IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT.3) 4 A 4i, A>4, :/. 7, 1.0 1^ 1^ •22 ^ m ™^ I.I t 1^ 4. 120 1.25 |..4 IMi — 6" V] >/\ British North America. BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. [Dec. WnEN war is raging throughout the greater part of North America, desohxting some of its finest pro- vinces, convulsing the governmen- tal institutions, and arresting the progress of the entire region ex- tending southward from the Lakes to the Isthmus, the fortunes of the British provinces look brighter by the contrast, but, at the same time, they demand our careful regard, owing to the new influences which, for good or for evil, will speedily be brought to bear upon them. I'he deplorable dissensions in the United States, and the great burden of debt which that hitherto lightly- taxed country is incurring, not only tends to turn the tide of emigration towards the north instead of to the south of the St Lawrence, but not a few even of the people of the States will probably prefer to seek new homes in Canada, rather than submit themselves to the heavy taxation and other inconveniences which are so rapidly accumulating in the territories of the now dis- rupted and disunited American re- public. It may seem, too, that the disruption of the United States into two separate and rival confe- deracies relieves our American pro- vinces of their greatest peril — the pe'il consequent upon having a vast and ambitious Power for their immediate neighbour. But there is another side of the question which ought not to be overlooked. The serious complications and fur- ther secessions from the Union which will probably ensue, upon the establishment of the South as an independent Power, must bring new influences to bear upon British America, which will be either mis- chievous or the reverse, according as their coming is timeously pre- pared for or foolishly disregarded. There is, moreover, a new and highly interesting event which makes more than usually season- able a survey of the position of our colonies in the New World. British America has just com- jjlcted herself by the establishment of a fully-organised colony at her western extremity, on the sliores of the Pacific Ocean. Our domin- ion, which was but nominal and de jure over the vast territory that lies to the west of the great lakes, has suddenly, and by a bound, reached its utmost limit, and be- come a substantial fact on the fur- ther side of the continent. And on that extreme frontier of our power, we, singularly enough, find a pro- vince ^vhich. in its geographical position, commercial opportunities, and mineral wealth, reminds its of the parent Isles, and bids fair in future times to occupy the same distinguished position in tlie new world of the Pacific which England does in the older world on the shores of the Atlantic. The recent establishment of Bri- tish and Anglo-American States on the shores of the Pacific, is an event which commences a new epoch in the world's history. For four thou- sand years has the White race of Europe, the aristocracy of the globe, been journeying westward .o the land of the setting sun, and ever, like the sunset, has the goal of their wanderings receded as they ad- vanced. Over the Ural Mountains, and winding round the Black Sea, they passed into Europe before the light of history could reveal their march. The sunny .shores of the Me- diterranean tempted them onward to the Pillars of Hercules ; tlie icy Bal- tic repelled them to seek a kindlier region westward on the banks of the Rhine and the valleys of France. And now, after nearly forty cen- turies of growth and vicissitude in Europe, overleaping the ocean chan- nel of the Atlantic, they liave peo- pled a new world, and are settling on the shores of another great ocean beyond. Year by year, though the present dreadful turmoil in the [Dec. ' World. at com- lisliment y at her e shores r domin- id and de ory tbat at lakes, , bound, and be- i the fur- And on ir power, id a pro- igraphical •rtunities, nds us of Is fair in the same the new I England i on the nt of Bri- States on 8 an event epoch in four thou- ;e race of the globe, I'd .-o the and ever, al of their they ad- lountains, ?lack Sea, before the voal their of the Me- onward to le icy Bal- a kindlier banks of of France. forty cen- ssitude in cean clian- have peo- •e settling Teat ocean hough the il in the 1862.] British North A merica. G97 States temporarily disturbs the ad- vance, the line of civilised settlers advances westward over the prairies. From our sparse settlement of the Red lliver draw a straight line south to the Gulf of Mexico, and it will mark where the tide of population is now creeping up like a flowing sea upon the soli- tudes of the Far West, where linger the vanishing remnants of the Bed race, who once spread as lords and occupants over the whole conti- nent. Like the last of the great mammoth bulls, which the Indian legends represent as defying tlie thunders of Manitou to the last, standing at bay on a summit of the Rocky Mountains, tossing the flam- ing thunderbolts from his massive front, and yet forced at length, dis- comfited but not subdued, to plunge and disappear in the waters of the Western Ocean, — not less unyield- ing is the nature, not less certain the ultimate fate, of the red tribe's of the ever-narrowing prairies. Civil- isation, at the rate of nine miles a- year, is marching against them from the east, wresting from them their hunting-fields, forcing them back towards the sandy desert and the rocky Cordillera; while beyond the mountains the ground is being occupied, and their retreat cut off, by the fringe of fast-growing settle- ments of the pale-faces along the shores of the Pacific. It is long since Balboa, " from a peak in Darien," first beheld the rolling expanse of the Pacific — three centuries and a half have passed since the Spaniards began to settle on the western coast of America, beyond the Andes and the Rocky Mountains ; but it is but as yesterday that the sliores of the Pacific have been reached in their westward march by the Anglo- Saxons. Hardly a dozen years have elapsed since the rush of gold- seekers first began to redeem from utter solitude the coast of Califor- nia, and to erect a civilised state on the western slopes of the Cor- dillera. Not long before then, the British race had reached the out- skirts of the Pacific Ocean from the other side of the world. Aus- tralia and New Zealand are the great outposts of our power, the solid bulwarks of our advance in the Southern Pacific; while, further north, from Hong-Kong, from the coal island of Labuan, .and from the now settlements in Borneo, we now begin to invade the very haunts of primeval nature in the Indian Archipelago. British Columbia, in the temperate regions of the North Pacific, now completes our leaguer of that virgin ocean. From the east and from tlie.west alike, we liave reached and settled upon the opposite sliores of the Pacific ; and before the present century be ended, we shall see those two different streams of Anglo-Saxon migration meeting, and forming ncAv and im- portant relationships on the shores and islands of that ocean which, last discovered, seems destined to wit- ness the crowning achievements of the adventurous British race. Only five years have elapsed since the discovery of gold mines on the Fra.ser River (in 1858) first Ijcgan to raise Victoria now the capital of Vancouver Island, from an unimportant station of the Hud- son Bay Company, into a flourish- ing commercial town. Then it was that the British territory beyond the Rocky Mountains was taken from the jurisdiction of the Hud- son Bay Company, and formed into a colony, by the statesmanlike foresight and able superintendence of Sir E. B. Lytton, then Colonial Minister. That was a wise step in every respect. The discovery of the gold deposits was attracting a medley throng of not very scrupu- lous immigrants, whose influx ren- dered necessary an eflScient execu- tive, in order to prevent the colony from falling into anarchy. A mo- derately strong government Avas called for to prevent any mischiev- ous attempts at "annexation" on the part of the American immi- grants from Oregon and California. It was needed also to assist and direct the nascent energies of the l(i3479 698 British North America. [Dec. colony in the course best suited to secure for it the prosperous future to which its advantages of position and resources entitle it to asi)ire. The aspect of Vancouver Island, as the emigrant approaches it from the sea, is not very inviting in a utilitarian point of view. The is- land, which is 270 miles long, by 40 to 70 in breadth, consists of a mass of rounded, and in some parts rocky hills, densely covered with sombre forests of pine. The native Indians say that there are level tracts in the interior, and also a line of water communication (some- what resembling the Caledonian Canal) right through the island ; but so far aa has yet been ascer- tained by actual survey, it is at the southern end of the island, around A'^ictoria, that the chief portion of comparatively level land is to be found. There tlie soil is unques- tionably good, and well repays the cultivator. But it is its liarbours, its favourable position for maritime commerce, and its minend wealth, which constitute tlie peculiar value of the island. Coal-mines of con- siderable extent and fair quality Lave already begun to be worked at Nanaimo, not far from Victoria ; and it is believed that this invalu- able mineral is to he found in vari- ous other parts of the island. Ilich mines of copjier have also been found ; and the presence of iron has also been noticed, althougli it is impossible as yet to say to what extent this metal exists in a state that will repay the cost of extrac- tion. Another native production, wliich will for a long time to come be valuable to the colony, is the supi)lie3 abundant and furnishes the for masts and for buikUug purposes. There is a good deal of oak also, but for the most part of a stunted kind. The na- tural liarbour of Victoria is not first-rate, and cannot at present admit ships which draw more than seventeen feet of water ; but three miles off, at Esquimalt, tliero is the finest natural harbour on the whole timber, which store of fuel, finest material American coast of the Pacific, from Behring's Straits to Cape Horn. At present, and without the slight- est artificial improvement, ships of tlie heaviest tonnage can unload close to tlie rocks. " Esquimalt," says Captain Barrett-Lennard, him- self a sailor, " possesses a splen- did harbour — consist'ng, properly speaking, of two liarbours, each of which is capable of receiving vessels of the largest tonnage, even to the Great Eastern herself. A whole fleet might here find secure anchor- age." It is now the station of the Pacific sr^uadron ; and, as Dr Ilat- tray, 11. N., suggests, it might bo made, with great advantage to the service, the sanatorium of our squad- ron in the China seas. Indeed, there is nmch to be said in favour of making Esquimalt the head- quarters of both sections of the fleet which we maintain in the Pa- cific ; and probably it will become so as soon as a direct overland com- munication is established between Canada and British Columbia. It is also the best station for whalers in the North Pacific, being much nearer their scene of operations than San Francisco, whither tiiey at present resort. Ilich fisheries of cod, herring, &c., exist along the coasts and in the seas adjoining the island, which ere long will furnish valuable produce for export. Sailing through the Strait of Fuca, and winding in a semicircle round the southern end of Van- couver Island for two hundred miles, we find ourselves in the Gulf of Georgia (as the arm of the sea is called which lies between the is- land and the mainland of British Columbia), opposite the mouth of the Eraser Iliver ; and proceeding fifteen miles up the river, we ar- rive at New Westminster; the capi- tal of British Columbia, occupying a commanding and well-chosen po- sition on the north bank. Steam- ing seventy-two miles further up the river, we come to the town of Hope, and fifteen miles beyond that to Yale, which is the terminus of the steamboat navigation ; for im- i*r. w :^.:siK».?.; t.M'hm.ri^':: [Dec. :ific, from pe Horn, be sligbt- :, abips of a unload iiuiniiilt," mrd, biin- a splen- properly 3, eacb of .ng vessels i^eu to the A wbole re anchor- ion of the i Dr Hat- might bo age to the our squad- Indeed, in favour the head- is of the in the Pa- ill become rland com- d between nnbia. It or whalers jing much operations litber they isheries of along the loining the ill furnish ort. Strait of semicircle of Van- hundred n the Gulf of the sea een the is- of British mouth of proceeding er, we ar- ; the capi- occupying chosen po- Steani- urthcr up town of jyond that rmiuus of for iui- 1862.1 British North A merica. G99 mediately above that town the river liiis to force a passage thrc ^gli the low mountain range which skirts the coast, and between which sind tlie Kooky Mountains lies the basin of the Fraser Iliver and its tribu- taries. This basin is called the " Up- per Fraser" (the " Lower Fra.ser" being the shorter portion of the river whicli reaches from Yale downwards), constituting the north- ern portion of the province, and containing the great pastoral and agricultunil portion of British Co- lumbia. Anotlier distric*- which affords scope for agriculture and pasturage lies in the south-eastern part Gi* the province, around the upper waters of tlie Columbia or Oregon Hiver — the subsequent course of which stream is through American territory. The great attraction of British Columbia at present, we need hardly say, is its gold and silver mines — the former of which are probably the most valuable in tlie world. The famous " C!ari- boo Diggings " are four hundred miles up the Fraser River ; and as there are few roads, even of the rudest kind, yet made, and the track lies through a densely ■wooded country and over the rocky heights of the coast range, they are all but inaccessible to the majority of emigrants. A perfect rush of immigrants took place from Cali- fornia in 1848, when gold Avas first discovered in the Fraser Iliver ; Han Francisco, we are told, appeared almost deserted ; but the greater part of those immigrants rushed back again almost as fast as they came. It was not that gold was scarce — on the contrary, every year richer diggings are being found ; but there was no means of transit, and provisions, even tlumgh selling at exorbitant prices, were hardly i)ro- curable. These obstructions to the working of the gold-fields continue in formidable force at the present time. The price of labour is so high, and the force at the disposal of the executive is so small, that road-making can only proceed at a slow pace. Provisions too, although no longer at an exorbitant price at Victoria, are still exceedingly scarce and excessively dear in all the re- gion of the " Upper Fraser," so that tlie small capital of the emigrant is often exhausted before he can fairly begin work at the diggings. Those dilHcultios it is, and not the climate or any deficiency of the mines, which have driven away so many intending settlers, and given rise to so many bitter complaints. The (piestion of climate and soil, in regard to Vancouver I.sland and British Columbia, is one of the first importance ; and it is also one upon which a remarkable diversity of opi- nion has been recently expressed. Within the last few months no less than three books have been publish- ed on British Columbia — one by Mr Macdonald, late of the Ciovernment Survey Staff of that colony ; another by Dr ]{attray, K.N., who dates his preface from Ksriuimalt, the station of our Pacific squadron ; and the third by Captain Barrett-Lennard, who made a yacht voyage round Vancou- ver Island, and thereafter journeyed to Cariboo. The first of these gen- tlemen, who must have ample per- sonal experience, but who givei no statistics, pours out an anathema against the whole region, and warns every intending settler to betake himself elsewhere. Dr Rattray, on the other hand, speaks highly of tlie climate of both colonies, and, while pointing out the small extent of arable land in Vancouver Island, speaks confidently of the pastoral and agricultural resources of British Columbia. Captain Barrett-Lennard expresses similar opinions. " In the interior of liritish Columbia," he says, " are vast tracts of great fertility, capable of conversion into the finest agricultural and pastoral lands. . . . There are extensive open districts of the finest grazing land imaginable, capable of sup- porting innumerable herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. . . . The cli- mate is remarkably healthy and bracing, and the air pure. As we advance into the interior, we find ^imm?*^9S9m!^^''^^^^w^ :■■ J>' ■:.v':s'J^ 700 liritUh North America. [Dec. the cold, during winter, increase in intensity ; at the same time the cli- mate is less moist, and less subject to sudden and frequent changes than on the coast. This being the case, it will naturally be inferred that, with a corresponding excel- lence of .soil, any of the ordinary household vegetables grown in England may be raised here. That this is the actual fact I can testify from personal experience." These remarks apply to British Columbia, the climate of which is infe- rior to that of Vancouver Island ; but speaking of the climate of both colonies, lie says, " The extremes of heat and cold are seldom felt to be at all inconvenient; and there are, I apprehend, few parts of the world in which the Englishman will find a climate more reseml>ling his own.'' Dr Rattray, who gives tables of ela- borate statistics, says that the cli- mate is fully eciual to that of the south of England, and that the health of our crews on the station is even better than at home. The mean annual temperature of Vic- toria is a shade higher than that of New York, ten degrees higher than that of Quebec, and seven degrees higher than that of Tor- onto. The climate of Vancouver Island, moreover, is remarkably agreeable, and is totally exempt from the extremes of heat and cold which characterise that of Cana- da. As Dr Rattray's opinion car- ries weight from his profession- al position in the colony, and is sub- stantiated by irrefragable statistics, as well as by the independent testi- mony of Captain Barrett-Lennard, we cannot but accept it as the tnie statement of the case, and must dis- miss Mr Macdonald's as thoroiighly unreliable. The size of Vancouver Island is only one-fourth that of England and Wales, but the adjoining territory of British Columbia is nearly twice as large as the United Kingdom : so that those sister colonies (which it would be well to unite into one) are together fully twice the size of tha British Isles, In climate, as we have seen, they closely resemble the Britisii Isles ; like the mother country, also, they are unusually rich in minerals ; and in almost every respect they occupy the sjime position on the western .side of the New World, as England does on the western side of the Old. The chief obstacle which obstructs the rapid growth of these new colonies is their great distance from England and the other countries from which settlers may be expected to come. It is farther from England to liritish Columbia by Cape Horn, than it is from England to Hong-Kong by the Cape of Good Hope, It is this farthest route which regulates the accessibility of the colony, for the only shorter one at present in use (across the Isthmus of Panama) is considerably more expensive. What is wanted — what is indispenstible to the growth of our colonies on the Pacific, and their continuance in allegiance to the British Govern- ment — is an overland route from the Canadas. When speaking on this subject a year ago, Sir E. B. Lytton stated that, had he continued in office, it wtxs his intention to have formed new settlements in the re- gion between Lake Superior and the Rocky Mountains, where as yet the Red River Settlement stands alone. These settlements would have been the piers, .as it were, of a line of communication bridging over the vast solitudes which now sepa- rate Western Canada from British Columbia, and binding together all our North American provinces, from the mouth of the St Lawrence to the shores of the Pacific. How aeing Portland, in the State of Maine. As the navigation of the Gulf of St Lawrence is impracticable dur- ing the winter months, the line of steamers subsidised (to the amount of :£104,000 a-year) by the Cana- dian Government to ply between Galway and Quebec, has to sail to this American port during winter. Tl'is is an unsatisfactory arrange- ment, and we are glad to hear that it is about to be superseded by a better one. A new line of railway (called the Intercolonial Ivailway) is about to be constructed from Canada to the Atlantic, which shall run entirely through British tcrri- tority, and shall have its terminus at Halifax ; and as soon as it .shall be completed, the Canadian line of steamers will run to Halifax all the year round, instead of alternately to Portland and Quebec. With the view of aiding the British Provinces in the formation of this new line of com- munication with the mother ccmn- try, it is reported that the British Government has resolved to relieve the Canadian Government to the extent of four-fifths (.£84,000) of the postal subsidy which it pays to the line of steamers ; and also pro- mise that, as soon as the Interco- lonial Railway is completed, they will pay tlie entire subsidy. Canada is well satisfied with this arrange- ment ; for as soon as the new scheme comes into effect, she will secure an annual saving of £84,000, which will not only pay her propor- tion of the interest on the cost of >elk^». ..!>>.,.. 702 British North America. [T)qc. the niilway during construction, but Iciivc ii baliincc in her favour of i,'34,()()0 n-year ; and when the railway is conii)lcted, that balance will become ^54,()0('. In dealing thus generously, liowcver, her Ma- jesty's Ministers nro killing two i)irils with one stone ; because, under the new arrangement, the Galway line of steamers (from which the Government so scurvily witiidrew the subsidy in the spring of 18(U) is to replace the present Canadian line, and be restored to its old position.* Whenever this new arrangement is i)crfected by the completion of the Intercolonial lluilway, we shall have a direct com- munication with Canada, through our own territories, all the year round ; whereas at present, in the event of a war with the Americans, it is hardly possible for us to for- ward troops into Canada during the winter months. But the new railway cannot be constructed in a day, and we fear that if war is coming, it will be upon us long before we can avail ourselves of this new line of communication. The frontier of the advancing line of British settlements in West- ern Canada is not yet half-way round Lake Huron, and is conse- quently still separate 1 by a long distance from Lake Superior. The American States go far beyond the western end of that great lake, even to the head-waters of the lied lliver, which interlace with those of the Mississippi in the State of ^Minnesota. All the British side of Lake Superior is wilderness, and even on the southern, or American, shore, it is only at a comparatively few points that lunnan settlements interrupt the solitude of the pri- meval Avo(»ds. Tiio surpassingly rich veins of copper wiiicli abound on the American side of the lake have attracted various mining com- l)auies io this region ; but as yet the scene gives little sign of the throng of civilised life wiiich will ere long people the shores of that great inland sea. The Americans, however, with that "go-ahuad" spirit which distinguishes tiiem, foresee well wliat is coming; and at the western end of the lak e two cities are already planned, which compete with one another for the ho. jur of becoming the future capital of the region. We say " planned," for that is really all that has yet been accomplished : but planned they are most care- fully, and streets and (juays arc marked out to occupy ground tliat is at present covered by the shal- low waters of the bay. This en- croachment on the watery domain is a favourite procedure of the Americans ; the streets of San Francisco, for example, liave been carried far out into the bay, and houses and shops now stand where ships used to lie when unloading. Up to the head, or western ex- tremity, of Lake Superior, as we have shown — and, indeed, as every one knows — an admirable line of communication exists witii the At- lantic. And, great as is the import- ance of railways, we do not think that it would serve any important * It is deeply to be rcgi-cttod that the Galway lino should have become a i)arty question through the factious policy of the Whigs, who grudged that Ireland should owe so great a boou to a Conservative Government. We regard the establisliment of a great port on the western coast of li-eland, with a line of magiiifieont steanjers (such as the Company is ready to ])lace upon the line) from thence to America, as not merely an act of common justice to Ireland, but as by far the most promising means of regenerating that liackward country. To set agoing a stream of traflic to and from England through the heart of Ireland, is the only effectual means of breaking up that torpor, indolence, and savagery which still cling to the population of the western and south-western districts of the island: the natural fruits of which unhappy condition of affairs may be seen iu the frightful agrarian outrages wliich have once more become so freijuent, as well as in those extraordinary faction-feud8 of which Arclibishop Leahy has recently given us one instance, with the actual sta- tistics of the bloody crimes which it has produced. [Doc. American, jiinitively ttloineiits tho i)ri- passiiiKly ii iibouiid tho lake iiiiig corn- lit i\H yet ;ii of tlio liicli will js of tliat inericaii.s, jo-ahead" es tlium, ling; and lake two ;d, which !!• for the 10 future Wo say really all iiplished : lost carc- [juays arc ound that ' the shal- This en- ry domain e of the of San lave been bay, ajid iiid where iloading. Dstern cx- or, as we , as every line of ;h the At- 10 import- not tiiink important lino a ]>arty ' mil sliould ;iil)lishinent nt stfiiiners Aincnca, as t promising 1)1' traflic to 1 iiK.'ivns of population ts of which agos which jtioii-feuds ai'.tual sta- 1862.1 lintish North A merica. '03 ]turpose to extend the Grand Trunk Line much further. ]5ctweon tiie western terminns of the railway and the further end of Lake Supe- rior the water-communication is .so ample and good that the Canadians may dispense with a railway for a good while to come. It is beyond Lake Superior that the difficulty arises, and that the Canadian Uov- ernmcnt will have to put forth all its spare energies and resources. The very first step beyond Lake Superior l)rings us face to face with a dilHcuIty, which gives rise to a most awkward and embarras.s- ing i)()sition of affairs. Looking at the map, we see that a river flowing straight from the west falls into tho lake at its upper end ; and it ap- pears as if one could easily ascend that river to three small lakes which arc connected by its course, and tlius proceed by a direct route through ]5riti.sli territory to the lied lUver Settlement adjoining Lake Winnipeg. ]}ut such, it would seem, is not the case. The country between Lake Superior and Lake AVinnii)eg is said to present many difliculties ; no road of any kind leads westward from our side of Lake Superior ; and the Ked Eiver Settlement is, so far as regards a route through ]5ritish territory, en- tirely i.solated from the Canadas and our provinces on the Atlantic. In order to proceed from Canada to the lied River Settlement, wo must make a detour southward into the American States, to St Paul, on the head-waters of the Mississippi, and then northwards down the Ked liiver, which flows into Lake Win- nipeg. Although this route by St I'aul is unciuestionably the easiest, seeing that the country between our frontier and St Paul is very level, and that steamboats carry goods and passengers down the lied liiver — still there could be little difficulty in making a good road straight from Lake Supe- rior to the lied liiver Settle- ment : and such a road is greatly needed, to unite that settlement with Western Canada, instead of leaving it wholly isolated, and de- jtendent almost for its very exist- ence upon its communication with the American territory. On the expiry of the Hudson P>ay Company's Charter in 18,^!>, when the discovery of gold on the I'raser liiver led to the establish- ment of Vancouver Island and Prit- ish Columbia as colonies of the Crown, a controversy arose .as to whether lied liiver Settlement and the territories of the Saskatche- wan, which extend for a thousand miles between Lake Superior and the new colonies beyond the Pocky Mountains, should not also 1)0 taken from the jurisdiction of the Hudson J'ay Company, and erect- ed into a new colony. We do not think the time has come for the adoption of such a measure : Init, leaving the va.st and almost unoc- cupied territory under the govern- ment of the Company, measures should be taken, in conjunction with our American Provinces, to con- struct a good waggon-road and a line of telegraph connecting Canada with ]}ritish Columbia. On the 4 th of July last, the Duke of New- castle said that " he thought the Company should give facilities for a full postal and telegraphic com- munication between Halifax on the one side and New Westminster on the other ; " and he added that " he thought it would be po.ssible, for an expenditure of i,'100,000, to form a communication [to the new colonies] through Canada, and he believed that the journey might be brought within thirty days." Whe- ther or not the Home Government is .sleeping over the matter, we can- not say ; but it is reported that the Governments of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, have agreed to act together in this im- portant matter. Obviously they are the parties most interested in obtaining a communication with the colonies on the Pacific ; but the question, as one of Impe- rial policy, cannot be ignored by tho Home Government. There are various sums, for postal services, ?04 Jiritlsh North A mericn. [Dec. for l)rinf,'lnf,' home troops iind iii- viiluls from the racific Htiitioii, itc, which tlie CJovcniiiieiit, wu (louht not, woiikl willingly triinsfur in iiid of ti»i.s new and much shorter route. The soil and climate of the region lying between Luke Superior ami liritish Columhia are, of eonrsn, matters of great importance in de- termining the jjolicy to be pursued in regard to them. Cai)tain JJlakis- ton's report, which is characterised as admirable, even by those who are disposed to underrate the value of this region, speaks thus of the soil and productions of Red lliver Set- tlement : — " Tliu country is vory level, ami on tlu! west gelielillly (i|ii!ll. Tll('i'(! is !l ciiiisihtli degree of longitude, is unfit for settlement. This is shown in a pajier drawn uj) by I'rofcssor Ileiny, ]iublislied in the ' I'atent Ollice Jle|Kjrt for iH-'iO.' And Mr Louis lUodget, of i'liiladelphia, an eminent meteorologist, sujiports that o])inion, and jxiints (mt, in contradiction, the immense re- sources yet in store f(n- Canada on l)oth branches of the Sa.skat- chewan, to the west of lied lliver. There, he say.s, " Of the plains and woodland bi»rders the mlnohle sur- face mea.sures fully five hundred thousand sipiare miles" — or five times the extent of the whole United Kingdom. If these state- ments are correct, we may expect ere long to see a gradual influx of American settlers down the lied lliver into the Uritish territories ; while the fact that the only roads from lied lliver Settlement lead on [Dec. (KHiiro 11(1 ly wliicli )li)iiist'(l. tud pi».si- ctioiiH of illlH iiiiulu II tiinu is t.-i cdiidi- it. It is lltCst-HOt- tllU JlOdl' u(l at tlio iry of tliu il I'nis.siii iu. And to IMIli- tlic Red wan may ncod not they will ire times, of under- Tiie Anie- ,s well as Jieir own h l)ettcr, Lerritories ivenuneut ate.s .show r territory d south of I'yond the , is unfit shown iu I'rofessor ; 'Patent And Mr ilphia, an HUjjports s out, in iiensc rc- (!anada Sa.skat- ,cd 1 liver. )lain.s and 'wihle Kur- hundrcd -or five le wlujle lese state- lay expect 1 influx of the lied erritories ; Didy road.s uent lead 18G2.] into the American territory, from wiieiiee, too, the .settltuniit derives its .supplies, is not calculated to make the .settlers in that isolat- ed Itut most important re;,'ion very zealous of their nationality. From the lied liivcr Settlemcnit to the frontier of i5ritisli ColuniUia, on the west of the Uocky Moun- tains, is nearly nine hundred miles. K\eei»t in winter, the Journey may be made by water all the way up to the f((otof the lloeky .Mountains. Tlie J{ed liiver, upon which there are steamboats, run.s into Lake Winnijie;,', at its .•^outh-eastern end ; and at the opposite end of the lake is the mouth of the Sa.skateiiewan, a river nearly as lar;;o as the Mis- souri, and njjon V Iv I broad stream, Avliicii i)arts into a nortiierly and a soutl' .'v branch, canoes can reach the iioeky Mountains at seve- ral i)oints. Steamboats will .soon take the place of canoes on this great stream. The country between Lake Winnipeg and the lloeky Mountains is very level, and unin- ter.sected by any hill-ran<;es; so that both the navigation of tlie river, and the i)r()cess of road-making, present a mininnim of ditlieulties. Although the Saskatchewan will i)e of great use by-iuid-by for the trans- port of heavy goods, the fact that its stream Is frozen during the win- ter months necessitates the con- struction of a good waggon-road for travelling parties, and also for tfie mail express. A line of telegraph may .siniultaneously be constructed at a trifling cost. These things can easily be done, and will l)e done. Whether, or at least when, a rail- way will be ciirried over this gnaind, we shall not attemjit to say ; \>\\t this much is established, that from the lied River Settlement to the foot of the lloeky Mountains, the country does not present a single engineering difficulty. Arrived at the lofty chain of the lloeky ^fountains, the eastern boundary of British Columbia, we find that there are a dozen passes by which the cliain may be crossed on ''.orse or foot. At the north- Jiritish North A mf.ri:ii. TOS eastern <;orner of I'ritisli Columbia, indeed, tin: mountain-chain is ho interrupted that the I'eace Uiver flows right through it ; and by luscending its stream in a canoe, Sir (Jeorge Mackenzie arrived within a U;w miles of thu ujii)er tril)Utaries of the I'Vaser iliver. This route lii;s loo niuch to the north to b(! adopted as the high- way from Red River Settlement; iiut there are eigiit jiasses more to the .soulii through whicli n high- way might be carried, and i,t, . of which, as appears from Caiti'iu I'alliser's report, are practicable for a railway. At the tiin" ('apt;iin J'alliser surveyed these i.ses, not one of them was considered by lun to bu practicable for waggons; but two moi.Jis ago we saw it itiifod that a party with sixty waggons had arrived safely on lie Colniii- bia River from Red River. There is no (piestion as to the i)rac- tical)ility of carrying a railway from Canada right through to thu I'acilic : the diilicnlty is, wliere is the money to r:ome fnin for the construction of so extensive an un- dertaking < .No doubt, nmch might be done by tlie (Jovernment con- ceding to till! <'ompany large allot- ments of land along the line, as is done by the American (iovernfnent. Rut the (jiraiid Trunk Railway has hitherto jiroved so bad an invest- ment for the original .shareholdens, though of immense value to Canada, that it will need no ordinary con- cessions from th(! (government to induce a company to undertake the enterprise. At present the most westerly juiint to which tli(! railway system lias been carried in Canada is the eastern shore of Lake Huron. From that point up i the head of Lake Superior, we think the water-com- niunicatioii might sufliee, without a railway, for muny years to come. But even if this were granted, the Ainerieans have far the start of lis. Their railway MyMtem extends from New York to St Joseph on the Mi.ssouri — in the longitude of lied lUver Settlement : ho that they 706 Jirttkh N'orth America. have lnaa U* cj/y l(i fOTni)lete an in- teruceaui/; rmU'. ihm we have. On tlie otlmr imifif ihc cf mntry >ietween fSt J<>sej;<4 fiitfi California i.s less littt'd for >i*iit.if^n('M, and presents gieater tntii(ifmiitf}( difficnlties, than tlie K'/iou h^ovt^tm UeA Iliver and Uiiti.sh i'^AmtifiH, The Americans will i)avw>w« a mi:h Ui them also, in which «a.w iht'. ^^roject of the in- tcroceajji<; i^iimvy Would at once as.su»ie a uum'. h(t\H'U\\ character. 'i'iie Ammt--fiU.^ have already es- tabli.sJiM a cliwt and tolerably good '■i,unt^n^t)t'(i^\(,f^ between St .Joseph -.iml ¥f4li Prancisco. At first they ir\M h " pony express," which trWielM the distance in about xiim. *\fi^-^ '^ H\t now they have ei^t•al;IMlil"4 sffi^e-coachcs on the routes, ^Mu-h p^,s>;es through the Morm<;H Um'iUity, and also a line of tel<.'graj|4*, m ihat telegrams can be sent tMmi Utm San Francisco to New )[(,i\i, 'fhi.^ is a great ad- vantage wM/fii ihc. American States on the ['imiif. \m^(\ over our newiy- cstabli.-^jix'/j f/t\nii'u-<^. \forcover, a l)ill hu» \it'.itii iJwtrJally passed by the UoHim t4 '/i//h itft the extension of their rail wi^y !;;}rstf.rr, to the Tacific. " 'J'Jie \n\\ Ut('tr*mpany by five i:onnim^)t)imn 'f \itth\\c lands are [Dec. granted, and public credit I<)aried to the enterprise, — the latter l. !iiiig the shape of G per cent bonds, of 1000 dollars each, running tiiirty years. The route chosen is known as the 'middle' route — namely,fn»ra Western Kansas to Western Ne- vada ; and the Government engages to concede to the railroads now in course of construction through Kan- sas and California such aids an may be necessary to their comjile- tion. And, as a return for Hucli subsidies and grants, the tisiial pre- ference is to bo given to the Gov- ernment in the transmission of troops and material, and in the use of the telegrai>h, which the coni- ])any is also required to construitrcHent interest are not neutral- ised by sympathies and feelings in- herited from the past, — and where, n)oreover, the population of the ad- joining states are virtually of the same race. In the Old World, the geographical boundaryof mostof the states is determined by the great mountain-chain which, under vari- ous names — Pyrenees, Alps, Bal- kan, Caucasus, Hindoo-Koosh, and Jlinialayas, with their nameless continuation forming the north- ern frontier of Burma and Siam — runs latitudinally across the continents from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In the New World the case is exactly the reverse, 'i'hcre, tlie great mountain- chain runs longitudinally from north to south, se{)arating, by a well-marked line and almost impassable bound- ary, the narrow region on the Paci lie from the rest of the American continent. In regard to California, this separation is increased by a broad tract of desert, lying be- tween the Sierra Nevada and the Jlocky Motmtains, and extending from the Mormon city of Utah southward to the banks of the river Uila, which is the present boundary between the Americans ajid Mexico. Upper California, the country now possossed by the Ain(;rican3, is not separated by any natural boundacy from Lower (.'alifornia, which forms a very long and narrow peninsida, separated from the rest of Mexico by the Oulf of California. Neither it nor the, |)rovince of Sonora, which lies on tile eastern shore of the CulF, has any communication with the rest of Ml ico except by sea — that is to say, by the roundabout route of the Isthmus of Panama : for tlie province of Sonora lies to the west of the Sierra Madre, the main chain of the Cordillera ; and, al- though there is a good pass (called La Canada de Guadalupe) in the sierra, the country is so mountaiu- ous between that point and the capital, that no regular communi- cation is kept up. The Americans, beyond doubt, will ere long annex these outlying provinces. In this case at least, politics will follow where geography points the way. Both Sonora and Lower California abound in the precious metals. In Sonora especially the gold and sil- ver mines are remarkable for their number and for the richness of their ores. Large deposits of coal, also, are said to exist in the north-west- ern part of California. The popu- lation of these provinces is so scanty as to be hardly worth tak- ing into account. La Paz, the capital of Lower California, hardly contains three hundred inhabitants. If Ave add Lower California and Sonora to Upper California, Ore- gon, and the Wa«hington Territory, we shall have a region extending along the shores of the Pacific for two thousand miles, from the btraits of San Juan de Fuca to Cape St Lucas (the southern point of Lower California). This state, backed by a vast supply of the precious metals, would become the leading power in the northern Pa- cific ; San Francisco would become the emporium of the China trade, which would go thence by the over- land route to New York and Europe ; aTid the numerous and surpassingly beautiful and fertile islands of the Ar.'^hipelago would have their des- tinies shaped by this great White State of Western America. In such circumstances, would there not be the strongest inducement for Brit- ish Columbia to unite herself with this great state ! Possessing excel- lent resources, which she has not the capital to work — unconnected with tlie other British provinces, cither by railway or l)y a commu- nity of administrative interest — de- pendent, moreover, for almost every- thing on the overland railway from San Francisco — would British Co- 708 British North America. [Dec. lumbia not willingly exchange her position as a feeble and isolated dependency of a far-distant Crown, for the sake of becoming an integ- ral part of the great empire state of the Pacific 1 We may expect to witness changes more immediate, and certainly not less influential in affecting the for- tunes of our British provinces, in the v.ast territories lying to the east of the Rocky Mountains. A dismemberment of the American Union is regarded as certain by every impartial observer in this country. Even among the North- ern States there are many who now look forward to that issue as inevit- able. The mercantile classes of New York, whose interests made them cHpc(!ially desirous to restore the Union in its integrity, and whose wishes made them cling to the be- lief that such a restoration was prac- ticable, are now abandoning the hope. The South, they see, will not only succeed in establishing its independence, but will not on tiny terms enter into a new Union of which the New England States shall be members. These States, and the States of the South, are opposed to each other alike in feel- ings and in interests. Neither will ever have anything to do with the other. If the Union could be re- esta])lished, we believe a majority of the Northern States would 7iow repudiate the policy of Abolition, and enact a Fugitive Slave Law more stringent than before. ]»ut that could not now suffice. The ((Uestion, therefore, is, will the States of the North-west continue to make common cause with the Atlantic States, or will they not 1 If they do hold together at the close of the contest, it can only be on the condition that the Atlantic States abandon the Morrill Taritf, their stringent system of protection forthebenefitof their m.anufactures. At the present moment there is a strong desire in America to re- duce the dismemberment of the Union to a minimum ; and it is possible that the Union may be reconstituted, minus the New Eng- land States. If this were done,, the South, the North-west, and the Pacific States, would still hold together; although, with the ex- ample of disruption once set, we think such an arrangement would not last long. The States of the North-west, of the South, and of the Pacific, have no solid bonds of union. There is this much, indeed, in their favour, that they are di- vided by no bitter enmity and an- tagonism of spirit, such as separates the South and the New England States ; and, moreover, they would be in perfect accord as regards com- mercial policy, each being influenced by its circumstance.! in favour of free trade. Nevertheless, it is more probable, once the disruption is fairly accomplished, that these dif- ferent sections of the old Union will establish themselves as separ- ate, though not rival, states. Provinces which are opposed in interests to one another may long remain in grumbling union if there be no means of either improving its position by a change. But unhap- pily for the Northern States, the provinces which form their eastern and western extremities are pre- cisely those wliich might most easily and naturally make a change in their allegiance. At tiie eastern end we find the State of Maine, jutting so far into British America that it is almost enclosed by it, and lying on the highway by which British trade and influence pass to and fro. Portland is at present the sole port of the Canadas in winter time, and at all times it will con- tinue to be the most direct route to the ocean. Such a position might tell in our favour, in the event of great changes in eastern America. At the western end, again, we find the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, bordering on the great lakes, from which there is a line of magnificent water-carriage for tlie bulky produce of those corn-growing countries down the St Lawrence to the sea ; while a more expeditioas mode of transit will 1862.] also be ( Trunk I three hi west, we municat Mississi] and St I envelope it may al State. ' North-wi ern State Mississii I and Eun most chi line of tl Large as geogn not barr peoples, 1 of union which CO j.-arties n; ates. Tl line of t rence. ] system d territory, centre an I ted to bee * racy com I fringe iti I to be a li I opposite I Nornuis 1 where Bi ' ed. We I out the i and com s Settleme I road to I which CO * plies fror with, th Two year of matte considera tlement; matters increase interests Settlemei place; bi continue cat ^ositi its allegiii importan fmm mmfm. [Dec, New Eng- done.. the and the itill hold li the ex- ;e set, we eiit would tea of the ,h, and of i bonds of ill, indeed, ey are di- ty and an- 3 separates V England hey would gards coni- influenced favour of , it is more ruption is ; these dif- old Union 3 as separ- ites. opposed in r may long ion if there 1 proving its lint unhap- States, the icir eastern 33 are pre- light most ce a change the eastern of Maine, jh America d by it, and by which mce pass to ircsent the s in winter it will con- ect route to iition might le event of rn America, jiiin, we find Wisconsin, ing on the tiiere is a iter-carriage of those down the St hile a more transit will 1862.] also be open to them by the Grand Trunk Railway. In truth, for these three largo States of the North- west, we think the best line of com- munication with the sea is not the Mississippi, but the line of the lakes and St Lawrence. Michigan is so enveloped by those inland seas, that it may almost be called a maritime State. Tlie best customers of the North- western Statos arc, the South- ern States, which are reached by the Mississippi and its tributaries, — and Europe, which can be reached most cheaply and directly by the line of the St Lawrence. Large rivers, however convenient a3 geographical boundary-lines, are not barriers of severance between peoples, but points of contact, bonds of union — common ground, upon which common interests make both j.arties meet as friends and associ- ates. This is especially true of the line of the lakes and the St Law- rence. Lying as that great water- system does within a noble basin of territory, of which it is at once the centre and the highway, it is more fit- ted to become the heart of a confede- racy composed of the States which fringe its shores, than to continue to be a line of demarcation between opposite sentiments and allegiance. Nor must we overlook another point where British interests are concern- ed. We have previously pointed t)ut the peculiar isiilated position and condition of the lied River Settlement ; which has not a single road to connect it with Canada, and which conscfjuently derives its sup- plies from, and carries on its trade with, the North-western States. Two years ago, we know, this state of matters had served to produce considerable discontent in the set- tlement; and every year (as long as matters remain as they are) must increase the influence of American interests and feelings. Red River Settlement is as yet but a small l)lace ; but it is growing, and will continue to grow; and its geographi- cal fiosition renders the retention of its allegiance a matter of the utmost importance to the whole of British British North A merica. 709 languish which America. It is the connecting-link between the Canadas and British Columbia; it is the embryo of a state which will, ere long, spread over the wide and fertile plains watered by the Assinaboine and Saskatchewan ; and if it were at- tracted towards the North-western American States, British i** merica would thereby be cut right in two. Instead of a noble empire, extending from the mouth of the St Lawrence to the shores of the Pacific, we should be stopped short at the western end of Lake Superior; and British Columbia would as an isolated province, neither could nor would remain long in our possession, — but which would be welcomed with acclama- tion as a new member of the Ame- rican Confederacy of the Pacific. We beg it to be observed that we are not making predictions, but pointing out tendencies. No one can tell as yet the exact form and condition in which the States of the American Republic will emerge from their present convulsion. Whether the Union will be restored, for a time, on its old basis, 7nutus the New England States; orwhether it will split up at once into four great sections ; or whetlier some intermediate course will be at first adopted — we do not presume to fore- cast. And until that be determined, it is impossible to calculate the nature of the influence whicli this disruption will have upon the ad- joining British provinces. But this disruption, in its ultimate con- sequences, will aS'ect the fortunes of every State and Government in North America. The disrupted parts will seek to strengthen them- selves by entering into new combi- nations. And the result will pro- bably be, either that some of the American Staics will be attracted towards union with our provinces, or that some of our provinces will bo attracted towards union with them. The rival States on the opposite shores of the Lakes and the St Lawrence will soon find themselves engaged in a game like 710 Jlritish North America. that well known to sclioolboys, of pulling each other, in friendly or unfriendly fashion, across the score. And whichever i)rove the stronger and the more firmly united will Rain at the expense of the other, llecent events, by weakening the American States, and discrediting the American principles of govern- ment, have turned the tables very much in our favour. But it must not be too readily inferred that the danger of disruption is removed from British America, amidst tlie changes impending to the south of the St Lawrence. It is only by timeous speculation — by reasonable ini rences from events — that we can pre])are for occurrences which for good or ill must exercise a mighty influence upon the fortunes and destiny of our nascent empire in Northern America. And the best and most assured of all remedies for possible dangers, as well as the most promising means to reap the possible benefits which may accrue to our American provinces in con- sequence of the disruption of tlie Union, is, to draw together all our provinces in the bonds of confedera- tion. If our scattered provinces and settlements were linked to- gether in a Federation — united as well as possible by roads and rail- ways — they would not only keep together, but would probably draw towards them in friendly union some of the wavering States of the disrupted and crumbling Union. Now is the time when such a pro- ject could be most favourably ad- vanced. Not only the danger from without, but the project of the " intercolonial railway " from Can- ada to Halifax, and the obvious importance of extending telegraphic coniniunication overland to British Columbia, have recently drawn all our provinces into harmonious feel- ing and united action. Nor has their loyalty to the British Crown ever before been so steady and pervading. We say nothing at pre- sent of the likelihood of their being willing to have a Prince of our Royal Family at the head of their [Dec. 1802.] State. Tliat must bo left to the provinces themselves. But at least let our Government, by those means which every Government can em- ploy, make it understood by the provinces that a project of Confe- deration which promises so many advantages will receive every en- couragement from the Crown. Such an arrangement, if our provinces are to remain independent of the Americans, will ere long become a necessity. Such a confederation, too, is indispensable to the prosecu- tion of the great works now required for opening up the central portion of Britisli America, and establishing communication witli our provinces in the Pacific. And would it not gratify the feelings, as well as pro- mote the material advantage of tlie colonists ? Would it not open to them a career, which no mere pro- vince can ever oifer — honours and offices to which British Americans may legitimately aspire, but whicJi are at present beyond their reach { A wide field and full scojjc best content the ambitious, who delight in public life, and satisfy the multi- tude, who, while unaspiringly look- ing on, feel that they too might go in for prizes if tliey liked. We cannot open to them tlic British Senate, — but let us aid them in establishing a united Government of their own, which shall link to- gether all the provinces in a grand and growing empire, Avliich shall extend across America from eea to sea, affording a high career to every one who desires it, and rendering stable and self-reliant against every attack the future of British power in North America. Tlie fortunes of the British Ame- rican provinces are mainly in their own keeping. Downing Street may suggest, but it is for the colonies to act. The nation at homo gives them hearty sympathy; and if they play their part well, the Govern- ment will not leave them in the lurch. If they have little capital for the promotion of public works, they have immense tracts of land to employ instead. All of us last ■sunimorv C/'anadian |ous of th( dent in i> refused t and as y repair th |indecd — 1 las nuich iprovidiufj 'colonies ^ Avould ail . ;Governmi J case : wc ; Canadian I gallant p I flows mo _ their phy i better pre ' temperate ; of any otl I extended j l)()ssess a] make the tion. Le tunities \ long their a vast em Atlantic t its heart seas whic constitutt I New Wor ■f Of cou \ pointed I The do« I Union m I i)roduce ; America I whether I cd with I stood by are not o iudifi'eren to do, \\ ] colonial tion of ni in favour wards the S cast them oonmiend the procc hardly that of a his leg f rt The cone trinaire, VOL, X( 11 m. ^^•■fp^yi^ti i^''mjpj&ij [Dec. left to the But at least ;liose means iiit can eni- ood by the !t of Confe- es ao many e every eu- rown. Such r provinces (lent of the g become a n federation, the prosecu- ,o\v required tral portion establishing ir provinces onld it not well as pro- ntage of the not open to 10 mere pro- lonours and Americans but which their reach I I scoi)e best who delight fy the multi- liringly look- ;oo might go liked. We tlic British lid them in Government liall link to- 3 in a grand which shall from sea to ireer to every id rendering igainst every kitish power British Amc- inly in their ig Street may the colonies ; home gives ; and if they the Govern- them in the little capital lublic works, racts of land dl of us last |18()2.] Isummer were disappointed with the iCanadians. Instead of being jcal- ious of their independence, and pru- f dent in i>reparing for defence, they I refused to adopt the ^lilitia Bill, and as yet have done nothing to repair tlie error. We understand, indeed — the Governor-General said ■|as nuich lately — that a measure Iproviding for the defence of the Icolonics was in' preparation, whicli :|would amply satisfy the Imperial .iGovernmeiit. We hope sucli is the |case : we expect no less of tlie I Canadians. Tiiey are a noble and I gallant people : tlie British blood lllows more purely in their veins, ■ their physi';al constitution has been better preserved by their moist and ' temperate climate, than in the case ] of any other section of our widely extended race. We believe they possess all tlie qualities fitted to make tliem a great and noble na- tion. Let them use tlieir oppor- tunities wisely and well, and ere long their territories Avill grow into a vast empire, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and having its heart on those great inland seas which in tlieir aggregate mass I constitute tlie Mediterranean of the I New World. 'i Of course the issue, as we have I i)ointcd out, may be difierent. I The downfall of the American I Union may, by its indirect elforts, I produce disruption also of British I America. Tiiat depends upon I whether sue result is reganl- I cd with inilitl'orence, or is with- I stood by timeous measures. We are not of those who regard with indittereiice — still less, as some seem to do, mtii jealous dislike — our colonial empire. Even as a ques- tion of material advantage, we are in favour of a generous policy to- wards the colonies. The proposal to •; cast them adrift has nothing to re- I command it save the simplicity of I the process : a simiilioity, however, hardly more commendable than that of a man who should cut ott' his leg from impatience of his corns. The conception is that of a Doc- trinaire, not of a Statesman, Let VOL. XCII. — NO. DLXVI. British XoHh Amei'ica, 11 us ask, moreover, does it not seem strange, at the present day, that the whole talk should be of Separation ? Can tiie statesmanship of England rise to no higher concejition than that of political destruction ? Have we become enamoured of that most un-English policy — of that special characteristic of the revolutionary force, which destroys but cannot reconstruct'} When political ar- rangements made for one condition of affairs becjome out of place owing to an alteration of circumstances, can British statesmen imagine no better policy than summarily to overthrow the old regime, and leave it thenceforth in ruins — or utterly sweep it away, without a thought of replacing it by an appropriate substitute ] Are we, as England's oft'- spring come of age, ostentatiously to repudiate our parental relationship, and to cast them out of the fabric of British dominion, without hold- ing out to them the least prospect of continued relationship, or sug- gesting any means by which it may be kept up ] Is England, indeed, so very strong that she can afford to throw away the fellowship of her colonies 1 Have we also so little of the natural feelings of a common nationality as not to care whether our brethren are with us or not ? It does, indeed, seem extraordin- aiy, that a policy, based upon such sentiments and ideas, should be jcriously entertained amongst us at the present time. If England has no heart to vibrate to the senti- ment of Nationality, so vigorous on the Continent, let us at least not be blind to our own interests and to the course of events around us. What is the grand and dominating feature of European politics at the present hour 1 What is the great ]>rinciple which shapes the actions of nations, and affects the policy of governments i Is it not the principle of Nationality — the yearning and deliberate desires of politically dis- severed portions of the same race to reunite themselves in a common l3rotherhood — not merely for the indulgence of a sentiment, but aa 8b 712 British North America, [Dec. 1862.] the most eflScient means of develop- ing their progress and augmenting their power ? Do not the Scandi- navian peo[)les, on either shore of the Sound, stretch out their hands to one another, and long to be united in closer ties? Does not the entire Polish race — does not each fragment of that long-dis- severed and down-held people — mourn and clamour and strive to regain the national unity 1 Do not the Germans, in tlieir own staid slow-moving way, sho^ themselves animated by the same spirit I Wliile some English statesmen think only of terminating the already shadowy bond whicli links to- gether the various sections of the British race, does not all Germany — we speak not of the Courts but of the people — desire with heart and soul that the lax bonds which unite the separate States of tlie Fatherland; should be replaced by a system which would confer on them tlie real boon of national unity ? We need not point to Italy, where the passion for unification may be read in characters of blood ; nor to Greece and the Ionian Islands, where the same passion has long been brooding, and now begins to act. But it is interesting, as a sign of the times, to remark, that in the face of tliose projects of substantial unification, the principle of consanguinity, even in its weakest shape, is deemed wortliy of being aiijicaled to by the sagacious ruler of France as a means of drawing together the three so-called Latin races of south-western Europe — an appeal which may not be very iieart- ily responded to, but wliicli, when thus advanced on the very slender- est of grounds, indisputably reveals the importance now attached to the principle upon whicli it is based. Is the Britisli race to be the only exception to this ? When all the races of Europe — Poles and Scan- dinavians, Germans and Italians, (ireek and Latin alike — are tend- ing towards increased unity, are the British to desire only disunion and separation ] When the States of the Continent are rising into the greater magnitude and power of Race-empires, dwarfing our little isle into territorial insignificance, is England to adopt the opposite course, and cast away her natural pillars and supports? She has spread over the cartli like a gigan- tic banyan-tree, dropping shoots in every quarter of the globe, which rival in vitality the parent stem. If the mutual connection continues, every generation will witness a fresh development of the British power. In these outlying un- peopled regions of the globe the 13ritish race increases with a rapi- dity beyond the reach of the Con- tinental nations ; and every year is bringing closer the scattered sec- tions of our numerous and powei'- ful race, annihilating distances by the ever-increasing triumphs of the railway, telegraph, and steam-navi- gation. New Zealand, Australia, the Cape — in fact all our colonies, by the force of blood and the ne- cessity of position, will ere long be- come important maritime Powers. And when all otiier peoples are uniting in closer bonds, why .should not we look forward to the time when a similar result may be ac- complished by our own race, and when the maritime power of Eng- land, soon desthied to be eclipsed if England stand alone, may ac- (luire a new and augmented supre- macy by tlie formation of a Con- federacy of the free Anglo-Saxon Powers of the seal Instead of thinking only of casting oH" our numerous colonies, wliy should we not seek to group them in con- federacies, which would help them to stand alone, and in due time combine them all on equal terms with the mother country in the bonds of a mutual alliance ? Time and experiment alone can show how far such a conception is prac- ticable : many a good scheme breaks down in the course of reali^-ation. But if we attempt nothing, we ac- complish nothing. And surely this is a nobler project to strive for, a wiser end to keep in view, than to think 0) reconstr casting ( were a u It is like chi age, sho but in parental doing s{ rent, or that tlie pulsion, voluntar of mutu fcction. British its comi bated v( regard in est and i ■Mst^iimi [Dec. ! rising into e and power Sng our little usignificance, the opposite her natural 1 She has like a gigan- ing shoots in globe, which parent stem, on continues, [1 witness a the British (Utlying un- he globe the with a rapi- i of the Con- every year is icaltered sec- s and power- distances by umphs of the 1 steam-navi- d, Australia, our colonies,