IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I !SiiM m ''" m |||j|z2 ;: m ill 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 M 6" — ► Photographic Sciences Corporation \ S V (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les images suivantes ont At6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de le nettet6 de l'exemplaire filmA, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim6e sont film^s en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la derniAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration. soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film^s en commen^ant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — »• signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s A des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmi A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 n SPEECH OF MR. DeCOSMOS ON MR. HUNTER'S SURVEY OF THE PINE RIVER PASS. :o: HANSARD REPORT HOUSE OF COMMONS. Wednesday, \2th March, 1878. MR. HUNTER'S SURVEY OF THE PINE RIVER PASS. MOTIO.V FOU REPORTS. Mr. THOMPSON (Cariboo) moved tor a copy of all roportts ot' Mr. Jo-epli Hunter, CM, in regard to tho .survey made by hini in 1877 of the ])a>s known as ilje Pine liiver Pu^.s in tiiu ; Eocky MountaiuH. Ho Haid iiis ()l)joct j in making this motion was to obtain | some information as to the I'osulls of! tho tsurvey made by Mv. Hunter last | year. Mr. Marcus Smith's report, which was embodied in that of ihe ]\Iinister of Public Works, contained a .-sort of 1)&rtiul explanation as to wliat hail )oen done. Ho v.'ould like ilie ivpui'i asked for to bo subnuttcd to the Hou.-'O before any di'^eu^-^inn therenjjon took place, but ho would road the following from the report niade by .Mr. Smith. Referring to .•• survey from Fori McLeod, eastward, to tho valley of the liiver MisinchincM, an afHue!>t of the Parsnip, ho said : " Ou descending tlie river, o. streniu was discovered falling into it tVoni the nurlli, about thirty-tive miles above it.'' contluoiico with the Parsnip. Following this up four miles, it was fonn.l (o i.-jsue from a .smull lake named Azuzetta. This proved to be near the enmniit of tho Pine River Pasw, its altitude heing estnnaled at 2,430 feet above the level of tlie sea. A litdo beyond this, tlie head waters ot the Pine River were struck, and the river followed down eastward to the Forks, a point reached by Mr. Selwyn with a canoe I'roni the Peace River in l87.o. The e.\pliralion was con- tiiiueil 30 miles eastward of ihe Forks on to tlie Beaver Plains, which lie between the Rocky Mountains and Peace River. Thus the qtiestion of the (easilidity of the Pine River Pass is at last sohed. The fnll Report has not vet been received, but the dif'ance between iFort McLcod on the west side of the Mountains, and the Forks of Pine Rivt-r on the east side, ie roughly estimated at 90 ndles. The gradients are stated to be generally easy, with the exception of about four miles nfar the summit of the Pass where Ihey will proiiably be about 60 feet to the mi^e, imd the works in the construction of a railway wonll be moderately light, except tor a length of about eight miles near the summit of llie Pass, atid a short length at the Forks of Pine River, where tliey would be heavy. The land in the Pine River valley for 50 miles above the Forks is described as of excellent quality, ami well suited for ai^riculturo and grazing pur- poses. It should be observed that this leriile strip ot land, lying nearly in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, is an extension of the Beaver Plains which connect with the great fertile belt stretching from Manitoba to and lieyoiiil the Peace River. Should the engineering idiaracter oi a line by this route prove, on ido-er survey, as (avonrable as reported, tiie results Irom this exploration will tie amongst the most important thit have been obtained since the commence- ment of the surveys. Some of the serious (lifiiciilties in crossing the Rocky Mi.iuntains will have disappeared, and tliis lormidable chain, once held to be in.surniountable, and even now telt to be a grave obstacle to rail- way enterprise, can then lie pa.ssed with very favoiiralile gradients, and with works not ( xceeding in magnitude those generally re(|uired on other portions of the line. In addition to the manifest advantages oll'ered by this route, there is further the impor- tant ctJiisiiieration that in place of a bleak sterile country, wlierein settlement i.«: an itu- possihility for hundreds of miles, the line would travert^e an area of remarkable fertility, with Imt a few short intervals of country until for eettlement. This route iilso passes lietween the vast mineral districts ofOmineca and Carihoo. The extraordinary results of recent mining operations in the latter give promi.>-e, when their resources are more fully developetl — a^J they can only be with tiie assistance of direct railway Cdinminiication — of' rivalliuj, if not sur- passing, the lar-tamed gold aud silver regions of the ueighliduriug Stati-.-t, which lie in the same mountain zone. The distance from Livingstone iii the located line, over the Yellow-head ''a'-s to the condiuuce of the Chilacoh and Stewart rivers, r.ear Fort t-^ 8 George, is 1,029 miles. Tlieilistance between the eaine points, viil tlie Piiic Kivor Pasi^, measures on the map to nearly the same as the above that a survey alone can determine the precise dift'erence between the two routes." No doubt the inlcnlioiis of tho Minis- try on tlio Huhjc'i wonld Ic kmwi bcl'oro tho cnil >\ ilicSc^ion; lai^. in tho nieniitiino. Ir- ihiiiiii,lii Mr. lliiniorV reportst shouki bo laid on tho Inb'.o, so that hon. ^entloincn might lio put in possession of whatever inlorniation they wonlii iitford pievious to the laii- way route being debated, Mr. DeCOSMOS said thai, before this resolution was aeeepted, he slioidd like to di-aw the attention ol tlie lJou>e to the importance of lhc^5C surveys a^ a means of encouraging sotlloincnt and as preparing the best loute for the tran.s-continental railway. They had, he believed, in the possession ot this House, a number of i-eporls from variouy sources. 'Jhey had the engineers' repm-ts, geohjgical reports, botanists' reports, tourists' reports, and last, though not least, tho report of the Minister of tho Interior. In these special reports, they found ' abundance of infor- mation, almost full and complete, indicating what loute should bo taken with roNpect to the Canadian Pacific Railway. So far as tho engineers reports were concerned, they had loft severjil lines of route to choose from, one by way of Yellow- head Pass to Bute Inlet, the other branching sonth-vvest by Fort (jeorgo to Bute Inlet, and the third by way of tho Pine Eiver and then to a ])oint near to what used to be called Fori George, and then to Burrard Inlet, or nearly to Fort Simpson on the I'acitic. The Northern route, so far as could bo judged from tlie description of tlio country giver, by the engineers, and more especially the report of Mr. Solwyn in his geological survey of Canada, and tho excellent account of Mr. Macoun, one of his statF of botanists, was by far the best. There could be no doubt whatever, by taking the Northern route, by Pine River Pass, and across British Columbia, they would have one contitnious lino of railway, where settlements could be iradc, where they could tind a rich agricultural country, where thoy could have a country full of r.'.inoral wealth, and a counliy that would provide traffic for the I'ailway, and where they wouldha^oa direct lino for the mer- chandize to pass through tho Domin on fn-m its western to its eastern shores, lie wii^ nwaio that it was to sonio o.Ntoiit, labour for tho ilouso to listen to niaitors ol' this (haracter, but ho qiigiit claim tho indulgence of the Ilodso to diaw attention to tho report made by .Mr. Solwyn, of I he (ieologiciil Survey, a gentleman, alihough conticcled with tho txovoin- nietii, yet occupying such an eminent position in tho si ientific world that, whatever lie said wao accepted as In ing unliias>ed and -wliolly unint'.uonced by any sectional fooling, political or oihcr- wi>o. On ]»ago 3l> of his book, ''Tho Geology of Canada, l875-li," Mr.Selwyn stated "that he started lioin the lino of the Fraser. in British Columbia, to a ])()iiil called QuesnoKaiul from there by Westroad River loSitdiui Lake, tollow- itii; tho old overland telegraph line, lie said : " The grounit is generfllly level, or only slijrhtly unitulrtting Thi're are iinmhers of sinull Iiiltward in tho Rocky Mountaiti region, they found Mr. Solwyn saying : " Notwithstanding this, I do not think there is any serious impediment in any part of the Pass to the con-iructioii of either a waggon road or a railway, especially along the iigbt bank." So mttch for tho construction of the railway in that direction. In passing farther up the Pino River Pass, ho remarked (at page 48) : " Charlette cultivates a small garden, and vegetables of all kind grow splendialy. He has potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, turnips, 8 French beans, bpe'i and barley. These were all [iliiiiied liolwccn tlic 15th and 24th May. The [iDtiiioc,^, tiirniprf aiiil onions are alroaiiy a fair size atnl lit fur tise. VVhoal ha-s not yei renclii'il this part of P'tico River, but would douljtkss givi.' an exci'llent crop." Tiio (luto wlion this was written was July ISili. So much lor Pino River Pass and its capacity for cultivation. A^ain, at patijc 50, ho Haiti— and this wa ■ a continuation of tho same descrip- tion : " The trail iho'.tgh rough in occasional spots, carried us over a very line country, where the cxPtlK'nt snij and larf^e t-acts if line land faciii({ the S')Utii, would olfcv gc^.u fiicilities for furnung. There was, however, a scarcity ot wood, but the soiillieni b:i;iksaiicl the numer- ous iHJanils hciug covered with deiiwe forests, atfofd uiihniited qaantiticH of that inateriiU for botli fuel and nianiifacturiiig purposes." This was tho Peace River country, in tlio direction ot ami near tho mouth of Middle River. Now, Mr. Solwyn made a tour in order to enter this Pass. an>l here wa-< wlinl ho said of it : " Mr. King and 1 rode out to a Pmall lake known as Little l.,ake (see map), about seven miles to the iiortli-wesc, on tiie talde laud This lake is one of the resources of Pine Kiver North, which j'>ins the Pea-ie about thirtceti miles turther down, at the site ot the oM Fort of .St. John. Alier risi;. j 724 teel we ooiiicupoii a tine level or s]i;zlitly undti- latiiig Country, coveted with tlte richest lieri)age (d' a-totiishirig luxuriance; I have seen tiothing in the Saskatchewati region thai at all equals it." Ho would c.'dl tho attention of the lion, tho Minister of tho Interior to this fact: that, if we could tind a road for our railway hy Pine River Pass that would enable iw to carry our settle- ments thiougli the fertilo tracts of Manitoba into Pine River Pass itself, ho could not sec how a doubt could at ise in anyone's mind as to the route that railway should take. Hero was another reniiirlcof Mr. Solwyn : "Similar fine country extends for many miles up a-id dovn tho river. Professors Mucoun and Anderson vralkcd to the nearest pi>int of Pine River North, and pa.^sed the wiiole distance, seven to eignt miles, through similar coimtry." JIo did not know what more any poo- |)lo could want in a tract of country. JIo would now draw the attention ot tho llctiseto tho ie])ort of tho Minister of tho Interior, and, in doing so, would specially refer to the iSoiilhern route, known as " No. 'J " ; and in this report of tho Mini.»ter ol tho Interior, tboy had, on paire HR of the Append! x^, a des- cripiion of one of the Imlian Reserves of the country, alonsf tho Frascr into tho interior. JIo said: " The Lower Fraser Valley, extemling, say over a hundred miles up to Yale, is not a gorge, but is somewhat opened so as to entide it to be called a true vallej- of deposition. The flat land about its mouth rests generally on soft, tertiary formations, but particularly along its low seaward margin, is composed of very modern delta deposits. The greater part of the Lower Fraser Valley is covered with itntnense deposits, chiefly of Douglas pine. Prom Yale up to Lytton, which is about 57 luilc-s, the Fra *- O < i) " Lytton is a poor miserable place, only hav- ing tlirpf pnrdens in the whole village." On pii^o 1HI>, when jpoiikii)^^ of tlio Sro])oso(l Northern route vid Fort 'OOJ'gc and Pike Pass, Iio said : "The IGth was occupied in (icltinf{ our bag- gage across the Ncchacco, a brotid and rapid stream, " For nearly sevi'n miles, the trail led through a succession of aspen copse and wide prairies. In the lattLr, very tall grass iind wecda of the usual S|)ecie3, and on tlu> former, the largest aspen loaves I ever saw. Xiinihcr-s of the inniA were over two feet in dionu tor. The priiirie and forest were quite level, and the Foil of the b"st quality— an alluvium witli black loam for ..i subsoil." They had here anolher evidence ^f the rich cliaracler of the country whicli the railway would lraver.-roduce a similar result in the distant future of British America?" Professor Macoun made the follow- iriii; leniaiks with re.spoct to Verniil- iioii, on Peace Kiver : " Having decided to rest one day at Ver- million, I em[doyed it in making a botanical survey of the neighbourhood. I first examined the 111 Id and gardens, and found, with the utmost astonishment that, although two degrees f'.ii tber north than Diiiiragaii or St. John, the barley and vegetables were much further advanced. Harley was standing in shocks in 'he field, having been cut ou 6th August, while scattered ears of wheat, which I found around the fences, were fully ripe (August I'.'th). Wheat is seldom cultivated in the .\orth-We3t, owing to the fact that barley is more useful, as the former is only used when boiled with meat, while the latter is fed to horses in the winter. The barley was sown on the 8ib May and reaped on the 6th August, having been in the Kround just ninety uays. The heads averaged from f ur to six inches in length, and were full of Urge grains of a beautiful colour. In fact, both wheat and bar- ley were the plumpest I ever saw, and must weigh as much as that brought from Fort Chipewyan. They stood very thick in the ground, and were uncommonly stout, and must have yicMed very heavily. Turnips and early rose jioiatoes were quite large, and both gave indication.s of a heavy crop.'' Having drawn the attention ot the House to those faetf., he would still further draw their allention to the imi'ortance of ]ire.-siiio upon the alteti- tiuii of the (rovernineiit that no mistake whatever sin mid lie made in locating the niihvay, lor, just as 8ure as the sun Hhone, that railway, constiuoted at a vaBt expciiditufc, it it took the roiito by tlio North Brancii of the ThompHon, Ihon down the main branch, and thonco llirou<^h th« Cas- cade range to Yalo, would be a thoi-oHf^h failuio 80 far as contributing to (he Bottlomcnt oi British Columbia or the settleniont ol' the country to any dis- tance oast of the British Columl)ia boundr -y was concerned. Hy taking the Noi thern route, not merely would their pastoral, agricultural and min- ing wealth be increased, but thoy would be in a condition to compete with any line on the American side of the international boundary for the trade of the Pacific and the trans- continental trade. lie trusted the Government would sec its way clear to bring down the papers and maps called for by his hon. friend, so that the House, and j)articnlai'ly the Inde- pendent members of (h's llouso, might have at their disposal the best means to form a conclusion as to the true route to be adopted for the Pacific Bail road. Mr. MACKENZIE: There is no report in the possession of the Govern- ment other than what is embraced in sub.sta';ce in the leport of Mr. Smith, embodied in the Public Works Report now before the House, and which states substantially all that Mr. Hunter has stated. Mr, Hunter has to make a detailed report, which he has not yet been able to complete, and ho also pro- poses to ])reparo a map. It will be observeil that hij survey was scarcely a complete one ; it was not to any extent an instrumental so much as an exploratory' survey. He made an instrumental survey of a portion of the more difficult parts of the Pass, re.-po(!tin}r which, it is stated, he found the grades would be somewhat dilB- cult for a few miles ; some sixty feet to the mile, L believe. It is impos- sible, therefore, to base any actual decision upon the information which Ml'. Hunter has communicated. We knew very nearly as much before receiving Mi'. Hunter's information as since, a.-- Mi', .Sehvyn (ravc'sed tliis ])art of the country and gave a .similar re))ort ; that, is, tiiat it woulil be possible to obtain a route for a railroad by that river or Ho-callod pass. All the information which the hon. mem- ber for Victoi'ia has refei'red to. has been befoi'o the public and, of course, is known to the members of the Govern- ment as well as to other parties, and will, no doubt, exorcise its prOj • influence on the Government in com- ing to a final detormiiuUion as to the route which the raili'oad would take. But thei'o isone ])oint Avhich neither of the two hon. gentlemen has men- tioned and which constiintes a serious difHcultA' in the further consideration of the adoption of this route. In order to obtain an accurate knowledge of the route, which would have to be taken from very near Liv- ing.stone all the way up to Fort George, a distance of 1,100 or 1,'20() miles, it wonbl be necessary to spend two 3'ears in furllier survey's of tlie country bel'oi'o the Government could be able to form an exact esti- mate of the ilifficulties to be overcome, and the expense to be borne in carr;y''- ing the louto in that direction. I have pointed out on previous occa^^ions the })olitic;d difficulties which are con- nected svitli locating the route. Were the Dominion Parliament and the Govern- ment at libci'ty to deal with the selec- tion of the route purely on its merits as a work of engineering and a work for the promotion of the settlement of the country, we would be placed in a much more favourable position for considering many of the suggestions which naturally arise in the course of an exploration of half a continent. But tne hon. members from British Columbia and the British Columbia Government never ceased their im- portunities about the immediate com- mencemiHit of the I'oad, and the Dominion Government fell that it was necessary to commence the road as soon as it was pos'-ible to obtain the location in British Columbia itself Acting, therelbre, upon political con- siderations, unless there is an under- standing arrived at with that Province for their assent to further delay in the prosecution of those surveys, it would become absolutely necessary to adopt the pa>s wliich is already known to bo feasible, where ti)e lino bus been full}' located, and the matter in controver.sy, then, would be limited to the route to be taken from Teto Jauno Cache, west- ward, citlicr to Biito Inlet. Di'uii Inlet oi' Burrard Inlcl. Tliis is tliM ])<)sit!on of iho muttor. Mi: Huntei' made, no duubl, f-onie valuablo acco; sion.s to our kiiowiod^^o of that count ly, but iiono that would have a material olToet, particul.uly, owiuij; to tlic political con.sideialion.-i lo which 1 Jiavo rofeired. He i -i at present ])rcpariiig- a map which will show the (general character ot tlie coun- try by cither of the two linos, namely, that whidi lias been located f;'om Livintrslono, — the jioinl of diver- .i.(tico, if the Siuthein I'oute (ali'cady located) wasadojjted — to Jj'sper IIoiiso Pas8 ; and llie one which would tra- verse the country crossing the North Saskatchewan about Port a la Corne, and Inking, as iioarly ;is po'-'siblo, a direct route by Slave Lake, about the centre of llu; country traversed by the Smoky River, between the Peace Uiver and the mountains, thence in as straight a line as possible on the slope of the Jiocky Mountains to the Pino liiver Pass. The hon. member for Cariboo (.Mr. Thom]ison) who has moved for those pa])ors, has stated that the dis- tance is about the same, quoling i\Ir. Smith B report. Ajipai'ditly, the dis- tance is the same, but actually, it is not. The distance upon the map is, as nearly as possible, the same liy both i-outes, iiut the distance de])ends a great deal upon the amount of cui'vatuie widcli would have to be undertaken in crossing some of the formidable valleys which would be i-eached in the neighbourhood of Peace JHver, and any rougii country which might be reached. I pointed out, a few evenings ago, that crossing one of the small rivers on the route proposed, south of Lake Manitoba in the North-West Tcn-i lories, necessi- tated lengthening the line liy' nine miles, thus adding very materially to the curvature which would have to [)e overcome. So far as ibo engineers 'i"e able to a.scortain, thedistan(e I; Cine liiver Pass to Fort (loorge. ■ nc Mbjec- tivo ])oint common to bc-lii roiiies. is longer by about filly ic.des. The cnr- vatiu'o, lowever, upon the ajj'eady located route, bi-jngs the (iistance, as neai ly as pf>sKiiilo, to tlie same mileage as the Northern route. But, if the per- centage of curvulure on the Pino liiver Pass route Bhould be the same as that on tho Jasper Jbui e Pass i-outo then the mileage wiiuld bo increa^o(l by the ditVeieneo which is appa- rent upon the measuivmetit of the nni]), namely, lilty miles. These are, generally speaking, tho facts which have to be col.^illeled in this connec- tion. Aa t^oon as Mr. JIunlor has his extended repoi'L prepared and tho map read}', no time will bo lost in submit- ting them to this House, as a matter of course. Jt is of little use bringing up his iiuri'ievl and tempniary re])orl, as it is really all embraced in the infornui- tion which Mr. Smith has collected in his general report, which is now before tho House. Mr. ROSCOIi] said that if tho Bute Inlet route was selected, tho work of construction nn'ght proceed from that point to Fort tTeorge,while exploratory ■surveys might be made through the Pine liiver Pass, to determine whether tho road should bo brought by that route or not. Mr. MACKENZIE: There is no doubl of that. If the Bute Itdot route on its own merits, taking tho whole lino, was considered the best, it might possibly be arranged, in that case, that the construction of tho part west of Fort (Jeorge might be proceeded with, and that j>art ea-^t ot Fort George might bo proceeded with as far as the surveys wore concerned. ^ Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD: Fort George is a common point? Mr. MACKENZIE: Fort George is a common point bofli to the PineKivor route and Bute Inlet route as now located; the precise point might not be precisely at Fort George, but within a short distance of it. There is a water- shod to bo overcome between Eraser liiver, immediaiely ca^t of FortGcorgo, and what may bo called tho summit waters of Peace liivor; or to speuk more precisely, the summit waters of Parsnip Ei.er, the great southern branch of Peace River, whicii joins tho othoi- branch before piercing the moun- tain range through which Peace river flows. VVo do not know very accurately, indeed, it is very imperfectly^ known, whatditHculties might have to bo over- come in obtaining a crossing over the summit at that point. The summit level is really f'ti!- west of (ho R'icUy Mi>iiiiliiiiis j)n)jK'i' .so lar iis ilio rojid is Coiieeiiiod. u» it piiSHOH llii()il,i;li llic HocUy iMoiintaiiiH, and is Komcwliat lower tliiiii lijo wutoi'M wliicii flow east thi'()n/4,'Ii tlio rainic^'l hills. Then, we have l)iit eoiiiparatively little IL of the itoeUy Alounlains whieh ciosn the ti'uek of a possible railsvay. I Ihinlv -1 spoalc from nienioiy — thai .Major Butler, in his bo(;|< (iioL an aceiirate eiiffineer- ing work, to bo sure, but a book of some interest as giving u tolei-aiily oorreet de-eriplion of '. :io countiy) states liial the depth of ilie Snioky liiver valley is nearly 1,000 feet below the general i aiige of the level of the prairio region through whieh it pa>ses. The valleys, however, are of enormous depth i.nd undoubtee, but aso, jbr all time to come, to the serious difficulty of having high grades as well as a largo amount of eurvuturo. These are all matters whieh, of course, the Governmunl is hound to consider before coming to a decision as to the route which sliall be followed through British Columbia piO|)er; and I can only say that noihing causes myself more anxiety at the moment than to be able to come to a right decision— one which we trust will not be regretted in ai'icr years when the road will be in opera- tion, and when the weight of any blunder which might bo made now will be seriously felt on the trade and 'commerce of the country. Mr. BUN8TMR said the discussion had th. own some light on the intention ol'the CJovernmcnt, and they were now promised two years more delay in the building of the (,'anadian Pacitic fJail- way for the pni'poso of securing fur- ther surveys, it Avas evident that the time provided in the terms of Union for the construction of the road would be exceeded by several )-cai's. Vho House had been informed by the hon, tiie Premier that the British Columbia Government was pressing the Do- minion Govornraeat to carry out the agreement ontored into by that Pr(V vince. That fact n>;ed not bo vvondei'od at inu-'inuch as the people of Briti-h Columbia held the opinion that the contract had not been carried out by Canada as agreed upon. Metitiou had been made of j)olitieal consldoiations, but such considoru- tions ^hould havo nothing to do with the carrying out of the terms of the treaty with Biilish Columbia and ('anuda, an engagement whieh had been solemnly' entered into with that Province. It was not very creditable for any Government to make any such allusion as that political considerutionH shouM inteifere with the performunco of a Ju.-^t contract, ono that British Columbia would never havo entered into if it had foreseen the manner in which it would havo been treated, and that, by its loyally to Great Britain and contidcnce in Canada, it had been deprived of a railroad which the Americans were anxious to build through British Columbia to Alaska. The credit of tho Pacific Province had, moreover, been atf'ecled by tho action of the Dominion. Not only the British Columbia Government, but tho mem- bers from that Province and the pco|)le whom they represented, felt sensitive in regard to tiie railroad question. In anticipation of the work of constructing the railway being car- ried forward in good faith, tho Province e.Kpendod largo sums of money, and sent its ovv.i agent to Europe to induce immigration there, for they well knew that the Province possessed land well tilted to receive emigrants to cultivate the soil. The House had been told by the hon. the Piemier that as soon as Mr. ili.nter's report was prepared, it would be brought down ; but there was nothing definite about that statement, ami the}' did !iot know whether it would bo within one, two, or three years. Such was not tho proper man- ner to treat, hon. members who came to Parliament from long distances at tho risk of their lives. The commencement of the work mi&rht be delayed until after tho general elec- tion, and, on that ground, tho people of British Columbia had cause for alarm. While ho believed there were considerable political considerations all'ecting tho railroad question, he still 8 hud faith in tho pooploof CiUifKlii to bc- liovc they would liavo -iilllcifril polili- I'ld honour to cin-ry out lliiii- jtromisos to Britif-li (.'oluinliia, and lliey W(,iiM know whttlior such wuh tho c•u^ovvlK'll tlK'3' wont to th»' |)o1Ih. H tho Briti:-ii Coliiniljin (iovoi iiiaont liiid noi Milli- ciont luith lott to holiovo that tho Dominion (Jovernniont would j-ot cany out tlio toims of Union, it would poli- tion tlio Inipoi'i!>l (Jovcinniont ^o^ovol• the cotmcelion hotwoen tiio Province and Canada, and i1> would roiurn to tho old tla^', not to tho Unilod States Uritihh Coliimhia flouribliod under tlie o.d flag; tho Iniporial navy fitMiuented itH hai lioui's, surveyed its coasts, au't took a lively interest in tho devoloji- monl of the resources of tlie counti'y ; but since tlio Province liad joined Coidedeiiitiori, they would iiavo de- clined in pro.-perily, e.xcepl foi' its rich natuial lesnurces. Their con- tidonfo in tho j)lo ;,iio of tho Domin- ion (iovernmeiil to build tho raili'oad had docline I ; their emigrants had been leaving their shores because tlie public hinds wore locked up, and, under those circumstances it was nalural that'men, wiio, like himself, had spent tho best part of their lives in tho Pro- vince, should feel aggrieved at the injus- tice done it. il' hoped tho (jovornment would hce proper to commence the construction of tho Pacilic; liailway at once, and not longer aliow^ tho steel rails Hont to British Columbia to remain there unlaid, and deterioi'at- ing. Lot tho Govornmoiit cora- menco at Bute Jnlet and build eastward, lie did not dc-fiio to influ- ence the Government in regard to the selection of a route, but he wished the work to be enteied upon, so that the people who came to tlioir shores, being desirous to return to the old liag, might do it with a little more confidence than at present. They received many ini- migrant.s from Australia as well ^s the old country, and many of those men who had invested money in lands in tho hope that tho national enterprise would bo carried out had lost their savings through the work not being carried out as agreeil upcjii. That was a gross injustice, and if tho case v/^ero placed in proper hands, he thought tho Government might be sued for breach of contract ibr the loss sustained by those parties. Mr. TIIOMPSOlSr (Cariboo) said tho discu.-.'ion had lakeii a wider scope than ho expected when he brought forward the motion for those returns. The lion, tho I'remioi- had informed jlio House that Mi. Hunter's report was not yet Mitlicieiilly prepared to bo Hubmiltod. IJo (Mr. Tliompson) hoped, however, that, as Mr. lluntor was in the city, the loport would bo brought down to tlio llou.^e with as little delay as possible ; indeed, it would be satisfac- tory to tho First Minister himself, to have that repoit when he announced tho railway policy of' tho (iovernment. As had been stated by tho junior n. em- ber tor Victoria if the [Jute inlet route should be adopted, there would be no diHicMJty in |)roceeding with the woi'k between that point and Fort George, wlietln further ex|)lorations were niade of the Pine liivor Pass or rot. ! ln,po