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PHIillipWIliM «PAp
REPORTS
RBLATINQ TO THK
QUEBEC AND NEW BKUNSWICK
RAILWAY.
THE SHORTEST LINE OP RAILWAY
THROUGH BRITISH TERRITORY
FROM THE
ST. LAWRENCE TO THE ATLANTIC SEA-BOARD.
S£COND SDITION.
»
WESTMINSTER:
PRINTED BY J. B. NICHOLS AND SONS,
25, Parliament Street.
# 1871.
Price One Shilling.
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EEPORTS
RELATING TO THB
QUEBEC AND NEW BRUNSWICK
RAILWAY.
V
it
THE SHORTEST LINE OF RAILWAY
THROUGH BRITISH TERRITORY
FROM THE
ST. LAWRENCE T(^ THE ATLANTIC SEA-BOARD.
SECOND EDITION.
WESTMINSTER :
PRINTED BY J. B. NICHOLS AND SONS,
25, Parliament Street.
1871.
Pf'ice One ShilUwj.
*.
liiMladtaiMMHMiiii
7
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
I
PAGK
General Railway Map, to face Title-page.
Prospectus ........... 3
Engineers' Reports and Estimate :
Report by Messrs. Fox and Ketchum ..... 6
Mr. Brunlees' Report . . . . . . . .12
Estimate of Cost .14
General Observations :
Coram eroial Advantages .15
Traffic 25
Land Revenue 29
Reports from Surveyors of Crown Lands . . . .31
Table of Distances .41
Chart, shewing the proximity of the lands of the Quebec and New
Brunswick Railway Company and their eligibility as a Field for
Emigration from Great Britain.
■i,^m*iimyiMMUh
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DISECTOSS IN ENGLAND.
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Tl
I^'ROSFEOTUS.
THE
QUEBEC AND NEW BRUNSWICK RAILWAY
COMPANY, LIMITED
(FROM THE PORT OF RIVIERK I)U LOUP, ON THE ST. LAWRENCE, TO
THE CITY OF FREDERICTON, WITH A UUANCII TO WOODSTOCK),
„.• , ;
4
WITH GRANTS OF LAND IN FEE-SIMPLE AMOUNTING TO
2,500,000 ACRES.
Autlioriscd Share Capital £750,000, divided into 37,500 Shares of
£20 each, with power to borrow to tlie extent of £3,000 per
mile in Mortgage Debentures bearing G per cent, interest.
A Deposit of £1 per Share on Application and £3 on Allotment.
Calla of £2 per Share at intervals of not less than 4 months.
i
PROVISIONAL DIBECTOBS IN CANADA.
{Apjwiiited by Act of Canadian Parliamfint.)
The Hon. IIOBEKT D. WILMOT, Senator, Frcdeiicton.
The Hon. CHARLES CGNNKLL, M.P., Woodstock.
The Hon. THOMAS McGRBEVY, M.L.C., Quebec.
THOMAS WORKMAN, Esq., M.P., Montreal.
JOHN PICKARD, Esq., M.P., Fredericton.
ALKXANDKU GIBSON, Esq., Merchant, Fredericton.
.JOHN BOYD, Esq., Merchant, St. John.
BANKERS.
London.
THE BANK OF MONTREAL, Montreal.
THE BANK OF NEW BRUNSWICK, St. John.
THE Pl'lOPLE'S BANK, Fredericton.
SOLICITOBS.
MeBsrs. HARGROVE, FOWLER, and BLUNT, .1, Victoria Street, \Y«stminster,
Ixindon.
Messrs. ALLEYN and CHAUVEAU, Quebec.
Messrs. FRASEB and WINSLOW, Fredericton.
ENOINEEBS.
JAMES BRUNLEES, Esq., 5, Victoria Street, Westminster.
C. DOUGLAS FOX, Esq., 6, Delahay Street, Westminster.
H, G. C. KETCHUM, Esq., Fredericton, New Brunswick.
SECBETAEY,
E. HUTCHINGS, Esq., 1, Victoria Street, \ye8tmiDStfr, London.
- i'rH^#iWi^i^
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PROSPECTUS.
■1 :
This Company is formed for tlio purpose of constriictiiif; and
workinj;, under Cliartcrs granted by the Dominion of Canada and the
Province of Now Brunswick, an important commercial line of Rail-
way from Hiviero du Loup (a port on the St. Lawrence and the
present terminus of the Quebec Railways) to a junction with the
New Brunswick Railways at the City of Frcdericton, with a Branch
to Woodstock, and a junction there with the Railways to St. Andrew,
St. Stei>hen, and the United States, so as to form a continuous line
from AVestern Canada and tlio St. Lawrence to the city of St. John,
Now Brniiswick, and the Atlantic seaboard.
The length of the main line between Riviere du Loup and Fre-
dericton is about 242 miles, which, together with the necessary
branches to Woodstock and Riviere du Loup Pier, make a total of
about 250 miles to be constructed.
The route has been surveyed and detailed estimates prepared by
Mr. C. Douglas Fo.x and Mr. Ketchum, from which it 1' s been
ascertained that the cost of construction, including all contingent
expenses, will not exceed £5,000 per mile. It is of great importance
that the Railway should bo completed at the earliest date ; and if the
works are commenced in May next there will be no difficulty in
effociting this in the course of 1873.
The Plans and Sections of the Line have been submitted to Mr.
Brunlccs, and he has revised and confirmed the Estimates.
The Governments of New Brunswick and Quebec have granted in
aid of the undertaking the munificent donation of 10,000 acres of fine
agricultural and timber lands, to be given to the Company for every
mile of Railway constructed in the Counties through which it will
pass.
Subscriptions in Canada of shares and bonuses, which can definitely
be relied upon, amount to upwards of £70,000, and measures are being
taken to secure further aid to a very considerable amount
Tho commercial advantages of this undertaking are as follows : —
I. It is (as officially declared by the Montreal Board of Trade) the
shortest and cheapest route for freight, entirely through British
JE
HHMai
I'ROS PECTUS.
territory, from Western Canada to the Atlantic seaboard, and is in
direct connection with tlie harbours of St. John, St. Andrew, and
St. Stephen, which are open at all seasons of the year.
II. It is the most direct route to Quebec for passengers to and
from Europe, either by way of St. John or by Annapolis and
Halifax, and will command a largo and increasing amount of local
traffic.
III. Tlie distance from Quebec to St. John, by this route, is
shorter than by any other ; being only 435 miles as against 573 miles
by the Intercolonial Hallway, and (i06 miles by the Western Ex-
tension Railway, via the United States.
IV. It will connect through Quebec, with the North Shore
Railway, the Canada Central, and ultimately the Dominion Pacific
Railway, thus making St. John and St. Andrew the winter ports of
the shortest Pacific line on the American continent.
V. The maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
depend chiefly for flour and other articles of consumption upon
Ontario (Canada, West), and this traffic must for the most part pass
over this Railway. In addition to the shortness of this route, it
avoids the necessity of goods being forwarded in bond through the
United States as at present, and the consequent extra handling,
transhipment, and insurance costs will be saved. There will be a
large return traffic in West India produce and European and other
imported goods.
VI. The local traffic will be considerable, as the Railway passes
mainly through a well-settled 'and prosperous district, abounding in
water-power, and vast forests of timber, in iron and other raw
materials for manufactures, and with inmiense agricultural resources
still undeveloped and capable of sustaining a very large increase of
population, which, so soon as facilities are affijrded by the Railway,
can be readily supplied by a proper system of immigration.
VII. The Timber granted by the Provinces is of great value, and
the annual yield from the forests has been officially estimated at
seventy millions of superficial feet. The enhanced value of the land,
caused by the completion of the Railway and the development of tho
■^ssi
6
PROSPECTUS.
i
district, will in itself go far to reimburse the whole cost of the under-
taking.
VIJI. Tlio gross receipts on 2,178 miles of Kail way in Canada
and the State of Maine, as shown by official returns, were £3,070,134
in 18(59-70, und the net earnings, after deducting expenses, were
£l,' 32,(532 for the same period. This gives an average gross receipt
of about £27 per milo pur week, and an average not revenue of £10
per mile per week.
It may bo fairly calculated that the traffic of this Itailway will bo
considerably above the average ; but, taking it at a net revenue of
€10 jier mile j)er week, or an annual revenue of £130,000, there will
be, after deducting the interest on the debentures (£45,000), a
balance of £75,000, which would give a dividend on the share capital
of ten per cent, per annum. This is of course exdusice of the larye
revenue to be derived from the sale of timber and from land.
ENGINEERS' REPORTS AND ESTOIATE.
C, Delahay Street, Westminster, London.
13th March. 1871.
To the Chairman and Directors of the Quebec and New Brunswick
liAiiiWAY Company (Limited).
Gentlemen,
At the reejucst of Mr. Brunlees, Mr. C. Douglas Fo.n; visited New
Brunswick and the Province of Quebec last Autumn with regard to
your proposed Railway, and personally inspected the route selected
by Mr. Ketchum, under whose direction j)lans and sections of this
Railway have been prei)ared, and, these being now before us, we have
the honour to submit the following joint Report : —
According to the terms of the Charter granted by the Parliament of
Canada, the lino of Railway is described as running from some point
on the River St. Lawrence between Kamouraska and Riviere du
Loup to connect with a line of Railway at Edmundston, to be con-
structed to that point under ])owcrs granted by the Legislature of New
Brunswick, and " so as to form a continuous line of railway from
tho River St. Lawrence to the City of St. John."
An engineering ami connncrcial question therefore inuncdiately
m
ENQINEERS' REPORTS AND ESTIMATE.
presents itself as to the choice of the Northern Terminus, and a great
deal depends upon its ])roper selection.
There is no point on tho southorn shore of the St. liawrenco,
between Kamouraska and Riviere du Loup which is so desirable as
the latter jjlaco for such torniiiuis, or which aft'ords the same facilities
as a port of embarcation and discharge for vessels to and from the
western great lakes.
Here the Government has erected at great expense a I'ier for the
accommodation of vessels and steamboats having a minimum depth of
water at low tide of 14 feet. Vessels come upwards of 1,000 miles
through the inland waters and canals of Canada, and land their freight
at this point without once breaking bulk. The same class of vessels,
from their build, could not proceed further down the gulf or to the
ocean.
It is of great importance to obtain the shortest land transit from
the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic ; goods will thus bo transmitted by
your Railway directly from the inland vessels at tho least possible
expense either for distribution to tho Lower Provinces, or for expor-
tation to Eui'ope, the West Indies, or South America.
The selection of a point more to the Westward than Riviere du
Loup wotdd increase tho length of Railway to be constructed, whilst it
would also lengthen the distance from tho River St. Lawrence to the
Atlantic.
The Port of Riviere du Loup is therefore recommended by us as the
most desirable point for the Northern Terminus of the Railway, and to
secure the advantages mentioned a branch line should be constructed
to the government pier before mentioned, which can be readily done.
It will be seen by the Map that the Quebec system of Railways at
present terminates eastwards at liiviero du Loup, whilst the New
Brunswick system, very shortly to be placed in direct connection
with tho United States and Nova Scotia I'ailways, terminates north-
wards at Frcdericton and Woodstock.
Your Company's Railway, 242 miles in length, or, together with
the branches to Woodstock, and to the Pier at Riviere du Loup, 250
miles, forms the most direct and convenient link of communication to
connect the whole system of Railway s in Canada with that of the
maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and the
United States.
I
8
ENOINEERS' HEPORTS AND ESTIMATB.
The route of tlio Intercolonial lluilway, wliieh was adopted for
political and 8tralcji;ical reaHons, is too circuitous to be of value for
commercial purposes, as it still leaves the greater part of Now Bruns-
wick and Nova Scotia dependent for supplies upon tlio Itaihvays j)ass-
ing through the United States.
Your lino runs ontiroly through British territory and gives to all
the Railways of Canada, and ultimately to the Dominion Pacific
Railway direct access to the independent Atlantic ports of St. John,
and St. Andrews, which aro open all tiio year round.
Before commencing the descrij)tion of the line surveyed wo must
advert to the courtesy of Sandford Fleming, Esq. Chief Engineer of
the Intercolonial Railway, who placed at our disposal, under in-
structions from the Government of Canada, the survey notes, plans,
and sections of 83 miles of the line, namely, that part from Riviere
du Loup station to the boundary between Quebec and New Bruns-
wick, 07 miles, an~~,^",v.i;v ■ *
t
12
engineers' reports and estimate.
Statmis. — Stations to suit the requirements of the traffic can be
erected very economically.
Rolling Stock. — The Rolling stock should be of the lightest and
most modem description, suitable to tlie country. Patterns being
sent from England, the Woodwork would be very cheaply made in
New Brunswick.
Estimates. — In conclusion, we have carefully made and again ex-
amined the Estimates, and find that the Railway can be completed in
a good, substantial manner, including Stations, Rolling Stock, Engi-
neering, Management, and Contingencies, for the sum of £1,250,000,
or about £5,000 per mile, as set forth in tlie Estimate appended
hereto, and can be completed in about two years.
We have the honour to be,
Gentlemen,
Your most obedient Servants,
Charles Douglas Fox.
H. G. C. Ketchum.
6, VicTOBiA Sthekx, Westminster,
March, 1871.
To the Directors of the Quebec and New Brunswick Railway
Company.
Gentlemen,
Having been requested last summer to undertake the engineering
of your Railway, and being unable personally to proceed to Canada,
I availed myself of the opportunity afforded me by Mr. Douglas Fox's
visiting Quebec to arrange with him that he should examine the route
with Mr. Ketchum, by whom the propo.sed line has been laid out, and
who has for some years been engaged in the construction of Railways
in New Brunswick, and in conjunction with him obtair^ such informa-
tion as would enable me to form an opinion u])on the line, and the
probable cost of its construction.
Since the return of these gentlemen, I have carefully examined the
plans and sections prepared by Mr. Ketchum, and have considered
the information supplied to me by him and Mr. Fox, and I am
of opinion that great judgment, md care have been shown in the
gjm
engineers' reports and estimate.
13
selection of the best route for the Railway, though it is possible that
in the final location of the line modifications may be introduced by
which a considerable saving may be effected in the amount of the
work shown on the preliminary surveys.
I have made the requisite calculations of the cost of the works,
and consider the whole line, as shown on the plans and sections fur-
nished me, may be finished and equipped, ready for traffic, for the sum
of £l,2r)0,000, or at an average cost of £5,000 per mile. This amount
would, in my opinion, secure a thoroughly good, first-class Railway,
and in order to ensure the works being completed within the Estimate,
I would advise that the earthworks and general preparation of the road
bed should be let in sections to local contractors, and that the Company
should supply the permanent way materials and the I'oUing stock.
In order to provide for the continuity of transit and the tlu-ough
traffic, which will be a prominent feature upon this Railway, I con-
sider that, though a narrower gauge might offer some advantages
with regai;d to economy of construction, it will be desirable that this
line should be 4' 8^", upon which gauge the Estimate is based.
The commercial advantages of the undertaking have already been
carefully detailed and placed before you, and possessing, as this
Railway does, such a large prospective traffic, combined with its very
moderate {Irst cost, as compared with other Lritish North American
Liner^ together with the great advantages and sources of revenue
conferred upon the Company by the liberal grants of land from the
two provinces, I am of opinion that th-^ returns upon the capital
invested in it cannot fail to be very remunerative.
I am. Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
JAMES BRUNLEES.
~gp
i\.VF«lii^*uii^ajWi''j'*'fl'j'"r«'Ti''^'V"
T^'
'I
14
ENOINEERS' REPOUTS AND ESTIMATE.
ESTIMATE OP COST.
Length 250 miles.
Single Line.
Land and Compensation - - .
£
15,000
Clearing- - - . _ .
-
3,750
Fencing ------
.
15,000
Earthworks, including Rock Excavation
-
390,000
Iron Bridges and Masonry
-
126,7.')0
Smaller Bridges, Culverts, Drains
.
25,000
Public and private Road Crossings, and Road
Diversions - - - . .
_
12,500
Permanent Way - . . -
.
330,250
Sidings, 12 J Miles - . - -
-
16,500
Rolling Stock - - - . .
-
75.000
Stations ----._
.
25,000
Total cost of Works
1,040,750
Contingencies, including Engineering
and
Management, 20 per cent.
208,150
1,248,900
Equal to an average of £4,99(5 per mile.
16th March, 1871.
James Brunlees.
Charles Douglas Fox.
PL G. C. Kktchum.
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GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.— LAND GRANTS.— TRAFFIC
STATISTICS, &c. &c.
To appreciate fairly the commercial value of the line from Fredericton
to River du Loup, it ia necessary to examine the map which forms
the frontispiece to this Pamphlet, in order to see the proposed route
in contrast with existing lines : as by this means the great economic
advantages of the proposal will bo at once evident.
This route possesses advantages over every other yet proposed
tlirough British territory, as constituting, with its connections — in
addition to the important local traffic which it will command and
develop — the shortest and most direct medium of communication
between the several Canadian Provinces, east and west.
All the railways in the Dominion, and especially those of New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia, will benefit by the completion of this
link in the chain of inter-colonial communication.
Whilst it will open to the people of Quebec the resources of the
great and fertile valley of the River Saint John, now closed to them
entirely, and attract the largo traffic of the Aroostook and northern
part of Maine, it will enable the city of Saint John to recover the
trade of that vast agricultural and manufacturing country, now par-
tially lost, and give that city the status to which its position and
harbour entitle it, as the natural ocean terminus of the future British
Pacific Railway.
Tlie difficulty and expense, as well as the delay and risk, in getting
provisions and merchandise to the Upper Saint John, and lumber to
market, has, with truth, been urged as the great hindrance to settle-
ment and enterprise in that region. Yet notwithstanding so many
disadvantages, there is not a people in the Dominion more enterprising,
industrious, or prosperous, than the inhabitants of that part of this
country.
With the impetus to be given to trade by nicfins of this Railway,
I
16
COMHEBCIAL ADVANTAGES.
the development of this magnificent country, the extra production of
lumber and grain, the extension of the mines already discovered, as
well as the opening up of resources hitherto dormant, the enlargement
and increase of manufactories, and the immigration of settlers conse-
quent upon the extra demand for labour, and reduced cost of provisions,
this enterprise promises advantages especially recommending it to the
consideration of capitalists.
In 1852, the Hon. Sir Francis Hincks, the Finance Minister of
Canada, in conjunction with several eminent public men, commis-
sioners, &c., were delegates to England, and pressed the importance
of the route upon the attention of Lord Derby, at that time the
Colonial Minister; and their report emphatically stated that " the
question as to the eligibility of this over any other route did not admit
of any argument in a commercial point of view^
The same report points out that the bread stuffs and provision traffic
which are now required for New Brunswick and the State of Maine,
and are subject to enormous charges for transport, would give at once
a remunerative character to the enterprise. It should be borne in
mind that this opinion was arrived at nearly twenty years since, when
the development of the district was in a nascent condition, and was
very limited in its character, and when its commercial activity was
small indeed in comparison with the actual position of the province at
this moment.
Mr. Fleming, in his Report on the Intercolonial Itaihvay route,
puge 51, states that " the lumbering operations of New Brimswick
" are now (185 ) carried on chiefly on the upper waters of the St.
*' John, and the supplies for the lumber men which are not pro-
" vided in the locality are now in a great measure brought from the
" United States by water up to the city of St. John, and thence up
" the river. A Railway from River du Loup tlirough this section
" would enable provisions for consumption in the lumbering district,
" not only of New Brunswick but also of Maine, to be brought in
" from Canada, and thug -rreatly tend to develope the industry and
resources of these region . At the present time, Canadian flour
may be seen within GO miles of the St. Lawrence, after having been
transported in the first instiince to New York or Portland, then
" shipped to St. John, and then floated up the river in steamers and
" flat boats."
((
((
«
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
17
The construction of the proposocl Railway will entirely change the
nature of all this transit by the many economic advantages which will
be secured. The interests which will be benefited are immense, as
may for example be shown in the matter of flour as a single illustra-
tration. The Annual Report of the commerce of Montreal for the
vear 1869 shows that in that single year 543,412 barrels of flour were
shipped to the maritime provinces from Western Canada.
The transit traffic through the United States is hampered and em-
barrassed in every possible way by the authorities. President Grant
has, in his last annual Message to Congress, requested that body to
give him the legal powers tx) suspend, by proclamation, the transit of all
gowls from Canada through the United States. If the threat were
carried into execution, the construction of the Railwav would become
an absolute necessity. The commercial value however of this enter-
prise is independent altogether of this contingency, as is showr: by
the following Tables : —
The following Table shows the Population of the different Counties in
1861, the Decennial Rate of Increase, and the Estimate for 1871.
1861.
Rate.
1871.
County of York . . .
23,393
33 per cent.
31,190
„ Carlcton .
16,373
47 „
24,068
„ Victoria . .
7,701
42 „
10,935
„ Temiscouata .
18,561
42 „
26,356
Aestook
30,000
Total . . .
122,559
The County of Victoria is said to havo more than doubled it.s
population during the past ten years; the numeric estimate of this
population is not however to bo taken as the only test of its value.
The numbers given above represent a population which, in less than
50 years, has settled the district in the face of great diflicultiea
for want of roads and means of communication, and other dis-
advantages.
In the year 1861 the population of the entire district, which for
commercial and ti-affic purposes will be contributors to the proposed
Railway, was declared from Census Returns as follows : —
a
18
COMMERCUr, ADVANTAGES.
Province of Quebec
New Brunswick -
Nca Scotia
Ontario
Total
1,111,556
252,047
330,857
1,396,091
3,090,551
i?
The census which is now being taken is confidently estimated to
show a gross population of over 4,000,000 souls.
The trade of New Brunswick with the West Indian Islands, South
America, and other countries is rapidly increasing and has become
very important, and this Railway will give immense advantages to
the merchants of Quebec and Ontario, who will be able to receive
their goods through this route weeks in advance of the opening up of
the navigation of the St. Lawrence. A line of steamers is now
running regularly between St. John and Great Britain, and Messrs.
Gibbs, Bright, and Co. will start another Line from Liverpool in April
next, and there is no doubt that upon the completion of this Line of
Railway, the Allan Line of steamers will make the harbour of St.
John their winter Port, instead of Portland (Maine), as at present,
and the British Mails for all Canada, now carried by that Company,
will pass over this Line. On all hands there is an increasing com-
mercial activity which will secure at the outset a steady yet rapidly
expanding traffic for the line.
The point which gives to this line a special value is, that it secures
for the produce of the country, as well as the merchandise of Europe
and the West Indies, an independent route without leaving British
soil. It removes the necessity of transit in bond over the territory of
the United States. It has thus political as well as commercial advantages
to offer; for in the event of any suspension of international transit
in bond, the provinces would find in British ports a secure and
expr.ditious outlet for their trade, which would be freed from any
embarrassments, and would oflfer very important economic advantages
in strcngthonin'T the relationship between the several provinces of
British North America ; and, whilst fur military nnrposes this Line
would not lessen the usefulness of tho Intercolonial Railway, there can
bo no doubt tnat it would be an additional if not a better means of
security to Canada and the British Empire.
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
19
stimated to
Tlie brief summary now rially to lessen the labour
necessary to bring it into a proper state of tilth ; we may, I think,
fairly conclude that thci^ .s nothing in the length of the winter which
ought, (when time is diligently em|)loyed and its value is known,)
■ -^•.T3n.ri.Vi::L:.B\'.\j:,"j:LT: "„" ^
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAOEB.
21
seriously to interfere with the progress of outdoor operations or
materially to add to tiie expenses of arable cultivation" (p. 46).
Professor Johnston gives tijo average produce of crops, per Imperial
statute acre, in the State of New York and the Province of New
Brunswick (1845), as follows : —
Now York.
New Brunswick
Wheat, per
Imperial acre
, 14 bushels
20 bushels
Barley
II
16
II
29 „
Oats
II
26
II
34 „
Rye
»
H
>i
20J „
Buckwheat
II
14
1)
33| „
Indian corn
)>
25
II
411 ,1
Potatoes
II
90
II
226 „
Turnips
)>
88
II
460 „
(p. 27).
Of the special characteristics of the district through which the lino
will pass and where the land granted to the undertaking is situated,
the Report of Professor Johnston is most important, and the testimony
he offers gives every security as to tlie future of the district and the
value of the land now under consideration.
Reference may be here made to the marked success of the Illinois
Central Railway, which was constructed on the same principle as is
proposed for this line, and to which the State gave 2,595,000 acres
only of land for 707 miles of Railway. The sale of this land, which
has been described as a treeless and watei'less prairie, at present
prices only is calculated to recoup the entire capital of the company,
which amounts to $30,000,000. The proposed Railway has pro-
portionately nearly three times the quantity of land granted to it,
and it will be seen by the preceding extracts from Professor Johnston's
Report, and by the tables which follow, that the quahty of the land
in this part of New Brunswick is in no way inferior to tha^. of the
Western States.
22
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAOEfl.
f
Statistics from the Census Returns of 1801 of tlic Manufactoriks,
Faru Produce and Stock in the suvural Counties through which the
lino «f Hallway passes.
Counties of
Tnfnl ViiYnl*"-
York,
Ciirleton.
Victoria.
1 uiai n uor
uai«
Saw mills Ni
imber
42
33
15
90
Grist mills
27
20
11
58
Oat mills
3
1
10
Tann(!ri<'s
14
10
4
28
Foundries
2
1
3
Weaving and ")
carding mills J
5
4
5
14
Tiand improrcd
acres
90,413
81,247
33,208
204,868
acres
Hay
tons
3G,3o4
29,787
9,9(15
76,046
tons
Wheat bushels
11,444
27,103
10,407
48,954 bushels
Barley
>»
2,503
4,773
7,657
14,993
)(
Oats
>)
325,000
494,583
101,730
921,313
j>
Buckwheat
»
fS5,718
198,883
55,795
340,390
ij
Indian com
»»
5,383
3,908
159
9,510
n
Eye
»
4,523
15,107
5,289
24,979
»)
Turnips
r
91,478
73,032
14,005
179,175
»i
Potatoes
>»
200,789
213,502
88,527
508,878
»
Carrots
>)
0,9«2
1,065
90
9,037
»i
Butter
lbs.
554,831
486,711
131,593
1,173,135
lbs.
Cheese
)>
47,381
25,511
2,094
74,986
1)
Honev
)>
8,315
11,651
350
20,316
I)
Wool'
JJ
69,929
70,028
19,801
159,818
J)
Pork
)»
802,302
880,511
396,100
2,138,973
))
Maple sugar
>1
11,923
25,489
50,870
87,658
)»
Horses
No.
3,685
3,904
1,307
8,956
No.
Milch cows
)>
7,753
6,335
1,978
16,066
))
Working oxen
)>
1,677
1,231
453
3,361
J?
Other neat cattle
?)
6,870
7,433
2,133
16,445
)»
Sheep
»>
21,954
19,630
7,770
49,354
)>
Swine
?»
5,734
7,348
3,715
16,797
>»
COMMERCIAIi ADVANTAQUS.
23
CoMPAHATivE Fkhtimty of the Moil and Value of the Chops of
Wew BnuNswicK.
(From the Report of Professor J. 1<\ VV. Johnston " On the Agricultural
Capabilities of the Province of New Jirungwick")
Avcrnjto Produce per
Avcrafii
Money Viiluo
per
Aero
of each
Iinjjt ial Acre.
Crop at the prices of 1848-9.
M
M
1
M \ i £
■t
1
Q New Yor
1848.
In Ohio.
1848.
Canada W
1848.
1
c
.6
^
pQCO
o
a
M
1
"A
►Hi 'a
Jz;
e
HH
a
HH
i-i
1 1
M
1
£ s.
(I.
£ s.
d.
£
«. (/.
Wheat, bushels
19H
14 154 12^
6 13
2 19
2
4 7
Barley . . .
29
16 24 17i
5 13
7*
2 4
1
19 4J
Oats ....
at
26 3;ii 24^
6 3
6
1 13
9
1
11
Buckwheat . .
3;{.^
14 204 16^
5 5
1 16
3
8
5
Rye ... .
20*
H m Hi
4 7
1 12
4
1
5 lOi
Indian Com
41i
25 4Ii 21f
8 10
4
2 15
2
14 4i
Potatoes . . .
226
90 69 84
19 U
6 9
4*
6
6
Turnips . . .
456
88 , 1
The preceding tables are intended to show that the scheme now
proposed has been carefully considered, and that the undertaking
rests upon a secure basis of facts which are given by the highest
authority, and are above suspicion. The opinion of the country is
decidedly in its favour, as is shown by the cordial manner in which
the public bodies in the pi'ovinces have taken up and advocated it,
and by the substantial aid they have given to the enterprise. The
Council of the Montreal Board of Trade has taken up the matter, and
the following minute is the result of its matured deliberations : —
Copy of Extract from Minutes of Special Meeting of Council of
Montreal Board of Trade, held on Saturday 19th November,
1870.
After a careful examination of the several railway routes from Mon-
treal to St. John New Brunswick, where there is an open seaport
throughout the year, the Council of the Montreal Botird of Trade
24
COMMEnriAL AnVANTAORS.
>;
•■m
Imvc no hoaitation In (Icclariiig that the lino proHontiiig tlie sliortost
(liMtnnco bc'hvooii tlio Hivor St. Lowronco and tho port of St. Jolni
aforesaid, is that wlioso initial point is at or ncmr Kivcr dn Lonp, tlio
distanoo boin^ not inon* than tliroo liundrod niiluH, and wholly throngli
Canadian torritory.
Anjoni; tho innnodiato advantn^os to bo conforred npon tho trade of
tho Dominion by tho constrnotion of tho Railway abovo-inontionod, it
may bo specially stated that propellers and steandjoats from tho interior
may then deliver their cart^oos of flour, &e. at Uiver dii L(mp, to bo
trans])ortod thence to St John, and thence distributed to Nova Scotia
and elsewhere in much loss tini»>, and at less cost, than by any other
route, also oj)eninn; direct trade with tho valloy of tho St. John llivcr,
as well as avoiding tho delay and oxponso incident to transit tliniugh
United States torritory. And these bonetits would bo very largely
increased when the Canadian canal Rystem shall have been extended
and enlarged to its full capacity.
Further and geiK^rally, the Council believe that tho speedy con-
r.frution of tho proposed Railway from tho River St. Lawrence, vid
Womlstock and Fredericton, to St. John, N.IJ., suggested and recom-
jnended by the Government of Canada in 1H52, deserves ])Hl)lic
attontif.n on account of the great conunercial advantages it will aflord
in opening up a route whereby supplies of all kinds can be furnished
for the Upi)er St. John Valley, and for lumbering pur{)o.ses comieetod
not only with tho Province of New Brunswick, but also with the State
of Maine.
Montreal, 21st Novumbcr, 1S70.
A true Copy certitiod by, Wm. J. Patteuson,
Secretai'ii Montreal Board of Trade.
The following is a Resolution passed unanimously by the Dominion
Board of Trade of Canada, held at Ottawa on the 20tli of January,
1871 :—
Moved by James Domville, seconded by W. Howland, of Toronto,
that, Whereas it is deemed a matter of the greatest importance that
the country should be opened u|>, as far as practicable, with railroads
and canals, and that as the lino from River du Loup to St. John,
llalilnx, and the maritime ports would be a short direct line to the
COMMEnCIAL ADVANTAQES.
95
ocoan, through our territory, riosolvod that thin Hoard rccofjiiisos the
desirability of a lino from llivor du Loup to Woodstock or Frcdorioton,
as dovclopiiig an ini])ortant section of Now Brunswick and Quoimc,
mid hc^ni'tic'ial, as affording u now and short route for travel and
freight i)otweon the provinces.
The Boards of Trade of St. John and Quohec gave Himilar ex-
pressions of o])inion in favour of thn undertaking.
TRAFFIC.
Passengers. — In estimating the local passenger traffic a fair criterion
will bo the returns of the Government railway in New Brunswick,
from St. John to Shediac, which passes through a country inferior
to the route of this railway, but at prouent contains about the same
population per mile.
In 18(59, the local passengers on this line numbered 160,000 on a
length of 108 miles. Applying these very low figures to the Quebec
ar.d New Brunswick Railway on 250 miles there would bo a pro-
portional number of 370,400 passengers. Assuming those to bo
carried an average distance of 36 miles at one penny per mile, the
receipts would be £55,560.
From the great advantages which the shortness of this route presents
over every other from Western Canada to the lower provinces for
bus noss men, and its attractions for tourists in summer, it may be
assumed there will be at least 300 through first-class passengers per
week — or 15,500 per annum — which, at three halfpence per mile,
would show receipts from this source of £26,250.
Mails and Sundries. — The Government price paid to the other rail-
way companies for the carriage of the ordinary mails, is the sum of
four pence per mile for the use of a mail carriage or compartment.
Assuming two up and down mails per diem, this would amount in the
year to 313 days at £16 13s. 4c/, = £5,216. This is exclusive of the
carriage of the European mails which now pass through the United
States, a portion of which at least this railway should carry. Almost
an equal amount to the above will be derived from the carriage
of parcels, and from express companies. These items of mails and
sundries may be put down at £10,000.
zTnrmessagana
26
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
Through Freight. — This will consist mostly of flour, pork, grain,
and other products of the West downwards, either for exportation
from St. John to Europe, the West Indies, and South America, or
for consumption in the maritime provinces and along the route of
the railway. The return freight will be West Indian products, Euro-
pean goods and manufactures.
The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railway from Portland, Maine, to
Island Pond being identically situated, the goods fraffic on that rail-
way should be a fair comparison. The receipts on this line were in
1869-70 for 150 miles :ei59,000; applying these figures to tliis rail-
way the proportionate earnings would be :6265,000, but as this Is
parti}' local freight, only one-half of this amount is put down,
£132,500.
Local Freight. — The gitat staple product of Quebec and New
Brunswick is timber. Under this head may be included all the
various products of the forest, and as this will form the most con-
siderable item of local freight, a detailed estimate is given of Ae
existing traffic from Grand Falls to Fredericton, a distance of about
125 miles: —
ESTIMATB.
Track Loads
5 millions feet B. M. boards,
deals, &c.
.
1,000
90
Shingles
-
-
1,350
10
Laths -
-
-
325
10 „
Clapboards -
-
-
1,000
1 .,
Palings
.
-
125
1 ,»
Scantling
-
-
200
Total truck loads
^
4,000
These truck loads are taken at 20,000 pounds per load,
which at ten pence per carload per mile for 125 miles
would amount to ------ - £25,000
In addition to the above, a large amount of ship timber
and knees, sleepers, bark for tanning purposes, wood for
fuel, and box shookcs, which may be estimated at about
the same number of truck loads, but carried only an
average of 48 miies - £8,000
Or a total of £33,000 for the item of lumber.
'^'
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
27
The construction of the railway will undoubtedly create on all sides
a trade which does not now exist, but more especially will this be the
case when the head waters of the River St. John are tapped by a
railway from a port on the St. Lawrence. Advantage will be taken
of the abundant water power; mills will be erected, and manufactured
lumber of all kinds will here find an outlet. The transport to St. John
and the fortage of the Grand Falls is expensive, and inflicts so much
damage, that it is not profitable. This is one of the great obstacles to
trade which this railway is destined to remove. As no means however
exist of estimating this expected traffic, no account is taken of it.
Farm Productions. — The printed tables give a good idea of the
agricultural resources of the counties of Victoria, Carleton, and York.
No adequate conception can be formed of the immense development
which will result from the completion of the railway. Opening new
markets to this fertile valley, the farm produce will be very large. Tlie
estimated freight is only £20,000. This may include live stock and
minerals.
Supplies for Farmers and Lumbermen. — These will be the return
freight from St. John, St. Stephen's, and Woodstock in exchange for
the farm productions. It is now estimated at 120,000 barrels or 12,000
tons. But as this is from statistics of the existing traffic, it may be
fairly assumed that this item will be doubled upon tlie completion of
the Railway. 24,000 tons, taken at the usual price of one penny per
ton per mile for an average distance of 200 miles, would amount to
£20,000.
SnuMAnv OF Estiuated Receipts.
£
Local passengers --..-- 55,560
Through ditto 26,250
Mails and sundries - _ . - - . 10,000
Through frieght 132,500
Lumber traffic 33,000
Farm produce 20,000
Supplies from the seaboard ... - 20,000
Total - - £297,310
Tl
10 working expenses may be lakon at 50 per cent, of the gross
~r
28
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
n %.
!l
I
I
n
1 )
receipts. Tin's line having for the most part easy gradients and
curvatures, it can be worked with economy.
Table of Earnings of Railwatb, prepared from Poor's Manual of American
Railways for 1870-71 (a standard authority in the United States and
Canada).
Nau or Rauwat.
Length
Open.
Orosa Receipts.
Net Earnings.
Net earn-
ings per
mile per
annum.
Great Western of Canada
Miles.
334^
Dollars.
3,934,114
Dollars.
1,780,516
Dollars.
5,323
Grand Trunk of Canada
1,230
6,063,327
« 2,394,610
1,947
„ „ Atlantic and St. Lawrence
150
1,090,596
198,681
1,324
Northern Railway of Canada ....
974
671,076
168,918
1,732
European and North American Railway of Maine -
45
129,726
CG,195
1,249
Boston and Maine - - ...
146
1,871,339
649,949
3,766
Portland, Saco, and Portsmouth . . . -
51
575,036
175,586
3,443
Maine Central - -
124
585,637
180,138
1,45 J
2,178
14,920,851
5,504,593
2,527
The average net earning of 2,527 dollars per mile per annum, at the exch. of 4 dollars 86 ceutb to
£\, equal £10 per mile per week.
LAND REVENUE.
The most common uncleared land is sold by the Government of
New Brunswick at 2s. 4(f. per acre. Wooded land is sold at 35. 4rf.
per acre. Where a road is laid out the value is immediately raised
'
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
29
arnings.
Net eam-
inirs per
mile per
annum.
lars.
0,516
Dollare.
5,323
4,610
1,947
8,681
1,324
i,918
1,732
5,195
1,249
>,919
3,766
.,586
3,443
>,138
1,45 J
,693
2,527
to from 10s. to 1.5,?. per acre. In the State of Maine, land, not
superior in quality to that of New Brunswick, is sold at 8s. Ad. per
acre. The above Government price quoted is the minimum or upset
price at the Government auctions ; but competent judges state that the
present value of the lands which will appertain to the Company will
be much in excess of this, as the land is to be selected by a Joint Com-
mission of the Company and the Government. Hence it is clear, that
in the land grant alone, there will be a source of income which, by
a judicious encouragement of settlers, will yield a very large and
constantl , increasing revenue to the enterprise.
The Company's grant is 10,000 acres for every mile of Railway
constructed, to be given to the Company as the works progress.
The land is absolutely free from taxation, when in the hands of the
Company, for a period of ten years, commencing from the date of
tlio grants.
Timbered land is especially valuable. The price for " stumpage,"
or a licence to cut the timber, varies from 2s. 6d. to 6s. per 1,000
superficial feet (board measure), and in the neighbom'hood of Rail-
ways it is as high as 8s. per 1 ,000 feet.
A crop of timber can be taken off the same land each year, fifteen
years only being sufficient to develope a tree of spruce to the size
required for deals.
It is estimated that seventy millions of superficial feet, boatd measure,
can bo annually cut off the land, which will pertain to the Company
upon the completion of the Railway, which is all situated on the River
St. John and its tributaries.
liars 86 centb to
LOCAL SUBSCRIPTIONS.
The following are the subscriptions to the enterprise expected from
the Municipalities in Canada, which have petitioned the Legislature
to enable them to levy the necessary taxes: —
The JIuNiciPAiJTY of the county ok Youk — a subscription of
$100,000 in shares, or a bd fact that this Railwnv will be at least of as much benefit to
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
31
the general interests of the Dominion as to the provinces through
whicli the line passes.
The general and local governments are therefore alike interested
in the enterprise, inasmuch as it embraces questions which touch
deeply the prosperity of the whole of the Dominion. As a Railway
it will link together the several pro\'inces, and will develop their
resources in a decided manner ; and as an undertaking for the settle-
ment of the land it will become in a short time of paramount import-
ance for the Company to organise and carry out a comprehensive
system of emigration from the over-crowded agricultural districts of
Great Britain. The promoters therefore confidently rely upon obtain-
ing a large amount of aid from the Dominion Government as soon as
British capitalists co-ojierate on this side of tlie Atlantic towards the
realisation of the project.
Finally, the following official reports from the surveyors of the
Crown lands of the Province are printed to show the character of the
vast tract of land by whicli the Provincial Government has endowed
the imdertaking, and as this portion of the enterprise is of sucli great
importance tliese letters are printed m extenso, as their contents place
the whole question in a clear light and have the value of official
authority.
Official Ckfitificate from the Dki-uty Surveyor General of
Crown Lands.
Crown Land Office,
Fredericton, August ith, 1870.
Tn the counties of Victoria and Carleton, New Brnnswick, there are
upwards of two millions five hundred thousand ( 2,500,000 ) acres of
ungranted wood land.
Surveys and explorations show that it is generally valuable, a large pro-
portion being of excellent quality for agricultural purjioses, and the
remainder well covered with the spruce and pine timber which is annually
required for exportation.
There is very little inferior land — far less than in any other part of the
Province.
32
COMHBKCIAL ADTANTAQES.
It is intersected by numerous fine rivers, and the existing settlements
adjoining are prosperous and rapidly extending.
Andrew Inches,
Deputy Surveyor Ger.iral.
■f
h
Official Letter from E. Jack, Esq., Deputy Crown Land Agent for
the Province.
Fredericton, 26 Augimt, 1870.
Deai'. Sir, — In reply to your request that I should furnish you with such
information relative to the vacant Crown land on the St. John River and its
tributaries as I am in possession of, I beg leave to reply that I will be
happy to do so in as far as I can in the limited space of a letter.
In discus ing the subject of land the most convenient div'>:.ion which
8ug<^- '^lU ° into that of timber and farming land.
Timber Land.
You ii"<' well aware that it is only recently that very large tracts of land
have beeii bo'.i.. ^ in 'y' Tlrurswick by private individuals for the purpose
of economising the uhu of \b,^ ^ )od growing thereon. The Saint Croix and
its traders, as well as the Magaguadavic, are now in the hands of indivi-
dual proprietors, who by judicious management must yearly realise largo
sums of money by way of royalty or stumpage for timber cut on their
lands ; this is generally charged as so much per thousand feet board
measure; the price varies from 70 cents to $1.50 per thousand feet, accord-
ing to the location and facilities for transportation, which are estimated by
proximity to steamers or railroads.
The quantity of deals sawn by the steam mills in St. John and on the river
is about 180 n-'illions feet annually ; a very large part of these logs are cut
from the Crown lands, which are leased from year to year by the lumber-
men. From what I know of the St. John River timber lands I entertain
no doubt but that the quantity of acres to which your Company will be
entitled will engross nearly all the timber land of any value which is now
vacant on that river and its tributaries, and that this land will year by year
increase in value. I have no doubt but that 70 million feet of spruce logs
can be got on such lands as you could take for many years to come. The
tributiuips of the St. John are so extensive, however, that before a thoroughly
reliable opinion can be expressed as to the yield of timber, proper explora-
tions should be maile by compotent persons.
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAOBS.
38
A railroad up the valley of the St. John would enable the lumbermen to
get the various woods much cheaper, as they could get their supplies, men,
&c. carried at a much cheaper rate than they now do, more especially to the
county of Victoria. These increased facilities for transport would enable
them to pay such reasonable additional stumpage as those owning the lands
might see fit to impose. I have made an estimate of the cost of transporta-
tion to the Little Falls of the men and supplies requisite to furnish an
operation where a million feet of logs would be cut at a haul of one and a
half miles.
There are large quantities of shingles carried down the St. John at
present : if there were a railroad these would no doubt come by rail instead
of water.
Farming Land,
The ungranted orown lands in Carluton and Victoria embrace large ex •
tents of excellent farming land ; there are in many places ridges of great
extent well covered with hard wood, such as beech, maple, &c., the soil on
which is of the best quality and which would have been settled long since
had there been any roads to get at them — you can judge of the difficulties
which attend the settlement of lands where there are no railroads for 60 or
100 miles.
To discover what quantity of farming lands w ild be embraced in the
location which could be made by your Company would require a long and
careful exploration and estimate, but I feel justified in saying that the
greatest extent of good farming lands in New Brunswick now ungranted,
are to be found in the Crown lands of Victoria and Carleton. The Saint
Andrews and Quebec Railway had a large grant of land made to it by the
Government. I am well acquainted with this, it is unfit for settlement,
being in the Boulder district — a large part of it was well timbered, and a
very considerable revenue is derived from the timber cut on portions of it.
Yours truly,
Edwd. Jack,
Deputy Crown Land Agent,
H. G. C. Ketcbum, Esq., C.E.,
Fredericton.
34
COMMEHCIAL ADVANTAGES.
Table of Value of Exports and Imports, for the year ending 80th
June, 18G9.
Exports.
Imports.
St. John
- $3,853,282
$5,247,371
St. Stephens
96,311
232,533
Fredericton
66,824
212,936
St. Andrews
41,170
75,597
$4,057,587
$5,768,437
Of the above Exports the value of the productions of the Forests was
$2,607,602.
Vessels
Vessels
arrived
Tons.
departed. Tons.
Fredericton
- 128
— 10,040
120 — 8,459
St. John
- 1,423
—502,083
1,201 —482,423
St. Andrews
- 174
— 13,089
123 — 8,800
St. Stephens
81
1,806
■- 10,339
79 — 10,346
535,551
1,523 510,028
At the Port of Quebec the total value of Imports was $29,545,177;
Exports, $28,223,268,
Table of Exports from the Port of FitEDERioTON, through the Custom
Hotise, for the year ending June 30, 1870.
Boards, deals, and planks
Shingles, 59,306 bundles
Laths - - . -
Window Sticks
Pickets - - - .
Small scantling
Clap-boards - - -
1 ,923,267 superficial feet
14,801,500
3,415,500
253,200 pieces
979,740
45,000
6,244,140
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES. 35
American—
Boards, deals, and planks - 357,750
Shingles - - . . 50,147,500
Clap-boards - . - . 712,227
Laths 979,000
Extract from the Records,
J. W. M. RuKL, Clerk.
N.B. — In addition to the quantities shown on the preceding table, nearly
an equal amount passes Fredericton, of which no account has been taken.
T
Official Letter from F. A. Testu, Esq., Provincial Crown Land
Surveyor.
Edmundston, Hth June, 1870.
To the Secretary/ of the New Brunswick Railway Compant.
Sir, — I have the honor to submit the following report on the agricultural
and commercial capabilities of the county Victoria, in New Brunswick.
The county of Victoria, next to Northumberland, is the largest in the
province ; it comprises all the land on the St. John and its tributaries above
Carleton county, which belongs to New Brunswick, and a large portion of
territory watered by the upper tributaries of the Restigouche. It is bounded
by the State of Maine on the West, by Canada to the North, and by the
counties of Northumberland and Restigouche on the East.
Victoria contains 2,872,000 acres, of which 500,000 acres are granted : the
remaining 2,370,000 acres are still vacant. The quantity of cleared land
is about 200,000 acres, and the population 25,000 souls.
The ranges of high land which cross this county are generally of
primitive rocks ; the surface is elevated, but seldom rises into lofty emi-
nences, and in general the slopes are not too steep for cultivation. Along
the St. John the belts of alluvial land become more and more narrow, but
there are terraces along the whole course of the river, composed of successive
deposits of alluvium, sometimes consisting of five different steps, indicating
that number of changes in the level of the stream.
There are eight parishes in Victoria — Andover, Garden, Perth, Alada-
waska, St. Basil, St. Francis, St. Hilaire, and St. Leonard. The shire
town is Colebrook or Grand Falls, a village situate at the Grand P'alls of
the St. John, which are about 200 miles from the sea.
3fi
COMMEaClAL ADVANTAGES.
■■.■]'■
i jV
The Tobiquo River, which enters the Bt. John about 20 miles below the
Grand Falls, is almost wholly within the county Victoria. It is a river of
large size, and the land along its vnlioy is reported to bo of good quality.
The ledges of red sandstone, and the cliirs of gypsum in the valley of the
Tobique, with other rocks combine to form an admirable soil along the
river very well adapted for cultivation.
In the upper part of Victoria, at the mouth of the Madawaska River,
stands the rising village of Edmundston ; from its position on the St. John,
at the outlet of a navigable river, flowing from extensive chains of lakes,
some 27 miles long, extending to within 16 miles of the St. Lawrence, and
watering a wide extent of timber country, this village bids fair to become a
place of great importance and considerable trade.
Tlie ])opulation of Victoria is yet too scanty to have done much towards
developing its agricultural capabilities. But considering the large pro-
portion of its inhabitants who are engaged in lumbering, the following
return of the crops of 1869 is worth notice : —
Hay 20,000 tons, wheat 40,000 bushels, barley 25,000 bushels, oats
700,000 bushels, buckwheat 1,100,000 bushels, Indian corn 2,800 bushels,
peas and beans luO, 000 bushels, turnips 225,000 bushels, ])otatoes 1,500,000
bushels. The (pumtity of butter made last year was 400,000 pounds, of
maple sugar 450,000 pounds.
Of all these productions the following is a fair statement of the export to
Canada by land : hay 100 tons, wheat 1,000 bushels, barley 1,000 bushels,
oats 5,000 bushels, buckwheat 600,000 bushels, poas and beans 10,000
bushels, butter 150,000 pounds, maple sugar 300,000 pounds, pork 1,000
barrels, cattle 500 head.
The regular increase in the imports and exports during the last ten years
is worthy of especial notice, as marking the steady progress and continued
advanoemcnt of the county.
The Grand River, the Quisibis, and the Green River are three consider-
able streams in this county, flowing into the St. John from the eastward ;
they interlock with the Restigouche and its upper tributaries, which flow in
the opposite direction. Tlie various streams thus interlaced drain a tract of
country containing more than a million of acres covered with the finest
timber, covering the best soil in the world. I can state from personal
explorations that there are in this tract thousands and thousands of acres of
deep rich loam, covered with the finest timber, standing more widely apart
than is usual in the forests of Xew Brunswick, and giving to the country a
park-like character. The completion of the railway from Woodstock to
the St. Lawrence, by giving ready access to the sea at almost all seasons,
V
ooMMRnour, advantages.
87
will tiirow open tbo resources of this county in timber and farm produce
and rapidly develop its agricultural cnpabilities.
In taking a general survey of tbo actual condition of this county, in con-
nection with the period of its early settlement, and with the public revenues
it has possessed from time to time as means of improvement, I have been
much impressed with the rapid progress it has really made, and with the
large amount of social advancement which is everywhere to be seen. The
roads, the bridges, the churches, the schools, besides numerous other public
institutions, excellent and liberal in themselves, assume a very large mag-
nitude in the eyes of the impartial observer, when it is considered that they
have been made, built, or established and provided for by a population even
at present under 26,000 souls, and in the short space of forty years.
Whatever defects the husbandry of this county may exhibit, and they are
not many, it has been satisfactory to me to find that a development of its
agricultural resources by the iniiirovemcnt of its agricultural practice, and
independent of immigration, has begun to manifest itself distinctly. Improved
implements, and breeds of cattle and sheep, imported grain and grass seeds,
skilful ploughing, the preparation of composts, with experiments in drainhig,
in the use of gypsum — these and other fonns of improvement which have
come under my notice, in this part of the province, show that there are
sonic at least, who not only desire to advance the general condition of its
hw ..udry, but who are aware also of the first steps which ought to be taken
to promote this advancement.
Of the climate, soil, and capabilities of the county of Victoria, it is im-
possible to speak too highly. There is no country in the world so beautifully
wooded and watered. An inspection of the map will show that there is no
section of it without its streams, from the springs and running brook up to
tlic navigable river. The lakes are not numerous but beautiful, abounding
\\ itli every species of fish ; the surface of the ground is undulating, hill and
dale varying up to the mountain and valley. It is everywhere covered with
a dense forest of the finest growth.
The country can everywhere be penetrated by its streams. In some parts
of the interior, by a portage of two or three miles, a canoe can float away
either to the Bay of Chaleur and the Gulf St. Lawrence, or down St. John
in the Bay of Fundy.
The proposed Railway would certainly promote the settlement of this most
valuable timber region. It would also develope the manufactured lumber
trade by affording facilities for obtaining supplies, and for transportation to
market either at St. Andrews, Quebec, or Kiver du Loup. It would create
in the interior of New Brunswick and the State of Maine a market for
38
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAQES.
Canadian provisions, ami tlms open up a new trade with Montreal and the
cities further West. Saw mills for maniifuotiiring timber would be erected
on nil the tributaries of tlie St. Joiin ; and eventually, almost all the timlier
on tiio river would bo converted into deaJH, clapboards, shingles, and similar
nhort lumber. The lumi)ering establishments on the Upper St. John and
Lake Tcniiscouata require very large supplies of flour and pork, which are
usually sent by steamboat or railway to Woodstock, and are thence for-
warded up the river in flat-bottomed beats towed by horses At present the
supplies and merchandize forwarded up the river is stated to bo equal in
bulk to 120,000 barrels.
I have the honour to be. Sir,
Your most obedient Scryant,
F. A. Tbstu.
OFnciAL Letter from II. M. G. Gaiidev, Es(i., Local Deputy for Crown
Lands of Carleton.
Woodstock, Carleton County,
Now Umnswitk, IGt/i September, 1870.
Deau Sin, — IJogarding the cpiality and capal)ility of the land in the three
counties of York, Carleton, and Victoria, through which your Railway
route lies, I submit the following observations, derived from my experience
as Local Deputy Surveyor of Crown lands since the formation of this county
in 1832; and as resj>ects our stajile export lumber, these three counties,
with the county ceded to the Americans on the Upper Saint John, furnish
seven-eights of all the pine, spruce, and birch lumber floated to the port of
Saint John, including what is used for home con8umi)tion as well as for ex-
portation, and the port of Saint John ships more than half the whole qu.m-
tity exported from the province ; then there is tamarack or larch for knees,
and futtocks, and cedar shingles, these last very largely increased since the
continuation of the railways to Woodstock has enabled our oi)erators in this
vicinity to send these articles to the seaboard during the winter. These
operations for transit in winter embrace a district of about twenty miles
radius from the depot, and this would hold good so far as the railway is
contijuied ; shingles, clap-boards, knees, and futtocks, and railway sleepers
will always be available for winter tvalTic.
The land likely to be selected by your Company will bo along and be
intersected by the Keswick^ Becaguimcc, Upper Nashwauk, Miramiclii
T
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAOErt.
89
(South-west Branch), Monqnart,Tol)i»
435
>»
669 miles.
624
)»
3,013 miles
2,823
It
2,782
ti
2,718
}*
imip
miles.
miles.
liles.
tiles.
liles
«wa«HMMMIM«l^ J
•"f^immm^- iM'^ljV'/,!' M/w: