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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul cliche, 11 est film6 A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcesssire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. ly errata Bd to nt ne pelure, ipon A 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 RAIL ROAD ^ Between Quebec, Montreal, Bytown, y* and Georgian Bay. ^^ GEKAT ri HLIC DHMOXSTKATIOX. Fni^dnua'wn h,/ A.M. DK LISLE nf ihr \\\ Petiiion ofilw CiH-itm^ of Moulreallo llie. f^' Common Council of MontrtHiL prdi/int^ W for aid luu'ur(h said Ilttil Kond. -d^ ^, \ SPEECH I i| Of Alexandr r Maurice Delisle, Esq., TS F in support of the above Petition. 'I I! bi;i!)(;m ox thk sr. [.awkkxci: '"" [^ OriMON or OUli KNCINKER On llio pi.-iciicaliiliiy nl" l)riiii:iiiM' Um Ollaw.i ^^^ Rail liocirl (liicctly inio llic heart ol' 1 lie ciu %j\ bv iho east side of Moiilical A!(,iiiil;iiii. l.'r — Kxtrack'd from the Mini'ieal iin-.dli- ami jVintrrc Jiewspapers, and j)iiljnshe(i hv rcMiuesi ()(' ihc ciii/ens of Montrcn!. ^3^^^- MONTREAL: W. S.\L'I'KK& Co., CKI.N'l'r.US 'J 'Tp^^dm^^''^^ CANADA PUBLIC ARCHIVES ARCHIVES PUBLIQUES rr RAILROAD Between Quebec, Montreal, BTtown, and Georgian Bay. GBEAT PUBLIC DEMONSTBATION. Presentation by A.M. DELJSLE of the Petition of the Citizens of Montreal to tht Common Council of Montreal^ praying for aid towards said Rail Road* SPEECH Of Alexander Maurice DellslO: Esq., in support of the above Petition. BBIDGE ON THE ST. LAWBENCE. OPINION OF OUR ENGINEER On the practicability of bringing the Ottawa Rail Road diiectly into the heart of the city by the east side of Montreal Mountain. Extracted from the Montreal Gazette and Min$rve newspapers, and published by request of the citizens of Montreal. W. SALTER & Co., PRINTERS- 1853 V i BAILROAD DEMONSTBATIOK. The petit* .^n of t^s Citizens of Montreal, pray- ing that the credit of the city be not given to the St. Lawren::e and Ottawa Grand Junction Rail- road Company, if that roao has not its termin'is in the hean of the City of Montreal without being " tapped'' at Lachine in the direction of the United States before reaching the City, was presented on Wednesday night last to the Municipal authorities of the city of Montreal, with great edit. The galleries and reserved seats in the lower part of the City Hall, were filled to overflowing by the most eminent Citizens and Capitalists in their anxiety to manifest th':i interest nhich they took in a case of such vital importance to the city. Ac- cording to a notice which had been given at the preceding Session, Alderman Leeming, seconded by Councillor Cuvillier. at the opening of the Ses- sion, proposed that a deputation of the citizens be received at the bar of the Council, to present a petition, and ihat a member of that deputation should bj i)ermitted lo speak to the merits of the eame. This motioji having been unanimously carried, Alderman Leeming introduced the depu- tation within the bar of the Council room, Mr. A. M. Delisle, who had been chosen as the organ of that deputation presented himself attended by Mr. M, Joseph Kby, Jacques Viger, John Molson, Jean Louis Beaudry, Dr. Wolfred Nelson, William Lunn, T. Bouthillier, J. B. Beaudry, C. T. Brault, Jacob DeWitt, Alexis Laframboise, P. Jodoiui HubettPar^, Jean Bruneau, N. B. Des- roarteau, B. Brewster, J. A. Gagnon, Alfred La- Ro^ue, P. M. Gaiarneau, G. A. Montmarquet, F. A. Brazcau, Henry Judali, John Monk, and a crowd of other Citizens, whose names have escap- ed our mejiory for the moment. Tne above list must, however, convey an idea of the importance of the occasion, a denionstration which has never been equalled since the Munici- pal incorporation of this city, and which will be gladly retnennbered when, throu»h the agency of a Railroad from Montreal, to Byto'wn,and the Geor- gian Bay, our trade will bo fostered by the pro* ducts of the boundless and fertile Ottawa, and the Lakes above, when a Railroad on the North shore will unite our Town with the cities of Three Rivers and Quebec; in a word, when the two shores of the St. Lawrence will be spanned by a bridge in front of the city. These great projects are to-day earnestly taken up by enterprizing men of Montreal. Mr. Delisle's speech, which we hasten to pub- lish here, produced a most lively impression upon his imposing auditory, and he was frequently in- terrupted by applause of the most ncarked charac- ter, whenever the slightest allusion was made to the North shore Railroad. Mr. Delisle enjoys the advantage ot speaking both languagss with facili- ty and elegance, addressed first in English and then in French language the Municipal Council. The petition having been unfolded almost reach- ed the two extremes of the apartment, and bore, we are informed, over 3,000 signatures, although it had only been circulated a few days. After the petition had been read by the City Clerk and his Assistant, Mr. Delisle rose and said Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen, — I have to thank you, in the name of my fellow citizens for the indulgence you have extended to me of addressing you this evening as the exponent of their opinions. The number ofnames append- ed to the petition murt have sufficed to make you understand that Montreal h»s but one voice just now, and that that voice is favourable to the object of the petition which we present to you. — You see before you Citizens of Montreal and high standing, who, by their presence and influence, come within to give weight to their signatures. I could wish myself more worthy of accomp- lishing the important mission with which they have honored me, and better able to repulse thott adversaries of the interests of our city, who, prompted by selfish interests, attempt to transfer them from their legitimate channel. To carry conviction to your breasts is the hon- orable distinction to which I now aspire. In presenting myself before your Honourable body, as the delegate of opinions adopttJ by Citi- zens conspicuous for their enterprise, worth, and intelligence, I am not insensible to the fact that an abler champion of the policy they advocate, might to have been selected, and that your sanc- tion of their policy they advocate must be sought inthe justice of our cause, and the lofty sense of duty by which you are animated. Every project of public importance that fosters individual wealth, nnust conduce to the prosperity of the community, but the measure of that prosper- ity is incontestibly establisht?d when it receives the stamp of Mnnicipa! authority. We are entering upon a period of unexampled animation and activity, in our social and commer- cial world, 'J'he boundless wpalth that flows m unceasing streams liom the j;olden hills of California and Australia, penetrates by its influ. ence these regions nourishing n spirit of enterprise, and facilitating the ♦^XfcuTioii of national improve- nrents, which otherwise might have languished for years. It is at such at) epoch that the outlines of future greatness, or pprmaiiPiit regret are traced, and at such a crisis every Citizon, ani^patea by a sense of honor, feels that the inter( sts cj future generations are tommiitcd to his ken ping, t-'ilence under such circumstances would deaenerale inio cowardicei and hesitation invite deceit. An issue of vital im;.oit;ince to the Citizens of Montreal has been fliscussc-d in the ptiblir journals. I biing it into yonr Municipal ilall as the legiti- mate tribunal (or judgment. The question raised is wht>ther Montreal will consent to abandon all the advantages of her posi- tion, neglect the wishes of a numerous and in- creasing agricultutal population, A* extending 75 II milea North i and sanction the diversion of a natur- al and remunerative traffic from her own streets to the village of Lachine, and the town of Piatts- burgh in the State of New York. In other words, the issue raised is, whether the Railroad to St. Andrews and Bytown, and thence, in future times, to the Georgian Bay, beyond the Ottawe shall spring from the heart of the City of Montreal, or whether it shall be merely a prolongation of the St. Louis and Province line from New York to the Ottawa. it seems hardly credible that any discussion can arise, once the relative merits of the two projects are fairly pitted against each other and stripped of all disguising verbiage. To surrender a natural and legitimate traffic in- cidental iD our geographical position to reject a lucrative oonnoction with the agriculturalists and lunrbermen of the North and to Surrender it to an Anglo American Connpany, would bespeak us ig- norant of our duty, unworthy of our position and unmindful of our obligations. The Stockholders ofihe Plattsburgh and Montreal railroad were sincere at the expense of discretion when they avowed in speaking of the St. Louis and Province line road," that your road will be of incalculable importance to the Cities of Troy, Albany and New York, by making it more fully to compete with Boston and the other Eastern Cities for the im- mense and valuable trade of the West and of the Canadas no\v finding a market in the direction." Your policy is not to aid in diverting our traffic from the City of Montreal, your policy is concen- tration, the promotion of all projects calculated to augment our Commerce, furnish occupation to the ciiiz«ns, fdcililate the conveyance of articles of necessity oi luxury, stimulate the improvement of the agiicultural and manulacturing districts and enhance the value of landed property. If you were inclined to delegate your functions to a railway company whose interests are adverse, (as I apprehend,) to our prosperity and who found- ed their claim to public confidence upon their pos- session oi the only ferry over the St. Lawrence available at all seasons of the year, are you not ia a position to dictate terms and decide the most ioi- Eortant question ever submitted for your deli- •ration, now that the Government have resolved to construct a Bridge over the St. Lawrence in front of this City. We accept the idea of a Bridge over the St. Law rence in front of Montreal a8 a settled fact, and we derive from the language of the Governor General, when introducing the toj.ic, a palpable hint to the projectors of the North Shore Railway that their strongest argument in favor of a Railroad from Quebec to Montreal, will rise vividly to sight when a bridge spans the St. Lawrence opposite Montreal. A bridge at any point lower down the •Heam, would but tap the irafFicofthe North Shore Railway and turn it South. A bridge at Quebec would extinguish the project of a North Shore rail* way lor years, if not lor ever, and cost possibly more ; but a bridge at Montreal compels the con- struction of the North Shore line in which Mon- treal has the deepest interest, and, by that route the trade and travel from Portland and the Atlan- tic Seaboard to Qui bee will flow— traversing in its course the future bridge over the St Lawrence and the most populous part of this City. The >neans necessaiy for the construction of a North Shore Railway are not beyop.d the reach of the Counties through which it would pass— if they are permitted to avail themselves of a law but late- ly introduced to promote such enterprises in West- ern Canada, a law known as " An act to establish a consolidated loan fund for Upper Canada," 16 Vic. Cap. 22, whereby any county can, through the Agency of the Receiver General by loan or debentures raise the funds requisite for any enter- prise of public utility, and thus carry i'ailway pro- jects into execution from their own resources, backed by the credit of the Province. A natural repugnance on the part of the repre- sentatives of French Canadian interests in the Provincial Parliament to expose their constituents to the temptations of speculative enterprises, when that Act was under discussion in Parliament, in- 8 h duced them to circumscribe its authority to the limits of Upper Canada. That error must be repaired at once. The Act ought rather to have included the entire Province, or been rejected as inapplicable to the intelligenca of the people. As the act novr stands, it turns the whole tide of Provincial ciedit into the chests of Upper Canada Municipalities, floating into view an endless succession of speculative schemes for which, eventually, the municipalities of Lower Canada will sha:e in the responsibility, although now denying themselves all participation in the faci'ilies which that act would confer upon them in the nrosecution of a North Shore Railway and the numerous smaller lines which might flow into it from northern directions. When we contrast the respective pretensions of the Counties scatter- ed alontj the north shore from Quebec to the Otta- wa, with the same number of Counties in Upper Canada, whose names figure in the public journ- als as applicanls tor the money facilities of the Municipal Loan Fund, — whether that contrast be founded on the score of wealth, population, extent of territory or natural resources, we are sensible of the glaring injustice of excluding Lower Canada from the operation of that fund. Every Coujity from Quebec to the Ottawa is in a position, at this momeiit, to prosecute the com- pletion of its own sect'on of such a railway were each permitled, like the Upprir Canada Cour ",es, to exchange their bonds for those of the Province. They stand free from all indebtedness at this in- ^tant, and are rich to repletion in the possession of the main elements of railway enterprise, — means, men and materials. A brief sketch of the capa- bilities and resouics of that section of the Pro- vince to which we allude may not I'e without its use, if it serve to stimulate Us population, to cast aside the apathy with which they are taunted and prompt thfm to participate in the animated dis- cussions of the railway arena. First in the list of Counties figures Quebec, with its noble and capacious harbour, its important and extensive interests, its ancient capital and magni- ficent scenery, to which touusts yearly throng in swelling numbers, its villages to the North, its timber coves to the South, and its 61,000 inhabi- tauts. Such IS the County of Quebec. Next comes the County of Portneuf exceeding in dimen- sious a German principality ; prodigal of its water power; enlivened by its saw-mills and occupied by its 19,326 inhabitants. The Counties of Champlain and St. Maurice fol- low next, partaking of the same normal features, we class them together. They are rich in mineral wealth, celebrated for the exceMence of the iron-v ure produced at the forges of the Saint Maurice, for their mineral springs, and watered by noble rivers whose banks furnished active occupation to the lumberman. The Town ot Three Rivers situated on the St. Lawrence is placed upon the margin ol these Counties and its Cathedral, for which a grant of money was voted last session, may yet be con- structed of stone conveyed by rail from the famous quarries of Terrebonne. The two Counties number 41,458. Next m ordercomesBerthier,ricl'i in agricultural products, boasting a moderate sized town and bounded in rear by hills filled with valuable timber, its popu- lation is 38,6U8. Leinster follows next equally celebrated lor its agricultural resources, and boosting (he Hawdon Railroad, the only Railway as yet constructed on the North Shore — a Railway which hereafter will serve as one of the feeders of the Grand Trunk line on the North Shore and an example worthy of imitation by the other Counties as a model of economy, skill, and native talent. The Rawdon Railway strikes from the village of Lanoraie, on the St. Lawrence, to the mountains of Rawdon in the interior, passing through a popu- lous district peopled by 29,690 inhabitants. We now arrive at the County of Terrebonne which enjoys a name indicative of the character of its soil, a character which it has honorably pre- served to the present day. This County is conspicuous for the profusion of 10 its water powers, and celebrated for the quarries from whence the materials for the construction of the Locks on the St. Ann's Canal were procured. It has some claims to a manufacturing reputation, boasting cloth mills and most extensive flouring and tannine; establishments. Its population is stated at 26 J91. The County of Montreal, including Isle Jesus, the garden of the District, and a City of 60,000 in- habitants is already far the most important on the list; but when the proposed Bridge over the St. Lawrence has been carried into effect, the geogra- phical position of this County will invest it with a permanent superiority over every other section of the Province, and the City of Mon-eal will be- come the head quarters of the British Morth Ame- rican Railway System. The population is set down at only 77,381, and It has been asserted, with a color of truth that the actual population is greater. The County of Two Mountains bounds the County of Montreal to the North, it contains boundless water powers, extensive mills, and se- veral large villager, and a wealthy farming inter- est,— its population is 30,470, — and is bounded on the North by the Ottawa County, the largest in the Province, ex'.ending along the banks of the River Ottawa for several hundred miles, and dis- tinguished, above all other places, for its bound- less ibrests of timber and water powers. It is only occupied by 22,903 inhabitants. It thus appears from this brief sketch that not Jess than 344,163 inhabitants of Lower Canada, the majority of whom are of French Canadian or- igin, occupying three hundred miles of territory, in length, watered by two of the noblest rivers on this Continent ; are deeply interested in promoting the construction of a liailway from the City of Quebec to the Ottawa River at Bytown. The above figures comprise one- fifth of the ac- tual population of the Province, and embrace al- most all the leading Capitalists of the country. — We have thus demonstrated beyond contradiction, that the inhabitants of the North Shore command 11 every attribute of success. The hour for action approaches, and your Municipal body will soon be enlisted in the debates upon the North Shore Rail- road. Such a railway we believe will follow if it does not actually precede the construction of l bridge opposite thi3 City. As to the probability of a bridge being erected by the i>roprietors of the La- chine Rsiiiroad, we dismiss the scheme as visiona- ry ; but we point to the Nonh Shore Railway as a measure destined to receive an early solution, and in as much as the interests ot the Ottawa lumber- ers, and the Quebec Merchants are blended toge- ther in the prosecution of the timber trade those interests w ill be promoted by an uninterrupted line of conrimunicution extending from Quebec to By- town. These railways presided over by men of intelli- gence will doubtless adopt the principle of the broad guage, whereby our Communications with the Atlantic Seaboard and Western ('anada will be assured, and thus the present Municipal Council of Montreal may claim the merit of adopting a poli- cy, whereby the City will, within a brief period, become the grand depot of a trade emanating from every quarter of the compass, and thus render Montreal the focus of the Railway traffic East, North, and West. Let us descend to details. The air line Irom the centre of Montreal to SI. Andrew's is about equal to the air line from La- chine to St. Andrew's. Means, 1 am happy to inform you, have been adopted to determine the actual distances; but a few days mayyetelapie ere the result is ascertained. The direct line from the Ottawa to Montreal would enjoy all the traffic that the line from La- chine to the Ottawa could command. The direct line would bring Montreal into com- munication with the agricultural, manufacturing, and mineral resources of the North. That North, so long neglected and isolated, so long de- prived ol all facilities of railway communication, abounding in all the elementa which constitute 12 the wealth and importance of a people* If the axiom be true, the country makes the town, who can predict the future greatness of Montreal, when, through subsequent railway enterprises, consequent upon the construction of the line wti advocate, the far north has been penetrated by ths iron road, the mountain ranges traversed, and re- gions of almost fabulous extent, ar.d teeming with the riches of the mineral world, poured into the heart of Montreal, a fitting tribute to the energy and enterprise of her inhabitants ? The inexhaustible quarries, stretching for miles to the north of the city, would be developed a. d facilitate the extensive use of an invaluable build- ing material. The lime would be prepared and conveyed to the agriculti ral districts to the South. Supplies of fuel drawn from the interior would furnish your population with that essential article of consump- tion at a reduced cost. The provisions and mer- chandise fur the lumbering community would be drawn from this city. Such are some of the obvious results that would follow the construction of a railway from the heart of Montreal to the interior ; but it must be lemembered that the creation of a main line is speedily followed by subsidiary lines which di- verge right and left, tapping the sources of mdus* try an^ swelling the channel of the main stream. Terrebonne, L'Assomption, Isle Jesus, and, in one word, the whole of the northern and eastern sections of the country would soon avail them- selves of the facilities of communication ; and, as the main line ascended the Ottawa, it would throw its feeders inland, and foster that rapid set- tlement of the interior which but awaits the aidg of civilization to disclose its value. Resuming the consideration of the proper lo- cality for a terminus. It would seem as if Provi- dence sanctioned a scheme so calculated to alle- viate the disasters of the victims by the late fire ; ftfr it must be evident that the terminus will here- after be found located in some spot now laid waste by that conflagration, and thus one of the 13 strongest objections which ordinarily arise to the introduction of a railway depot into the heart of a city, consequent upon the destruction of property or violation of social feelings, would be here un- heard, and the municipality be indirectly the means of repairing the losses sustained by the late conflagration, without resorting to private or public contribution. We have asserted that the direct line from Montreal to the Ottawa would command all the traffic that could, under any circumstances, be conveyed from the Ottawa to Lachine. I shall now advert to the pecuniary advantages of the direct line. ^It would not be chargeable with any share of the cost of the line from Lachine to Montreal. The quantity of sione now brought from the quarries to Montreal averages at least 60,000 tons yearly. This item alone, at 2s. per ton railway carriage, would amount to £6000 per annum, and this will continue an increasing source of income. The lime and sand required for local use would yield one-third of that sum or jC]500. The proportion of firewood conveyed by this line may be estimated at 20^000 cords annually at 2s. each— £2000. Thus these few items would realize an income of 6 per cent on a capital of above £150,000, which sum would go far towards the construction of the line, if the Directors be fr to employ na- tive industry, and negociate their stock directly with London Capitalists. If we have alluded in seemingly disparaging terms to the Lachine line, we have done so in no ungenerous spirit. We are strong in the justice of our cause as we are familiar with the difficulties that interpose in their path. Their fancied right to construct a rail road to Bytown is an agreeable illusion. The act to which they point conveys no such power. The act known as the 13 and 14 Vic, Cap. 113, bearing date 10th August 1850, and entitled " An Act to continue and extend the Montreal and Lachine Railroad and to incorporate the St. Lawrence and B 14 Ottawa Graud Junction Railroad Company/'' em- powers the company to extend their line from La- chine to Prescott in Upper Canada, *' either in the direction of St. Anns, Vaudreuili Rigaud and to> wards Uawkesbury, and thence to some place at or near as conveniently may be to Prescott, or in the direction of St. Eustache, St. Andrews, Gren- ville and thence to some place at or as conveni« ently as may be to Prescott," — but throughout the Act the name of fiytown is not once mentioned or alluded to. Nay, more, they cannot venture to construct a railroad to Bytown, until they apply to, and obtain from the Provincial Legislature a special act for that purpose, they have failed to give the formal notice to that efiect. We both stand before the Province equal- ly denuded of Legislative authority; but in our cas3 the conciousness that we faithfully reflect the sentiments of the Citizens, -vhile we enjoy the confidence and will secure the |,?cuniary support of the municipality, removes us from the rank of rivals. The directors of this Ottawa Company claim the right of disposing of our interests. As citizens of Montreal we resist these pretensions and repudiate their claims. We demand, that the interests of Montreal shpll be paramount to all others. We invoke you to vindicate her title, and ere it be too late, interpose your authority to stay the policy of diverting the legitimate traffic of the city to the American frontier. We entreat you immediately to make known to our representatives m the Provincial Parliament the wishes and determination of your ard their constituents in this matter, urging them as we r.ow do you, to raise their voice against any fur^ ther attempt in Parliament to jeopardise our dear- est interests. If we have failed to carry conviction to ,your breasts, do not distrust the cause we advocate but rather impute Us failure to my inability to advo- cate it as it should be. The voicfl of public opinion is never false when calm and unmoved by political passions, and you 8 ♦ i 1- 15 will but echo t'uat voic" when you pronounce your decision that the Northern or Ottawa Kailroad should spring from the heart of the city of Mon- ♦real. We have already occupied much of your time, but we sincerely hope that our efforts to parry the blow aimed at this city and our efforts to retain and secure our legitimate rights, will not be una- vailing. We respectfully, but with all the energy we possess, urge upon your worshipful body our ciaims to justice ; we entreat you, as our represen- tatives to look narrowly at our and your own inter- ests, and on all occasions, to di''ect public improve- ments and public opinion in the proper direction. In doing so be mindful not to be swayed by feel- ings of personal and local interests; but on the other hand be watchful that illegitimate and ad- verse interest.-, do not preponderate over ours. A few of us have been deputed to mak e known to you the feelings and ardent wishes of your constituents and ifellow citizens; but you also see in and around this Hall men whose white locks have seldom or ever adorned your Chambers; men of younger years and also occupying high positions, for their station and wealth, have also flocked to your halls and now fill them to over- flowing zealously watching over their threatened interests and prepared and determined to defend them. You must know and feel that, if on any one occasion, popular opinion unsullied by political animosity was ever manifested in this cily, it is this eventful night. Tois address already exceeds its intended bounds and we must take our leave of you. in doing so, we must, in the terms of the peti- tion, call upon yoL to reject and refuse any aid towards the construction of a Railroad to Bytown whose terminus may not be into the very heait of this City, and tapped at no place in the direction of the State of New York before it reaches this Town. And whilst we make this call upon your worshipful body, the unanimous voice of your fel- low citizens and constituents calls loudly up^n you 16 to lend the aid and the credit oi the city in the con- struction of any line of railroad going directly east of the Montreal Mountain to St. Eustache m the direction of Bytovvn. Now, Mr. Mayor, our adversaries have, through the Channel of the press and Engineers in their pay, attempted to demonstrate our plan as im- practicable, that the route we propose offered natural obsta