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JOX 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 7 20X 24X 28X 32X i.^.. , , 8 and survey the line of country presenting the greatest advantages for the lormation of a great trunk-line of Railway, from Halifax, through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, to Quebec in Canada ; and Major Robinson, of the Royal Engineers, has presented to Sir John Burgoyne a very able Report upon the subject, dated 3 1st August, 1848. The line reconnnended by Major Robinson, commencing at Halifax (with, probably, a branch to a goods depot at Dartmouth, at the opposite side of the harbour), proceeds nearly parallel to the Shubenacadie canal, and passing Truro, traverses the exten- sive coal fields of Cumberland, and enters the Province of New Brunswick near Amherst and Bay Verte, making the distance in Nova Scotia lJi}4 miles. The principal obstacle to be overcome, on this portion of the line, is the range of the Cobiquid Hills, which extends all along the North shore of the Bay of iMines, and extending very nearly to the Straits of Northumberland. The lowest point of this ridge is GOO feet above the level of the sea, and may be crossed by a gradient of 1 in 85, for a distance of 5| miles. The prevailing rocks are granite, porphyry, and clay-slate; and along the shore of the Bay of Mines, and on the northern side of the range, the formation is red sandstone and coal measures. This range abounds in valuable minerals. Large masses of specular iron ore of superior quality occur close to the proposed line ; and only require facility of transport, for bringing the ore to the coal, or the coal to the ore, to be worked very profitably. Large portions of this tract of country still remain unsettled, and abound in timber of good quality, with abundance of the finest stone for building purposes. This range could be avoided by a considerable detour to the east, which detour would have the advantage of bringing the line near to the rich mineral district of Pictou, and also shorten a branch which will, at some future period, be made from the main trunk line to Whitehaven, near Cape Canso. The greater por- tion of Nova Scotia through which the line would pass is well cultivated and populous. The rich mineral districts, however, if traversed by a Railway, would open out exten»ive fields for the profitable investment of capital, and for the employment of a con- siderable amount of skilled and unskilled labour. 9 At Bny Vcrto the line enter, the Province of New Brunswick .nd p,.,«. through „ country generally favourable ,„ the con-' strucon „ a ra.lway. I, wi,l run nearly at right angle, to the course of the numerous rivers which flow into the Gulf of Saint rlrr T,""'I " ''"T'"' "' "'" '"""' "' "'" "»"«.'ti..n of these nvers. ri.is tract of country contains much excellent land for e^tlenjent the country being level, „„,1 principally consisting of n h alluv,,. lan.1. well watere.l au.l covered with valuable tinfber »luch could be profitably worked off by the application of i„,. proved "•acl.u.ery Great facilities will also be affor.led for ship and boat budding by the nuu.crous rivers crossed by the railway, and the bays mdenting the St. Lawrence, parallel to which tlie radway passes. These rivers would also furnish numerous points of easy access, for the purpose of simuhaneously commencing the construction of the works at several places; also for the subsequent establish- ment of fishing stations, in connexion with the agricultural settle- ments along the line, and with the multitudinous avocations and sources of profitable employment Mhich the opening up, by a railway, of a country abounding in so many valuable natural products, wdl unquestionably develop. ^ The length of line in the Province of New Brunswick is 234> Pr!!!' ^''fr ^V'" "^ '^'' P"P'^'^ ''"^' P'^^^^"g ^»--g»» the 1 rov.nce of Canada, runs nearly parallel to the river St. Lawrence and, for the first 200 miles out of Quebec, the country is parcelled out into small farms, occupied by French Canadians, in such a manner as to resemble an extended village. It is quite obvious that a population so situated would be greatly benefited by the construction of a railway; and equally obvious that the railway would derive a considerable revenue froma popu- iation so circumstanced. The country is very broken about the Metapediac and Resti- gouche rivers, near the junction of Ner Bruusw'-ck and Canada- and will require several extensive bridges, as the nature of the ground makes it necessnrv tn nrns" tV"— vi i • rp, . "•' "''^ in^ac rivursi several tunes. Ihere is, however, an abundant supply of every description of a5 10 1) I "■ I-: building material on the spot, and these difficulties will conse- quently be easily overcome. The length of the line in Canada is 277 miles, making the whole length of the proposed route Q35 miles from Halifax to Quebec. Major Robinson's estimate for the construction of the proposed railway, has been deduced from the railways constructed in the state of Massachusetts, which are known to bear a nearer analogy to the circumstances of the proposed railway in British, North America, than the railways of any other State in the American Union. The average of 830 miles of single line, constructed in the State of Massachusetts, is £7,950. per mile, single line ; but owing to the greater facilities for obtaining iron in the British Colonies, and also the great reduction in the price of iron since the lines of railway referred to have been constructed, the ap- proximate estimate may, therefore, be safely reduced to the sum of £7.000. per mile for a single line. The construction of this important instalment of a great trunk line of railway, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is ex- pected to be guaranteed by the Home Government ; and may, therefore, be considered as amply provided for,* leaving, in round numbers, to be constructed, about 2,400 miles to reach the Pacific. The consideration of the remaining portion of the line, extend- ing from Quebec to Vancouver's Island, and passing through a country, of which, so far as regards the details ofa railway project, comparatively little is known, may be divided into the following heads : — 1st. The direction of the line. 2nd. The mode of exploring the country, for the purpose of selecting the line. 3rd. Various modes by which the expense of construction may be met ; in connexion with systematic colonization, the reclaimation of waste-land, and the working of coal, iron, and other mines. * In consequence of some unfortunate misunderstanding between Earl Grey and the Colonial Governments, with respect to a branch line of railway to St. John, New Brunswick, the negociationR have been broken off ; but the colonists, being thrown upon their own resources, are now surveying their respective portions of the line, and intend the works to be commenced early in )853; still, however, hoping to obtain some assis- tance from the Imperial Government for the great trunk line. n 4th. The resources of the country proposed to be traversed by the railway, and the local and general, or rather universal benefit of the Hne when completed, and some concluding re- marks upon the general bearing of the subject. As the ultimate intention of the proposed railway is, not simply the accommodation of the great local traffic which will spring into existence when the country has become even partially settled! and the resources of the mineral districts to some extent developed but prmcpally to become the highway from Europe to China, and the numerous Islands in the Pacific, it will be desirable to select the hne m as direct a course as possible from Quebec to the northern shore of Lake Superior, in order that it may be the shortest hne possible, and also that it may pass through the greatest amount of unceded territory. But as it is possible that a line will soon be constructed on the north bank of the St. Lawrence, the pipposed line may probably take the direction of that line as far as the crossing of the river St. Maurice, near the town of Three Rivers. Having crossed this river, the probable direction would be a direct line to the northern extremity of Lake Temisca.ning, and continuing parallel to the south side of a range of hills, which runs nearly east and west, as far as the northern extremity of Lake Superior, crossing the Ottaway river near its source. From Lake Superior, the line would proceed to the northern shores of the Lake of the Woods. From the Lake of the Woods the Hne will pass near to the Red River settlement, and continue nearly along the 50th degree of north latitude, to the Sackatchawan River, parallel to which it would proceed to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The most favourable point for crossing the Rocky Mountains is about the 54th degree of north latitude, as the mountain range about this point is said to be broken into isolated masses, and the height of the passes to be only about GOO or 700 feet. From the Rocky Mountains the line would take the most direct course to some one of the numerous harbours on the gulf of Georgia, which separate Vancouver's Island from the main land. But if a point m the Rocky Mountain range could be discovered, near to the 12 50th degree of north latitude, where this somewhat formidable barrier could be passed by a tunnel of reasonable length, it would be much preferable to going so far north as the 54th degree. Having reached the Pacific Ocean, the numerous and spacious harbours, with secure anchorage, and a rare combination of mari- time advantages, in the vicinity of Vancouver's Island, with an abundant supply of coal, point to this locality as the site of the future capital of the West, opening out a ready intercourse with the beautiful Islands of the Pacific, with populous China, with the rich East, and with the Pacific Coast of the great American Continent. lu 2nd. The mode of selecting the line. At first sight this may appear a very formidable undertaking, and doubtless it will require the exercise of both energy and judgment. The difficulties to be met with, in the selection of a hne of rail- way in England, are numerous and formidable, but principally arising from local causes connected with the nature of the pro- perty to be passed through, with the interests to be served on the one hand, and the opposition to be avoided on the other : physical difficulties are frequently obliged to be treated as of secondary importance; and the judgment exercised by an Engineer in the selection of a line of railway, is overruled by circumstances which preclude the adoption of the best possible route. On the contrary the difficulties to be encountered in the proposed undertaking will be principally, if not entirely, those of a physical character ; and the engineer who will be fortunate enough to have the selection of the proposed line of railway will find ample and unfettered scope for his genius and industry. There will be no powerful landowners to drive him from a line of country which nature appears to have scooped out for this recently discovered medium of intercommunication ; the quietude of nature's untrodden domain will lie before him, and he will be stimulated in his arduous undertaking by the consciousness, that he is not merely servino- the interests of one country, or of one creed, but the cause of universal man, in the formation of a worl. which must soon become one of the great leading highways of nations. 13 h The operation being rather an extensive one, the most judicious plan would be to divide the distance into numerous sections, by asce .taming and fixing the points at which the principal obstacles: such as rivers and mountain ranges, would be most easily crossed. These sections would then be treated as integral lines, although forming portions of the whole, and thus the undertaking would be very much simplified. Nearly the whole range of country through which the proposed railway would pass, is admirably adapted to afford numerous favorable points at which to form small settlements, for the pur- pose of commencing the work of exploration, and subsequent construction, at several places at the same time, in consequence of the existing facilities for water communication, and the many small establishments belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company to free settlers and to friendly Indians, which are interspersed nearly over the whole district. Having determined the most eligible points at which the railway would cross the principal rivers, and such other points as would be most convenient for the formation of small settlements, and also having obtained some knowledge of the intermediate sections of country, the points thus selected would be the most suitable for railway stations, and would become the nuclei of more exten- sive settlements. These points would be taken up at the earliest possible period after the winter ; and, whilst some of the settlers would be clearing the ground around the sites of the proposed railway stations, and prepanng it for crops to be available by the coming winter, as many as could be spared from these indispensable operations, would be employed in tracing out the line of railway to the right and left of the point thus selected ; and when a sufficient portion of the line had been thus traced out, so as to determine the posi- tion of the station buildings, the permanent construction of a portion of these would be proceeded with, in order to give shelter to the first settlers, without resorting to temporary buildings. The railway works would then be commenced, and as the cron's were put into the ground, a greater number of hands could be employed upon the works, and by these means the operations of 14 agriculture sufficient to supply immediate wants, and the construc- tion of the railway, would be carried on simultaneously. The principal operations which would be carried on in the first instance, from these small ports, would be to select and set out the line, and to cut the timber on the line, so as to effect a con- nection between the several small settlements with as little delay as possible. Until this connection is effected, and made passable for the conveyance of provisions and other necessaries, the navi- gable rivers upon which many of the settlements would be placed would afford the best means of communication with the sources of supply. The country proposed to be traversed by the railway abounds, however, with every animal, fish and fowl, which contribute to the support of man in his savage state ; also wild rice in great plenty, with fruits of various kinds in great abundance, which render the advancement of civilized man into the wilderness a matter, com- paratively, neither difficult nor expensive. It is scarcely possible to conceive that anything short of the most culpable ignorance of the extent and value of the British possessions in North America, or of still more culpable indiffer- ence, could have led to the abandonment of so much valuable territory by the treaties which have fixed the present fantastic outhne of the British North American frontier. This is however a subject which, as it cannot be re-opened and reconsidered, may be regretted, but need not be discussed. It is quite clear that the proposed railway from Halifax to the Pacific, passing wholely through the territory of British North America, would still coun- terbalance, to a considerable extent, all present and many pros- pective disadvantages, which would otherwise result from the abandonment of so great an extent of territory on the Pacific sea-board. It will be well, therefore, to become better acquainted with what remains, and more particularly as the time seems to have arrived when considerable portic. i^iay be brought into profitable occupation. The boundary between the British territories and those of the United States, as settled by treaty, has been definitely marked upon the ground between New Brunswick and Canada and the im^ U Border States of the Union, and where there was no natural boundary the wood has been cut 30 feet wide, and a cast-iron pillar placed at every mile distance. The boundary from Lake Superior to the Pacific has also been settled by treaty, but not marked upon the ground. It is to proceed from Lake Superior, by a chain of small lakes, to the Lake of the Woods, and then along the 49th degree of north latitude to the Pacific Ocean. As the territory bordering on the above undefined boundary becomes settled, disputes will doubtless arise between the inhabi- tants of the British and the American territories, which it would be much more agreeable to avoid than subsequently to settle It would therefore be very advisable for the two Governments to undertake the execution of this truly national work forthwith, and m addition to having the undefined line along the 49th degree marked at every mile by an iron pillar, also to have a correct section of the ground taken, making each mile pillar to serve as a bench mark. This would be valuable, and in itself would furnish a great mass of useful scientific information, and would greatly assist in the formation of the proposed railway. 3rd. With reference to the means by which the expense of a work of such magnitude is to be met, much diversity of opinion may doubtless be expected to exist. When the line is in full operation, with numerous settlements along its whole course,— the mineral resources of the district to some considerable extent developed— a flourishing trade opened out across the Pacific, and along the Pacific Coast of the Great American Continent,— there can be Httle doubt but the line would pay a fair dividend upon the cost of construction. It is quite obvious, however, that the prospect of a return would be so distant, and probably, to some extent, doubtful, that no company could be formed for the con- struction of the proposed line upon the usual principles of Joint Stock Companies, unaided by a grant of land, or the guarantee of a per centage upon the outlav. As the colonies and the mother country would derive the principal advantages from the construction of the proposed railway, it ought therefore to be their joint undertaking. The 16 •ft revenue and internal prosperity of the colonies would be very much increased by the systematic location of thousands of indus- trious families, commencing their colonial career in the first instances, aided when necessary by employment in the execution of public works, which would, when executed, add materially to their prosperity and happiness. The mother country would in the proposed undertaking possess an almost indefinite outlet for its surplus population, at the nearest available point to its shores — would be creating an extensive market for its exports — and laying the foundation of a great and attached community, bound by the strongest and most easily recognised ties, those of early associations and reciprocal advantages. It is therefore proposed, that a Commission be formed by the Home and Colonial Governments, empowered to select and con- struct the line, and that a breadth of land, varying in extent in proportion to its value, including such mineral districts as may be considered desirable, be transferred to this Commission, for the purpose of the execution of the railway, and such other works as may be considered necessary for the full development of the several industrial operations which ought to be established for the benefit of the settlers upon the lands under the Commission. That the Government grant to the Commissioners the loan, at a low interest, the sum of £1,000,000. as a working capital, to be repaid on the completion of the line, or otherwise disposed of as the then existing circumstances may render advisable. That upon the basis of this loan, and the value of the lands, timber, minerals, &c. conveyed to the Commissioners, they shall be empowered to increase their working capital by an issue of a paper currency, or land notes, convertible at any time into land, at a fair valuation, amounting to £2,000,000., which shall be con- stituted a legal tender, and be issued in payment of all transactions or claims connected with the operations of the Commission in the execution of the works, the sale of land, timber, minerals, &c., and the transport of emigrants to be employed and located by the Commissioners, as may be considered most expedient. ^ '^^ — » » ' "- "•Q ■^'-'iioiituivu, auu puL in possession ot the necessary land and funds, will proceed to select and stake out the hne of railway, and upon the centre line, as a base, commence T -tMiWi,i,i aiiil !<»>»- 17 f T «■*• f the survey of the land on each side of the proposed railway, and determine the most eligible sites for railway stations, which would also become the best position for towns and villages. But as it is now only intended to sketch rapidly the more prominent features of a great trunk Hne of railway, upon which the emigration to the British North American Provinces shall be concentrated, and thus constitute a belt of civiHzation and colonization, with the loco- motive* and the electric telegraph passing through its centre, carrying life and animation from shore to shore, it will not be necessary to enter into detail in reference to any specific mode of dividing the land into allotments, or of systematically laying out towns and villages. The line being staked out, under the superintendence of the Commissioners, they would treat with individuals or with asso- ciated bodies, such for example as the " Canadian Land and Rail- way Association," granting such blocks of land, with the timber, minerals, water power, and such other advantages as may be mu- tually agreed upon, as compensation for the construction of a given portion of the Hne of railway. The Commissioners should, as soon as possible, have consider- able portions of the line selected and staked out for the purpose of meeting any contingency — such, for example, as the late disas- trous famine in Ireland — in which case some thousands of persons could have been sent out to the colonies as permanent settlers, and employed in productive pubHc works, but not, as in Ireland, in disfiguring the face of the country by works in many cases unnecessary, ill designed, and never completed, and consequently worse than useless. At the present moment there are several thousands in the Highlands of Scotland, in a state of destitution, who could be advantageously employed in the construction of the proposed railway and works connected therewith. There are various modes by which this could be effected, with great advantage to the necessitous highlanders, and without any loss to the Commis- sion, or to the parties advancing money to send them to the pro- vinces. Those aiso of the able-bodied poor, from the Unions of England and Ireland, who would prefer to emigrate to a country * For information on this subject see the extract from Mr. DouU's " Report on Weston's Novomotive System of Railway Propulsion," page 26. 18 where they could gain a subsistence by their industry, to remain, ing at home dispirited and despised, helpless in themselves, and a burden on the poor rates ; could emigrate and be employed under the Commission. These parties being sent to the provinces, at the expense of the Board of Supervision for the Relief of the Poor in Scotland, or the several Poor Law Unions in England and Ireland, would be employed by the Commissioners in setting out and executing the line of railway, cutting timber, clearing the ground for agricultural purposes, preparing timber for sale or exportation by the use of improved machinery, and superseding the present barbarous system of lumbering. They would receive fair wages for their labour, a portion of which would be retained to repay their passage money, and the expense of any outfit they may have been furnished with. When these parties had cleared off their debts, they should be encouraged to become settlers, upon small freeholds allotted to them, upon payments of yearly instalments, the Commissioners retaining the title to the land until the whole of the purchase money had been paid, and the power to resume possession of the allotments, when the conditions of sale had not been complied with. Allotments of land cleared and prepared for cultivation, with probably the necessary buildings erected, would be sold to emigrants possessed of capital, who might prefer at once to enter upon the possession of a cleared farm. Sites of towns could also be laid out and cleared, and sold to parties possessed of capital, or of industry, which would soon realize capital. Carpenters and other trades could be employed in construct- ing portable wooden buildings, to be put together when new positions had to be taken up. In mineral districts, companies or associated bodies of intending emigrants, possessing some capital, and embodying the necessary divisions of skilled and unskilled labour, could be advantageously employed in procuring the raw material, and also in the manufac- ture of iron, copper, &c. for the various purposes of the construc- tion and subsequent working of the railway and other works and thus contribute largely to its formation. There are also many eminent contractors ai present in the .^tm^ -mn..^.--^ 19 country, who find grent Jifflculty i„ being able t„ Jcvisc the n.e,n,s profitably to employ their immense capital, tla.ir cltens e plan, and the ma,, of skilled and unskillei lal our which tey might had >t to then, advantage to construct portions of the line work off t e tnnber for sale, or for the construction of th irot "; ■noit rvii^r "' '"^ ■"""• '-' - ""■-- »' -" "^e These are a few of the modes by which the proposed railwav may be n^ructed, with great advantage to the%L: G„t:^ ment. the Colonics, and the surplus population of these kingdoms the ht le encouragement they meet with in the British provinces from the want of that stimulus which the execution of pub 0™!,' a ways creates, and which the proposed work would create Tan almost unhmited extent. ' As the employment of convict labour has been advocated in connect,on with this proposed extensive undertaking, i mly be bnefly touched upon. It is a question of very considetable ijpor tance, even upon the score of national economy, and one whTch must seriously occupy the attention of the Government. The prevention of crime, however, is doubtless much better and more hoThttll is" r ""^'^'T'' ^"" " '^ '-^t-We to consider how httle IS done m the way of preventing crime, either by instructing the ignorant, or finding work for the unemployed! Ihese parties must now qualify, by the commission of crime before they can have the most remote chance of receiving to any great extent the patronage of the Government whereT""' 'f "" """""' ^' ""'^^"'"^ advantageously, unless wheie the work is very much concentrated, the passage of the Rocky Mountains, whether by tnnnel or otherwise, would afford very useful and exciting employment to a great number of these troublesome persons for a considerable time, and, by way of encouragement, they might be made to commence the tunnel at one end, be allowed their freedom when thev h„,I wo.l,„,| thei- way to the other side of the mountain range," or to settle upon gratuitous lots of land, as they might feel disposed.* • To p,.cc . string of convicts, » l,.s bcenproposed, .long the whole line of the t !f' 20 4. The resources of the country proposed to he traversed hy the railway, and the advantages resulting from the formation of the proposed communication. The varied resources of the British North American possessions have received the highest eulogiums from the most competent authorities, at various times. In the celebrated Report of Lord Durham, in 1839, his Lord- ship states, that *• No portion of the American continent possesses greater natural resources for the maintenance of large and flourish- ing communities. An almost unbounded range of the richest soil still remains unsettled, and may be rendered available for the purpose of agriculture. The wealth of the most inexhaustible forests of the best timber in America, and of extensive regions of the most valuable minerals, have as yet been scarcely touched. Along the whole line of sea coast, around each island, and in every river, are to be found the greatest and the richest fisheries in the world. The best fuel and the most ab'mdant water power are available for the coarser manufactures, for which an easy and certain market will be found. Trade with other continents is favoured by the possession of a large number of safe and capa- cious harbours ; long, deep and numerous rivers, and vast inland seas, supply the means of easy intercourse ; and the structure of the country generally affords the utmost facility for every species of communication by land. Unbounded materials of agricultural, commercial, and manufacturing industry are there, and the country which has formed and maintained these colonies, at a vast expense of blood and treasure, may justly expect its compensation in turn- ing their unappropriated resources to the account of its redundant population ; they are the rightful patrimony of the English people —the ample appanage which God and nature have set aside, in the new world, for those whose lot has assigned them but insuffi- cient portions in the old." In Sir George Simpson s journey round the world, in 1841 and 1842, he speaks in the highest terms of the British North Ameri- proposed railway, passing through dense forests, and frequently in the vicinity of rivers leading into the United States, where concealment and escape could hardly be prevented even by one soldier to guard each convict, is certainly a most ingenious mode to get rid of the embarrassment of an accumulation of convicts. 21 can territories through which he passed, from Montreal to the Pacific. In reference to the Ottawa River, and in describing the lumberers, and their mode of proceeding, he states, that " These lumberers may be considered as the pioneers of that commerce which cannot fail ere long, to find its way up this noble river, abounding as it does in every conceivable requisite for trade and agriculture, such as water power, abundance of timber, good climate, and a variety of soil— sandy, strong and rich. The scenery is generally picturesque, here rising in lofty rocks, and there clothed with forests to the water's edge, and the whole being now deserted by its ancient lords, is left free to the civiliz- ing influence of the axe and the plough." In reference to the mineral district of Lake Superior, the same authority states, that it " promises to rival, in point of mineral wealth, the Altar Chain, and the Uralian Mountains." That i( in addition to iron, the forbidding wastes of the northern shore con tain inexhaustible treasures both of the precious and the useful metals, of gold and silver, of copper and tin, and already have associations been formed to reap the teeming harvest." More recent accounts give a still more flattering description of the mineral treasures of this district, particularly in copper ; a specimen of native copper, weighing two tons, having been exhibited in New York, from the shores of Lake Superior. Some distance to the w^est of Lake Superior, Sir George Simpson states, in reference to the valley of Kaministagnoia, that " durin^r the day's march he had passed forests of elm, oak, pine, birch, &cr, and that many a spot reminded him of the rich and quiet scenery of England;"— that "one cannot pass through this fair valley without feeling that it is destined, sooner or later, to become the happy home of civilized man, with their bleating flocks and their lowing herds,— with their schools and their churches, with their full garners and their social hearths." "At the time of our visit," Sir George goes on to state, that " the great obstacle in the way of so blessed a consummation, was the hopeless wilderness to the eastward, which seemed to bar for ever the march of settlement and cultivation ; but that very wilderness now that it is to yield up its long-hidden stores, bids fair to remove the very impediments which hitherto it has itself presented. The 22 M mines of Lake Superior, besides establishing a continuity of route between the east and the west, will fitul their nearest and cheapest supply of agricultural produce in the valley of the Kaministag- noia." In the Dail,/ News of February ^5tli, 1852, after referring to the abundance of copper found on the shores of Lake Superior in great purity, goes on to state, that " innnense (juantities of iron ore have also been discovered, and only await the moans of trans- port, which however is costly, and inadequate to the demand. " In many localities, as at a spot called the * Iron Mountain,' this ore is found in extraordinary purity in pebbles, rocks, boul- ders, and considerable hills. " Unlike most mineral regions, these mines of iron and copper are interspersed, in many localities, with farming land of a good average quality, and thus the wants of the miners could the more easily be supplied." Sir George Simpson, in prosecuting his journey along the exten- sive chain of water communication from Lake Superior towards the west, thus writes : " The river which empties Lac la Phise into the Lake of the Woods is, in more than one respect, de- cidedly the finest stream on the whole route. From Fort Frances downwards, a stretch of nearly one hundred miles, it is not inter- rupted by a single impediment, while yet the current is not strong enough materially to retard an ascending traveller ; nor are the banks less favourable to agriculture than the waters themselves to navigation, resembling in some measure the Thames, near Rich- mond. From the very brink of the river there rises a gentle slope of green-sward, crowned in many places with a plentiful growth of bi rl , poplar, beech, elm and oak. Is it too much for the eye of philanthropy to discover, through the vista of futurity, this noble stream, connecting as it does the fertile shores of two spacious lakes, with crowded steamboats on its bosom, and populous towns on its borders ?" The next point of interest in Sir George Simpson's route is the Red River settlement. "In the year 1811 the Hudson's Bay Company ceded to the late Earl of Selkirk, in full right, a large portion of their terri- tories in North America. The tract of land so granted was in mf •MMit*»itni>>~w. 23 every respect well cnlculnted for the purpose of ngriculture, and it wns hoped that, together with the cultivation of the soil, suc- cessful measures might eventually he adopted to promote the civilization of the Indian trihes in that quarter. '• The project was treated with very great indiflTerence by the Government of the day, hut was ultimately carried out by the philanthropic projector under very great disadvantages, princi- pally by being placed, as an oasis in the desert, without any means of communication with any portion of the civilized world. The local advantages however were very great : the soil proved rich and productive, and the plough met with no obstruction. The usual American step, necessarily taken for clearing away the forest, previous to tilling the land, was not required. The plains adjoin- ing the settlement were not encumbered with wood, though upon the immediate banks of the rivers there is generally to be found an abundance and variety of fine timber. The rivers abound with fish, the adjoining prairies with buffalo, and the more distant woods with elk, deer, &c." The neighbouring tribes of Indians also proved friendly and well disposed. There can be no doubt whatever, that the resources of the coun- try to be traversed by the proposed railway, even if but partially developed, would be abundantly sufficient for the construction and maintenance of a great leading thoroughfare from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The position is the most favourable, as lying in that zone or belt where the principal seats of civilization, wealth, commerce and activity, all round the globe, are to be found, and where for the future, commerce, and intercourse must naturally circulate, as travelling by land is now become superior to travelling by sea. It can hardly be supposed that any Government will much longer remain indifferent to the peculiar circumstances of the British North American Provinces, placed as they are in juxta-position with the most industrious go-a-head nation in the world ; and being of the same race, the same religion, possessing equal intellectual attainments, and living under similar laws and social institutions, important reflections must force themselves upon the minds of the Colonists, calculated to wound their i)ride, and ultimately to sap the foundations of the most unquestionable loyalty. '•I (Wli1«M"iuiiittl m 1 1^5 'It ft 24 The activity existing in the United States, consequent upon the execution of public works, is absorbing the bone and sinew of the transatlantic emigrants, who leave our shores ; but who would by a wise and paternal Government be directed into such channels as shall produce the most beneficial reaction upon the mother country, and the most salutary induence upon the stability of the empire. The American press admit the very great importance of the proposed communication, and the superiority of the line upon British territory. The New York Tribune of March 27th, 1851, after adverting to Mr. Whitney's project, proceeds to state, that "the route through British America is in some respects even preferable to that through our own territory. By the former the distance from Europe to Asia is some thousand miles shorter than by the latter. Passing close to Lake Superior, traversing the watershed which divides the streams flowing towards the Arctic sea from those which have their exit southward, and crossing the Rocky Mountains at an elevation some 3,000 feet less than at the South Pass, the road could here be constructed with comparative cheap- ness, and would open up a region abounding in valuable timber and other natural products, and admirably suited to the growth of grain, and to grazing. Having its Atlantic seaport at Halifax, and its Pacific depot near Vancouver's island, it would inevitably draw to it the commerce of Europe, Asia, and the United States. Thus, British America, from a mere Colonial dependency, would assume a controlling rank in the world. To her other Nations would be tributary, and in vain would the United States attempt to be her rival ; for v»'e could never dispute with her the posses- sion of the Asiatic commerce, or the power whicl^ that commerce confers." The great American continent would absorb an immense quan- tity of the commerce of Asia, which would find its way by the proposed route, and the most extensive inland navigation in the world, embrucinir, as it does, Lakes Siinerior. Hiirnn. M?pln'n-an Erie, Ontario, and numerous other lakes of considerable impor- tance, and also the rivers St. Lavt^rence, Mississippi, and Missouri with their lunnerous and important tributaries, together with 25 upon the ew of the Yould by channels 5 mother ty of the e of the ne upon Ldverting be route erable to nee from 1 by the atershed sea from ; Rocky le South e chtap- ; timber rowth of Halifax, jevitably I States. \f, would Nations attempt posses- >mmerce 5e quan- by the n in the ichigan, ; impor- ^lissouri er with many extensive canals, and also numerous railroads, ramif;ying in every direction through the States, are admirably situated and adapted for dispensing this commerce through the length and breadth of the land, and also for bringing traffic to the line from every point of the compass. This communication being once effected, or even partially so, the onward march of mind of the present day would be strongly attracted to the bold scenery, the majestic rivers, the expansive lakes and the sublime waterfalls of the American continent, where the grandeur of nature and the enterprising energy of man are the exponents of the future, whilst in Europe all are exponents of the past. Whilst our continental travellers are succumbing to the tyranny of the passport system, and the stringent exactions of despotic power, in British America our excursionists may luxuriate in freedom of action and discussion, without let or hindrance. ^ With a semi-weekly, or daily steam communication between England and Halifax, no sportsman but those of the very tamest description would think of grouse shooting or deer stalking in the highlands of Scotland, but of the more exciting sport of buffalo hunting on the prairies of the Red River, or of giving chase to the deer, the elk, the antelope or the grizzly bear on the Rocky Mountains. The opening out of this extensive tract of unexplored region would present to the scientific traveller an unbounded field^for geological and mineralogical research, and one worthy of a Lyell or a Murchiston. In a political and social point of view it would be difficult to over-rate the importance of the proposed undertaking. Every aspect under which the subject can be viewed tends to show, that British power should not only be maintained, but consolidated by every legitimate and constitutional means, upon the continent of America, as the only means of preventing the whole of that im- mense continent from being absorbed into the United States. To maintain British sway in the North American Provinces, withont affording them that assistance to develop their un- bounded resources which they have a right to expect, and by the employment of coercion, is neither politic nor possible. By attending to the records of history, it will be found, that i ■f» i 26 many nations have been raised by attention to commerce, and have fallen by its loss. Phcenicia, Arabia and Palestine, Turkey, Venice, Portugal, Spain, and Holland, have all had their rise and their fall. Let us fondly hope that England, raised also by commerce, is still in the vigour of youth,— that the shoots which she is sendino- to, and transfixing in every region, and every clime, may spring into life and vigour under her fostering care, and that they may continue to cherish the kindliest sentiments of gratitude, esteem, and loyalty to the latest period of the world's history. To retain commerce, it is necessary to possess the highways of commerce, and that of the most approved and economical descrip- tion. Let England be true to her principles,— graft upon her com- merce, in the most indelible characters of eternal truth, the purity of her religion, the equity of her laws, and the humanizing tendency of her social institutions, and her prosperity will be secured while truth, and justice, and humanity can be appreciated among men. ALEXANDER DOULL, C.E. November, 1851. Extract from Mr. Doull's " Report on Weston's Novomotive System of Railway Propulsion," 1 850 :— "I have very carefully read over the paper, descriptive of Mr. John Weston's Patent Novomotive System of Railway Propulsion, and also examined the workincr mode at tiie Royal Polytechnic Institution. There can be no doubt whatever, tiia" Mr. Weston s mvention, obviating as it most effectually does all the principal diffi- culties which the locomotive en^jinehas to contend with, and avoiding all the defects of the old atmospheric system tested on the Croydon and South Devon Railways deserves every encouragement from Railway Directors, and the Public, wh.ch'an extensive and impartial trial would give it. "As Mr. Weston's System of Railway Propulsion entirely dispenses with the locomotive engine, it would be admirably adapted for the Halifax and Quebec Railway, or indeed for any Colonial Railway, where there is an abundant supply of timber as hard wood for rails will answer nearly as well as iron, and it may be worked at little cost, in localities where water power is a\ ailuble " 27 OUTLINES OF A PLAN FROP08EO BY THE CANADIAN LAND & RAILWAY ASSOCIATION, FOR AN EXTENSIVE SYSTEM OF COLONIZATION, IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OJf RAILWAYS IN BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. An extensive system r*" colonization may be combined with the con- struction of the Halifax and Quebec Railway, or any other Railway in British North America, passing through uncultivated land, in such a manner as to admit of a safe, steady, and gradual extension of the several settlements along the line, and thus avoid the calamities which frequently result from an indiscriminate mass of settlers alighting in great numbers upon a tract of unreclaimed land, with very inadequate, if any, pre- arrangements. There is one very important advantage connected with colonization in the districts of country through which these railways would pass, and indeed in all the unsettled portions of the British North American Colo- nies, which appears to be almost if not entirely overlooked, and that is the undisputed title to the land, and consequently the undisturbed occu- pancy thereof ; whilst in many colonies the settler's right to the land is often disputed by the aboriginal inhabitants, who, whilst they are driven back by a progressive army of colonists, hold the vanguard in perpetual alarm, and frequently retaliate upon them by the commission of cruel and extensive murders. In colonies where this state of things exists, there is a paramount necessity for settlers to congregate together in large numbers, for mutual safety, very much to their disadvantage in other respects ; but no degree of isolation, which is compatible with the most advantageous arrange- ments, need be guarded against, in reference to the proposed operations in the British Nortli American Colonies. The railway being permanently marked upon the ground, and the sites of the stations chosen, the next operation would be to erect, and that permanently, such portions of these buildings as could most readily be made to accommodate the parties engaged on the works, and this would be proceeded with until the whole were completed. The sites of the towns would next be marked out ; a knowledge of their localities would at once point out the extent to which it would be necessary to reserve land for the town, and for the various industrial ope- rations wliich would likely be established in any particular district. 1 2* -J' 28 These proposed settlements would be about ten miles distant from each other, measured along the line of" railway, and extend ten miles from the railway into the country on each side, giving an area of twenty square miles, or 12,800 acres, to each settlement. In a purely agricultural district the town would not necessarily be extensive, as there would be numerous small villages and homesteads placed in the most convenient positions for efficiently and economically accommodating the cultivators of the above extent of land. As the railway stations would be the central point to which all the produce of the district would be brought for conveyance to a market, and from which all necessary supplies would be obtained, it would be found advantageous, and more particularly in agricultural districts, to increase the store accommodation at the railway station, so as to serve the purpose of storing up all the surplus produce, until the most suitable time for con- veyance by railway to market, or for exportation. The pursuits of the population in the several settlements would con- siderably vary according to the local resources of each particular district. The whole would be more or less agricultural ; some agricultural and mining ; and in many cases agriculture would be combined with various kinds of manufacturing industry. Several of the stations would be placed upon navigable rivers, or other places where ship and boat building, and fishing operations to a very great extent could be carried on. As the interests of the Colonies, and the prosperity of the settlers on the lands would be intimately combined, the establishment of water- works, gas-works, and probably saw-mills, would be common to all parties in connection with the station buildings, and which should be established by the Railway Commissioners. A church and chapel, with adult and infant schools attached, public hall, library, museum, infirmary, reading room, and stores for the sale of various articles necessary for the settlement, and to be partly occupied by the lighter trades in the manufacture of various minor articles ; also public buildings, such as baths and washhouses, lodging houses for single or married men, coffee houses, &c. &c., would be required when considerable progress had been made in the settlement ; but temporary accommodation for these purposes could be obtained in the station buildings at the com- mencement. The area or space enclosed by the stores, and not required for the purposes of the railway, would in the first instance be cleared and culti- vated to meet the inmiediate wants of the settlers, but ultimately it could be laid out as ornamental ground, with bridges crossing the railway where necessary. The great<-r portion of the site of the town could also be brought under cultivation until the erection of the buildings was rendered necessary by the gradual increase of the settlers. Land would be reserved for the erection of manufactories requiring the 29 se of steam engmes, and such heavy machinery and materials as would be most convenient y placed in connection with the railway sidings Cattle markets, slaughter houses, and the manufacture of any offensive substances would be placed at any convenient distance from tl/town and railway where it would be considered most desirable the totn!™'*''^ ""'"^'^ '^' ^' ^^"''^ ^* '""'' convenient distance from With respect to drainage, much would depend upon the altitudes, and upon the manner in which the railway would pass through the town! LT u,^'''''''Ti ^"f *^' '™P*''* '^'''''''' ^'' P^'^'««t"^g <^l«anlines8 and health, as well as for saving and applying the liquid and other manures, extended '' agriculture, and would progress as the town Much inconvenience has hitherto arisen in the British colonies gene- rally, in consequence of emigrants arriving before the surveys of the land allotments had sufficiently advanced to enable them to take immediate possession, and to commence the construction of their dwellings, and such agricu tural or other operations as would most readily and most efFectually meet their immediate wants. In the case of the " Canadian Land and Railway Association," the centre line of railway being marked out upon the ground which would become the basis of operation for the survey of the allotments, and the site of the stations chosen as the nuclei of the several settlements, the opera- tion of surveying the allotments would be reduced to the simplest possible form, and consequently to the minimum of expense. Sufficient space would in the first instance be reserved along side of the railway for the construction of a common road, and the several roads which would be laid out at right angles to the railway, and extending from each side of it, would serve as dividing lines for the allotments, as well as for the purpose of affi)rding the means of communication with the railway stations. The very great facility with which a considerable number of allot- ments could be set off from the railway, and the easeby wliich the number could at any time be increased to any extent, on each side of it, to meet he growing wants of the several settlements, wiU be sufficiently apparent to any person at all conversant with the matter. Much however would depend upon circumstances as to the shape and the size of the allotments. Farmers of capital, who are filled with gloomy forebodings as to the tuture in the mother country, gentlemen of capital also, who can neither find elbow room nor a profitable investment for their capital at home, might fimd it convenient to transplant themselves, with a considerable number of retainers, and occupy one of these districts, with advantage. As far, however, as the labouring and skilled operative classes are concerned, the principle of associated labour and proportionate profits ,'r F* 11 m #,;ii 30 ought to be adopted. The associated bodies to be incorporated, according to Act of Parliament, and governed by such bye-laws as they may choose to adopt, so that they are not incompatible with the general interests of the undertaking. The particular location to be chosen with reference to the occupation and pursuits of the associated bodies. The nicmbers of these bodies would be drafted off as required, so soon as the works on the portion of the rail- way passing through the district selected had been set out ; aud whilst those best adapted to the various operations connected with the construc- tion of the railway works were prosecuting these works, others would be clearing and cultivating such portions of the land as would be most easily brouglit into cultivation, in order to i-ender the settlements as early as possible self-supporting. The members of the associated bodies remaining at home would be supplying those in the colonies, from time to time, with such tools, imple- ments, and machinery, as would be most useful in carrying on the various operations for sawing, grinding, pumping, &c. &c. By tliis means the progress of the settlements would be so gradual as to avoid the many evils wliicli appear almost necessarily connected with emigration in large bodies, unconnected with public works, and with very inadequate facilities for obtaining possession of the land unon arrival at the place of destination, and the home labour market i-egulated. In order that these desirable results may be brought about in a man- ner to prove the greatest possible blessing to the mother country and her American dependencies, it will be necessary for statesmen to be governed by enlarged and enlightened vicAvs, and not by mere time-serving expe- diency. The system of staving off difficulties by the hour must be aban- doned, and they must consider that everything in the present age is in rapid motion, flowing onwards to fresh developments, and that their duty is to direct tliis onwai'd tendency, in order not to lose all control over it sometimes checking, and at other times encouraging and assisting, by which means they will still be able to guide, control, and govern. But to attempt to stop the onward march of improvement by the mere petu- lence of inaction will simply be to lose all power over the movements of the age. The conquests which England has already achieved in sanguinary conflicts, both by sea and land, may be taken as sufficient in that particular direction, and she ought now to take the lead in the dissemination of the blessings of religion, civilization and liberty, which have raised her to her present position among the nations of the earth, and which blessings have unquestionably been bestowed as a ttdent to be improved, and the non- improvement of which would be the prelude to their forfeiture. 31 in a man- APPENDIX. Ohjects.—The Canadian Land and Railway Association has been formed for the purpose of enabling the industrious classes to emigrate to Britisli North America, and, by the union and proper application of their skill and labour with land and capital, in connection with the projected railways in the provinces of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, to obtain employment and a comfortable home. Capital.— The Capital proposed by the Association for the attainment of its objects is £500,000.; to be raised in 100,000 Shares of £5. each. Shares.—These Shares may be obtained by any person who will pay a deposit of 23. 6d. per Share towards the preliminary expenses, and agree to pay the remaining calls, and be guided by the Laws of tlie Association. Application of Capital— The Capital of the Association will be laid out in the purchase of large blocks of land, through which the projected rail- wa,ys will be made, clearing and cultivating these lands, and erecting buildings thereon, either in farm allotments, or in village and town lots"; for the purchase of machinery and stock requisite for effecting these objects; and also, to a certain extent, for the purpose of assisting the Shareholders,' by way of Loan, to enable them to emigrate Avith their families, to be em- ployed under the direction of the Association in British North America ; or to erect their houses, or clear their lands aftenvards. Employment of Shareholders.— When the Association has obtained possession of th.a- lands, and made arrangements to construct the railway works, all Shareholders, properly qualified to perform the various kinds of labour required, will be selected, according to the date of their registration, and employed on their arrival in the Colonies, on the following cmiditions' viz. :— The works will be let as far as practicable by contract, to parties of workmen, at such prices as are given by other contractors for similar kind, quality, and quantity of skilled or unskilled labour ; and when the Shareholders are engaged by the day, week, or month, the average rates of wages or salaries given by others will be the general rate paid. Share- holders may at any time leave the service of the Association, or may be discharged, by either party giving proper notice of their intention, and having all claims settled. Disputes to be settled by Arbitration.— In the event of any misunder- standing or dispute arising between the Directors, or other duly-appointed Officers of the Association, and any of tlie Shareholders, in respect of contracts, wages or other matters, all such disputes will be settled by arbitration in order to avoid the expense and delay of law proceedinug and the decision of the arbitrators to be final and biiuling on both parties. Loa7is to Shareholders.— When any approAcd Shareholder requires assistance to enable himself and family to emigrate, it is proposed to ad- \-ance, from the capital of the Association, not more than two-thirds of lU 92 the cost of himself and family, on condition that he obtains the security of two other Shareholders that he will repay the amount advanced on his behalf, with interest thereon, by weekly or monthly instalments, within twelve months of his arrival in either of these Colonies. Time of Emigrants' Sailing, and Caution to the Shareholders. — When all the preliminary arrangements have been made for beginning the Rail- way works, the Shareholders will receive notice, and be required to fur- aisli a statement of the age and number of their families, and satisfactory evidence of Aeir abilities for the due performance of their respective professions ; but no prcpamtion must on any account be made by any Shareholder, either by withdrawing from employment or otherwise, until they receive notice from the Committee to prepare for the voyage. Share- holders neglecting this caution will have no claim whatever on the Com- mittee. GENERAL INFORMATION. The advantages which the Shareholders will derive, are : — 1. A preference of employment, at fair wages, or by contracts at fair prices, in the construc- tion of portions of the Railway, and oti or works undertaken by the Association. 2. A share of profits on the capital or labour invested by them in the stock of the Association. 8. Tlie acquirement of freehold land at a moderate price and easy terms of payment. To Capitalists and the Public in general the advantages are, — the safety of investment, and the profits that will arise from the various opeiations of the Association, the principal of which will be as follow : 1. From the purchase of blocks of land, through which the line of Railway passes, at the Government upset price, being about 2s. Cd. per acre; clearing, cultivating and disposing of the same in allotments, with or without buudings thereon. 2. From the profits on the contracts to be made for constructing the Railway, and from such other works as may be undertaken by the Association. 3. From the sale of timber, or other materials, from the lands of the Association, and from working up materials into articles of utility and profit. 4. From the erecting, letting and selling dwelling-houses or other buildings, and from the sale of land in village or town lots. 5. From loans to the Members of the Association, or others, on good security, at a fair rate of interest, assurance, &c. As the Association has been originated for the benefit of all classes, labour and capital will have their fair reward, according to the average rates or wages paid for similar kind and quantity of work done by others in these Colonies ; and from the profits on the various transactions of the Association, it is proposed to pay the Shareholders a dividend not exceed- ing 10 per cent, per annum on the amount of the paid-up capital— all property or profits realized beyond that amount to be applied from time to time for extending the general objects of the Association. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, Sec. Cvnud'uni Land ami 'Railwriy Axxociotlon, 18, Aldcniunihiin/, iVur. 1852. Piii'tcd hy J Uradlkv, 78, (iiv.ii Titcliiiekl street, Marylclione. security of ;ed on his Its, within •8. — When ; the Rail- ed to fur- atisfactory respective le hy any iviae, nntii !. Share- the Com- the construc- eAssocintiun. rment. are, — the e various ollow : — lasses, at the disposing of nd from such on, and from and from the at a fair rate 1 classes, 3 average by others >ns of the t exceed- pital — all rom time LL, Sec. t .vl*#:i^,.