IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■size iu |5o "'^" iini^s lii^ 111112.2 H: 1^ 12.0 11= U IIIIII.6 V] v] / ^%.,^*.^ ^> ^ ^' "> /A o 7 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Not«s techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D D D n D n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Cc>vers damaged/ Couverture endommagie Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurie et/ou pelliculAe □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque rri Coloured maps/ Cartes gAographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleuo ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ ReliA avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serrde peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intArieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas AtA filmies. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplAmentaires: L'Institut a microfilm6 le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a At* possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique. qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent ex ler une modification dans la mithode normale d « filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. r~~| Coloured pages/ D Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies Pages restored and/oi Pages restauries et/ou pellicul6es Pages discoloured, stained or foxe( Pages dtcoiories, tacheties ou piquies Pages detached/ Pages d^tachies Showthroughy Transparence Quality of prir Quality InAgaie de I'impresslon Includes supplementary materif Comprend du materiel supplimentaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible I — I Pages damaged/ I — I Pages restored and/or laminated/ r~7| Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ r I Pages detached/ r~2 Showthrough/ I I Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ I — I Only edition available/ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obsc^.'rcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont M film6es 6 nouveau de fapon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmA au taux de rMuction indiqu6 ci-dessous 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 1 s/ 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: National Library of Canada L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grdce k la g^ndrositd de: Bibliothdque nationale du Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de l'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim^e sont film6s en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte jne empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commenpant par la pramidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol •— ^- (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. IVIaps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent §tre film^s d des taux de reduction d!ff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 S 6 :•' r .1 n^^ m^Hi) I''- BIRBlT ROUTE Through the North -West Territories of Canada to the Pacific Ocean. ■irf • ' The Chartered Hudson's Bay & Pacific Railway ROUTE. ("WITH .A. l>/LJi.F.) : V| .-S J t I* I BY Colonel JOSIAH HARRIS, F.R.G.S., F.R.C.Inst. 1897. LONDON: SPOTTISWOODi: k CO., PEINTEES, 54 GRACECHURCH STREET, E.C. * i» »-v '.11 # fl (_^«n . t H i .^,./ (. - ^n , 1 'W- f" / Diuix r RoiriE TllIKUdll TlIK NORTII-WKST TKIIlilTolilKS OF CANADA TO TllK PACiriC OCEAN. i THE CHARTEEEl) HUDSON'S BAY & PACIFIC RAILWAY KOUTE. (^with: .a. i^j^:e'.) BY CoLOM-:]. -lOSlAlI HAIUIIS, F.K.G.S., F.H.C.Inst. 1S9 fV LONDON : ^^!'o■m^^^vool)K \ oo , J'IUNIEI^s, r.i (ii;A( kc iiriirii stuke'j-, t.x To riiK Most Noiilf, riiK Marquis of Dufferin and Ava, K,P., Late BritisJi Ainbassadot' to France, Foniiey Go-i^emof-Geiicra! of Canada, Viccvoy of India, and late British Ambassador to Italy. My Lord: ^'^P^'^^ '-^A '^97- The permission to dedicate this piunphlet to your Lordshi[) is another instance of your continued desire to promote the prosperity of Canada -one of the most important and valued dependencies under the British Crown, and a country in which you are so affectionately remembered by your just and beneficent rule as Governor-General. In these pages it is my earnest desire to silence the un- supported and mischievous impression that Hudson's Straits and Bay are rendered useless by ice for commercial purposes. I have endeavoured to bring forward indubitable evidence to prove that the Straits are open for navigation during a longer period even than the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The commercial importance of this fact cannot be over-estimated ; for, by effect- ing a practicable entrance into Hudson's Bay, Manitoba and the great North-West Territory— countries capable of producing sufficient food for all the requirements of England— are not only i brouf:fht nearer to these shores, but a distance of 1,300 miles is saved in rcachiii^r our Pacific colonies, and the ports of Japan and China. And the Imperial need of a rccofjnised route through Hudson's Straits is obvious. The Trans Siberian Railway, now being pushed tlirougii Manchuria by the Russians, and the establishment of a permanent station for the Tzar's fleet at Port Arthir, tend to demonstrate that, unless some counter move is soon made, British supremacy in the Pacific Ocean and the Far East will be seriously challenged. It is to these and kindred subjects I have devoted the following pages, hoping by such means to convince my readers, beyond peradventure, that Nature intended Hudson's Straits as the main entrance to the vast North American Continent, and not the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I have the honour to remain, Your Lordship's most obedient servant, JosiAH Harris. CONTENTS PACK Act of Incorpokaiidn Saving in Distancks Saving in Fkf.igiii' and Oihtr ("iiAkiiKs ExTiiNr AND Rksoukcks oi' Canadian Noriii-Wkst ... Construction of iii!': Raiiavav Estimated Traffic ... 7 8 AdDRKSS liKl'ORl. IIIK R(JVAI, ( 'iKOGRAl'lIICAI. SoCIKTV 1!V Roi'.KUT Hell, Esi^., M.l)., I'.G.S 8 EVIDENCF. OF THE LATE CeORGE A. l^AVNE, EsQ., C.E. Evidence of Charles N. Bei,l, Esq. i6 i6 Report of the Select Commii ike of the Canadian House OF Commons, April, 1884, on iue Navigaiion of Hudson's Bay 17 Report of the Select Committee of the Provincial Legislature o¥ Manitoba on Navigation of Hudson's Bay, and Opening Railway Communication therewith through Canadian North-VVest Territories, and North-West States of the Union .. ... ... 22 Address beforf, the Royal Geographical Society, June, 1884, BY Admiral A. H. Markham, on the Navigation of Hudson's Bay and Straits 24 ClONTKNTSM I'AGK Rk.pdrt ok iiik Sf.i.kct CnMMrni.K or ihf, Canadian Sknatk, 1888, ON Till-, Rksolkcks or iMK (.Irkat Mackknzif. Basin 37 "TnK Nortii-Wkst or Canada," Rki'KINtkd krom tiik " West- MINSTKR Ri'VIKW," MaRCII, 1893 44 Railways and Navigation 47 CoMMKRciAi. Praiticaiumty Indiviouai, Evidenck— Kxtracts t-KOM PaI'KKS, LkTTERS, and Sl'KKCHES- I'RKSS COMMENTS... 48 Russia as a I'ossii-.i-e Dominant Power in thk North Taciiic 52 Lecture nv Coi.. J. Harris, KR.C.S., P'. R.C.Inst., Kei'.ruary, iS(/), RKEoRE HIE Imperial Inshtuie 54 Mai> Of Dritisii North America, Showino pRorosED Railway AND SlEAMSHII' RuU I K. AGE 44 47 48 52 54 ,\VAY The Chartered HUDSON'S BAY AND PACIFIC RAILWAY. {11777/ A MAP.) The Parlianicm of the Dominion of Cannula lias granted tlie following Charter, which received the Royal assent 5th October, 1896 : AN ACT TO INCORPORATK THE HUI^SOXS HAY AND PACIFIC RAILWAY COxMPANY. Whereas a petition has been presented praving for the incorporation of p n a con,p.ny to construct and operate :. railw'ay as treinafte setTt °and '"■ Vnl?''i ''"'/"•I''"?' ''^' ^''^y^"" "f 'h^ ^'-^i'l petition Therefo e Her Snls of'Sn-id-^ h'','''^''' f"^' *^""^^"; "♦ '''' Senate and H^use o <-ommoiJb ot Canada, declares and enacts as follows : t. Admiral Albert Hastings Markham, Captain Edmund Homke R \ r„ Co one Jos.ah Harris, and John Weston all of London, Kng Ind 'janres '"^"■'^°^='"°"' Reid Stewart and James Reid, both of Cdasgow, Scotland, (J H Missv and James Cochrane, both of Montreal, Jolin Ross, of N ac."a Faff Wesley Fletcher Orr, of Calgary, and Simon J. Daw'son, of For Aniu ' nfn "■ Ta ^"^h P^'-f""^ --i^ I^ecome shareholders in the company herebv ncorpmated, are hereby constituted a body corporate under the name of Cornea"?"' '''^''"' ^•'^"'^ I^ail..vayCo'mpan'y,'' hereinafter' Called"" he Co,o..Na,n. the g^nS a3vrmag^;f°C^,td'°"P^"^- '^ '^^^'^^ ^'''''^' '^ '^ ^ ^'"^ f^' ^-a.... 3. The head office of the Company shall be in the citv ot OtMw-, r.,- ;„ u ^ ^«. such otl^er place in Canada as the'd.rictors from time toLe SeSJmine b"- "''' '"'- Line of r.iiluiiy described. 4. The Company may lay out, construct and uperatc by electricity or steam power, or both, a railway, of the ^aiige of four feet eii^ht and one-half inches, from a point at or near Port Churchill on Hudson's Hay, throui^h ihe territory north of the Churcnill river to deep water at or near Fond du Lac, on Lake Athabasca, and from Port Churchill aforesaid, on Hudson's 15ay, through the territory north of the Nelson river, to a jioint at or near the north-west end of Lake Winnipeg ; thence through the territory of Sas- katchewan to Prince Albert in the said territory, thence cohtinuing tiirough the said territory and the territory of Alberta by the most practicalile route to Calgary in the last mentioned territory ; and may also lay out, construct and operate a branch line from a point on the said railway near Manitou lake in the territory of Saskatchewan to Edmonton in the territory of Alberta. Ste.uiKis 5. The Company may construct, purchase, or otherwise acquire, charter, control, navigate and keep in repair steamers and other vessels to ply between ports on its line of railway, and between such ports and ports outside of Canada, and carry and convey passengers and freight, and carry on a general transportation service in connection with the said railway, and may^Jl or otherwise dispose of such vessels, and may for such i)urposes construct, .'locK-, acquire by agreement, take on lease or hire, or contract for tlie use of eleva.- tors, warehouses, wharfs, t[uays and docks. Klev.iioi- elc. Suam aiul u.itci 5. 'Yhe Company may acquire and utilize water and steam power for eit'^ HciTy. ^1^<^ purpose of generating electricity for lighting and motor purposes, in connection with its railway or its bridges, docks, wharfs, elevators and ware- houses. Ttl.jjraph and J. The Company may construct, equip, work and maintain a telegraph iciciihMDe lines. \\^-^q j^,^j telephone lines along the whole length of its railway and branches, and may establish oftices for the transmission of messages for the public, and collect tolls for so doing ; and for the purposes of erecting and working such telegraph and telephone lines, the Company may enter into a contract with any other company, or may lease the lines of such company or any portion thereof. Company may enlcr on public ro.uU. etc. 8. With the consent of the municipal council or other authority having jurisdiction over the roads and streets of any city, town, municipality or district, the Company may, by its servants, agents or workmen, enter upon any public road, highway, street, bridge, watercourse, navigable or non- navigable water or other such places, in any city, incorporated town, village, county, municipality, district, or other pLice, for the purpose of constructing, erecting, ec[uipping, working and maintaining its lines of telegraph and tele- phone, and lines for the conveyance of electric power upon, along, across, over and under the same ; and may erect, equip, and maintain such and so many poles or other works and devices as the Company deems necessary for making, completuig and supporting, using, working and maintaining the system of communication by telegraph and telephone and for supplying power ; and may stretch wires and other electrical contrivances thereon ; and, as often as the Company, its agents, officers or workmen think proper, may break up and open any part whatsoever of the said public roads, high- ways, streets, bridges, watercourses, navigable and non-navigable waters and other like places, subject, however, to the following provisions, that is to say . — Travel not to bo (erty for the purpose of erecting, maintaining or repairing anv of its wires, without the previous assent of the owner or occupant of the property for the' time being ; '/•.) If in the removal of buildings or in the exercise of the public right of travelling on, cr using any public road, highway or street, it becomes necessary that the said wires or poles be temporarilv' removed l)y cutting or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the Comjjany, at' its own expense, upon a 2 rivate nglils. Temporary ii;ini.\.il of liiHs in Certain case-, Notice tr. companj'. Agi-eeniciits »itli othei- comiianie~. PTOvi>ionn! cUrcctc>i^. Capital stock and calls. Annua! niectii, ^funlber of direct ir^. Amount of l^onds, etc., Iimitec! '•caMjn;ibIe notice in uritin^^ from -„.,• ^ • '£"'^^'""eccssa^y damage tia'ebvmf f "''^""'^^ "'"the com, an iiiiiiiiiisiii = ,_ ■-■ The annual -.eneril ,„..,■ ,, ""'■<"'"'= shares subscribed, ""«' "•-'"«<'■'>• in SXI^'^nr^",: ;'- ;"»-'-"e.s shall be held on r„e constntctecl. '^"^^^'^ ^^ ^-'-y consfncted ^^iJl- '^,^ly *" SAVIN(; IN DISTANCE. Tlie Hudson's Bay and Pacific Railway will effect a saving of tliree (3) days between the United Kingdom and Vancouver, San Francisco, Japan, China, India, and Australasia. One may study the following table to advantage :— Liverpool to Port Churchill Port CiiLirchill 7'id Edmonton to Calgary Calgary to Vancouver via Canadian Pacific Railway.. Liverpool to Montreal Montreal to Vancouver "T'iu Canadian Pacific Railway Saving in distance I'id Port Churchill Liverpool to Mission Junction via Port Churchill Mission Junction to San Francisco Miles. 2,926 1,000 642 4,568 2,990 2,906 :?, 896 1,328 4,526 1,073 5,599 Liverpool to Mission Junction 7'id Montreal and Canadian Pacific Railway 5.854 Mission Junction to San Francisco ... 1,073 6,927 Saving in distance z//<; Port Churchill Liverpool to San Francisco rid New York and Union Pacific I-^'iil^vay 55,0 Liverpool to San Francisco I'id Port Churchill 5,599 Saving in distance via Port Churchill 1,328 1,031 SAVING IN FREIGHT AND OTHER CHARGES. It is also estimated there will be a saving of £t, to ^4 a head on immi- grants, £2, to £^ a head on cattle, ;^i a ton on wheat and other cereals, and on all other products --merchandise, etc.— from thirty to forty per cen»^ I'AI'I'.Nl' .\.\l» KI';S()LK('l';s OK TIIK NOKTM-WKST I I Kkll'oKII'.S (»!'' 11 1 1', DOMINION Ol' CANADA. 'riir.oiiiiiiv.it |iri-sriit iiiult.T local L;()V(.TiimLiU ('oiui)riscs the Province III M.iiiiidli.i, t (ivfiiii;^ .111 aiiM ol 0. 1,000 si|iiare miles, with W'inniiieg as its I .tpil.il, ami ilu- tlin-c teiiilories i)t" Assiiiilioia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. (OMiih;; .111 .lUM ol ;o ;,(.)oo si|iiare miles, with Rej^ina is their capital. Tiic w lii.lr (il lliir. vast rcj^ioii, cMeiuliii^ fiDm about twenty-tive miles West lidiii I ikc Sii|n'iioi Ut the Kuck)' Mountains, a distance of 1,350 niiles, and hoin ilu- imiv iimlh ii.ir.illei ot latitude North, to the water-shed of the Sa-.k.iU luwaii Kivci, .111 ,ivei-.i;^e clistance of 350 miles, embraces an area ot .|(>j,Soo s(|uaie miles, or .'(x), 000, 000 acres, two-thirds of which has been proved to be c.ip.ible ol pioducin;' the finest wheat, aiul the rest admirably .id.ipivd loi stot k miMiij; .mil dairy tarminn. The whole of this region. miTadiiiL; .1 j^ieat portion oi' the States of Minnesota and X(.nth Dakota, in tin- I'micd States, is ilraineil bv the hikes .uul tributary streams of the Nelson l\i\ci, into lludson'-. r>.i\-, in kititude 53 North. It comprises the richest ,iiul 1110. t c\iv-nsi\e undeveloped wheat-producing kinds in the world, and ,ici e-.-. to wliuh, liom the I'mied Kingdom, bv otxlinary steamers ta? Hudson II IV i.iii he le.uhed within c :;ht d.iys. Dominion I !o\ eminent Keturns ot' iSw5 gi\e these figures for tlie rrovince ot M.inuo!>.i : lUNhfU Aver.ice vie',; 3i.~~;.o3S ... 27-^ bushels 5.('45,o_v' ... j;'^'- 4.t'4.\5C>-' ... -4,^5 jS,:.v) ... - i,:.^i..vU • ■ - ... J^i.oj;: ... — Ml. R'.ut.ui, engineer to the C'ity of Winnipeg, in a recent publication, CNUm.ues iluu — ■• The construction of i^the Hudson's Ikiy and Facilic Railway* will cv>umi.ind tlie carnage of passengers, and the bulk of the enormous tiatfic to ip.d. tVvnn the North-West I'erritovies, San Francisco and the Pacific." I'I'.e i,'.oNeMmieut Keport states- •• That during 1S9 2 there was imported into the Inued kingdom fro'.'.i (."aiuida iei,4-'6 heads of cattle, besides a Luge luunbor of horses and sheej', and. including grain and dairy produce, was salucs.! at u\ 000,000 sterling. I'he shipment of cattle bred on the ranches o( .Vi[\-n.i to (.lieat Ihitaiu continues to increase, and the superior quality of these .muuais has excited the most favourable comments of buyers in England. and more than two thirds of the total increase in the shipment of live stock took place tVom the North-West Territories ■• Duiing iSvji there were under cultivation in the Province of Manitoba. and the three territories of Assiniboia. Saskatchewan, and Alberta, i.jco.ccc acres, which produced twenty-five million bushels of wlieat and thirty million bushels ot bailev and oats, whilst the r.umber of cattle was estimated at about cSco,ooo head. ' !':.■,! .1 .\v.'n.Mj;e WluMt i,i-to,-'-6 I'.U-, 4Sj,i>^S r.,uicv I v>.^.''0 l\>t uoe-^ K'.^K' l\M-.e Pl.'.V Sj.ooS Knc - - The present cost of transporting uiieat to the 'seaports at Montreal, Boston, or New York, from tlie centre of this region is about thirty-five cents per bushel, whilst the same charge per mile to Port Churchill would not exceed fifteen cents, and the saving in the carriage of live stock, as stated by Admiral Markham, would be fully equal to ^3 i)er head. One of the most important ipiestions of the day is the importation of live stock into the United Kingdom. Here is a country capable of raising millions of heads of cattle, absolutely free from every kind of disease, owing to the remarkable healthfulness of the climate ; but the present exi)ort is pro- hibited, owing to their having to pass for more than 1,000 miles tlirough the Eastern portion of Canada to a port of shipment. The opening of the Hudson's Bay route would remedy all this, and would enable the cattle to be shipped ill jirime condition at half the present cost by way of Montreal. The Marquis of Dufferin and Ava, the Marquis of Lome. Professor Fream, Mr. Rudyard Kipling, and many other eminent men, have borne testimony from personal knowledge of the marvellous richness of the soil, and the healthfulness of the climate of this great region. According to returns issued February, 1897, ^^^*^ mineral output of Canada last year amounted in value to 23,627,000 dols., an increase of 1,500,000 dols. over the previous year, doubled in ten years. The value of the Dominion production has been CONSTRUCTION OF THE RAOAVAY. It is proposed to divide the line into three sections. 'I'he first from Port Churchill to Sea Falls, 350 miles, where it would be joined by the line at present under construction, from Winnipeg, thus giving a connection on the south with the City of Winnipeg, and with the North-Western States of the Union. This section will be first constructed. It has been surveyed by a competent engineer, Mr. Bayne, the levels taken, and presents no difticulty to the construction of a good line of railway at a moderate price. Timber and stone are in abundance for all requirements, the climate is said to be more favourable and the rain less than at Winnipeg, and that work can be carried on during the whole of the winter. The completion of this section will place Port Churchill in direct railway communication with the navigation of Lake Winnipeg and the Red River, jiassing the City of Winnipeg, and extending fiir into Alinnesota and Dakota, and the Great Saskatchewan River, forming together a south and westward navigation for steamers, for a distance of about 1,800 miles. Section two, from Sea Falls to Prince Albert, about 300 miles, runs through some of the richest wheat land in the NorthA\'est, and will form a connection at Prince AToert with the Regina branch of the Canadian Pacific. The country is exceedingly fiivourable for the cheap construction of the railway. The third seclion from Prince Albert via Battleford to Edmonton, about 350 miles, runs through a fine j^rairie country, unequalled in North America for the raising of cattle and dairy produce, and will be a surface line easy and cheap in thvj cost of construction. The Edmonton line is open to Calgary, the railway will form a junction with the Canadian Pacific Railway, and hy passing over that line to Yancouver, effect the enormous saving from ocean to ocean, as compared with the route X'ia Montreal, of 1,328 miles. It will also connect with the jircscnt branch line to Kclmonton, and form the shortest route between the United Kingdom and the Athabasca River and (ireat Mackenzie JJasin, which comprises the greatest i)etroleuin deposit in America, and 200.000 sijuare miles of auriferous dejiosits, and the rich agricultural and auriferous valleys of the l'eac:e, Liard, and other rivers. 'I'he Piovincial Cjovernnient c)f British Columbia ha\e granted a charter to the Canadian ^Vestern Central Railway Company (known otherwise as The British Pacific). This line will commence at the nearest i)oint to \'i< toria on the mainland, and, passing through a very rich mineral and agricultural country, 447 miles U) the Yellow Head Pass and continue to Klmonton ; there it will tbrm a junction with the Hutlson's Bay and Pacific Railway. A large traffic will thus be directed through Port Churchill, on Hudson's P>ay. ESTIMATED TRAFFIC. The steamers from the United Kingdom will carry at least two-thirds of the immigrants, which may be estimated at 20,000 aniiually, and all the railway material and the bulk of the manufactured goods inijiorted into the North-West Territory, including through traffic to Jajjan, China, India, and the Australasian colonies. The exjiorts will consist of grain, live stock, dairy i)roduce, hay. salmon and other fish, and furs of the Hudson's Bay ('ompany and other fur traders. In addition to this, the line, with its great saving of time and distance, will connnand the carriage of a portion of the mails and through passengers to and from the Pacific. The carriage of one half of the i>resent produce of the North-West Territories, 77it/t licmarks on Kccetit Surveys and Investigations, by Robert Bel/, M.D., F.G.S., Assistant Director of tlie Geological Survey of Canada. I beg leave to offer to the Royal Geographical Society a few remarks on the great Mediterranean Sea of North America, in regard to which there appears to be a general want of correct information. Before proceeding to do so, it may be proper for me to state that I have considerable personal knowledge of Hudson Bay and the surrounding regions. As an ofticer of the Geological Survey of Canada, I have s]:)ent six seasons since 1869 in explorations around the bay itself or in its vicinity, while the remaining summers of this interval have been devoted mo.stly to Kurveyinj,^ and ex- ploring portions of the Hudson s liay territory at greater or less distances inland. Jn the course of my geological investigations, I have made surveys of the principal rivers, together with their larger hnuK lies, which tlow from tl.e west and south int(j Hudson's Hay, including the llreat and Little (,"hurchill, the Nelson, Hayes, Hill, Severn, Albany, Kenagami, Moose, Missinabe, .Matlagami, and Abittibi. On accoinit of its great geohjgical interest, 1 made a topograjjhical survey in 1877 of about 300 miles of the Eastniain Coast, from Cape Jones northward. Some of the maps showing these surveys have been already |)ublished with the a.nnual reports of the (leological 1 )ei)artment, and those representing the remainder will soon be forthcoming. During the past autumn, in coming to lingland in one of the shijjs from tile bay, 1 ha])|)ened to enjoy unusually good opportimities of seeing both sides of Hiutson's Strait, and of ac(iuiring much valuable information in reference to its navigation. In the popular mind, Hudson's P.ay is ajH to be associated with the polar regions, yet no part of it comes within the Arctic circle, and the southern extremity is south of the latitude of London. Few peoi)le have any adetiuate conception of the extent of this great American sea. Including its southern prolongation, James's Bay, it measures about i.ooo miles in length, and it is more than 600 miles in width at its northern part. Its total area is approxi- mately 500,000 square miles, or upwards of half of that of the Mediterranean .^ea of the olil world. It is enclosed by the land on all sides except the lorth-east, where it communicates by several channels with the outer ocean. The principal or best known of these is Hudson's Strait, which is about 500 miles in length, and has an average width of about 100 miles. Hudson's l>ay, which might have been more appropriately called Hudson's Sea, is the central basin of the drainage of North America. The limits of this basin extend to the centre of the Labrador peninsida, or some 500 miles inland on the east side, and to the Rocky Mountains, or a distance of 1.300 miles, on the west. The ^Vinnipeg liasin constitutes a sort of outlier, of the region more immediately under notice since the waters drain into it from north, south, east, and west, and discharge themselves by one great trunk, the Nelson River, into Hudson's ]5ay. The southermnost part of this basin, namely, the source of the Red River, extends down nearly to latitude 45 . The head waters of the soutlrern rivers of James's Bay are not far to the north of Lake Huron, while one of the branches of the Albany rises within 25 miles of the north shore of Lake Superior. Including the Winnipeg system, the basin of Hudson's Hay has a width of about 2, 100 miles from east to west, and a length of about 1.500 miles from north to south, and its dimensions approach the enormous area of 3.000,000 square miles. Over a great part of this vast region there is a temperate climate, and although much of the surfiice is comparatively barren, yet large tracts possess a very fertile soil. The numerous large rivers and lakes embraced within these limits will prove of great value in the settlement of the country. Both the bay and straits are remarkably free from rocks and shoals which might interfere with their free navigation. The43a-oui)S of islamls near the east side of the bay are surrounded by deep water, and a wide chanr:el leads up the centre of James's Bay. Fortunately the main body of tlie bay, which is the portion likely to be hereafter frequented by shipping, is entirely without shoals, reefs, or islands. The depth is very uniform over most of the bay, and 10 r.owhcix; clofs it present any great irregularities. It averages about 70 fathoms throughout, deepening to 100 and upwards in approri :iiing the outlet ot' Huds(jn's Strait ; while in the strait itself the soundnigs along the centre vary from about 150 to upwards of 300 fathoms. The Ijottoni appears to consist .dniosl everywhere of bouider clay and mud. Near the shores a stiff clay, affording good holding ground for anchors, is almost invariably met with on both sides. James's iiay begins at ('ape [one? on the east side, and Cajje Henrietta Maria on the west, and runs south about 350 miles, with an average breadth of about 150 miles. The east side of Hudson's Bay, including its southern prolongation, is known as the Kastmain C'oast. Hetween Cape Jones and Cape Dufferin i.>n the Portland I'romontory, and again in ap[)roaching Cape \Volstenholme. at the northern termination of this coast, the land is high and bold, some ])arts attaining an elevation of nearly 2,000 feet above the sea. The ."ountr)' on the south-west side of the main bay, as well as that lying to the west ot James's Bay, is low and generally level, with shallf)w water extending a long distance out from shore. Both sides of Huds(jn's .Strait are high and rocky, but the northern is less precipitous th; <\ the southern. Of the numerous rivers which run into Hudso I's Bay from all sides about thirty are of considerable magnitude. .\ll tho^e which enter on the Eastmain Coast ai)pear to flow witii a uniform course directly west or ])arallel to one another, aiid as the height of land in the centre of the Labrador pt.-ninsula is furthest iidand towards the south the rivers which fall into the soutliern part of this coast are the largest, and the remainder become jirogrcssively smaller as we go north. Numerous streams converge to the head of James's B ly from all points southward of an east and west line passing through its southern extremity. The AToose, about a mile wide, is the ]irincipal of these. On the western side the Albany and the Churchill are the longest, but the Xelson. with a course of only about 400 miles, discharges the greatest body of water into the sea. Indeed, this great artery of the Winnipeg system may be considered as one of the first-class rivers of the v.-orld. few of the rivers of Hudson's Bay afibrd uninterrupted navigation for large vessels to any great distance from the coast. iJuring the season of high water, shallow-draft steamers might ascend the Moose river and two of its branches for upwards of too miles. Hayes river and two of its brandies might ap;.>arenUy be navigated by such craft in the spring to points about 140 miles inland, and the Albany tor nearly 25c miles ; while large steamers might ascend the Nelson for seventy or eighty miles from the o\)cn sea. The Xelson is the only muddy-water river entering Hudson's Bay. Most of the others have a slightly brownish tinge, but their waters are perfectly whoL^soi'iK; and contain only very small quantities of foreign matter. The Churchill, which is the second largest river of Hudson's Bay, is a beautiful clear-water stream, somewhat larger than the Rhine. It is remarkable for having at its mouth a splendid harbour with deep water and every natural convenience for the purposes of modern comnjerce. The only harbours on the west side of Hudson's Bay are those formed by the mouths of rivers, but none of them, with the exception of Churchill Harbour, can be entered by vessels drawing more than ten or eleven feet, and only at high water even by these. The Churchill is unlike all the other rivers in having a deep, rocky, and comparatively narrow mouth, which can be entered with ease and safety by the largest ships at all stages of the tide. On the point at the Avest side at the entrance of the harbour stands the old Fort II I'ritK c of \\:ilc>, which is probably the l.iiLSost ruin in North Anu'rica. AUhough i)ic:ii|)yinL; a coiniiiaiHliiii: position and mounting about forty large };uns.it was surrendered, without Ihinga sliot.lo the l''ren(:h Admiral, I /i I'erouse, wlio destroyed it in i 782. Along the west coast the rise and tall at spring tides amounts to about eleven or twelve teet on an average, and is pretty uniform, diminishing somewhat tow;ir(ls the south. It is greatest at the mouth of the Nelson river, where it amounts to about ritK\n teet. The tides are lower all along the {;ast side of the ba)-. In Hudson's Strait there is a very good tide, amounting to 38^ feet at Fort Chimo, according to the re])orts 've have received of Acting Staff-Commander J. CI. Boulton's rec (.)nnaissance during the past summer. (ieologically the basin of Hudson's l>a}', excluding the western or )Vinnipeg division, lies within the great Laurentian area of the Dominion. Silurian rocks, resting almost horixontally ujton these, torm an irregular border along he south-western side of the l)ay, and in the valleys of some of the rivers they extend inland from 100 to 200 miles. To the ^.outh and west of James's Hay. the Silurian are overlaid by Devonian rocks, which here occupy a considerable area. 'I'hc long chains of islands which fringe the east coast for nearly 300 miles to the northward of Cape Jones, and also tlie mainland in the vicinity of Richmond Culf, are composed of igneous and almost unaltered sedimentary rocks. reseml)ling the Nijiigon series of the Lake Superior region, which may be of Cambrian age. On the western side of tlie bay. from Churchill northwards, (piartxites and other rocks, which may also belong to the Cambrian system, appear to be largely developed. N'aluable minerals may be looked for on this part of the coast. The extensive level region around the soutlvwestern side of the bay is overspread with a great sheet of boulder clay, which is generally covered by the modified drift. 'l"hc rocks of the outlying, or ^^'innipeg, division of the basin comprise an extensive series, ranging from the Laurentian to the Tertiary. The resources of Hudson's Bay and the country innnediately around it are varied and numerous, although as yet few of them are at all developed. The fur trade is the principal and l)est known business which has hitherto been carried on in these regions, but a large amount of oil. derived from the larger whales, the porpoises, walruses, wliite bears, and the various species of seals which frequent the northern parts of the bay, has been carried to New England, and small ([uantities, i)rincipally of jjorpoise and seal oil, have Irom time been V^rought to London by the Hudson's 15ay Company. 'J'he other exports from the bay have been as yet but trilling. Tliey embrace whalebone, feathers, (piills, castorum, lead ore, sawn lumber, i\ory, tallow, isinglass, and skins of seals and porpoises. The t'lsheries proper, speaking of Hudson's Bay, have not yet been investigated. Both the Indians and Eskimo (ind a variety of fish for their own use, and fine salmon abound in the rivers of Hudson's Strait ; and from one or two of them a considerable number of barrels, in a salted condition, are exi)orted every year. ^Valerfowl are very numerous on both sides of the bay, and larger game on the " barren grounds " in the northern parts, so that the natives, with jjrudence. may always have a plentiful sup])ly of food. But perhaps the most important of the undeveloped resources of the country around the bay are its soil, timber, and minerals. To the south and west of James's Bay, in the latitude of Devonshire and Cornwall, there is a large tract, in which much of the land is good and the climate sufficiently 13 lavouiMMc lor ilic Mmcsslul prosecution of stock and ilairy l.irniint,'. A strip of c'ountiy alon^ the east sitie ot James's IJay may also prove availal)le l(M- th ese purposes. 'l"o the south-west of the wide iKirt of the Itay di ( ountry is well wooded, and allhounh little or no rock comes to the surface over an immeiise area, still neither the soil nor the climate is snitahh: for ( arryinp; on agriculture as a principal occupation imtil we have passed over Li'e than half the distance to Lake WinnipcLT. 'i'his region, howjver, offers in no engineering ditticulties to the construction of a railway trom to the lietter country beyond, and this, at present, is the most imp(jrtant pc^int ountry which sends its in reference to it. Some of the timber found in the ( tlij sea-coast ater^ into James's Hay, may prove to be of value for export, .\mong the inds which it produces may be mentioned white, red, and pitch pine, l)lack ami white sjiruce balsam, larch, white cedar, and white birc The numerous rivers converging towards the hcatl of James's Hay offer facilities of •'driving'' timber to jioints at which it may be shipped by seagoing ve--i)els. Minerals may, however, become in the futiu'e the greatest of the resources of Hudson's Hay. liitlle tlirect search has as yet been made for the valuable minerals of these regions, I have, however, found a large deposit of rich ironstone on the .Mottagami river, inexhaustible' supplies of good manganiferous iron ore on the islands near the Eastmain coast, and promising ipiantities of galena around Richmond (hilf and also near I-ittle Whale River, where a small amount had previously been known to exist. 1 have likewise noted traces of gold, silver, moljbdenum, and coi)per. Lignite is met with on the Missinabe, gy|)sum on the Moose, and jietroleum- bearing lin;e>tone on the Abittibi river. Small (piantities of anthracite, and various ornamental stones, and rare iviinerals, have l)een met with in the course of my explorations. Soapstone is abundant not lar from ■\ros([uito l>ay, on the east side, and iron pyrites between Churchill and Marble Island, on the west. (lood building stones, clays, and limestones exist on both sides of the bay. A cargo of mica is said to have been taken from Clhester- tleld Inlet to New York, and valuable deposits of plumbago are reported to occur on the north side of Hudson's Strait. Some capitalists have ap])lied to the Canadian Government for mining rights in the latter region. Situated in the heart of North America, and pos.sessing a seaport in the very centre of the continent, 1,500 miles nearer than Quebec to the fertile lands of the Xorth-West Territories, Hudson's Bay now begins to possess a new interest, not only to the Canadians, but also to the people of (Ireat Britain, from the fact that the future highway between the great NorlhAVest of the Dominion and Europe may pass through it. The possibility of this route being adopted for trade is not a new idea, and it has frequently been suggested l)y far-seeing men in past years, and occasionally referred to in the newspapers. In i'848, the then Lieutenant ^L H. .Synge, in his work on Canatla, wrote : " A ship annually arrives at Fort York, for the service of the Hudson's Bay Company ; who can tell how many niay eventually do so?" In 1869, and subsecjuently, I frequently discussed the matter with the late Hon. John Young, Mr. Reefer, Professor Armstrong, and others : and in 1876, Mr. Sehvyn brought the subject unofficially before members of the Canadian Government, and recornmended that surveys be made of Hudson's Bay and Strait. The Right Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald, Minister of the Interior, and his deputy, Colonel J. S. Dennis, have all along taken a deep interest in this (juestion, and in 1878 the latter gentleman published a work. .i(('f)iii|i;iniL'(l 1)> :i \,ilii:il)lc map, in rel.ition to it. Tlic rcpi/it of the Minister of the luicrior for 1S78 contains an appendix by myself on the practical )ihty of )uil(ling a railway tVoiu l.ake Winnipeg to Hudson's Bay. In the session of 1S78-79, and again the following year, the Hon. Thomas Ryan, a gentleman of great enterprise, has brought the matter under noli( e -as, if they fmil an outlet at Clhurchill, there w'll be an average saving t)f i,2t;i miles as compareil with Mt)ntreal, ami of U|)warils of 1,700 miles as compared with New York, and this without any increase in the length of the sea voyage. In effect, this will place a great part of the farming lamls of our North-West Territories in .IS good a position in regarti to i seaport as are those of Ontario, west of Toronto; and conseijuendy will greatly increase the value of every dest ription of farm produce, and, therefore, of the farms themselves. .Some kinds, whit h coultl not be sent out of the country at all by the lt)nger land route, may be jirot'itably exportetl by the shorter t)ne. Vox the transportation of both grain and fresh meat, as Colonel Dennis haspointetl out, the northern rtxitc, besides the shortening of the ilistance, wt)uld h.ive great advantages over all those to the south, owing to its cooler and more uniform temperatiu'e. Heavy or bulky goods of all kimls would, of course, be impt)rte(l intt) the Nt)rth-\Vest by the shortest land route. In regard to tlic. export antl import of live stock, this independent route will possess a great importance to these territories. Ilithertt), cattle, horses, hogs, and sheep have there enjoyed an immunity from almost all forms of contagious diseases, and, owing to the healthy nature of the climate for these animals, it is hoped this state of things will continue. The dt)mestic animals in the United .States and the older Canadian provinces being occasionally . .dieted with contagious diseases, it becomes necessary for European countries to impose restrictions on their importation. In the event of an epidemic of this nature existing in some part of these regions, but not in the North-West Territories, there need bt no objection to e.x])orting live stock from the latter by way of Hudson's Hay. .As a route for emigrants from Isurope, that by Hudson's Hay possesses not only the advantage of the short land journey, but the still more im|)ortant one to us, of entirely avoiding the United States and the populous parts of Canada, in both of which, it is well known, a very serious percentage of the immigrants destined for our North-West lands are every year enticed away to settle in the great republic. An inlet by Hutlson's Bay is the only thoroughly independent channel which can ever be cstablishetl between the Jiritish Islands and our great antl valuable territories in the interior of North America ; and it is very desirable, on national grounds, that it shoultl be opened up. Troops have hitherto been sent to the Red River settlement on more than one occasion by way of Hudson's Bay, while the intervening country was, as it is yet, in a state of nature. AVerc a short railway built through this tracts it would at once become, for military purposes, an easy connecting link with the mother country. An impression has long jirevailed that Hudson's Bay and Strait could not be navigated for the ordinary purposes of commerce on account of ice, but this idea is probably destinetl to prove chimerical. The occasion for '5 telling the point has not hitl\crto arisen, and the fict that tlicse waters have been siK < cs-.rul!y navii,'.\ti'il hy onlinaiy sailing vessels for 200 years, in order to se< ir.c wliat littje 4r.ule the tonntry alTonied, in(hc.ites what may bo expecttvl from properly iipiippetl sieamshi|)s, so soon as the lar,ner business of the future may reipiire tlicii services in this diret tion 'I'he ear round. No one would t)e likely to suppose that a sea of such extent, in the latitude of the lliilish Islands, would ever freeze acioss. 'I'lu' Lower St. Lawrence is also partly open even in the middle of wmter. lUil the dilti( ulty in both cases is the impossibility of geitinj^ into harbours. A harbour such as that of ("hurihill on Hudson's I'lay would '..ive the advantage over (Quebec o: .Montreal of communicating directly with the open sea, and hence in the autumn vessels would not be liable to be frozen in, as occasionally happens in the St. Lawrence as for example in the autumn just passed ; and also in the autumn of 1870, when the (nitward-bound shipping got frozen in below Quel)ec, occasioning a loss, it was said, of over a million dollars. Again, in the spring there would probably be less uncertainty about entering from tl-.e sea than in the (lulf of St. Lawrence, where vexatious delays are not uncommon after the open season is su|»posed to have arrived.- There has been some discussion as to the length of time during whi( h Hudson's Strait and 11, ly might be navigated each year, but there does not seem to be much evidence that the strait, any more than the bay, is closed at any season. Its great width, depth, and strength of the tides probably keep it open all winter. My own ex[a\iganDn Hudson's Bay, situated between 51^ and 63^ of north latitude is a vast shee of salt water measuring 1,300 miles in le^th, with an ave ag^ width of about 600 miles It occupies the centre of British North America, mid dmins ■ a terruory over three m. lions of square miles in superficial extent F^n Labrador in the east, and from the Rocky Mountain in the west numerous large rivers How through provinces, districts great as provinces md vas solitudes into this inland .sea; towards the south the ex remi?y of its bSn reaches to the sources of the Mississippi. The average depth of^th s Medite ranean of Canada is 70 fathoms, as stated by Liett. Chappel le R N and such IS the uniformity of the bottom that Dr. Bell, of the Geilogical Survey does not hesitate to assert thai, if through any con'vulsion of natS e he wS veie to retire, we should see an immense plateau similar to the prairies of the ^\est. There are no rocks or dangerous places to impede navigation • the wes ern shore is low, and affords but one well-sheltered spacious and 'nlr fectl>;^safe harbour, Churchill, situated 200 miles fro.rYo;k FactorV ^ The temperature of the waters of Hudson's Bay in summer is some i^^ higher than that of the waters of Lake Superior. Storms ar^very rare anii by no means formidable, and no icebergs are ever to be met with : fogs are of rare occurrence and short duration. The tide is first felt on the west shore ; it runs down towards the south, and then up by the south, and then periodJiaV " """'"" "'"^^ '"' " ^^ ^^^^"^^ ^^ "^^"^ P^^^on^ Towards the south a deep opening of the land forms James's Bay. a kind of prolongation of Hudson's Bay, situated 281 miles from Lake Superior i8 Its greatest extent from north to south measures 360 miles"; its average breadth is about 150 miles. The east coast is woody, and the west low and swampy. The country east of Hudson's Bay is extremely rich in iron ore, according to Dr. Bell. Anthracite is also found there, and lignite in abundance on James's Bay. The waters of Hudson's Byiy reach the Atlantic by way of Hudson's Strait, an arm of the sea 500 miles in length, and with an average breadth of 100 miles. The chief outlet of the strait is only forty-five miles wide between Resolution Island and Button Island on the north coast of Labra(ior. The depth of the water is over 340 fathoms in the strait. The current is very rapid, and nms as high as six miles an hour. The tide rises from rnirty to forty feet. The coast is very high and bold, especially towards the north ; the land in many places, as seen by navigators, attaining from 1,000 10 2,000 feet in height. Were it not for the presence of the Polar ice, which comes down from the Arctic seas by way of Fox's Strait durine the months of April, May, June and July, Hudson's Strait would, it is admitted by all, be exceptionally safe, owing to the uniform great depth of water and the entire absence of reefs or dangerous islands. These masses of ice when emerging from the strait meet the icebergs from Davis's Strait and Baffin's Bay, and are thus retarded on their way to the ocean, and are the chief if not the only obstacle which impedes the navigation of the bay and greatly curtails its duration. The Circumpolar charts, published by the Hydrographical Office of the United States Navy Department, show the existence of a current which passes round Greenland and shows itself tothe east of Davis's Strait, running to\yards Baffin's Bay; and then down the direction of Labrador, coming in contact, in its course, with the rush of waters of Hudson's Strait. The Bay of Ungava, a sharp indentation of the Labrador coast, lies at the eastern side of Hudson's Strait, Salmon abound in all the estuaries, and it is known that the Hudson's Bay Company yearly exjiort large quantities of frozen salmon to the English markets. The same company have a fort. Fort Chimo, where they carry on a porpoise fishery on a small scale. The seas we have just described have never ceased to be frequented since they were discovered in 1610 by Henry Hudson. When in search of a passage to China, Champlain, the illustrious founder of the City of Quebec, set out that same year (1610) and ascended the St. Maurice, in pursuit of the same end, but he was forced to turn back. He had no better success in a fresh attempt in 1613. Hudson was more highly favoured, and was the first to reach the bay, and gave his name to this Great North Sea of the old charts. In 16 1 2 Button visited these same latitudes, and gave his name to the group of islands off the entrance of Hudson's Strait. In 1631 Fox made his way further towards the North- West, and entered one of the numerous arms of the sea which form the outlet of the Arctic waters. It is now known as Fox's Strait. The following year James ventured as far as the head of Hudson's Bay, and discovered the bay which bears his name. All these renowned navigators were searching for a North-West passage leading towards the Pacific Ocean and the Western lands, about which so many marvellous tales were told. After the period of discoveries comes the history of the attempts made at various times by the merchants of England and of France to explore and take possession of the riches which were believed to be hidden in these new lands. In 1662 Desgroseillers is said to have sailed into these waters ; Countare and 19 Deijuet took possession the following year in the name of the King of France j in 1668 Raddisson, a Frenchman, and Gillam,an Englishman, from New England, built a trading fort ; and lastly, in 1670, came the first establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company. From this date until the Treaty of Utrecht, in 17 r 3, the bay became the theatre of sanguinary conflicts. Many a hero there won fame for deeds renowned in story ; the navies of England and France met in the field of many a fight, and the forts on the shore were time and again taken and retaken, so that Iberville, writing to the King, said to him, " Sire, je suis las de conquerir la Haie." This obstinate struggle between two great nations for the possession 01" Hudson's Bay and the adjoining countries, of which the future value was more than problematical, seems strange to us now. However, the Treaty of Utrecht confirmed England in possession of Hudson's Bay and the adjoining countries, and a gloomy silence fell once more upon those lands buried beneath the snows and ice of their long winters. The Hudson's Bay Company, armed with exclusive privileges, did not remain inactive, for we find that in 1749 the jealousy of the English merchants caused an inquiry by the House of Commons into the condition of the territories watered by Hudson's Bay and into the trade there carried on. A special committee was appointed, which sat, examined several witnesses, and made a report which has continued to be a matter of lively interest even up to our day. With the ostensible object of inquiring as to the means of civilising those countries, the end, even then, sought was the abolition of the monopoly held by the powerful company. The latter was compelled to lay before the committee a statement of its affairs, which showed it to be in a most flourishing condition. The most striking result which seems to have followed this inquiry was the assistance given by the company to all the hardy explorers who strove then and sirice to discover the mysterious and undiscoverable North -West passage. As regards the object in which we are now interested, that inquiry furnishes us valuable information regarding the navigation of Hudson's Bay. Thus the company state that in 17 19 and 1748 they had sent out two, three, and even four vessels a year ; and yet there is no mention made of a single disaster or the slightest accident. It would be curious to compare the inquiry, made nearly a century and a half ago, with some of the evidence collected at the present time by your committee. It would be observed, among other things, that the navigation of these unknown seas was then characterised as safe and comparatively easy. Now this facility of approach and this safety are confirmed in our time. And if the number of vessels sent by the company is less in our time, it is because since the establishment of a railway, in the south of Manitoba, it costs them less to export by the route a portion of the goods they formerly des[jatche(i by way of ^Ioose and York Factory. Besides, it is shown by the evidence annexed to this report that Hudson's Bay has for several years not been frequented only by vessels belonging to the comi)any. The hardy sailors of New England periodically betake themselves to the north jiart of the bay to carry on the whale fishery, usually wintering on Marble Island, and sailing back the following season with their vessels laden with rich booty. Mention is, in fact, made of an American who has established a port on Hudson's Strait. Fishermen from Dundee, Scotland, also visit Hudson's Bay. It is well known that the cpiestion of navigating Hudson's Bay has c 2 20 suddenly acquired a new importance. It is ever tlie i)roblem of finding a North-West passage, not thiii time in order to reach the China Sea, but to gain access to the immense harvests of wheat whicli await in the prairies of the West the European buyers. Let us suppose, says one witness, the possibility of establishing a line of steamships between Liverjjool and Hudson's Jiay port, which would carry freight at the same rate as the steamships between Montreal and Liverpool. Now the distance between Winnipeg and Montreal is about 1,400 miles while it is more than 700 miles to Vork Factory. It costs li cents per ton per mile to forwaril grain from St. Paul's to New Vork, which applies to the distance to be traversed between Winnipeg and Montreal to York Factory, say the half. If, now, the ton is reckoned equal to 33 bushels, the difference in freight in favour of the Hudson's Bay route would be a saving of 32 cents per bushel, or, in other words, an additional profit of 6.49 dols. per acre, yielding an average of 20 bushels. Other calculations made a saving one- third the present cost of transport realised by the farmer of the West upon the opening of a channel of exportation by the Hudson's Bay. A large proportion of importation from Europe would take this road ; the immigrants proceeding westward would see that they could shorten the annoyances, the delays, and the cost of a journey across the Continent by some 8co to 900 miles. The export of butchers' meat would alone furnish a considerable portion of the lading of Hudson's "liay steamers ; and many persons are of opinion that this route would command a considerable portion of the import and ex])ort trade of the North-Western States of the Union. We speak merely incidentally of the Hudson's Bay fisheries, and of the workings of the minerals, almost inexhaustible in their richness, which are to be found there. To sum up the whole, Hudson's Bay api)ears to us to be destined to perform the same service for the vast territories of the North- West \\hich the Culf of St. Lawrence does for the vast and fertile valley bearing the same name. Churchill is 2,926 miles from Liverpool, Montreal 2,990, 7'i(i Cape Race and New York 3.040. There is, therefore, a difference of 64 miles over the route of Montreal, and 114 miles over that by New Vork, in favour of Churchill. If we sum up the evidence gathered by the committee as to the present condition of the navigation of Hudson's Bay and Strait, we find that the great majority of those who have been here, and consecjuently who know, reckon the duration of the navigation in these waters at three and four months. For more than 250 years sailors have counted upon having an uninterrupted navi- gation of two months and one-holf to three months, and this without marine charts, without an Liccurate knowledge of these waters, without lighthouses, without a system of telegraphic communication, and without aid of steam. It is not then an unwarranted belief that, with all the apjiliances now at the disposal of nautical science, this navigation will be prolonged some weeks. In 1716 Captain Vaunton wrote that of all known countries the navigation of the Gulf of St. Lawrence was the most difticult and the most treacherous. From 1684 to 1730 the wrecking of seven large vessels, belonging to the King, in the gulf was recorded. The loss of these vessels, loaded with merchandise of the most valual)le description, several times caused the most extreme embarrassment to the colony. Of three expeditions fitted out by England, and sailing through the Ciulf of St. Lawrence, only two were able to cast anchor in the harbour of Quebec. Everybody has heard of the disaster which overtook Walker's fleet in 17 11. 21 Only one voyage each year was then made, and it was alleged that the St. Lawrence was frozen solid in winter. What a contrast between the navigation of the St. Lawrence then and now ! Owing to the intelligent and persevering efforts of the Ciovernment of Canada, magnificent harbours have been created ; a powerful and numerous fleet takes its way every year in almost complete safety as far as Montreal, spreading everywhere energy and wealth ; and the export alone of grain by the noble route reached the figures of 10,500,000 bushels in 1883. To declare that it will be time enough to pay attention to the question of navigating Hudson's Bay when the railways become sufficient to move the traffic of the North-VVest, appears to us to be an erroneous view to take of the matter. What we have to do is to promote production by offering to it more favourable conditions. There are also results, gathered from the evidence gathered by your committee, a necessity for the Government to examine a great number of questions intimately connected with the navigation of Hudson's Bay and Strait. Without the intervention of the State this navigation will remain what it is at the present moment, uncertain, of short duration, without any attraction for capitalists. In this direction several have set forth their opinions as to the nature of the examination which the Ciovernment might have made, and as to the organisation and character of a proposed surveying and exploring expedition. They almost all agree in stating that these observations should cover a period of at least three years, and should be conducted by means of observa- tories, erected on the shores of the strait as well as on certain places on the coast of Hudson's Bay. Cape Wolstanholme, Nottingham Island, the neighbourhood of North Bay, Cape Hope, Resolution Island, and one of the Button Islands have been pointed out as localities which might be selected. The meteorological and astronomical phenomena, the currents, the temperature of the waters, the tides, the movement and nature of the ice masses, some hydrographical bearings, etc., such would be, or nearly so, the work entrusted to the head men of the stations. The (Government would succeed in this way in establishing a knowledge ui)on a number of essential points relating to the navigation of those unknown waters, and would prepare the way for capitalists desirous of essaying the opening of this grand road to the North-West. The breaking up of these waters which foil into Hudson's Bay, as well as the date of the formation of the ice upon these rivers upon the beach of the bay, are, of course, the important focts which it is necessary to take into account, in order to determine the duration of navigation. From the tables given to the Government by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1880, it appears that the breaking up of Hayes River at York Factory for a period of 53 years took place on the average 15th of May. The mean of the formation of ice gives the 20th of November, which would give an average of about five months or thereabouts of navigation. We know that the 1 st of May is the usual date of the opening of Montreal Harbour, and the 25th November of its closing. The ix)int would be to ascertain for certain this fact, not only as to York Factory, but Churchill Harbour, and various other places on the shores of Hudson's Bay. The information hither.to collected only applies to a very small number of ports. I aa Your committee beg to submit with this report all the evidence taken in the course of investigation, some of which will be found of a most interesting character. In concluding this report, your committee believe it to be their duty to remark upon the absolutely impartial character of their labours. Undertaken without reference to preconceived opinions, the inquiry has been conducted in a manner well calculated to throw the greatest possible amount of light upon the conditions and character of the navigation of this portion of our Marine Dominion. The information oI)tained cannot be said to complete the examination of the ciuestion ; but your committee are satisfied if they have been able, by their efforts, to contribute to the critical examination and solution of a problem which will assure to Canada an immense development of its marine — the monopoly of the traffic of the North- \v''est, and a fresh pledge of prosperity and grandeur. The whole of which is respectfully submitted. (Signed) J. ROYAT>, Chainiian. Legislature Promnxk of Manitoba, Session 1884. The Hon. Mr. Brown, from the Committee on the Hudson's Bay Inquiry, in 1884, presented their Sixth Report, which was read as follows :-- Your committee beg leave to report that they have met eleven times, and have taken the evidence of the following witnesses, viz. : — Mr. JoHx Moves, Winnipeg. Mr. C. N. Bkll, Winnipeg. Mr. H. Johnston, Winnii.eg. Capt. \\ . Kknneuv, Winnipeg. Capt. J. Hackiam), Headingly. Mr. W. Stephenson, Headingly. Capt. Colin Sinclair, St Andrews. Mr. D. MacArthur, AVinnipeg. Capt. H. RoniNSON, Winnipeg. Mr. W. Archibald, Winnijjeg. Mr. W. Dickson, Lake Francis. Mr. J NO. Harcjraves, High Bluft". Mr. C. S. Drummond, Winnipeg. \'en. Arclideacon Cowlev, J)ynevor. Mr. James Ward, St. Anne's. Mr. Geo. A. Bavne, C E., Winnipeg. And have received written testimony from many others. Many of the gentlemen examined have had personal and extended experience as oftictrs and servants of the Hudson's Bay Company at their 83 in posts on Hudson's and Ungava Bays and the rivers emptying into those \ i.ys. JVo evidence has been given that goes to prove that Hudson's Strait and Bay proper ever freeze over, or that the ice met with in those waters is sufficient to prevent navigation at any time of the year. That, consequently, the period of navigation is defined by the time during which the ports, harbours, or roadsteads on the shores of the bay can be entered by vessels of a suitable description for such navigation. That, from the evidence adduced, it appears that such ports or harbours are open on an average, from four and a half to five months in each year to ordinary vessels. That Hudson's Bay and Strait appear, from all evidence taken, to be singularly free from obstrifction to navigation in the shape of shoals "or reefs ; and, during the period of open water, from storms or fogs. That, while in the opinion of your committee, sufficient evidence exists to prove the practicability of a route of communication with this province via Hudson's Bay, your committee is glad to perceive that it is the intention of the Dominion Government to send an expedition to examine into the general question of the navigation of Hudson's Bay and Strait, and to obtain such information as will enable correct charts of the coasts and harbours to be constructed. That, considering the paramount importance to this Province of such an investigation, your committee advise that steps be taken by your Honourable House to secure a proper representation of this Province upon such ex- pedition. Your committee has also examined many persons familiar with the country between this Province and Hudson's Bay, and has examined the reports of engineers and others, charged with the duty of making technical explorations of such country, and are of the opinion that no engineering difficulties exist which will prevent the construction of a line or lines from this Province to the shores of Hudson's Bay. Your committee beg to draw the attention of your Honourable House to the immense commercial importance to this Province of the proposed route of communication, whether by rail and water, or by rail alone. They find that the area under cultivation in the states of Minnesota and Dakota, and in this Province, in 1882-3, aggregated nearly 9,000,000 of acres, which produced a crop of all kinds of grain amounting to upwards of 80,060,000 bushels. One railway alone (the St. Paul, Minn., Manitoba R.R.) carried southward 13,087,120 bushels of wheat, 370,010 barrels of flour during the year ending June 30, 1883, and it is safe to assume that had the outlet via Hudson's Bay existed, at least one-half vf this produce would have followed that channel. to the seaboard. Your committee feel justified in assuming that this route would be extensively availed of by the shippers of this country and the neighbouring btates of America in consequence of the fact that the distance from Winnipeg to Liverpool via Hudson's Bay is 570 miles less than from Winnipeg to Liverpool via Montreal and the Straits of Belle Isle, and 770 miles nearer than 7w Montreal and Cape Race, while it is 1,051 miles near than byway ot Aew York. By sea, Churchill Harboui: is 64 miles nearer to Liverpool than IS Montreal, and 114 miles nearer than New York. Not only is all the rail route much shorter than by any other Nature has provided water ways from the head of by. any navigation ine, but of the Red 24 River to the foot of Lake Winnipeg, which cm be utiliseil for over six months in each year, thus reducing the length of railway line to be traversed to within 400 miles, or a less distance than from Winnipeg to Port Arthur. Your committee has, therefore, no reason to doubt that a railway from thence to Hudson's Bay will prove a successful and remunerative undertaking, antl are satisfied that such an outlet will do more to stimulate production in this Province and the North-West generally than any other enterprise. Your committee has embodied in the appendix to this report, such economic and commercial statistics as are available, as proofs of the practica- bility and advisability of establishing communications with this Province via Hudson's Bay. Ordered. — That the report be now received. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. Hudson's Bay and Hudson's Strait as a JVai'igal'/e Channel. Bv COMMODORE (Admiral) A. H. Markham, R.N. Read at the Evening Meeting, June nth, 18S8. The question of tlie practicability of navigating Hudson's Strait in safety during a certain ])eriod of the year has lately excited much interest on both sides of the Atlantic, for reasons apart from geography. At the same time it is a question which is of considerable geographical interest in connection with the movement of ice in that region. The knowledge I have acquired of that part of the world is due to a careful study of the writings of our old navigators, and also of more recent reports, and this has been supplemented by the experience I gained during a voyage on board the Alert, thiough Hudson's Strait to York Factory, on the western shore of Hudson's Bay in the summer of 1886. I have thouglit that a paper containing a condensed narrative of former voyages from the time of Sebastian Cabot, and an account of my own observations, would be useful to the Fellows of this Society for reference, if published in our " Proceedings." I theretore prepared a monograph of this kind, which has been accepted by the Council for printing, but which would be too long for reading at one of our evening meetings. What I now propose ' to submit to the meeting is a condensed version of parts of the historical section of my paper, followed by a fuller narrative of my own experiences. Hudson's Bay, or as it has not been inaptly termed, the Mediterranean Sea of North America,, is a large inland sea, situated between the parallels of 51" and 64" N. lat., and, therefore, well outside the Arctic zone, and between the meridians of 78'' and 95" W. long. It is about 900 miles in length from nordi to south, and some 600 wide, covering an area of somethmg like 500,000 square miles. 25 '< Hudson's Bay is reported to be remarkably free from rocks and shoals, and it has an average depth of about seventy fathoms. So uniform are the soundings, that our accomplished associate, Dr. Bell, of the (ieographical Survey of Canada, in a paper which he communicated to our SocitHy in October, 1881, on the commercial importance of Hudson's Bay, had no hesitation in saying that if, through any convulsion f)f nature, this vast basin was to be drained of its water, we should find an immense plateau similar to the i)rairies of the West. I would observe that there are few authorities on thr. subject whose opinions should be received with greater respect than those of Dr. Bell, who has devoted many years of his life to the exploration of Hudson's Bay, and whose knowledge and experience regarding the physical geography and geology of that part of tiie world are so well known. The same authority states that storms in the bay are very rare and by no means formidable, that icebergs are never seen, and that fogs, the most dreaded enemy with which a sailor has to contend, are of rare occurrence and of but short duration. The climate of the shores of Hudson's Bay, during the summer months, is mild and genial, nnd many European vegetables, such as i)otatoes, lettuce, beetroot, and onions, are grown in the open air. The winters are, however, very severe. It is asserted that the temperature of the water in Hudson's Bay is no less than 14" higher than the water of Lake Superior, and in support of this assertion Lieutenant Gordon (who was sent by the Canadian Government in command of the recent expeditions despatched to Hudson's Bay for the purpose of reporting on its feasibility as a commercial route) writes, in his first official despatch, that "Hudson's Bay may therefore be regarded as a vast basin of comparatively warm water, the effect of which must be to ameliorate the winter climate to the south and east of it." The principle, and, so far as we know at present, the only practicable approach to Hudson's Bay in a ship is through Hudson's Strait, a deep channel about 500 miles in length, which separates Labrador from the islands of Arctic America. The Strait has an average breadth of about 100 miles, but the width in the narrowest part of the channel is not more than forty-five miles. The soundings in the strait vary from 150 to 300 fathoms, and it is wonderfully free from shoals and rocks, or any other obstacles that would tend to make the navigation of a narrow channel more than ordinarily dangerous. The accounts of early voyages to Hudson's Strait are important to us, because they form cumulative evidence respecting its navigability in the months when such voyages v/ere undertaken. John Davis, when he was returning from the extreme northern point he reached in 1587, passed across the mouth of the strait on the ist August, and thus remarked upon it : "This inlet or gulfe was passed over ; where, to our great admiration, we saw the sea fiiUing down mto the gulfe with a mighty overfal and roaring, and with divers circular motions 'ike whirlpooles, in such sort as forcible streames passe thorow the arches of bridges." On the Molyneux Globe of 1593 (now the property of the Benchers of the Middle Temple, and which was lent to this Society for the Exhibition of Educational Appliances) the very words of Davis are written at the entrance of Hudson's Strait, namely, " Furious Overfall." This is one out of several proofs that Davis had a hand in the con- struction of that famous globe. In 1602 Captain Waymouth, during a voyage 26 organised by the East India Company, reported that he entered an inlet in the same latitude. Hence it is that Captain i-uke Fox, who subsequently made a voyage into Hudson's Bay, recorded the very true and apposite remark that "these two — Davis and Waymouth — did, I conceive, light Hudson into his straits." In 1610 Henry Hudson was despatched in the little Z?/W7vr)', of 55 tons, with a crew of 21 men, to find the North-West Passage by way of the opening discovered by Davis, and marked on the Molyneux Globe as the " Furious Overfall.' The labours of Hudson bore rich Iruit, and he deserves a high place among our early geographers. His name is never likely to be forgotten: it is borne by the strait and by the great bay to which it leads. It is inscribed on the vast territory between that bay and the Pacific Ocean. It is aftection- ately remembered by the thousands of hapjiy families now living on the banks of that beautiful river, which he found scantily inhabited by savage tribes. It was Hudson who opened to his own countrymen the fisheries of Spitzbergen and the fur trade of the Hudson's Bay Territory. The Dutch owed to him their North American colony, which afterwards became the English colony of New York. He thus built u\) to himself a far more enduring monument than his fondest dreams could have antici])ated. His successes may well be held out as an encouragement to those who, like him, labour earnestly and steadfastly in some great cause which may seem almost hopeless. Henry Hudson entered the strait v.hich bears his name in the end of June, 1610, and was at first much troubled by the amount of ice he encoun- tered. For some time he experienced difficulty in making his way to the westward, and on July 11, fearing the approach of a storm, he anchored under the shelter of three rocky islands to which he gave the name of " The Isles of (iod's IMercy." They are marked on our i)resent charts as the " Middle Savage Islands." Thence he pushed his way westward to the Digges Islands and Cape Wolstenholme, at the entrance of Hudson's Bay, bu., unfortunately, this is the last recorded incident in his journal. For an accour. of the remainder of the voyage we have to trust to the narrative written by one of the survivors, which, although of thrilling interest, contains little geographical information. The story of his wintering, of the mutinous conduct of the crew, and of the abandonment of Hudson and his son in an open boat, is told by this survivor, named Habakuk Prickett. 'Vha Discovery returned through Hudson's Strait early in the August of i6ti without any difficulty, and the reports of the survivors led to the dispatch of another expedition in the ensuing year. Sir Thomas Button, who commanded the expedition of 161 2, in the Resolution, proceeded through the strait in June, and reached Digges Island without much hindrance from the ice. He wintered on the west coast of Hudson's Bay, and returned through the strait in the summer of 16 13 without any difficulty whatever. But, instead of emerging from the main enM'ance of the strait, Sir Thomas Button took his ship between the island on which Cape Chidley is situated and the main land of Labrador. This channel has recendy been named M'Lelan Strait, after the ('anadian Minister of Marine and F'isheries, under the impression that it is a new discovery. " Resolution " Island is the name of the island on the north side of the entrance to Hudson's Strait. If the island on the south side, on which Cape Chidley is situated, was called " Discovery " Island, we should then have the twp portals of the strait named after the two first ships tiiat ever passed a winter in Hudson's Bay. a? The enterprising company of merchant adventurers were not discouraged by the faiUires of Hudson and Button. In 1615 they again dispatched the little Discovi'i-y , under the command of Robert Mylot, with tiuit acccjinplished navigator, William Haffm, as pilot. During this voyage, Hudson's Strait was entered towards the enil of May. and on June 8 the Savage Islands were reached and named. Proceeding westward along the northern shore, the Discovery stopped at a place < ailed Hroken Point. Tlie spot is memorable, because here the first lunar observation ever observed by an Knglishman, for finding the longitude, was taken by William MatVin. Phis admirable pilot drew a most interesting chart, on which the coast-line and prominent head- lands and islands are delineated, with a fair ai)proach to accuracy. 'Phere were some delays in passing through Hie strait owing to loose ice, but they were clear of it by July i. On her return in August the Z>/jw7r/j passeil tiirough the strait without encountering any obstacle whatever. Hut the great mistake made by ikiffin, and, indeed, by all the old Arctic navigators, was that they relinquished exploration too early in the season. In 1619 Captain Hawkridge sailed through the strait, and in the same year a Danish expedition, under Munck, also entered the bay, neither commander encountering any serious obstacle. Twelve years afterwards two vessels were fitted out, one at Pondon, the other at hristol, under the com- mands of Captains Luke Fox and James respectively, which entered Hudson's Bay. Captam Fox was a (juaint and witty writer, as well as a bold seaman. His description of the ice he met with in Hudson's Strait is so good, and so exactly coincides with my own experience of the ice in that locality, that it will be well to ([uote it. He says : "The ice in the strait consists of two kinds, one of which is mountainous (a hugh piece, comi)act, of great (piantity, some more, some less), but in this freet " (as he calls the strait), " you seldom have any bigger than a great church, and most thereof lesse." 'Phis description, of course, has reference to the icebergs met with at the entrance and in the eastern part of Hudson's Strait. He then describes the How or jxick ice as follows : "The other kind is smaller, and is what we call masht or lleaclit ice. Of this you shall there have numbers infinite, some of the quantity of a roode, some a perch, some an acre or two acres. But the most is small and about a foot or two above water, and eight or ten under water, and these are they which do enclose you ; so as in much wind, from the topmast head, you .shall hardly see any water for them. But while you lay amongst them it is so smooth as you shall not feel the ship stirre." It would not be possible to give a more accurate account of the conditions of the ice in Hudson's Strait at the present day than is furnished by this description written by Ca[)tain Luke Fox more than 250 years ago. It exactly describes the peculiar nature of the ice that is usually met with during the navigable season in this channel, and which I have not o!)served in any other part of the northern regions. Fox found little difficulty in passing through the strait, and was in Hudson's Bay by the 2 ist of July. His return voyage during October was still more easy, for he encountered no obstacle whatever, and was off Resolution Island on the 31st October. Captain James, whose voyage was undertaken in the same year, 1631, reached the entrance of Hudson's Strait on the 24th of June, but was delayed in consequence of striking on a rock,, and did not complete the passage of the strait until the middle of Jul). James wintered in the southern extremity of Hudson's Bay, and in 1632 he again passed through the strait, on his way home, without any difficulty whatever. t$ No further attempt was made to visit these seas, until a charter was gnuitcil to I'riiu c Riipirt ami sonic I'litcrprising merchants in 1669, and the lluilsun's Hay Company was founded. Captain (iillam, in the Xomtii/i, was then sent out. He passed through Hudson's Strait without difficulty, and established a settlement near James's winter (juarters, which he called Kort Charles. He returned the following year. From this date, for a period of tifty years, no interest appears to have been taken in geographical research in the Hudson's hay region, although the Company's ships were frecpiently engaged in making the voyage from and to England. lUit at last two shijjs were fitted out l)y the Hudson's May Company for purposes of discovery, commanded by Captains Harlow and \'aughan ; they were accom|)anied by .Mr. Knight, an official of the Hudson's Bay (Company, who had suggested the voyage, and who was nearly 80 years of age. They sailed from (»ravesend in 17 19, but three years elapsed without any tidings of them being received. A ship called the /r//(// shipwreck among these vessels employed in Hudson's Bay is far less than would have to be recorded in a like number of ships engaged in general ocean traffic. Since the keel of Hudson's good ship, the Discovery, ploughed the waters of the strait, the passage has been made over 500 times, whilst the losses due to the ice might be summe A reference to the valuable evidence obtained by your Committee will show that navigation from Hehring Straits to the mouth of the Mackenzie, and prol)ably as f;ar east as WoUaston I,and, may be had for three months in each year, the soundings given on the Admiralty Chart of that portion of the Arctic Sea revealing an average depth of about 20 fathoms, which is a con- siderable depth in what is known to be generally a shallow sea. The western branch of the estuary of the Mackenzie is said to be the outlet which has the deepest waters, and it is respectfully submitted that much good might accrue were the Dominion (lovernment party, now working its way from the Yukon towards Peel River, and the Mackenzie, to descend either these streams, and examine the western and other branches of the estuary of the Mackenzie. To convey to your Honourable House the distances which separate the navigable waters of the Mackenzie IJasin from the eastern and western sea coasts, and from navigable rivers and railways to the south and south-east, the following table of distances has been taken up from the evidence. The lengths are in straight lines as follows: — From the head of Great Slave Lake to head of Chesterfield Inlet, 320 miles ; from the head of Athabasca Lake to the harbour of Churchill, 440 miles ; from Fort MacMurray, at the junction of the Clearwater with the Athabasca below the 70 miles of (juestionable navigation, to the following places on the Saskatchewan : Prince Albert, 300 miles ; F'ort Pitt, 220 miles; Victoria, 179 miles ; Edmonton, 225 miles ; from Calgary, on the Canadian Pacific Railway to Athabasca Landing, on the Athabasca River, 250 miles; from head of Little Slave Lake, to Peace River Landing, on the I'eace River, 65 miles ; from Hazleton, on the Skeena River, to Peace River, in the Pass, 150 miles ; from Fort Mumford, on the Stikeen River, to Fort Liard, on the Liard River, 370 miles. A good deal of difficulty has been experienced by the Commifiee in endeavouring to obtain the exact catch of furs in the region under considera- tion, and no definite or direct information has been obtained ; they have, however, obtained lists of furs oft'ered for sale in 1887, in London, by the Hudson's Bay Company, and C. M. I^am|)son tSr Co., the consignees of many of the furs of British North America, and from these lists they find the following to be a summary of one year's catch : — Otter . Fisher Fox (silver) Fox (cross) Fox (red) . Fox (white) Fox (blue) . Fox (grey) . Fox (kitt) Lynx . Skunk Marten Mink 14,439 Beaver 104,270 7,192 Musquash . . 2,485,368 1,967 Extra black Musquash 13,944 6,785 Wolf 7,156 85,023 Wolverine . 1,581 10,257 Bear (all kinds) . 15,942 1,440 Musk Ox . 198 31,597 Badger 3,739 290 Ermine 4,166 14,520 Swan 57 682,794 Rabbit 114,824 98,342 Hair Seal (dry) 13,478 376,223 Sable 3,517 It will be sec.: by those who have a knowledge of the great value of these rich northern furs, a large proi)ortion of which may be presumed to have come from the Mackenzie Basin, how large and important that trade has been, and it is expedient that, without unduly interfering with the rights of 4a settlers or the usual privileges of Indians, this great fur trade should he fostered and even made a source of direct revenue to the Dominion. The Rinht Reverend Hish()|) Clut, in his evidence, called attention to the damage to this interest cjused hy the use of " poiscjn," which is strychnia of the most powerhil kin J, in the capture of such animals as the fox or wolf, lie ('eprecates its use, first on account of the danger to those using it, and hom the fact that it causes useless destruction, inasmuch as the foxes and wolves that swallow the frozen bait have time to run and die far beyond where they may be found, and in the case of other animals, for which it is not intended, it destroys tlirectly by eating the bait, and indirectly by the eating of the animals which have been poisoned by it. Again, there is great danger of some species of fur-beaiing animals becoming extinct by the greater ease in their capture, such as the beaver, which many years ago became almost extinct in the United States when fashion necessitated the exclusive use of its fur in felt and other hats, and more recjntly tnc same prospect of extirpation threatened the mink which now threatens the south sea or fur seal ; these considerations i)ointing to the expedient y of the (iovernment making a measure of protection a source of revenue by the leasing of certain tur districts with a limitation as to the catch of certain kuids of its furs. Of the fresh water food fishes of the region, Back's "grayling,"' an excel- lent s[)ecies not prevalent elsewhere, seems to be found everywhere in its rivers, and even west of the Rocky Mountains, but the staple product of its lakes and large rivers seems to be whitefish of great weight and excellent flavour, and trout, often reaching forty pounds in weight ; and evidence goes to show that the farther north the greater the yield of tish, till the ipiantity becomes enormous. As an illustration, the following is given from the evidence of Frof. Macoun, who tiuotes Sir John Richardson to the effect that one of tile early overland I'Yanklin expeditions look fifty thousand while fish on a nortii-easlern arm ot Great Rear lake, and Sir John Richardson also states thai the great lake trout swarm in all the northern great lakes. In regard to the salmon fisheries, it would appear from the evidence that salmon are abundant in the rivers and along the coast of the north-west side of Hudson's l]ay, as well as in the rivers of the northern shores of the Cuntineiit. Your Committee consider it advisable that means should be adopted to ascertain more accurately the extent and value of the salmon fisheries of these regions, with a view to utilising them for the purposes of commerce, and for the revenue which they may afford. The seas adjoining the great territory which your Committee has had under investigation, are frecjuented by whales of different species, walruses, narwhals, and a variety of seals. All these animals are valuable for their oil, but the large species of whales have heretofore been most sought for. Only a few years ago these animals had a much more extensive range than at the present time. Owing to improvements in navigation and methods of capture, they have, of late years, fallen an easy prey to their pursuers, and taken shelter in the less frequented seas of the northern coasts of Canada. Now they are being pursued to their last retreat by foreign whalers, and some species are threatened with complete extinction in a few years if this condition continues. It is to be borne in mind that whales are long lived and slow- breeding animals. The American whalers attack them with harpoons, explosive bombs and lances, fired from large swivel-guns carried on steam launches, instead of the old-fashioned weapons thrown by hand from row- 43 he boats. These luoihods lun only destroy tlie whales with greater facility, but inspire thtr survivors with such terror that they seek the most ilistaiU aiM.1 inaccessible parts of the northern seas, and have c-ntnely disai)peared from the waters in which they lived only a few years ago. Vour Committee are informed that the Russian (lovernmeiit claim juris- di( tion over the whale fislieries of the White Sea, and exact a heavy licence from each vessel engaged in the fishing, and that the Alaska l-'ur (Company assert a similar authority over the seal fisheries of Ilehring Sea, both of which are open to the o( can, while Hudson's Hay, Hoothia Hay, and other bays and channels in the nortliern pait of the I )ominion, which are resorted to by foreign whalers, may be considered as closed seas, being almost com[)letely surroundeil by our own territory. Your Connnittee would, therefore, recom- mend that some measures may be adopted with a view to prote( ting the whale fisheries of our northern waters, and at the same time of deriving a revenue therefrom. Should this not be done, then, as soon as the larger whales shall have become extinct, the slaughter of our smaller oil-producing mimmals will commence, and as these creatures live in shallow watei or nearer shore, further encroachments on our rights will probably result. The evidence submitted to your Committee points to the existence in the Athabasca and Mackenzie Valleys of the most extensive [)etroleum field in America, if not in the world. The uses of petroleum, and conse(|uently the demand for it by all nations, are increasing at such a rapid ratio that it is probable this great petroleum field will assume an enormous value in the near future, and will rank among the chief assets comprised in the Crown domain of the Dominion, For this reason your Committee would suggest that a tract of about 40,000 scjuare miles be, for the present, reserved from sale, and that as soon as possible its value may be UKjre accurately ascertained by exploration and practical tests ; the said reserve to be bounded as follows : Easterly by a line drawn due north from the foot of the Cascade Rapids on C'learsvater River to the south shore of .\thabasca Lake; northerly, by the s.\id lake shore and the Quatre Fourche and I'eace Rivers ; westerly, by Peace River, and a straight line from I'eace River Landing to the western extremity of Lesser Slave Lake; and southerly, by said lake and the river discharging it to Athabasca River and Clearwater River as far u}) as the place of beginning. Vour Committee regret that they have made so long a report, but trust that an excuse will be found in the fact that on a map of similar projection and scale the region in question occupies an area greater than the Australian Continent or two-thirds of Europe, coxeriui,' parts of the British Islands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Cermany, Austria, and ;i part of France and Russia. Vour Committee have reason to l)elieve tliat a comparison of the capabilities of this extent of country in our own Continent exceeds in extent of navigation, area of arable and pastoral lands, valuable fresh water fisheries, forests and mines, and in capacity to su[)port poj.ulation, the continental jnirt of Europe to which we have referred. Many important points have, therefore, been omitted from this report, for information upon which your Committee beg to refer your Honourable House to the evidence itself; they have, however, accompanied this report, as being a necessary adjunct, with four majis, of a size suitable to form two pages of this report, carefully prepared by Robert Bell, Esq., ^LD., LL.D., Assistant Director of the Ceological Survey ; the first showing upon it in colours the 44 northern aii.l iv.sterii extent of possible potato, barley, and wheat growth, the pastoral, prairie, and wooil region, and the barren grounds ; the second showing in colours the mineral deposits in the Mackenzie Basin ; the third shows the southern limit of the feeding grounds of the musk ox and of the reindeer, the northern range of the wolverine, otter, beaver, black bear, and Virginia deer, the former range of bison and wood buffiilo, and the present range of the moose, the Greenland seal, and of the larger v/hales ; and the fourth shows in colours the extent of the river, lake, and sea coast navigation, and the coal and lignite deposits. Your Committee believe that these are necessary for the proper informa- tion of your Honourable House, and the full explanation of the evidence submitted herewith, and should this suggestion be adopted they will feel that witli this report, and the evidence herewith, they will have done all that it was possible to do since the date of their appointment, and the receipt of their instructions, to inform your Honourable House, and the people of this country, upon the resources of Canada's Great Reserve. All of which is respectfully submitted. JOHN SCHULTZ, Chairman. THE NORTH-WEST OF CANADA. GREAI" CORN, CATTEE, AND MINERAL COUNTRY OF THE FUTURE. Westminster Rei'ic'iOy >[arch, 1893. When Lord Palmcrston introduced the Bill to the House of Commons in February, 1S58, for the transfer of the Government of India from the East Lidia Comjiany to the Crown, referring to the Hudson's Bay Territory, on which a Select Committee of the House had taken evidence and reported in the previous Session, he said : "One could easily imagine that a wilderness in the northern part of America, where nothing lives except fur bearing animals and a few wild Indians but little removed from the lower creation, might be confined to a company whos<' chief function should be to strip the running animals of their furs and to keep the bipeds sober." Mr. Gladstone, however, took a more favourable view of the future of the Great Xorth-West, for during the same Session of Parliament, on the motion of Mr. John Arthur Roebuck, "That the privileges of the Hudson's Bay Company, about to expire, ought not to oe renewed," said : " There is a large jiortion of the surfiice of the earth with regard to the character of which we have been systematically kept in darkness, for those who had information to give have also had an interest directly opjiosed to imparting it. Now, the truth is beyond question that a great i)art of this country is highly valuable for colonisation purposes, and it is impossible to state in too strong language the proposition that the Iludson's Bay Company is, by its very existence and its character, the enemy of colonisation." , on (I in 45 The opinions so forcibly expressed by Mr. Gladstone have been confirmed in a manner far surpassing what was ever supposed at that period. In 1867 the Dominion Act of Canada was passed, and in 1870 the ( Government came into possession of the immense region formerly governed by the Hudson's Bay Company. Since that ])eriod a railway has been constructed from Halifax on the Atlantic Ocean to Vancouver on the Pacific, a distance of 3,711 miles, entirely through British territory, and a line 01 British mail steamers established, second to none in the world, running between Vancouver, Vokohama, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, conveying a portion of the British mails and troo])s to and from the Ignited Kingdom and India, whilst an uninterrupted lake and river navigation, suitable for ocean-going vessels, has been almost perfected from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the head of Lake Superior. Fort Garry, which in 1870 contained 250 inhabitants, has now become the handsome city of Winnipeg, with a population of over 30,000, and adorned with many buildings which would do credit to 1 'ndon. It is the centre of a magnificent railway system, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with many hundreds of miles of branch lines running north and south. There is not probably in the history of the world such a rapid physical and l)ermanent development. The capability to produce all the food that the United Kingdom requires in the form of corn and cattle by the North West of the Dominion of Canada is limited only by the supply of labour and improved transit to the seaboard. To fully ajipreciate the magnitude and importance of the Dominion of Canada is to compare it with Russia in Europe. The Dominion comprises an area of 3,400,000 square miles, whilst European Russia is only 2,095,000. They lie mainly within the same degrees of latitude. The great inland sea of Hudson's Bay is ii: the same latitude and is twice the size of the Baltic. The ^';reat lakes and the St. Lawrence navigation are not ecjualled in Russia, and the Nelson River, with its lakes and tribuiary streams, drains a larger fertile an a than the \'olga, or the Don and Dneiper combined ; and the Mackenzie River, with its lakes and tributary streams, is equal to the Dwina and the mouth of the White Jea. In fact, according to the most authentic Government reports, the fertile area of the Dominion is fully etjual in clr late and capability of producing cereals and cattle to the whole of Russia in Europe. Port Churchill on Hudson's Bay, the very centre of the North-West, is much nearer to London than the Russian ports of the Black Sea. There are 14,000 miles of railway in the Dominion as compared with 18,500 in Russia, 15,000 miles of internal navigation, and the whole country under the dominion of the British Crown, where life and i)roperty v d liberty are absolutely secure, and yet Russia in Europe has a population of ninety-five millions, whih;t the Dominion of Canada has only about five millions. The great fertile Belt of the North- West extends from the city of Winni- peg, the capital of the province of Manitoba, on the east, to the foot of the hills of the Rocky Mountains, 1 distance of about 920 miles, and from the forty-ninth parallel of latitude north to the watershed of the North Saskatche- wan, an average distance of 350 miles, embracing an area of 322,000 square miles, or 206,080,000 acics, two-thirds of which have been proved to be capable of producing the finest wheat in the world, and the rest is admirably adapted for stock raising and dairy forming. The whole country is well watered with long and numerous rivers and smaller streams, a mode.ate growth of wood, and extensive coal deposits. The soil is generally of a deep 46 rich loam, requiring no manure, and the climate is described by long residents in the country as one of the most invigorating and healthy in the world. Land can be acquired in various ways, from free grants of i6o acres to any male adult settler over eighteen years of age, up to los. to 40^-. an acre, with easy means of payment and near a good market. There were under cultivation in 1891 about 900,000 acres, which produced a surplus of wheat available for export of 25,000,000 bushels, on an average of 25 bushels to the acre, and 350,000 acres in oats and barley, i)roducmg 20,000,000 bushels. In addition to this, the cattle ranches number a herd of about 600,000. Dairy farming is also carried on with e;ood profit. The harvest last year was again very good, and more especially as to (juality ; and, although the price of wheat rules low, the farmers arc highly prosperous and contented. A large number of farmers are leaving the North- West States of the Union and purchasing lands and settling in the fertile belt of the Dominion. The country at present under local government comprises the Province of Manitoba, covering an area of 64,000 square miles, with Winnipeg as its capital, and the three territories of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, covering an area of 303,000 square miles, with Regina as their capital. To the North-West of the fertile belt lies the territory of Athabasca and the Great Mackenzie Basin, on the resources of which a Committee of the Senate of the Dominion was appointed in 1SS7 to take evidence and report, and in which amongst other things, they say, ''That within the scope of the Committee's inquiry there is a possible area of 650,000 square miles fitted for the growth of potatoes, 407,000 sc^uare miles suitable for barley, and 316,000 square miles suitable for wheat; that throughout this arable and pastoral area latitude bears no direct relation to summer isotherms, the spring flowers and buds of deciduous trees appearing as early north of the Great Slave Lake (lat, 63") as at Winnipeg, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Kingston, or Ottawa, and earlier along the Peace, Liard, and some minor affluents of the Great ^Lackenzie River, where the climate resembles that of Western Ontario. "That on the from 150,000 headwaters of the Peace^ Liard, anil Peel Rivers there to 200,000 scjuare miles which may be considered are auriferous ■' That the evidence submitted to the Committee points to the existence in the Athabasca and Mackenzie Valleys of the most extensive petroleum field in America, if not in the world. The uses of petroleum, and con- seiiuently the demand for it by all nations, are increasing at such a rapid rate that it is probable that this great petroleum field will assume an enormous value in the near future, and will reckon among the chie.'' assets comprised in the Crown domain of the Dominion. " That there is a coal formation covering an area of 100,000 square miles, and that the lakes and rivers abound in fish and large and small game in enormous numbers. " That the climate is remarkably healthy, many of the witnesses describ- ing it as one of the finest in the world. '' That upon a map of similar projection and scale, the rej^'ion in (luestion occupies an area greater than the Australian Continent, or two-thirds of Euroi)e, covering part of the British Islands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, (lermany, and Austria, and part of France and Russia ; and that the Com- jnittce have reason to believe that a comparison of the capabilities of this V»w<- 47 extent of country on our Continent exceeds in extent of navigation, area of arable land and pastoral lands, valuable fresh water tisheries, forests and mines, and in capacity to support population, the continental part of Europe to which we have referred." RAILWAYS AND NAVIGATION. The Canadian Pacific Railway, starting from the head of Atlantic navigation at Montreal, reaches Winnipeg by a distance of 1,421 miles. From Winnipeg, running through the fertile belt for 920 miles, it is fed by thirteen branches, extending north and south, and aggregating? about 1,500 miles, all centring in Winnipeg. From Winnipeg, coming east, the head of lake navigation is reached by a single line of railway of 423 miles. Two other outlets are afforded through North Dakota and Minnesota, in the United States, to Duluth and St. Paul, etc., etc. Fort William and Duluth are about ecjui-distant by lake, river and canal navigation to Montreal and New York, the distance by water to Montreal being about 1,800 miles, and to New York 2,000 miles. The all-rail route from Winnipeg to New York is 1,779 i^^iles, and to Montreal 1,421 miles. The average cost of the carriage of wheat from ^^'innipeg to the seaboard, whether to Montreal, Portland or New York, is about 20 cents i)er bushel, or 20s. per ton ; in addition to this heavy charge, the present outlets are inadecpiate to move the crops, the elevators are all full, and a great grain block has occurred. The necessity of providing shorter and cheaper outlets for the produce of the great North-West to the seaboard has for some time engaged the attention of the Provincial (iovernment of Manitoba and the I^ominion Ciovernment. The Dominion Government appointed an expedition to test the practicability of the navigation of Hudson's Bay. That expedition was carried out in 1884, 1885, and 1886, and the result has been highly satisfactory It appears im|)ossible to over-rate the importance of this route, for it would not only effect the great saving on distance in the passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, but open uj) the vast regions to colonisation, and provide an alternative route through Dominion territory, free froir all frontier complications and interruptions. Lord Durham, in his celebrated Report on British North America, in 1841, said, in conclusion: "No portion of the American continent possesses greater natural resources for the maintenance of large and flourishing communities. An almost boundless range of the ricliest soil still remains un- settled, and may be rendered available for ihe purposes of agriculture. The wealth of inexhaustible forests of the best timber in America ami of extensive regions of the most valuable minerals have as yet been scarcely touched. Along the whole line of sea-coast around each island, and in every river, are to be found the greatest and richest fisheries in the world. The best fuel and the most abundant water-power are available for the coarser manufactures, for which an easy and certain market will be found. Trade with the Continent is favoured by the possession of a large number of safe and spacious harbours ; long, deep, and numerous harbours, rivers and vast inland seas supply the means of easy intercourse, and the structure of the country generally affords the utmost facility for every species of communication 48 by land ; unbounded materials of agriculture, commercial, and manriacturing industry are there. It depends upon the present decision of t\v: Imperial Legislature to determine for whose benefit they are to be render'::d available. The country which has founded and maintained these colonies at a vast expense of blood and treasure may justly expect its compensation in turning their unappropriated resources to the account of its own redundant populations. They are the rightful patrimony of the English people, the ample appanage which God and nature have set aside in the new world for those whose lot has assigned to them but insufficient i)ortions in the old." COMMERCIAL PRACTICABILITY. EXPERT OPINIONS. The Legislature of the Province of Manitoba appointed a Select Com- mittee, in 1884, to procure evidence and report upon the practicability of establishing a system of communication i'l'ii Hudson's Bay. After taking the evidence of a hjmber of men, with a thorough practical knowledge of the subject, they say in their report : " Many of the gentlemen examined have had personal and extended experience as officers and servants of the Hudson'.s Bay Company at their ports on Hudson's and Ungava's Bays, and the rivers entermg into those bays. No evidence has been given that goes to prove that Hudson's Straits and Bay proper ever freeze over, or that the ice met with in those waters is sufficient to prevent navigation at any time of the year. That, consetjuently, the period of navigation is defined by the time during which the ports, harbours, or roadsteads on the shores of the bay, can be entered by vessels of a suitable description for such navigation. " Your Committee has therefore no reason to doubt that a railway from thence to Hudson's Bay will prove a successful and remunerative undertaking ; and are satisfied that such an outlet will do more to stimulate production in this province and the North-West generally, than any other enterprise." P'ollowing is an extract from the report of the Select Committee of the Canadian House of Commons (1884) : — " Other calculators made a saving of one-third the present cost of transport realised by the farmer of the west upon the opening of a channel of exporta- tion by the Hudson's Bay, a large proportion of importation from Europe would take this road ; the immigrants proceeding westward would see that 49 nrracturing I'-' Imperial i available, i at a vast in turning •opulations. ; appanage : whose lot t hey could shorten the annoyances, the delays, and the cost of a journey across the Continent by some 800 to 900 miles ; the export of butchers' meats would alone furnish a considerable portion of the lading of Hudson's Bay steamers, and many j)ersons are of opinion that this route would com- mand a considerable portion of the import and export trade of the North- ^Vestern States of the Union. To sum up the whole, Hudson s Bay appears to us to he destined to perform the same service for the vast territories of the North- West %vhich the Gulf of St. Lawrence does for the vast and fertile valley bearing the same name!' INDIVIDUAL EVIDENCE. ilect Com- icability of taking the dge of the lined have e Hudson's the rivers 2S to prove le ice met A the year, me during ay, can be ilway from dertaking ; )duction in ise." ttee of the f transport if exporta- m Europe see that Most fLivourable evidence has been given by many of those who accompanied one or more of the three expeditions, 1884-85-86, commanded by the late Lieutenant Gordon, R.N., under the auspices of the Canadian Government : — Capt. J. J. Barry, the first officer in each of the three expeditions* thinks ocean steamships may enter early as June, and can certainly come out as late as December. Mr. W. A. Ashe, superintendent of the Quebec Observatory, the officer in charge of the North coast of the straits from August, 1884, to September, 1885, says the straits are navigable from 4^ to 6i months, varying according to the class of ship. Mr. C. R. Tutde, secretary of the first year's expedition, places the period of navigation at eight months. Mr. William J. Skynner, an officer who accompanied the three expeditions : ** From June to December." Mr. D. J. Beaton, who made the round voyage with the expeditions of 1885, reported the straits navigable from May to December. Officers of the Hudson's Bay Company also assist in swelling the volume of favourable evidence : — !Mr. Wm. A. Archibald, for many years in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company at Moose Factory : " From June to December." Capt. William Hackland, in the Hudson's Bay Company's service for 39 years : " Straits never freeze ; no reason why steamshi])s should not navigate at any time." Capt. John Macpherson, of Stepney, London, Eng., as first officer and captain in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, and who made return voyages from London and Stromness to Hudson's Bay for twenty years, says : " There is no reason why steamships should not make the passage of the straits early as June i, and come out as late as the middle of November." Mr, Walter Dickson, 20 years in the Company's service, stated before the select committee : " I have every reason to believe that the Hudson's Straits and a great body of the Bay proper are navigable at all seasons of the year, and afford no difficulty to ordinary navigation." E 5^ Capt. James Hackland, 30 years in the Company's service, says : " I do not think the ice would be any impediment to steamshi[)s following the route ; the straits are open all the year round, never freezes : there is no reason why steamships should not navigate the straits at any time." EXTRACrS FROM PAPERS, LETTERS, AND SPEECHES. Sir Henry Lefroy, President of the Geographical Section of the British Association, in an address given at Swansea, 1880 : "Churchill Harbour will undoubtedly be the future shipping port for the agricultural products of the vast North- \\'^est Territory, and the route by which emigrants will enter the country." iMr. Wm. Sn)ith, Deputy Minister of Marine and Fisheries for Canada in 1892, referring to Churchill Harbour : " It is a splendid harbour which can be entered with ease and safety at all stages of the tide, thus offering every advantage for shipping, and its entrance is destined some day to be the main commercial point of th;«; inland sea. The Harbour is i)ronounced to be an eminently safe one, and 7vhat is 0/ the i^rea test importance, an inlet by Hudson's Bay is tlie only tlioroug/tly independent channel which can ever be established bet7i.'ccn Great Britain and her North American possessions^ Hon. T. M. Daly, late Canadian Minister of die Interior, writes : " I note your views generallv respecting the Hudson's Bay route. I must say I cordially agree in the opinions you express in this relation ; and speaking for myself, no one has been more anxious than I to see this road an accomplislied fact. I think it would give to our North-West trade an impetus, and produce results such as couid not fail to be of the utmost benefit to that country and Canada as a whole." The Marquis of Dufferin and Ava, K.G., formerly Governor-General of Canada, and late Ambassador to France, writes : " 1 am very much obliged to you for your letter of the 5th, and the enclosures in reference to the pro- posed railway from Port Churchill on Hudson's Bay to the interior of the North-West territory of Canada. Any undertaking which tends to facilitate intercourse between Great Britain and the Dominion is undoubtedly worthy of every support. I am glad to see, however, that the papers you have sent me contain assurances from the officers of the Hudson's ]5ay Company that the ice is no impediment to the working of the project. The advantages of the plan seem obvious." Mr. Furness, M.P., of Messrs. Furness, Withey and Co., shipowners, writes : "The scheme has a great future before it." Lord Charles Beresford, late Superintendent of H.M. Dockyard, Chatham : " Lord Charles Beresford desires to express liis thanks {for pamphlet). He considers tlie idea a most important one." Sir Leojjold M'Clintock, the famous Arctic explorer : " I shall be glad to see the proposed Hudson's Bay route completed. I wish you all success." ; "I do e route ; son why 4ES. e British hour will :ts of the enter the r Canada vhich can -ing every the main 1 to be an Hudson's (stablis/icd rites I nust say I a king for jmplisiied produce untry and 5« Sir Clements R. Markham, K.C.B., Tresiilent of the Royal ( leographical Society : " I am much obliged to you for sending me your pamphlet on the proposed Hudson's Bay and Pacific Railway, which is a very complete collection of the information that is on the subject and arranged in a very complete form. I look upon the establishment of the route as a matter of great importance." A. L. Light, C.?2., Consulting Engineer to the province of Quebec in 1893, writes: "I duly received your pamphlet on the proposed Hudson's Bay and Pacific Railway. It covers the ground ; every statement is reasonable and not overdrawn, and is supi)orted by inde[*endent and trustworthy testimony. ',rhe enterprise moreover is feasible, and it seems to be necessary to the re(iuirements of this great and rapidly developing region." Favourable letters have also been received from : The Marquis of Salisbury; the Lord Egerton of Tatton ; James Rankin, Esq., Al.P. ; Sir John Leng, M.P. ; Lord George Hamilton, ^LP. ; Sir Horace Faniuhar ; Adm'r 1 '".■,;>jmb ; Lord Wolseley ; Sir Alfred Jo[)hson; James Johnson, Es(i., of Otta»vu ; John Penn, Esc^., M.P., and others respectively. Sir Charles Tupper, late High Commissioner for Canada in London, in a speech delivered at Winnipeg, May 8, 1896, before the .\Linitoba Provincial Conservative Association, as reported in the Toronto Globe, said : In all his career as a public man he had held as an axiom that the future of Canada depended to a very great extent upon the development and progress of the NorthAVest. One of the great factors in the future development of Western- Canada would be an outlet to Hudson s Bay, the natural [)athway from the Prairies of the great West to Great Britain, and it was his firm conviction that the prosperity of the West and the whole Dominion called for the speedy construction of the road to the bay. eneral of h obliged the pro- ior of the facilitate worthy of sent me y that the ges of the lipowners, Chatham: ilet). He )e gUtd to ccess."' PRESS COMMENTS. A writer in an Eastern contemporary has this to say, in brief, of the Hudson's liay route, now receiving so much attention : " Eastern Canada must watch the development of the Hudson's Bay route. No merely pro- vincial sentiment can be permitted to obscure our vision of a sense of that which is most fitting, simply because it is feared such may not conduce to our immediate welfare. There is no such thing as a separated Canada. We of Nova Scotia have as much rights in the national property of Hudson's Bay as the yeomen of the Saskatchewan. We cannot, therefore, afford to have our national assets rust in idleness. These are meant to contribute to the universal i)rosperity of the Dominion. It is a mistake to suggest that the Hudson's Bay route cannot benefit the Maritimes. Not a sod is turned west of the Rocky Mountains, not a fur-bearing animal trapped in the circum-arctic zone of timber without the effort, the stride of development which such implies, reacting to the express benefit of the Maritime Provinces of Canada. How much more then will the opening of this great gate of the North American Continent by this giant nation benefit us? Inexpressibly and much ! 5-^ Upon this occasion it will Iiol]) iis to listen to the voice of tht; West. ' Hud- son's r.ayis a route which will soon be made use of as an outlet tor grain and cattle, and whose important in the future is incalculable as a base of suijjjly and an impregnable military highway between (Ireat Britain and the Dominion. By this route Saskatchewan and Assiniboia are as near tidewater as Ontario ; San Francisco is 900 rniles nearer the seaboard than by the way of Chicago — a saving in distance, too, effected in land carriage, whose cost, as compared with ocean transport, is as fifteen to one ; Santa Fe, in New Mexico, is 300 miles nearer Churchill, on Hudson's Bay, than to New York, and by it the vast luiropenn trade of the Pacific seaboard down to the Gult of California, and west of die Sierra Madre Range, is destined to find an outlet. 'I'hese arc economic facts whose triumph is only a cjuestion of time, Like wheat-raising in the North-West, doubts have been cast by jealous interests ui)on the scheme. A groundless impression prevails that the navi- gation of Hudson's Straits and Bay is attended with extreme difficulty and l)eril.'" This is one way of jiutting it. The following boldly lays down the principle that a new (Canadian port be created at Churchill : "The build- ing of the ifudson Bay Railway is a subject of vital importance to the whole of the North AVest Teiritories. Port Churchill is the best harbour for any kind of vessel, the water being deeper and the channel safer. Here, then, is the i^reat front door to this countr}-, AVlien the ships from all parts of the world are invited by us to cast their anchors in Churchill Harbour a large northern <. iimercial city will arise at Port Churchill, a city exactly a degree and a quarter further south than St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire. \\y the revenue that will be collected at Churchill we will not then be a source of expense to the Dominion. We will not then recjuire to send immigration agents abroad for the puriiose of peopling our North AVest. The tide of immigration will How directly into our province. Our farmers will find a ready market for their products. The price of grain will be as high in Saskatchewan as in Chicago or Montreal. This is our destiny." — From editorial comments in the Vancouver Weekly World, June 7, 1894. RUSSIA AS A POSSIBLE FUTURE DOMINANT POWER IN THE NORTH PACIFIC. The Autho'- begs to draw his readers' attention to still anotlier important fact. It is this . As a vast and Imperial scheme the Hudson's Bay and Pacific route finds its only parallel in the great enterprise to which Russia is now devoting her energies— the Trans-Siberian Railway. The first sod of this road was cut May 24, 1891. When completed it will connect St. Peters- burg with Vladivostock, the Baltic with the SeaofJaj)an. In other words, the year 1900 may possibly see 6,100 miles of steel rails between Moscow and Vladivostock. Then there is the recent Manchurian concession, enabling the Trans-Siberian line to cross Chinese territory, making Port Arthur a terminus, and a most important naval dep6t. This concession, whicli includes the exploitation of Chinese mines, really means eventual annexation. At the date of this writing, it is reported that the Russia. 1 government is to employ 2,000 locomotives, 3,000 employees, and 30,000 goods wagons. One third part ot the line is now ready and has cost 200,000.000 of roubles. 53 ' Hud- rain and r supply md the idcwatcr the way )se cost, in New ;w York, the Gult find an of time, / jealous the navi- :-.ulty and lys down he build- he whole ir for any c, then, is rts of the iur a large / a degree i Russian not then re to send )rth-West. ir farmers kvill be as iestiny."— 1894. >OWER important Bay and 1 Russia is irst sod of St. Peters- iher words, loscow and nabling the a terminus, eludes the At the date nploy 2,000 hird part of Although the road will cost over ^^55, 000, 000 sterHng, the strategical advantages to be obtained are only too obvious. I" von now tlic ports of Corea are open to Russian ships, and the T/ar's lloct is allowed to u^>c Port Arthur as a permanent naval station. Thus every move made on the part of Japan can be watched from close range all the year round. In addition, Russian officers are to organize the (Chinese army in the three northern ijrovincos. Russia is to fortify certain ports in the Liao-'l'ung peninsula, and the port of K.iaochou is to be granted her on a fifteen years' lease. Then there is the branch line to Herat — the key to India — on the construction of which 30,000 Russian soldiers are now employed. The time has arrived when the ([uestion must be definitely answered : Is England 'to relinquish her control of the Pacific and the Far East to Russia? Unless some counter move is soon made the Trans-Siberian Railway will cause the total exclusion of British goods into China. And it must be borne in mind that hitherto England has had 80 p'.r cent, of the Chinese trade of the whole world. England's commercial supremacy lies in her naval strength. How long will she hold this proud position with Russian shipyards and Russian stores at Port Arthur ? Twenty-seven years ago, during the Franco-Piussian war, on a single line of rails, from twelve to fourteen trains were despatched a day by the Germans. To move an army corps of about 32,000 men with war material )mplete required from ninety to one hundred trains. Using all modern improvements, how many days would be consumed in moving troops from Moscow, con- necting, with railways from all parts of Russia, to the Pacific? Here is another question over v/hich the British public may well ])onder. Again, it has been estimated that by the year 1905 a population of over 30,000,000 will be planted along the Trans-Siberian Railway. Those who desire the preservation of our East Indian possessions may readily perceive the true significance of these figures. Our most formidable rival amongst all the nations is groping her way eastward to the sea, over frozen mountain ranges, across vast deserts and swamps to the warm waters of the Pacific. And when Mnichuria becomes a Russian province, and Port Arthur a great Russian naval station, British influence must necessarily dwindle until there is nothing left of it e.xcept a mere memory. England is strong ; but we must not forget that the strength of an iron chain is only the strength of its weakest link. And our defective link lies in the attitude of indifierence displayed toward the situation in the Far East. It does not reijuire much study to see that by adopting; the Hudson's Bay route, Russia would be rendered powerless to endanger British interests in the Pacific. With Port Churchill as the Xnrthern metroi)olis of Canada, and some advantageous point on Vancouvc- Island occupying a similar im- portance to that of Port Arthur, the Trans-Siberian Railway would rather tend to our aggrandizement, by virtue of healthy conpetition, instead of becoming a serious menace to our commercial supremacy. In fact, the Hudson's Bay route affords the only solutio;-: whereby the future equilibrium of power between Russia and Great Britain can be maintained in the North Pacific, and our rich colonial possessions in the lOast Indies safely guarded. Moreover, it is England's obvious duty to prepare, with all due foresight, for the protection of her North American and Australasian colonies, in view of the indubitable fact that great and '-.idical changes are imminent in the Far East. 54 LECTURE Delivered ;U the Imperial Institute, I'cbruary 17, 1896, by Col. J. Harris, F.R.Ci.S., F.R.C.Insi., on "The New JJritish Route to the Pacific." Chair taken by Sir J. R. S(i>rKRS Vini;, C.M.Cr.. l''.R.(;.S., I'.S.S In lecturing upon the " \e\v Mrilish Route to the Pacific,'' I have to claim your in(hil;;cnce, it being of such great importance, both in its social, commercial, and Imperial asi)ects. Tlie time allotted to me will only allow me 10 do but scant justice to the subject of this lecture, and it is necessary, without going into the ancient history of Canada, that I should bring to your notice some facts and figures showing the marvellous progress since the commencement of the present century in population, railways, commerce, agriculture, fishe"y, and mineral resources, all of which have a bearing upon the subject of the lecture, and have been the subjects of parliamentary investigation, with numerous jjublications from learned and famed travellers whose footsteps your humble servr.nt is now following. 'J'he area of Canada is 3,51(1,000 s(iuare miles. I will commence from the present century (1800), at which time there were but 161,311 settlers, and in 1812, 300,000, at wiiich time the United States was at war with the Mother Country, the remembrance of which should now be buried in oblivion by both nations. At the present time the pojnilation is about 6,000,000. After 181 2, settlers began to pour into the country, turning their attention to agricultural pursuits, and in 1841 the ]5ritish (lovernnient gave them a new Constitution, giving perfect liberty, freedom of religion, and all the advantages of the highest civilisation, with the hallowed principle of responsible government, which gave a great impulse to its ])resent grandeur, solidity and jjrosperity. The pro\ince of Manitoba and the Great North-West Territory, on which my remarks will be principally directed, were acquired in 1870 by purchase from the Hudson's Bay Company, who had obtained almost boundless territory under an ancient charter ; and, until that date, this close corporation were extremely tenacious in allowing any person, except their own people, from entering their domain. It was a terra incognifa to the world, being only occui)ied by fur hunters. So recently as r88o the islanls antl territories of the Northern British America were transferred to the Dominion of Canada, and the confederation, as it exists to-day, of all the British North-American grou]), excepting Newfoundland, imparted safety, grandeur, stability, and pro- tection over the entire Dominion. The captital of Manitoba (Winnipeg) will now be shown on the screen. It was formerly called Fort Garry, where furs were bought by the Hudson's Bay Company from the Indian trappers, and in 1S70 contained about one hundred inhabitants — a small, isolated settlement — and now it contains 30,000 inhabitants, and has risen within a few years to the proud position of one of the leading trade centres of the Continent. It has ten railways, branching like spokes in a wheel in all directions, gathering the wealth of an inland empire at her feet. It is snuated half-way between Montreal and 55 Vancouver, and is connected with ihc navigation of innncnse lakL's ;iiid .nr.inJ rivers, and is the centre of the [)oliticul, social, literary, moneiary, and niatnifa( turing world of the Canadian West. 'J'o-day no other ( ity in America is attracting so much attention to capitalists, and has so bright and dazzling a future. A hne of railway is now being niatle which will connect it with the new Hritish route to the Pacific at Scafalls, as will be shown later on the screen, and thence by a road to Churchill Harbour, on Hudson's 15ay. 'I'his co'nniunication will brmg tiiis important (-ity two days nearer to ICngland. Winnipeg is only one of many other places, sucli as Regina and Calgary, that has obtained its importance since the death of the Hudson s ]5ay Company's monopoly in 1870, and the advent of the Canadian I*acifi( Railway. I shall now confme this lecture to the Great North-West, which will receive the greatest benefit from the new British route to the I'acific. It is incumbent on me to give you some particulars of t!ie extent and resources of the North-West territories of the Dominion of Canada, and the three terri- tories of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, and .\lberta, covering an area of 303,000 square miles, with Regina as their capital. The whole of tiiis vast region, e.xtending from about 250 miles west of I^ake .*^'..perior to the Rocky Mountains, a distance of 1,350 miles, and from the f*^ ity-ninth parallel of latitude North, to the watershed of the Saskatchewan iiver, an average distance of 350 miles, embraces an area of 462,500 square mile.s, or 269,000,000 acres, two-thirds of which has been i)roved to be capable of producing the fmest wheat, and the rest admirably adaj)ted for stock raising and dairy farming. It com[)rises the richest and most extensive undeveloped wheatq)roducing lands in the world, access to which, from the United Kingdom, by ordinary steamers, via Hudson's Bay, can be reached within eight days. During 1891 there was imder cultivation in the Province of Manitoba, and the three territories of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, 1,300,000 acres, which produced twenty million bushels of wheat and thirty million bushels of barley and oats, whilst the heads of cattle were estimated at about 600,000. Mr. Ruttan, engineer to the city of Winnipeg, in a recent publication, estimates that: — '"Within the next decade, this province (Manitoba), and the territories, will be producing 200 million bushels of wlieat annually, and that every cent ])er bushel saved in the cost of transportation would mean two million dollars annually to the farmers of the North-West ; that 200 million bushels of wheat means six million tons of merchandise ; to get that (juantity to a port of export would reijuire 15,000 trains of 20 cars each, or over 40 trains per day all the year round, including Sundays, and would then require 3,000 vessels of 2,000 tons each for further transportation." The present cost of transporting wheat to the seaports at Montreal, Boston, or New V'ork, from the centre of this region, is about thirty-five cents per bushel, whilst the same charge per mile to Port Cluirchill would not exceed fifteen cents., and the saving in the carriage of live stock would be fully equal to ^'3 per head. One of the most important (juestions of the day is the imijortation of live stock into the United Kingdom. Here is a country capable of raisiij^ millions of heads of cattle, absolutely free from every kmd of disease, owing to the remarkable healthluhiess of the climate ; but the present export is pro- hibited, owing to their having to pass for more than 1,000 miles through the Eastern portion of Canada to a port of shipment. The opening of the A t4l 5« Hudson's Hay route would rcniody all tins, and would cnal)lc the cajle to be shipped in iirinic condition at half tlu- present rosi hy way of Montreal. 'I'lie Manjuis of Duffcrin antl Ava, the Marviuis of l.orne, Professor Kreani, Mr. Rudyard Kipling. Mr. G. IJ. Power, and many other iMnincMi men, have home testimony from personal kiKjwlcdge of the marvellous richness of the soil, and the healthfulness of the ( limate of this great region. In an article contributed to the Times, on the 23rd of November last, Mr. Rudyard Kipling says : " People have no more than just begun to discover a place called H.uiff Hot Springs, two days west of \Vinni- peg. In a little time they will know half a dozen spots not a day's ride from Montreal, and it is along that line that money will be made. In those days, too. wheat will be grown for the English market 400 miles north of the |)resent fields on the west side, and British Columbia, perhaps the loveliest land in the world, except New Zealand, will have her own line of 6,000 ton steamers to Australia, and the British investor will no longer throw away his money on hellicat .South American republics, or give it as a hostage to the ."^tjitcs. He will keep it in the family, as a wise man should. Then the towns that are to day only names in the wilderness, yes, and some of those places marked on the map as Hudson's Bay posts, will be ( ities, beiause — but it is hopeless to make people understand that actually and indeed we do possess an empire of which Canada is only a portion, an empire that has not yet been scratched." ■^I'o the Nt)rth-West of the territories already described there is a vast region embracing the Athabasca and great .Mackenzie Basins, on the resources of which a Select Committee of the Senate of the Dominion took evidence, and reported in 1887, in which amongst other things the Committee .say : — "That within the scope of the Committee's incjuiry there is .1 possible area of 650.000 s(iuare miles, suitable for barley, and 316,000 suitable for wheat ; that throughout this arable and pastoral area latitude bears no direct relation to summer isotherms, the spring flowers and buds of deciiluous trees ai)i)ear- ing as early north of the Great Slave Lake (lat. 63) as at Wimiipeg, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Kingston or Ottawa, and earlier along the Peace, l.iard, and some minor affluents of the Great Mackenzie River, where the climate, resembles that of Western Ontario. That on the head routes of the Peace, Liard and Peel Rivers, there are from 150,000 to 200,000 sijuarc miles, which may be considered auriferous. That the evidence submitted to the Com- mittee points to the existence, on the Athabasca and Mackenzie Valleys, of the most extensive petroleum field in America, if not the world. The uses of petroleum— and consequently the demand for it by all nations — are increa>ing at such a rapid rate that it is probable that this great petroleum field will assume an enormous value in the near future, and will reckon among the chief assets co'^ orised in the Crown domain of the Dominion, and be shipped from Churchill, or some other northern jjort of Hudson's Bay, to I'.ngland." CLIMATE. The summer months have bright, clear, and often very warm weather, but the nights are cool ; the atmosjjhere is serene and free from moisture ; the winter is cold but the sun shines almost every day ; the air is verv bracing, and its dryness prevents the penetrating chill which makes the winters on the coast so severe. 57 1-lSHKRlKS. Tlic iMshcries are the larj^cst in the world, comprising fully S.ooo miles of sea coast in addition to the (Ireat Lakes of 36,000 s(iuare miles, and a number of grand rivers containing salmon and other fish. Salmon alone in 1891 was valued at 2,242,000 iloUars, and from the Fraser River over 20,000,000 lbs. were (anneti, and the large rivers in the (ireat North-West, running into Hudson's Hay, are swarming with salmon and trout, which are undisturl^ed for want of means of conveyance. MINES. The Afineral Wealth of Canada is so great that an American author has said : " 'I'o particulari/.e the undeveloped wealth 01' the Northern Lunl would recpiire volumes, and statistics have been given that from the mines of British Columbia alone in 1S94, 456,066 ounces of gold to the value of ,{^1,824,264 were raised. These deposits cover an immense area, and in the Mackenzie Basin it is said there are 150,000 square miles of auriferous lands and several rivers are now being successfully worked for gold in the North-West territory." And west of the Rocky Mountains a nietalliferous area, principally of gold- yielding rocks, thirteen hundred miles in length exists, having an average breadth of four to five hundred miles, with coal and other minerals m abundance. RAILWAYS. There arc 15,000 ir.iies in operation, and others are being crnstructed. EDUCATION. Education is free from the Village School to the Universities. In 1.S94 there were 16,659 public schools, having 904,515 pupils. RELIGION. There is no State Church, and the utmost religious liberty prevails. In 1 891 there were 10,480 churches of different denominations. I will now come to the heart of iiiy subject and call your attention to Che map on the screen showing the New British Route to the Pacific. I will take you from Liverpool tlirough Hudson's Straits to Churchill Harbour on S8 Hudson's Bay, thence to Seafalls, and on to Prince Albert, called the Garden and Park of the Great Northern Territory. From Prince Albert we go through the richest wheat growing land in the world to Calgary, joining the Canadian Pacific Railway, which brings us into communication with San Franciico and Vancouver. The distance from Port Churchill to Calgary is about 1,000 miles. A saving is thus effected of 1,328 miles over the present route via the Canadian Pacific Railway from Liverpool to San Francisco and Vancouver, or in other words, three days are saved to India, China, Japan, San Francisco and our Pacific Colonies. A saving is aNo effected of ^(^3 a head on immigrants, jQt, to jQ^ a head on cattle, ^t a ton on wheat and other cereals, and on merchandise from 30 to 40 per cent. This simple statement will show the immense value of the short route. Having taken you over the route, I will now give you extracts from the opinions of practical men, reports of Government Commissions relating to the proposed route. FAIDEXCE AS TO THE COMMERCIAL PRAC riCAHILITY OF THE NAVIGATION OF THE STRAFFS AND HUDSON'S BAY. !■; Hi The evidence on this, the most important of all questions, is comi)lete in every particular so far as can be judged from investigation and practical experience. First we have the marvellous record of the Hudson's Bay Company, who for 223 years have been trading between the United Kingdom and the shores of this great inland sea, with the loss of only two vessels the Graham and the Xitty. Upwards of 800 vessels are said to have passed through the Straits, including British troopships, emigrant ships, war vessels of the English and French (some of them carrying 74 guns) as well as ships bound on voyages of discovery, trade, and whaling. One ot the most interesting and early reports on the navigation and resources of Hudson's i3ay is that of Dr. Robert Hell, F.G.S., Director of the Geological Survey ol" Canada, an epitome of which was read before the Royal GeogK.phical Society in 18S1. Dr. Bell, who had spent six seasons sinrc 1869 in explorations around the bay itself and its vicinity, amongst other things, says ; — "The total area of the bay is about 500,000 sipiare miles, enclosed by land on all sides except the North-East, where it communicates by several channels with the outer ocean, the principal or best known of these straits being about 500 miles in length, and an average width of 100 miles. The basin of Hudson's Bay has a width of 2,100 from east to west, and a length of 1,500 miles from north to south, and its dimensions approach the enormous number of 3,000,000 square miles. Over a great i)art of this vast region there is a temperate climate ; numerous large rivers and lakes are embraced within these limits. " Bot'.i the bay and strait are remarkably free from rocks and shoals; the clejith (/f water is veiy uniform, and averages about .seventy fathoms. 59 The Ne)'-on River, with its tributaries, may be considered one of the first- class rivers of the world. The shores and islands of the bav are rich in minerals, especially in iron ore of a high grade, which lies exposed in inexhaustible (iiiantities. I'he Canadian North-West Territories, embracing hundreds of million? of acres of fine land, are capable of becoming the greatest wheat field in the world. 'I'he centre of this immense agricultural region probably lies to the north of the Saskatchewan. If we look at a map we shall see at a glance that the shortest route between these territories and England is through Hudson's Bay. Even the city of Winnipeg, which is near the South-F,astern extremity of these territories, is at least 800 miles nearer to Liverpool by Hudson's Bay than by the St. i.awiencc route. Now, let us consider the relative progress of two persons travelling to Liverpool, from the centre of this vast region, the one going to Winnipeg and the Valley of the St. Lawrence, and the other by Nelson X'ailey and (Churchill Harbour. At about the same time the fonnei /eciuires to reach the city of Winnipeg the latter arrives at Churchill. From \Viniiipeg our traveller has still to go 1,291 miles by tiie Lake Su})erior route, or 1,698 it he prefer the whole rail journey through American territory via Chicago, before he reaches Montreal, where he will still be about as far from Liverpool as our traveller when he reached Churchill. In other words, the route from the NorthAVest Territories to England via Huiison's Bay saves the whole distance between Winnipeg and Montreal. The great saving in distance represents an important economy in time and money, or in freight and passenger rates. If the grain, catde and other productions of the NorthAVest Territories could reach a European market only through Ontario and Quebec, or by way of New York, a large proportion of their value would necessarily be consumed by a long land rriage ; whereas, if they can find an cutlet at Churchill Harbour there will bean average saving of 1,291 miles, as compared with Montreal, and upwards of 1,700 as compared with New York, and this without any increase in tlie length of the sea voyage. In effect, this will place a great part of the farming lands of the NorthAVest Territories in as good a position with regard to a scajiort as are those of Ontario, west of Toronto, and will conse(iuently increase the value of every description of fixnii produce, and therefore of the farms themselves. Some kinds which could not possibly be sent out of the country at all by the longer land route may be profitably exported by the shorter one. For the transportation of both grain and fresh meat, as Colonel Dennis has i)ointed out, the northern route, besides the shortening of tlistance, would liave greater advantages over all those to the south, owing to its cooler and more uniform temperature. HL■a^•y or bulky goods of all kinds would, of course, be imported to the NorthAVest by the .shortest land route. In regard to the export and import of live .;tock, this independent route will jjossess a great importance to these territories. Hitherto, cattle, horses, hogs and sheep have there enjoyed an immunity from almost all forms of contagious tliseases, and, owing to the healthy nature of the climate for these animals, it is hoped this state of things will continue. The domestic animals in the United States and the older Canadian Provinces being occasionally afflicted with contagious disea."es, it becomes dangerous for European countries on their import. ition. In the event of an epidemic of this nature existing in some i)arts of these regions, but not in the NorthAVest Territories, there need be no objection to exporting live stock from the latter by way of Hudson's Bay. "As a route for emigrants from I'^uro[)e. that by Hudson's Ba\ ^lossesses % 6o not only the advantage of the short land journey, but the still more important one to us of entirely avoiding the United States and the populous parts of Canada, in both of which it is well known a very serious percentage of the ii.jmigrants destined for our North-West lands are every year enticed away to settle in the great Republic. An inlet by Hudson's r>ay is the only thoroughly indc|)endent channel which can ever be established between the British Islands and our great and valuable territories in the interior of North America ; and it is very desirable on national grounds that it iiould be opened up. Troops have hitherto been sent to the Red River Settlement on more than one occasion by way of Hudson's Bay, while the intervening country was, as it is yet, in a state of nature. Were a short railway built througli this tract it would at once become for military purposes an easy connecting link with our Pacific Colonies and the Mother Country. "An impression has long prevailed that Hudson's Bay and Strait could not be navigated for the ordinary purposes of commerce on account of ice, but this idea is probably destined to prove chimerical. The fact that these waters have been successfully navigated by ordinary sailing vessels for 200 years, in order to secure what little trade the country afforded, indicates what may be expected from properly equipped steamships so soon as the larger business of the future may require their services in this direction. The con- ditions of the seaborne commerce of the North-West in relation to Hudson's Bay will probably turn out to be similar to those of the rest of Canada with reference to the Gulf of St. Lawence. In both cases everything must be done during the summer. Yet Hudson's lUiyisopen all the year round. No one would be likely to suppose that a sea of such extent in the latitude of the British Islands would ever be frozen across. The lower St. Lawrence is also i)artly open, even in the middle of winter, but the ditTiculty in both cases is the impossibility of getting into harbours. A harbour such as that of Cinirchill, on Hudson's Bay, would have the advantage over Quebec or Montreal of connecting directly with the open sea, and here in the autumn vessels would not be liable to be frozen in, as occasionally happens in the St. Lawrence. There has been some discussion as to the length of time during which Hudson's Strait and Bay might be navigated each year. There does not appear to be much evidence that the Straits any more than the Bay is dosed at any season. Its greut width, dejJtli, and strength of the tides probably keep it open all the winter. My own experience, and that of many others, leads me to believe that tlie climate generally of Hudson's Bay is much better than some writers have rejjresented it to be. From all that I could learn or observe, it appears that the Straits and Bay may be navigated and the land a])])roached by steamers during an average of four-and-a-half montlis each year, or from the middle of jime to the end of October. Churchill Harbour does not freeze up until November, and tlie sea is open close to it the whole winter." In order to obtain full and accurate information on this important question a Select Committee of the Parliament of Canada was appointed in 18.S4, which took evidence and reported on the Hudson's Bay route to EngLind, wherein they say : " Let us suppose the possibility of establishing a line of steamships between Liverpool and Hudson's Bay ports, which would carry freight at the same rates as the steamships between Montreal and Liverpool. Now the distance between Winni|)eg and Montreal is about 1,400 miles, whi'e it is not more than 700 to ^'ork lactory (on Hudson's Bay). 6i It costs 1 1 cents per ton per mile to forward grain from St. Paul to New York, which, applied to the distance to be traversed between Winnipeg and Montreal, woukl give a charge of 21 dollars per ton, or of 10 dollars 50 cents from Winnipeg to York Factory- say the half. If now t'-'e ton is reckoned as equal to ^;^ bushels of grain, the difference in freight in favour of the Hudson's Bay route would be a saving of 32 cents per bushel, or, in other words, an additional profit of 6 dollars 40 cents per acre, yielding an average of 20 bushels. C)ther calculations make the saving one-third the present cost of transport realised by the farmers of the West upon the opening of a channel of exportation by the Hudson's Bay. A large proportion of importation from Europe would take this road ; the inunigrants proceeding westward would see that they could shorten the annoyances, the delays, and the cost of a journey across the continent by from 800 to 900 miles. The export of butcher's meat would alone furnish a considerable portion of the lading of Hudson's Bay steamers, and many persons are of opinion that this route would command a considerable portion of the import and export trade of the Xorth-Western States of the Uiaon. \\c sj)eak merely incidentally of the Hudson's Bay fisheries and of tlie working of the minerals, almost inexhaustible in their richness, which are to be found there. To sum up the whole, Hudson's Bay appears to us to be destined to perform the same services for the vast territories of the North West that the Gulf of St. Lawrence does for the vast but fertile valley bearing the same name." Admiral Markham, R.N. accompanied an expedition in 1S86, and in an address read before the Royal (ieographical Society on the nth of June, 1888, imongst other thing.s, said : to avail myself the ^S/trf durint of an tliis *' By a fortunate accident I was enabled invitation I had received to take passage on cruise. I considered myself very fortunate in having the f)i)portunity afforde the cost of transport by rail is gcnerned by the distance to be conveyed pe: mile, it will at once be understood that if the mileage is reduced by one-half, the cost of conveyance will be diminished in the same projtortion. It has been estimated that the result of the con- struction of a railroad from Winnipeg to Hudson's Bay would be a c:lear gain to the larmers and producers of the North-West of about ^3 per head of all cattle exported and 5s. upon every quarter of grain sent for shijjment " In conclusion, we must again call to mind the fact that the vessels emploved on the Hudson's Bay service have hitherto been sailing ships. Steam has now robbed ice navigation of many of its difticulties and dangers, and it is only fair for us to assume that, with the appliances that science has since revenled to us, we can in these days achieve with greater ease and celerity, and with more assured certainty, as much as was accomplisiied by Hudson and Baffin, by Button and Luke Fox, in their rude and poorly- e(juipped Hy-boats. ''The se, then, can be brieHy stated. If sailing ships have annually taken the and other merchandise of the Hudson's Bay Company through the Strait ^ the last two centuries, a fortiori it may he looked upon as certain tl '■ )Owerful steamers will be able to do the same for the produce brought tw .i.e West Coast of Hudson's Bay by a railway from Winnipeg." The Legislature of the Province of Manitoba appointed a Select Com- mittee in 1H84 to procure evidence and report upon the practicability of establishing a system of communication ■<■'/ritish Railway to the Pacific, anil may he henceforth bo known as the Watchman over the British Empire. And our wonderfully gifted Colonial Secretary, may he turn his practical mind to the project having a bearing upon the carrying out of his great desire of Imperial Federation, and so draw nearer and strengthen the bonds binding our Colonies to the Mother Country, and increasing the heartfelt loyalty to our beloved Sovereign. In conclusion, I will repeat the words of an American writer :— " Population westward, as if driven by the mighty hand of God, from the mountain valleys of Asia where the race was cradled, its ceaseless pil- grimages have moved ever on and on. Mountain walls and continental wilds and treacherous leagues of trackless sea may lie across the appointed path, but still the mighty column in its onward march surmounts, subdues, and crosses all, impelled by forces as resistless as those which speed the IMeiades in their course. But on the western coast of this great continent the F 66 time-long journey shall at last be done ; here in tlie (Ireat North-U'est of Canada the race shall reach its final home, i lerc have been grouped, as nowhere else in all the world, mountain and valley and plain, river and lake and sea. Here has been stored illimitable wealth in mine and forest, sea and soil, and to these broad foundations for a sure prosperity there has been added a climate which embraces exactly those conditions which are best adapted to produce the highest possible development of tlie individual and the race. Here genial summer suns shall woo the fruits from fertile fields, and winter's stinging cold shall tend alike to physical and moral IumIiIi. Here for a centiuy to come shall they who hunger for a home be satisfied, and all the needs of myriads of men be well supplied." Impf.riai, InS'IITUTE or TiiF Unmitd Kincdom, riiK C'or.oxiKs and Intua, I.Ml'KRIAT, InsIITUTK RoAD, LoNDON, S. \V. 19/// Ft biliary, i.Sy6. His Royal Highness the President and the I'Aecutive ( 'ouiiril of the Imperial Institute have nuich pleasure in conveying to Colonel JosiAir Haukis, K.R.(i..S., I'.R.CMnsl., the expression of their cordial thanks for his kindness in favouring the I'ellows of the Institute and their friends with an illustrated lecture on l-'ebruary i7lh, 1896, entitled "The New Uritish Route to the Pacific." |Si.uned| HKRSCHKI.L, Chijinimii of the iloT'diiiiii;' /iody. To ('ol. J. Harris, 8 UiNIOX COURI', Old 11 road Sirkki, K.C. 1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 132 m us us L. ,_ UUu I 4C 6" 2.5 li M 1.8 IL25 1 1.4 III 1.6 V] <^ 71 /: ^3 y ^^. Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 \ V ^ ;\ \ k ». ^ ^ Q.\ HUDSO SI B E R I A ^T" DSONS BAY & PACIFI '^ot/C/is/n/jeo)j\ PACIFIC RAILWAY. Y. mmmmm//,.. -'mmmim/m SPOTTISWOODE & C9 LiTH. LONDON. .^^^^^^^«^l '"T^fTfrrffmm' .^-^\ SCO,/ ^ X y y y I — // T-SSJ ^J^^, (/'^ .\ ■^^>V. b ^ Af//r/^£AflOi/k .^-^. 'd/. U'/r^ Mi >^. A O/V^-* f^lO ^^ ^^o^ ==tc« \0£, ^O >v .^-^. dyr \^^ iVtv' ^e -^' ^; / Ai >"'./ c A ^ ^ / / 4' / ,' // // /Se//e /. / 1 7 // / "^^ ''^yyo <<(^'eafr^~^ 1/ Ca^ei /ioce 17 '. // \ oy ^/ .oy ^ jk — V "--- \ ^^ ^^y "^Y Qa£3£C. ^y .^;/ ,-^y / / / / ^ 7^^-./ / /^ /*• — • ' // =^^.5. 1/0 1^ ^.0' ^ip I ^\^ r= IS. V Jtaz/^OLys i/v constru/tumy JoS/AH //A/^/^/S. /vf (^oC /Cf C/.