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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included In one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and tup to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre fllmte A des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque Ie docMment est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, !| est fMm6 d partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant Ie nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 t 2 3 4 5 6 ^ //"^ LECTURES ON CANADA, ITS PRESENT POSITION, AND SUEWINCi FORTH ITS ONWARD PROGRESS, AND PREDICTIVE OF ITS FUTURE DESTINY. BY THE LATE MR. CHARLES BASS. F.R.IC13 SS aK3>JTS HAMILTON : PRINTKD AT THK "SPECTATOR" STEAM PRESS, PRINCE'S SQUARE. 1863. •Sv 1 I 1 To ISAAC BUCHANAxN, Esq., M.P.P., LIKUTKNASfT-COLUNKL OK TlIC XIIItu JiATTALION V0LUNTHEK9, U. C, iu., ±c., &(:. Sin, Aa a st«udy and iminiliceiiC I'lilrun of worth aud uaof'ul eflbrta, these L«ctiireH upon Canada are respectfully dedicated to you — there being the furtlier propriety in this, from your having ijeeu the friend who suggested to tlte acconiplislied Lecturer .so pUriotic and loyal a work, at such an appropriate time aa tiiat of ihe present— the U'ouiili.il stale of tlil'< continent. The author, the late Mr. Ghurle>i IJass, although « celebrity witii widely acknowledged })0\voi'.'< of literary composition, and a master in happy expression ofthougiit, had never imtii recently, attempted tlio character of a political writer or state-e(;onomi.>Jt. A man of practical aspirations only, he left to others that liigh role in tlie drama of life, whose position it better suited, and contined him.self to the one lie had assumed. In liis latter days, however, responding to the promptings of his versatile and accomplished genius, he addressed himself to the subject of this pamphlet — tho place which Canada, under well-directed government, is cal(;ulatcd to occupy among the nations. He had, many yeans ago, altliough, ijy profe.-^sion, as a member of what is re- garded as a nomadic race, adopted tliis Province as his home and restmg place. It was, then, a matter of natural anxiety with hiu', as life was advancing, to be assured that tho country of which his three young children are natives, should move onwcrd in a course of prosperity and national prosperity. His lucubrations upon tiiis theme, although in the present shape of a mere brochure, will readily be ackuowlodgod by all to be amply suggentive. Free from tho trammels of party, v/hich is too often a threatening curse to this country, he peers with tlio unot).'*inired and keen eye of the philosopher and prophet, into the vista of the future. They deserve to bo accepted by the public as a pure emanation of a bright intellect, and the expiring effort of an able and lucid mind upon a suly'ect of tho deepest interest. The patriotic pari, — irrespective of nil minoritios anil petty political differences, —with which your name nui.st always be associated, — the wel- fare aud progress of the country, embodying everything valuable to you, —us well as your -Uready substantially declared appreciation of the Lecturer as well as of tlioio Lectures, induce the widow of tho author humbly and respectfully to piece them under tho wing of your patronage. 1 have the honour to be, Sir, Your very Obedient Servant, THE EDITOR. u^uiLTOK, u 0,, isas i k/H ,i V ,i IMIEFACE. [u olloniig those IucUuoh to the public ui a priatod Ibriii, there are two (lesinible ub)ect.s in view. One of theni is, that they may servo to contribute to, extend and fortify the cauHC of a good and a true Canadian patriotism ; and the otlior, that they may bo made convortililc into somo tangible benolit for the widow and children of tlioir gifted aulhor. As essays upon an interesting snbjoot, they ompliatioally possess the oloruents of popular success. The arguments are pleasingly logical and cogent,— clothed, as they are, with gorgeous imagery, historical allusions and beautifully stirring quotations, render- ing them delightfully readable and impressive. Limited, therefore, though|these lectures are, within tlio compass of some forty or fifty pages, they may effect more good, in the cause to which they apply, than might more ostentatious and pretentious volumes. Tiio discriminating and generous public may, there- fore, be expected to patronize, liberally, this last appearance of Mr Charles Bass ; and, thus, while tiiey gratify themselves in accompanying him in "Canada's Progress," perform the Christian act of lending an easy aid to the orphan children of a clever and very worthy man. The Editor. i LECTURES ON CANADA. TT3 PRESENT POSITION— ITri ONWARD PROGRESS AND FUTURE DESTINY. " Breathes there a man with soul so dead — Who never to himself hath said — This is my own, my native land ! Whose heart has ne'er within him burned, When home his footsteps he hath turuoJ From Wondering on a foreign strand I If such there be go mark him well — For him no minstrel's accents swell ; Proud though his titles, high his name. Boundless his wealth as wish can claim, — Depito his titles, power and pelf. The wretch concentred all in self, Living, shall forfeit fair renown. And doubly dying, shall go down To the vile dust from whence he sprung, Unwept, unhonored and unsung." Love of country, which in these few lines from the famous writer, Sir Walter Scott, so powerfully delineating the patriotic feel injT the sons of Caledonia invariably entertain for the land of their birth, is but a type of that same quality which is more or less inherent in the feelings of the children of every other nation, from the climes which are scorched beneath the burning of a tropical sun, to the rude races of the Esquimaux, who freeze throughout the long winters north and south of the Arctic and Antarctic circles ; though it must be observed the amor patrice in- variably increases in intensity as civilization becomes more ad- vanced, ana man assumes the station which God intended he should occupy — a being, but little lower than the angels, and crowned with glory and honor. Some writers have asserted that it rules strongest in the island realms, which being in a degree isolated ^ itf from thi' lar^'or ('oiitiiienUl nations, hringa man nioro to loiirn the necessities of hi.s follow croiiturcH us also their virtues, and thus a fraternity of feelinjj; is kindled which becomes a pure and en- lifjhtenod patriotism, stimulatinj; the mind to virtuous and heroic deeds, and hin;h achievements ; for true lovo of country can never dwell in any Imnian breast that is not emiehed with other nol)lc qualities. It is not my province to investigate what foundation there may be in truth for estul)lishing this doubtful axiom, or how far, if at all inftu'ior, the sons of (Jaul nuiy be in lovo of la belle France^ or the children of dole c far nictitv for the land of song 'Uid siuuiy skies, to their island neighbours who inhale the fogg_y l£ngli^h at- mosphere, the raisty grandeur of the Scottish Highlands, or trot over the bogs and slopes of green Erin, fondly and fUially deem- ing it, " First (lower of the earth and first gem of the sea." Springing, as most Canadians do, from the parent stock which people those three comitries, we fully know the love that dwells in every heart for the spot where he was ben, the reverence all pay to the land of their nativity, the aspiration every soul feels that that land may continue prosperous, powerful and happy. As it is my design in this address to dwell on our duties and interests as Canadians, an allusion to the patriotic feelings of our forefathers in the old countries from whom we are descended is a! I my purpose requires ; and even this is scarcely necessary, for where is the poet, the novelist, or historian of old Ireland whose pages we can open, and not find them replete with apostrophes to his country's beauty, the heroic deeds of her sons, the virtuous chastity of her daughters, the piety of her saints and prelates, and the unrestricted hospitality of all her children. I "Remember thee! yes, while there's life in this heart. It shall never forget thee, all lorn as thou art ; More dear in thy sorrow, thy gloom and thy showers, Than the rest of the world in their sunniest hours. " Wert thou all that I wish thee — great, glorious and free, First flower of the earth and first gem of the sea, I mi!j;hthail thee with prouder, with happier brow. But. oh ! could I love thon more deeply thau now ? " No ! thy chains m thoy rnnkle, thy hlood as it runii, liut inftk« thoo inoro painfully doar to thy sons, Wlioso hoiirtH lii;o tho young of the ihtscrt hird's nent, Diinlt h)\ in oach life drop that th)W8 from thy breaat." Scotlaixl Ih o(|ually lu.Lctl for putriolic feuliug, 'tis displayed in the wcn-ks of all \m' authors, carried out by hor sa^es and her warriors, uud echoed iu every palpitation of the Scottish heart. "Oh(!aledonia! storn u"d wild; Moot nui'80 for a poetic child ; Land of brown hoath and Hhaggy wood, [iand of the mountain and tho Hood, Land of my aires! wliat mortal hand Can oVr untie the filial band That knits mo to thy rugged strand i " • This is tho fct-ling of tho entire Scottish peasantry, and it is the embodiment of this feeling iu all his works that, more than all the other charms of his muse, great and lovely as they are, so estab- lished and rivettod Burns in the affections of his countrymen. Burns was the patriotic organ of the Scottish heart, and no prayer was ever echoed by a | ■ ople with fervour more sincere than that with which he so beautifully concludes his Cotter's Saturday Night :— " oh Thou I who pour'd the patriotic tide That stream'd through Wallace's und-auuted heart Who v their rciH-ptioii ; when the luxurious clusters of the vinevard and the rich fruifngn of the orchard shall decorate the prosptct wlu-rc^ the wild grape and plum now grow spoiitiini'ous ; wlieti the rimk herbage of the bouiidhiss prau'ie shall Im» rooted out, and the aspect, Iu; enriched by golden acres of waving wheat, by the prolilie bearings of Indian nuiize, and th«' extended vari(>ty of nourishing cereaJH, whose rich [)ro. fusion shall gladd«'n the heart ot the husbiuidinan, and furnish to distant nations the bounty of (b)d's handiwork stimulated and increased by human industry. Such is the country which the north-wcHtiTu part of (Janada, with the adjai'ent Hudson iJuy (Company's territory — \vhi';h should bo ('anaila's — presents in its inviting aspect to the industrious settler ; re((uiring only moderate labor, and tending to adorn its face with produce! capable of sustaining in comfort millions of inhaliitants ; possessing a climate c(|ual on the average to the already settled portion ; (jpen weather for farming purjxjses, extending from early April to the middle of Noveniber ; where; wheat is ready for the sickle in ninety days from sowinr; it, and of a (puility et^ual to the linest grown on the American continent. Some cavillers have started objections to the opening of this im- portant district, from the belief that it is too remote to justify the expense of communication, and therefore on the score of economy it would be better to clear our unoccupied lands nearer home • but I believe, and I am justified in my belief from authorized surveys, that the reverse is the fact, in the first place we must consider the labor of clearing forest lands, to which [ have already alluded ; and in addition to this would be entailed the forming roads through the almost impervious forests, to reach the clear- ances. So much has already been done by the colonist in this particular that the cost is very well known. It takes an oxpenss of five hundred dollars a mile to make a passable road through a wooded country, and when that is accomplished, it gives access only to the lands immediately adjoining it. As the settlements expand, a renewal of this five hundred dollars is required for every 1 't, I .1 24 cultivated i.iile. Wliat an overpowering item is this in a settle- ment whose whole capacity is insignificant in comparison with the north-western region, where fertile acres may be calculated hy millions instead of hundreds, and access to which, as I shall show, caii lie more readily and cheaply accomplished. Let me guide you by the already well ascertained route, and point out how nature has prepared the way for man to perfect an easy means of transit to this promising land of plenty. To the head of Lake Superior wc have navigable waters for sleam vessels of the first class. From Thunder Bay, on the north-west bank of that magnicent inland sea, wo must encounter twenty- eight miles of land carriage to bring us to the Dog Lake and river ; but such is the level tract of country, that a road could very easily be accomplished. Embarking then on another steamer, we have a run of a hundred and five miles to the river Soine, interrupted by only live miles between the Dog and Savanne rivers, where a canal might be constructed to connect their waters without any great outlay. The navigation of the river Seine then becomes broken, but is still navigable by smaller boats, except for seven miles, where a water difficulty must be obviated by a 2)oria(je or land travel ; that short distance surmounted we are enabled to reach Lac Plat, where with only one slight break that could without much engineering difficulty be surmounted, we find a clear course of two hundred and eight iniles of navigable waters for large steamers to the lake's extremest point, whence land conveyance of ninety mi'es to Fort Garry brings us to the heart of that fertile region where the much talked of Red liiver ?ettleraent commences. Thus, to gain this country, would from Lake Superior, require but the construction of roads for one hundred and thirty miles, and this over a generally level district, not thickly woodtd ; the cost of whose construction would conscfjuently be far less than road making through the dense forests nearer home ; this, with three hundred and seventy miles of navigable waters which nature has prepared for our adoption, making the whole distance from Lake Superior to Fort Garry barely five hundred miles, might by the old slow mode of travel be accomplished in sixty -three hours, or say at the utmost three days ; and by an estimate made by the most skilful engineers .III 25 in a sottle- m with the cuUitod Uy shall show, route, and ptn-fect an y. To tho for steam north-west ;er twenty - J Lake and •oad could n another the river Dog and to connect ;ion ot' the by smaller r must be t distance with only ifficulty be 3ight miles extremest 'ort Garry uch talked s country, Q of roads rally level iion would the dense nty miles adoption, 'ort Garry » of travel nost three engineers *: might be \n holly accomplished for an expenditure of (ifty thousand pounds. What a trifling sum docs this appear to open so many millions of fertile acres, whose productions and consequent return of trade would at once be transferred to this part of Canada. Jieasonable also is it to believe that the Hudson Bay Company would at onco adopt this means of transit for their goods, as they could do it more economically and less dangerously than by Hudson's Bay, thus bringing through tbis country a trade amount- ing to nearly two millions and a half of dollars annually ; and remember this, that Toronto and Hamilton would be within five days travel of this great depot of wealth, with the additional pro- ductions of the Valley of the Assiniboine and the Red River Settlement. And here for one minute let me pause, slightly to review this extraordinary settlement, which, originating long before the present means of accelerated travel were known, by a few families whose only retiirn for their labor and self- denial was at first but a bare existence, with a very limited amount of luxuries gained in barter with the thinly scattered agents of the Hudson's Bay Company in that isolated region. Yet at this time, entirely unaided by government assistance, by their own industry, fortitude and perseverance they have become a colony of above ten thousand inhabitants, with excellent houses good farms, horses, sheep and herds of cattle ; nor, while they enrich their worldly substance, is their intellectual culture un- improved, having in their settlement two good libraries, ten churches and twenty schools besides an extensive collegiate institution where education of the first order may be obtained. Does it not appear to the understanding of every reflecting mind that the importance of this settlement is of the first consequence to all parties who might wish to eflfect colonization in the west thereof? What a nucleus for new settlers to aim at, who may seek to spread civilization through the wilderness ! A population of ten thousand ready to welcome them, and give them the ad- vantage of their experience ; where too, independent of having a certain remunerative return for their labor, they find establish- ments already existing lor the social improvement of their race ; where their children may have education, little, if in any degree inferior to that they might obtain in any country. These ad- vantages, added to the luxuriant spontaneity of nature's bounty, 1 26 the teeming prairies, the verdant forests, the piscatorial richness of the pellucid streams and expansive lakes, bounded by the mighty mountains, which in the distance rise as the eternal monu- ments of Heaven's protection to ferce so bright a mirror of its goodness, may fully realise the picture of the poet when he exclaims — ,! ;i^! !:f "It is a land of beauty and of grandeur! Wli ^re looks the cottage out o'er a domiiiii A palace cannot boast of. Seaa of lakes, And hills of forests I Crystal waves that rise On mountains capp'd with snow and mock the sun, Returning him his radiant beams more rich And flaming than he sent them . Torrents there Are bounding floods, and there the tempest roams At large, in all the terrors of its grandeur ! And then our valleys — oh 1 they are the homes For hearts — the cottages, the vineyards, orchards, The prairies waving with the golden grain, The pastures studded with the herd and fold — A free, a gentle, simple, honent people." Is not the country I have endeavoured to pourtray, with the wealth that might be derived from it, inducement sufficient to warrant our Provincial Parliament in immediately proceeding to the consideration and employment of the best means to open and make available the route that would so increase the revenues of Canada, and build up our country's greatness 1 Even were there a desert waste, or an unnavigable ocean to prevent further pro- gress in that direction, the riches to be derived from the generous soil would speedily repay the expenditure necessary to throw it open. How much greater then must be the inducement, when we know that opening the route to the Red River would be to throw wide the portals of a richer domain, by which Canada would inevitably become the centre of the commerce of the world, the high- way of traffic for the gorgeous productions and refined luxuries of Eastern Asia, the auriferous nuggets extracted from the bosom of Australia, the spicy fruitage of the Polynesian isles, and the refreshing plant "which cheers, but not inebriates" of the Celestial empire — conveying them to European marts of industry, '1 [ 1 al richness ed by the rnal monu- rror of its t when he sun, 37 and returning in exchange their manufactured products, to extend the comforts and civilization of the human family. Besides the national wealth that must arise from the cultivation of your distant lands, the through traffic to which I have briefly alluded would of necessity tenfold, or perhaps a hundred fold, in a short space of time, augment the trade of your already settled districts, fill up the measure of the utmost wish of oar ambitious little cities, extend your maritime flotilla and your commercial ports, till those of the St. Lawrence and its lakes shall equal or surpass in their forests of masts, with canvas foliage, and the belching roar of steam pressure from hundreds of marine smoke-stacks, the crowded wharves of the Hudson, the Mersey or the Thames. >l y, with the ufficient to ceeding to open and 'evenues of were there irther pro- ,e generous throw it lent, when )uld be to aada would id, the high- luxuries of e bosom of is, and the i" of the )f industry, ii';' 'j i ■; 1; It'-. JM LECTUKE THE SECOND 02sr c-A.3srA.r).f from five to six miles an hour; and in that distance we reach the navigable waters of the Frazer river, which in a voyage of a hundred and twenty miles to F'ort Langloy and Albert City, presents before us the waters of the Gulf of Georgia, dividing Vancouver's Island from iiif'*' [;initoul)«, I Ontario, the vast pared lor he shores rie huicls, d chn are h, spruce, irpose of 1 must be \ river ])e but these ?r steam- se, at the to which h every ds, well xl wealth might be roughout id genial ed on the -and that m in the lence the 1 region, • portion )s occur, lengthy 8t neees- el might hundred ^e to six i waters twenty e us the id from m. .'lit'-'-- 31 the main continent, and opening its magnificent haven, by Victoria City, to the almost illimitable Pacinc. The grout port for the world's commerce is here displayed before us, which is attained by the route f have travelled with only five hundrt^d miles of land and less than fifteen hundred of water — it might, by the old jog-trot mode of travel, say ten miles an hour by steamboat and o)ily nv(^ miles an hour by land, be accomplished in the short space of ten days. Or, commencing our voyage from the Atlantic < )cean, we could be sailing on the wide Pacilic with less than two weeks' travel. Such is the country, and such its means of attainment, with but alone improving the great highway prepared by nature ; yet how could that good be augmented by the aid of the iron road and the locomotive engine? Inntesid o( fourteen day a, four might suffice to reach the Pacilic from the Atlantic shore, avoiding thfi circuitous route which the navigable waters from their peculiar direction render necessary, together with the serpentine windings of the rivers ; the whole space might be overcome in less than three- fourths of the distance of the route I have suggested ; yet touciiing at all their principal points of interest and culture, fjearing the agricultural emigrant to his intermediate destination, as well as conveying the pursuers of commerce and the seekers of gold to their separate marts of barter and of industry ; and why should not this Atlantic and Pacific railroad be accomplished ? I am aware the universal cry for economy in the public expenditure, and the constant promises of politicians to curtail the cost of government should they arrive at power — promises but little heeded when they have obtained possession — affright the states- man from entering on a project which appears to require so great an outlay. But sometimes to spend greatly is to spend economically, when the return for your investment assures a liberal percentage, and promises in a few years a repay al of the principal. And what could promise better than this contemplated railroad, as far as Canada is concerned ; more especially when she has annexed to her government, that portion of the Hudson Bay territory which lies within her borders. Why, the sale of the public lands along the route would, in ten years at farthest, repay the entire cost of the construction of the road ; besides the estab- 32 II , ! i! i'! I ^ I .; i! ji lishing of a large population, whose consumption of imported luxuries and necessaries would considerably augment the public revenue. Were such arrangement roc^uired, I have no doubt that Gapitalists could be found who would undertake the entire cost, upon receiving a grant of alternate sections of land along its boundary. Such a proposal has been offered to the United States gevernmont, to connect by rail the Atlantic and Pacific ; but with us, that is a course not to be recommended. A government should ever keep its public lands under its own control, to convey alone to bona-Jide settlers, whose labor under Providence would make tiioso lands productive ; by bestowing large grants to com* panics, or even individuals — as has sometimes been the case in this province — you encourage a class of speculators not unlike the middle-men who have so long been the incubus hanging on the prosperity of poor old Ireland, in exacting rents or payments that rack the toil of the cultivator — keeping him in poverty, while a hive of useless drones grow fat on the proceeds of his industry. Never let it be said the hardy sons of toil who leave their emerald isle to avoid such an impost on their labor, shouH find upon the soil to which they fly for refuge a similar oppression to weigh against their industry, and deprive them of the full fruits of their labor. " There is a soul of goodness in things evil, would men observantly distil it out ; "' and, under proper observances, the doctrine of " squatter sovereignty," as supported by some politicians on the other side, is not without its merits ; when the cultivation of distant lands is the object, strong arms and power- ful sinews are of greater value than scientific minds, though able to square the circle, or find out the longitude. But Canada will have no need of making any sacrifice, in giving her aid to the work of perfecting an Atlantic and Pacific railroad. Though of the highest value to ensure her expansion and future prosperity, it is of equal or superior importance to the welfare of the British empire ; and assured of Canada's fidelity, the utmost means of the Imperial government would doubtless be given to further its progress, and hasten its completion. Surveys have long since been made, estimates have been formed, and the track pre- determined on by the authorities of Downing Street. Tliey only wait to see how the Colonies are affected, and what assistance they i^ 88 mported [le public )ubt that tire cost, along its 3(1 States but with it should convey CO would i to comS le case in nlike the ig on the ents that ^, while a industry, emerald upon the to weigh of their 3uld men mces, the )y some when the d power- )ugh able in giving railroad, id future i^elfare of 3 utmost given to [lave long rack pre- Tiey only ance they will be willing to give in perfecting the scheme which will so materially tend to build up their futuro glory and prosperity. The first insLalmont of the meditated grand chain is shortly to be proposed for the parliamentary eonsideratiun of this and iho lower provinces — the Intercolonial Railway — for without the connection of an Atlantic port, the communication could not be complete, nor in any manner justify the expenditure of crossing this broad con- tinent, when for more than half the year the ports on this side are closed by icy barriers, and we are indebted to a foreign power for ability to ship our produce to the European market. That Inter- colonial railway completed, and let me hope it may be accom- plished under temperate councils, by M.P.P.'s who can look to their country's advancement and prosperity' in preference to party cry, and in dcliance of the barking of political curs, to secure the bone of ollicial corruption for their own peculiar gnawing ; not paying too dear for their whistle at the same time, but in an honest manner weighing the advantages that must ultimately accrue to each province, and to the mother country ; so apportion- ing the expense, that an undue weight shall not fall upon the present generation, who are in this measure battling to build up a land of plenty and prosperity more for their descendants than themselves, and who may therefore honorably be called upon to pay their share of interest to the expenditure ; an expenditure that would at once establish Canada, the first of nations, and nothing is wanted to complete the reality, but that Canadians should be true to themselves. I know I am subjecting myself to obnoxious criticism, when I declare my belief that the progress of Canada's prosperity has been greatly retarded by the internal dissensions of political parties, the paltry struggle for place and power, to dip the finger in the public treasury regardless of measures on which the nation's welfare mainl}'^ depends ; and thus have the best endeavours often been sacrificed. It is not surprising in a young country, new to the elective franchise and unstudied in political economy, that mistakes should happen, that loud- mouthed demagogues, blethering their bunkum under the name of patriotism, should inlluence a large number of the voting class to trust their welfare to such guidance ; but it is strange that the discovery of treachery and falsehood even to their own declarations, ! '^ |1'^ li i rt I : ■111 ;|: 84 (loos not opoii tho oyos anrl jiulfrmont oC Ihcir coiistituonts to hurl their hctrayrrs from th(^ hii^h position (if honor to which they hiul olevatod them. Whiit littleness of mind has frequently bcuin manifested l)y exciting party feelings and working for party issues, ev(^n when the salvation of the province seemed trembling in the balance ! Measures and laws urged by one party, when proposeil by the other, have been voted down by the very men with whom they (irst originated, merely to battle for their own exaltation in preference to the welfare of the country. Thus often have the best intentions been frustrated. Witness the IJankruptey Hill, sf» desirable in a commercial community to protect the interests o( trade and commerce, lost by party opposition without attaining the examination of committee. Again, when five years since, the charter of the Hiulson Bay Cf>mpany expired, your parliament memorialized the Imperial government to annex it to Western Canada, to which it geogra{)hieally belongs, a favorable reply was given through Sir Edward Bulwer I^y tton, then Colonial Minister ; through party strife, for a long period the matter remained in abeyance, and the subject dropped without any action being taken. Had this immense field of enterprise at that time been opened, how world the wealth of Canada been increased: the great west- ern grain states of the American Union would have been rivalled in cereal production by the teeming valleys and i)rairi(.s that bound the Assiniboine and Saskatchewan rivers, the waters of Manitouba and Winnipeg, and the already rich and flourishing Red River settlement. Their products would have travelled to our cities and harbors on the shores of the St. Lawrence chain of lakes, and built up our prosperity ; while to avoid the desolation which a fratricidal war entails now on the neighbouring republic, emigration would have made its chosen resting place in the prairies of the British north-west, and we should be the masters of a trade that might supply the markets of the world. It is not yet too late. Arouse, Canadians, then — set your legislators to a work that shall enrich your country, extend your glories, and benefit mankind. Agi<^te, agitate ! call meetings of the people, and assume the place that God marks out for you. Another instance I will venture to cite, of the tergiversation of your political representatives, which certainly reflects no credit on their patriotism. When it was considered that a peripatetic government was not desirable, and ,s to hurl Uicy hiul tly Ixum ■ty issues, n<^ in th*-! proposcnl ith whom .Itiiiion in liiivo t.ho y IVill, so ;c rests of attaininj]; since, the !irl lament Western reply wns Minister; nained in ing taken. m opened, roat west- m rivalled that bound Manitouba Red River • cities and , and built fratricidal tion would the British that might . Arouse, liall enrich . Agitate, place that ire to cite, ires, which len it was irable, and M 86 thatafixml (Uipiliil Nhoulil [>(> decided oti, the .sperial |)|(',-uliti<^s of iho nuiiiberN of (.iueJKH!, Muiitn-ul, Toronto and other cities and)itioiis of the honor, could not decide the <|ue.stion, and the I'lirliaMit'iit ri'Holved to petition the (.^iieeu to fix the location of Ihu future .s(vit of governiiK'tit ; a re(|U('st cpiite needless, as hiiiirhind has lun'e-r iiitcrfei-i'd with Canadian politics since her free constitu I ion was established ; but the request having been made, the Quct'U, Ity her advisiU's, decided tliat ( )Llawa slioulil be the future capilal. NoiK! can fail to reiurmltcJ- the insulting numiicr in whieli by some the Queen's decision was received, and how ni-arly il came to be rejected by the very Pariijinuint who had bi'ggcd llcr Majesty's decision of iht! »)uesti»)n. Flappily better councils prevailed, and thtj Canadian ]*arliamcnt remained loyal. Ottawa will, I presuMu», I the future seat t)f government and the great depot of the Pacific Ivaili'oad, which will there commence skirting the valley of the Ottawa, the Creorgian Lake and reaching thus Lake Suptirior — lonu the first grand link which shall conned Canada with the Pacific Ocean and the commerce of the world. Depend upon it, it was not without a purpose that tho IJritish (iloverument selected Ottawa f(U' your future capital. A measure lately has much occupied attention on both sides of the Atlantic, to which 1 nuiy brielly allude, for the honor and welfare of Canada is idtimately connected with it. The threatened dililculties between the United States and (ireat Britain, arising ehielly froui theTrent alfair, brought those countries into threatened warfare ; to wound England, through Canada, has, in former times, been the attempt of tiic States, and such was its threatenings on the late occasion, England at ouce sent over her thousands of hardy solditu's to defend the soil of Canada and her loyal subjects residing on it. The promptitude of her action secured peace, and Canada was unassaiUnl ; but the threatening aspect, in a general measure remained on the other side, and a future day of reckoning was spoken of ; threats still abound in all tho newspapers under the influence of their Government, that, their own fratricidal war over, they will cuter on a parricidal crusade against the mother country ; this may be only Yankee bunkum to keep up the warlike spirit t)f the people ; but dangers guarded against are always best prevented, therefore England has not withdrawn her soldiers 86 ■ ■! I !; i! i^ (Vuiu the l*iovinw, who, though not in thcMns'^lvcs iiunie- ruiis iMioii^'h to withstand a tuition's ni'niy, Hhoiihl one be dirocted against us, yet form a powerful nuchuis around whieh Uiyal IJanu- diati volunteers eould rally and defy aj^i^ression to cnoroaeh upon its hordt^r. l''or this purpose the (Government lately introduetsd the Militia Mill, your House of Parliament so unceremoniously rejeeted, without enti'ring into committee to examiiu^ its clauses in detail, and amend or reject such portions as might, on examination, be deemed necessary to perfect it. To those uiuic»|nainted with the struggli's of your political parties, such pro(!eeding must have appeared tantamount to a rejection of the principle oftheliill altogether. No wonder then that England felt aggrieved, and that much was said and written there bearing harshly u[)on the loyalty and spirit of the Canadians. They could not understand how party interests should peril, as it appeared to them, the safety and honor of the country ; a struggle for power in the Imperial Par- liament has always marked the progress of events, and the utility of a party opposed to the ministry acknowledged by all politicians. Lord Derby and Mr. D'lsracli, as the leaders of Iler Majesty's Opposition, enjoy as honorable a distinction as Lords Palmerston and John Russell, who hold the seals of office, each would still do so if their positions were reversed, for though in matters of detail they difler in action, in the one great principle of maintaining Old England's glory, they invariably vote and act in unison. Witness that unanimity when on a late occasion the honor of England was involved and her flag outraged by the attack upon the " Trent " steamship. They kn v no party then but their country, and with one voice the entire, i 'arliament, nemine contradicente, supported the Ministry in its demand of satisfaction and restitution, which our neighbors across the lakes found it necessary to yield. Now, judging of provincial parliamentary tactics by their own, it is not to be wondered at that the rejection of a measure arising out of that very difficulty bred doubts in British minds of Canada's fidelity and courage. And indeed in every excuse or reason given for that vote by those who supported it, not one tangible or true objection to the measure presents itself. Of course the usual cry of economy is paramount, the erection of barracks and the clothing and payment, when on duty, of the volunteers, would cost the M m nunie- (* directed yul (/iinii )!ich upon iitrodiiced iioiiioiisly cliiuscs in iminiition, ill ted with must have of the IVill , and that ho loyalty stand how safety and orial Par- the utility politicians. Majesty's almerston lid still do s of detail lining Old Witness gland was ''Trent" , and with supported on, which d. Now, n, it is not ing out of Canada's ason given le or true usual cry le clothing 3 cost the I'ruviiM'c Ml many ihdiihaiids >. 'I'lih , hia woiijil iiol. an ('<|iiivalrnt h(! iiiadn Ity hji;j;laiil from iwrlvo to fihoen thousand IJritish soldiers in our midst, whosc^ pay IS forwardrd from the mother (!ouiitry, would, liy its eiiciilation tliro(i>j;h the i'roviiiee, give, at least an e<|niva|piit for any outlay ri'tpiired, and prohaMy, (joiiid the balance he struck liutwciiii the irKiome, and ox[»eti(liture, a prepondciranco would he found in (iivoi of the I'rovitiee. hiM whether this be so or not, can any one doubt the propriety of any pe(»ple or commuiiily preparing them- selves to withstand aggression from a threiitening foe, and protect- ing their ItvcB, their families, their country, from havoc and desolation ? It is not nuuily to look alone to Hritain for defence, because (.Canada is unwerful an opposite. Were Canada unprotected, the legions of tlie United States would at once be poured over Niagara and the lakes, to extend their dominion throughout yom* lair domain; long have they coveted it, and now when their suicidal policy has whebned them in debt, and checked the influx of emigration, from which hitherto has accrued their greatest wealth, they would gain all Canada's fair lands their own to pay at your expense the charges of their bloody strife, and tax your labour to cover the losses of their unsunctified ambition, it is no new chimera on their part. Who has not heard of theii- adherence to what they have termed the Monroe doctrine ? that no European power should have any influence on the American Continent ! And though no other nation of the world have ever given their adhesion to this monstrous assumption, yet have Americans clung to it with a tenacity thai is remarkable. Froui that opinion»has sprung the fiUibustcring raids vn ('uba and Central America. Though their leaders, Lope/ andWilliamWalker, failed in their endeavours, and were executed by the authorities uf the land) they assailed, no man of reason can doubt the encomage- ment they received from the Government in Washington, though not from policy publicly demonstrated. Such, too, was the case of the burning of the Caroline in the Canadian Rebellion, such the demands made by President Polk for the whole of Oregc^n, and such the usurped possession of the Island of San Juan, between the lands of British Columbia andVancouver's Island, debatable ground between the lines of division, but these latter disputes occurred Iruedoiii ot litiiry lor Is y Iblluwers, rovermueiit i}»ou future I yet some an alliaiicu ii\t Britiiin ! iiol yue tlie yol ? Ami 'he atlompt d lias been it Britaiu — owert'ul an the United lie lakes, to long have s whelmed rofu which id gain all the charges le losses of their part. termed the )y influence ,tioii (»f the ssuin|)tif)n, 3uiarkable. I ( 'uba and ni Walker, horilies of encoiiiage- un, thougli IS the case 1, such the 'egon, and itween the )le ground occurred d9 with the British Government, whose conduct in return was similar to the Quaker's, who, when al)oard a ship attacked by an enemy, did not wish to tight, for it was against his principles, but when the foe sought to board their craft, the Quaker caught bold of the first weap(»n he could find, and thrusting the invaders back, merely said " keep in thine own ship my friecd," and they were swamped in the entleavour to take whjit was not their own. So have the AnuMMoans fallen back when their opponent was of power they did not think it safe to cope withal. This feeling has preserved Canada from being attacked and probably subjugated by the American Republic. Were Canada unsupported by British alliances, it would long viw this have been the field of many a bloody struggle, and still the \vatch is kept and secret emissaries arc employed if possible to soever the connection with the parent state, and trample down your fields under the heel of republican despotism. There is no exaggeration in the satire of the Pindaric rhym.' ter, who, speakinii; with th(i mouth of Yankee bunknm, says : " Our destiny, T kinder kalcilate, Is the mill continent to join our fate. The Union will no Union bo delivered, Till fill is hy the Yankee Eagle kivered ! On Washington that, Kaglo planla his breast, His head and tail stretching from east tn west : O'er the A.tlantic his beak skoers terrille, All Vliirope, while his l.ail shields the Paeilic ; O'er South and North alike lie shoUor brings, And shadows all his chicks beneath his wings. By natiu' longer will those pinions grow. Kinln-acing Canada and Mexico, And make from Laljrador, m annexation, To Patagonia one miited nation !" From the causes I have enumerated, and many similar ones that might readily be referred to, it is not strange that England should feel dubious of Canadian constancy and loyalty, and hesitate to enter into a career of great expenditure upon a Province that shews so little determination to be true to itself, when party issues might subvert the glorious prospect now opened for her own advancejuent, and the increasing power and glory of the parent isles. She tnerefore naturally expects that Canada should ■!l '1 :ii .,! M if III i;!t If? 40 be willing to put her proportion of expenditure to that necessary outlay required for the (ionsumation of its greatness ; that, without loading the Colonies with too heavy an expense, she would, by witnessing their undoubted interest in their own advancement, be warranted in exerting all lier mighty power and expending her wealth in assisting the dev^lopement of their prosperity, having no doubt of theii- lidelity and loyalty to their own interests and to the established Government. I must confess, though extremely reluctant to encroach on party politics, that it has always appeared to my judgment since I settled among you and became a Canadian, that the struggles of your representatives in the legislative hallsof council and assembly have more generally been directed to paltry party issues than to the true advancement of Canada's prosperity. Witness what for some years past may be said to have been the great bone of < onterition, about which so much opposite barking has taken place — " Kepre- sentation by Population " — which cannot have been said to have been thought of any moment, even to those who called most lustily for its adoption ; since we now find that they, holding the reins of government at this time, have smothered the question altogether, and are using their ministerial influence in suspending all agitation of the matter. Yet, with what perseverence was this subject pursued while they were striving for place and power ? Why, the very existence of the Canadian Union was threatened, and affirmations made that if the question was not carried the Canadians of French descent might slide, and Upper Canada look to disunion rather than continue advancing in its career of improve- ment, and becoming, under British connexion, the most prosperout- portion of the American Continent. Others directed their shafts of maliee at the French Canadians themselves, stigmatising them as aliens in blood and H.nguage, despising them as descendants of a conquered race, and treating them with every indignity. Out upon such unchristian, un-English and unprincipled attacks. The French Canadian is our fellow citizen, entitled to equal rights and equal respect with any descendant of the British Isles, as springi.; >/ from a former foe and now in loyal subjection to the governme,;.. the more he is entitled to our admiration and esteem — as coming of a conquered enemy now joined with us in provincial brother- 41 necessary it, without A'ould, by ;en7ent, be jnding her ty, having ;erests and h on party ce I settled 3S of your mbly have han to the at for some « onUii''^»n, — " Kepre- lid to have ailed most holding the le question suspending ce was this md power? threatened, jarried the "anada look 3f improve- prosperout their shafts ,ising them cendants of •nity. Out acks. Tlie rights and ,s springt.i'? overnme,';.. -as coming lal brother- hood, he is deserving of our consideration and tenderest sympathy. Tht^ brave Nelson once said " Be devils in Hght, my boys, but the battle once over, don't forget that you are men." A true hearted man could never insult a fallen foe. 1 should blush to call that m;in my countryman who, landing in Quebec for the first time, and visiting the Heights of Abraham, should bend his knee at the tomb of the gallant Wolfe and not bow with reverence at the monument of the brave Montcalm, who nobly perished by the British Hero's side, struggling honorably to perform his boun- den duty to his country as conscientiously as our own immortal Wolfe himself. I am not prepared to deny that Representation by Population is, in its main foundation, a principle of justice. The progress of time may build up cities where now we find a barren wilderness, to which representation should be accorded, as the English Reform Bill found Old Sarum, with one farm-house on in, returning two representatives, while Manchester, v/ith its 300,000 inhabitants, was wholly unrepresented. Such abuse of course should be reformed, and, in a great measure, reform was accomplished ; but that iias no bearing on the present Canadian question. When, twenty years ago, the Constitution was established of the Union of the Provinces and representation allotted, Eastern Canada had as great a preponderance over Western Canada, as the latter has now above the former ; yet from Lower Canada we heard then no complaints of undue favoritism, and surely, though the influx of immigration has now given the West an advantage, we should be too genei'ous to use that advantage to oppress our fellow citizens of the East. The endeavour to do so, under the gross attacks of original nationality to which I have alluded, must naturally excite exasperated feelings. A sensitive people like the French provin- cials will not be hounded down to succumb to a measure which they believe, and have reason to believe from the attacks made upon them, is meant to bring about their own degradation, and which, in the present position of the province, is a most uncalled for and imdesirable change, for depend upon it, the tinkering of the vess(d of state before it can be said to have had time to compass its first voyage, would be a precedent for so many additional botohings, proposed by trading constitution-mongers, that the 1^1 i 42 vessel would be so marred and battered it could not sail freely, evf^n when favored by wind and tide, to reach its much desired haven. Mutiny would arise among the crew, and from disunion the noble vessel might founder on the rocks of mistrust or the shoals of party corruption. I have presumed freely to enlarge upon those errors which I believe have a tendency to mar the progress of Canada's advance ment ; to injure her in the estimation of her best friends, and encourage the secret aspirings of those who, pretending friendship and brotherhood, ai-e in reality her deadliest tVtes ; who, to advance their own interests, would destroy _>our connexion with (4reat Brit '^^. to bolster up their falling state, paying the debts arising from t( t atricidal homicides, by apportioning your undeveloped territory, id taxing your industry. lie careful of their secret emissaries ; have a jealous eye upon the traitors that dwell among you, for 1 cannot believe them to be else than traitors who would counsel you to throw oiTyour connexion with the parent country, discard and anmd your present responsible government, to link your fortunes to a republic, which, changing its government every four years, acting on the sordid principle that, to the victors belong the spoils, offers a perpetual fee to dishonesty and treason ; for certainly corruption and public robbery were never so exemjdified in any nation as they have been in the Government of the IJnilfd States; and the people are wholly without the nieans of redress, the ministers remain during the will of thf> President, and they may plunder the treasury witli impunity, though debt accumulates through the land, and hundreds of thousands of brave men shed their blood in maintaining a useless warfare to keep in power the party who rob and will destroy th(Mn. While I thus freely enlarge upon the errors of Canadian politi- cians, I am bound at the same time to appreciate their merit,s, for though the instances to which I have alluded of selfish aim stand most conspicuous to the world's eye, as the froth and scum of a seething pot always lloat uppermost ; yet, to close observers, a great layer of patriotic merit regulates the undercurrent, and sound and indisputable patriotism has been manifested in many laws created, and measures proposed i.r> ndvance the happiness of i:; ail freely, its much and from ){' mistrust )rs which 1 's ad Villi ce- liciids, and T friendship to advance with (^reat ebts arising indoveloped their secret Iwell among I who would ent country, nent, to link [iment every etors belong reason ; for exemidified f the Unitod s of redress, nt, and they accumulates (\ men shed in power the nadian politi- ir merits, for sh aim stand d scum of n se observers, current, and stcd in many happiness of llie Colony, .-^unu' ul wiiicli might allord .1 li!h,s«»n to tlie llonie (ioveriiiiu.'iit,,to assuage the bitter strife wliieli has lor many years desuJaUid or agoiii/cd one of her very fairest portions. 1 allude to the great ujeasurc ol the t'Icrgy Weserve Scltlcinent. Could such a nicasiii'e he cjuTicd in ( )|(l Ireland, how would it bring peace upon that unlia[>[)y land, and aid the cause of true religion, which never can be maintained by forced taxation — being as it is, and ever jmi.st remain, a solemn compact alone between man's conscience and his (jlod. (rrc;it honor has Canada also i-cIIccUmI upon herself by the liberal .sul)Scriptions she has made for the relief of tlie distressed Lanca >liire operatives, snllcring from the stagnation of labour arising iVoMi lli(^ wai' which is destroying the neighboui ing rcjmblic. Such acts of beiielicence speak trum[)et-tongued for their true loyalty to the pari'nt land, and must silence the attacks of those politicians v)f (Jreat Hrilain who have seen only in their late party manceuvres eauses that have indneed them to biOieve that an (estrangement has arisen which may lead to the separation of ('aiiada from their k»yal allianee to the home coujitry, Pursue such measures as shall fjeeurely dis[)el tlic vile insinuation. I'rgc ynuv legislators by petition, rennmstrMnce, or command, at once to open your fruitful heritage (»f the great North- West, to develop the resources of your t;ountry's natural wealth, and by the establishment of Bureaus and Agents of Emigration, induce the industr'()us settler to make C!anada his future. luMue, by ofrering such li])eral terms in the disposal of your land as shall warrant his fair expectatitjii of a sure and r;ipid return for his labor. IJanish the sellish dennigogues Irom }onr legislative halls, who would, for their own aggrandise- ment, or eovetousnesM ot lilthy lucre, destroy or retard the advance- ment of your eomitry's progress. Look with suspicion and abhoronee upon him who would employ the prejudices of birth or lanuwage to alienate ihe feelings of one |>ortion of the Province from that of the other, iind sow the seeds of disunion broadcast through the land, that might lead to an imitation of the carnage which now desolates the neishbourinsi States. Union is streniith! and Canada East and West should be one and indivisable! Great is the ht>pe ol many ardent and patriotic minds that not alone will that Union remain, but that the lower provinces of New Bruns- 44 wick, Nova Scotia, Aic, will he miilecl with yoii in v>nc great federal union. iJoscended principally from the same |»arenl stock, a nmtiiality o( interests and feelinjj;s existing amoiif^ you, all equally loyal to the Britsh Sovereign, and alike animated by that rooted love of peace and order which so peculiarly characterises the British people and all who descend from that tight little island — it is believed that such an union would advance the prosperity of all, while, to an undoubted certainty, it would so enable you rise in strength and power that other nations, envious of your present capabilities, would shrink froni attacking you, and the British North-American Empire would expand in wealth and freedom — the mark of admiration to distant nations, and the glory of all who delight in the extension of human progress and refined civilization. The indications of this consummation are apparent in the first step which will soon be laid open for your legislative action, by the proposal of the Inter-Colonial Railway. Already party feeling is being excited upon the subject, and its discussion will doiibtless lead to much angry temper, but let me hope good counsels will prevail, and statesmanlike views adopted. The liberality of England in its Colonial Government has often been remarked, and I trust in this measure she will not depart from her general custom, nor seek to entail any greater expense on either Colony than the probable advantage will soon repay. Should such pro- positions be considered oppressive, it is the duty of the Colonies to reject them ; but let reason and argument be brougnt in action in preference to party issues and personal abuse ; and no doubt exists but that an honorable adjustment will take place, and the Inter-Colonial be effected as the first great and necessary step to the commencement of the Pacific Railroad, which would at once throw open your rich prairies and fertile valleys in easy access to the anxious settler, whose disposal in a few years would repay the entire outlay of the different railroads construction. Then would be brought about a tangible realization of the proud boast that the British Empire is one on which the sun never sets ; for here would be a continuous line of travel under British rule,forming to the globe a semi-annular arch or bridge, embracing in its span the earth's antipodes. Starting from Great Britain, the eastern pier of this vast arch, as the sun travels it would traverse the Atlantic Ocean, rising from thence over Halifax and Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the 45 adjoining L'rovinces, its moridiun glory will dispense its cheerinn rays on Canad.'i, and voiitini; \U ovtMiini^ song as it bids adieu u« British (^olnmbia and VauiiOiiver's Island, it will pass over tin' Pacific, antl greet again th(! morning ray as il aj)proaclies the aiiri ferious regions of Australia, or the glories of Urilaiti's Indian Kmpirc. There riisting its oppositt; j>ier, a ooninien-ial arch is completed, embracing in its s[»an more than one half the glol)e, each portion enabled by one government to cllect a free; intcirehange of their various pro«lucts to the enriching of every uivision,antl con tributing to the comforts of all. And ot this ai'ch of commerct;, so promising orw(!alth and happiness to the nations comprised in its semi-circidar orbit, the bow of hope and beauty to all beneath its rays, the Keystone of its strength is Canada! I may not live to see it perfected, " for age with stealing steps has clawed me in its clutch," l)ut most of you will hail the perfecting of this grand scheme of national aggrandisement, and rejoice in its consummation. I, like Moses on the Mount of irorel>, must be content to view the land of promise which shall bring blessings to our descendants; and at all events, 1 shall close may eyes, as I now do my book; with the fervent prayer : UOD BLHSS TUK QUEEN and the BlUTISfl AML:RICAN KMPIRE, TWW.