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This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de reduction indiqui ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X J 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmsd hare hat baan raproducad thanka to tha ganaroaity of: Library of tha Public Archivas of Canada L'axampiaira film* f ut raproduit grAca A la gAntroaitA da: La bibiiothdqua das Archivas publiquas du Canada Tha imagas appearing hara ara tha bast quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Las images suivantes ont AtA reproduites avac la plus grand soin, compta tenu de la condition at da la nattet* de rexemplaire film*, et en conformity avac las conditions du contrat de filmaga. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. 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LONDON: » PRINTED BY JOHW THOMAS KOttlllS, ALDEBSGATE STREET. MAY, 1855. ^^ n ■ '^ i • '*'- (,:4' 'it s* 2 - V .5 i .vj J a .0 .: rK f.-f '0'r*:':o^#:rt:f rv-w.k^ •'.r rs ■•:xf\\i It ii,a:*;KJ-^!*' So 'Milk •ut fc •f i^. ■>4 0^ ^1 '^, 7^ V "I To? '.Vfm* • I l}t>S 't._ . >• , '] «; 'K IimirihtiVt Wnrt \gO of (rrmmuji \rS i B A ISH NORTH AMERICA xnj^ •■iuo TO THK LONDON BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY COMPANY OF CANADA. /•ki' >■' t. I' ■ H' I • I ' • I '^ •.' London, 16//* April, 1855. Gentlemen, In accordance with your directions that I should report to you my views on the present condition and future prospects of the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada, I beg to lay them before you, and I trust I shall be excused if I refer to several matters that may not be considered as being directly connected with the immediate affairs of the Company ; but I do so in the hope that the knowledge of them may aid in the formation of an accurate opinion as to the value of the property. During my last absence from England, I therefore visited all the principal places, bothin the eastern and western sections of the Province, and likewise such portions of the United States as are to be commercially connected with them. I have also received great assistance in my inquiries from the statistical returns laid each year by the Provincial Government before the Parliament of Canada, from the carefully prepared trade circulars and returns constantly issued at Quebec, Montreal, and Toronto, and from documents kindly placed at my disposal, in advance of publication, by the heads of several of the public departments and by municipal authorities. Whilst I was at Quebec, the Canadian Parliament passed the Act by which, as you are aware, the provincial aid has become available over the whole of the works of the Company, instead of being limited to two sections — from Montreal and Toronto, and from Quebec to Trois Pistoles, as they were under the original Act of the Grand Trunk Railway. 7 The progress made by Messrs. Peto and Co. and Messrs. Gzowski and Co. during the past twelve months, give me every reason to believe that the sections specified in your Report of May 1854, will be opened for traffic in the autumn of the current year, making (vnth the exception of the Victoria- bridge) a continuous line, from Saint Thomas to Brock- a2 '■ r villc, of 3ii5 miles ; niul giviiiR to tlu' Company, with thr o th »r sections •rovious a total miloii}j(> of G43. to the opcnin;^ of the lino between Montreal an«l Portland, in July, 1853, those two cities wtre as much sepa- rated from one another by ranges of hills and dense forests, as if they had been 3,000 instead of 300 miles apart. The country, in the centre 150 miles, was totally unknown, and part of it had only a short time previously been surveyed by the United States Government. The first population brought into these 150 miles, was to make the railway, and at its opening there were not upon them more than about 200 settlers Population has since rapidly filled in along the entire length of the railway ; and in the centre there are now about 3,000 active contributors to the Company's traffic and re- venue. Large clearances of the forest have taken place, and villages are springing up adjacent to the numerous rivers and streams which run in the vicinity of the line : 28 saw- mills have already been built, and others are either planned or in course of construction. Those now existing are, when in full operation, capable, for the greater part of the year, of sawing 500,000 feet a day, all of which will be conveyed on the railway. Allowing each of these mills to cut treble their present amount, it is calculated that it will take 70 years to clear the timl)er lands in the vicinity of the line ; and with cleared lands will come increased settlement, population, and traffic. It is not unreasonable to expect that, in the course of next year, the traffic from timber traffic alone, on the Montreal and Poj (Ifind sect.ioj), will be at least £8 sterling a mile a week. The following are the traffic receipts, in sterling, for the the three past half-years : — Half-year ending 31st December, 1853 .. £54,015 July, 1854 752,831 December, 1854 . . 97,917 The receipts for the first thirteen weeks of 1854, were £29,559. For the first thirteen weeks of 1855, £38,852, shewing an increase of £9,292 in that period. Portland is rapidly becoming the centre of transactions affecting the railway. Cargoes of sugar, destined for Canada, have already been brought direct from Cuba, and conveyed to Montreal by the line ; and the speed and regularity with which the goods traffic recently commenced between Boston nili th«> real and ch Hopa- forests, t. The wn, and rcyed by brought d at its out 200 ic entire )w about and re- ace, and is rivers 28 saw- planned re, when 1 year, of veyed on jble their ► years to and with pulation, ie of next Ltreal and a week. ;, for the ,G15 !,83l ^917 B54, were £38,852, insactions r Canada, conveyed irity with 3n Boston and Montieal, throii{;h Porthind, has been conveyed, is rapidly securing the whole of this important trade to t)ie Company; and it will, eventually, fonn a very imjiortant element in the future receipts of the eastern section of the Kailway. The communication between Canada, via Portland, with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, only came into existence with the opening through of the railway from Montreal. The traffic to and from these provinces is being rapidly developed, and during the next summer arrangements for giving it increased activity will be brought into operation. The state of Maine requires a supply of 700,000 barrels (equal to about 70,000 tons) of flour a year. Only one-tenth of this amount was taken over the Montreal and Portland line in 1854. The course of this trade has liitherto been through New York and Boston, and the great bulk of it Avill so continue until the Grand Trunk Railway is opened to the west. The provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick con sume about 400,000 barrels of flour a year, which will also, eventually, be carried by the Company. * The Quebec and Richmond section runs iTor nearly 70 miles through magnificent forests, in the midst of which are innumerable water privileges and mill sites, on which mills are now being constructed. Time will be required for the development of its local trafiic ; but by means of this section Quebec will be put in direct railway communication with Montreal and Portland, without running any additional trains between these two last-named places, thus uniting three cities with a combined population of 120,000 persons, independent of those resident along the line. The through trafiic from Quebec to Richmond and from Richmond to Montreal, will be very considerable ; for during seven months of the year, two first-class mail steamers have hitherto started from both places every evening, conveying, in from thirteen to fifteen hours, nearly 200 passengers in each direction. Two and sometimes three steamers of in- ferior speed and accommodation, carrying great numbers of second class passengers and emigrants, also run from Quebec during the summer, and likewise convey large amounts of freight for Montreal and the west. As these vessels are laid up durinjjj the five months in the year that the navigation is dosed, it i« fair to conclude that several of them will cease to run, us seven months' tiatlic, contested for, as it will be, by I I the Railway Company, rannot compensate the owners ; and it will be found on the Saint Lawrence, as on all other rivers, that the railway competing with it will carry the traffic. This summer, trains will run from Quebec to Boston via Portland (421 miles) in ftftcen hours. I^ast summer it took, by the then existing routes, thirty-seven hours to perform the same distance. About 200 sea-goii;^ vessels now make Montreal (180 miles above Quebec) their landing port; but, in consequence of the shallowness of seme portions of the river, the large ships usually discharge part of their carg0(!8 at Quebec. Freight thus handled is, during the busy season, often de- layed from fifteen to eighteen days. There are, therefore, good grounds to believe that part of these cargoes will be discharged at the Grand Trunk Company's Wharf at Quebec, for conveyance along the line, which can be done in twenty-four hcmrs. Many of the ships that noiv go to Montreal will, probably, cease to go higher than Quebec when the line west of Montreal is opened, and when freight can be conveyeil, without break of bulk, from one extremity of the provimie to the other. Although the traffic of the eastern section of the railway has hitherto been light, from its running through a compa- ratively unsettled district, there is no doubt but the local traffic will yield a good return. ITiis will be largely increased (when the western sections are opened) by the through traffic. The termini at the ocean will always command it. The communication between Montreal and Brockville is, during the period of navigation, by steam boats, which ply on the river Saint Lawrence. The opening of the section of the railway between these two places, in September next, will convert a journey of twenty-four hours against stream, und of eleven hours with the current, into one of about four and a half hours. In the upward journey, the steam-boats have to go through 41 miles of the Saint Lawrence canals, in which the speed is limited to five miles an hour. '1 he average number of passengers that traversed this route, daily, in 1853 and 1854, while the navigation was open, was about 200 a day in each direction. The most expeditious rmiUi at present from Montreal to Toronto, and places west of it, is to make a circuit by railway in the United States of 592 miles, with sttveral changes of carriages, by which a saving in time over the Saint Lawrence rs; and • rivers, ffic. ston via it took, perform al (180 cqucnee le large Quebec, 'ten de- of these npany's ich can lat notv r than id when om one railway compa- \ie local icreased through nand it. ville is, 1 ply on n of the ;xt, will nm, and 'our and Its have mals, in average aily, in s about treal to railway iiges of iwrence t«»ute (which requires about forty- three hours) of from twelve to fifteen hours is effected. This route, notwithstanding its increased expense, is largely used by persons to whom time is an object. When the Grand Trunk is completed to Toronto, the total distance from Montreal will be 333 miles, which will be traversed in twelve or thirteen hours. At present it takes forty-seven hours to go by the steamer^ from Montreal to the city of Hamilton (situated at the western extremity of Lake Ontario). On the opening through of the railway, the same distance will be completed in from fourteen to fifteen. It has hitherto, in summer, required 41 hours to travel from Quebec to Brockville, and there is only one opportunity for this journey each twenty-four hours. Next autumn, the same distance will be completed twice each day in about twelve hours. There is no feature more remarkable, in connection with the habits of the citizens of the United States, than their universal desire for travelling. During the summer of 1863, in consequence of the opening of railways, which gave facility of access through all parts of the United States, and to the Falls of Niagara, a large number of those who were attracted there, proceeded through Canada by the river Saint Lawrence to Montreal, and thence to Quebec. The imfortunate prevalence of cholera in the provinces during the summer of 1854, put almost a total stop to this traffic. The opening of the Quebec and Richmond Section of the Grand Trunk Railway will in itself prove an additional element in the future development of this important busi- ness, as by means of it the tourist can, without going over any of the same ground again, return to the United States from Quebec by the picturesque scenery of the " White INIountains," through the heart of which the Montreal and Portland section of the railway runs, and which, as has already been shown, makes the shortest route from Quebec to Boston. Another important source of the pleasure traffic of the Grand I'runk Railway will be the Victoria Bridge, the knowledge of which has now spread all over America, where its progress is beginning to be watched with deep interest. The average contribution of each resident within the in- fluence of a railway in the United States is 12s. 6d. per I Ul annum. The population on and within 15 miles of the Grand Trunk Kailway is about a million and a half, and is rapidly increasing ; making the most ample allowance for competition by water, it can fairly be estimated for the Grand Trunk at 8s. a-head, which will give an annual in- come from this source of £600,000. The export of flour from Upper Canada is now about two million barrels a year. The average cost at present of con- veying it to the Atlantic sea board is a dollar and three- quarters (7s. 3d. sterling) a barrel. It is not too much to assume that when the Grand Trunk line is completed to the west, at least 3-4ths of the above amount will be carried by it ; even taking the low rate of a dollar and a quarter (or 6s. 2d. sterling), this traffic will yield a gross revenue of £375,000 a year. The foregoing traffic is exclusive of that to be derived from the several lines that will be tributary to the main line. They all, from Montreal to Samia, run north and south, or at right angles to the main artery. In no case can they compete with the Grand Trunk : in every case they must be feeders to it. The following is a brief description of these Railways : — Commencing at Montreal a line is to run from that city to Ottawa, the capital of the territory of the same name, and through which the Ottawa river flows. It contains in its basin 80,000 square miles of forest land, from which the chief markets of Europe are supplied with the finest timber in the world. The total length of this line will be 120 miles, but at present only 13 miles in the centre are in operation. They were opened in September 1854. The further pro- gress of this line is uncertain. At about 25 miles west of Montreal the Grand Trunk Railway crosses the Ottawa river by a bridge, which yields only to the Victoria bridge in extent and grandeur. Immediately to the west of this bridge it is proposed that another line shall start northwards to Ottawa, and hereafter it is intended to extend it in a westerly direction towards Ijake Huron. At Prcscott, 112 miles west of Montreal, t ? " Ottawa and rvescott Railway" joins the Grand Trunk. It is 60 miles in length. It was opened through its entire extent for traffic last October. At Brockvillc, 13 miles west of Fresco tt, the Brockville on 9 s of the f, and is ance for 1 for the nnual in- ibout two t of con- nd three- much to ed to the arried by iiarter (or 3venue of e derived nain line, south, or can they Y must be ways : — that city lame, and ins in its vhich the ist timber 120 miles, operation, ther pro- nd Trunk ich yields losed that hereafter i towards ;tawa and 50 miles for traffic 3rockville and River Ottawa Railway falls into the Grand Trunk. Some 30 miles of this railway will probably be opened next September, simultaneously with the opening of this Com- pany's section from Montreal to Brockville. The total length of the Brockville and Ottawa line, with its branches, will be 130 miles. The next tributary is at Coburg, a very flourishing town on Lake Ontario, about 140 miles west of Brockville. The spirit and energy of this town in building, with the funds raised almost exclusively among the inhabitants, a railway of 28 miles in length is worthy of record. This line has been in full operation since December last. Seven miles to the west is Port Hope, another very pros- perous town on Lake Ontario, and the rival of Coburg in its enterprise and industry. It is about to be connected with the back country by the Port Hope and Lindsay Railway, the length of which is 36 miles. The works are progressing, but no immediate time is named for its opening. Next west is the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway. It runs for the first 50 miles due north from Toronto to Lake Simcoe, skirting for a few miles, the southern shore of the Lake. It then traverses the rich agricultural country between the Simcoe Lake and Georgian Bay (the eastern extremity of Lake Huron) to CoUingwood, the distance from which to Toronto is 94 miles : 64 miles were opened in 1853 ; The remainder since the commencement of the present year. This summer steam boats will run from Collingwood to the principal ports of Michigan and Wisconsin, and to Lake Superior. 1 he most westerly line in Canada having a north and south direction is the Bufialo, Brantford, and Goderich Railway. At Stratford, 90 miles west of Toronto, it crosses the Grand Trunk Line, and at this point it yvill divide the traffic flowing from Lakes Huron and Superior by sending that intended for the State of New York to Bufialo, and that for Canada and Portland over the Grand Trunk Railway. Eighty-three miles of this important line, from opposite Buffalo to Paris, have been about nine months in operation ; 40 more will be opened (from Paris to Stratford) this Summer ; and the Directors have some hopes of completing the line from Stratford to Goderich at the latter end of this year. Next in importance to the Grand Trunk Railway is the 1(0 4\ Great Western Railway of Canada, which is too well known to require any remarks from me. At Toronto the Grand Trunk and the Great "Western systems will meet at a station common to hoth lines, as well as to the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway. If the immense traffic combinations of which these railways are susceptible be carried into effect, the business in freight and passengers that will pass through that city will be enormous, for here will be the junction of the great main railway artery of the east with that running south-west towards Hamilton and Detroit ; with the western continuation of the Grand Trunk Line to Sarnia ; and also with the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Line. . By the extension of the Grand Trunk system to the western extremity of Canada, whether at Detroit or Sarnia, and to Lake Huron at Goderich or Collingwood, not only will the finest portions of the province be brought into rail- way connection with all other sections of it, but a direct communication will likewise be established with the states of Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Minesota, and Wisconsin, and with Lakes Huron and Superior. The almost fabulous growth of these states and districts will perhaps be illustrated by the facts and figures which I now beg to submit. Between 1811 and 1851 (the date of the last complete census) the population of Upper Canada has increased from 77,000 to 952,904. There is every indication that it is now nearly 1,400,000. Although the increase in population of Lower Canada has not been so rapid, it has advanced from 423,630 in 1824 to 890,261 in 1851. That is, the population has more than doubled in 25 years. The increase for all Canada has been 59 per cent, between the years 1841 and 1851, which is greater than for all the states of the American Union, even including among them the New Western states. ' The gross revenue of the province (about 5-6ths of which are derived from Customs duties) has been as follows for each year since 1848 : — 513,431 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 704,234 842,184 1,153,026 1,320,659 11 f^ell known t Western es, as well If the ilways are reight and enonnous, n railway towards tion of the } Ontario, jm to the or Samia, not only ; into rail- t a direct the states msin, and 1 districts 3s which I complete ■iased from it is now lulation of need from )opulation :. between 3r all the ong them of which )llows for I The debt of Canada is about £4,870,000 sterling: £3,050,000 of it have been created for the construction of railways through the province. In exchange for this creation, the Government h»i l>ecome the first Mortgagee, to the same extent, on the linos in favour of which Provincial Debentures have been issued. The value of tbe imports and exports during the same periods were — IMPORTS. EXPORTS. £ £ 1849 . . . 3,003,505 1849 . . . 2,668,153 1850 . . . 4,245,517 1850 . . . 3,335,938 1851 . . . 5,358,087 1851 . . . 3,453,651 1853 . . . 5,071,033 1852 . . . 3,836,901 1S53 . . . 7,995,359 1853 . . . 5,945,757 For the half-year ending the 30th June, 1854, the value of the imports was £3,830,345. The traffic through the Saint Lawrence Canals, and through the Welland Canal (twenty-eight miles long, which at a short distance from the Falls of Niagara connects Lakes Ontario and Erie) has increased a* per annexed table : — SAINT LAWRENCE CANALS. WELLAND CANALS. 1 Tonnage i8/;o IHill 1852 1853 Tonnage of Goods. ot Sli'im. of Goods. 1 of Ships. 1850 1851 1852 1853 288,10.J 450,400 492,575 561,(501 460 ISO 5^0,210 !}■>.",, iu6 619.209 399,600 691,627 713.000 b05,5l6 687,100 772,623 8{14,393 1,063,624 The increased movemout on these canals between 1848 and 1853 has been 331 per cent. The net revenue of the canals, notwithstanding reductions of tolls, to the extent of nearly 60 per cent., and the cost of collection being increased cent per cent., has more than doubled between 1847 and 1853. In the foiiner year it was £33,330; in the latter, £50,611. In April 1851 the Post Office Department of Canada was transferred fioui the Imptniul Government to that of the I'rovince. The following table exhibits the Postal progress from that (lute, when ti uniform rate of 3d. currency (2l<\. sterling) per hulf-ounce, was established, to the 31st March, 1854. ill I I Years ending. Number of Post Offices. Miles of Established Mail Route. Miles of Annual Mail Travel. Number of Letters. Otb April, 1851 1852 Sltt Mttfdi, 1853 „ 1854 601 840 1,016 1,166 7,596 8.618 9,122 10,027 2,477,000 2,931,373 3,4.S0,474 4,015,bl6 2,132,000 3,792,762 4,258,592 5,113,200 Tho working of the Montreal Telegraph Company (the principal one in Canada) strikingly illustrates the progress of tho Trovince in the use and development of that system. Its wires wore completed between Quebec and Toronto, a distance of about 650 miles, at the close of 1847. They now extend nearly over the whole of Canada, their total Uingth being about 1500 miles. They are in connexion with the various lines, ramifying over the American Con- tinent from New Orleans in the south, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the north. The number of paid messages sent from its five principal sections, which include the wires between Quebec, Montreal, Kingston, Toronto, and Hamil- ton, wa« about 60,000 in 1848. In 1852 it was 161,878 ; in 185«3, 242,868; and the paid messages on these sections had for the first ten months of 1854 increased at the rate of 25 per cent, over those of 1853. The scale of charges was riuliiccd 60 per cent, in 1853. The rate between Montreal and Quebec is perhaps the lowest in the world — 6d. for ten words, and id. for each extra word, exclusive of the names and addresses of the receiver and sender, which are never charged either in Canada or the United States. Notwith- standing these reductions, the receipts for the five sections above enumerated were £10,327 in 1853 as against £5,703 in 1848. To mcjet the increasing demands of the trade and com- merce of the country, the Parliament of Canada in the KcsHion of 1854 increased the capital of the banks from jC2,fn5,000 currency to £4,600,000. This is cxclu5opulation pwards ol" 1 district, rtained to Northern n copper >opulation rly half a B popula- \n 1S52), inois was t it is at m is the tt'd from Jron and he po})ii in 1850; exception migrants lated on Chicago. and in f whom stream ibution. lem are Dr eight capital 1854 it ' grain 'f New •iod of on be- west ; on and anal. i 15 From Cliicago radiate directly, or by connections, ne,nrly twenty railways, the aggregate length of which is about 2,600 miles. They extend north, south, west, and also south- east. They arc each from one to three hundred miles long, and they pass through districts, than which there are none more fertile in existence. Yet in the beginning of the year 1852 there was only one railway, of about forty milts long, running into this city. Eighty trains, averaging 120 passengers each, arrive daily at Chicago ; and 80 trains, taking nearly the same number of persons, depart. The railways which convey these trains, tap the rivers Ohio, Missouri and the Mississipi, aad they lay seven American States more or less under tribute, bringing the produce of those great districts to this commercial i>ivot. At present the main bulk of the products that arrive at Chicago is exported, in sailing and screw vessels, for the Atlantic board. To reach the entrance of the Erie Canal, this produce has to make a circuit of 980 miles. The length of the Canal to Albany, where it runs into the Hudson lliver, is 364 miles; and from Albany to New York 150 miles; total from Chicago to New York, 1,494 miles. If the produce be destined to Quebec, the distance from Chicago to the Welland Canal is 950 miles ; passage through the canal 28 miles ; Port Dalhousie (Ontario mouth of the Welland Canal) to Quebec 540 ; total from Chicago 1,518 miles. The opening of the River St. Lawrence to American vessels, under the recent reciprocity treaty, is already causing attention to be turned to loading vessels at Chicago, to make a lake and river voyage of 1,518 miles, and then to extend it 2,080 more miles, without break of bulk to liiverpool. This idea is suggested by the fact, that although under present com- mercial arrangements, the produce that centres at Chicago now finds its way to New York in the first instance. Great Britain is its real ultimate destination. The practical difficulty to this scheme of navigation, how- ever, is that vessels with 8^ feet draught can alone pass through the St. Lawrence Canals. But besides, as it is only during a period of seven months in each year that the movement of traffic can take place on the lake and river navigations of North America, it is impos- sible to consider them as perfectly answering the purposes of a great commercial thoroughfare. Mr. Robert Stephenson, I 16 in his Report of Mfty 1854, on the Victoria Bridge, says, " Experience both in England and other countries where railways hav(i come into rivalry with the best navigable rivers (rivers open for navigation throughout the year), has demonstrated beyond the possibility of question, that this new description of locomotion is capable of superseding water carriage, whonev Porthmd, in progress and other districts of and 'J'runk iig the cost 8 ; whereas, lanageinent > introduce, ons and of il, continue opening of ; firm con- ge a better, afforded for jrn Canada, , inchiding &c., to the two states other route States and e Canadian find western n Railway. lies can ply in railway the Central 'he distance I the Grand Trunk Railways will be 728 miles, and from Portland 852 miles. From Chiti*}i;o to Uueb«i(in beyond Stratford, an amicable settlement of the l)oiiits pcMuling with them will save a large expenditure, j)riii(:i)»ally to the Great Western, and will insure a more jnolitahln working of the system to both Companies than tan I Hi tttUiined by any other means. 1 hIiiiU now proceed to describe the sections east of Mon- treal, b(!giiining with — Ist. Tlu! St. Lawrence and Atlantic ... 148 miles. ~imI. ,, Quebec and Richmond 100 „ 3r(l. ,, Quebec and Trois Pistoles . . 153 „ •Ith. ,, Atlantic and St. Lawrence (Leased) 144 „ 5th. „ Victoria Bridge 2 „ Total 547 miles east of Montreal. The first section, from Montreal to Island Pond, Avas ojM'ut'd to Komc extent (about a hundred miles) before the (irnind Trunk Company existed, and the remainder on the eve of ti»e Grand Trunk Company taking possession of the lino on 1st July, 1853, in conformity with the terms of Huialgntrmtion. The very incomjdete slate of this section, both in works of eonstruction and in rolling stock, rendered it necessary to iuctir a large and immediate expenditure. A considerable portion of the line was entirely without ballast, and the remain(hu' very inadequately supplied. More than one-half AVHH unprotected by fences of any kind, and the stations and buildings connected therewith, almost in every instance, insufrutient. The rolling stock, especially in engines and j)latf(U*ui (Mirs, for the conveyance of lumber (the staple trade upon the line), had to be more than doubled ; sidings had to be increased, extended, and enla^-;.'Ci; , Avater stations niuUipli''(l ; iiud the line, throughout, made safe for travel- ling, wliicli Avas far from being its condition Avheii the Grand Trun 27 sections in )wing year, Tontreal to liles. The will have the Great western ox- mt of the tpenditure, ire a more •anies than St of Mon- miles. )> )} )) miles al. ?ond, was before the der on the ion of the terms of in works necessary tisiderable I and the one-half tions and instance, :ines and pie trade ings had stations r travel- ^e Grand Trunk Company entered upon it. All that had been neces- sary to render it comple had been done, at a cost of about £400,000 sterling, including interest on capital. When we consider that this section was handed over to the Grand Trunk Company at a cost of £800,000 sterling, barely £6,000 per mile, its incomplete state is easily accounted for : £250,000 was originally provided in the Grand Trunk capital for its more complete equipment ; this has been found insufficient, on account of the total inade- quacy of the plant, and the much more incomplete state of the works, than was at one time anticipated. The prospects of traffic are, however, such as amply to justify all that has been done in rendering it as perfect as it now is. The second section, Quebec and Richmond, was so far finished in last November as to allow of its being opened for the public convenience, as all chance of travelling by any other means would be, as usual, suspended through the winter. A morning and evening train, each way, supplied this want, until the winter set in, with its accustomed severity in these regions, when one train only per day has been continued, which will suffice until the 1st of May, when the business of the season may be said to commence ; and we have every reason confidently to look forward to satisfactory results. The passenger travel upon this section, I believe, will compare with any railway in America. The steam-boats hitherto plying between Montreal and Quebec, performed the journey in fourteen or fifteen hours — one-third this time will suffice for the railway ; and the amount of passenger traffic frequently exceeded the extent of accommodation in the boats : besides, the frequent influx of emigrants, obliged them to carry as many as seven and eight hundred of that class upon their decks. These are facts which abun- dantly supply elements for railway enterprise, which, with liberal and proper management, never fails to command a preference. Of the goods traffic which may also be expected upon this section, I am no less sanguine. It exists to an enormous extent ; and will only require due care and attention on the part of the executive in charge of this department, to insure to the railway its own choice and amount, Avhich can be limited only by its capabilities of performing. The third section — Quebec and Trois Pistoles. The works of cuubtruction upon thif? section are limited, for the 28 present, to Saint Thomas's, a distance of 40 miles from Que- bec ; th(; pro})ortion completed amounts to 75 per cent. Arranjifcments have been made by the Contractors to com- plete the Hue to Saint Thomas'B, so as to be ready for opcniuj^ in September of the present year — simultaneously with the section from Montreal to Brockville. As regards this sec- tion I am quite sure, if the financial position of the Company permitted, it would be desirable at once to extend it to Saint Anne's — a distance of 43 miles beyond Saint Thomas's, Avliich would be accomplished for £350,000 ; and if now commenced, it would be opened in the autumn of next year. IJy this extension, the steam-boat navigation on the Saint Lawrence below Quebec, could take advantage of the rail- way at various points ; by stopping at Saint Thomas's, no such facilities present themselves. I regard this extention as a great adjunct to this section, and every effort should be used to effect the objects which can thus be attained. Beyond Saint Anne's, a distance of 70 miles to Trois Pistoles, would still remain for future completion. The fourth section, Atlantic and St. Lawrence. This comprises that portion of the Grand I'runk line lying in the United States, extending from Island Pond to Portland, and leased by the Grand Trunk Company. To a consider- able extent this section, when entered on in July 1853, was found to be in the same incomplete state as the first section, called the St. Lawrence and Atlantic, of which it is an ex- tension to Portland. In rolling stock a large increase* has been found necessary As regards works of construction, the station at Portland was found to be most deficient ; it occu- pies reclaimed land from the sea, and on this account its completion has been found most expensive. A passenger station is now in course of erection at Portland ; hitherto a portion of the goods shed has been used for this purpose. The arrangements for this station are now in a forward state, and when completed, great facilities for carrying on the business of the Company will follow. The Harbour of Portland, which this station commands, to a very large extent, Avill be of the last importance to the railway. A short time will suffice to develop its value. The facilities afforded at Portland for steam -boat intercourse with Europe cannot be overrated. Being accessible at all times throughout the year, secures it advantages superior to almost every jiort in America, Halifax only excepted. Halifax and from Qire- pei' cent. '8 to coin- t'or opcniiijT " with tliG this sec- Comj)any it to Saint Thomas's, nd if now next year. the Saint f tlie rail- omas's, no extention should be . Beyond des, would ICC. Tin's ing in the Portland, L consider- 1853, was rst section, is an ex- crease has iiction, the " ; it occu- ccount its passenger hitherto a i purpose, ^ird state, g on the arbour of cry large . A short itercourse t all times to almost lifux and 29 Portland, I believe, stand alone in this position. On this account, any step whieh would effect a weekly arrival and dispatch of a British steamer to this harbour vvoti)'^ secure to the railway an augmentation of revenue that ild at once ])lacc it in an independent and prosperous position, Our experience of the past, as far as we have had opportu- nities of judging, fully justifies this view, and every exertion should be made to secure results so im])ortaut. In any way in which il can be viewed, I cannot see any serious obstacle to its accompaslnnent. The expenditure upon this section will, when completed, amount to about £450,000 sterling, one moiety of which is already provided for by the issue of share stock, aiul the remainder will be similarly provided for as soon as the rcMjuisite legislative power is obtained for such purpose. The summary of the Eastern Division, as a])pears from the foregoing statement, Avill stand thus : — odti miles a*; now open to the public ; 40 miles will be opened in the autumn of the present year, and there remain ll-J miles for future consideration ; 43 miles of which 1 have already stated it would be advisable to advance to completion Avithout delay. The prospects of traffic on the St. Lawrence and Atlantic sections arc very considerable in lumber, the natural produce of the district. The preparations which have been made, and are still making, in the erection of saw mills and extensive premises for carrying on this trade by ])rivate parties, are immeroiis and upon a largo scale Our rolling stock has been placed upon a footing commensurate with their requirements, and we anticipate shortly to commence reaping the benefits for which such large preparation has been made. Fifth, Victoria Bridge. In the spring of last year this work Mas begun, every preparation having been previously made for its i)ro6ecution which its magnitudf and importance requned. The masonry of the north abutment is consider- ably advanced ; the first pier is completed, and the second is up to the level of eight feet above summer Avater. Dams for the ord, 4th, and fifth piers are completed, preparatory to this year's operations. Arrang(>ments have also been made by the Contractors for carrying on the works from the south shore, so as to put in requisition every available means for carrying on this great AV(nk to completion as early as practicalde. When it .10 is ronsi(l(»n'(l how pfrnnt n farility this bridj^o will pivc to the trafKc from tlu! diMtrict over 1,000 miles of railway, no further incentive can ho recjuired to urge its speedy eom- plction than the eoiiviction that it will materially tend to insure the Niic(u^sH (if the ('a])ital embarked in those lines of railway of which thiH bridge will be the connecting link. 1 am, (jrentlemcn, Your nu)st obedient Servant, ALEX. M. ROSS, Chief Eujfineer of the Grand Trunk Railway Compani/ of Canada. ^K 81 rive to the (ihvay, no fcedy com- |ly toml to se lines of link. OSS, '•and Tnoih Canada. London, March IGM, 1855. TO THE CIIAIllMAX AND DIRECTORS OF THE GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY COxMPANY. Gentlemen, At the date of my last Report the whole continent of America was threatened with C'holera, and sliortly after, it fasten(}d in a most virulent form on the City of Montreal and other places adjacent to the district to which tourists resort in the summer, and turned asidu from the Grand Trunk the wliole of the summer traffic ; a Iosb, at least, to the Company's receipts of BOOO dollars per week; notwith- standing this xpired in July last. This traflic produci'd a return to the (hand Trunk of about £11,000 per annum. I cousidcned that the tcnms of that Contract were much too low for the work done, and have made a temporary arran;;('- nient with that Company until the oj)enin;»; of the Hanji;or J.iue, 50 miles in len}.;th, and which is expected will take place early in the sprin<^, when I hope to make such an arrauiiement as will ensure to the Grand Trunk a ver^ lar^j^e increase to the present returns. Arrangements are being made to place before the Directors an accurate monthly account of the receipts and expenditure. The working expenses can hardly be calculated by « per centage. My experience brings me to th<3 conclusi(m that the fairest and clearest way is to state what per mile per week this portion of the Grand Trunk can be worked at to cover all charges. I have gone seriously into this question, and bad the ad- vice and assistance «)f Mr. A. jNI. lloss, Engineer in Chief, and he concurs with me in my opinion that £9 per mile per week will cover all charges, except interest on Bonds. By comparing the receipts with the mileage, the nett revenue for interest and dividend will be arrived at each week. It gives me great pleasure to be able to state that the line is in a most efficient state, and the trains have not been a minute behind time since the tii-st June. Up to the time I left Montreal no accident had occurred ; but I am sorrv to say, that since my arrival in England an accident has occurred during the late severe snow storm, by a freight train overtaking a passenger train, which was delayed by the snow. The damage is not serions either to persons or property. The cause of the accident appears to have been c 34 iK'U'lect ot the vcgulatioiis, in not sciuliii';' a man back witli ji red ilag. Witli respect to the sections ex])('cle(l to bo opened it^xfr year, viz., tiom Moucreal to IJroekville, 1J^5 niile.s ; Toronto to Stratford, 90 miles; Quebec to St. TbonniH, 40 miles, 1 would strongly recommend that tlie ('ontractors 1m' urged to complete, as s])eedily as possible, tlie sections from Mon- treal to Brockville, Quebec and St. Thomas ; for these sectiouH will enable us to tap the trafiic ol' flie St. Lawrence, now