a Rail- road with its terminus at Goderich, connecting the head of Lake Ontario and the foot of Lake Huron, that it will immediately be followed by the estab- lishment of a line of steamers hence to Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, and that this town, which has improved so little for years past, notwithstand- ing the extraordinary progress wliich the surrounding Townships have made, will thus become the focus of an immense commercial intercourse with the northern portion of Michigan and Wisconsin, and with the whole mineral regions of Lake Superior, and that in the course of a few years, Goderich, small and insignificant as it now is, will have as large a population as Hamil- ton or Toronto now possess. 1 think I have dwelt already longer than was necessary on this subject. The deep anxiety which I am well kiiown to feel in the project, as the means of promoting your prosperity, will sufficiently excuse me. I am persuaded, I shall now leave it to those gentlemen who E 34 advocate each route to address you, and to urge the merits of that one which they individually support, but most anxiously, at the same time, entreating you not to permit us, through the two stools, to fall to the ground. Before closing I would most respectfully submit to your consideration the propriety in the course of your discussion, of abstaining from the introduction of all irrelevant r.?tter, and of confining your attention to the following questions. Shall we have a Railroad or not? and if the conclusion be in the affirmative, then. Shall we support the proposed Line to Toronto via Stratford and Guelph, or shall we support that via Stratford, Paris, Hamilton, Brantford and Buffalo ? And these great leading questions being decided, then the propriety of leav- ing to the decision of the Engineers the minor questions of the route to those points, as depending properly upon the character of the coimtry tlirough which they have to pass in an engineering point of view." MR. WIDDER TO MR. JONES. ■ My dear Sir : " Toronto, 5th Jub/, 1852. I y- "I received your letter of thf 1st instant on Saturday. I am glad to find that my imderstanding of your application of the 4th May, to the Warden, for assistance in making the survey fi, m Guelph, is again eiToneous; and that when, amonget other arguments in support of it, that your statement, ' as an investment it would, I firmly believe, be the bestpai/inff line in Canada, and at the same time he of the most extensive benefit to the Province,'' that this opinion applied .specially to the extension of the Torontr aud Gvdph line to Goderich, and not to the Brantford line. It would have been fortunate for all concerned, if that opinion expressed had in any way iuiluenced your proceedings. '• You further write : ' I never did or :ould contemplate telling either the Council or any parties whatever, that the Canada Company would negotiate the mimicipal debentures. All that I intended doing was to Jtate what the Company had pr<'mised and done for the Guelph line.' " But in yr-xT last letter (20th .Tune) prnnous to the monster meeting, you wi'ite : ' I shall attend the meeting, when the merits of the two lines will be discussed ; and I shall take the opportunity of stating to it the forward posi- tion which the Guelph Company are in, the contribution made by the Com- pany towards defraying the expeuge of the survey of the continuation of the line to this place, and their offer to negotiate the debenture.^ issued by the different municipalities for the construction of the work ; and that thus, if tut United Counties ou.y act in co-operation with the Toronto Directors in the furtherance of that line of continuation, it w;H be completed without any doubt.' * * * ' If I have the opportunity afforded me of speaking on the 29tli instant, I shall endeavour to place the advantagv;s which the GuelphTowiQ nov; possesses, in being organized, and in being supported as it is, and urge upon th?ir serious attention that their co-operation is alono wanted to secure the extension, and sball do all *I can to give due weight to the cou.^ideration oi' those advantages. I have written to the Warden, requesting him to issue the debet .ture for the £300 promised to^^ards the expense of the survey. As soon as I receive it, I will forward it to you.' From this quotation, I think it will readily appear that my apprehensions as to your proposed address, iii touch- ing upon municipal debentures, were not enlirely uncalled for; and that had yoj loUowcd ouc, in spirit and action, the course you proposed adopting-- applying and r.sing my rocoiaumiidation, as given in my letter of the 23rd instant, as clearli/, dintinctli/ and solely applicable to the Guelph and Toronto extension, instead of using my recommendation entirely in favour of the Buffalo line, to which it could not by possibility bo supposed to be desi^3;ned for — \ ju would have discreetly avoided placing the Canada Company and their Com- missioners in a position of j^eat difficulty and embarrassment. Yoa cannot fail to arrive at this conclusion — upon referring to the correspondence which has taken place during some months, between yourself, the Canada Company, the llailroad Company here, and myself — that such promises as you have made for the Company, whilst presiding at the meeting in question, were not 36 juBtified by antecedent circumstances, and that there is danger of their being repudiated. "As regards the £300 for the survey— Has the Warden acceded to your request? Pray send me a copy of his reply if in thrj n'^gative, as I shall wait for the result with nome anxiety. " I am, my dear Sir, yours faithfully, (Signed) "FRED. VVIDDER. " Thos. Mercer Jones, Esq." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER. " My dear Sir : "GouEEicu, ^ihJuly, 2852. " I am in receipt of your letter of the 5th instant, and deeply do I regret to find from it how completely I misunderstood your intention as to the application of your remarks in your letter of the 23rd instant. I give you my honour I fully construed your intention so ii.s completely to justify the statement I made to the meeting on the 29th June. The hour that I received your letter I read that paragraph to your brother, and expressed the grati- fication I felt at thus havin}^, as T conceived, your sanction to my givi.ng expression to the opinions which I did ; for without that supposed sanction I should never have permitted myself to express myself as I did. I seem to have been labouring under misconception all through. I was under the entire conviction, and, as I conceived, had the best authority for being so, that tho Toronto and (juelph people were altogether oppoieil to the Goderich terminus: so much so that the propriety of making it the terminus was never mentioned in Toronto, and the extension of the Guelph line never mooted; or if mooted in Guelph, only for the purpose of denouncing it: that, instead of Goderich as a terminus being spoken of in Toronto, the Saugeen and Sarnia were the only points ever alluded to ; and in proportion with my mortification at such a position of aflfairs was my gratification at finding that other pf ties were ready to take us by the hand ; and that we had what appeareu to me a certain prospect of securing a line to ""aris, tapping the Great Western, whilst the chances on the other line seemed to be extremely doubtful; and not until a few days before the monster meeting was I undeceived, and deeply do I regret the fact — not that I think the Toronto line through Guelph to this place in point of advantage to the Huron tract can for one moment compare with that from Paris, but because the inhabitants of these coimties, in supporting the latter line, were opposing one wliich we now find, ("(utrary to all their impressions, had the countenance of parties who were determined to give it that aid which would have secured its being carried into effect; and that, ir tead of the Toronto and Guelph people being opposed to the extension to Goderich, as we were led to believe, they warmly supported it. My conduct in the chair was, I had flattered myself, such as would have met your approbation, and the approbation of every one; and sincerely do I lament that through my unfortunate misconception of the expressions regarding the aid which might be expected from the . anada Company, I should, as you conceive, have placed the Canada Company and theCoro-nissionersin an embarrassing condition — a result which I think it is imnecessary for me to sny was never anticipated by me " I was, when addressing tho people as I did, thoroughly impressed v.ith the conviction that I was uttering your own sentiments in giving them reason for expecting at the hands of the Canada Company the same assistance in nego- tiating debentures for a line to Paris from Goderich as they had promised the Toronto and Guelph line in the event of the inhabitants of these counties givinj, a preference to the former as being the most likely to promote their interests. The following are your observations on this point : ' I would suggest that you do not state that the Canada Company will negotiate the debentures issued for the construction oi the works ; but that you should, in lieu thereof, state that there is evert/ reaso-i for believing that the Canada Company will in every respect render the same assistance and facilities for obtain- ing the requisite capital which they have so readily and generously afforded to the 36 . 1 :1 ■• Toronto and Guelph Company, and through which it it confidently believed the money will bf, obtained on the most favourable terms.' ^ On reading this para- graph my conclusion was that the remarks were intended to apply to the proposed Paris and Goderich line, and on the 1st July, still under that con- viction, I wrote to you us follows : ' I never did or could contemplate telling either the Council or any parties whatever, that the Canada Company would negotiate the municipal debentui-es. All that I intended doing was to state what the Company had promised and done for the Guelph line, and I was much gratified at receiving from you the suggestions contained in your letter of the 28rd on that head, and you will observe that I gave the meeting my individual opinion on the subject as nearly as possible in jour own language,' The feeling ' throughout the whole of the counties is most strongly in favour of the Palis and Stratford route. I do not know of more than four persons who were advocates of the other one after the merits of the Paris one had been pointed out ; and there is but one feeling as to the necessity of a rail- road communication, and the important advantages which it would secure.' These remarks clearly prove tLit I read your observations as applicable to the Goderich and Pars line as well as to the Guelph and Toronto line. Our treasurer, I may also observe, on his return hftre from Toronto, told me, that in the course of a conversation which he had with you, you had stated that it was immaterial to the Canada Company which line was made — that via Paris or the Guelph line ; and that, provided a line was made through the tract, the Company toould be perfectly satisfied whichever route was taken: and he further stated, that you said the Company had offered to negotiate the debentures. In expressing th*- opinions which I then did, I felt as thoroughly satisfied ao I ever was of a'-.y thing in my life that I was giving utterance to your own sent lents. Mine were foimded solely and alone upon the meaning ,hich I had given to the observations I have reference to in your letter of the 23rd inst. "The Council at their late meeting rescinded their resolution passed at their former meeting. I now enclose you a copy of the resolution repealing that granting £300 towards defraying the cost of surveyixig a line from Guelph to Goderich. Mr. Brovm had told them that in consequence of the resolutions passed at the public meeting held here on the 27th May, during my absence at Detroit, the whole of the proceedings towards a survey of the line had been suspended by you. 1 regret most sincerely the misunderstandings which have occurred on all these matters. As 1 have already observed, I was thoroughly convinced from what I had heard, that Goderich as a terminus was strongly and most bitterly opposed both in Toronto and Guelph. Your own letters assured me that you had never been fortunate enough to meet with any one who had even spoken of Goderich as a terminus, but that you had heard many speak of the Saugeen and Samia ; and that the Guelph people were altogether opposed to any extension of the line. In every opinion I have offered on the subject of a railroad, in every step I have taken in connection with it, I can most conscientiously and most solemnly declare, I had only one object in view, and that was tlie promotion of the welfare of these counties and of the interests of the Canada Company ; and I cannot see how anything which I have said or done is calculated to produce embarrassment to either the Canada Company or their Commissioners. A doubt, I think, cannot exist, as to the fact, that whichever line is likely to be the most bene- ficial one to the interests of these counties, that is the one which is likely to secure the greatest amount of benefit to the Canada Company ; and in assur- ing the meeting that I thought the line which they should pronounce in possessing that character would receive the support of the Company, I felt convinced I was oily giving utterance to vour own feelings and convictions. " I am, &c. (Signed) "THOS. MERCER JONES. " Febd. Widdee, Esq. " P.S.— Your quotation from my letter of the 20th ult. is no doubt correct; but 1 may observe that my copy taken in my leaer-book with the machine is Ulegible." 1';! 37 MR. WIDDER TO MR. JONES. 'Mr Deab Sie: » Toronto, 12th July, 1852, " I have received your letter of the 8th instant thid morning. Its contents, unfortunately, scarcely require any answer that can now be of any use in the predicament in which the Company is placed. Whether you were in any manner justified in the course you have taken in railway matters must low rest upon past circumstances and correspondence, which admit of no further argument. I cannot, however, help remarking, that had you also shewn to my brotttir, or any other party, your letter of the 20th ultimo, as well as my reply of the 23rd ult., which it seems you only exhibited, without connecting it with your letter. I believe they would not for a moment have supposed that any one of my suggestions coiUd in the remotest mRuner be intended to tpply in favor of the Buffalo and Brantford line. Yv/U say ' you cannot see how anything you have said or done is calculated to produce embarrassment to either the Canada Company or its Commifisioners.' I can only again refer you, in reply, to all that has pas8ed in these matters ; and apprehensive that either you or I are labouring imder a most extraordinary hallucination, and taking the view I do of the Canada Company's position, I have thought it my duty to contradict the statement in the 'Buffalo Commercial Advertiser,' copied into your newspapers. "As there appears to be some doubt in your mind as to the contents of your iter to me of the 20th ultimo, above referred to ; and believing that if you had had that letter before you, and carefiilly considered it in connection with my reply of the 23rd ultimo, you would not have fallen into the extreme diffi- culties which your course has placed the Company in, I now send you, for your satisfaction, an attested copy of your said letter, by Mr. Collyer. " I remain, my dear Sir, " Yours faithfully, (Signed) "FRED. WIDDER. "T. M. JoNKS, Esq., Goderich." I felt MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER. " My DEAR Sir : " Godeuich, llth July, 1852. "I am in receipt of your letter of the 12th instant with their respective enclosures. " I havo observed in tlie newspapers your contradiction, or at least the contradict! JT which you inform me that you authorised being given to a state- ment. '^ 'c effect that the Company would take $100,000 stock in the God . xu "'I'la. and Buffalo Railroad, which appeared in a Buffalo paper, as T f n . ijied, nearly a fortnight befoi-e the meeting was held here, at whiou ; -si" J. It is therefore, under existing circumstances, most satis- factory to 1 ou these grounds to /;now that the erroneous statement refen-ed to could r.oi hn ^ origi^-'ted in anything which I had said, or in anything that passed at our Goderich meeting, or in any statement madi here to the delegates from Buffalo, seeing that it appeared a fortnight pitvious to the meeting being held. "It is hardly necessary for me, after all that I have already written you on this subject, again to advert to the misunderstanding of the meaning you intended to convey to me, in the expressions contained in your letter of the 23rd ultimo, but I canr ot refrain from observing that on receiving it the parties whose names I have already given you were present ; and I felt so XV.: h. gratified at being thus, as I fully believed, authorised to make the 'tuioment, which I afterwards did, that I almost involuntary read the letter 8J(,(i —or at 1 Ast so mi'ch as had reference to the negotiation of the debea- tuics— I certainly did not, before doing so, refer to my letter to yourself, to which it was a reply, nor did I do so till after I had received your strictures unon my address, when I found it altogether illegible. " I may however observe, that I am well satisfied that the assurance of my 4 i I I if; ."I. t 38 belief, which I gave the meeting on that occat:'on (that provided the decision arrived at should be in favour of the Paris, instead of the Guelph line, the Company would generously, and willingly and gratuitously, lend their aid in the negotiation of the debentui-es to be issued), did not influence the decision of one man on that occasion ; and, in giving this opinion, I am well satisfied I should be supported by every man in these Counties ; but the assurance then given (I regret much to say without suflScient authority, or, I may say, as it has turned out, without any authority whatever), most unquestionably produced a very favourable impression, and most gratifying it was to myself to observe it as regarded tlse liberality of the Company. " In conclusion, I will only further observe, that so far was I from thinking that had you been present you would not have fully endorsed all that I said (and your previous conversation with Mr. Brown, our Treasurer, when in Toronto, would have confirmed mo in that opinion, had I felt confirmation necessary), that 1 fully expected, so soon as the accounts of the meeting should have reached you, that I should receive from you a high commenda- tion of my address, and especially on account of its non-committal character as regards both myself and the ( -.^("^y ; and I assure you, in all sincerity, that I never was more taken abaci i ^ fe than when I received your first letter in regard to it, repudiating all . had said. I shall feel obliged by your forwarding this lettter to the Couj < aid I hope you have already for- warded my preceding letters in reference to this unpleasant misunderstanding. " Believe me, &c., (Signed) " THOS. MERCER JONES," " Feed. Widdee, Esq." M? VVIDDER TO MR. JONES. " Mr DEAR Sir : 'Toronto, 2lst July, 1852. n"-', " I have received your letter of the 17th instant, in reference to your p;roceedings connected with the Buffalo and Brantford Railroad Company. The questions at issue admit of no further discussion ; they must rest upon the correspondence which has passed since February last ; I am satisfied no one perusing it will arrive at any other conclusion than that I never gave you cause even to suppose that you would, in any manner, be justified in adopting the adverse course you did. Every communication of mine to the Directors of the Canada Company, their replies, all my numerous letters to you, most unequivocally show one undeviating consistent course and plan to secure the continuation of the line from Guelph to Goderich, as already set forth in my letters to you of the 8th and Iftth ultimo, in your hands long before the meeting on the 29th ultimo ; and, from what Mr. Brown, your Treasurer, and other parties have stated to me, I believe that had the people in the Huron, or Goderich alone, been made in any shape acquainted with what had been done, and what was being done, to promote their interest, instead of the Company's Commissioner, his connections and friends, taking aprominent adverse course to that which tlie Company and their Commissioner here had long been engaged in, the result of the meeting of the 29th ul'imo would have been different. The information I have as to the effect of your proceedings at the meeting differs widely frovn the opinion you express. *' There is only one subject perhaps requiring notice, and, but for your reiteration of it in your letter, I should not have considered as such — I mean the statement made to you by Mr. Brown — 'that in course of the conversa- tion which he had with me I had stated that it was immaterial to the Canada Company which line was made — that via Paris or the Guelph line — and that, provided a line was made through the Tract, the Company would be perfectly satisfied whichever route was taken ; and further, that he stated I said the Company had offered to negotiate the debentures.' In reply, I have to say that I never gave that gentleman any cause whatever for making that statement ; the improbability of any such divergence from the consistent course I had, and have all along, strictly adhered to, and my letters to you 39 previous and tabgequent to my seeing Mr. Brown, should have been suffioient guarantee that you would not have been influenced by any reports to the contrary. I shall, as desired, forward your letter to the Court. I enclose you mine to that body, dated 15th instant. "I remain, &c., (Signed) "FRED. WIDDER." •'Thos. Mercer Jones, Esq." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER. " My dear Sir: "GoDERiCH, 29th July, 1852. " I am in receipt of your letter of the 21st inst. in further reference to ny unfortunate misunderstanding regarding railroad matters. No man will consider me, I hope, insane enoug;h to believe that I would consciously place myself in direct antagonism with the Court of Directors in opposing, either tacitly or openly, a line of railroad to which I believed they had restricted their support to the entire exclusion of all othei's in the same direction, or, at least, passing through the Huron Tract, with a terminus at Goderich. '• I certainly was well aware that they had consented to act as agents for the negotiation of the debentures of the Guelph and Toronto line ; but I never for one moment entertained the idea that their opinions had been expressly declared in favour of the extension of that line to Goderich, and as opposed to any other line which, passing through these counties, Ijould have its terminus at Goderich, ami at the same time receive the unanimous sup- port and approbation of these united counties. You are well aware that I was absent from the Huron Tract, attending the Assizes in Sandwich, when the meeting of the 27th May was held here. The proceedings of that meeting were published in the newspapers of the place, and it was by means of tilt- system then adopted, and with which I had nothing whatever to do, either in framing or carrying out, under which the secretary corresponded with each of the reeves, that the feelings of the entire population became roused in favour of the line adopted at that iieeting, or the Goderich, Stratford, Paris and Buffalo line ; and on no question of general and public interest was ever the public opinion more unequivocally deck red than it was on that occasion in favoiu" of the line here mentioned, and against that to Guelph and Toronto Ton tell me that the information you have received ae to the effect of my proceedings at the meeting differs widely from the opinions I express. I am ^.^iisfied that with the exception of lalf a dozen individuals (and who were on the hustings) every man that was present would endorse every statement I have made, were such a mode of verification resorted to. " Perhaps, under the excitement then so generally felt by all, and which extended to myself — for after being so many years a resident of these counties, and many more actively engaged in the formation of these settle- ments, continually brought in ccatact with the inhabitants, and sympathising with them under every circumstance or prospect presenting iself of improving their condition or welfare, without injury to the interests of the Company, I may have yielded too much to the influence of the overwhelming current of public feeling, floating rapidly with it, while perhaps I might have endeavoured to stem or turn it, although it would havo been an unsuccessful t ffort, beyond question. Had I given the subject deeper consideration or referred to all the correspondence which had previously passed between us, whether it appears credible or not, I most solemnly declare that I never for one moment felt that the course of my conduct was calculated to give offence or to embarrass the Court, but on the contrary, laboured under the impression that there was no prospect whatever of the Guelph and Toronto line ever being extended to Goderich; and I fancied — mere fancy, however, it would now appear, since another line has been projected and universally supported in these counties, and with every prospect of success — that that line had not a friend either in Toronto or Guelph, but that in the former the feeling was altogether in favour of Samia or Saugeen, and in the latter to no further 40 1 extension. Such was the purport of your own conununication to me. Under these circumstances I certainly experienced the greatest satisfaction, in common with every soul residing in these counties, at the prospect offered to us of obtaining a line of railroad in connection with the Grand Trunk line throughout the province, independent of Toronto support. " In every step that I took I was influenced solely by a desire to improve the condition of these settlements, with which I feel myself completely identified. I acted under the conviction that I was greatly promoting the Company's interests ; and in giving the assurance of my firm belief that the Company would grant the same aid to the Goderich, Stratford, Paris and Buffalo line as they had promised to the Toronto and Guelph one, I firmly and most conscientiously believed that I was merely expressing the feelings both of yourself and of the Court of Directors. " I would further observe that although the substitution of a line of rail- road from Goderich to Paris for one from Guelph to Goderich may possibly effect the stockholders in Toronto injuriously, the elfect upon the Company's interests I can clearly prove would be highly beneficial ; but I looked upon the question of the line through this tract as one that the Canada Company would most cheerfully, considering that course the preferable one, leave to the decision of the community most deeply interested ; and that that decision was almost imanimously, alter a month's consideration, given to the subject by every township of these counties, declared by not only the great mass meeting held here on the iiOth June, but also by the township reeves in coimcil on the day following, to be in favour of the Paris line, the published proceedings of them sufficiently shew — the council voting the large sum of £126,000 towards the construction of the one line, whilst the other line had not one solitary supporter at that board, every member of it being present. *' I would also submit that the mere act of giving that assurance as to the Company's probable support which I did at the meeting, judging from my con- duct for the twenty-three years thai I have been in the Company's service, and from the discretion which I have hitherto shewn in the performance of my onerous duties, conveys the conviction that I fully believed I should be held justified by the Company in giving it. I regret most deeply the effect of my misapprehension and of my hasty proceedings ; and although the Court may censure my imprudence in thus thoughtlessly adopting an independent and unauthorised course, I earnestly entreat them not to entertain for one moment the thought that I wilfully acted in opposition to their declared or understood wishes. The assurance which I have given you as to the purport of Mr. Brown's statement to me regarding the nature of your conversation with him in Toronto, so far as I am concerned, at all events, is correct, and my words almost, if not absolutely so, his own. May I beg yon will do me the favour to forward this letter to the Court of Directors ? " Believe me, &c. (Signed) "THOS. MERCER JONES." "Feed. Widdbb, Esq." MR. WIDDER TO MR. JONES. "My Dear Sir: Toronto, 2nd Augtist, 1852. " I have received your letter of the 20th ultimo. I can find no argument or point touched upon by you, which has not been completely refuted and disposed of by my previous letters, but as your letter before me might, if placed by itself in the hands of any party ignorant of antecedents, give a colouring opposed to facts and circumstances to that which can fairly be derived from them, I must beg that if you Ueem it advisable to use your letter in any shape, that you will at the same time exhibit the entire corres- pondence which has passed between the Court and myself, and you and I, upon Railway matters, commencing 26th February last to this day inclusive : for 1 am satisfied that the penisal of the whole of that correspondence will, in the most unequivocal manner, convince the people in the Huron that the 41 Canada Company has most strenuously and perseveiingly been following out a course and plan for securing, at an early period, a Railway to Goderich, which would have been successful but for the determined opposition raised by the people before and at the meeting of the 2v)th June, at which you took so prominent a part. I am also satisfied that any person perusing the whole of that correspondence, and comparing it with the proceedings of the people in the Tract, will say that the people would not have acted in the way they have, had they been properly informed on the -steps the Canada (Jompany had taken on their behnlf, for the purpose of completing the Railroad from Toronto to Goderich, in which their interests were so vitally involved. " I must likewise trust that, in justice to the Canada Company, as between them and their settlers, you will clearly shew the people that the unfortunate position matters are in, proceeds, in no manner, from the Canada Company, and that if their prospects for obtaining a Railroad arc jeopardized, or indefi- nitely postponed, not a shadow of complaint can attach to the Canada Company. "I remain, &c., (Signed) "FRED. WIDDER." "Thos. Meuckr Jonks, Esq., " Goderich:' Upon the return of Messrs. Duggan and Clarke, the dele- gates alluded to in the foregoing letters, from the meeting at Goderich, they made the following Report to the Direc- tors of the Toronto and Guelph Railroad, a copy of which, with the accompanying incidental correspondence, they transmitted to M*". Widder, as Commissionor of the Canada Company, who forwarded the same to that Company and to Mr. Jones, for their information. " SiE : " Toronto, July 21st, 1852. " After availing ourselves of the offer so obligingly extended to us by your letter of the 0th instant, we deem it right to place you, as Commis- sioner of the Canada Company, in possession of our report to the Board of Directors of the Toronto and Guelph Railroad Company, a copy of which is herewith enclosed, " Wc are your ob't servants, (Signed) " A. M. CLARK, "G. DUGGAN." " F. WinnKR, Esq., " Comm'mioner to the Canada Company, Toronto:^ " Report' of the Committee appointed by the resolution of the Board of the I8th ultimo to attend the great Railway meeting advertised to be held at Ooderich on the 2\kh June. " Gentlemen : " In conformity with your resolution, the Committee, consisting of Messrs. A. M. Clarke and George Duggan (the latter as a substitute for the President, then absent at Quebec) left Toronto on Saturday the 26th, and arrived at Goderich on Mouduy. the 28tiiof June, the day before the meeting. " The Committee found considerable excitement in the town, on the subject of the proposed extension of the Buffalo and Brantford line through Paris and Stratford to Goderich, and that interested parties who had preceded them had succeeded in enlisting tlie sympathies of the people entirely in favour of F 42 B' %:y that line, to the exclusion of the Toronto and Guelph route, whilst an almost incredible amount of ' gnorance of the position of proceedings of this Company, aided by gross misrepresentation, of the feelings and conduct of the people of Toronto, the Canada Company, and Mr. AVidder, their Commissioner, towards Goderich, had predisposed those with whom your Committee came in contact, to reject every attempt at explanation, even in matters of fac*, susceptible of the clearest proof. Your Committee were however at sured by the leaders of the party of a patient hearing at the meeting ; their jincerity in this respect seemed however rather doubtful. " A main object with the ilominant party seemed to be to secure the election of Thomas Mercer Jones, Esquire, Commissioner of the Canada Company, for their Chairman at the meeting of the morrow, and as it was known that this would be opposed by a party adverse to the Buffalo line, your Committee were applied to and urgently entreated not to support an amendment to that effect ; the Committee at once informed the parties that they were not there to mix in the feelings of the place, but as representa- tives of the Toronto Jiud Guelph Company, to advocate its interests at the public meeting, and if they chose lo put the ( 'ommissioner of the Canada Company in the position of chairman of their meeting, it was nothing to the Committee ; but, when, later in the day, it was asserted, and currently believed, that Mr. Jones had received a letter from Mr. Witlder, intimating that if the meeting should decide in favour of tlie Buffalo line, the Canada Company would render them the same assistance as they had already done to the Toronto and Guelph Company, your ( 'ommittee could no longer remain passive. It was stated that the letter had been read to some of them, and that Mr. Jones intended in his place as chairman to make a statement to the meeting to the above effect, and that any opposition from your Delegates would now be absurd and mischievous, as well as useless. " Under these circumstances, and with an utter disbelief in the statement as regarded Mr. Widder, the Committee addressed a note to Mr. Jones, of which the following is a copy : " Dear Sir : •' Goderich, June 28th, 1852! " Having had the honour to b3 appointed by the Board of Directors of the Toronto and Guelph Railroad Company to attend the meeting of to-morrow, to watch over the interests of that corporation, it is with no little surprise we have learned, since our arrival, that it is generally reporteu, and said to be on your authority, that the Canada Company are prepared to co-operate with the proposed Buffalo and Brantford line as readily as with that of the exten- sion of the Toronto and Guelph line through Stratford to Goderich, and which it is the object of our visit here to promote. Our surprise has originated from having learned, as Directors of the Toronto and Guelph (Company (of which Mr. Widder is also a Director), the tenor of the con-espondence that has passed between Mr. Widder, yourself and the Canada Company on the subject. " Should, therefore, any allusion be made to-morrow to anything of this nature, we shall call upon you for the production of the authority on which the statement is made, and we entertaui no doubt, from your well known candour in all matters of Imsiness, but that you will be prepared to establish or deny the statement upon authority above cavil. (Signed) "G. DUGOAN, "A.M.CLARKE." "T. M. Jones, Esq." " This note was handed in by one of the Committee, but no notice what- ever was taken of it by ^Ir. Jones : but the Board will see, in the report of the meeting contained in the " Huron Signal," that in a speech which he read to the meeting, he stated (omitting however all allusion to Jlr. Widder as an authority for his statement) that it now became Aw duti/ to state that, should the decision of the meeting be that it is to the interest of the United Counties to support the Goderich, Stratford, Paris and Brantford line, in preference to the Goderich, Stratford and Guelph line, he teas fully justified 43 in believing that tlie ('annda ('ompany would in every respect render the same assistance and facilities for obtaining the requisite capital, &c., as they had so readily and generously offered to the Toronto, Guelph and Qoderich ('ompany. " The Committee need not dwell on the proceedings of the meetinj.-; on Tuesday, at which from about three to four hundred persons attenued, chiefly the residents of the town and neighbourhood. None of the respec- table merchants of the town took any part in the proceedings, and but few farmers were present. The speakers in favour of the Buffalo and Brantford line were heard with patience and attention, interrupted only by cheers and shouts in their favour, whilst those on the opposite side of the question, and especially your Delegates, could not obtain a hearing, ami were finally put down by the crowd, incited thereto by the leaders of thy any possibility give color to the statement by Mr. Jones that the Canada Company would assist the Buffalo and Bn-.itford Company in their project ; and we are the more astonished at Mr. Jones having made this state- ment, on finding in his own letter to INIr. Widder, of the ^Oth instant, the following statement : " ' 1 shall attend the meeting, when the merits of the two lines will be rlis- cussed ; and 1 shall take the opportunity of stating to it the forward position which the Guelph ('ompany are in, the contribution made by the Company towards defraying the expense of the curvey of the continuation of the line to this place, and their offer to negotiate the 'lehentitres issued by the different }funicipalitir.i for the construction of the work ; and that thuii, if the United Counties only act in co-operation with the Toronto Directcis in the further- ance of that line of continuation, it will be completed without any doubt.' " ' If I have the opportunity afforded me of speaking on the 29th instant, I shall endeavour to place the advantages which the Guelph route jioji" possesses in being organized, and in being supported as it is, and urge upon their seri- ous attention that their co-operation is iilone wanted to secure the extension, and shall do all I can to ;:ive due weight to the consideration of these advan- tages.' " In conclusion, the Committee beg to express their conviction that the people of the townships of the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce, will not so readily fall in with the conclusions amved at by the public meet- ing lately held at the town of Goderich. Already two townships ^as your Committee are credibly informed) are getting up petitions to the Legislature, praying for a separation from the county, on account of the resolutions passed at that meeting, and supported by the vote of the Comity Council. "All which is respectfully submitted. (Signed) "G. DUGGAN. " A. M. CLARKE. '■^Committee Room, Jul;/ 15, IH-W." ' Gentlemen : •County Ci.euk's Office, Goderich, »th July, 1852. " I have the honour to inform you that your statement, relative to th** opening of a communication between Toronto and Goderich by Railroad, was laid before the County Coimcil, who referred the same to the Railroad Com- mittee, which Committee made the following deliverance thereon, and the same was afterwards confirmed in open Council. " * Letter from the Delegates of the Toronto and Guelph Railroad to the Municipal Council. — We have carefully considered the proposition coiitaiiicd in the above letter, and equally with the Toronto Delegates appreciate the importance of Railway communication through the united counties, but con- sideJi that the inhabitants are more interested in the constniction of a Railway to intersect the Great Western and connect us with the Buffalo and Erautford line, which affords an easier and more direct means of communication either to the navigation of Lake Ontario or to the American markets, than there can possibly be by a connection with the Toronto and Guelph line of Railway ; 45 therefore at present wo would recommend that the C^ouncil do decline taking any action in the matter of the Toronto and Guelph Railway.' " 'I hare, &c. (Signed) D. 11. Ritchib, •' « County Clerk. " 'Geo. DuoaAN, Esq., and Dr. Clarkk, " ' Delegates Toronto and Ouelpli Railroad Company, Toronto.^ MR. WIDDER TO MR. .lONES. " My dear Sir : "Toronto, Vtth July, 1862, "With reference to the vintoward find suicidal railway proceedings at Goderich on the 'J9th ultimo, I think it proper to enclose copy of a commu- nication, dated 6th inMtuut, from the Delegates from the Railroad Company here, and my reply thereto of the same day. " I remaui, &c., (Signed) " F. WIDDER. "Thos. Merckr Jonks, Esq., Goderich." " Toronto, 6our letter of this day, by which you require certain explanations connecteti 'vith the proceedings at the public meeting held at Goderich on the 29ih altimo, upon Railway matters, at wluch you were deputed to attend as ref resenting the Toronto and Guelph Railway Company. In reply, I have to stite, that it would be a task of some labour to properly m 46 and oorreotly inform you upon all tho circumstftnccs bearing upon the ques- tion at issue, because they are spread over a space of time, and occupy a rather lengthy correspondence; and therefore, injustice tn all concerned, in the embarrassed position in which their interests are placed, 1 would beg that you call at this office in the course of to-morrow, when I will place the whole of that correspondence before you, to enable you to arrive at a correct understanding of matters, and thus afford you an explanation which I feci I should do. " i have, &c., (Signed) •' K. WIDDER, " Commitmner." ''A. M. Ci.ARKK, Esq., M. D., and G. Duooan, Jun,, Esq." MR. WIDDER TO COURT OF DIRECTORS. "TouoNTo, }.i( July, 1852. "As yet 1 am uninformed of the lesult of the Railway meeting held a( Goderich on the 29th ultimo. The Toronto and Guelph Company have sent two of their Directors to represent them if necessary." "TouoNTo, i^lh Juhi, 1852. " I beg to enclose a continuance of the corresi)ondence between Mr. Jones and myself, with reference to Railway affairs ; likewise extracts from the • Huron Signal,' of the Ist instant, giving an account of the meeting held at Goderich on the 29th ultimo, and copy of a leiler from the Delegates sent to that meeting from the Toronto and Guelph Railway Company, addressed to me, and my answer thereto. By these papers tho Court will be apprised of the position of Railway matters, and the difficulties and embarrassmenta which attach to them, and to the Canada Company." COURT OF DIRECTORS IN REPLY. "LoNBoN, '2Srd July, \bo'2. " The Directors having rend your correspondence on the subject of the Toronto and Guelph Railway, are of opinion that this line would be more to the advantage of the Province, and the (Canada Compauy in particular, than the line by Brantford, referred to in that correspondence, and request that any steps you take should be for the promotion of the former." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER, ACKNOWLEDGINQ REUKIl'T OF BKPOIIT OP DEIiKOATES. "My Dkar Sni: "GoDKRicii, 13th July, 18o2. "I feel much obliged to you for sending me the correspondence which has passed between yourself and the delegates from the Toronto and Guelph Railroad Company, who attended the late meeting in this place. Tho differ- ence or omissions are of little moment ; but it would have been more satis- factory to me had they stated the facts, as follow : "That Mr. Jones, having been called to the chair, addressed the meeting, stating that he had learned yesterday that it was the intention of his friends to propose that he should take the chair ; and that as the subjects were of importance which would have to be brought under the notice of the meeting, and his health being so uncertain, he thought it better to put his ideas on paper, rather than to trust to his memory : that at the moment he was addressing the meeting, he was laboring under indisposition ; and that if they would permit him, he would read the address which he had prepared thai 47 morning, not tlie evening before, as ia stated by the delegates ; and that ha really was very unwell that day, was evident to every person who saw him. :' "When I received your letter of the 23rd ultimo, I certainly did read your remarks on the subject of the negotiation of the debentures to my brother-in- law, Mr. Alexander Strachan, as woll as to your brother, and the other gentlemen in the office : and, not conceiving it neceHsary at the time, I did not enjoin any secrecy on the part of Mr. Htraohan, and who I suppose mentioned out of doors his understanding of the communication, and hence the report, I presume, originated which Ur. Clarke alludes to. " Believe me, my dear Sir, " Yours faithfully, (Signed) " THOS. MERCER JONES. " Prbd. Widdkh, Esq." MR. JONES TO MR. KYDD, CHAIRMAN, &c., 0.\ ME8SRH. l)IKi(l\N AND CLARKK'h UErOHT. " Dear Sir: "OoDERiCH, July 31, 1852. "Inclosed I bog to hand, for your perusal, a copy of the Report of the Delegates from Toronto, made to the Directors of the Toronto and Quelph Railroad Company, on the proceedings of the meeting held here on the 29th ultimo. " You will observe that they state that on their arrival here they found the town in a state of great excitement, produced by the exertions of interested parties, great ignorance of the position and proceedings of the Toronto Com- pany, and gross misrepresentation of the feelings and conduct of tlie '1 uronto people, the Canada Company and Mr. Widder, prevailing. " That they assert that a main object with the ♦ dominant party' seemed to be the election of myself as chairman, and that as it was well known that the nomination would bo opposed by the party adverse to the buffalo line, they (the delegates) were urgenth/ entreated not to support the amendment. " That the speakers in favor of the Bufialo line received a patient hearing, but that those on the opposite side of the question, and especially the dele- gates from Toronto, could not obtain a hearing, and were finally put down by the crowd, incited thereto by the leaders of the party on the hustings, whn were in no way discountenanced bg the Chairman. " That they aver that had the sentiments and act.s of the Canada Company and Mr. Widder been correctly made known to the people of Goderich, the prospects of the Buffalo und Bruntford {company would never have found favor in Goderich. And finally, that they consider that the individual assur- ance which I gave the meeting oii tlie 29th June — that, shotild its decision be in favor of the Stratford and Paris line, the Company would, I thought, lend the same aid in the negotiation of the debentures us they had promised to give in favor of the Toronto and Guelph line — was the chief cause of the latter line being rejected, and the former one adopted. " I beg you will give the whole document, and the correspondence attached to it, a careful perusal ; and, as the original is now on its way to the Court of Directors in England (having been forwarded by my colleague on the 22nd instant), that you will favor me, with as little delay as possible, with sudi remarks on the allegations contained in them, as you may consider necessary, in order to enable the Court to uirivo at a correct conclusion on the matter.* therein brought under their notice ; and as an act of justice to myself— my conduct being there adverted to in so peculiar a manner — I am sure you will suffer no unnecessary delay to tak-' place in making your report. " I have the honor to be. dear Sir, "Your very obed't serv't, (Signed I "THOS. MERCER JONES. "Thos. Kydi), Esq., ''Chairman Railroad Committee, Goderich." 48 .-ll;- I! !r-"' h'i\:r MR. JONES TO CANADA COMPANY, IKCLOSINa RBPORT, *C.. ON MKS9US. DUOOAN AND CLABKE'R RKPORT. "GouKRicii, 4th Augmt, 1862. •' 'oIentlemen, "I have just receiveil from the liailroad Committee of this place their Report on the stateir««?nt8 made by the Toronto and Guelph Railroad Dele- gates, on their return to Toronto, after the great Railroad meeting in this place on the 29th June, and which I lose no time 'n forwarding to the Court, as a reply to the allegations contained in their iTeport, and which was transmitted to the Court of Directors by my colleague on the 22nd ult. " I have the honour to be, "Gentlemen, " Your faithful humble servant, (Signed) " TH08. MERCER .TONES. " To Thk Governor, Deputy Governor and Directors '■^ of the Canada Company, London." " P. S. — Time will not admit of it by this post, but to-morrcw a copy of this Report will be sent to my colleague in Toronto." MR. KYDD, CHAIRMAN, &(;., TO MR. JONES, ON MESSRS. DUGGAN AND OLARKE'S REPORT. 'Sir, " GoDERioH, 2nd August, 1862. If: " I have the honor to acknowledge your lettei of the Slst ultimo, enclosing a copy of the Report of the Toronto Delegates who attended the meeting of the 29th June last, and have laid the same before the Corresponding Com- mittee. I am instructed, in reply ^hereto, to express their regret and astom- ishment at the hostile tone of that Report towards all who supported the Buffalo and Brantford Line, and towards yourself in particular, for the part you took in the proceedings of that day, the' ery incorrect accoimt they have given of those proceedings, and the unjust and unfounded conclusions at which they have arrived respecting them. '* The principal aim of the Report bcems to be to make it appear that the pi'esent movement in favor of the Buff Jo and Brantford Line originated with yourself, and that >^ut for your conduct on the 2'.>th, the meeting would have adopted a very different course. "To shew that there is no cause for such an assumption, the ('ommittce present you with the encloseil hand-bill, dated so /ar back as the 14th March. 1851, calling a public meethig ' to talie into consideration the propriety of opeiing a correspondence with the Corporation of the town of Brantford,' on the all-important subject of a Railrond to terminate at Goderich. On that occasion the Committee know that you were absent from Goderich, and, con- sequently took no part in tbc ,)roceedings. "Tie present luovement began by a public meeting held on the 25th May last, when you were absent at Sandwich. A Corresponding Committee was then appointed, and shortly after a deputation was sent by that Committee to Brantforu to attend a meeting held there on the subject, and the meeting of the 29th june was advertiseu before your return to Goderich, so that on neitu«-i - :' thtse occasions can it be said, with the least semblance of truth, that the movement originated w'.th you. "It is true that the ('ommitt-je were anxious to secure your attendance as Chairman at that meeting, not because you were a Commissioner of the Canada Company, but because you have ever been zealous in promoting every public improvemcjLt, anu the < 'ommittee knew of no per-on that posse ''ed, in anything like ihe same degree, the confidence of the people of these Counties ; and you did n(.t agree to act ns iihairn.<;n .'ntil assured by the Committee that they did not wish you to take the ciiair in your official capaiiity, but merely as a private gentleman. It was i.ot known to the Commit\ee that 49 your taking the chair would be opposed by any adverse' party till the evening of Monday the 28th, when it was intimated to a member of this Committee, by Mr. Gait, in presence of the Toronto Delegates, that if you were proposed to take the chair, he would divide the meeting ou that question, lie was warned that if he attempted anything so unpopular, he would scarcely get any one to second his motion, unless some of his friends then p esent (mean- ing the Toronto Delegates) would do so : further, that if he made such an attempt, he need aca^'cely expect a fair hearing. Ai\(i. as you are well aware, when he did persist in pressing his motion that the Warden should take the chair, he failed in obtaining even a seconder to it. " With respect to the account given by the Delegates of your conduct in the chair, the Committee willingly bear testimony .0 the fact that in your opening address, when you had occasion to advcrO to the Cai.ada Company, you car< fully intimated that you gave your opinion individually, and not as representing that Company, and thut yni uvgeil ou ilie meeting the propriety of giving all parties who might wish to address them a fair and impartial hearing ; and tliat when the meeting did liecome restive under the addresses of Mr. John Gait and Mr. Duggaii, you rejieatedly requested th" meeting to be quiet, and to give the sp^takers a fair hearing, and even re ^ nested Mr. Wallace, f member of the Committee, who was theu on the platform, to use his influence to keori order. It is therelore incorrect to say that the noisy por- tion of the meeting • )k-ere in no way discountenanced by the chairman.' As to the insinuation tlmt the members of the (Committee wfve not sincere in their endeavours to obtain for all parties a fair jui'l i.rii^.atlal hearing, the Committee would simply remark tliat it is utterly nt vfiriauce with tlie actual facts of the case. Tiie Committee feel satisfied timt nt'lther the fact of your having taken the chair, nor your conduct as chairman, had anything to do with the result of the meeting : but that, on the contrary, they beUeve that had any other responsible, decent pcr.jni, who could have stated iu plain terms the object of the meeting, taken the chair, the result would have been the same. The people assembleil were, with t!ic exception of Mr. John Gait and Sheriff McDonald, unanimously i,i tavoiu- of the liuifalo and Brant- fonl Line. The meeting was not composed of a town mob, 1 at the great bulk was of respectable intelligent farmers — the parties who must bear the expense of making any .ine of Kailroad to Goderich — and, by the calculation of disinterested parties, amounted to at least 1,500 inste rl of bOO or 400, as represented by the Toronto Delegates. As the Delegates .^eem to lay some stress on the alleged absence from the meeting of the respectable merchants of the town, tlie Committee have addressed to each merchant a circular, of which a copy is hereto appended, together with their replies thereto. Were anything wanted t ,) shew the unanimous feeling of this commimity as to the con- tending routes, the Committee conceives that the opinions of these merchants, whose interests t'rc so vitally at stake, must for ever set the matter at rest. •' The Committee cannot conclude Avithout adverting to the first paragraph of the Report, which states that the Delega^ipport : whilst at that time no steps had been taken towards forming a company for the construction of the line which they considered the most eligible, and had officially declared that opinion to the Court of Uirectoiv, they were still ready to accede to the request made in my letter of the 4th May, and had granted £300 towards the survey ; whilst my letter to the Treasurer of the 11th June, and general rumors, pi'oclaimed tliat tlie ' '.mada Company had granted £501) towards the same object'.' "And yet, in the face of all this, the Toronto delegates declu c that on their ' arrival here they found gross ignorance of the j.osition and ])roceeilings of the Toronto company, and gi'oss misrepresentations of the feelings and con- duct of the Toronto people, the (.'anada (^mpany and Mr. Widder, prevailing." If such ignorance prevailed — which I emphatically deny, and, I respectfully submit, is proven not to have been the case, from the documents here referred to — it would have been dissipiiteil. I ^iilniiit, by my address on the 2!Hh .luiie (hereto appended, ■ind niari.. i li;. " The Toronto di^lugates further report, tiiat only from three liundred to four hundred persons attended the meeting on the 20th June; that none of the respectable mejrcLants of tlie place took any part in the proceedings, .> id that but few farmers were present. These statements are incorrect; and the published accounts as to the number present, and the character of the as ini- blago, are universally allowed to be correctly given. And, as regards the assertion that none of the respectable merchants took any interest in the pro- ceedings, and the impression which the remark is intended to convey, in corroboration of my statements to the contrary. 1 now request the perusal by wd the Court of the letters appended (marked I), from the following parties, most respectable men and merchants m ihis place, and whose opinions are well worthy of consideration:— James AVat3on, M. B. Seymorc & Co., Benjamin Parsons, Robert Parke, Wm. M. White, W. E. Grace & Co., Robt. Moderwell, Marwood & Keays, H. B. O'Connor, ainl II. Horton — being in fact every mer- chant in the place, except one. " And appended also is the letter which was addi-essed to those gentlemen, requesting the expression of their opinion on the subject therein adverted to, also marked I. "I have shewn by the handbill, dated March 1851, that the first public expression of feeling in favor of the Brantford line was then made, during my absence in the United States. "The second one was on the 25th of May 1852 (see exhibit marked K., with Mr. Kydd's circular to each Toivnsliip Reeve), durinc/ my absence attend- ing the assizes at Sandwich, and which I was altogether unprepared for, and the cause producing it occurred ditriny my absence. I now append the report of the proceedings of that meeting (exliibit K) ; and that the line from Goderich to Paris, Hamilton, Brantford and Bufialo, can be sustained by good argument, is shown by the address from the llailroad Committee hereto appended (marked L) ; and it is worthy of remark, that on no occasion of a public nature, when an expression of fueling was required, was there ever displayed .suclr an unanimity of opinion as was shewn on that occasion in favor of the Goderich and Paris junction lino; for rJ' })olitical and personal feelings, which on other occasions have been too frequently exhibited, seemed to have been completely merged In the more important and in the very vital question of a common interest ; and this was most c - ^'usively shewn in the opinion of the vast concourse of people then ussembled )eing, that the line of railroad which was best calculated to serve their interests was the Great Western and Buffalo one. " In further proof that these counties Avei., not ignorant of tlie intention of the Canada Company to give their support to the Toronto and Guelph exten- sion line, I beg permission to call their attention to exhibit M, comprising extracts from the ' Daily Coloni:?t.' ^Ir. Kydd"s circular to the Township Reeves, and an extract from Mr. Wallace's address to the Brantford and Buffalo Company — all republished in the ' Signal' of the ord June. " I now come to the unfortunate mistake, whicli 1 ncknowledge to have made, under which 1 stated at the meeting of the 'l.tth June that should the decision of the meeting be that it is for the interest of the United Counties to support the Goderich, Stratford, Paris aiul Urautford line, in prefei'ence to the Goderich, Stratford and Guelpli line, I was fully justified in believing that the Canada Company would in every respect render the same assistance and foeilities for obtaining tiie requisite capital, vS:o., as they had so readily and generously afforded to tlie Toronto, Guelph and (ioderich Company. " For the information of the Court, I append a report of the whole of the proceedings at that meeting (see exhibit H) ; and in explanation, and as con- taining the expression of my dt'ep rei/rct at tlie unfortunate misunderstanding which led me to make a statement so completely at variance with the inten- tions of my colleague. I beg to ajipeml copies of my letters to him of the 8th. 17th and 2'.lth July, on that subjeL't (see exhibit N). " 1 do not feel tliat anything wliicli 1 couKl now add would strengthen the assurances tliere ;:iven — and given witli groat .sincerity and truth — that instead of 1 aving the most distant idea that what I was stating would not be supported by the Court uiul by my colleague, I was inider the firm conviction that the assurance 1 then gave would be highly approved, and that I should receive praise for the guarded character of my expressions; and, laboring under such impressions, 1 little expected to have, on account of these very expressions, to entreat of the <.'ourt their generous consideration of the whole of the circumstances detailed in the letter now submitted, and the observa- tions therein maile in extenxuition of my conduct. "Prior to the delegates from Toronto having made their report, some cor- respo/ideuce passed between those gentlemen and my colleague, a portion of 54 which will be found appended to the report as forwarded to the C^rt by Mr. Widder; and I now append copy of my letter on the subject, dated 18th July 1862 (marked 0). " In conclusion, I beg to assure the Court of Directors, that if in the course of my proceedings in regard to this railroad question I have acted impru- dently, hastily, or in any way contrary to their wishes, I have not done so advisedly ; but that, in every action in connection with this, as well as on every other question hitherto involving the Company's interests, I have always called to my assistancr the best of my judgment, and have ever been, then as now, guided by the anxious desire to promote the interests of the Canada Company, and the welfare of this settlement. " Feeling the importance to my own interest of the Company's good opinion, I shall wait with deep anxiety the receipt of their sentiments on the unfortu- nate misunderstanding which I have fallen into ; and that no delay which can be avoided shall take place in this communication reaching the Court, I take the liberty of forwarding it direct ; and by the same mail I send copies to my colleague. " Some of the letters of which 1 now forward copies are already in the pos- session of the Court, but I take the liberty of troubling them with them a second time, in order that the whole subject may be placed clearly before them at once. " My sole object in entreating the Court to give an attentive perusal to the correspondence and documents now submitted, is to place myself in my proper position with the Court, and to guard if possible against any unfavorable conclusions being arrived at regarding my conduct under all the circum- stances adverted to ; and, should I be fortunate enough to receive from them the assurance that I have succeeded in my endeavors, I shall have received all I seek, and shall feel deeply grateful to the Court for the communication. " I have the honor to be, "Gentlemen, " Your obedient humble servant, " THOS. MERCER JONES. "To THE GOVBENOR, DePUTY-GoVERNOR AND " Directors of the Canada Company, "Si. Helen's Place, London:" "Gentlemen — "Goderich, August 13, 1862. "I have the honor to enclose to the Court the copy of a letter which I addressed to the Railroad Committee in this place, on the 10th instant, in consequence of my learning that they intended publishing the Report of the Toronto Delegates, and their reply to it ; and subsequently to the delivery of that letter, I had a personal interview with them twice, but failed in my endeavours to induce them to suppress the intended publication. The publication appeared in our papers of yesterday, and I now beg tO' enclose the slips containing the Reports, &c., with the Editorial remarks. " Yesterday morning, or the 12th instant, I received from my colleague Mr. Widder a copy of his letter to the Coiu-t, of the 29th ult., in which he refers to the appointment of the delegates to Buffalo made at the meeting held held here on the 21st ult., and I now beg permission to enclose the Court copy of my reply to the same, forwarded to him on the same day, or the 12th instant. I send a copy of this letter to my colleague by this popt, and when the Court consider the peculiar position in which I now most unfortunately stand, they will, I think, hold me excused in thus endeavouring to avoid the loss of an hour, by sending this communication direct, instead of through the'office in Toronto, (and the more especially, as the same post carries a duplicate of the whole to Toronto), in order that I may remove as early as possible the impression to my prejudice, which the communication from my colleague is calculated to make on the minds of the Court. " I would most particularly entreat the attention of the Court to this fact, that I only received the copy of the Report of the Toronto Delegates on the 56 morning of Saturday the Slst ult., or July ; and on the 4th August I mailed to the Court my own reply, also that of the Railroad! Committee, and the merchants of this place ; and deeply do I regret the fact that the Court would be in possession of the charges against me, most likely, three weeks before they could have my defence against them to refer to. *• The documents which I had the honor to enclose the Court in my letter of the 3rd instant, are, I regret to say, voluminous, but I entreat the Court not to permit the character of one who has served them most faithfully, and with a single heart, for nearly twenty-four years, to suffer in their estimation without first seriously^and most attentively considering every defence he has to offer. " I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, " Your very obedient, humble servant, (Signed) " THOS. MERCER JONES. " The Governor, the Deputy Governor, *' AND THE Director."? of the Canada Company, " London." Dear Sir- " GoDERiCH, 10th August, 1852 " I wish very much that tlie Committee would suppress the publication of the Rep . t of the Toronto Delegate.^, and of their reply. The publication cannot benefit the cause of the Railroad, and can serve no useful purpose that I can see, whilst an evil effect is very apparent to me, so far as I am myself concerned. The report of the delegates was calculated to injure no interest, but my own individual interest — and that with the Canada Company. The reply from the Railroad Committee in Goderich, and my own letters, contain, as I conceive, a complete defence, so far as I am concerned ; and it was only with the Directors of the Canada Company that any defence of my conduct was required. " Every useful purpose would be served, were an extract from the report of the delegates published, where reference to the merchants of this place is made ; and then, by publishing their letters in refutation of the statement, and the application intended. Be kind enough to see Mr. Lewis and the other members of the Committee on this subject, as early as you can. "Always, my dear Sir, '* Yours faithfully, (Signed) " THOS. MERCER JONES. " Thomas Kydd, Esq., " Chairman of the Railroad Committee, " Goderich." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER, IN CONTINUATION ON MESSRS. DUOGAN AND CLARKE's REPORT. My Dear Sir — " Goderich, 6th August, 1852. " On Saturday the Slst ult., 1 received the copy of the Report of the Toronto Delegates, which you had forwarded to the Court of Directors on the 22nd of that month, or nine days previously. I regret the delay in forwarding the copy to me, as when such grave charges are made against one, it is most desirable that as little delay as possible should take place, in affording an accused party the opportunity of defending himself. " That defence I mailed last evening, and I now return you the Report made by the Toronto Delegates, together with a copy of my letter to the Court of Directors on tlio subject. That letter although dated the 3rd instant, was not mailed, till the evening of the 4th, and I now, on the 5th instant, send you the copy of it. *' I also send you a copy of the reply of the Railroad Committee to the allegations contained in the Report of the Toronto and Guelph Railroad Delegates in relation to the meeting held here on the 29th June, and with a 56 copy of my letter to the CLairmain of the Committee, enclosing him the Report you. had sent me. '• The origimil of these two documents I mailed to the I'ourt lust evening, and herewith send you the copy of my letters oncloeing them to the Court of Directors. " After reading the tissue paper copies of the letters from the merchants of this place to Mr. Kydd, and Mr. Kydd's letter to them, requesting an expression from them on the subject of the remarks of Dr. Clarke and Mr. Duggan, I beg you will have the goodness to return them to me. " Believe me always, " My dear 8ir, " Yours faithfully, " THOS. MERCER JONES. " Fkedekick Widdkr, Esq." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER. " My Dkae Sie- "GoDEnicH, ruh Auguiit, 1862. " I am this morning put in receipt of your two letters of the 2nd instant. The correspondence which 1 send you by this raiiil, I think, renders it unne- cessary for me to do more than acknowledge their receipt, unless it may be as regards the last paragraph. You speak of tlie present position of the District, in regard to Railroad matters, as an unfortunate one. Tlie District feels that its position is very far removed from being an unfortunate one — that, on the contrary, their prospects are as bright as they could wish them to be. I alone am in an unpleasant position, and one that 1 should not be iu, us it appears to me, were my actions and motives viewed in the light which tliey ought to be, and in which, I doubt not, they will be by the Court, when the whole subject is fairly before them. I regret deeply the misunderstanding that took place, under which I gave the meeting on the liOth Juno an assu- rance for which I had no authority ; but that the assurance had tlie ett'ect which you appear to think, and which the Toronto Delegates affirm, 1 posi- tively deny, and the whole District, or rather the United Coimties, to a man will support me in that denial, in any form or way that may be required of them. "Always, &.c, (Signed) "THOS. MERCER JONES." " Fbei). WiDDEn, Esq." MR. WIDDER TO MR. JONES, IN REPLY TO LETTER Gtii INSTANT. " My Deae Sir — Toronto, '.Hh Avyust, 1852. "On the 7th instant I received your letter of the 5th instant, referring to certain correspondence which you state you had forwarded to me by the same mail. That con'espondence, with another letter from you of tlie oth instant also, did not, however, reach me till this morning. 1 can scarcely imagine that any new point can be brought forward, at this period, in any manner altering the position of the Canada Company as towards the people of the Huron upon Railway matters : but I will take the first leisure to peruse the voluminous papers you have thought it necessary to send to the Court and myself. In your letter enclosing these papers, you complain that on the 31 «< ultimo only you received copy of the Report of the Toronto Dele- gates, which I had forwarded to the Court the evening of the 22nd ultimo, or, as you say, nine days previously. In ray lettci to the Court, you will see upon closing it I received the Report, which I sent to the Court, believing that I should, on the following day, obtain from the Railway Company the original docimient, from which to make a copy to send to you, but found it was with Mr. Recorder Duggan. I sent several times to the office, but le was fram home. It was only on Saturday evening, the 24th July, his clerk gave 57 me the Report. On Monday Mr. Collier commenced, and finished copying it on Tuesday afternoon tlio 27th, and on the following day, the 28th July, it was forwarded to you : but I may also add, that had I been enabled to have sent the copy to you as early as f had desired, you would not have received it sooner than you did, because you were, if I am not misinformed, at Hamilton, on business connected with your Railway affairs, and did not return to Goderich till the 31st July. "I now enclose copy of my letter to the Court of the 2',)th ultimo, and of their letter of the 23rd instant. "1 remain, &c., (Signed) •' FRED. WIDDER." " T. M. Jones, Esq., Goderich." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER, UPON THE PART TAKEN BY FOUMEH IN BUFFALO AND PARIS RAILWAT BXTEN8I0S. " My DEAR Sir— "Goderich, 12th August, 1862. ♦' I am in receipt of your letter of the 0th instant. As your remarks appear to me to imply a doubt as to my having forwarded you on the 5th a copy of the report sent to the Court on the 4th, I wrote Mr. Kydd a note on the subject, and I now enclose it to you, with his answer. " I note your remarks relative to the delay in sending me a copy of the report of the Delegates sent to the Court of Directors, and your observations that even though you sent it earlier I could not have received it before the 31st, as I was absent at Hamilton on Railway matters, and did not return home till the 31st. In this you are mistaken in two particulars. In the first place, I did not visit Hamilton on matters connected with any projected Railway, but on private business ; in the next place, I did not leave my own residence in Goderich till Saturday afternoon the 24tli July, and returned homo on Wednesday evening tlie 28th : and, as a deed from Sir Allan to myself now laying before me will j^rove, I was in Hfimilton on the evening of the 20th July. " I observe, in your lettLi- to the Court of Directors of 27th July, you refer to tlie newspapers giving an account of a meeting held here on the 27th July, relative to Railway matters, and inform the Court, on their authority, that Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown were aiipoiiited Delegates to proceed to BuflFalo to afford certain information required by the Buffalo and Brantford Company. In every paper that I have seen, and I doubt not, if you refer again, you will find that 1 am correct as to the one you quoted from, the resolution is given. " 'Moved by Mr. John Clark, secondeil by Mr. Seymour, and resolved — That The Warden, Mr. Jones, and Mr. George Brown, be appointed,' &c. " That meeting took place on Wednesday evening ; on Thursday I wrote to the Chairman of the Railroad Committee, requesting to be excused acting as a Delegate, and giving my reasons ; and. on Friday morning, Mr. Brown and Dr. Clark proceeded to Buffalo by the way of London and Port Stanley ; and where you can have observed that they ' had passed through Hamilton on their way to the meeting,' I am at a loss to conceive ; at all events, my state- ment here given is tlie correct one. (Signed) •' TIIOS. MERCER JONES." " Fred. Widuek, Esq." 1 f Mil. WlDDliR TO MR. JONES. My dear Sir — 'Toronto, IGtli Aui/uat, 1852. " I have received ymir letter of the 12th instant. The delay in the delivery of one ofyour letters of the 5th instant occurred at the Post-office here, the other one was duly given to the messenger on Saturday at one o'clock ; on Monday when he called as usual for our letters, the one marked H 58 ' inoney,' with your correspondence with Mr. Kyild, was given to him. Vou will have seen that I had anticipated your correction as to tho day of your return to Godericli. I dare say you are right, but I have no papcrh to refer to, as to tho Warden being associated with you and Mr. Brown, as Delegates to Buffalo, but I cannot see any importance in luy having omitted to mention his name to tht Court, especially as they would ascertain the fact, if necessary, from the "Signal" and "Loyalist," sent to them regularly by each mail. I was aware of your having left Ooderich and your arrival at Hamilton, a few days after your appointment us Delegate, and being, of course, ignorant of your having declined to act, the conclusion I arrived at was a very reasonable one — that you were on your way to fulfil your mission, and that your associates were with i/ou. Agreeably with your request, l return herewith the tissue copies of Mr. Kydd's circular and the replies to them. " The papers you have sent to tlie Court are open to some remarks, but they are not necessary, and it would be a profitless use of time. I would however mention that, to the best of my knowledge, I never heard of the hand- bill calling a Railway meeting by the SheritF iit the reiiuest of certain freeholders, to advocate extm»ion to the ilrrat W'exttm line at lirantford, dated 14th March 1851, and 1 am not smgular in ipiorance of the fact, eras to any meeting being the result. It must have been a remarkable one, if its proceedings were founded upon such a notice. " I now have to enclose to you a copy of a letter from the Court, dated 30th July last, received yesterday (Sunday), upon I'ailway affairs. (Signed) "FllED. WIDDEU. "T. M. .ToNKs. Esq., Godericli^ MR. WIDDER TO MR. JONES. •• Mv DEAtt Sir — "Tokonto, \'6th Aui/imt, 1851!. •' I should mention that I discovered a little mistake I fell into in saying I supposed you were not returned from your Railway mission to Hamilton till the olst July. 1 foimd I had a letter from you dated at Goderich the liOth. 1 therefore made a note coi'recting the copy of my letter to you of the flth mstant, sent to tlie Court accordingly, although a matter of little moment, us bearing upon the question raised. (Signed) •'EKED. WIDDER. •'Thos. Mekceb Jones, Esq." MR. JONES TO lAlR. WIDDER. •' Mv DEAR Sir — "Goderich, Itjth Aui/unl, 1862. "I ar 'u receipt of your letter of the loth instant. I note your remarks relative '' Tiy visit to Hamilton, and which you style my Railway Mission. From, my letter of the 12th instant you would perceive that the mistake which you now refer to was not the only one you made on that occasion, for that you made a much more serious one, as far as 1 am concerned, in your communication to the Court of Directors. (Signed) "THOS. MERCER JONES. •'Frederick Widder, Esq." THE CANADA CO^IPANYS Lr.T'rEI! ON MR. JONES" CONDUCT IN CONNECTION WITI! Ti:; !;.ULWAi' MEETING AT GODERICH. "Canada House, " London, SOth July, 1852. '•Thomas Merger Jones, and " Frederick Widuer, Esquires, " Gmtlemen — The Directors obser^'e in the Huron Signal of the Ist of July the Report of a Railway Meeting at Goderich, Mr. Jones presiding as Chair- man ; when he is stated to have said, after referring to the Brantford Line of 59 Uailwuy, * tliiit he wiin fully justified in believing tluit the Oanadii Company will in every respect render the same asaistance and facilities for obtaining the requiHito capital, through the negotiation of your Debentures, us they have 80 readily ami generously afforded to the Toronto and Guelph Company.' "The Directors feci great difficulty in believing it possible that Mr. Jones should have ventured to make any such statement, because he must be well aware, from the correspondence with the Court for many months i)U2t, '""hi, they had thought it right to do all in their power to promote !i line from Toronto to Guelph, believing that such line would necessarily bo extended to Goderich, and being strongly impressed with tlio opinion that an attempt at competing lines would end in a failure in obtaining any. But, supposing tho Report above mentioned to be correct, the Directors think Mr. Jones acteil very unadvisedly in presiding at all at a meeting to promote a rival project, but still more so, in taking upon himself to express an opinion (for which he had no authority whatever) that the Directors would negotiate the deben- tures of this rival lino. In adopting this course, sujjposing he did so, he has also placed the Directors in a most painful situation : for assuming, as every body will, that the act of one of their ('ommissioners is sanctioned by the Board, it appears to bo a gro.ss breach of faith on their part, after pledging themselves, as they have done, to the Directors of the (tuelph and Toronto Railway. The Directors, therefore, call upon Mr. Jones immediately upon the receipt of this letter, to address a letter to .Mr. Wilier, stating that ho had no authority or right of any kind to express tin- belief he thought fit to announce as to any facilities the Directors of tiiu <"iinaerich, ISth Avyml, 1862. " 1 am in receipt of your letter of the 16th instant. I cannot take the same view as you do of the unimportant character of ilie omission of the Warden's name, and merely mentioning my own and Mr. Brown's. I think his nomination gave a very important character to the whole proceedings. If you consider it worth while to wTite to the Court for it, you can see the handbill, which was a printed one, issiied with the Sheriff's name at the foot, calling the public meeting on the 14th March 1851, as stated in my com- munication to the ('ourt, and as referred to in the Report of the Railroad Committee ; and I cannot say that I understood your meaning by the observa- tion that the meeting must have been a remarkable one, if its proceedings were founded upon such a notice. " You are yourself aware that I was not in Gotlerich on the 14th March 1851 ; but if you have any doubts as to the genuineness of the handbill, or as to the meeting being held in consequence of it, abundance of satisfactory evidence as to the true fact can be fm-nished you. "You say that the papers which I have sent to the Com-t in my own defence arc' open to some remai'ks, but that they are not necessary, and would bo !i profitless use of time. All that I can say in reply is, that I have made no statement that 1 have not cither adduced emdcncc in support of, or am quite ready to do so, and that I have therefore made no statement that 1 do not conscientiously believe to be true. I have received the copy you sent me of the despatch from the Court of the 80th of July, made by Mr. Cameron ; and after all the correspondence which has passed between us, and which has been sent to the Coiu-t subsequent to the meeting here on the 29th June, I presume that acknowledging its receipt is all that will now be con- sidered necessary. My letter to you of the 8th July, I think, contained all that the Court would wish me to say, and you can make any use you deem 60 expedient of the whole of my coiTcspoiulencc since tiic meeting of the 29th June; nnil, if more were required, shewing the present ednimunicntion to the Directors of the Toronto nnd fluelph Riiilroail ("nnipany from the Directors of the Cnnadu Company, will. I conceive, be considcrcil quite sufficient to remove nil effects wliich would or might have arisen from my most unfortu- nate misconception; hut, if not, F am, of course, (piite ready to do anything further which may he necessary, in full compliance witli tiic wishes and instructions of the ("ourt. (Signed) " TIIOS. MElU'liR JONES." "FlIKI). WiDlJKn. F,HQ." MU. BIDDER TO MR. JONES. GENKRAM.Y A3 TO rnOCKKDINOS IN CONNECTION WITH niFFAI.O A.\» PAKIS llOAD. " Mv DEAR Sill — " TouoNTo, 2'J. " I should have rei)lied earlier to your letters but for a slight indisposition, which contined me to my residence. 1 attach no importance to the hand- bill you refer to, calling the meeting by the Sheriff, in March 1851, or whether there were three or a dozen people who attended. For it is tolerably clear it must have been a very iusignilicant affair, since its result* were passed over in silence; and, if otherwi.se, I cannot see what it has to do with the question nt issue. You say you cannot understand my meaning by the obsei'vation that the meeting must have been a remarkable one if the proceedings were founded upon such a notice. If you will take the trouble to consider for a moment the geographical arrangement of that notice which I copied in my letter of the liith instant from the schedule you sent to me and to the (.!ourt, I think you will uiulerstand the meaning of my observation. " In reference to the Court's despatch of the IlOth ultimo, 1 cannot amve at the conclusion you do, that the mere acknowledging its receipt is all that will now be considered necessary, or that your letter to me of the Hth ult. contained all that the Court would wish you to say. I have reperused your letter, and cannot but look upon it otherwise than as an intended unqualified justification of the course you have thought proper to adopt ; and towards the conclusion of your letter you state you cannot see how anything which you have said or done is calculated to jiroduce embarrassment to either the Canada Company or their Commissioner.s. ' The Court take a decided and unequivocal different view of the mati , r in question ; ami furthermore, are most desirous to destroy the false and injurious influences which may reason- ably be drawn by those unacquainted with the facts.' That your letter to me of the 8th ult., if submitted with the Court's despatch of the ;JOth ult. to the Railway Directors here, will accomplish what the Court earnestly desire, a moment's reflection would dictate the answer, most decidedly not. I enclose a copy of my last letter to the Court of the 21st instant, with copies of letters to and from the Railroad Directors here. " I should mention, for your government, that the Court were in possession of your letter of the Hth ult. above referred to. (Signed) •• FREDK. WIDDER. " Thos. MEiiCEn Jones, Esq." MR. JONES TO MR. WIDDER, IN REPLY. "My Dear Sir— Goderjch, \st September, 1852. " I have no copy of the Railway notice of 18ol, and without it I am unable to say anything upon the geographical arrangement of it ; all that I recollect about it was that I c.illed for a meeting of the inhabitants to take into consideration the expediency of adopting measures for the construction of a Railroad to unite with the Brantford one. (Signed) "TIIOS. MERCER JONES." "Fred. Widdeh, Esq." 61 MR. WIDDEll TO MU. JONllS, IN IlKPLY. "My Deau yiii— "ToiioNTo, ]st S<'pt. 1852. " I bavo received oopie.s wliicli ;. mi have Heiit of your correspondcuco with Mr. Brown uiioii tii.\es, iind witli Mr. Kjdd upon railways. 1 now enclose you copy of a letter, or rutlier of rcMiiliitionH of the JJailway IJonrd hero, latcd lJ8th ult., und my reply thereto 't' of the 8th July explained fully the cause leading to my giving the asanranc " which I did, and cont.uns the most solemn assurance in my power to oiler, that when I .stated to the meeting that J felt fully justitied iii believing tliat shouhl the decision of the meethig and of these United Coun- ties be, that it was more to their intei-est to support the Goderich and Paris line than the Toronto and (iu(>lph line, that the Canada Company would in every respect render the same assistance and facilities for obtaining the requi- site capital, through the negotiation of their debentures, as they had afforded to the Toronto and Guelph line, tliat I felt as completely satistied that 1 was then uttering the sentiments of the Court of Directors and yourself as I was of my existence. 1 observed that my conduct in tiie chair was, 1 had flattered myself, such as would have met your apj.robation, and the approbation of every one, and that 1 .'sincerely l;..:iented that through my unfortunntf vtiscon- replinn, I should, in your opinion, have jilaced tlie Canada Company und their (Commissioners in an embarrassing ])osition. When I gave the assurance to the meeting Avhicli J did that, should the decision be in favor of the Paris line, I believed it would receive the support of the Company — / J'ulhj and dis- linetljj admit that / had no (iitthority from lit/icr tlie Canuda Compan;/ or your- frlf for fxprmniiiif tlint fniief. hut that I jirmlij bi'licvcd thfij would do so for their own iittcrcnt.i and on the cmitiiii/rnci/ jiuulinncd, is most certain. " The Court of Directors, in their letter of the 80th July, require me imme- diately to address a letter to you, stating that I lunl no authority or right of any kind to express the belief J thought fit to announce, as to any facilities the Directors of the Canada Company were ready io afford to the Brantford line : and in accordance with that desire. I now again repeat that I had no authority for giving that assurance ; but I will be pardoned, 1 trust, when at the same time 1 also repeat that 1 never would have given that assurance, had 1 not most erroneously conceived that I had your authority for doing so. 1 most frankly admit — and I have done so in nearly every letter I have written you since the meeting of the 29th June, and, as I conceive, have offered at the same time every apology for my unfortunate mistake which could be expected 62 ■ft 4ty I of njc, and every soul iu these counties und tliousi'mls beyoii'" them now know that the ossurances I gave at that tiu:e have been promptly ;epudiated on the part of the Company — that the opinions I expressed were my own individual opinions only, and that they were altogether at variance with yours is most publicly known. " I repeat over again, jtliatl sincerely reirr''* having through misconception of your expressions, given an assurance that 1 thoughi, tiie Company would grant their aid towards negotiating the debentures; and in thus atti'ibuting a mean- ing to your words which 1 subsequently found they were not intended to bear was ai' error on my part which 1 deeply regret ; but I most solemnly declare that I. interpreted your exjiressions most eiToneously, 1 admit, as conveying those sentiments. " i reel that 1 have, in my letters of the 8th. 1 7ih and 'J'Jth July, oflered all tlie foregoing explanat-ons and apolosjics: and I do hope find trust that, having the whole before them, and all the documents forwarded them in my letter of the -ith instant, the Court of l>iroctnrs will be satisfied with my explanations: and most deeply do I regret that they should not have been so considered by yourself. "I observe in your letter to the Court, oi'the lilst.July, in speaking of the report of the Toronto delegates, that in s|iite of considerations mentioned, tlie report had passed into the hands of jiarties inimical to yourself and the Canada Company, &c. ^c. i^c. " In this you are mistaken ; for not one oi" the members of the Kailway (Committee were inimical to either the Ciuiada Company or yourself, mdcss it be Mr. Longworth, and he is no friend of mine either. '' The re])ori: contained fvave charges against myself, and chai'ges which it was necessary should be promptly rebutted; and to do so satisfactorily, the obvious course, as it ajipeared to nu", was, t( enclose the report to the Kail- road Conuuittee ; and for its I'ublication afterwards 1 cannot be held respon- sible, for 1 (lid all I ccmld to prevent the publication, both personally and in writing : and you are in possession of a copy of nv letter to the Chainnan of the (Jonuiiittee on the subject, and also a copy oi my letter to the Court of Directors of the 4 th August, in which 1 advert to those facts. (Signed) ■■ TIIOS. MEllCEP. JONES. •• Fiu:i). W'lDDKif, Esq." xMU. JONMS TO MP.. WIDDER. •• -Mv DKAU SlU — "(iODKlUCH, G/A SqUCiahir, Xbij'l. " I observe that in rejily to the en(|uiry from the Toronto and Guelph Ilailroadt.'onipany of the l28th ultimo, you gave them a copy of the letter from the Court of the oOth .Inly, regarding the statement which I made at the meeting of the liOth June, ^'ou are in iiossession of the copy of the reply 1 gave tlie llailroad Committee here to a similar enquiry. In not giving them, as you have done to the Toronto Company, a copy of the desjiatch, I assure you I was influenced by feelings in noway coiniectedwith myself personally ; and if you think it ought to be done now, I shall do it, but doing so I think would be unwise ; I shall, however, act in that respect as you may consider most advisable, looking to the [losition of the Company iu regard to those counties and the two proposed lines of road. (Signed) •■TIlOS MEKCEU JONES. " FllED. WiUDKU, Esq." MK. WIDDEi: TOMU. .lOXES. "My niAuSii; — "Touonto, liOth Orlob^r, 1852. " Having upon fonrer occasions clearly and distinctly expressed to you my opinions with reference to the Court's letter of the 30th July upon your pro- ceedings upon Uailway affairs, it would be a waste of time to re-enter upon the question. (Signed) FHED. WIDDER." "T. M. Jokes, Esq., Ooderich." 63 MR. JONES TO Mil. WIDDER. •• My Dear Hut— "Goder/cu, :20th Oct., 1862. '• I observe (in your letter to the Court), also, that you quote the majority with which the By-law for tlie issue of £125,000 in Debentures was confirmed as fifteen to six, which is a mistake, as it was seventeen to four, being a majority of thirteen, instead of nine. (Signed) " THOMAS MERCER JONES. •'Frederick Widweu, Esq." MR. WIDDER TO MR. JONES. "My dear Sir — "Toronto, 3rd November, 1852. " It seems, according to your statement, that my infonnant was in error as to the majority in the ''ouncil upon the vote of £125,000 for the Buffalo exten- sion scheme of Railroad to Godericb, but it seems to me of verj' little impor- tance wh(;t''er the majority had in reality been nineteen, thirteen, or any other number, in lieu of nine, as I f^ave it to the ("ourt. If the point were of sucli great interest, it mio-lit be ascertained from the newspapers ref!,ularly sent to the Court. Thos. Merof.r Jonks, Esq. I Si^tied I FRED. -NVIDDKR.- MR. KYDD TO MR. JONES, AS TO CANVOA COMI'ANy's CAURYtXO OUT MR. JONEs'S PEOMl.'^ES AT MEETINU AT oonr.iiicii. " Dear Sir — " Gouericu, 25//t Aii(/ust, 1852. " The Committee having just received information that tlio Directors of the Butfalo and Brantford Railway Company luive passed a by-law to extend their line to Godericb, and tiumillee, Go'lcrirh.'' 64 In connection, it may be well to observe, that Dr. Chalk, the Warden of the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce ; Mr. Brown, their Treasurer ; and Mr. Wadsworlh, of Buffalo — who took so pvoajinent a part at the meeting at Godericli presided over by Mr. Jones — called upon Mr. Widder, at Toronto, on the 6th of August 1852, on the subject of the aid promised by Mr. Jones to the Buffalo and Paris extension railway at the Goderich meeting alluded to, when Mr. Widder replied to them as is thus stated in his letter to the Canada Company : "I have to nioiitiou tluit last week f liiul ii visit from Dr. Chalk, tho Warden, and Mr. IJrowue, tiic 'I'roasiiror of the Huron, tlie^^Dclegate.s from Godericli, ajipointed as mentior.ed in my lust letter, to jtroceed to IJuiFaio, from whence they came to me, accomjiaiiied l)y ^Ir. AVadsworth, the acting Manager for the interests of tliat city in tiic Brantford and Bnffalo Railway Company. Their oliject was distinctly ti> ascertain wlKther the Canada Company would lend their assistance in carrying out the project for an exten- sion of the railway from Brantfoi'd to (lodericli. 1 as distinctly gave my opinion that the Canada Company would in no manner promote their scheme ; that the Court had long since taken up the lino from Toronto, (iiielph and Goderich ; had made the requisite arrangements in England for accomplish- ing the work ; and that it was not advisable to abandon it for a line which would make Canadian interests subservient to those of the Republic, even supposing that the Canad.i <.'omiiany would not thereby be compromising their honour and faith to the Toronto ami (inelpli <'ompany. The three gentlemen were much disappointed, especiidly .Mr. Wadsworth. who appeared to be completely ignorant of the ti'ue position of niatters: and they all dwelt much upon the pledge given at s. As an evidence of the progress of the Province, no less than of the marked and continuous success, for ten years, of this system — and which has had the merit, not only of having introduced population, prosperity, and energy, where they did not previously exist, but of doing this against very great detraction and distrust of the system itself — the following statistics of the Company's leases and sales of land from 1842 to December 1852, inclusive, will prove of more than ordinary interest. Acre sold Kmigralion for rash and Year. during y>^;vr. on credit. Leiwod arr(-s. Remarket. 1842, 44,374 28,127 44,541 in 6 nionflif^. 1843, 20,142 8,70.-) 63,907.^ 1844, 25,37:") 12MI 54,013 1845, 29,253 9,282 .52,617 1846, 32,753 7,736 15,055 Leasing .su.«*p. 1847, 90,150 15,426 71,151 '' renewed. 1848, 27,939 9,714 44,211 1849, 38,494 4 221 65,241 1850, 32,292 iO..;76 94,371 1851, 41,076 14,100 97,182 1852, 39,176 13,129 47,295 It may be mentioned as interesting, in connection, that the deeds issued for lands in the Huron, from the year 1829 to 1840, inclusive — a period of eleven years — amounted to but 6 18; whilst for the subsequent eleven years — from 1842 to 1852, inclusive — there were issued 1,697 deeds. The following statistics of the increase of population in the tract, from 1842 to 1852, are of great interest : 71 The population of the Huron (exclusive of the townships of Williams and Bosanquet) was, in 1842, 7,293 souls ; 1843, 9,178 « 1844, 11,506 " 1845, 13,500 " 1846, 14,983 " 1847, 16,641 " 1848, 20,450 " 1849, 25,000 " 1850, 26,933 " 1851, 37,480 " 1852, tibout 40,000 " An increase almosl incredible, as upon reference to Smith's work on Canada, it will be found that the Huron District has made more rapid progress since its first settlement in 1827, than Lower Canada did in one hundred and four years, its population tlieii being (in 1721) 21,511. The like observations will apply to the town of Guelph In the year 1843, when the leasing system was applied to the lots there, the population was 700 ; in 1846, 1,357; in 1850, 1,860; and the Company have since disposed of nearly all their property there. The deeds issued by the Company for lots in Guelph, from 1834 to 1843, nine ye.irs, were 61 ; and from 1843 to 30lh November last, 146. The assertion that only the poorer and ignorant class o( settlers would be introduced into Huron by the leasing system, is amply refuted by the large number of leases already converted into deeds, prior to the expiration of the term, and the very large amounts deposited in the Canada Company's Settlers' Savings Hank — which now amount to £40,000, at 6 per cent, interest — for obtaining deeds under the option permitted the settlers in their leases. Yet the increase in the population of the Huron, extraor dinary as it has been, was still in a less ratio than the actua\ improvements in the tract since the introduction of Ihe leasing system, especially during the latter years — a large proportion of the lands taken on lease, and a considerable portion of the deeded lands, being taken by persons who, though non-residents, were never. heless improvers. For 72 old and wealthy settlers from Townships in other sections of the Province have been in the habit, of lute years, of taking up and improving farms in the Huron for the various members of their families, who remained with their parents till these farms became Ut for their re(!eption. So that im- provements have been going on, not only in keeping with the increase of population in the tract, but for the benefit of parties out of it ; but who, of course, would ultimately be- come its settlers. The same may be said of mechanics and tradesmen, who, in numerous instances, have leased lands and im- proved them, although working at this time in cities and towns, at their different vocatiuii:s, earning money to pay for these improvements, and ultimately to pay for the land itself. It may farther he observed, as a still stronger proof of iii success of this system, that most of the educated and intel- ligent settlers iliroughout the Huron hold leases from the Company, having preferred that mode to paying cash for their lands. To illustrate this, it is cily necessary to men- tion, the Sheriff r.nd Treasurer of the U'lited Counties of Huron and Bruce; the Sheriff of the County of Perth; the Bank Agents ; most of thf Clergy ; the Merchants and Medical men at Goderich and Stratford ; the Barristers and Solicitors, including the Company's legal advisers ; their late Commissioner, and llie Honourable the President of the Bureau of Agriculture. 01 the mode of working the leasing syslein, and the rea- sons at large which led to its adoption, the reader may be informed by referring to Mr. VVidder's letter to the Canada Company in London, dated 8tli December 1846, which will be found in the Appendix hereto, marked No. 10. The results of it, since this letter was written, in promoting the most healthy description of settlement, and in the great prosperity of the Huron, as <«x('mplified in the immense increase of population, the quantity of land disposed of, and the vast accumulation" of material wealth there, are even more extraordinary than what was indicated or anti- cipated in that letter. 73 In relation to the Canada Company's arrangements for the future management of their affairs, it may be observed, thai their unsold lands in the Huron amount, as already mentioned, to 222,000 acres ; whereas the Crown Reserves, undisposed of, scattered from Ilawkosbury in the extreme east, to Maiden in the extreme west of the Province, — a distance of some six hundred miles — exceed a half a mil- lion of acres, which are divided into one and two hundred acre lots — these bein^^ scattered over nearly every Town- ship in the Province. Yet their sale and management, without apparently occasioning either enquiry or complaint, have always been conducted at Toronto. Now, though Goderich, the extreme west of the Huron tract, is but a hundred and fifty miles from Toronto, where the Com- pany's chief office is; yet, lest any inconvenience should accrue to the settlers in the Huron, an Agency has been established in that town, and the bank ageiil is also em- powered to transact much of the Company's pecuniary business there ; whilst at Stratford there has always been an efficient agency. The Canada Company, after their experience of so many years, and having so many obvious reasons for doing everything in their power to convenience the settlers, and to facilitate their progress, deemed these arrangements adequate to all the purposes of their business. Their interests and their desires alike prompted them to promote settlement, prosperity, and contentment in the Huron, and their business arrangements have been made solely with this view. As regards Mr. Robinson, it is but just to add, that the situation he received, and now holds, under the Canada Company, he never either directly or indirectly applied for. The Court of Directors in London having determined to make the change already indicated, authorised Mr. VVidder to oH'cT the appointment to Mr. Robinson ; and he, having first ascertained that Mr. .lones had actually ceased to be the Company's Commissioner, accepted it. APPENDIX. (No. 1.) Extract of a Letter from Mn. Widdkb to Mb. Jonkh, duleti 2'th June, 1851. "As respects the fonipany's aHHistanco in promotlnj:; the objects of the County Council upon their desired issiie of i;:U),000 of Debentures. I do not see how I could in any manner enter upon the suliject witii the Tourt (nor did I write to any one else) beyond what I iiad done on the 10th instant, previous to the receipt of your letter of the same dale. It did not seem to rae that tho business was in a position re(|uiring tlie f^oniinissionurs to inter- fere in a matter on whicli tliey had no information beyond tinit publislicd in the Loj/alist paper, and had not been consulted "r .'isUed to act in any manner: I therefore abstained from writing furtlic" u|,(i;i the business until I heard further respecting it. The letter from tii-' Treasurer to you, which I received after having despatched my corrcspomience of yesterday to the Court, now calls upon us to act, and 1 will transmit it to the Court by the next steamer. It seems to me, liowever, tliat that communication should have been accompanied by tlie resolution it refers to, ami set fortli all the proceedings in the Council connected witli it : the ways and means for pro- curing the principal and interest; the precise a.nouut to be applied upon each line of road ; and the length, &c., &c. — for you will observe that the newspaper states the particular roads upon which the amount is to be spent, whilst the Treasurer speaks generally of the 'leading rouds' through the Counties of Perth and Huron. The Treasurer should, perhaps. Imve said that the Council arc prepared to submit to a discount on the sale of their Debentures, and that they would agree to pay the interest in London, fi-ce of all deductions, punctually on the day when the same should become due. "There can be no doubt whatever that the completion of the roads men- tioned in the Lot/alist, and tlie expenditure of so large an amount of money in the tract, will bo productive of great benefit to the Company, and I shall therefore rejoice if the effort to obtain the loan in London proves successful — even at the sacrifice of a heavy discount. Until we hear from them it will be unnecessary to enter upon the expediency, or otherwise, of the Canada Company agreeing to receive the Debentures as cash in Canada for the pay- ment of their properties. 1 trust tlnit this (jucstion will not arise, in conse- quence of the success to obtain the capital iu London." Extract of a Letter from Freo. WinnKU, Ei^q., Toronto, to the Court of Directors in London, dated Srd Jul//, 1851. "By my letter of the liHh I apprized the Court of the project contempla- ted by the County Council of the Huron, with reference to the improvement of certain roads, ami for which object it is proposed to issue debentures to the extent of £30,000 currency. My colleague has since transmitted to mc an application from the Treasurer, dated the 20th ultimo, of which tho enclosed is a copy, desiring the Company's co operation in the disposal of tho debentures in the London market. The Court will be advised, through other channels, of the position of the County, both as respects its finances, as well as the extent of the security oflfered for tho payment of interest and reim- bursement of principal ; also upon the great benefit tliat would ensure to tho Company through the completion of the works in question, that it is unne- cessary for me to enter upon those points, which are so very apparent, and will, I trust, induce the Court to make every effort to accomplish tho desires 76 of the Council, by procuring the requisite capital. I have written to Mr. Jone.s for some information and documents, which I conceive the Treasurer should have sent with his letter: when received they will be forwarded to the Court. AVc shall be extrennjly anxious to have the Court's reply to this application ; but I sincerely hope that, whatever course they may adopt, it will not interfere with the assistance it may become essential the Company .should render toward.s securing the formation of a Railway terminating at Goderich, by Avhich only can we expect to dispose, at an early period, of our large interests in that town and its harbour." " ' My dear Sir : *' ' Goderich, '2ith June 1851. " ' Enclosed you hiive a letter which I have received from the Treasurer of our district on the subject of the negotiation of the debentures proposed to be issued for the construction of JIacadamised Roads. I told him verbally, in reply, that the Commissioners would forward it to the Court of Directors ; and if you agree witii me as to the propriety of doing so, will you be kind enough to cnclo.se U in ;oiir next despatch. (Signed) •' ' T. M. JONES. •••F. Wu.DEu, Esq.'" TO TIIK COMMISSIONERS OF THE CANADA COMPANY. '"CorsTY Treasurer's Office, " • Genti-emew : Goderich, June '20, 1851. " ' At the meeting of the County Municipal Council of the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce, held ut Goderich lat-t week, a resolution was adopted authorizing the .sale of County Mimicipal Debentures to the amount of £30,000, bearinji interest at six per oent., payable I nlf-yearly, and redeemable £10,0(»0 in twelve years, £10,(>00 in sixteen years, and £10,000 in twenty jears, for the purpo.se of gravelling the lending Roads through the United Counties of Huron and Perth : and that n rate be levied on all property, real and personal, ior the payment of the same ; and, should the rate levied be insufficient, that the tolls to be levied on t)ie 8aiequent increase in the value of prf^perty and pros- perity of the settlement at large, ^c. &c. But, intimately connected as the Canada Company is with tli ■ settlement, any suggestion I could make would, I am sure, be useless. (Signed) '-'CEO. BROWN, Jin., '' ' Count;/ Treasurer Huron, Perth and Bruce,' " I (No. 2.) "CANADA IIOl'RB, "London, 2bth July 1851. " Thomas Mercer Jones and " Fbedebick 'Widder, Esquires, " Gentlemen, — The Directors having taken into consideration the commu- nication made to yo i by the Treasurer of the Huron County Council and your recommendation in its favor, desire - e to state that they will have greot pleasure, as agents for the council, in furthering the iibject; and they will be glad to receive, without de'ay, the detailed inform.ation which Mr. Jones is to furnish. Until the Directors are in possession of this information, and know precisely the conditions of payment, and vhe security on which it rests, ind z.\\ necessary information, in detail, as to the debentures intended to be issued, they wiU not venture to give any opinion as to the probability 77 of the sale of such securities in London ; but they suggest, that the interest should be made payable in London, half-yearly, in sterling money ; and the capital also, by the same mode of payment, at the periods fixed for that purpose ; and that the debentures should be In amounts of £100, £200 and £500 each. " I hn"" the honor to be, " Uentlemen, " Your most obedient servant, "JOHN PERKY, Secretary:' (No. 3.) '•COU.NTY TREASrRKR'.S OfFICE, " Goderich, C. W., '2itk Nuv., 18r)l. "To The Chaikman and I)ire(;tor.s " of the Canada Company. " Gentlemen — I liavo the honour to acknowledge the receipt oi' .in extract of your letter to your Commissioners, of date 2oth .hily 18ol, transmitted by them to this office, and having reference to my application to your body for assistance in the sale of Huron County Council Debentures to the amount of £30,000, Halifax (Jun'ency, for the purpose of carrying out a comprehensii'e plan of gravelling the leading muds through the Counties of Huron and Perth. •' 1 have, on behalf of these Coimties, to thank you for your roany acquies- cence in our scheme, and now beg to lay before you the information in detail required in your letter. ••In the first place, it would be as n-ell to state the reasons of the County Council for undertaking so heavy and expensive a work as gravelling ninety- five miles of road. On the first settlement of the County, these roads were opened by the (.'anadii. Company, and, so long as the population was thin, and the traflic consequently liglit, they were forced to answer the wants of the public : but us the population heciuue dense, and the traffic heavy, then the deep, alluvial soil, of whioh the woods are composed, became cut into immense ruts, and large mnd-holes formed, which liavo rendered the roads at many seasons of the year, impassable. To remedy this, on tiie formation of the Municipal Coimcil in 1842, taxes were levied to rep lir these roads, but on such a great e.Kteut, by the time one part was repaired others became utterly inipas.sablc. "Deeply regretting tlie large sums already wasted, nnil convinced of the hopeless iinitility of ever endeavouring to nnike roads liy the above means, the County Council, on receiving the jiuthoi'ity vost'^d In them by the Act 12 Vic. oh. 81, sees. 177 and 18:!, empowering them to raise money by the sale of debentures, at the nieoling in June last, passed the accompanying By-law, authorising the County Treasurer to negociate the sale of their debentures to the amount of i;:)0,0(IO, for the purpose of gravelling tlie roads in a per- manent manner. The -^aid I?y-hiw was properly revised by one of the lead- ing lawyers of the County, .lolin Wilson. Esq., M. P. P., and debentures are now to be issued : and, acting on your suggestion, they will be made ir. ster- ling, redeemable in London, and the interest also payable half-yearly in London. "The annexed 15y-law provides that one farthing in the pound be levied on all propeity assessed in the United Counties, for the payment of both principal and interest. This tax, during the present year, amounts to £1,140 17». (>rf., whereas the interest on the £80,000 amounts to /1, 800, showing a deficiency of £()0;> 2.«. \>d. To meet this the tax collected this year, togetlur wiC.i the tax to be collected in 1852, will, as it were, form a fund to meet the payment of the first instalment of interest; for, as the pro- ceeds of the debentures would not be required before, say one moiety in August next, and the other the following spring, thus two years' taxes will bo collected before the first half-year's interest becomes due ; and, for the future, from tlie immense increase of property that has taken place during the last few years, warrants me iu supposing that it will increase in even a 78 greater ratio — taking into consideration the immense quantities of Crown lands lately sold, and wbicli wil' become immediately subject to the tax Jevied under the By-law. I hav therefore no fear that the tax levied will, in itself, be sufficient to meet the . •'gular payments of principal and interest, without having recourse to the toL ! to be levied on the completion of the roads, or any part thereof, and which the By-law provides shall be appro- priated to the liquidation of the debt and interest, should the tax levied be found insufficient ; and, judging from the amount collected on that part of the London road running through the County of Middlesex, and already gravelled, the tolls will form a handsome revenue to the Counties, as the thir*.een miles alluded to paid a dividend of twelve per cent, to the share- holders, and placed three per cent, to a sinlcing fund. By this you will see tb-it I am fully justified in forming the most sanguine expectations; for, although the travel on our section of the road cannot, as yet, be supposed to equal that of a settlement so much older, yet in a few years, when the re- sources of this tine country will be more fully developed (and nothing can develop them equal tn good roads), our trafHc, and consequently our tolls, will fully equal those of the County of Middlesex. I have further to state that, although the County of Perth is about to be separated from the United Counties, yet, by the laws of the Trovince, 12 Vic, ch. 78, the Cour.y so separating is still held liable for its proportion of tlie debt contracted during the union. " I trust that, upon due consideration nf ♦he afx)ve, yo>i will feel fully jus- tified in advocr.tuig our cause ; and, f ven should /ou not be disposed to become the purchasers of our debe«i*i»res yourseWe*. timt your wealthy and influential l)ody will use their o\t^\f>n^ for their disposal on advantag/ious terms, thus enabling the Council to cany out this much to l)e desirc'i pro- ject, by which the prosperity of the Counties will be greatly enhanced, and in which your '.idy will greatly participnte. f need liardly stat*" that your decision, t nt,'ti)*i" with any further suggestions you may be ])leased to make, will be anr.ously expected by the Council, and, if favourable, the debentures shall be t'orwarded immediately, so that the works may commence on the breaking up of the iroM in spring. " I have rW kK*/* to be, •• /yisr oie^M^ent humble servant, (Signed; "OKOKGE DKOWX, Jrs., " County Treasurer, //., P. 4-. B. (No. ■}.; **tl^tflf '0 authorizf thr Treasurer of the fm/al Counticf: of Iluroiu Perth and ffw.f to contract loon of thirti/ thousand pounds, for thr purpose of corulru/'iing Gravel Roads within the said United Counties. " Whebea." 1' Is expedient that a comprehensive plan of grading, gravelling tai4 otherwise improving the Road known as the Huron Road from the Hartx/T at Godericii t/; the township of Wiluiot, and the Road known as the London R'/ad from the vilhtgc of Clinton to the township of London, and for building thf necessary Iffi'lge-^ ;iri/1 tcA1-jco^.os thereon, be adopted. And whereas tb* .mount of ratiii'!« property in fh* raid United Counties appears, by the last ft^t^'^rncni returi' ~. to be one million, one liundred and one thou •and. one \,mAf*-A i»fl one pounds, n-netocn shillings and eight pence, exclusive of tt** »i<'<.>ry^fffA4 town of G iderich, the unnual value of property thereon being fiw tthOuyn/i^ M2 h-mdr'.id and forty pounds, ton shillings and four i>ence, and tlie .-•©•'rial taiM iti <^inaftor imposed will bo sufficient to Mtilfy a/n^l diwchnrge uip loan herfifi > */Mioriscd to be niade, with the interest Umpm^, Wi^flNi the time ilj/Jited Ltf;^ f im) by the laws of the province : "1^ Me ;^ therefore luueted hy th" ylmii' ipiil C"uncil of the United Counties of Uuf'/Tt, I'/nh and /'.rue.e, Thii> •)-' i nror of the said Tlnited Counties be, and b* >x hereby authorized, (;ii •■■ . of the faid Municipal Council, to contract a loan for the sum of £30,000. m sums of not less than JE26, bearing intereit at such rate, not exceeding six pci' ceat,, as may be agreed upon 79 between him and the said parties oflfering to make such loan, which interest shall be payable half-yearly, at the office of the Treasurer of the said United Counties; and £10,000 of which principal sum shall be payable in twelve years from the date of the issue of the said debentures, the further sum of £10,000 in sixteen years from the date of the issue of the said debentures, and the balance of £10,000 in twenty years from the date of the issue of the said debentures. "2nd. And be it further enacted, That, for affording evidence of the said loan, and for securing the payment thereof with interest, debentures on behalf of the said Municipal Council shall be issued for the same, in sums of not less than £25, which debentures shall be sealed with the seal of the said Municipal Council, signed by the Warden and countersigned by the County Clerk and Treasurer respectively, and shall bear date on the day the money is advanced to the Treasurer, and be made payable with interest accoi'ding to the terms and conditions of the said case as hereinbefore mentioned. "3rd. And he it further enacted, That a special rate of one farthing in the pound per annum, over and above and in addition to all other rates whatsoever, shall be raised and levied in each year for the payment of the said debt to be created by the said loan, until the same shall be fully paid, upon all the ratable real and personal property within the said United Coimties, and four pence and one-sixth of a penny in the pound per annum (being the rates of the amuud to the real value) upon the annual value of all the ratable real and personal property within every incorporated town or village which now is, or which shall be within the said United Counties dui'ing the continuance of the said rate. "4th. And be it further enacted. That the proceeds arising from the tolls that may be collected upon the above named roads shall be applied, first in paying the necessary expenses for repairs, toll-keepers, &c.: and, secondly, be made available for the liquidating the said debentures, or interest thereon; and, lastly, in making the residue ps vt of the general funds of thu United Counties aforesaid. " Passed 14th June 1851. (Signed) " WILLIAM CHALK, '''■Wardeii United Counties JIurun, I'erth and Bruce." (No. 5.) Extracts of Acts of the Prnvincial Parliament, havin;/ reference to the accomponybiij letter of Count') Treasurer. 12 VXCTOUIA, ''ilAP. 81. Sec. A\, part 22. For raising, levying, col'^'^f;;;', and appropriating such moneys as may be required for all, or any of v..' r'irposes aforesaid, eithei by way of tolls to be paid on any county bridgv. . ,.ad. or other public work, to defray the expense of making, repairing, oi maintaining the same ; or by means oVa rate, or rates, to be assessed f(iually on the whole ratable pro- perty of such county liable to assessment, according to any law which shall be in force in Upper ('anada concerning rates and assessments. Sec. 17H, part. And no By-law hereafter '.o be passed for Hie creation of any such debt, or for the negotiation of any such loan, shall ))e valid or effectual, to bind any sucb Municipal Corporation, Tinless a speciiit rate per annum over ami above, and in addition to all otiicr mica whatd' ver, shall be settled in such by-law, to be levied in eacli year for the payment of the debt to be created 'by the loan to be negotiated, "nor unless such .special rate shall be sufficient, according to tlie amount of ratable property in such county, city, town, township, or village, as the case may be, as shall appear by the then last assessment returns of such county, city, town, township, or village, to satisfy and discharge such delit, with the interest thereof, within twenty years from the passing of such by-law." And it shall not be com- petent to any such Mu''':ipal Corporation to repeal such by-law, or diacoutinue such rate, un... the debt so to bo incurred, and the uitereat 80 thereon, shall be fully paid and discharged; nor to apply the proceeds thereof to any other purpose than the payment and satisfaction of the same. 12 Vic, Chap. 78, part. And it shall and may be lawful for such Provisional Municipal Council to enter into an agi-eement with the Municipal Courcil of the i;nion to which suoh junior county shall belong, for the adjustment and se^tlemont of the proportion, if any, of any debt due by such union, and which it may be just that such junior county on its being disunited from such union should take upon itself, with the time or times of payment thereof ; and every such agreement so entered into shall, both in law and equity, be, and continue to be binding upon such junior county, and upon the county or counties from which it shall be disunited. (No. 6.) *' Ca.nada House, London, 2nd Jan. 1852. "Georqk Brown, Jr., Esq., " Treasurer of the United Counties of Huron, Perth tlung can I-c oi greater importance to all the settlers in the district than that a system of roads or main com- munications should be establisned and mai»itained in complete efficiency ; and they conclude that much consideration has been given to this subject before the determination was adopted of imposing so large a charge as £30,000 for the purpose ; but the Directors of the Canada Company, encouraged by the wish expressed in your letter that they would make any suggestions which occur to them, cannot but state that they believe the wealth and pro.sperity of the whole district would be more rapidly and ellicientl^' promoted by means of a railway connecting it witli Lake Ontario; and at this time, when the extension of railways to all part of the province so much occupios the minds of the inhabitants, and a main lino to bring the province into direct communication with the .\u.:utic at ihiiifax seems likely to be established, the formation of a branch tu connect Uoderich wi*h it seems not improbable, and therefore the Director.s of the Canada ("ompany beg leave to suggest that the produce of any loan the district may raise should be reserved in aid of this oViject. '•However important it may be to get the roads of the district made complete, it can hardly be doiibtful that if a line of railway could be made to traverse it, means could be found in the diflerent localities to complete connecting roads witli the railway', and thus iilVord a more perfect and etfectual means of ti-ansit to and Irom all parts of the province than any system of gravelled roads Avould produce, whereby the outlay now proposed might be spared, or at least greatly diminished. Supposing, however, that upon full consideration the intention of making gravelled roads ami the exp' liency of raising i;:50,00() for that purpose is persevered in, the Directors are willing, as agents for the district, to do what may be in their power to »?sist it; but they beg to repeat the opinion expressed in their letter to their Commissioners of the iioth .luly last, tiiat, the debentures should bo issued in sums of sterling money of convenient amounts of from i; 100 to £500 each, and that the principal and interest should be made payable in Loudon, at some competent agent's. For this purpose a new by-law, conlVrring the necessary powers upon the treasurer, or such other parties as the district should sec tit to employ, should be passed ; l>ut it appears to the Directors th^vt there is one manifest defect iu the present oy-law, inconsistent with the Act 12 Victoria referred to in your letter, troni whicli the following l3 an e/tract ; — " * Nor unless such speciiJ rate shall be sufficient, nccordini, to the umouut 81 of ratable property in such county, city, town, township oi- village, as the case may be, as shall appear by the then last assessment returns of such county, city, town, township or village, to satisfy and discharge such debt, with the interest thereof, wiihiu twenty years from the passing of such by-law.' " The sum raised by the tax imposed would not at present produce more than £1245 annually — noc sufficient even to jtay the interest : and whatever may be expected as to the future, the act specifics the amount of rated property which must lie charged -when the rate is made: and this seems to ty-~ Directors a fatal objection to the security offered. '•I am further desired to state, that it is impossible to foresee whether securities of this description, even if perfectly legal in their form, would be saleable in the market here or not: at present the Directors believe thev would not be. " 1 have, ic, (Signed) -JOHN PERRi', " Sccretari/.' (No.T.j ■'Cor;NTV Tre.\sukeii's Offick, •' Goderkh, •I'^th Fchntar>i, 18r)2. " To THE Chairman and Directors of the '•Canada Cojipany, Lonoon. " Gentlcm"/!, — I have the honor to acknowledge }our communication of the 2nd January, and which I laid before the County (Council, who gave the following report upon it — vi/. : ' That the Treasurer continue his correspon- dence with the Directors of tlie Canada Company in England, regarding the loan of XOO.OOO, making known to them the stei)s taken by tiiis Council to provide for the payment of interest and the redeuiptiim of the said loan, in order that some definite information may be laid before the Council at the meeting to be held at the passing of the By-Law,' in the early part of May. " In conformity with the above, 1 beg to forward you a copy of the By-Law to remedy tlie illegality pointed out in your letter of 1 li 2nd January, by which y ju ^. '11 perceive that the (Jouncil, fully impres!- ; with the necessity of making some immediate exertion to remedy the preseru wretched state of our leading roads, have gone to tlic other extreme, and propose levying a tax more than equivalent for the purpose /equireil. " I will now, with all due submission, ])roceed to make a few remarks with regard to your recommendation that the County (^ouncil should avail them- selves of the present movement in favor of railroads, at present agitating the province. It will no doubt be within your recollection, that some few years ago the peo})le of Goderich made a strenuous ctTort to obtain a liiie from Toronto direct to Goderich, and went tu considerable expense in surveying the line, (v;i'. c*cc. In this we received much oppositi^pn from the people of Toronto, amongst wh(mi I may enumerate your own Commissioner, Mr. Widiler, wlio visit'-d England, -of course with the sanction of the Directors,' for the express pui|..)3e of op[iosing the line to Goderich, then ably advocated by Mr. Gwynne and mir own special delegate. .Mr. Lizars. And it was with Bome feelings of astonishment (liat I heard Mr, Widder, in July last, advocating :» v.vilroad to (ioderich that would cost Ji;2'»0,000, when we found difficultv in raiding C30,00(); and the only interpretation I could place upon it was, linit it was intended as n polite way of i-vwdifj^ the question, and imiinating that fii.^ rocommendntion and co-operation was iiiil h, ],p depended upon. Th(^ consequence *d' tho opposition alluded to: the Or«'(> Western Railroad, from Hamilton to Detroit, liat taken the start from Toronto), and it will now be ou: interest »x^ tap that line at or about Woodstock, thus traversing the finest part y credit purchases at a very •^nhanceu price. (See ntt'iuurandiim.) " The Court's repeatea urgencies for payment of arrears on old sales, have been justly met by their Cummissioners bj' continued endeavors to prove the tlifficulties and hardship.' under which settlers laboured for the first year* 84 upon locating, and which must have opposed the expectation of any thing like an approach to punctuality in the liquidation of sales. "The many statistical statements transmitted to the Court upon their set- tlers, prove how very limited indeed are the number of those who have loca- ted upon lands possessed of any means, and hove likewise exhibited the value of property acquired by that very largo majority who were entirely destitute of means upon settling upon the Company's lands. In the pamphlet pub- lished by the Company, entitled ' A Statement of satisfactory results attend- ing Emigration to Upper Canada, «&c.,' it is stated in the returns from Goderich, that in the year 1840 the population of the Iluror. Tract was 5905 souls, or, at the usual computation of *'ve individuals to a family, consisted of 1181 families; of which 514 Families were destitute of any means upon going on land, yet theii- stock and improvements were valued at £00,486 10 Gl Families with means under £10, do. do. 10,424 254 do. do. do. £50, do. do. 40,526 829 Families, or 4145 individuals £141,436 10 Thus it appears of the entire population of 5905 souls of the Huron in 1840, 2570 Individuals possessed no means whatever upon going upon the Company's lands. 305 do. yiossesscd each family £10, who, if they had to provide lor the second instalment at the end of the year, for 100 acres, at 10*. per acre, would likewise be nearly destitute of means. 2875 Individuals, or nearly one-half of the entire population of the Huron, possessed no means on settling on land.* I am not aware whether this relative proportion of classes of settlers, dowii to the year 1842, had been altered by the influx of new settlers possessed of considerable means, or, that if so, tlie Company's collection of money for tliose sales efl'ected subsequent to 1840 to this day show that they have benefited thereby, by punctuality in payments of instalmonts or of the inter- est accrued, although the last two harvests have been unusually abundant, and prices extremely higii — a period of prosperity to the farmer which is of very rare occurrence, and maj' not again occur for some time. "What has been stated respecting the llui-on Tract applies equally to ( 'anada West generally. " The proportion of emigrants who coine to this country possessed of cash means is small indeed, and still fewer arc those who, having those means, go upon land ; and wo may tlierefore safely say that tlie settlement of this section of the Province is produced by emigrants possessed of little or no means whatever, and by old settler^ who take up lands to make a pro- vision for their families. "The emigrant who settles upon wil(J land must acquire some means through his labour for others to provide his fiimily with articles absolutely necessary for their maintenance for tl\e first year at all events, and to purchase a cow, and hire a yoke of oxen, or he must hire out a portion of the iirst two years to obtain those means, and thereby limit the labour upon his own land. If he gives his entire labour to his land, and settles upon it in the spring, all that he can ii.-iv,r.v. 'i.-a i.s to obtain potato(!s and Indian-corn sufiBcient for his wants liuring die following winter and succeeding year — a email quantity of spring wheat may be obtained in the harvest of the second * -'At first -lifibt it may be .surprisiing how so large a nuinbir of people could er.ist in a comp'etu wililerness, wither, popcessing any niei'ns upon loeatiut;. A leferenee to the Com- pany b operations up to the year lS-10, will explain that ili'.' .settlers were wuintained by thu Company's large expenditure in the Huron Tract, anil iu Uuelph. 86 year. II' he settles in the autumn, he is enabled to go on clearing during the next winter, and in the spring to bow potatoes and some wheat, which are available in the succeeding autumn. In the former case he is nearly two years before he produces wheat; in the latter, twelve months. If the settler's means are limited, he experiences great hardships for the first three years ; preparing the shanty, clearing and preparing the land immediately aroimd it, &c., will take much of his productive labour from his land. "The old settler, or his son, is in a very different position: he is prepared for and inured to all the difficulties and hardships at starting upon land ; he is not provided with much cash means, but he brings experience, a yoke of oxen, a cow, implements of husbandry, &c. ; he is thus enabled not to make the land sooner productive than the emigrant, but his improvements are more rapid and extensive at the commencement. As the emigrant and old settler arrive at a period in settlement of five or six years, it may be questionable which becomes tiie most prosperous settler ; if the former brings European knowledf!;e of farming, and adapts it to this country and his altered position, as the old settler adlieros pertinaciously to his old plans and habits. Tml. after all, umler the most favourable circumstances, no settler can accomplish more than to support liimseU' for the first three years off his land, so tliat. under the present terms of sale liy the Company, he must be possessed of JJ2o if he takes one hundred acres uf land, valued at lu.t. per acre, and pays one-third cash down, or of £15, if one-fifth down, and. in addition, means to provide himself and family witli every thing for one year at the least, but then he must run into debt the following one, to purchase implements, oxen, &c. To illustrate this, i he^ reference to copies which are annexed to the communications from the Township of llaldimand, and Mr. Daly. It mu.st be borne in mind that the lands in Haldimand are what are called "plain lands," which are brought into productive cultivation at less expense, and in less time, than those in the Huron, although the soil is not so rich as in the latter. It is notorious that the instances arc exceedingly few wherein settlers invest moneys in the purchase or improvement of wild laud, that they are exceptions to the general course of proceedings, wiiich is, that labour and perseverance form the only investment. All old settlers adopt, and act upon, the principles that land should be made to, and must, pay for itself; if the Court will take the trouble to refer to their .sales of Crown reserves, they will observe that this principle has been amply adhered to, as evidenced by the position of those tran.'^actions. " By the plan pursued, of exacting a cash payment from the settler, he i." much crippled in his progrets upon his land; every dollar taken from him at lirst starting is of far more ini{)ortance to him than the payment often times thai amount would be if deferred for live years. If the settler has no means but the produce of his farm, four years must elapse before he can make a pay- ment under the old system ofthe first, credit instalment, which, with interest due, will ret'iuire the 'entire proiiuco of ten cleared acres to meet it. The observation of tlie experienced aitesi, that no two men can do more than support a family of five individuals for the first two years olf the land, if they give all their attention to it ; fencing, building cattle sheds, getting in crops from three acres, will occupy a man a year, who has to chop his own firewood, go to mill, ^.c, so that in fact, a poor buLmdustrious man cannot be expected to make any payments till the third year of his location, under the most favourable circumstances, " I will now proceed to show the working of the system requiring one-fifth cash instalment, and five annual payments of the balance of purchase money with interest, as respects the colioctinns of those credit payments, and time occupied by the Company's settlcr.s in cbtainin;^ their deeds for the freehold in tlu' Croirn rescrveii. " The amount coUected in tlie years 1842, 184n and 1844, upon bills receiv- able were upon an average in arrear nine years, and the interest collected was forty-three per cent, on principal due. 86 From the year 1831 to 1842, both inclusive, 4051 sales in Crown reserves were efFected, of which deeds were taken within live years from date of sale Oil Deeds Between the fifth and sixteenth years 1C70 " Numbers of sales still in arrcur upon expiration uf credit given of five years, one to eleven jh a rf, or Jive to sixteen years, from dates of sales, ,\r 1770 No Deeds 4051 " I beg to refer the Court to tiie accompanying table, from which this summary is talien ; it will be found very interesting in its details. A similar table for Ouelph sales is also sent. It is reinarkal)lo also that one-third of the sales for which deeds have been issued are not to the origiiuil purchaser, but to transferees, who have found the niducy for the purpose. " I conceive that enough has been adduced to prove that tiie ^lole effect of the old letter nf license system li;is been the exaction of the })ayin(mt of one- fifth of the purchase money on a sale of laud ; beyond this, it has accomplished no beneficial result financially ; it has not placed settlers possessed of means on lands; it has not induced ])unctuality i;i payment, and it has not promoted settlement in the extensive manner that I'.iid been expected, ami which might have been acconifiliiheil by other nieana. " From what has been stated, it is (lemonstratcd that, ii" the ('oni])!iny will not in their contracts conceile to the settlor the I'oasonably reciuired time for the payment of tlie land sold, he will himself exact it, and the invariable custom of tiie country justifies him in doing sd ; tiien why sliuuld we not endeavour to benefit by at once covenanting t> give the crerlit which is requisite, without embarr.assing tlie settler, or crippling his means for Improv- ing his lanil, thus defcrriiig his capability t'> \y,\y for it. whilst we cramp his energies by the pressurf; upon him for money v.iiicli he cannot paj' '.' The prosperity of the settler is identificii witli that of the Company — if we promote the one, we secure the other. 1 have endeavoured to ,:hi)w the ))ractical working of the letter of license system in a financial point of viev,-; I will uoAV attempt to exhibit its results as conijiared vaththe leasing system, which was introduced into tlie Huriui in the year 1841.'. The population of the (Vfiovlhu'on Tnict, for the year 1812, accorUing to the official returns from the Clerk OoUurich have oalj 'imihlf.d t'ocir numbt r« in sis ycnrs. 87 paucy is accounteil for l>y the niimher of people who have located upon their lands since the census was made, or which may have cscapeil the assessor. " Connected with this extraoniiiiary increase oi' population, it is interesting to notice the class of settlers who have jvono into thoso seven Townships ; and the system under which they have ciioson to take up lands since Jiiuuary 1842, the followinj; statement furni^lied from the Stratford agency shows; TOWNSHIP. North Eastiiope.. South Eiisthope .. Ellicc Downio and Gore Fidlarton Logan Ilibbert Blanshard n '2'A Is 11 • > 1 it LoU leased hy ■ Lots Purcbued Oil Svtllcri ' Vr OU Hi-ttUff from vRrtoiK \>%Ti% frotu VArlfiut p*rU (if Cuutt-ltt. uf Cftoada. ' no tl4 18:5 1!)0 'Jl 12 1«5 25 12 1'.) 2It 1 142 43 .x.jl 143 "Oidy the leased and purchased lots which Mr. Daly believes are heated, either by residrncc or improvemeiit.i, are given in this table. " The Court need not be reminded of the stngnant, if not retrograde position of the Huron Tract in the years inuneitiately antecedent to the intro- duction of thi; leasing system in tiie year 1842: it was dwelt upon in my letter to the <'ourt of i' c lltii December 1811, upon recommending that plan as the means of resu^fitating the activity which had previously existed, through the annual large expenditure of money by the Company, and which forced settlemeut, but liaving ceased, the Huron had been plunged into u lethargic state — how far the leasing system has n lized what was anticipated from it, the Court ha\i' ample moans before a of forming a correct opinion. 1 would, were it needful, beg the -t to refer to my above- mentioned letter, 11th I'^'i'i'mber 1841. i > sC' '>inIior nil 1 had led tl)e Court to expect from that . -tem h :s not licon l'ui:_ 'vorkcd out from that letter 1 ((uote llie following norr ph, bearing t'nport ntly upon tlie question: " ' The preceding remarks apply forcibly to the new Emi^rrant. In the earlier located township there arc, 1 have i-casou for lieliev _■, v ry mriny settlers wlio arc desirous to provide for the'r ■ isnring by purclui-iing other lands, which, from the density of settlement > : ■ .cation around them, they cannot procure in their own vicinity, excejit lu ; rices far beyond their means ; they arc prevented moving westward by the (iiiricilty of disposing of their improved farms for Cf/.s-A, thereby being disquul/jio; ;ivm enlning upon a new location ic/iich immrdiiiteli/ rrqiiire^- vionnf /or the purchase of the land as iccll as ronsidcrahi'r di.thur^cmenlK fur tluir iinprovnii-ntf:, and the. iiiainteiiaiice of ihrmselri's on the outset. ''■' ■'■ "'' ' * Those old settlers who, althougii j> °% w Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^ '^X' , %^i^ ^ 88 *' Enough evidence has, 1 conceive, been brought bei'ore the Court to demonstrate, that for the purpose of effecting a rapid and healthy settlement of land, the leasing system is most admirably adapted. It may, however, be urged, that the Company could have induced under the old plan the same proportion of settlers to go to the Huron as given in the Crown Reserve statement, who would have paid in full for their lands within five years — but those particular parties were not enabled to obtain Deeds for them from the produce of the farms, it is sho'.vn, and known to be impracticable — they have been accomplished from independent moans. " Does the same inducement exist to pay in full for the freehold under our plan ? Most decidedly not. Under the working of the letter of license system, the common rate of interest of G per cout. per annum would not be saved to the settler by his being prompt in his payment. Under that of the leasing, interest is saved to him, by his taking a Deed in anticipation before the expiration of the term of lease; in the former plan there is advantage towards deferred payments — in the latter a premium attached to the anticipated liquidation of contract. " We are the holders of very lai'ge parcels of lancH, and can well, auu advantageously afford to let any one lease our lands — if they locate, well and good, if not, the lands revert to us at the end of a year ; thei'efore, our only loss is the chance of disposing of them for a twelvemonth, but the second expected purchaser for these lots, in the mean time goes upon our other lands, and so in fact, our interests are in no way prejudiced " Having disposed of the question as to the adaptation of the leasing system, for the disposal of wild lands, it may not be out of place to touch upon its applicability to town lots. The Court will have observed its effects in Guelph and Stratford : as to the latter village, Mr. Daly writes us under date 24th October last : " ' Since the leasing system commenced, property has increased in value in this agency' oO per cent. ; forty substantial buildings, one of which is a brick tavern, have been erected on leased lots, while not more than four have been erected on purchased lots.' " I also, as corroborative evidence, send the Court u statistical report upon that village, as well as of the town of Guelph, showing their rapid progress, under the leasing system. A question aris-es, why has not tlie leasing system worked as favourably in the town of Goderich '.' I think this may be partially accounted for by the excessive prices at wi ich the Company hold their pro- perties there. I fancy it will be admitted, that a town does not make its surrounding country populous unless it be from the great demand to supplj' its population who are engaged in manufactories or shipping, with food and produce from land. A town is the result of dense population in the country. The Company's very large expenditure created the town of Goderich — and as long as they continued that disbursement of money, the place continued to advance, but this ceasing, its effects wer<^ evident. " The population of Godeiich town was, at one time, I think, stated to bo about 1,000 souls; the Company's expenditure ceasing, it subsequently experienced a very considerable diminution in number ; in 1842, however, it contained 748, and in 184G, 845 souls, according to the official returns of those years ; thus it appears that the addition has bten 103 souls in four years — far below what the increase should have shown from natural causes alone ; being left to its own rec-ources for support, it has advanced slowly and progressively with the prosperity of its neighbouring townships, to which it is in fact tributary, and at present dependant. This state of matters can be well understood, if we consider what Goderich has to depend upon, if left to its own natural unassisted position for its continued prosperity — viz., the adjacent townships — the large expenditure of money through its being the District Town of the entire settlement of the Huron — its port of entry and export, as being the only one at present. •' The townships which may now be supposed to assist Goderich, or on which it is dependant for its support, may be assumed as being eight ia number, viz. i — 89 POPULATION. 1840. 184«. Hallett 62 235 Colbome 225 553 Goderich ....1148 1789 Stanley 211 858 Tuckersmith 342 696 Hibbert 39 156 Hay 60 186 McKillop 143 358 2230 4830 " This population of 966 families may look to Goderich for the supplies of their wants, and sell their produce in exchange, and may require the use of the Port to export their produce, and receive goods through it, bi^t as yet they do not appear to have made any extensive use of that medium, according to the returns of the Collector of that Port, for the years 1834 to 1846. As to the advantages derivable by Goderich from being the District Town, their continuance is precarious, for as the population becomes dense and prosperous in more distant townships, so will their necessities require another nearer District Town ; and the period will not, I believe, prove to be remote, when Goderich will cease to be the District Town for all the twenty-one townships which at present form the District of Huron ; in fact, already has this matter been seriously agitated in the townships neighbouring upon Stratford, and the result has ju«t been a public meeting held in that village, for adopting measures for dividing them from Goderich, and for their incorp tration into a separate District, with Stratford as the Metropolitan Town. " As aforementioned, the population of eight townships on which Goderich is dependant, amounts to 4,830 souls ; the population of the seven adjacent to Stratford, amounts to 0,488 or 7,887 souls, and tlierefore it may readily be conceived that this majority, a most prosperous one too, will not patiently submit to have their District Town at the extremity of the settlement, forty- four miles distant from Stratford. The statistical report upon the latter townships just received from Mr. Daly, which I enclose, (B) will show their actual condition of prosperity and wealth, and their present social importance I in the District. Further, the niiuing operations on Lake Superior (and the S Eastern shores of the Georgian Bay are stated to be equally rich in mineral j wealth,) will, there is little doubt, be soon carried out extensively : should i circimistances arise to induce the transmission of the ores and supplies for those works to pass through Owen's Sound, it will raise a formidable opposition to the immediate progressive settlement and prosperity of parts of the Huron, and particularly to the town of Goderich. A notice appears in the Gazette, of which the enclosed is a copy, (0) to the effect that the upplication will be made to Parliament to form the townships of Sydenham, Derby, Sullivan, and various other townships, into a county, to be named Metcalfe — inclusive of the unsurveyed lands West of those townships, and whicli will consequently embrace all those lands North of the Huron District. The village of Sydenham, on Owen's Sound, is to be the District Town. Owen's Sound has been for some time a port of entry, and may easily, I am informed, be made an excellent harbour ; its geographical position protects it from violent storms, although it may cause it to open later in the spring, and close earlier in the winter ; yet, for all purposes it may be rendered amply available to commerce, whilst it is of easy, safe, and quick access to the waters of Lakes Huron and Superior. The abrogation of the Com Laws must discourage any trade that might have been expected to arise from the importation of wheat from tlic United States, milling and exporting the flour. I believe that nothing but the establishment of a railroad, or some other unexpected event, can for a length of time establish for the properties in the town of Goderich a realizable market value for them, at theprice of which they have remained in hand for so many years ; but if those unexpected causes of prosperity were to favour Goderich, too high prices for town lots o 90 might extend the town to the other side of the River Maitland, where lands would come into competition with these lots held at much higher rates, in the present town ; it therefore seems to ir^ worthy of consideration, under the circumstances, whether it might not be prudent to offer those town lots for disposal at a large reduction, say at one half at least upon the prices at which they are now held. The building regulations being required by tho lease would prevent excessive speculation ; and the rent being unpaid, and neglect to fulfil the first-named covenant, cause them to revert to the Company for free disposal, at the expiration of one year from date of lease. This reduction in price might assimilate the price of ihose lots to their proper value, as compared with the actual wants and position of the country, and induce people to take lots for themselves or their friends. The more we I'an promote activity in dealings in them, the sooner it will cause settlement, and the Company will be enabled from the lots remaining with them to obtain hereafter a price which may in some measure meet the present nominal value, which they cannot prudcntially anticipate realizing for some years to come. But from what I have rotated I am not prepared to say, that, circum- stanced as Goderich is at present, the lowering of the prices of the town lots will immediately be followed by any great increase in the settlement of the town, but the experiment is worth a trial, and can do no hai'ni ; if we draw attention to the town, and can create activity in it, wo shall at all events accomplish an important object. "I am strongly inclined to believe, that, under all the circumstances stated, the Court will k^^c lit to resort to two plans only, for the disposal of their lands — viz., for cash down, or by way of lease for ton years — entLrely upon the principles and details and upon the plan hitherto pursued, without modification, which has been perfected and tested by experience ; and, there- fore, to attempt any change would weaken our power to contend against the system of sale now adopted for the Clergy Keserves of one-tenth cash and credit of ten years for balance of purchase mone}', and by many landed proprietors, who have, by the Company's successful proceedings, been forced to adopt liberal terms in the disposal of their lands. AVhen it is considered that, owing to the richness of the soil. Fall wheat (for which alone a cash market can always be depended upon) cannot be produced in the Huron within four or five years from location, it is not surprising that but little wheat or flour has been exported from Godericli. Last season (300 ban-els flour, made from Spring wheat, were sent from thence ; and the results, I fancy, afforded very convincing proofs that it would have been far better to have depended upon the domestic consumption of the Huron than any othet market. Situated as the Huron is, and will be for some time, it has always appeared to me tolerably evident, that the best, safest and tiniest market that would be made for it is that thi'ough the demand created for its present staple produce of Spring wheat, potatoes, oats and pork, &c., by the influx of population. Such a market is free from the contingencies of foreign demands; it is certainly the best and soundest one, as it arises from natural causes, and cannot be affected by extraneous ones. " It may be well to add, that, since the leasing has been suspended, the price of labour in the neighbourhood of Stratford has risen from five to ten shillings per month. Mr. Daly writes to us — " I begto say, that Ilearyou have suspended the system just when it became popular, and when hundreds of old settlers were wending their way from old settlements to locate their families. I have been told that whole neighbourluMi i.s were on the move for our tract.' I can bear evidence to the correctness of ^Mr. Daly's statement, by the number of appli- cants at this office, who have expressed that their intention was to have settled in the Huron, and that they and other settlers, who have been informed by their friends in the Huron that the lands were no longer to be leased, would not proceed there. To several individuals I have given letters to the Huron, enabling them to take up lands on lease. It may not bo amiss here to notice the stigmas that have vainly been attempted to be thrown upon Atir leasing plan, as being very oppressive and injurious to the settlers, and 91 that oar condi dons could only be accepted by the onwary, ignorant, and pauper emigrant. They (see note at foot) are most amply controverted by the results of the working of our leasing, as shown in the seven townships under the Stratford agency ; the returns from them prove that the lots leased by emigrants are 142, by old settlers 851. Any one acquainted with the habit and character of the old settlers will not accuse them of a want of perception of their own interests ; and if they have evinced this great preference to the leasing over the letter of license system, we may be well assured it arises from a well-grounded conviction that it is clearly to their interest to do so. " The most eminent public men in Canada, and our Solicitors also, have adopted the principles of our leasing system for town lots and wild lands ; and in this city it has become of general practice in the disposal of town lots. The plan adopted for the town lots is to put them up at auction at an upset prlcc, at lease for — years, with liberty reserved to purchaser to take the freehold during twenty years, at the price at which the lots are knocked down. It may be well imagined that this temptation of credit for twenty years for payment of purchase money creates competition ; the price is consequently forced up, and upon which the annual rent is formed as interest at six per cent. Upon wild lands Ss. per acre cash is required ; or on lease for ten years, redemption money at 10«. per acre — interest six per cent as rent upon the latter sum. No discount is allowed for anticipated payment. "Whether either of the above plans of leasing, or that adopted by the Company is the most liberal, the Court will readily judge. " To sum up this somewhat prolix statement, it is submitted to the Court of Directors, that it clearly evidences that settlement in every way of the most desirable description is forced to its utmost extent by the non-exaetion of any part of the purchase money in the first instance, and by its deferred payment for ten years ; and that in proportion to the greater or less amount required at an earlier period, so is settlement prcportionably postponed or accelerated : and finally, if this position be proved to be correct, that the leasing is the best system for carrying out the principle; for, whilst the Company acquire, under the contract for lease, a positive, defined, and well ascertained position, it ensures to the settler all the advantages which he stands so much in need of: that it has proved to be the most popular and taking plan for the disposal of lands yet adopted, its successful operation distinctly demonstrates ; and its results in a financial point of view will, I believe, at no distant period be fully as conclusively realized. " I have the honor to remain, " Gentlemen, " Your most obedient and faithful servant, (Signed) "FRED. WIDDER." " Note.— Mr. Daly, with all his long experience ronnocted with settlers, fully participated with some; others, equally well informed, in the feeling that the leasinft would inundate the Huron with the most abject description of pauper emii;rantB ; and such were his apprehen- sionfi, that he had made arrangements to leave the Company's service and move to some other part of Canada, whei>e he might, with bis family, live in peace upon bis means, with satisfaction to himself— his altered opinion upon the result of the working of the leasing sys- tem, is most