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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ■ :4 .'.f,. ' •• )•■• --,"•' , t .:;,/'■''' V 1 I ♦ ' .' >: V V - " ■ \ '■-WM . i ttv ., PROVINCE HOUSE *' ■-* ' ,■ '^t^;'' V / .„:;i..v*.„,..M pV , •■"1 lliy, ;■ ^ • 'h ./ *. : f ' , ■->. EXTENSIVE AND SYSTEMATK COLONISATION IN CONNKCTTON WITH rrTR CONSTRUCTION OF TUE [NTERCOLONIAL RAILAVAY TIIBOUail THE CANADA DOMINION. • BEING A SERIES OF LETTERS PUBLISHED IN THE "GLASGOW SENTINEL," AND ADDRESSED TO ' AlEXANDEP,^ CAyVlPBELL, Esq., EillGBATION AGENT FOR NOVA SCOTIA. I 1 GLASGOW: PRINTED AT THE STEAM PRINTING WORKS, ANN STP.EET. MDCCCrXVIU, ji f upon t> =4' mmmim ■•-*»fc.. :i-— . — _— . ,...v— xu >^ : " ' CORRESPONDENCE. (Srom th& ^' Slasgow ifentinelJ^) The following letters will be interesting to our roaders who take an interest in promoting emigration, as a means of relieving the over- crowded labour market at home, and establishing an extensive, well- designed, and practical plan of colonisation along the Intercolonial Line of Railway in the new Canada dominion : — CANADIAN LAND AND RAILWAY ASSOCIATION. To Alexander Campbell, Esq. My Dear Sir, — In the year 1850 I endeavoured, in a series of letters published in the Morning Chronicle, to call the attention of the Government and the public to the subject of the construction of a railway from Halifax to Quebec, based upon the very able report of Major Robinson, Royal Engineers, presented to Parliament in February 1849. It was proposed to construct the railway by means of an ample breadth of land offered by the colonies for that purpose. Upon these lands the emigrants wei'e to be located, after having been employed upon the works until they had saved as much as would pay for the aliotments of which they were put in possession. To carry out these objects effi- ciently, the "Canadian Land and Railway Association" was formed prilci- pally by your own instrumentality. Many changes have taken place since that time. Railways, among other matters, have passed through a great many phases. They have had their culminating point and their downfall, or, at all events, a sufficiently important hint to be more cautious for the future. Two systems have been very clearly demon- strated as leading sooner or later to a collapse : these are the construction of lines of railway without a subscribed capital, and the adoption of what has been called " contractors' lines," as being ruinously expensive. To construct a colonial line of railway by ample concessions of good land and rich mineral districts, is basing the project upon the most assured subscribed capital, inasmuch as that the calls can never be unattended to. Our very able supporter in 1850, Sir John Heron Maxwell, Baijt., who obtained for^^«mie very- favourable interviews with the Earl of '\ '\ t H Derby (tho present Premier), is still advocating the caviso, and has kindly forwarded some communications from me on the subject to tlie Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (the present Secretary of .State for tlie Colonies), and his Grace has expressed his very great desire to see an extensive scheme of colonisation efiected in cotmection witl) the con- struction of the proposed Intercolonial Railway. I subniittod to his Grace, in April last, the following plan for the selection of the lino of the Intercolonial Railway, and for the survey of tlie allotments based upon the line of railway. I j/ublish these suggestions in order that they may be canvassed, and adopted, if they are worthy of adoption; or con- demned, if impracticable or absurd : — I ' I ! •! J PLAN FOR THE SURVEY AND CONSTRUCTION OF THK GEOOKTIC INTERCOLONIAL RAILWAY. It may be considered as an admitted fact that it is much more *!ifficult to select a line of railway, particularly in a I'ough country, than it is to construct it when its position has be(.'n proi)erly ascertained ; and I think it may also be admitted that those civil engineers who have com- menced their professional studies as mechanical engineers, and who have never been connected with extensive surveys, and the delineation of ground by hill sketching, which involves a knowl^-dge of ])hysical geo- graphy, are by no means so well qualified to select a line of railway as engineers who have been connected with extensive geodetic oi)erations. I am aware that there are many ymmg engineers in the country at present not fully employed, but they have principally been trained to office work, and seldom, i^ at all, have they had any experience in con- nection with extensive surveys, and consequently not at all adapted to the exploration and the permanent survey of a line of railway such as that in question. I propose, therefore, that twelve or fifteen surveyors and levellers, non-commissioned officers and privates of the Royal Engineers, be employed upon this duty, to select the line and stake it out permanently on the gi-ound, and then to extend a block survey to the right and left of the line as allotments may be required by the settlers. These men to be selected from the most deserving, and to be those whose period of service is nearly expired, and who would take their discharge when the work is completed and become settlers upon land, or in any way they may adopt j but in a manner conferring advantages in proportion to the importance of their services whilst employed on the surveys. These men would be peculiarly well qualified fov the work, as the division of labour is carried to a great extent on the national sur- veys ; and as the field surveyors would probably be kept to that one branch for many years, they must of necessity acquire considerable pro- ficiency. They are also accustomed to camp life, and to what is some- times called "roughing it;" and also (not an unimportant item in the case) accustomed to habits of obedience. If about four or five parties of these men, consisting of three or four each, were judiciously set to work at as many different points on the proposed line, there would in a few weeks be work set out for the employment of emigrants. From a careful examination of all the reports made upon the district of country ma '^ •. • - ^■OT • t i,.l.iit>i ^ from Halifax to Quebec, and now reduced to the distance fioni Truro to Ti'oi-Pistoles, I have no hesitation in stating tliat tlie lino along the S(!a coast recomnienihid for adoption by Major llobinson is, for many reasons, the most desirable to be adoptc^l. The tirst point to l)e decided would, tlierefore, be to determine the best points at which the principal rivers can Ije most easily crossed, and to fix these points astronomically, and to ascertain the true north by equal altitudes of circumjjolar stars, which could be done with suilicient accuracy in one night's ol)servations. A straight line could then bo laid out between thes(3 points, no matter how distant from each other, and cut through the woods where neces- sary, and carefully levelled liy spirit level ; and, while the gradir.it ]»i'oved favourable!, the direct line would be the most desirable to bo adojttcd ; and when the levels showed too high a gradient, pei'pendicular lines would be thrown out to the right and left, and levelled until tho most favourable gradient had been discovered. In this way very littlo time need be lost in explorations, and the works could be commenced in a few weeks after the siirvt^yors were on the groinid. Stations would also be built at eight or ten miles distant from each other so soon as tho line has been laid out, in order to shelter the workmen employed in tho execution of the works, and to form nuclei for emigrant settlers to cluster round. There has been so much delay from various causes in the execution of this most important work, that it is to be lioped the pi'esent season will not bo allowed to pass without an important com- mencement having been made. Circxiuistances have occurred when a railway communication from Halifax to Qiuibec, at the greatest possible distance from the United States, would have been of great national importance ; and circumstances may soon occur again when such a communication may be of vital importance to the integrity of the em})ire. NATIONAL SURVEYS AND "THE BATTLE OF THE SCALES." Sevei'al years ago I took pai't in what was called, in connection with the national surveys, " The Battle of the Scales," which resulted in an order by the Treasuiy to have som.e parishes surveyed by contract, in order 1o lead, if possible, to a niore economical prosecution of the work. I obtained the survey of a parish in Scotland, of some 16,000 acres, in rather a rough part of the country. I, howevei*, found the instructions for carrying out the work so very absurd that I drew out a paper, accompanied by diagrams, descriptive of a plan which would be much more accurate, and effect a saving of about 25 per cent, iipon tho system at that time employed. I foi-warded the documents to the lato Colonel Dawson, who was considered, and justly considered, the best judge in the kingdom of surveying in all its branches. The Colonel highly approved of the plan, and gave his vabiable assistance in endeavouring to bring the subject to the notice of the Government. All efforts, however, failed, until after about six or seven years' search I had the satisfaction to discover the Government, but unfortunately it con- sisted of only one gentleman, and that the very gentleman upon whose works I had presumed to suggest improvements. Tho result was not very difficult to predict, for, after a littlo sparring, the subject was i Ijljl PIIMI* I IIIIH,! i II 1 IIMIIIJ ^rV. ■■" I to lis, (1.1, iia to tch dropped, and tho documents arc probably embalmed In the arclilvea at Southampton to bo disinterred some liundred years lionce. 1 do not think that in a free country, under good government, any suggestion, good, bad, or indlilerent, should be buried without an incjucst Ijeing held U])on it. Had I published the jjapers at the; time, or the; circumstances connected with them, some independent M.P. might have dragged them into daylight, and some useful result might have followed. From this little matter of experience I wcjuld ad\iso any one who has suggestions to make to intrust them to the public prc;ss, anil not to the oljlivotis pigeon-holes of any of the Government departments. — I am, yours, Ac, Alex. Doui.l. 11 Cowley Street, Westminster, 8th October, 18G7. SIGNS OF THE TIMES, BY A CIVIL ENGINEER. To Alexander Campbell, Esq. My Dear Sir, — The pi-esent period of tlie world's liistory appears to 1)6 fraught with mighty changes of every i)0ssil)le description — religious, social, political, scientific, and commercial. We have ritualisni clothing a system of the most sublime simplicity in the tawdry frii)pery of tho stage and the showman ; Fcnianism distracting the country it jtrofesses to emancipate from imaginary evils, and now px-esenting its ugly features on English soil ; terrorism reigning rampant in circles of pi'ofessed brotherhood ; labour at war with ca])ital, upon which it ought thank- fully to feed ; capital shrinking in self-defence from its legitimate sphere of productive utility, and endeavouring to feed upon its own vitals ; science, the friend of humanity, employing her most powerful energies in devising the best means to destroy the greatest number of human beings in the shortest possible space of time. Confidence in public men and public measures ai)i)cars to be destroyed, enteri>rise dead and buried, and railway directors acting as chief mourners. If it 1)0 necessary periodically to dispose of several thousand human beings, it is much more humane, and what is of greater importance in this money-loving age, much more economical to i)lant them in some fertile spot of the earth instead of slaughtering them by most expensive appliances, and there let them live by their labotir, where they can find j)lenty of elbow room, for tliere is not a fourth part of prolific mother earth brought as yet into profitable cultivation. J CHARACTER OV THE ANGLO-SAXOK RACE. It IS fortunate for the Anglo-Saxon race that they have a strong re- semblance to the celebrated Abraham Lincoln, who when he once put down Iiis foot never took it up again. And to whatever country tlio ^^^m pugnacious propensities or the migratoiy liabits of tlie Anglo-Saxon njay lead him, he remains as a conqueror or a colonist. Gifted with the power of* acquisition, he also possesses the power and the determination to retain what he has acquired, and foituiiatcly inherits the necessary qualifications, industry, enterprise, and the warlike propensities of the soldier and the adventurer. It is tnje the schoolmaster has l)een abroad for some time ; but whether lie has done much to permeuto the minds of the masses so far as to improve their habits and prospects, are questions of vital import- ance. I'erhaps a little learning may prove a dangerous thing ; but as there is no receding in this matter, the process must bo continued until favourable results are obtained. The working man has also been takon by the hand, not always upon the most disinterested principle, and, in some cases spoiled, although he is well able to take care of himself. l[o has, however, much to learn, antl perhaps much also to suffei-, before labour is emancipated fi'om all the ti'ammels, both natural and artificial, to which it is at present sub- jected. He is too frequently used as a ladder or rosti-um for frothy orators to mount upon in order to their own aggrandisement. THE AGE OF EXHIBITIONS AND THEIR RESULTS. This is also an age of exhibitions on the most gigantic scale. Now exhibitions are virtually a stock-taking of tlie arts, the science, the mechanical skill, and the industry of the civilised Avorld — a means by which everybody may know what everybody else has done, is doing, and can do ; and, consequently, all countries and tribes may make a fresh start upon nearly equal terms. There are countries where the masses are very ignorant, as, for ex- ample, in Russia and China ; but these masses have the faculty of imitation in very great pei-foction, and what they see they can imitate with great accuracy without knowing the principles of constniction, so that these people have not to wait to be educated mentally before they become our rivals mechanically. Practice almost invariably goes before theory ; the work is constinicted before the "why " or the "wherefore" is investigated. There is a good deal of fine talk at present about giving mechanics a scientific education. That may be all very well, but at best it is some- thing like locking the stable door after the steed has been stolen, and it is very manifest that other countries can play at this game as well as we can, and with considerable advantages in their favour. The very natural, and, indeed, the very obvious result of these nume- rous exhibitions will be the formation of a greatly increased number of centres of industry, to the manifest breaking up in a great measure of the great centres or hives of industry in this country, the proprietors of which flattered themselves that they possessed a monopoly of the markets of the world, without rivalry, for all ages to come, and that England would always continue to be the manufacturing depot for the whole of the civilised and uncivilised world. The scene is changed ; the gauntlet t :\ 1 h le In h le it ■ir f' has been thrown down by several countries, and the contest has begtm, and will continue, until almost every country will become its own manu- facturers, and rely in a great measure upon its own r(\sources. We must therefore trim our sails to the altered gale, and not shut our eyes to the coming changes. In the Exhibition of 1851 England was very much in advance of every other country in almost all her mechanical ami manufacturing operations ; but every subscfpient Exhibition goes to i)iove that this superiority has been gradually disappearing, and has now altogether vanished, in nuiiiy mechanical and manufacturing operations, both as re- spects taste, superiority of execution, and economy of production — not by a falling-off in the exercise of British talent, but by a raising of the standard in other countries. Being thus forewarned, it is the duty of every lover of his country — high and low, rich and poor, but principally of our legislators — to pre- pare for the coming struggle by devising every possible means to dispose of the surplus or unemployed portion of the United Kingdom, winch most assuredly will be gradually but rapidly increasing year by year. At the present moment the unemployed are far too numerous, and during- the coming winter most likely the number will be greatly increased. CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES AND THEIR TENDENCIES. The introduction and rapid growth of co-ojierative associations is also a comparative novelty which is destined to work mighty changes in our social system. These institutions had their origin in the lower stratum of society, but they are now rapidly working upwards, and they will continue to ascend, and will prove more advantageous to the higher than they have to the lower and middle classes. You are much better acquainted with the co-operative principle than I am J but I conceive that the legitimate sphere of their operation should in general be confined to the following cases: — 1st, The combination of a sufficient number of mechanics composed of the necessary branches to carry on a combined operation, such, for example, as the manufacture of marine steam-engines or locomotives, or the manufacture of articles where a great amount of capital would not be necessary, and also mining operations, such as coal and ironstone, but in connection with the pro- duction of iron and steel. If co-operative associations of this description were carried out with energy and skill, the workman would receive the reward of both capital and labour. It would, however, be of great advantage to commence in a comparatively new country, where there would be no rivalry ; and I know of no sphere of operation where there would be so many advantages with fewer drawbacks than in the mining districts of Nova Scotia, through which the Intercolonial Railway has yet to pass. 2nd, Associations for the supply of the several articles of consumption to the associated members at cost price and for ready money. The establishment to be conducted by paid servai t^ under the superinten- dence of a committee of membera. The shai-es would be small, and X « ■> ' 8 1)111(1 up for tlio i))irpoHO of laying in the first Htodc, luul a hiuhII iinTiuiil Ku)).scrij)tion to piiy woi-king «*xpou,s(is. Such t'8t;il)li,slmn!iits iiro fast working u)twiu(ls, and tho iiiglmr tlu^ go tlioy will confer ho much grciitt!!- advnntiigcH. Tins hist articles at wholesale price, fre(t of adulterations, and, though last not least, eli'ectuiilly guarding ajjainst tho inipositiou of si^-vants. This would all hut destroy tho retail trade ; Btill it i.s looming in tho distance, and cannot bo avoided. — Yours very truly, Alex. Doull. 11 Cowley Street, Westuiinstur, Octoher. To Alkxandku Campuell, Estp Mv Dkar Sih, — I think from my last letter you will bo inclined to tho belief that coming events cast their shadows before them, and that it re<|uir(!S no great (hivelopnient of tho second-sight to ]>erceive that j)rovision must l)e made fur a ru[»idly-iucreasing emigration from Engl.md and Scotland, not oidy in conseipience of the incrt^asi; of pojudation, but also in consetpu'uce of the great rivalry of contiiu'utal manufacturers, i'ortunately there is ani}»l(! scope in many (piarteis of th(! globe for tho expansion of the Anglo-Saxon race, and still under the JJritish Hag. EXTENSIVE TEUKITOUY FOR EMIGRATION AND COLONISATION. From Halifax, through Nova Scotia, Now Bninswick, tho Canadas, tlie lied River settlement, and British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean, opposite to Vancouver's Island, constitutes a belt of land sufficient to Bui)port in comfort millions of human bcjings. This extensive region is very fertile, possesses timber of superior quality, also coal, and all the metals in abundance, from the most }>recious to the most useful, and this extf^nsive fii^ld for emigration is the nearest to our shores of any eligible outlet for the siu'plus poi»ulation of tho country. There can be no doubt that at no distant day the whole of this country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, will be placed under one general govenimcnt, and that one of the great highways of nations will pass through it from sea to sea. It is v(!ry difficult to draw up any precise rules with reference to tho proper mode to be adopted in forming associations or combinations, on a largo or a small scale, for the i>urpose of systonuitic emigration and colonisation in connection with the Intercolonial Railway : under existing circunistances, tliere aro so many loose points or uiiknown quantities connected With the subject which prevent the possibility of drawing up anything like a detailed plan of operation. The Canadian Govcrnmcnit may hand over the constnictiou of the railway works to contractors who woidd most probably take a very limited view of philanthropy, and do no more towards the assistance of emigrants than their own interests, I""""" ' I f "Try 9 or HUi>i»>Kt'(l iiiton.'stH, would dictuU', withuul any rcfrronco to tlic ulti- iiiiitu Ui'ncfit of the colony or the relief of the overstocked lahour-miirket of this country. Our Home (Jovernincnt may huvo very little to do in the matter but to guarantee the nece.ssiiry funds for tlio cxectitiou of the woiks, Thia uncertainty, of course, renders tho maturing of any jdiuia htili moro dillicult. DEPLOIIADLE STATE OP DKSTITUTION. One thing is very cei'tain — that there is an inimcnso amount of nitsory in the country at jtrosent, and 1 fear the coming winter will 1»(( some- tiling very dreadful. I frecjucnitly puss the door of a ^vorkhou.S(! on tho outskirts of the Dclgraviun district, where there are ranged along the wall on one side of the door a string of wnitched-lookiiig men and boys, and on tlu! other .side a still more wretched group of women, girls, and infants. There they stand for hours in all weathers, gradually accumulating, and maintaining with consideral)le regularity tlieir position of priority of claim to th'^ miseries of a casual Avard for tht; night, and a solitary crust of Ijread, perhajjs prei)ared to relish even these luxuries by an lanir or two of [»elting rain. This is a state of things for which there; ought to bo a remedy in a Christian couuh'v. It is an ulcer which, if not cured, will fester and break out into somelliing fcarfid to contemplate. It is an exi)ansion, a fearfully enJ u'ged })icture of the parabk; of tho ** llicli Man and Lazarus," the one clothed in ])ur[)le and tine linen, and faring sumjituously every day • die otiier fii'i of sores, beggiiig at tho rich man's gate, and begging in vain, liow lia])py these little balnea would be if they were ouc-hundredtli part as well cared for as tla* lap- dog i of Belgravo Stpiare ! how tliey would enjoy the food rejected by these pampered creatures ! Notwithstanding this very grcsit contrast, it is not i)ossi])k( to decido in this case, any more than in the casi; of the pai.iMe, wbicn is the hajipier lot, without taking into account the whole duration of tlu- life of man, without casting the mind's eye along the vista of futurity, and I'eading tho fate of each chiss in the light of eternity. Not that tliei"vm for ' ^> ' ' i^'i' "■ ''' '■■■ ^^^fp A 10 themselves and their families a home in the wihlei-ness, philanthropy may do something. It is often not 80 protitaUy om[iloyed. Parties who have a little money can still avail themselves of the constniction of the railway to form their habitutions around it, as several of the Pro- vincial Governments will be well disposed to tn^at upon liberal terms with those who may be desirous of locating in the mineral districts or on agricultural land. Something, at all events, might be done in Scotland by way of pre- parjition, and I think the clanish principle might be a good rallying cry. Could not the clan Campbell, for example, under the patronage of the acknowledged chief of the clan, make a movement in the right direction] For exami)le, after a careful examination of the country through which the railway passes, to select and purchase ten miles square on each side of the railway, making 200 stpiare miles, or 128,000 acres, giving 128 acres to each of one thousand families. The settlement of the whole might be the work of several years, and the purchase money would also be allowed to be paid by instalments. CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION. Tliere would be a i-ailway station in the centre of the portion of the line passing through the block of land. This would be the most eligible position for the headquarters of the clan, and every article of consump- tion, such as food, clothing, agricultui-al implements, machinery, seeds, &c,, should be supplied strictly on the co-operative principle. Machinery should be established at the central station for the construction of wooden houses, consisting of one, two, or any greater number of apartments. These would be framed in portions which could easily be transported to any position on the block of land, and put up in a few houi-s ready for occui)ation, and would be amply sufficient for a summer residence ; and, before the approach of winter, a substantial sod wall could be built all round the dwelling, and close to the wood, which would then form the lining to a strong and warm winter habitation. This structure would l>e Sf^rviceable for several y^ars, mitil the occupier had surmounted all his difficulties and was enabled to erect a substantial stone building. This is but a meagre outline, find the iilling up must very much depend upon circumstances ; Init the advanced guard shouUl be accompanied by a minister, a schoolmaster, a doctor, and an engineer or surveyor. A lawyer, it is to be lioj)ed, could be dispensed with — at all events for a considerable time. There is something exquisitely beautiful in the migrations of the patriarchs, for wherever they pitched their tents, " there they built an altar unto the Lord," and thus placed themselves under the Divine i)rotection. — Youi-s very truly, Alex. Doull. 11 Cowley Street, Westminster, 30th October, 1867. BRITISH ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC EAILWAY. To Alexander Campbell, Esq. My Dear Sir, — You are aware that I read a paper before the " British Association for the Advancement of Science," at Ipswich, on the 7th July, 1851, upon the subject of a •' Railway communication from the t.,-;,,. ' ;'., ■>-,'■ ..,y.!»'l T T^ " •' ' ■• lltll'l " I L. yr 74i 1' ■ 11 Atlantic to the Pacific, in the territories of British North America." Mr Aaa Whitney, who was in England at that time advocating the con- struction of a railway from Lake Michigan to the Pacific, through the territories of the United States, was present at the reading of the paper, and frankly admitteu that a railway from the Tacific, j)iissing through the British possessions, i)ossessed many advantages over the line wliich he was advocating. The subject was very much agitated at that time on both sides of the Atlantic ; and the New York Tribune of March 27, 1851, after adverting * t Mr Whitney's project, proceeds to state "Tlnit the route througli British America is in some respects even preferable to that through oiu" own territory. By the former, the distance from Euroi>e to Asia is some thousand miles sliorter than by tlie latter. Pas- sing close to Lake Superior, traversing the water-shed 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 3000 feet less than at the South Pass, the road could here be constnicted with comparative cheapness, and would open up a region abounding in valu- able 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 di^aw to it the commerce of Europe, Asia, and the United States. Thus British America, from a mei*e colonial dependency, woiUd assume a con- trolling rank in the world. To her other nations would be tributary, and in vain would the United States attempt to be her rival, for we never could dispute with her the possession of the Asiatic commerce or the powers which tliat confers." ADVANTAGES OF THE BRITISH TERRITORY. The advantages of a railway passing along the water-slied of the country would be that there are very few rivers to cross, and even these are unimportant ; and the great rivers flowing soutliwards take their rise in the British territory, and together with their trii)utaries would be well adapted to distribute the produce brought from China and the Islands of the Pacific through the several States of the American Union. Notwithstanding the great and obvious advantages for the construction of a great highway of nations on British ten-itory, the Americans have made considerable progress in the construction of their line, whilst we have hardly began to take the subject into serious consideration. Geo- graphically and [)hysically we have the advantage, but they have energy to conti'ast with our apathy, actual pi-ogress to place in opposition to our indifference. When, however, both throxigh lines have been completed, which most assuredly will uliimately be the case, the American line will become little more than a very useful local line, and the British line will command the distant or through traflic between Europe and Asia. The mineral and agricultural resources of the country through which the railway woidd pass are so abundant that there neeil be no great ariay of millions raised for the purpose of construction. These resources, with some assistance from the British and the Colonial Governments by way of working capital, would be amply sufficient if the common-sense systcni mum MiiiiliiliiiiMliHHi^^ T 12 of clicap railways, which I have been always advocating, be ado}>ted and efficiently carried out. LORD DURHAM AND SIR GEOROE SIMPSON's OPINIONS ON BRITISH AMERICA. The varifid resources of the British North American possessions havo i-eceived, at vai'ious times, the highest euldgiums from the most compe- tent authorities. In the celebrated report of Lord Durliam, in 1839, his lordship states that •* No portion of the A merican continent possesses greater natural resources for the maintenance of large and nourishing communities. An almost unbounded range of the richest soil still remains unsettled, and may be rendered available for the purposes of agriculture. The wealth of the most iuexliaustiblo forests of the best timber in America, and of extensive regions of the most valuable minerals, have as yet been scarcely touched. Unbounded materials of agiHcultural, commercial, and manufacturing industry are these ; and the country which has formed and maintained these colonies, at a vast expense of blood and treasure, may justly expect its compensation in turning their unappropriated resources to tlie account of the redundant population ; they ai-e 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 insufficient 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 American tcriitories, through which he passed from Montreal to the Pacific. In reference to the mineral district of Lake Superior, he states that " it promises to rival, in point of mineral wealth, the Altai Chain and the Uralian Mountains ;" that, " in addition to iron, the northern shore contains inexhaustible treasui'es, both of the precious and the visefid metals — of gold and silver, of copper and tin — and already liave associations been formed to reap the teeming harvest." Some distance to the west of Lake Superior, Sir George states that " during the day's march ho had passed forests of elm, oak, pine, birch, &c., and that many a spot reminded him of the rich and qxiiet scenery of England ;" that " one cannot pass through this rich and beautiful valley without feeling that it is destined sooner or later to become tlie happy home of civilised man, with their bleating flocks and their lowing herds, with their schools and their churches, with their full garners and their social hearths." Sir George also sjjeaks very highly of the lied lliver settlement, where "the i)lains arc not encumbered with wooJ, though upon the immediate banks of the rivers there is generally to be fomid an abundance and variety of line timber. The rivers abound with Hsh, the adjoining prairies with bidi'alo, and the more distant woods with elk, deer, ic. DISTRICT BETWEEN CANADA AND THE PACIFIC. I have recently been investigating the whole of the district from the Canadas to the Pacific for an enterprising contractor, who intended to construct railways in that country, and for this imrj)ose I examined and compared all available sources of information upon the subject, and however i)lausible the project niiglit have been if carefully worked out, I iiiii mH \ '■ It , Is 1^ » T 13 am still of opinion that the resources of a now district, with some little assistance from Government or from philanthropists, are the legitimate means to be emi)loyed in the construction of a railway through a now settlement. No one doubts the absolute necessity of having good roads of some description. Indeed, the quality of the roads of any country ia considered the most reliable test of the state of civilisation to which the inhabitants have arrived. And if a light but efficient railway can be constructed as speedily as a coiumon road, Avhy not adopt in the fiiist in- stance the best standard of road construction, the ii'on road, instead of gi'aduating through the slow stages of improvement of all past ages, the ibotpath, the pack-saddlo ti'ack, the side-car track, the wheel-car track, the Roman pavement, and the Macadam. This line could bo advantageously connected at several points, and give the gi'eatest possible facilities to local traffic, and ultimately connect these detached settlements, and thus gradually forming a through lino whicli could be strengthened as circumstanct^s rcnidered necessary. Tho Red River settlement is now easily accessible fiom the United States, and in other respects is a very eligible point from which to work to tho east and west. Ottawa, the capital of tho Canadian dominion, would also lie a point fiom which a commencement could be made with con- siderable advantage, as the line in this district woidd pass through primeval forests of timber of superior quality. The present laborious, unmechauical, and barbarous system of " lumboi-ing," which damages and destroys great quantities of timber, should bo superseded by a more scientific mode of cutting and cai'rying the timber to market. Tho timber trade could thus be very much improved, and the additional value given to it would be sufficient to construct the railway. The mineral district of Laku Superior would also bo a good point to start from, as it would be accessible fiom the lake. The Government of British Columbia has boon spending considerable suras of money in making roads from the Pacific to tho interior, and it may be presumed that tho direction taken is towards the most accessible pass in the Rocky Mountains. It is quite possible that more money has bec.-n spent in this work than what Avould have constructed a light rail- way in a country where wood is abundant. A cross-sleeper road, well drained, the sleepers rather larger and some- what nearer each other than usual, with longitudinal sleepers natched into and pinned down upon them with a flat-bottomed rail of thirty-tivo pounds to the yard, or an angle-iron upon the inner angle of the longi- tudinal sleepers, would bo sufficient for the first twenty years. A tank locomotive of from twelve to fifteen tons weight would be amply sufficient, at all events, whilst the traffic might bo looked upon as local. EMPLOYMENT FOU CONVICT LABOUR AND COLONISATION. The disposal of convicts is a question of very great importance at the present time, and as convict labour cannot bo advantageously enq)loyed unless where tho work is very much concentrated, and where they could bo easily guarded, the passage of the Rocky Mountains by tunnel would admirably meet both requirements. ilgilWipiimiwMyw < « • » ■ mim almtt 14 Here is an ample field for colonisation on the most extended scale, and under the most favourable circumstances ; and the Ministry who will give it the necessary encouragement will deserve well of the country. By attending to the records of history, it will be found that many nations have been raised by attention to commerce, and have fallen by its loss. Phoenicia, 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 commex'ce, is still in the vigour of youth ; that the shoots which she is sending out and ti'ansfixing in every region and every clime may spring into life and vigour under her fostering ca're, 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 description. Let England be true to her principles — graft upon her commerce, in the most indelible characters of eternal truth, the purity of her religion, the equity of her laws, and the humanising tendency of her social insti- tutions, and her prosperity will be secured while truth, and justice, and humanity can be appreciated among men. — Yours very truly. 11 Cowley Street, Westminster, Nov. 14, 1867. Alex. Doull. . [Cop v.] 25 Great George Street, Westminster, S.W., Nov. 19, 1867. To tlie Right Hon. Earl Derby, K.G., First Lord of the Treasury. My Lord, — I take the liberty to forward to your Lordship a copy of some letters which I have had published in the Glasgoio Sentinel upon the desirableness under existing cu'cumstances of combining an extensive system of Colonisation with the con- struction of the International Railway passing through the Canada dominion. As your Lordship took great interest in this subject several years ago, when the construction of the line was more proble- matical than it is at present, I hope that the interest taken in this work is as great as ever, and that your Lordship's present position in Her Majesty's Government will be influentially em- ployed in carrying out an object so well calculated to benefit this country and the colonies. I also wish very respectfully to call your Lordship's especial attention to the last paragraph of my first letter in reference to the National Sui'veys. I have no doubt but that the papers to which I refer are either at the War Office or at Southampton ; and if they are produced, I will be prepared to defend my pro- posed improvements before competent judges. I also propose '^mmmmmm ' 'i:-... .'.■■^. .. . h. •^ ... ' i-a^-j .^\", :ru ..:,j.'l.^ ■ / -"- ^'V :^i ■.J-tfi'i. ir t 16 survey the County of Caithness at a price which is not more than half the expense incurred by the present mode of proceed- ing. The receipt of my letter was acknowledged on the date oij delivery. ! May I take the liberty to enquire if my proposed plans are tQ be investigated by disinterested and competent judges ; and, if approved, may I nope that it will lead to the acceptance of my oflfer for thu survey of Caithness t-r-I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's humble Servant, Alex. Doull, C.E. [Copy.] .' 10 Downing Street, Whitehall, Dec. 2, 1867. Sir, — I am desired by Earl Derby to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 28th ult. ; and with reference to the con- tents, I am to inform you that his Lordship must decline to re- open the question of the Survey of Scotland. — I am. Sir, your obedt. servt., (Signed) A. Cathcart. Alexander Doull, Esq., C.E. [Oopy.l , : 25 Great George Street, Westminster, Dec. 3, 1867. To Alexander Campbell, Esq. My Dear Sir, — In the above letter I have to protest against the application of the word " re-open" inasmuch that the subject to which it refers has never been opened^ nor will it ever be opened, if that can only be effected by the consent and with the approbation of the Survey Department. The Survey is too nice an operation, and ougli! rather to be nm'sed than expedited and economised. For many useful practical purposes we have no general Go- vernment. We have what is called a Departmental Government ■ — Q, sort of Hydra, with a great many heads, and some of these heads will fit on to any department at the shortest notice. One very great misfortune is that the heads of Departments, /where they are really efficient heads, are very much over-worked, and those heads which are purely ornamental have as little to do with the efficient working of their Departments as the figure- head of a ship has to do with the sailing qualities of the ship whose prow it adorns. These parties, however, have sufficient sagacity to adopt the ^^ Non Possumus" principle, and utterly to dis- card the good old Anglo-Saxon motto of ^^Nonprogredi est regredi." The truth is, it is easier to keep in an old mt than to attempt to- get out of it. It is also much easier to discover who contri- butes to the National pm-se than to ascertam avIio is responsible .for the economical and efficient outlay of the money. — Yours ^very truly, Alex. Doull. ^Tv .^i3^mi •. > 1. 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