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Haokstaff, Courisr Office, Market Buildiofti TovoAl vigable waters of the River Thames, and from London to Lake Huron. "Upwards of £50000 having been subscribed by persons directly iiiter- (ested upon its route, and 5 per cent, having been paid in upon a large portion of it, the work was commenced last March, at Burlington Bay, by breaking ground. The Directois conceiving that, before soliciting a further subscription of stock, it was necessary to procure a survey, dnd to engage an Engineer of known character and practical experi- ence, employed Elisha Johnson, Esquire, of Uocheister, who undertook the survey, and fmished it about the first of the present month, and ^illin a few days submit his Report and Estimates to Parliament. Enough is known of this survey to warrant the confident anticij>ation rtf a very favorable Report. The Directors further conceiving thHt it would increase the value of the work, as a public improvement, to ex- tend the Rail Road from liamilton to Niagara River, and from the navigable waters of the River Viiames to Detroit River, have petitioned the present Parliament to that effect. By reference to the map it will appear that the route proposed will connect the head of navigation upon Niagara river, which is at Queenston, the head of the navigation of lake Ontario, which is at Burlington Bay, it will cross at the head of the navigation upon the Grand River, the head navigable s/aters of the River Thames, and finally reach the Detroit river, passing over a -well settled, populous and fertile country ; and through the flourishing towns of St. Catharines, Hamilton, Brantford, Woodstock, Beachville, Ingersotls, London, and Chatham. I shall not venture here to give the distances, a^ that will be much more accurately done by Mr. Johnson, ill his report. It is so happily located, that during the season ofnavi- '^ation, it \vil I connect all our great waters in their most important points, and during the winter it will form an uninterrupted communi- cation thi'uugh the Province by land. Already a line of R.iil Road id chartered, by diflfercrt charters, in' aliiiont a direct line from the City of Boston, in Masaachusetts, to Lewiston, on tlie Niagara river, passing through Albany, Schenectady, Utica, Syracuse, Auburn, Canandagua, Rochester, Batavia and Lock- port to Lewieton ; and also in Michigan, from Detroit to the St. Jo« eeph, upon lake Michigan. Some of that line is already completed, I and the remainder in active state of progress : and together with (he rodto through this Province, will complete a line uf more than 900 inile» ol'continuous Rail road. One cannot contemplate such a result without feelings of the highest admiration — and it would be disgraceful to this Province, not to make her portion of it. Another circumsiance, not to be lost tsight of, is the contemplated Suspension Bridge over the Niiig.ira river, at Ciueeiiston, which will conquer all the obstructions j which that river has hereiofore presented during a portion of the year, from the immense quantities of floating ice, which frequently renderii the river impassible with horse-boats for several days at a time. No route, cither in the Province, ar upon the American side of lake Eric, cisn compete with the one proposed, as it is shorter and passes over u better ciiistrict of country tlian can elsewhere be found. To sub- stantiate this,I mu^t again bug the reader to refer to Mr. Johnson's re- port, wliich will soon be made public. 'J'here are other inijjortant Rail roads in the State of New York, well worthy of notice, particularly the one froui Utica to Oswego, and the one from Piattsburgii, on lake Champlain, to Ogdensburgh, upon the St. Lawrence. \>'lialevc'r tends to lead the commercfi and travel- ling upon lake Ontario, or the St. Lawrenee, must contribute to the business of the proposed rail roaH. It has been suggested that the Western tern)ination of the London and Gore Rail Road should be ut the head of the St. Clair river ; but the Directors came to the con- clusion that for the present the Detroit river, opposite Detroit, would be the better point, as it is ascertained that a vast majority, perhaps in the proportion of twenty to one of emigration as well as commen e to the Western States, would be better suited to go to Detroit. The tide of emigration being at present to the South part of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, &c., the Northern part of Michigan being as yet very thinly populated. The time will come when it may be advisable, however, to continue the Rail Road to the St. Clair from London. The following are nearly the distances from Buffalo to Chicago by water, and from dueenston by the proposed Rail Road to Chicago by 8t, Joseph. Fioii; ijnffaio to Cieaveland 200 miles ; from Cleaveland m U> tJttroitr by llio Atnericsii shop*;, (the* route ustialT^ riT« by t^Iic i*m«r- ican steam li^orts,) ICO inilea ; (vmn Detroit^ irp lakes Huron iind Slidr- igan, to Chkaj^o, \h 820 miles : ma'king' rrr a^^ 1180 miles. Frorw QAieenstoii to Haimlton 47 miles ; froni' HsmiHltoH to Lonilon SO rniieM;- from London to Chatham 64 miles; from CTwrtlmm to Detroit 50 milfs; from Detroit to the St. Joseph, 220 mires ; an(f from thence to Chicago^ by water, 40 mifle?*, making in all 437 miles : shewiug a diffeien' c nf 743 miles. Of course I do not vouch for the perfect accuracy of thcHe- distances, birt such may be depended on whh very little variation. I- kave now touched upon the principal reasons for ndoptinir this line through the Province, iiv so far n9 American> travel and commerce would make it advisable. It remains to view it with respect to the rival or conflicting iMterests in the Provii>ce, and if possible Co recori- cile them. I wi-ll take them in tlieir order as follows :: JF7r»^ — Witb regard to the Niagara and Detroit Railroad, fhey could intersect from Bertie, at or near Woodstock, and thereby save the ex- pense of constructing the remainder of the dista>n<;e, ami arrive at pre- cisely the same point upon Detroit river they now desire, by a less dis- tance than to follow the whole of their elrarte red route, securing to- themselves all the priircipj^t advantage* proposed by their ovtn route, iSecondly, — With respect to the tiannilron and Port Dover Barlroadv their interest would be to follow tlie same route with (he London and Gore Rail road, for at least ten miles from Hamilton, the most drificull and e.vpensive part, and then dlvirge to Poit Dover, Thirdly. — The interest of the Burlington and Lake Huron RaiF Road would induce them to intersect from Gadericb (^which appears to be the most prominent pniiif; upon Lake Huron) at or near to> Woodstock or London, or between the Grand River and Hamilton. — It being probable that the Canada Company would be the Chief Stock- hohlera in the undertaking, the point of intersection ought to be de- termined by them, — one great advantage to fliem would be that by such intersection they could begin their Rail Road at Goderich, and as it proceeeded, every mile would be of advantage to them, and eve- ry shilling of the expense of constructing it would find circulation with- in their own territory. Another great advantage is, that it would open to them a winter communication with tlie Eastern and Western Stales. Itstrikes me they should select as near as possible for their mutual benefit, the same point of intersection as would bn chos;en by the IN'i- •garaan.] Dfiroit Rail Roa(L Go(l«rich when so connected with the liOudon aiul Gere Rail Road would aasame that ■commercial importanct which hrrJJue situatiou enabieu hei to coniiiinnd. Fuwvthlij. — With respect to Uie Toronto and Lake Huron Rail Road that work can in no wuy be looked upon as conflicting or opposite in iia interests bu( it may be aasiiited by an intersectioji or continu- ation of the London and Uore Rail Roud, from Hamilton to Toronto. Thid would undoubtedly give to Toronto the advantage of a winter comniunication to the Eastern and Western tStates, which now that the commerce betweua the two countries is so great would be of the high- est importance to thut place' Ft/VA/y.— The plan of a Rril Road from Toronto to St. Clair, is so undeflned and has been recommended in so imperfect a manner, that it is didicultto know what to otfer for its accommodation unless it be that a Rail Road from Toronto to Hamilton will secure to the ibrmer place all the commercial advantages that the project alluded to can hold out, and will save them the expense of constructing the line from Hamilton to the St. Clair, which, in my opinion is quite sufficient without attending to the superior facilities which would attend an ia- tersection at Hamilton, from the communication with New York and 1 the Far West. But it is not at Toronto that this line of Rail Road will ' terminate, for as the means of the Province increase, and public and private enterprise put in motion. The Rail Road may be continued down Uie North side of the Lake as far as it may be found practicable unless tlie deep snows of the Lower Province should be found insur- mountable during the winter, the Rail Road might with advantage be/' continued to Quebec. I have now alluded as briefly as possible to the leading reasons pointing out the route proposed by the London and Gore Kail Road Company as the prober one to receivt^ the aid of the Province, and to entitle it to the confidence and support of all interests and parties — It is evident that in the present condition of this country, > it is necessary that its resources should be concentrated upon some great and feasible public improvement, by the construction of which, other important and necessary works may subsequently be projected and accomplished. It is also equally evident, that the the present crisis requires that no time should be lost. I may here take the liber- ty ofsaying thatof all the projected Rail Roads, the London and Gore is the only one in a situation to receive Legislative aid, as it is the on- ly one which has been surveyed, — The Legislature could not charter a new one, and appropriate the necessary funds for its construction, be- cause in the first place, without a survey they cannot know whether it is practicable^ or if practicable, whether tfaeexpflMe would not prove I..' r a teriouB objecti(>n. The only method they could this session adopt with prudence (if they wish a new route) would be to appropriate a aum of money Tor a survey and lec've it to the next session to Legislate further upon it. But this course would occasion, to say the least of it, a delay of one year, still leaving it uncertain. It can form no objection to the route I propose, that although it will conduce to public good, yet it offers greater advantages to sume places than to others, as this must always be the case in all public improve- ments of the kind, and no one ought, while benefiting himself, to alloMr a spirit of envy to embitter his feelings at the prospeot of greater gain being derived by his neighbours. ' That the proposed rout^ would be good stock, cannot be doubted, from the best arid most authentic accounts, the travel from Bufiklo, to Detroit has the past season amounted to 1,000 persons per day and from Detroit to Bufialo 400. The chief part of this immense travell* ing could be turned upon the Rail Rund as the navigation of Lake £rie is long and dangerous, even in the best of times. That the Province can afford the necessary means for accomplishing this work, is certain as the Provincial credit is good and any sum of money may be raised by debenture. As to other resources some ve- ry useful hints may be gathered from several publications which have lately appeared fromthepen of Mr. Buchanan,the Consul at N. York, (who has actively interested himself in our internal improvements,) and the letter of William H. Merritt Esquire, abounds with fH useful information upon all such subjects. To these publications I beg to re- fer the reader. A FRIEND TO INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT. Toronto 2tt November 1836. '1 w OAM ..4..^^-' i