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Tous les autres exemplaires origineux sont filmte en commandant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impresslon ou d'iilustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboies suivants apparaftra sur la durniire image de cheque microfiche, selon Ie cas: la symbole -^ signifie "A SUIVRE", ie symbols y signifie "FIN". Le« cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre flimte A des taux de reduction diff Arents. Lorsque Ie document est trop grand pour 6tre reproduit en un seul cliche, ii est fllm« A partir de i'angle supArleur gauche, de gauche A droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant Ie nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iilustrent la mAthode. rata lelure. 3 HX 1 ■ , ■ ' ■ ' 2 3 f 2 3 4 5 6 mmtm jpt* ■ 1 );••'.■; ■>■'! ,<-,. V;; CORRESPONDENCE ,,» BEI.ATINO TO THB » /- . :• ; Dismissal of James E. Forman, Esq. To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle. Sib, — As the members of the ExeoutiTe Government of this Piovinoe, nit oonteot with dismissing me from the situation I lately oo- cupied as Chief Engineer of Public Worits, have commenced a sjstetn of base detraction with a view of injuring my private reputa- tion — I refer now to the Editorial contained in the last Colonist, prepared and published by the advisers of His Excellency the Lieute- nant Governor, — for it were impossible that the Editor of that paper could have possessioa of the facts necessary to make the disclosures he does, unless furnished by command of His Excellency — ImustsoMoit of you, the favour of publishing the aunexed correspondence. — I do this in self defence, owing principally to this pai'sage in the Colonist Editorinl of the SOfh inst., prepared, as it will be admitted by all candid persons, as soon as they read the correspondence, by the parties, and for the ignoble purpose already described : " The public will scarcely be prepared to learn that Mr. Forman has given since his removal from office proofs the mo^t unequivo- cal of downright dishonesty, by purloining and abstraoiing documents and papers from the Railway office which belong to the depart- ment, and are essential to carrying on the •works with promptitude. Up to Saturday night we understHod that Mr. McNab, the Chairman of the Board, although making the most determined efforts, had been unduocess- ful in eflfecting their recovery. Of course the obstructives, who daily show that in their hungry greed for offioe they would like to see the Railway and Province sink tojtether, will be delighted at any rascal- ity by which the public works may be retard- ed." One single observatiou farther, introduct- ory. xhe " documents and papers" in question, are the only vouchers I possessed, fur the vin- dication of my reputation. Without th«2n, or access to them, I should be entirely defence- less. My enemies, unscrupulous as they are, — HS these extracts already prove Ihem to be, might overwhelm me with impunity, but for the evidence these Books and papers contain. In order to conduct a correspondence now goingon, between myself and the government, — and which I shall immediately lay before the public, with ray reply to other portions of ■1 •"- :■ ■ the Editorial thus published by the Queen's printer and by authority — access to the Bookii in question were indispensible. With any proper regard to my own reputa- tion, how could I have done otherwise? In acting as I have, I may also add, that I have done 80 under the advice and sanction of such of my personal friends as I have been enabled to consult. I deeply regret that His Excellen- cy the Lieutenant Governor should be advised to allow suoh uses to be made of the corres- pondence conducted by individuals with pub- lic officers and Heads of Departments — and that garbled aooounts of public matters, so deeply affecting private reputation, shonld , receive such sanction as has been in this instance given to them. I am, therefore, now required to defend myself as I best can, asainst a Government that is but too obvious- ly bent on crushing by most unfair means, those whoee reputations they rotty not other- wise be enabled to destroy. I may have to trouble you still farther on the subject of the Editorial in question. In the meantime the correspondence to which I refer.and which was in the possession of the Executive Government when they so wantonly assailid me through the Queen's printer in the Colonist, and to which they make not a passing reference, is now appended t>3d numbered. I have the honor to be Sir, your obed't serrt , Jahks B. Forman. Halifax, Aug. SI, 1868. No. 1. Sib— Pbovinoial Sbcubtabt's OrriCB, Halifax, 26tb August, 1868. I have it in command from His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor to inform you that His Excellency has been pleased to appoint Mr. James Laurie to be Cliief Engineer of the Provincial Railways in place of Mr. James R. Forman, and to request you to put Mr. Laurie immediately in possession of all books, plans, papers, &o. , beloaging to the Engi- neering department of yoiji/ offioe. I have the honor tl be. Sir, Tour most obed't servant, (Signed) Cbabibs Tupprb. The Hon. Mr. MoNab. Chairman of the Rail- way Beard. ♦JT. / (^) No. ■_'. Railway Office, 2(Jth August, 18u8. Dear Sir — I beg to enclose copy of ii letter received frorti the Honble. Pro. b'enrctary, and in cor- formity tlierewith, 1 went to the J-Inginccr's Oflice to receive and hand over to Mr. Laurie the books and paper.s connected with the of- fice, and works under your charge, but found frota) Mr. Sniellie that ?ome of the boolts and paper.s were not there ; viz. : The Engineers returns of worlt done on the several Sections since Sept. 1857, Specitication Book. Letter Books containing correspondence with the Contractors, &c., and he stated that you had removed them. As all these are public documents connected with the work in which you have Veen en- gaged, I hope you will on receipt of this see the necessity of returning them to the oflice without delay, that I may hand thera over to Mr. Laurie as directed by the Provincial Secretary 'a letter. lam. Dear Sir, Yours, *" • Ja.mi;3 McNab. James R. Forraan, Esq. ■ .^ ^ No 3. Halifax, 27th August, 1858. Sir— Mr. Forman has put into my hands your letter of yesterday enclosing copy of the Hon. Provincial Secretary's letter of •• Ymir obedient servant, Jamks MoNab. To James R. Forman, Es((. No. 6. Halifax, 30tb August, 1858. Sib,— Mr. Forman has handed me your letter of Saturday the 2f^th inst., addressed to him us I presume by commatid of the Ciovernmeiit. The pledge having been given which I re- quired, the books and papers will be sent you in the course of to-morrow as the same wei'e promised in my letter of 27tli inst. The specitication book he will either retain, or will expect you to furnisli him with a copy. The charge against Mr. Forman in the let- ter which you inclosed, of his having taken these books and papers, and the expression at the close of it, I look upon as wholly unwar- ranted. It was a duty he owed to himself to retain these books and papers till he hail tin! distinct pledge which he has now obtained. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, (Signed) .■"h". r. W. YouNO. To Hon. James McNab. 1 1 (3) and THE PROVINCIAL SECRETAllV TO MR. FORM AN. Prbvincial Secrctry'/i Office, Halifax, August 25, 1858. Sir, — His Excellency the Liuutenaut Gov- ernor having obtained the assurance of tlio Commissioners and yourself in the early part of the summer that the extension of the rail- road to Truro should be accomplished on or before the 1st day of November next, had reason to expect that with every facility at the command of the chief Engineer, the pub- lic would not be disappointed; but, from the several reports you have recently submitted, and the verbal explanations made by you in presence of the Council and Commissioners at Government House ou Tuesday last, it being manifest that under your management the work will not be completed for several months beyon'l the time limited for its ac- complishment, His Excellency has comman- ded me to inform you, that with the advice of his Council, he has reluctantly decided upon removing you from the ofBce of Chief Engi- neer. His Excellency regrets the necessity which has compelled him to adopt this measure; but he is impressed with the conviction that in reviewing the Railroad operations since their first inception under your auspices, it is manifest that they have not been conducted as juc'iciously, economically and expeditious- ly aj the interests of the public demand ; and feels himself bound to employ ".n Engineer whose energ;* and skill command the entire confidence of the administration. You will, therefore, be pleased to hand over to the Commissioners all the books and papers and other public property in your possession connected with tne oilioe of Chief Engineer. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, (Signed) Charles Tupper. To James R. Forman, Esq. ■ '•' MR. FORMAN'S REPLY. ;, • . ^^^! Halifax, September 1st, 1858. StR,— My removal from ofiice as Chief Engineer of the Provincial Railways, and the terms in which your letter of the 25th ult, is couched, ought not perhaps to have surprised me. The temper of the present Government had been sufficiently disclosed by their previous ooniluct and the tone of their correspondence, —yet as I had successfnlly i-efuted the nu- merous charges— many of them equally fri- volous and unfounded — that had been from time to time brought against me, I did not believe that the Government would have pro- ceeded to this final step and done me so great an injustice. That my dismissal was a fore- gone conclusion, and that my successor was brought here for the purpose, is now abun- dantly obvious, and I regret that I am com- pelled in justice to my own reputation to review the steps of this very singular trans- action. Not content with the blow you have struck in the first paragraph of your letter, you proceed in the second to attack the Railway operatiouo uudor my auspices from their first inception. A charge of a similar kind and in still more oll'ensive terms was contained in your letter to the Hon. Mr. McNab of 17tli June last, and I will here extract a paragraph from my reply of June 20 : " As it has become so unexpectedly neces- sary to defend my professional'character and conduct from grave imputations. His Ex- cellency the Lieutenant Governor, I trust, will permit me to state that I have now been employed as an Engineer for a period of eighteen years, mostly in Scotland, I have had charge of several important works as Chief Engineer and General Manager, and under Directors who held the highest social position, and my professional skill has never been questioned before ; on the contrary, I have always received the warmest expressions of good Will and approbation from all who sought my professional aid. In coming to Nova Scotia, which I was induced to do only from the circumstance of my being a native of the country, I gave up a lucrative post with the certain prospect of advancement in my profession, for an office that did not poy me better or even so well, irrespective of my prospects otherwise. In this Province I have exerted myself to the utmost for the satisfac- tory completion of the railways, and I can confidently appeal both to the present and former Boards that this has been the case, and that I have labored most assiduously, both from the warm interest I have always taken in the success of this great enterprizc, and from a just regard to my own reputa- tion. I can point to the road as it now stands, to its general finish, its durability, and its bridges, with some pride, as the best evidence of the skill and care that have been bjstowed upon it." It is indeed a remarkable circumstance, if I were incompetent to my duties, that from the 12th April, 1853, when I was appointed by a Minute in Council, I enjoyed the entire confidence of the Executive Government till the late change in the Administration ; that I had the confidence of the former Railway Board till they were broken up ; and that I retained the confidence of the present Board till the hour of my abrupt and summary dis- missal. I insert here with a feeling of pride the letter which the Chairman and the other two Commissioners constituting the Board gave me on the day after your letter of the 25th, and presenting certainly a striking contrast to it. The opinion thus expressed by gentlemen who have had the best oppor- tunity for judging of my qualifications and conduct, and who, independently of their official position, are men of the highest cha- racter and standing in this community, is a sufficient oSset, and perhaps a sufficient con- solation for the disapproval which you have thought tit to express : ...,.., , .. (4) Railway Opficb, Halifax, 2Gth Aug., 1858. Sib— As your connection with the Railways of which you have been the Chief Engineer since their commencement in this Province has ceased, and as your conduct in that ca- pacity has been constantly under our obser- vation since the year 1854, we conceive it an act of simple duty to record our opinion of your unwearied diligence, energy, and skill, and our unabated confidence in your integri- ty. Our intercourse with you has always been of the most friendly and confidential oharacter, and in the emergencies that have from time to time arisen, we have found you fully competent to the duties of your office. AVe have otten marked your anxiety to push forwai'd the works with all possible celerity, and to economise the public money, and, in parting with you, beg to assure you of the sincere regard and esteem with which we re- main. Yours, very truly. (Signed) J. R. Forman, Esq. The Board alyo, in J AS. McNab, W. Pryor, Jr., Jmo. U. Andebson. their letter to you of 80th June stated, " that in their opinion the Chief Engineer has bad difficulties to con- tend with of an unusually harassing nature, inseparable perhaps in conducting a work of such magnitude in a new country, and they feel it but dne to him to say, that in their judgment he has done all that could be done under the circumstances to promote and fa- cilitate the works under his charge, and the Board continue to feel that he is still doing •0." The Government is well aware that from the hour they took office they never gave me their support, and that in place of aiding me, they left me to struggle, alone and un- sus^oineid, with all the difficulties of my posi- tion. Before the Committee of Assembly last winter I was assailed with impunity, and im- putations which there was ample evidence to repel were permitted to remain unanswered. It was the feelings and interests of the con- tractors alone that were cared for in that in- quiry. Your letter indeed of the 5th July contain- ed this passage: " His Excellency further commands roe to say, that be is quite aware of the importance of continuing the works under the manage- ment and direction of the same Engineer, and that while it will give him unfeigned pleasure to learn by the rapid and efficient progress of the works, that Mr. Forman pos- sesses the skill and energy required by his position, he and the Board may confidently rely upon the continued cordial support which the Qovernroent have on all occasions hither- to given them." And my letter of the 12th of July, I wound up in these terms : " In conclusion His Exoellenoy, I trust, ill permit me to e&j that J am extremely gratified by the assurance in the letter I am now *.'pl}'iu(? to, of the cordial support of the Executive Government. My duties are at all times sufficiently arduous, but with the aid of that support, and more especially by a de- termination, while dealing justly aud libe- rally with the Contractors, to bold them strictly to their engagements, I confidently trust that the object which His Excellency has so much at heart will be accomplished, and the line to Truro completed, and opened for traffic by the first of November next." You now state " that it is manifest that un> der my management, the work will not be completed for several months beyond the time limited for its accomplishment," aud you make this the ground of my removal. Now I believe that this is by no means the real ground, and that other influences are at the bottom, which the public and I perfectly appreciate, and the government have not the courage and manliness to resist. I assert further that there is only one dif- ficulty in the way of the completion of the line to Truro by the first of November, and that is, the extraordinary position and influ- ence which the Contractors have been per- mitted to assume and exercise, since the advent of the present government, and against which I have so often remonstrated in vain. My letter of the 26th June last, contained this passage : ** It is true that during thelastyear I have had many difficulties to contend with, into which I forbear from entering. The chief of sition has been the insuhordination and the po- these assumed by the Contractoi a, who assert- ed a practical independence, and seemed to think that they would be upheld in disobey- ing both the Board and myself. In this I trust they are now undeceived, and if they are kept in their proper place, aud the government give me the same generous and cordial sup- port which I have always received both from the former and present Board* I ha-'e no reason to doubt that the Railway, which I am unwilling to abandon, will be successfully and vigorously prosecuted to its completion." The Board in their letter of the BOth June, expressed their regret, «• that there has been so much delay in the completion of the con- tracts, but the government are familiar with the difficulties they have had with the con- tractors, in compelling them to finish their sections, as well as those which prevented the works beint^ taken out of their hands." Till the year 1857 there was little or no difficulty with the Contractors— since that time the letter books are filled with repeated applications to them to get on with their work, and fulfil their obligations, and with every variety of expostulation and warning. My report of 17th May last, in reference to the Windsor Branch, contained these pas- sages : '^Ifeelitis necessary to urge that the measures to be adopted for the completind my be-ft energies have been devoted for live years. , ■\Vithout an hours preparation, and on the i n «.%'st pretences, you have cur iff the ii o 'tue ou which my family and myself depended. And all this you have done toaNovaticotinn, not unworthy, I will say, of the esteem of his tellow countrymen, for the s>ke of a stronger, | about to be entrusted with large powers und i un unlimited discretion. ! This may be wise. I am sure it is not just, i My fortune, it is true, you and your col- leagues have injured, and my reputation you have done your best to destroy, but that I believe is beyond your power. In justice to myself I will puli'ish this let- ! ter and such portions of the correspondence j as may be necessary to elucidate the whole | case. For my part I have nothing to conceal, j but court the fullest and most searching in- i (juiry, and I am much deceived ifthinkinsr| men of all parties shall not be found to re- | sent, and tu sympathise warmly with m; I natural feeling of indignation and sorrow at the wrong that has been done me. 1 am, 8ir, Your most obdt. servant, .» J. U. FoRMAJf. The lion, the Provincial Secretary. HAr.iFA.\, ;ird Sept., 18f»8. To the Editor of the Clifoniclr — Sill, — The following Itttor in reply to tlio Co/o/i j.s/ Editorial of Tuesday last has been refused by that paper, notwithstanding the infamous language made use of in that arti- cle. Under ihe.'edient servant, J. R. FOBMAN. I ; " \ Letter from Mr. Forman to the Right Hon'ble the Earl of Mulgrave. Halifax, Ootoliev Sth, 1858. Mt Lonn, — As I urn not a profossionil pleader, it can- not ti(i suppoHpil that ill this (Jfj).iitiiiciit oC iueiit:»' fxti'cisu I mil eiiual to a coiitnivfr.sy with the Attorney Qeucnil, and nblo fully to expose the Hophistry of the argmncut ivl- viiiict'd in his letter to Your Lordship, dated the 11th September, an I puhlisheil by per- mission ill the Royal Gazsltc of tiio loth, and Mub^eijiiently in the Voluiiint nev\ripnpcr; nevertheless, feeling convinced that truili is in all oases sure to prevail, and kuowing the charged made ag linst luy skill and attention to my professional duties to be false and totally without foundation, and to be urged mainly f'T the purpose of glossing over a grosis uot of injustice, doubly discreditable by the detertiiiuitioti evinced to lower my pro- fessional 8taiidiu;f, I feel it a duty I owo to myself and to those whom Providence has made dcp'Hident upon me, to reply to this letter fi'oin Mr. Jolinston, and I will be much surprised if Your Lordship, before this mat- ter is ended, do not arrive at the conclusion now held by thinking men oiall parties, that the deed perpetrated liy the GovernmenL in my dismissal, is too flagrant not to ctill duwn a speedy and just rotributiun. Mr. Johnston's statement, " that the de- tached passages," as he is pleased to call the copious extracts introduced in uiy 'etter of 'he 1st S^'ptember, to the Governuieut, "piaco the subject in an imperfect and erroneous as- pect, and that this letter, with another dated rird oti::ei)tember, contain imputaiions against the Government which are entirely without founiiaiion," Vour Lordjhip will see by re- ferring to these letters, the correspondence published in the Gazette, and the explana- tions I am about to give, is unwarrantable. A'o doubt the Members of Government would permit nt be anticipated, as they wore required by the terms of the Contracts to supply their own rolling stock." And with this opinion, Mr. McNab for- warded my letter of the 26th June, which contained the following passages : " In my letter of the 7th April, 1855, it is stated tliat from the nature of the business to be brought along the line, it is evident that the passengers and goods can, at least, fur some time, be conveyed by the sane train, with as much advantage to the public an' greater economy in working the line than by separating them. The engines specificl and recommended at that time were four, similar to the largest description on the road. These wore considered suliioient, with the assistance of the ' Miydower,' 'Sir Gaspard,' an! ' Joseph Howe,' to commence working tin* road between Wimlsor and Grand Lfikc ; and no provision was made fur supplying the Contractors with locomotives, they being re- quii'e I in their Contracts to provide their own rolling stock." "Tlio Board are aware that only two of those large eogiiios have beun delivered, and that this reduced stock is now taxed to w.'vk th'} road to Win isor and Truro Road Station — ten miles beyond Grand Lake, — be- sides supplying haulage for Contractors, in ^ (3) ballasting, and for other purposes on the \Viiidrioi' IJniuch and the Miiiu Line to the serious pennaneut injm'j of tlie n.lling stock. I am satisfit'd that the Uoard, with tlie Ijnow- Iv' Igc they have lierived from experience, can nuw certify that this estimate was ample for the length detiiif J, aud the class of engines reoommeuded are lu every way suited to the line " •' On the 10th December, 1857, I advised that irix more lucomotivcs be ordered to be delivered this summer. The board are a rare that iu tills department, as well as in all others, tliere was every desire to economise to the utmost. When tliere is an unlimited supply 01 rolling sttck on hand, it will be found not to be so tconomically worked as when it bears a legitinnite proportion to the demands of the traffic." " The turning tables required at present for the road to Windsor and Truro, arc ciiher erected or ready to be put up. Mr. Lamont was at one time under orders to build the ta le.s at Truro and tiie Junction, but tiiey \ver: uovteriais, furtiiLT reduces the cost and is illastratfd at the present moment, in the case ot tlio worksho[)8 row in the course of erection at Kiclimond, as well as iu many oilur iust.incrs along tiie road," The I'rovinci. 1 Secretary on the 5th of Jul\ , in reply to those letters, txpressrs tlio Lieuieuaui Uovernor's a;ratiticition at learn- ing " that the lioard entertain the opinion, tir'.t Mr. t'onuan has done all Mjut coidd be donp, under the circumstances, to promote j and tii>,ililafo the works under ids charjre." I I'ue co.iiplaiuts mvde at t'.is time I had fully answered, and the Government felt that it was unjustifiable, to base such strong lan- guage ns they had then used, upon so slight i» rbundatiou, as the memorandum of things submitted by Mr. Laurie ; but notwithstand- ing, the Attorney General now goes back to the very points here treated about and dis- poseil of, and attempts to vindicate my dis- missal upon grounds, which the Government in fact had abandoned as untenable. After the above correspondence, and to cover his retreat, the Provincial Secretary, then, for the first time, in July, comments upon the evidence taken before th? Railway Committie in April, and I f el that it is neces- sary to give a wider circulation to my reply, which was as follows : — *• Nova Scotia Railway, Engineer's OfTioe. Halifax, 17th July, 1868. Sir, — I have read the Hon. the Provincial Secretary'sj letter of the 5th iust., and is it seem.'j to be thought that suliicient cave had not been observed iu selecting the Windsor Branch, I trust His Excellentiy the Lieuten- ant Governor will excuse my making the fol- lowing explanations, which I feel to he the more necessary from the fact that the Windsor Branch was laid out under a former Admi- nistration, and it cannot be suppose! that the nature and extent of the explorations made at that time are fully known to the members of the present Executive Council. I have theref-re to explain that before de- termining upou the adopted line, sections were carefully and aourately made through all the valleys lying between Halifax and Windsor, embrac ng a track of country about fifty miles in breadth, and including trial sections down the Saokville, Meander and Nine Mile F.ivers. Thi results of these were communicated to the Government and tho .V.^sembly in my report of '2ihh January, J8oG The route by t!ie tnne Mde River, as contras- ted with the route preferred hy the Coajmis- sionersand myself, and finally adopted, would have involved an additional rise of 100 feet, tbe relative total ri?e of the two being G30 and 530 f et, but what is of still more conse- quence, it would have lengthen^'il the road te Windsor by no les^s thin '2'2 miles, to that extent and iu all time coming affecting the tralii ; 1 e' ween the Western Counties and the Capital, and raising the cost. It was thig coiisideration maiidy which iuduced the Com- mit'ee of the House of Ahseudilyin 1855, after tall inquiry, to recomnicud the house to deter- mine that the wisest course to pursue was to al- low the Railway Coinmi'sior.ers and their En gineers to settle anil dt-c'de upon the proper route. This they did wiih a full knowledge of the difficulties to be encouniered and the cost. But it must be romomb'. red that 'ho district lying between Halifix and Windsor is unfa- vourable for cheaply constructed roads — it is rocky and and broken, and intersected by numerous lakes; the streams are subjected to sudden ohang a, accumpanie I at certains sea- sons by large quantities of floating ice, the valleys are crooked and narrow, and the fea- tures otherwise are so uupropitions, that I tmm m y felt grat!f5cl ami relieved upon tliscoverinfr the prtscnt line, and my opinion in this re- spect, remains unchango.d. The grading on a road is determined by the niture of the country traversed. Were it di'sirt'd it would be impossible to construct a railway with heavy inclinations in the Mid- land Counties of England, and quite impos- sible to make one level in many parts of Soot- land. Between Ililifax and Windsor there is a summit of at least uOO feet, besides the in- equalities in the surface above referred to, and under these conditions the inclmationa are as good as could reasonably uave been expected. Ou English Railways grades of 80, 100 and even as high as 200 feet per mi'e are common. The Caledonian Railway, connecting Edin- burgh, Glasgow, and the North of Scotland with England, and acknowledged to be one of the best constructed rcadc in Great Britain has a continuous grade on the main trunk of 72 feet per mile for a distance of seven miles. The grades on the Lane ister and Carlisle railway are equally heavy, and on some of the branches uf the North British they are made steeper. On the Glasgow and South Western, on the Wilsontown, the B.ithgate and the Glasgow and Barrhead railways, grades of from 50 to 80 feet per mile are common, whilst on the Windsor Branch the heaviest crade m one direction is 72 feet, and in the other G4 feet per mile. I mention the above instances from my own personal knowledge and acquaintance with the roads, and from their being amongst the btJrt constructed railways in the world. The alignment of the Windsor Branch also bears a favourable comparison with other railways. After leaving Bedford Basin there are few curves with a less radius th-in thirty chains — such a curve would under certain conditions, ba aduiis.sible on any first class road. The dioiance between the Junction and Windsor as an a ir line is 28] miles, by the rail- way it is 314 miles, showing only an increase of 2] mi's^ over the straight line. The dis- tance traversed acrofs the rocky and barren district i"^ thus reduced to almost the lowest possible limits, nnd the shortest and best road notwithstanding has bien sccjrel. The shore round, Bedfont Basin is very irregular, the indentatioi^s made by the coves extend a consiilerable distance into the high laud, and the sIktc shelves off quickly, ma- king deep water within short distances. To have constructed the railway further iulan'l, while it would have cntaile 1 a much higher cost, would have greatly impaired the advan- tages to the public, by withholding an easy and cheap conveyanf:e for the products of an extensive and valujible back-country to the sea. The road as now laid out gives the fiid benefit of the basin for almost its entire length and this feature though not yet understood or appreciated, and sometimes urged as an ob- jection, while it ought to be viewed as a re- commend" tion, will eventua'ly be felt to be one of great importance Owing to the prox- imity of this portion of the road to the Halifax Terminus, facilities for h'gh rates of spwd are not so necessary as on sections more t emote; the curvature on this account is of the Irs.'* importance, but notwithstanding, as the line is extremely wal! bui'.t it will admit of almost any rate of travelling with absolute safety. As the power of the large locomotives has been inadvertently underestimated, I take this opportunity of explaining that whon these cylinder, engines were ordered, the size of the leniith of stroke, ami diarae'cr of driving wheels were specified ; these dimensions sluml I fix the power; the apportioning of the weight on the bearings is a matter of detail gcner.il- ly left with the maker. Observing they were est' mated to carry fifteen tons ou the driving wheels, and possessing no means of ascertain- ing the accuracy of this estimate on the spot, I requested the maker to have them weighod, and the result as reporttd to me was found to be eighteen tons. These engines are, in my opinion, sufficient for a mixeil traffic, and it is for this they are intended. The ttvo small engines " Sir Qaspard" and " Joseph Howe" were in the first instance to work the trains round Bedford Basin, and subsequently to run light trains on any pitt of tlie road, and it was believed thattwosucU engines could always be profitably employed on a road one liundred miles long. Tlie di- mensions of the •' Maytiower" were fixed by the locomotive superintendent in the Uni ed States, and I knew nothing of her power be- fore she was pl.aced on the road; she is, how- ever a good engine, and well suited for many purposes When it became necessary to sup- ply power for a heavy mineral or large goods tr.iffic, it was my intention to specify a pro- per goods engine, but it wouhl be premature to introduce these engines at pri sent. Tlie engines under construction by Messrs. Neil- son & Co. will have 20 tons on the dri\ing who ds, and I do not know any alteration that could be advantageously made to meet tlie present requirements of the road. I am persuaded that the board feel that they h ive been kept fully informed of the state of the couttacts on the Windsor Branch during the last year by the many confeieuces and verbal explanations of th> ir unsatisfioto- ry st.ite, and the slow progress that was ma ie towards their completion, both before and after August, 1857. The difficulties to be apprehended in getting the fir.st cutting re- moved ou No. 2 Contract, were represented many months before August , and the general condition of the works was from time to time fairly rep irted to them. 1 find in reference to my letter book, that, on the 2lst Septem- ber notice was given to Mr. Macdonald that unless the delays that were taking place in completing the road ceised, the Boart would take other measures to insure its timely com- pletion. This letter produced little or no ef- fect. Estimates of tha number of men re- quired over the whole of the works were handed to the board time after time, and by them transmitted to the Contract, re, but they led to no resu't, an I if the law or the oxis- (5) ting circumstances of the contractors as has been thought would not ju-^tify the eecticns being taken out of their hands and prevented the adoption of vigorous measures for fuicing them 03, it is apparent that no blame can at- tach to either tlae board or to me. The fact that Contract No. 11 had not been vigoroas- iy prosecuted was equally well known to the Executive Governuiout and to the Comjnis- siouers, and by none was it more sincerely lamented than by myself. Tlie elfeat of frost upon the slopes of cut- tings in this country is very peculiar, and is attributable to the sudden changes in the tweather, and to the quality of the material. In most ot the heavy excavations, not rock, the clay is mixed with stones, and extremely hard, yeilding only to the action of frost — Had these slopes been made in England they Would have stood perfectly well, but when subjected to the luliuencfs of this climate, slurry could not be prevented from coming down, even though the slopes had bten much 11 itter. I am intbrmed that this question was lately submit'.ed to an eugiuier in No.? Brunswick appointed to inspect the railways in thiit province, auJ when the slopes hid been made mu;h flatter than usual, and th it he gave it as his opinion that it would be better to make the excavations wide at the for- mation level, and not slope otf the s'des at all. I only mention this to shew the diil'erence of opinion that may exist upon such a. subject, auil not at all as conveying my views. Had the slopes stood as specified, there would have been a saving effected in the construction, and the cost oueht not under any circumstnn- to be increased beyond what would have been the case had the addition il sloping been in- cluded in the first instance. That slips and slurry were naturally to be expected, no one acquiiinted with rail way works can possibly deny, and that they were included in the spec' ticat ions appears plainly on the face of tlft documents, and therefore such contij^en- cies were estimated, and ought to have been provided for in the contract price. It should not be overlooked that the evi- dence taken last session before the Railway t ommittee, was to a great extent furnishud by interested parties. l>u referring to the measurements accom- panying my report upon the Contractors' claims, I tind th.'it tlie total additional exca- vatiops, owing to soft bottoms, did not at that time exceed 2(1,000 cnbic yards. Esti- mating the exoavaiions on the branch at one million cul)'.c yards, and setting aside tln' clauses in the contract which were intended to guard the province ngain.st such demands, this quanfity cannot be saidmaterially to af- fect the cost or enhance it to a greater extent tiian might have bet n reasonably anticipateil. li\ conclusion, Wis Exctdlency I trust will permit uia to say, that I am extreniv'ly gra- titied by the assurance in the letter I am now replying ti», of the cordial support of the Exeoutive Government. Wy duties are at all times stitlioiently arduous, but with the aid of that support and more cs^'ooiully by a de- termination while dealing justly and liberal- ly with the Contractors, to hold them strictly to their engagements, I confidently trust that the object which His Excellency has so much at heart will be accomplished, and the line to Truro completed and opened for trallic by the first of November next." If sufficient plttnt had not been on the line, or full provision made for the trathc, even in tViid case I could not be held responsible, as the Board required fill explanations about everything to be ordered, and sometimes de- clined following my suggestions, it the.se did not accord with their opinions. In ta s case. however, I acted ditfyrently from the Attor- ney General ; believing [ was right, I urge 1 my views, whereas it appears thai he caution- ed the Boari ngiinst adopiing his. The Attorney General seeins to think it very bold and unworthy for mc to have ven- tured an opinion that my removal was occ i- .sioned by the influ mce I alluded to, and t^at Mr. Laurie was brought to sufiersede me. I rtsk him if this was not the case, and if he felt interested in the success of the road under my supervision, why he did not come forward and render me the assistance I re- quired — why he did cot inhtr ict the Board I ist year about the return books required by the Contractor's Counsel, in place (Wassailing them on the floor of the House / If lie thought my opinion of the contracts was wrong, wliy d-'d he not instruct the Board accordingly ? Why was the inferests of the Province not protected during the Railway investigation last winter, and the Board left to tight the Contractors and ooun.sel without legal alvice? So strong and so uncalled for was the lan- guaje used by the Contractor's (Counsel, and so marked the indifference shown by the At- torney General, that the Board regretted that tlicy had not retained special counsel independent of the law officers of the Ci-own, for my protection. It was piteut to all the world that I had no advocate to defend me before the Railway Committee, and that the assaults mide on me from day to day, which a lawyer of any talent or zeal could easily have repelled, rather gave pleasure to the Attorney General, whose business it wiis to protect, but who abandoned uw\ betrayed me, to the opposite counsel. The course pur- sued by the Attorney General on that en- quiry, hoth as it alfected the public interest and myself, was without example in Colonial history. I ask again, what was the reril ob- ject of the Provincial Secretaiy's letters of June and July, and when hisatti'mpts tailed, why were subsequent ones made to induce the Board to separate themseives from me, if my dismissal was not a foregone conclusion ? Why was Mr. Laurie kept here ? Surely the accumulation and depth oftngineering know- ledge displayed in his pamphlet, the few days work he did for the Lunatic Asylum, a'.id his report U[ion half a mile of (anal in Cafii Breton, were hardly occupation enough for the time he has devoted to this Province, op au eciuivalent for the expen*-e< thus incurred. If Mr. Laurie was kept here ready to step ;.f4 mimm (6) ii ; into my slices whenever n pretence could be touud, the iiution of the Government is iu- tuUifjible, ninl not utherwise. This conclu- sion, however un<' ortliy it may appear to the leiiined gentleman, wiis anticipr.teii by many of the byatiinders, auJ the result has shewn they were risiiht. The preparation of notices for the Con- tractors last year, their subsequent witlulraw- al, and a variety of other matters referred to, are ultogether foreign to my dismissal. The payments made on si'veral of these sections, and on the Main Line, hs previously explain- ed, were under modified arrangements to mtct the wishes of tlie Board and the Guvorn- ment. The recommendation to make the ad- vances referred to in my letter of thf 6th Ootobur, arose as follows : The Contractors having refusied to proceed farther with the wiirks wifhout additional payments, I was tolil by Mr. McNab that he had seen some cembers of the Government, and that they were of opinion that it was best to make thtse advance!*, and they required me to draw up a recommendation ; I replied by remindiu,; him that the money was not due, and that means must be taken to secure its repayment ; I was then informed that sufficient security would be taken, but that I need not mention it in my lett«.r, as the Board would have this attended to. On referring to Mr. .McNab's letter of tiie 5th Uctober, I found tha*; he re- commended these advances more particularly as they would be given as a loan, to be repaid when the contracts wore finislied. l)r. Tap- per's letter of the uth October, together with Mr. McN ib's remarks, were to me inexplica- ble. Waea I tirst heard of Dr. Tupper re- quiring written explanations of a step taken in fact at tlie instance of the Government, I told the Coard what the result would be, — that whilst they tliought they were carrying out the viewK of the Government, they would find the Government would throw the whole respou>iiiility upon them, and I stated that hereafter I would dociiue having anything to do with similar recommendi.tions; and Mr. Johnston knows that no moditication of the coutracrs em amted from me, nor hal I any thing to do with such matters uuder the C'utraots. I'his business was foreign to my position, arid devolved upon the Board with the Counsel of the Attorney General, If sulticieut sccui'ity was not taken when the advances ot the oth Uctober were mide, and the interests of the Province at that timf> not properly protected, the blame does not resc Willi me. I abstain, my Lord, from going into a mul- titude of minor points suggested by the i^t- toniey General's letter, which could be re- fated with equal ea-e. The suhstantial issue be:bre the country is th.s — were the delays in the coiupl tion of the Railway, fiist to Windsor, and then to Truro attributable to the Board -to the Kugineer — or to the Contr,ictor>'; and if the latter does the respon- sibility extend to the Ooverumeut its aiding and abetting them. Now I distinctly assert that the blamo be longs altogother to the Contraciors, and to the Government who upheld them, and that a more iniquitous attempt was n^ver made than to fasten that blame upon me.\ I appeal tQ every clear headed man in the Province, of whatever party— I appeal, my Lord, to your own convictions, if that at- tempt would ever have been mude hvl I be- longed to the favored class, an'I et'joycd their protection— I appeal to the correspondenco j that has been published, and I confidently I ask if its whole tenor and purport do not jiis- I tiCy the assertion in my tirst letter, that there were other influences which the Government had not the power to resist, and they therefore resorted to these mean chargcsofincompetimcy ^nd neglect, which there is not a panicle Of evidence to sustain. That in the view of the Gof ernraent the Board were not to blame, is obvious, else the Boiird should have been dismissed along with myself. Their testimony therefore is of the highest value in the issue as between ihe Contractors and myself. Look at the cor- ' respondence, and what is it, since the new Government came into power, but a perpetual remonstrance against the insubordination and neglect of these contractors. And only a part appears on the face of the correspond- ence. The Government may have published It' they had, but many letters are in the jooks wh'ch they have not. They publish for i example Messrs. Johnston & lUackie's letter I of lllth August, 18-j8, the hist paragraph of I which is as follows: "As regards ourselves we beg to state most positively tii.it we never at any time, directly or indirectly, saiil or did anything to confirm the Board in the opinion that the work specified in Mr. Forman's re- port, to be done in August, could be accom- plished in that time." But my report there- on, and Mr. McNab's letter of the loth and 14th August do not appear. In the fornu'r I remarked that I certainly understood Mr. Dent, their foreman, to agree tliat the works specified could be easily accompli.slied durin.; the month." I was indigntint at the denial, but well knowing how the Contiactors stood with the Government, and how the Govern- ment were watcbing for me, 1 expnssed my- self guardedly. Mark, however, the tone of Mr. McXalt's letter of the 1 t-h, of which I have obtained a cojiy, as follows : " Mkssus. Joiix.ston & Bi.ACKii:, — Gentlemen,— In reply to vrnraent the mx, else the 1 along with re is of the between iho lit tlie coi'- lee tiie new t a perpetual Jination and ■\.nd only ii oorrespond- e published are in the y publish for Okie's letter araj^raph of (Is ourselves lat we never y, said or did 1 the ipiniou 'orman's re- \ be accom- 'eport there- e loth and the former I er,->(ood Mr. it the work.^ i.slied during t the denial, aolors stood the Govern- pri'ssed niy- the tone of , of which I ur le'tor of 10 of the cith, ieation fioui .'ply thereto, f what .\Jr. ipli of your illy at vari ve your con- SL-noe of the lid be done, xtraordinary I out No. 7, 1 i)o made to L'Uiarkc'd that on that point I would say nothing, but would enclose Mr. Fornian's requirements, your re ply was, " when you do so I hope you will stti'e wliat extra sum you will allow for taking out that out," meaning No. 7. I am, &e., (Signed) James McXab, Chairman " In the printed correspondence there is abundant eviilcuce of the same feeling. On the Sth Teb'y the Chairman wrote to thePro- vinoial Secretary, that " the Board finding themselves deceived by the representations tlioy ha I from time to time received aa to the state of the road, after furnisliing the Con- tractors on different occasions with four en- gines, to enable them, if possible, to accom- pl sh tiie work, and having the mortification of finding all these engines disabled without any beneficial resulr to the road, were fo,*ced to the conclusion that the works were not jet in a condition to allow a locomotive a safe transmit over the rails " The representations which deceived the Board were the reports submitted to tlien^by the resident Env^ineer in charge of the branch, and the Contractors, dnd wliich at that time, from the feelinus of the Government towards myself, I could not resist. On the 20th May the following letter is sent : "MyDeaeSir— " I enclose you a letter received from Mr. Mosse last evening, l)y which you will see some of the difficulties we labor umler. Al- though there are plenty of men ottering, the Contractors have not and will not employ them on the works, and the Commissioners are totally powerless. Believe me. Yours truly, (Signeil) James McNab, The Hon. C. Tupper, &o." On the 30th June ho writes, •• The Board cannot but regret that there has been so much delay in ttie completion of the Con- tracts ; but the Government are familiar with the difficulties they have had with the Con- tractors in compelling them to finish their sections as well as those which preveuted the works being taken out of their hamls " On the '.'th August Mr. McNah repeats these cotn plaints still more emphatic .lly, as I shewed in my first letter. My own report of *2lct Augtist, published l)y the Government, and which gave in the most ample form the results of my personal inspection, ountained the following para- gi'iiphs: " 111 my report of the Gth inst. I specif ed certnin works which ought to be finished during the current month, and which the Contractors, in their communicatieus with the Board, acquiesced in, as easily done ; and on Auirust lUth I submitted a comparative tabular statement shewing the relative pro- portion of work done with what was reijuired by my report, and I have now to annex copy of the same returnsf, as well as of similar ones for week ending August 17th, and a re- turn shewing the quantity of cutting remov- ed and still to be removetl on these sections." " The Board will see that my report is far from being complied with, notwitiistanding theas-urancc given by the Contractors." With this mass of evidence of the most on- eontrovertable kind, and when the Board and I were straining every nerve to complete the line by inducing the Contractors to fulfil their promises, who would have believed that a Government would have dared, in the face of a thinking and free people, to lot the Con- tractors escape, to break up a Bi ard thus performing their public duty, and on the 25th August to dismiss the Kugineer w!io had planned and nearly perfected the whole work. But the question remains — why did not the Government instruct the Commissioners to give the three days' nodce,— which they were authorised to do by the Contracts — and take the works into their own hands, and complete them at the Contractors' expense. It was my opinion that this ought to be done, and upon that opinion the Commiss'oners were at liberty to act. The stipulation in the Contracts was plain as day. The last Government had acted on it, and the very threat had at once induced activity and vigor. The Attorney General saw difiiculties in the way, or professed to see them, but what the difficulties were, would be matter of curious inquiry My object, however, is not to criminate others, but to vindicate myself. 1 abstain from touching the extraordinary questions put to Mr. Nab on the 21st Sept., with his replies on the 25th, and the humiliating and singular position to which the Government reduced itself in asking a certificate from its own officer. It is necessity alone that com- p» 's me to take up the pen and fij^ure in a new charactCT as a controversalit;t in the newspapers. Hitherto my time and talents have been dedicated to my profession, and 1 little thought to havebcwn diverted from it to enquiries like these. But Your Loidship's advisers havii been wanting in manliness and candour, and been reluctant to reveal their real motive. The world would have respected the.m more, had they said, it is necessary to sacrifije our Engineer, because his religious opinions and zeal as a Protestant have made him ohnoxioas to a section of our supporters. Every bo.'y knows ttiat this is the pressure to which the Attorney General, in an evil hour for his own oonsisteney, and with a signal loss of reputa- tion, perhaps with many secret niisirivings, has succumbed. But ashamed or afraid to confess it, he and his subordinates in Secre- tary's letters and scandalous e liiorialu, have sounht to damage my professional stuudiug, and even my private character. Dismissed without a moment's warning, I took with me and retained for a few days the hooks and papers essential for my vindication. The letters from my counsel shewed that this was the motive, aud guaranteed their return if>i«i H (8) upon a plo'lee tliat I should have free access to them. With those letters in the pogsession of Government, could any thing be more in- fiunousthan without a single worl of expli- nation, to charge me in their organ with dis- honesty and pnrloining, and threaten rne with a criminal prosecution, the very idea of v, hioh w.iB an absurdity. Surely after robbing mo of position and income, they might h ive spared this further aggression. Could any thing be more unfeeling or unjust than the letter of 11th September, which I have now ooufutcd, where there is preserved, to be sure, an aifectation of c-vlmness, but accom- panied by a reiteration in oll'ensive terms of the pretence' on which the Government found- ed my dismissal. How ai y man who 1 as a character to maintain can reconcile these to his conscience and sense of right, I o innot con^pruheud. It is eniu^h to say that my professional competency Mr. Johnston and his colleagues are incapable of judging, while tho charges of remissness and neglect they know to be untrue. My best vindication on both grounds maj be drawn from the official cor- respondence open to all the world, and I am confident that every man who studies it will arrive at the conclusion, in which I cannot but think that Your Lordship will participate, that my dismissal from the work I had so long and 80 successfully conduotC'l, was one of the most tyrannical and indefensible acts ever perpetrated by a Qovernment, and that tiie pretences by which they are endeavoring to sustain it are worse than the act itself. I have the Honor to be. Your Lordship's most ob't servant, J. R, FORM.VX. To the Right Honble. His Excellency the Earl of Mul^rave, Lt. Governor, &c., &c. [i L- ' > ■; 1-. /'■■■.