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ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 
 
 ATLMTIC & PACIFIC EAILWY. 
 
 PORTLAND & RUTLANB EilLEOAD 
 
 OFFICIAL EECORD OF THE COKPORATOKS, 
 
 '^ 
 
 ^FRIL 30, 1868. 
 
 PORTLAND: 
 
 i3rio"vt^3sr TinjR,sTO]sr & co:Mi»A.]NrY 
 
 1868. 
 


 ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 
 
 ATLIJITIC AND PACIFIC RAILWAY. 
 
 POETLAND & EUTLAND EAILEOAD COMPANY. 
 
 OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE DOINGS OF THE CORPORATORS, 
 
 In pursuance of notice, signed by seven at least of the Cor- 
 porators, named in the act of incorporation ; which notice was 
 published at least fourteen days before the time mentioned in 
 said notice, in the Eastern Argus, a newspaper published in 
 the City of Portland, and County of Cumberland, and in the 
 Maine Democrat, a newspaper published in the City of Bid- 
 deford, in the County of York, and in other newspapers in 
 said County of Cumberland, in the words and figures follow- 
 ing, viz : 
 
 PORTLAND AND RUTLAND RAILROAD COMPANY. 
 
 The undersigned, more than seven of the persons named in the first 
 section of "An act to incorporate the Portland and Rutland Railroad 
 Company," approved March 6th, 1868, hereby give notice, that the first 
 meeting of the corporators named in said act, will be held at the rooms 
 of the Portland Board of Trade, Thomas Block, Exchange street, in the 
 City of Portland, on Wednesday, the twenty-ninth day of April, A.D. 
 1868, at three of the clock in the afternoon, to agree on the terms of 
 subscription, the times and places for receiving subscriptions to the 
 
capital stock, the admission of associates, and all measures necessary 
 to the organization of said corporation. 
 
 Dated at Portland, this ninth day of March, A. D. 1868. 
 
 Jacob McLellan, John A. Poor. 
 
 John Lynch, J. B. Carroll, 
 
 T. C. Hersey, William Deering, 
 
 H. J. LiBBY, N. C. Rice, 
 
 N. J. Miller, Allen Haines, 
 
 Geo. W. Woodman, Frederick Robie, 
 
 Aug. E. Stevens, John M. Adams, 
 
 A. K. Shurtleff, Samuel J. Anderson, 
 
 Frederick G. Messer. J. L. Farmer, 
 
 R. M. Richardson, Enoch Knight. 
 
 The Corporators named in an an act entitled " an act to 
 incorporate the Portland ai^l Rutland Railroad Company," 
 approved March 6th, 1808, met at the rooms of the Portland 
 Board of Trade, Thomas Block, Exchange street, in the city 
 of Portland, on Wednesday, the 29th day 6f April, A. D. 
 1868, at three o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 The meeting was called to order by John A. Poor, Esq., 
 and Allen Haines, Esq., was appointed clerk of the corpora- 
 tors, who was duly sworn. 
 
 Voted, To adjourn to meet at the reception room, in the Nbw City 
 Hall building, at 3 1-4 o'clock this afternoon, notice of which adjourn- 
 ment was duly pM>sted on the door of the office, or public room of the 
 Portland Board of Trade. 
 
 Attest: Allen Haines, 
 
 Clerk of the Corporators. 
 
 At 3 1-4 o'clock P. M., the Corporators met at the recep- 
 tion room in the New City Hall, in the City of Portland, 
 according to the adjournment. The meeting was called to 
 order by the Clerk of the Corporators, who read the record 
 of the meeting and the call. 
 
 Hon. Frederick Robie was appointed Chairman. 
 
 The meeting was addressed by John A. Poor, Esq., on 
 whose motion it was voted that the Corporators resolve them- 
 
selves into a convention, and that all preseij^t be invited to 
 participate in. their deliberations." Mr. Poor said, 
 
 It is now more than twenty-three years, or in September, 
 1844, that Portland entered upon her career as a commercial 
 city, and embarked in the construction of a railroad to Mon- 
 treal. • 
 
 In 1845, with a population of 15,000, a valuation for State 
 taxation of 84,061,303, and a valuation for City taxation of 
 $4,634,738, the city of Portland subscribed $715,600 to the 
 stock of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, and secured 
 from other towns, principally upon its route, additional sub- 
 scriptions, making a total of over one million of dollars. 
 "^ Westbrook, including the subscription of James Deering, 
 Esq., took $43,600 ; North Yarmouth, $31,700 ; Norway, 
 $22,100 ; Paris, $19,400 ; and lesser sums were received 
 from many of the towns in the State. 
 
 The result of this railway mpvement was a rapid develop- 
 ment of business. In 1850, Portland had a population of 
 20,819, a valuation for State taxation of $7,311,561, and a 
 valuation for city taxation of $13,364,009. The increase of 
 business from 1850 to the present time, though not so rapid 
 as during the first five years, has placed Portland in a promi- 
 nent position among the commercial cities of the country. 
 The imports into Portland have increased from $454,226 in 
 1846, to $14,500,318 in 1866. And the exports from $595,- 
 925, in 1846, to $5,719,863, in 1866, which increase is main- 
 ly due to the construction of the railway to Montreal. 
 
 The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad expanded into the 
 Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, forming at this time, in all 
 its connections and extensions, 1377 miles of railroad under 
 one management, cost something over $80,000,000. In our 
 own State, the mileage of railroads has increased from 70 
 miles in 1845, costing less than $2,000,000, to over 500 miles 
 of railroads in operation, cost over $18,000,000, in 1866. 
 And if to this aggregate, are added the cost of the 71 miles 
 
6 
 
 of the Atlantic jnd St. Lawrence Railroad, lying 52 miles in 
 New Hainpsliire and 19 miles in Vermont, it -VAjill make the 
 aggregate mileage of railroads in operation, properly belong- 
 ing to our State, of 573 miles in length, costing over $20,- 
 000,000. 
 
 Our State bas recovered from the revulsion which followed 
 this heavy draft upon our business capital for the building of 
 these railroads, and all parts of the State are now moving to 
 construct new lines of railroads. 
 
 The new enterprises now in progress in Maine embrace an 
 aggregate of about 300 miles, already undertaken or to be 
 put in progress the present year, in which are included some 
 of the more important lines in our railroad system, in thef- 
 success of which Portland is largely, though indirectly inter- 
 ested, though she is not likely to be called upon to contribute 
 largely of her capital to insure their construction. 
 
 The Somerset Railroad is to be extended into Somer- 
 set County, as far up as Carritunk Falls, 31 miles; the 
 Dexter and Newport road will be opened in July next, 15 
 miles ; the Belfast and Moosehead railroad will extend from 
 the line of the Maine Central to Belfast, 34 miles; all form- 
 ing a part of our broad guage system. Bangor has pledged 
 her credit for $1,000,000 to the E. & N. A. Railway, and 
 $600,000 more to the Piscataquis branch of it from Oldtown 
 to Dover, reaching the valuable Slate Quarries in the Piscata- 
 quis valley, some of which are already open at Brownville, 
 which will give a new business to Bangcy, more than supply- 
 ing any diminution of her lumber trade. 
 r The extension of the line of the E. & N. A. Railway, 110 
 miles in Maine, to the boundary of New Brunswick, and 86 
 .miles in New Brunswick, to the city of St. John, is now re- 
 garded as secured. 
 
 There is also the Knox and Lincoln road, from Bath to 
 Rockland, a distance of 45 miles, secured by subscriptions 
 upon its route. Portland is interested socially and commer- 
 
ically in the success of all these lines, for her growth depends 
 mainly on the business of our own State. 
 
 Regarding the railroad policy of the State as now settled, 
 and the most important line of all to Portland, the E. & N. A. 
 Railway secured, extending to St. John and Halifax, Portland 
 may now confidently rely upon an increase of the Grand 
 Trunk business from Montreal and the West, for the future, 
 which threatened at one time to pass b^* Portland, go to 
 the River de Loup, and thence to St. John city over the In- 
 tercolonial railway. This must have followed, had Portland 
 been without any connection by railway from Bangor to St. 
 John. I regard therefore the completion of the E. & N. A. 
 Railway as of far more consequence to Portland than to any 
 other city of the country, not even excepting Bangor and 
 St. John. 
 
 Portland is now at liberty for the first time to turn her 
 thoughts and her strength towards the West. She is on the 
 direct route of the great railway that is to span the continent 
 at its widest part, the completion of which will make Portland 
 a competitor with New York for western trade. 
 
 All the predictions put forth twenty years ago, as to the 
 effect of the railroad from Portland to Montreal, upon Bos- 
 ton, are already realized, and the city of Boston is attempting 
 to recover from the errors of her narrow policy. 
 
 " The decadence of Boston^^^ fiow the topic of discussion, 
 reiterated before legislative committees, and frankly admitted 
 in the North American Review, arises from two causes ; one, 
 the result of the geographical position, and the other, of her 
 railroad policy, to which I can only refer for want of time. 
 It i^ interesting to read in the North American Review a 
 repetition of the arguments put forth more than twenty years 
 ago, and on which the Portland and Montreal Railroad was 
 worked out. The ingenious attempt to make these argu- 
 ments apply to Bo'ston in her present condition, and the con- 
 currence of opinion on the part of Mr. Charles Francis 
 
8 
 
 Adams, jr., in the North American Review, and of Mr. Ed- 
 ward Crane, the champion of the Marginal Street Railway^ 
 in favor of a line to Ogdensburg from Boston, can only ex- 
 cite a smile. . 
 
 Mr. Adams divides the United States into three business zones: 
 the southern or G-ulf zone ; the Central zone, whose business 
 concentrates at New York ; the Lake zone, which he claims 
 will naturally concentrate its business at Boston, frankly ad- 
 mitting, that all attempts to gain export trade from the Gulf 
 zone, or Central zone, are futile. Mr. Adams' plan, like that of 
 Mr. Crane, is to abandon all attempts to hft business from the 
 valley of the Hudson into the Boston harbor agaitist the power- 
 ful attraction which causes all the business of heavy transpor- 
 tation in the Hudson valley to gravitate to New York City. 
 Like a sensible man, he regards the Hoosac Tunnel as a ne- 
 cessary failure, and all attenjpts to gain business by extending 
 a line of railway from its western mouth to Lake Ontario, as 
 an eqtAil absurdity, — because he brings the business to Troy, 
 from the West, — which is a necessary appurtenance or out- 
 lying wharf of New York City, to which freight descends at 
 so trifling a cost of transportation, as to preclude the possibil- 
 ity of lifting it over, or through, the Berkshire mountains, 
 with a summit of 1480 feet, and greater distance to tide water, 
 with a summit of 918 feet between the Connecticut river and 
 Boston. Hence Mr. Adams ^gards Rutland as the safe point 
 to which to bring western produce, as, from Rutland, it can 
 reach Boston cheaper than to go to New York. He makes 
 no allusion to the recently proposed canal from Whitehall to 
 Rutland, bringing the navigable waters of Lake Champlain 24 
 miles nearer to Boston, an enterprise which, if sure of suc6ess, 
 will accelerate the movement for a ship canal from the St. 
 Lawrence into Lake Champlain. 
 
 Rutland is the point, which, from its geographical position 
 and railroad facilities, the writer in the North American Re- 
 view, looks upon as the outlying port of Boston, as Pittsburg 
 
9 
 
 is commercially related to Philadelpliia, Buffalo to New York 
 City, and Montreal to the City of Portland. But in order to 
 make Rutland occupy successfully this position, this writer 
 regards the building of additional lines to Ogdensburg through 
 the Adirondac Mountains, and increased facilities over exist- 
 ing lines around the foot of Lake Champlain by the way of 
 Rouse's Point, as indispensible. 
 
 Boston has been forced .to this position by the complete 
 failure of all her previous plans for securing a western export 
 trade, and the certainty of a similar failure on the completion 
 of the Hoosac Tunnel. Not that that Tunnel will be entirely 
 worthless, for along the route, from the Hudson through to 
 Fitchburg, business will spring up as it has along the line of the 
 Boston and Albany Railroad, and the $10,000,000 which the 
 Tunnel has been estimated to cost, will be more than made 
 up, by the necessary development of business along^ the north- 
 ern tier of towns from the Hoosac Mountains to Fitchburg. 
 This influence alone, has kept the project alive, and seems 
 likely to carry it through. But the idea on which the Hoo- 
 sac Tunnel was started has been already abandoned. Mr. 
 Adams and Mr. Crane still cherish the idea of making Ogdens- 
 burg a point, from which to direct trade from the St. Law- 
 rence to her harbor. 
 
 It has already been stated that the line from Ogdensburg 
 to Boston was started simultaneously, or nearly so, with the 
 Portland and Montreal railroad for the purpose of heading 
 off that. Efforts were made to detach Montreal from the 
 Portland connection, but without success, by Boston parties, 
 and in 1847, when the Portland delegation were in Montreal, 
 in reference to the question of guage, Boston men proposed 
 that Portland should abandon the Montreal connection, turn 
 west from Island Pond to Ogdensburg, instead of Montreal ; 
 being assured that the line from Boston to Ogdensburg 
 would take off the business of the St. Lawrence river ; and 
 thereafter, or when the railroad was finished from Boston to 
 
10 
 
 Ogdensburg, western produce for export ^vould stop at Og- 
 densburg and not go to Montreal. Under this delusive feel- 
 ing this line was finished with Boston capital. In 1851, im- 
 mense docks and warehouses were erected at Ogdensburg, and 
 lines of propellers established, but of no avail. The scheme 
 proved a failure. The attraction of a great city, aided by 
 railroaxis and canals, continued to draw to Montreal the bulk 
 of the St. Lawrence trade, having from there, a choice of 
 routes to Europe. 
 
 If there was any sense in the proposition that the St. Law- 
 ence trade could be turned off at Ogdensburg, Portland 
 should have extended her line from Island Pond to Ogdens- 
 burg, via Missisqoui Valley, securing to herself by the most 
 practicable route, this trade. But the proposition was un- 
 sound, for merchandise afloat upon the St. Lawrence Riv- 
 er, would naturally flow down to Montreal, the necessary 
 depot of the business of the Upper Lakes, the point where 
 the canal boat and the seagoing vessel meet and exchange 
 cargoes. At Montreal, the Victoria Bridge connects the city 
 with the open sea at Portland, which only requires the com- 
 pletion of the cut-off" from Island Pond to Montreal, short- 
 •ening the distance 46 miles over the present route, to secure 
 the cheapest possible outlet by rail from the St. Lawrence to 
 the open sea. 
 
 These matters will soon come to pass, and if Montreal and 
 Canada West were a part of the United States, Montreal 
 would become the principal competitor of New York, in the im- 
 portation of European goods. She is open to ocean steamers, 
 twenty-eight weeks in the year, and to the open sea at Port- 
 land all the year round by railway ; and if she could send 
 her goods to the far West, relieved of the restrictions upon 
 trade, she could secure the bulk of the trade of Chicago and 
 the country west of it, on that parallel of latitude. 
 
 This consummation would add largely to the commerce of 
 Portland, for Portland would then be to Montreal, what 
 Havre is, commercially to the city of Paris. 
 
11 
 
 We all know that western produce, instead of stopping at 
 Ogdensburg, and going thence to Boston by rail, passes by 
 Ogdensburg, goes to Montreal, thence by the Grrand Trunk 
 to Portland, and by rail or steamer to Boston. In 1863, 
 271,530 barrels of flour came by this route to Boston, entered 
 as comino; from Portland. 
 
 The only question, therefore, that concerns Portland, as 
 far as competition with Boston for western trade is concerned, 
 is, can Boston draw produce from Montreal to Boston, cheaper 
 than it can be transported from Montreal to Portland. 
 Straighten the lines from Montreal to Portland and to Boston 
 to their shortest measure, and reduce their grades to the lowest 
 practicable point on each, and Portland will always have full 
 twenty-five per cent advantage in the struggle. This is the 
 theory upon which the Montreal and Portland road was built, 
 using between Montreal and the West, water communication 
 as well as rail. Boston will yet come to perqeive this. The 
 community at large wilj accept as true what the importers of 
 breadstufFs into Boston have realized from the start — that 
 between Oswego and Montreal, there is no point where you 
 can turn off, or successfully divert trade from the St. Law- 
 rence basin. Commercial gravitation carries it past Cape 
 Vincent and all the intermediate ports till it reaches its nat- 
 ural resting place, MONTREAL. 
 
 The question then arises, what can Portland do to enlarge 
 her trade ? The cheapest mode would be to shorten and 
 improve the line, and increase the equipment of the Grand 
 Trunk R. R. to Montreal, so that by the means of a double 
 track, that line could do five times its present business, and 
 employ steamers and sailing vessels in the exportation of 
 Western produce through the year. But this policy can 
 hardly be expected under the present state of things. The 
 Grand Trunk must work out her own destiny under its pres- 
 ent management, and Portland must enter a new field for do- 
 mestic trade. 
 
12 
 
 To secure an increase of Western trade, inde|)endent of 
 the Grand Trunk Railway, two routes have been proposed 
 for the consfderation of the people of Portland. One, known 
 as the Northern route, proposes to run by the way of the 
 White Mountain Notch, the summit of which is 1904 feet 
 above tide water at Portland, in a distance of some 86 miles 
 from the city, and from thence, the line passes through the 
 towns of Carroll, Bethlehem, Whitefield and Dalton, to the 
 Connecticut River, over 24 miles, making a total of 110 miles 
 from Portland to the Connecticut. From Dalton to St. Johns- 
 bury, the distance is about twenty miles to a point of inter- 
 section with the Passumpsic Railroad. From St. Johnsbury 
 west, the line passes through the town of Danville by a very 
 circuitous route, rising to an elevation of 1692 feet above tide 
 water, through the corner of Cabot, and through the town of 
 Hardwick, thence in the Lamoille valley through Walcott, 
 Hyde Park, Mqrristown and Johnstown, to the town of Cam- 
 bridge. From Cambridge two routes, are proposed, one due 
 west through Fletcher and Fairfax to the Vermont and Can- 
 ada Railroad in the town of Georgia; the other nnis from 
 Cambridge tiirough Watcrville, Bakersfield, Fairfield, Shel- 
 don, Swanton and Highgate, to a point on the line of the 
 Vermont and Canada road. The other, or Western line pro- 
 poses to run from Portland to the State line of Parsonsfield, 
 through the towns of Westbrook, Gorham, Standish, Bald- 
 win, Limington, Cornish, Hiram, Porter and Parsonsfield, a 
 distance of 36 miles ; thence through the towns of Freedom, 
 Effingham, Ossipee, Tamworth, Sandwich, Moultonboro' and 
 Center Harbor, N. H., a distance of 27 miles ; thence by the 
 way of New Hampton, Bristol and Alexandria, to the line of 
 the Northern Railroad of New Hampshire, at Danbury, a dis- 
 tance of 20 miles from Center Harbor, making a total of 83 
 miles of new line to be built, provided no portion of the Port- 
 land and Rochester road, or of the Boston, Concord and 
 Montreal road is made use of. By building this 83 miles of 
 
13 
 
 new line, a railroad to Ogdensburg is secured. Between Dan- 
 bury and Bristol, a distance of eight miles, the means have 
 been secured for building it, leaving 75 miles of new line to 
 be provided for. If we use the line of the Portland and 
 Rochester Railroad as far as Gorham, a distance of nine miles, 
 t will reduce the number of miles of new railroad to be built 
 to about 65 miles. 
 
 From Danbury to White River Junction the distance is 31 
 miles ; from thence to Rouse's Point the distance is 144 miles. 
 
 At Fogg's Station, near Center Harbor, or 68 miles from 
 Portland, the line would cross the Boston,«Concord and Mon- 
 treal Railroad, which extends northwardly to Wells River, a 
 distance of 52 miles, connecting there with the Passumpsic 
 road to St. Johnsbury, a distance of 21 miles, making a dis- 
 tance from Portland to St. Johnsbury, by this route, 141 
 miles, as against 133 miles by the way of the Notch. 
 
 It is proposed to build from Wells River, a line to Mont- 
 pelier, a distance of 38 miles over a very favorable route, 
 making a distance of 158 miles from Portland to Montpelier, 
 the capital of the State of Vermont, from which a line ex- 
 tends to Rouse's Point, a distance of 82 miles, making a total 
 of 240 miles from Rouse's Point via Wells River and Mont- 
 pelier to Poi^tland. A portion of the people in the Lamoille 
 valley favor a line from Hard wick, on the line of the Lamoille 
 valley road, to Marshfield, a distance of 13 miles on the line 
 of the Wells River and Montpelier Railroad, which would 
 secute the shortest possible route from Portland to Rouse's 
 Point. A line from Georgia to Hardwick will not exceed 
 probably 40 miles ; from Hardwick to Marshfield l^miles ; 
 from Marshfield to Wells River is 19 miles, making the dis- 
 tance from Georgia to Portland 192 miles, from Georgia to 
 Rouse's Point 33 miles, maldng the total distance from Port- 
 land to Rouse's Point via Cornish, Wells River, Hardwick 
 and Georgia, 225 miles. The shortest possible line between 
 Rouse's Point and Portland, would be found by running from 
 
14 
 
 Rouse's Point to Swanton Junction, thence through Fairfield 
 and Cambridge to Hardwick, thence to Wells River by way 
 of Mansfield, reducing the distance below 220 miles, over a 
 favorable line. Between the Lamoille and Passumpsic River, 
 the lowest point on the line as surveyed from St. Johnsbury 
 to Hardwick, the summit, as before stated, is 1692 feet above 
 tide water, or but little lower than at the Notch. 
 
 By the direct route from Portland to White River Junc- 
 tion, there is no elevation to overcome greater than 600 feet. 
 The line, as proposed, avoiding the heavy grades between 
 Franklin and Danliury, and the heavy grades over the War- 
 ren summit on the line of the Boston, Concord and Montreal 
 Railroad. Between White River Junction and Rutland, the 
 line is in progress, so that on the completion of the line from 
 Portland to Danbury, the connection will be complete. The 
 railroads extending from Rutland to the West connect as far 
 as Chicago and the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 This line will become the most important link in the great 
 continental chain, the Pacific Railway, or more properly 
 speakmg, the Atlantic and Pacific Railway/. 
 
 The continent of North America at its widest part, nearly 
 on the 45th parallel of latitude, — from Cape Canso, Nova 
 Scotia, in latitude 45 deg. 17 m., and in longitude 61 deg. 
 m., to Cape Lookout, in Oregon, in latitude 45 deg. 30 m., 
 and in longitude 124 deg. — extends a distance of 63 deg., or 
 2,773 geographical miles, equal to 3,191 statute miles. Dur- 
 ing the year 1870, or soon after that, this distance will all be 
 spanned by a line, or a series of connected lines of railway, 
 from IJalifax, Nova Scotia, in latitude 44 deg. 37 m., longi- 
 tude 63 deg. 20 m., to San Francisco, situated in latitude 37 
 deg. 48 m., and in longitude 11:2 deg. 26 m. — Portland, 
 Maine, in latitude 43 deg, 39 m., and in longitude 70 deg. 15 
 m., on the most direct route, is the Atlantic -port first and most 
 easily reached by the through trains from the Pacific. The 
 directness of the line from Halifax to San Francisco is most 
 
15 
 
 remarkable. Passing round the head of the Bay of Fundy, 
 the Hne runs only a degree and one half north, or as high as 
 46 deg. -7 m., when it turns southwest to St. Johns, in lati- 
 tude 45 deg. 1^ m., which is reached in a distance of 262 
 miles from Halifax. From St. John to Bangor, in latitude 
 44 deg. 45 m., and in longitude 68 deg. 46 min., it runs nearly 
 west a distance of 196 miles ; thence to Portland, in latitude 
 43 deg. 39 m., and in longitude 70 deg. 15 m., a distance of 
 138 miles, a total of 596 miles from Halifax to Portland, all 
 of which is now built, or in progress. 
 
 From Portland a line running due west, striking Center 
 Harbor, White River Junction, Woodstock, Rutland and 
 Whitehall at the head of Lake Champlain, will enable the 
 traveler by the way of Schenectady, the Suspension Bridge, 
 and Detroit, to reach Chicago m a distance of 1045 miles 
 from Portland, or eighty-three miles shorter than by any other 
 route from Europe. 
 
 From Portland to Chicago, by way of Boston and Albany, 
 is 1,128 miles ; and by way of Montreal and the Grand Trunk 
 railway, 1,141 miles. Portland is destined, therefore, to be 
 come the shipping port for Chicago in the winter months, 
 and the most important one to her of all the Atlantic ports, 
 throughout the year — on the completion of this shortest line. 
 From Chicago to Halifax via Portland, is 1,641 miles ; from 
 Chicago to Halifax via Boston, is 1,724 miles, and via New 
 York, 1,806 miles. 
 
 The cutting off of the angle between Whitehall and Rome 
 already proposed, will inure to the benefit of the Portland and 
 Rutland line, but gives no advantage to the lines to Boston 
 and New York. If fifty miles distance is saved between 
 Whitehall and Rome, the distance from Portland to Chicago, 
 will be as before stated, reduced to below one thousand 
 miles. No line from Chicago to Boston can be less than 1,021 
 miles, or less than 965 miles to New York. 
 
 From Chicago the distance to San Francisco by the Central, 
 
16 
 
 or Union Pacific railway, is 2,338 miles, which makes the 
 line across the continent, from Hahfax to San Francisco, 3,979 
 miles, as follows : 
 
 Towns. 
 
 Mlles. 
 
 Total No 
 
 MiLEB. 
 
 Height 
 
 AB'VE TEDK 
 WATER. 
 
 Halifax to Truro, - . - - 
 
 61 
 
 
 
 Truro to N. B. Line, 
 
 73 
 
 134 
 
 
 N. B. Line to Moncton, - - - 
 
 36 
 
 170 
 
 
 Moncton to St. John, - . - 
 
 92 
 
 262 
 
 feet. 
 
 St. John to Maine Boundary, - 
 
 86 
 
 348 
 
 882 
 
 Boundary to Bangor, - - - 
 
 110 
 
 •458 
 
 
 Bangor to Portland, - - - - 
 
 138 
 
 596 
 
 
 Halifax to Portland, 
 
 
 596 
 
 
 Portland to N. H. Line, - 
 
 36 
 
 
 290 
 
 N. H. Line to Boundary Vt., - 
 
 77 
 
 113 
 
 a5i 
 
 White Kiver Junction to Rutland, - 
 
 46 
 
 159 
 
 530 
 
 Rutland to Schenectady, 
 
 8o 
 
 244 
 
 
 Schenectady to Suspension Bridge, - 
 
 287 
 
 631 
 
 565 
 
 Suspension Bridge to Detroit, 
 
 230 
 
 761 
 
 589 
 
 Detroit to Chicago, - - - > - 
 
 284 
 
 1045 
 
 625 
 
 Portland to Chicago, 
 
 
 1045 
 
 
 Chicago to Mi. R. at Clinton, - 
 
 138 
 
 
 
 Miss. R. to Missouri River at Omaha 
 
 a56 
 
 494 
 
 968 
 
 Omaha to Summit of Rocky Moun- 
 
 547 
 
 
 
 tain, Evans' Pass, - - - - 
 
 
 1041 
 
 8842 
 
 Summit the Bridger's Pass, - 
 
 142 
 
 1183 
 
 7SM 
 
 Bridger's Pass to Salt Lake, - 
 Salt Lake to San Francisco, - 
 
 380 
 
 1563 
 
 4290 
 
 775 
 
 2338 
 
 
 Chicago to San Francisco, 
 
 
 2:3:J8 
 
 
 Portland to San Francisco, - 
 
 
 33^3 
 
 
 Halifax to San Francisco, - - - 
 
 
 3979 
 
 
 Of this distance of 3,979 miles required to complete the 
 Atlantic and Pacific railway, 134 n.iles lie within the Pro- 
 vince of Nova Scotia, sixty-one miles of which arc already 
 completed, and the remaining section is in progress; two 
 hundred and fourteen miles lie in the Province of New 
 Brunswick, 92 miles of which are completed and the residue 
 in progress ; 284 miles within the State of Maine, 158 miles 
 of which are finished and 100 miles of the remainder are in 
 progress ; 77 miles in the State of New Hampshire, 28 of 
 which are completed ; 6Q miles in the State of Vermont, 20 
 miles of which are built and the remainder in progress ; 352 
 miles in the State of New York, 230 in Canada West, 232 
 in Michigan, 52 in Indiana, 151 in Illinois, 356 in Iowa and 
 
17 
 
 525 in Nebraska, all in actual operation. The only links 
 now required, where the means are still unprovided for their 
 construction, are, from Portland to White River Junction, re- 
 quiring some 15 miles of new line. All that is required to 
 insure the completion of this entire line, on the most direct 
 route from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is the distance from 
 Gorham to Center Harbor, a distance of 57 miles only. 
 
 I have been speaking of the Union Pacific, or Central 
 railroad, but have made no reference to the Nortliern Pacific 
 line. It is contended on the part of the friends of the North- 
 ern route that the distance from Chicago to Puo-et's Sound 
 will be some 800 miles less than to San Francisco, but it 
 would occupy too much time to make any comparisons be- 
 tween the two routes, both of which are of the greatest pos- 
 sible interest to the country, — and the recent report of Edwin 
 F. Johnson, Esq., the accomplished Engineer of the Northern 
 Pacific Railroad, will do much to relieve the doubt that here- 
 tofore existed in regard to the practicability and expediency 
 of constructing both lines at the same time. Mr. Johnson 
 makes the idirect distance from Lake Superior to the Pacific 
 1427 miles, and the distance by railroad about 20 per cent, 
 greater, or about 1700 miles from Lake Superior to Portland, 
 in Oregon. 
 
 In speaking of the Portland and Rutland road, we have 
 been in the habit of regarding it as a local road, the construc- 
 tion of which would add to the local or home trade of Port- 
 land ; while it is easy to perceive that its completion will give 
 to Portland the greatest possible advantages for a large export- 
 ing trade in western produce, and make it to an equal degree 
 a favorite port Mr the importation of foreign goods for the 
 West. 
 
 The claims of the Portland and Rutland Railroad Com- 
 pany, were brought to the attention of the citizens of Portland, 
 by his Excellency, Gov. Page of Vermont, and his distin- 
 guished associates, comprising a committee of twelve of the 
 
18 
 
 principal citizens of that State, on the 19tli of February 
 last. 
 
 Although some alarm was excited by parties representing 
 other interests, the plan met with general fayor. A com- 
 mittee of 25 was appointed to take charge of the measure. 
 That committee appointed an executive committee of seven, 
 two of whom, John Jameson, Esq., of Cornish, and N. C* 
 Rice, Esq., of this city, proceeded to Augusta and secured 
 the necessary charter. 
 
 The chairman of this meeting, fortunately, was chairman 
 of the joint standing co\nmittee on railways, and through liis 
 able efforts and of N. A. Foster, Esq., one of the city repre- 
 sentatives, our charter became a law by the approval of the 
 Governor, on the Gth of March, a copy of which is herewith 
 submitted as follows : 
 
 STATE OF MAINE. 
 
 IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED 
 AND SIXTY-EIGHT. 
 
 An Act to incorporate the Portland and Rutland Bailroad Company. 
 
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature 
 
 a^embledf as follows : 
 
 Section 1. John B. Brown, John B. Carroll, A. W. H. Clapp, William 
 Deering, Charles Fobes, N. A. Foster, Samuel J. Anderson, John M. 
 Adams. T. C. Hersey, ^len Haines, John Lynch, H. J. Libby, Israel 
 Washburn, jr., Horatio N. Jose, Jacob McLellan, N. J. Miller, F. G. 
 Messer, Jonas H. Perley, John A. Poor, R. M. Richardson, Nehemiah 
 Rice, Augustus E. Stevens, A. K. Shurtleff, Rufus E. Wood, George W. 
 Woodman, N. L. Woodbury, Ammi Boynton, John Jameson, Caleb R. 
 Ayer, Ezra Towle, Elias H. Newbegin, Tobias LoroT Frederick Robie, 
 Enoch Knight, Freeman McKenney, James L. Farmer, William H. Fes- 
 senden, Wm. M. McArthur, Freeman Hatch, Ebenezer Blazo, John 
 O'Brien, their associates, successors and assigns, are hereby made and 
 constituted a body corporate and politic, by the name of the "Portland 
 and Rutland Railroad Company, and by this name may sue and be sued, 
 plead and be impleaded, and shall have and ei\joy all proper remedies 
 
19 
 
 at law and in equity to secure andlprotect them in the exercise and use 
 of the rights and privileges, and in the performance of the duties here- 
 inafter granted and enjoined, and to prevent all iiyrasions thereof, or 
 interruptions in exercising and performing the same ; and the said cor- 
 poration is hereby authorized and empowered to locate, construct and 
 finally complete, alter and keep in repair, a railroad with on*e or more 
 sets of rails or tracks, with all suitable bridges, tunnels, viaducts, turn- 
 outs, culverfs, drains, and all other necessary appendages, from some 
 point upon the line of any existing railroad in the counties of York, 
 Oxford and Cumberland, or upon any line that may be hereafter con- 
 structed, under any existing charter, within the counties of York, Ox- 
 ford and Cumberland, at some point west of the Saco river or north of 
 the town of Standish, thence extending northerly or westerly to the 
 Western boundary line of the state in the Valley of the Great Ossipee 
 river, to such place upon the west line of the state as may be found ex- 
 pedient for the purpose of forming a connection with a railroad to be 
 constructed from such place westerly or northwesterly to the east line 
 of the state of Vermont ; and said corporation shall be and hereby are 
 invested with all the powers, privileges and immunities which are or 
 may be necessary to carry into effect the purposes and objects of this 
 act as herein set forth, with the right to extend its line through the 
 states of New Hampshire and Vermont, in case authority therefor is 
 granted by said states or either of them, with the further right to unite 
 with the line of any other railroad company in either of said .states, 
 and to issue its bonds to aid the construction of any other connected 
 line in either of said states, or lease or purchase any connected line in 
 this state or either of said states, so as best to form a connected line 
 of railroad from the city of Portland, Maine, to the town of Rutland, 
 Vemiont ; and for this purpose said corporation shall have the right to 
 purchase,«or to take and hold so much of the land and the real estate 
 of private persons and corporations as may be necessary for the loca- 
 tion, construction and convenient operation of said railroad and branch ; 
 and they shall also have the right to take, remove and use for the con- 
 struction and repair of said railroad and appurtenances, any earth, 
 gravel, stone, timber or other materials on or from the land so taken : 
 Provided, however, this said land so taken shall not exceed six rods in 
 width, except where greater width is necessary for the purposes of ex- 
 cavation or embankment ; and provided, also, that in all cases, said 
 corporation shall pay for such lands, estate or materials so taken and 
 used, such price as they and the owner or respective owners thereof 
 may mutually agree upon ; and in case said parties shall not otherwise 
 agree, the said corjjoration shall pay such damages as shall be ascer- 
 tained and determined by the county commissioners for the county 
 where such land or other property may be situated, in the same man- 
 
20 
 
 ner and under the same conditions and limitations as are by law pro- 
 vided in the case of damages by the laying out of highways ; and the 
 jand so taken by sai^^ corporation shall be held as lands taken and ap- 
 propriated for highways. And no application to said commissioners 
 to estimate said damages shall be sustained unless made within three 
 years from 'the time of taking such land or other property; and in case 
 such railroad shall pass through any woodland or forests, the said 
 company shall have a right to fell or remove any trees standing, there- 
 in within four rods of such road, which by their liability to be blown 
 down, or from their natural falling, might obstruct or impair said rail- 
 road, by paying a just compensation therefor, to be recovered in the 
 same manner as provided for the recovery of other damages in this 
 act. 
 
 Section 2. The capital sfock of said corporation shall consist of 
 not less than one thousand nor more than t^venty thousand shares, and 
 the immediate government and direction of the affairs of said corpor- 
 ation shall be vested in nine directors, who shall be chosen by the 
 members of said corporation, in the manner hereinafter provided, and 
 shall hold their office until others shall have been duly elected and 
 qualified to take their place, a majority of whom shall form a quorum 
 for the transaction of business, and they shall elect one of their num- 
 ber to be president of the corporation, and shall have authority to 
 choose a clerk, who shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of his duty, 
 and a treasurer who shall be sworn, and also give bonds to the corpor- 
 ation, with sureties to the satisfaction of the directors, in a sum not 
 less than ten thousand dollars, for the faithful discharge of his trust ; 
 and for the purpose of receiving subscriptions to the said stock, books 
 shall be opened, under the direction of the persons named in the first 
 section of this act, at such times as they may determine, in the city of 
 Portland and elsewhere as they shall appoint, to remain opei^for five 
 successive days at least, of which time and place of subscription pub- 
 lic notice shall be given in one newspaper printed in each of the coun- 
 ties of Cumberland and York ten days before the opening of such sub- 
 scriptions ; and any seven of the persons named in the first section of 
 this act are hereby authorized to call the first meeting of said corpora- 
 tion, for the choice of directors and organization, by giving notice in 
 one or more newspapers published as before named, of the time and 
 place and the purposes of such meeting, at least fourteen days before 
 the time mentioned in such notice. 
 
 Section 3. "When said corporation shall take any laad or other es- 
 tate, as aforesaid, of any infant, person non compos mentis, or feme 
 covert, whose husband is under guardianship, the giyirdianship of such 
 infant, or person non compos mentis, and such feme covert with the 
 guardian of her husband, shall have full power and authority to agree 
 
21 
 
 and settle with said corporation for damages or claims for damages 
 by reason of taking such land and estate as aforesaid, and give good 
 and valid releases and discharges therefor. 
 
 Section 4. The president and directors fo» the time being are here- 
 by authorized and empowered by themselves or their agents, to exer- 
 cise all the powers herein granted to the corporations for the purposes 
 of locating, constructing and completing said railroad and branch, and 
 for the transportation of persons, goods and property of all descrip- 
 tions, and all such powers and authority for the management of the 
 affairs of the corporation, as may be necessary and proper to carry in- 
 to effect the objects of this grant, to purchase and hold land, materi- 
 als, engines and cars, and other necessary things in the name of the 
 corporation, for the use of said road, and ^or the transportation of per- 
 sons, goods and property of all descriptions, to make such equal assess- 
 ment from time to time on all the shares in said corporation as they 
 may deem expedient and necessary in the execution and progress of 
 the work, and direct the same to be paid to the treasurer of this cor- 
 poration. And the treasurer shall give notice of all such assessments ; 
 and in case any subscriber or stockholder shall neglect to pay any as- 
 sessment on his share or shares for the space of thirty days after such 
 notice is given or shall be prescribed by the by-laws of said corpora- 
 tion, the directors may order the treasurer to sell such share or shares 
 at public auction, after giving such notice as may be prescribed, as 
 aforesaid, to the highest bidder, and the same shall be transferred to 
 the purchaser, and such delinquent subscriber or stockholder shall be 
 held accountable to the corporation for the balance, if his share or 
 shares shall sell for less than the assessments due thereon, with the in- 
 terest and costs of sale ; and shall be entitled to the overplus, if his 
 share or shares sell for more than the assessments due, with interest 
 and costs of sale : Provided, however, that no assessment s.hall be laid 
 upon any shares in said corporation of a greater amount in the whole 
 than one hundred dollars. 
 
 Section 5. A toll is hereby granted and established for the sole- 
 benefit of said corporation, upon all passengers and property of all 
 descriptions which may be conveyed or* transported by them upon said 
 road," at such rates as may be agreed upon and established from time 
 to time by the directors of said corporation. The transportation of 
 persons and property, the construction of wheels^, the form of cars and 
 carriages, the rights of roads, and all other matters and things in rela- 
 tion to said road shall be in conformity with such rule, regulations and 
 provisions, as the directors shall from time to time prescribe and direct. 
 
 Section 6. The legislature may authorize any other company or 
 companies, to connect any other railroad or railroads, with the railroad 
 of said corporation, at any point on the route of said railroad. And 
 
22 
 
 said corporation shall receive and transport all persons, goods and 
 property of all descriptions, which may be carried and transported to 
 the railroad of said corporation, on such other i-ailroads as may be 
 hereafter authorized to»be' connected therewith, at the same rates of 
 toll and freight as may be prescribed by said corporation, so that the 
 rates of freight and toll of such passengers and goods and other prop- 
 erty as may be received from such other railroads so connected with 
 said road as aforesaid, shall not exceed the general rates of freight and 
 toll on said railroad, received for freight and passengers at any of the 
 deposits of said corporation. 
 
 Section 7. If said railroatl, in the course thereof, shall cross any 
 private way, the said corporation shall so construct said railroad as 
 not to obstruct the safe and. convenient use of such private way ; and 
 if said railroad shall, in the course thereof, cross any canal, railroad, or 
 the highway, tlie said railroad shall be so constructed as not to obstruct 
 the safe and convenient uses of such canal or highway ; and the said 
 corporation shall have power to raise or lower such highway or pri- 
 vate way, so that the said railroad, if necessary, may conveniently pass 
 over or under the same, and erect such gate or gates thereon as may 
 be necessary for the safety of travelers on said railroad, highway or 
 private way, and shall keep all bridges and embankments necessary 
 for the same in good repair. 
 
 Section 8. Said railroad corporation shall erect and maintain sub- 
 stantial, legal and sufficient fences on each side of the land taken by 
 them for their railroad, where the same passes through enclosed or im- 
 proved lands, or lands that may be hereafter improved. 
 
 Section 0. The said corporation shall at all times, when the post- 
 master general shall require it, be holden to transport the mail of the 
 United States from and to such place or places on said road as may be 
 required, fpr a fair and reasonable compensation ; and in case the cor- 
 poration and the postmaster general shall be unable to agree upon the 
 compensation aforesaid, the legislature of the state shall detennine the 
 same ; and the said corporation, after they shall commence the receiv- 
 ing of tolls, shall be bound at all times to have said railroad in good 
 repair, and a sufficient numbei'of suitable engines, carriages and vehi- 
 cles for transportation of persons and articles, and be obliged to re- 
 ceive at all proper times and places, and carry the same, when the ap- 
 propriate tolls therefor shall be paid or tendered ; and a lien is hereby 
 created on all articles transported for said tolls, and said corporation 
 fulfilling on its part all and singular the several obligations and duties 
 by this section imposed and enjoined upon it, shall not be held or 
 bound to allow any engine, locomotive, cars, carriages or other vehicle) 
 for the transpoi^tation of persons or merchandise, to pass over said 
 railroad, other than its own, furnished and provided for tha't purpose, 
 
23 
 
 as herein enjoined and required : Provided, however, that said corpor 
 ation shall be under obligation to transport over said road the passen- 
 ger and other cars of any other incorporated company that may here- 
 after construct a railroad connecting with that hereby authorized, such 
 other company being subject to all the provisions of the fifth and sixth 
 sections of this act, as to rates of toll and all other particulars enu- 
 merated in said sections. 
 
 Section 10. If any person shall wilfully and maliciously, or wan- 
 tonly and contrary to law, obstruct the passage of any carriages on 
 such railroad, or in any way spoil, injure or destroy said railroad, or 
 any part thereof, or anything belonging thereto, or any materials or 
 implements to be employed in the construction of, or for the use of 
 said road, he, she or they, or any person or persons assisting, aiding or 
 abetting such trespass, shall forfeit and pay to said corporation, for 
 every such offence, treble such damages as shall be proved before the 
 justice, court or jury before whom the trial shall be had, to be sued 
 for before any justice, or in any court proper to try the same, by the 
 treasurer of the corporation, or other officer whom they may direct, to 
 the use of said corporation ; and such offender or offenders shall be 
 liable to indictment by the grand jui-y of the county within which tres- 
 pass shall have been committed, for any offence or offences contrary to 
 the above provisions ; and upon conviction thereof before any court 
 competent to try the same, shall pay a fine not exceeding five hundred 
 dollars to the use of the state, or may be imprisoned for a term not ex- 
 ceeding five years, at the discretion of the court before whom such 
 conviction may be had. 
 
 Section 11, Said corporation shall keep in a book, for that purpose, 
 a regular account of all their disbursements, expenditures and receipts, 
 and the books of said corporation shall at all times be open to the in- 
 spection of the governor and council, and of any committee duly au- 
 thorized by the legislature, and at the expiration of every year the 
 ♦treasurer of said corporation shall make an exhibit, under oath, to the 
 legislature, of the profits derived from the income of said railroad. 
 
 Section 12. All real estate purchased by said corporation for the 
 use of the same under the fourth section of this act, shall be taxable 
 to said corporation by the several cities, towns and plantations in 
 which said land lies, in the same manner as lands owned by private 
 persons, and shall in the valuation list, be estimated the same as other 
 adjacent lands of the same quality in such city, town or plantation, and 
 not otherwise, and the shares owned by the respective stockholders, 
 shall be deemed personal estate, and be taxable as such, to the owners 
 thereof, in the places where they reside and have their homes. And 
 whenever the net income of said corporation shall have amounted to 
 ten per centum per annum upon the cost of the road and its appen- 
 
24 
 
 daues and incidental expenses, the directors shall make a special re- 
 port of the fact to the legislature, from and after which time, one 
 moiety, or such other portion as the legislature may from time to time 
 determine, of the net income of said railroad, accruing thereafter over 
 and above ten per centuifl per annum first to be paid to the stockhold- 
 ers, shall annually be paid over to the treasurer of said corporation, as 
 a t^x in the treasury of the state, for the use of the state ; and the 
 state may liave and maintain an action against said corporation there- 
 for, to recover the same ; but no other tax than herein is provided shall 
 ever be levied or assessed on said corporation or any of their privileges 
 or franchises. 
 
 Section 13. The annual meeting of the members of said corpora- 
 tion shall be holden on the first Monday in Januaiy, or such other day 
 as shall be determined by the by-laws, at such time and place as the 
 directors for the time being shall appoint, at which meeting the direc- 
 tors shall be chosen by ballot, each proprietor by himself or proxy be- 
 ing entitled to as many votes as he holds shares ; and the directors are 
 ■diereby authorized to call special meetings of the stockholders, when- 
 ever they shall deem it expedient and proper, giving such notice as the 
 corporation by their by-laws shall direct. 
 
 Section 14. The legislature shall at all times have the right to in- 
 quire into the doings of the corporation, and into the manner in which 
 the privileges and franchises herein and hereby granted may have been 
 used and employed by said corporation. And to correct and prevent 
 all abuses of the same, and to pass -any laws imposing fines and pen- 
 alties upon said corporation which may be necessary, more eftectually 
 to compel a compliance with the provisions, liabilities and duties here- 
 inbefore set forth and enjoined, but not to impose any other or further 
 duties, liabilities or obligations. 
 
 Section 15. If the said corporation shall not have been organized, 
 and the location, according to actual survey of tlie route, filed with the 
 county commissioners of the counties through which the same shall^ 
 pass, on or before the thirty-first day of December, in tlie year of our 
 Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy, or if the said corpora- 
 tion shall fail to complete said railroad to the west line of the state on 
 or before the thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord one 
 thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in either of the above men- 
 tioned cases, this act shall be null and void. 
 
 Section 16. Other railroad companies now incorporated or hereaf- 
 ter to be incorporated in this state shall have the right to connect their 
 railroads with the railroad of the Portland and Rutland Railroad Com- 
 pany in any town Tilong the line of its road ; and no discrimination in 
 the rates of freight or passengers shall be made by said company nor 
 by any party who may operate its line of railway or any pait thereof, 
 
25 
 
 between railroads having the right to contract with its railroad as 
 aforesaid ; but all passengers and all freight coming from or going to 
 any other road having such right to connect shall be transported 
 promptly and on terms alike favorable by said company over its own 
 road, or by any party operating the same, and on terms as favorable as 
 the like service is or shall be performed for transportation commenc- 
 ing and terminating on the line of railway of said company. 
 Sectiois' 17. This act shall take effect when approved. 
 
 [Approved March 6, 1868.] 
 
 By the terms of this charter, the most Uberal powers have 
 b3en granted, so as to form a consohdated Hne from Portland 
 to Rutland. The committee, therefore, appointed on the 
 19th of February last, have fully discharged their duty, and 
 the matter now rests in the hands of the corporators. 
 
 On motion of J. B. Carroll, Esq., Voted, that the follow- 
 ing gentlemen be admitted as associa:te corporators : 
 
 John Mussey of Portland, John Neal, Francis Macdonald, Wm. W' 
 Woodbury, Joseph Howard, Horatio J. -Swasey of Standish, L. D. M 
 Sweat of Portland, Jabez C. Woodman of Portland, Wm. Willis, John 
 A. Waterman of Gorham, Charles H. Fling of Portland, John F. An- 
 derson of Windham, Samuel Tyler of Brownfield, James M. Kimball of 
 Portland, E. S. Ridlen of Parsonsfield, L. D. Stacy of Porter, Albert 
 Merrill of Portland, Samuel Hanson of Buxton. 
 
 The chairman then introduced to the meeting, Henry 
 Clark, Esq., editor of the Rutland Herald. Mr. Clark said 
 that in appearing before the assembly as the representative of 
 the Western terminus of this projected line of railway, which 
 was intended only as a link in the great chain which was to 
 connect the seaboard and the West, the people he represented 
 fully appreciated the position of Portland in seeking an outlet 
 to the great West, and that theirs was the position of a trav- 
 eler seeking information, as to the shortest and easiest route 
 to be built, to best serve the commercial interests of their 
 growing city, and in presenting to them the claims of the 
 route by way of Rutland, had no opposition to make to any 
 other projected enterprise for attaining the same purpose. 
 
26 
 
 There were three routes presented, the Central direct route, 
 via White River Junction and Rutland. This route would 
 give connection with the nearest water communication, reach- 
 ing the Champlain Canal at Whitehall, and the Erie Canal 
 at Buffalo, in summer, and also givQ them an all-rail commu- 
 nication in winter. There was another proposed route : 
 through the notch of the White Mountains and by way of 
 the Lamoille Valley through Northern Vermont, connecting 
 at Swanton with the Vermont Central. Railroad, and thence 
 on to Ogdensburg, a circuitous route — affording water com- 
 munication only half the year. He came not to put any ob- 
 stacles in the way of the building of that road, for the people 
 of his section would gladly see that enterprise carried forward, 
 opening a rich section of the State without railroad facilities, 
 which would add matenally to the wealth and industry of the 
 State, and in calling the attention of the people of Portland 
 to the central . route, it was not in opposition, but that they 
 might give consideration to both lines and determine for them- 
 selves which it was for their true interest to build first, to get 
 the desired communication with the West. There was an- 
 other interest represented in this meeting who desired to pre- 
 sent the claims of a route via Wells River to Montpelier, 
 connecting at that point with the Vermont Central, and thence 
 on to Ogdensburg. In part, their enterprise was identical 
 with the one he represented, making a common line to some 
 point in the Ossipee Valley, and thence diverging over to 
 * Montpelier, and the other down through the valley, connect- 
 ing with the Northern New Hampshire line to White River 
 Junction and Rutland. The people of Vermont, on the west 
 side of the Green Mountains, which traversed the whole 
 length of the State, had a local interest in the building of the 
 road from Rutland to White River Junction to stimulate 
 them, in addition to making a great thoroughfare to the West. 
 They desire a speedier and more direct communication with 
 the capital of the State, and the building of that link of road 
 
27 
 
 would practically break down the mountain barrier that now 
 existed, and make them one people, as at present they were 
 divided and separated. 
 
 The proposed route is to compose a part of the great chain 
 of railways connecting our northeastern sea-coast with the 
 great mart of western trade, Chicago, and thus a route- to the 
 extensive grain growing States of that section of our country, 
 affording quicker, easier and shorter transit to passengers and 
 freight to and from Europe than any now built, or that are 
 projected. Starting from Portland, which has the best harbor 
 and most convenient facilities for transhipment of freight, and 
 especially of grain, of any port in the United States, its 
 wharves and railways being so arranged that the cars are 
 taken directly along the side of the ships, thus enabling the 
 freight arriving there to be reloaded at a very small cost, 
 saving the cartage and its expense, which is found so great a 
 burden and obstacle at Boston, New York and other points, 
 and will be the accomplishment in verity of the plan proposed 
 in the scheme of Mr. Adams, as presented in the last number 
 of the North American Review^ in reference to a marginal 
 railway in connection with the shipping interests of Boston. 
 
 After very clearly explaining again the proposed road, he 
 said that the people of his section expected Portland to con- 
 sult its own interest ; and if they did, he felt sure they would 
 favor the direct route. All that Portland people would have 
 to do would be to meet them at White River Junction ; they 
 would take care of the rest. He gave interesting information 
 in regard to the wealth and resources of that portion of Ver- 
 mont and the progress of the roads which will form parts of 
 this line. They would have but fifty miles in all to build, 
 fourteen of which are now in progress, and the surveys 
 making for the remainder. 
 
28 
 
 John Cain, Esq., editor of the Rutland Courier, was next 
 introduced, and said, . , 
 
 Mr. President axd Gentlemen of the Convention: — 
 
 Permit me to say in response to your call, that in the year 1830, now 
 thirty-eight years ago, — when a lad, — I had the pleasure of riding on 
 the first train of cars from Liverpool to Manchester, the first Railroad 
 constructed in England. I had also the pain, at the same time, of be- 
 holding Sir William Huskisson, — the great promoter of the road, — kill- 
 ed, while endeavoring to step on to the cars. From that period I have 
 felt interested in the construction of railroads, and the nature of the 
 countiy over which they passed. In 1842, twenty-six years ago, and 
 as soon as it was decided to build the Boston and Fitchburg road, liv- 
 ing then as I do now, in Rutland, Vermont, the only New England 
 State cut off from the ocean, I assisted in and caused a survey to be 
 made from Rutland to Ludlow, mostly at my own expense, to ascertain 
 the practicability of crossing the Green Mountains in Mountholly, so 
 that Western Vermont might have an outlet to the sea. This road 
 was put into successful operation a few years later to Boston, via Keene 
 and Fitchburg. We have, at this time, communication from Rutland 
 by rail in every direction but the East, and like those still west of us, 
 are anxious to open a direct route to Portland, whose harbor, wharves, 
 and geographical position, are well calculated to make your city the 
 great granary for the West, from whence the starving millions of 
 Europe may be fed. 
 
 The gentleman that preceded me, and myself, have been invited to 
 unite with you A devising ways and means to construct a railroad 
 from Portland to Rutland, a portion of which is already built, and 
 other portions under contract and in course of construction. That 
 gentleman and myself, when at home, agree to disagree in our respec- 
 tive papers, on the all absorbing political questions of the day. On 
 the subject matter of this Convontion, however, (the Portland and 
 Rutland Railroad,) neither he and I, or our constituents in Rutland 
 County, will have the slightest misunderstanding or disagreemeni;. 
 
 Not only as the great artery and highway for the exchange of the 
 commerce and productions of the East and West, is this road desirable, 
 but also for the local accommodation of our own New England people. 
 Maine, (the Pine Tree State,) proverbial for her immense quantity of 
 lumber, can find a new market in Western Vermont, by the proposed 
 direct railroad to Rutland, and the cars can be laden on return with 
 marble for your Custom House, and other edifices, which your enter- 
 prise and energy are erecting in that portion of the city so lately de- 
 stroyed by fire, and which now reach you only by going a circuitous 
 route (via Boston) over a hundred miles greater distance than by the 
 
29 
 
 contemplated route direct to Kutland. Yes, Mr. President, our admin- 
 istrators too, will need your pine for our coffins, while yours, will seek 
 our Rutland County marine for your tomb stones. 
 
 The Green Mountain range extend from Massachusetts through the 
 whole length of Vermont and into Canada. With the exception of the 
 passes of the Mountholly gap, through which is built the Eutland and 
 Burlington road to Bellows Falls, (on the Connecticut river), Fitchburg 
 and Boston ; and the Winooski River pass, through which runs the 
 Vermont Central to Montpelier, White River Junction, Concord, and 
 Boston ; there are a hundred miles of mountain barrier, which separ- 
 ates AVestern from Eastern Vermont, and the rest of Xew England. 
 The distance from Rutland to Boston is 166 miles. The distance from 
 Boston to Portland is 110 miles, making 276 miles that my friend Clark 
 of the Rutland Herald, and myself have traveled to get here, while from 
 Portland to Rutland, by the route here proposed, via White River 
 Junction and Woodstock, is only 160 miles. Indeed the White River 
 Junction, Woodstock, and Rutland Route form an intermediate notch 
 in the mountain between two extremes, as if designed by nature 
 purposely for a direct route from San Francisco on the Pacific 
 to Portland and Halifax on the Atlantic, and over which, will be 
 conveyed the teas, coffee, silks, and spices of China, India, and the 
 islands of the Pacific, as well as the productions of the great 
 West, destined for Europe, as well as for the Atlantic States; and 
 by this route, too, will return in the same steamers, to this harbor and 
 thence by rail, the surplus population of the old world seeking a home 
 in the West. 
 
 Gentlemen of the Convention, you can all see for yourselves, by this 
 map placed here for our guidance, that Bellows Falls, on the Connecti- 
 cut river, is too far south for a connection between Portland and Buf- 
 falo, or Chicago. On the other hand, Wells River, and Montpelier, or 
 the Lamoille Valley route through the Green Mountains, are too far 
 north, as both have to take a circuit to the extreme north end of Lake 
 Champlain at its outlet near Rouse's Point, 120 miles north of Whitehall, 
 which is at the south end, or the head of the lake, on a straight line be- 
 tween Portland and Rome, Bufialo or Chicago. The Portland and Og- 
 densburg road, so called, has been agitated for years, while the Portland 
 and Rutland route has but quite recently been brought before the pub- 
 lic, who are yet comparatively unacquainted with its merits.* Its 
 friends, however, make no opposition to any other route from Portland 
 to the West, nor will they oppose, hinder, or obstruct the granting of 
 a charter through any State, for any other route, but rely, entirely upon 
 the shortness and directness of the Portland, White River Junction, 
 Woodstock, Rutland, and Whitehall route, and the moderate grades, 
 and the few and unobjectionable curves, to convince all thinking men 
 
30 
 
 as to the best route, in every respect, from the East to the West for 
 either through or way passengers and freight. 
 
 Not only on a direct line West, is the Rutl^d" route preferable, but 
 it will be actually the shortest and best route from Portland to Ogdens- 
 burg, by building nine miles of road from Whiting, on the Rutland and 
 Burlington Road, to opposite Crown Point on Lake Champlain, and 
 for which the Legislature of Vermont has already granted a charter. 
 From this point, with a bridge of half a mile aeross the narrow lake, 
 connection is made with the Plattsburg and Wliite Hall Road, now in 
 course of construction, and which is actually the shortest route to 
 Ogdensburg, where the'water communication of the Lakes brings im- 
 mense quantities of freight, which, when once at Rutland can be for- 
 warded to any point of the compass, by the proposed, and already con- 
 necting, lines of road terminating there. 
 
 The connecting of the Portland nnd Rutland Road .at White River 
 Junction, with the Vermont Central, and Sullivan Roads, as well as its 
 passage through the center of Windsor and Rutland Counties, the two 
 largest and wealthiest Counties in the State, would be of immese im- 
 portance to this road. All north of this great direct East and West 
 ine will flow on to it, when, on the other liand, by the proposed Port- 
 land and Ogdensburg route, much south of such a line, would very 
 naturally reach Albany, Troy, New York, Springfield, Hartford, New 
 Haven, Worcester, Lowell, and- Boston. Let the citizens of Portland 
 only examine any correct map of the United States, and they must 
 come to the conclusion that the great enterprise agitated here to-day, 
 must meet with their approbation and their material aid. In conclu- 
 sion, I would say, build the few links between Portland and White 
 River Junction, and Vennont and New York will fill the remaining 
 gaps, and make your city the Queen of the East, as Chicago is of the 
 West. 
 
 Hon. O. F. Fowler, of Bristol, N. H., addressed the con- 
 vention, in favor of a route through the Ossipee Valley and 
 Center Harbor, giving statistics of his town and vicinity as 
 follows : 
 
 Mr. PllESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE CONVENTION: — 
 
 We *i'e here for the purpose of meeting by invitation, the corporar 
 tors of the Portland and Rutland Railroad. When we were in this city 
 last February, we agreed to make a preliminary survey, and having 
 made such a survey, we will now state substantially our success. We 
 have been through from a line on the Northern Railroad at [Danbury, 
 through the towns of Hill, Alexandria, Bristol, New Hampton, Mere- 
 dith and Center Harbor, a distance of 25 miles, and find it not only 
 
31. 
 
 practicable, but exceedingly feasible. Passing through the above towns ^ 
 it opens a thoroughfare where quite a large amount of additional busi- 
 ness will be brought into market that now has no market at all. The 
 above route is very straight, the grades light, and the construction 
 mu^t be comparatively easy. The people along this line feel a deep in- 
 terest in its construction, and will do all in their power to aid in the 
 same. The business along the line of this road will help towards sus- 
 taining the road. The business of our own town is not a small item, 
 when taken in connection with others, towards helping in this enter- 
 prise. • We have a flouring mill, whose owners now offer to obligate 
 themselves to pay for freight alone, $15,000 per year. We have twelve 
 stores whose united tonage, amounts to 50,000 tons annually, aside from 
 the lumber trade. We have one of the best water powers in the State, 
 one and one-half miles from Newfound Lake, which contains fifteen 
 square miles and a fall of 105 feet, making it capable of being used to 
 very great advantage. The water is controlled by the Winnipissiogee 
 Lake Cotton and Wollen Manufacturing Company, chaFtered in 1846, 
 on which said company have expended large sums of money in rights, 
 excavations and dams, for the purpose of securing the water in dry 
 seasons ; and by so doing, have secured to us a never failing stream of 
 water. There are now in operation on said stream, three woolen mills, 
 two large paper mills, two large tanneries, one extensive carriage shop, 
 where the best waggons are made in this part of the State; an exten- 
 sive bedstead manufactory, foundry, machine shop, and all kinds of 
 mechanics found any where, and one of the most enterprising and 
 thriving villages in New England. We are thirty miles from Concord, 
 and have a railroad now to this place ; and when the Portland and Rut- 
 land Railroad shall have been completed by the Ossipee Valley route, 
 we shall have a junction of the Franklin and Bi^stol Railroad, with the 
 Portland and Rutland Railroad at this point ; and which will make the 
 additional line of road from Franklin to Danbury, without increasing 
 the distance and with much less grade. Besides all this, our village is 
 one of the most attractive places of resort there is to be found in New 
 Hampshire. Newfound Lake, with its beautiful scenery, and the 
 steamer on its waters, make it a resort for many. 
 
 One other thing in this connection is worthy of remark, which is, we 
 now have in process of construction, a hotel, which will be worthy 0£ 
 the attention of the public. It is four stories besides basement, which 
 will add largely to the business interests of the place and of the road. 
 One word in relation to New Hampton, on the line of this road. There 
 is an institution under the management of the Freewill Baptist Church 
 of the first order, where hundreds of students coTlect from a very large 
 territory. They are an enterprising set of people and men of means 
 and of indomitable perseverance, and mean to succeed. 
 
32 
 
 We well know that we cannot do much, but being one of the con- 
 necting links in this great chain, we are satisfied that the East and 
 West will be connected by rail, and we being geographically in the cen- 
 ter of the State, Portland being due east and Rutland due west, and 
 place a line on Portland and Rutland across the State, and it falls di- 
 rectly through our village ; and in consideration of that fact, we have 
 the most direct, shortest and straitest route from Portland to Rutland 
 and Chicago; and we think, Mr. P., that the plan and survey we have 
 shown you by one of the most competent engineers in the State, Mr. 
 Latham, that we have a route that will commend itself to the business 
 men of the countiy ; and we are bound to use all and every honorable 
 means in our power to accomplish an object that when once consuma- 
 ted, will be a lasting blessing to all who shall come after us, as well as 
 a profitable investment to its stockholders. We have the utmost con- 
 fidence that the New Hampshire Legislature will grant our prayer and 
 give us the desired charter. 
 • 
 
 Geo. F. Crawford, Esq., of New Hampton, next addressed 
 
 the Convention, giving some account of the survey between 
 Danbury and Center Harbor. 
 
 S. K. Mason, Esq., member of the N. H. Legislature, next 
 addressed tlie convention in favor of the route via Bristol. 
 
 Mr. H. J. Banks, of Ossipee, a member of the N. H. Leg- 
 islature, next addressed the convention in fiivor of the route 
 via the Ossipee Valley, giving very interesting statistics of 
 business along the line. He said, 
 
 Mr. Chairman nnd G^ntlemeit: 
 
 It affords me great pleasure to meet in Convention so many of the 
 citizens of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, assembled for the 
 purpose of considering the project af uniting the East with the West 
 by railroad facilities. 
 
 Every improvement of the means of locomotion benefits mankind, 
 morally, and intellectually, as well as materially, and not only facili- 
 tates the interchange of the various productions of nature and art, but 
 tends to remove sectional antipathies and bind together all parts of 
 our country. 
 
 For fifteen long years I have looked to the connection of the Com- 
 mercial Metropolis of Maine with the Great West by a direct line of 
 railroad communication through New Hampshire and Vermont, as an 
 event that certainly must take place. 
 
 To compete for and to secure that portion of the business of the 
 northern portion of New Hampshire and Vermont, and the carrying 
 
33 
 
 trade of the growing West, which the unrivaled natural advantages of 
 Portland should command and control, is an object for which the State 
 of Maine and the City of Portland may well contend. 
 
 My home is in the delightful and romantic Ossipee Valley, about 
 midway between Portland and Danbury, on the proposed Portland and 
 Kutland Kailroad, in the County of Carroll, New Hampshire. The 
 County is wholly undeveloped by railroad facilities, it has more wealth 
 in timber lumber, wood, and bark, than any other County in the State. 
 These important and valuable articles canndt now find their way to 
 market on account of the high cost of transportation. By adopting 
 the Ossipee Valley route, you will open a thoroughfare on a route re- 
 mote from competing lines leading to Boston, and afford facilities for 
 business, and a ready and cheap access to market to an extensive and 
 important part of not only the State of New Hampshire, but the Coun- 
 ties of York and Oxford, Maine. Portland will not only acquire addi- 
 tional facilities for business, but the inhabitants of Maine, New Hamp- 
 shire, and Vermont will be much more benefited than by any other '■ 
 route. Another argument in favor of this route, is the comparatively 
 light expense of constructing the road. In all New England there can- 
 not be found a route so easy to build. More than three-quarters of the 
 distance the road would traverse is Pine Plains. By this route, the 
 shrill scream of the steam whistle will almost enliven the recesses of 
 Mount Washington range of mountains, where at least one hundred 
 thousand persons annually go to elijoy the solitary granduer of those 
 great barriers of nature, and the interest in which increases from year 
 to year, and will continue to so long as a sense for the beautiful remains 
 in the human h^rt. And, with your permission, I will give you a few 
 facts and statistics respecting the business and resources of a few 
 towns in New Hampshire, adjacent to and through which the proposed 
 road will pass : 
 
 Ossipee, on line of Road. 
 
 Tonnage for the year 1867, 1,500 ; estimate of Timber, 376,460,000 feet ; ' 
 estimate of wood, 400,000 cords ; estimate of bark, 25,000 cords ; Pas- 
 sengers, 3,500. 
 
 Sandwich, on line of Road. 
 
 Tonnage, 1867, 1,008 tons; estimate of Timber, 200,000,000 feet ; esti- 
 mate of wood, 1,000,000 cords ; estimate of Bark, 50,000 cords ; Passen- 
 gers, 3,000. 
 
 Freedom, on line of Road. 
 
 Tonnage, 1867, 200 tons ; estimate of Timber, 100,000,000 feet ; esti- 
 mate of Wood, 51,000 cords ; Passengers, 3,000. 
 
 3 
 
34 
 
 Effingham, on line of Road. 
 
 Tonnage, 1867, 200 tons ; estimate of Timber, 100,000,000 feet ; esti- 
 mate of Wood ; 50,000 cords ; Passengers, 2,500. 
 
 Madison, four miles from Road. 
 
 Tonnage, 1867, 175 tons; estimate of Timber, 50,000,000 feet ; estimate 
 of Wood, 50,000 cords; estimate of Bark, 20,000 cards; Passengers, 
 2,000. 
 
 Boston, five miles from road. 
 
 Tonnage, 150 tons; estiiAate of Timber, 125,000,000 feet; estimate 
 of Wood, 50,000 cords. 
 
 Moultonborough, on line of road. 
 
 Estimate of Timber, 50,000,000 feet ; estimate of Wood, 50,000 cords ; 
 tonnage, 500 tons ; Passengers, 2000. 
 
 Conway, thirteen miles from road.. 
 
 Tonnage, 1867,1600 tons; Passengers, 22,000; estimate of timber, 
 600,000,000 feet As for the article of Wood there is no such thing as 
 estimating on it. Best judges say no one engine can take it away as 
 fast as it will grow. Thousands and thousands of heavy gix)wth. 
 Bark, 1,500,000 cords. 
 
 Jackson and Bartlett. 
 
 Estimate of Timber, 300,000,000 feet; Passengers, 5000; Tonnage, 
 1867, 200 tons. 
 
 Fryeburg and Rrownfield, Me. 
 
 Tonnage, 1867, 3000 tons ; estimate of Timber, [300,000,000 feet ; Pas- 
 sengers, 6,000, 
 
 These facts were gathered by myself carefully, and can be relied upon. 
 In many cases I put down one-half of the amount of timber and wood 
 estimated by the citizens of the several towns. 
 
 I introduce .these statistics simply to show, that although Carroll 
 County has no railroad, she has resources sufficient to warrant the as- 
 sumption that one will pay the cost of building and running one. 
 
 One word more and I am done. The great point at present to be at- 
 tained, to render success to the enterprise certain, is to reconcile ri- 
 val interests and projects to accomplish this great work. We must 
 have united councils as well as efforts. It is for this Convention to 
 take wise incipent measures to promote a union of sentiment to de- 
 velope the means and then press to completion the work in which you 
 have my warmest sympathies and most ardent hopes. 
 
35 
 
 In reply to a call from the chairman, for the Vermont delega- 
 tion present, JOSEPH A. WING, Esq., of Montpelier, Vt., came 
 forward and spoke as follows : — 
 
 Mr. Presidei^t : 
 
 Perhaps I am not the proper person for you to request to give facts 
 and figures in relation to the different railroad routes from Portland to 
 the West. I am from Montpelier, Vt., and one of lier delegates to your 
 convention. I saw in one of your city papers this morning, a state- 
 ment that Montpelier is opposed to the Portland and Ogdensburg road 
 through the Lamoille valley, and that Montpelier is not the place to 
 ascertain the facts in relation to said road. This is a mistake. Mont- 
 pelier wants a road to Wells River, and thence to Portland. The town 
 of Montpelier has sent to your city, her delegation, to convince you, if 
 possible, that she has, by way of Wells River, the shortest route with 
 the least curves and best grades, and the least amount of road to be 
 built, of any route from Portland West. 
 
 I will state a fact that will show the feelings of Montpelier to both 
 the other routes. 
 
 At the October session of the legislature in Vermont, in 1867, the 
 Lamoille valley road, the Woodstock road, and the Montpelier and 
 Wells River road, all asked for enabling acts to allow towns to aid these 
 several roads. The friends of the Montpelier route voted and worked 
 with all their energy for the other two roads, and the acts were pass- 
 ed, but the Montpelier act lacked four votes of its pg^sage. 
 
 We then, in good faith, extended to both routes our helping hand, 
 and we are not now opposing either of these routes, unless offering to 
 you a far better route is opposition. 
 
 The object of Portland in seeking a western connection, I suppose, 
 is to bring business to your city. This is the object; but the question 
 is, how can you do it? The answer is easy. You must make it for the 
 interest of the West to seek your city as a place to dispose of their 
 grain and other produce, and to buy your goods for consumption at 
 home. 
 
 The Yankee is a curious creature; he has no love for one place over 
 another. His whole soul is bent on dollars and cents in the way of 
 trade. He will go to that place to trade where he can sell his goods 
 the highest and buy the cheapest. In calculating the cost, he will in- 
 clude his freight bills, time and hotel bills. These all go in to make up 
 the cost of goods. If he can buy his sugar a half cent cheaper in Port- 
 land than Boston, he will buy in Portland. If he can sell his grain 
 one cent per bushel higher in Boston than Portland, he will sell his 
 grain in Boston and buy where he can buy cheapest. 
 
36 
 
 This trait in the Yankee chai'acter is properly illustrated by the fol- 
 lowing anecdote : 
 
 At one time, in one of the West India Islands, there was a sickness 
 that was contagious, that caused great distress in the Island, and they 
 needed relief. They called a meeting for consultation ; a large num- 
 ber were opposed to letting the world know their distress for fear no 
 one would dare to come there to ti-ade. 
 
 One old man remarked that he was for letting the world know their 
 distress, and also let them know that they would sell them coffee one 
 cent per pound less in consequence of it. lie said hang up a bag of 
 
 coffee in H and make it one cent per pound under its market 
 
 value, and all the Yankees would instantly make a rush foait. 
 
 Your beautiful and enterprising city, that has just risen like the fa- 
 bled Phoenix from its own ashes, with more life, energy, and beauty 
 than before, has the advantage over all other cities in New England or 
 New York, for the ti-ade of the great and rapidly growing West. 
 
 You have one of the best harbors in the world. Tlie great ocean 
 highway from New York and Boston to Europe, passes directly by your 
 port. You have no Hell gate to pass through like New York. You 
 save ten hours' steam navigation from Boston and the dangers of the 
 coast. And you are fifty miles by rail nearer Ogdensburg when certain 
 connecting links shall be built, than is Boston. 
 
 The great point for freight on the lakes, must be Ogden.sburg. The 
 Northern Transpoi-tation Co. have now fifteen boats running between 
 Ogdensburg and the western cities, and are to add ten more this season, 
 and double that ^ount next year. During the season of navigation, 
 this must be the gi-eat point for freight, and her elevators will be con- 
 structed to hold enough to keep the cars i*unning while navigation is 
 closed. 
 
 Ogdensburg is equidistant from Boston and New York, in an air line, 
 but it is twenty-five miles less to Portland. St. Albans, Vt, to Port- 
 land in an air line. Is not so ftir by fifty miles as it is to Boston. 
 
 You have now two ways of reaching the West. The first is the Grand 
 Trunk road, reaching Prescott, opposite Ogdensburg, by a distance of 
 406 miles. This does not carry the freight l^jought down by the Nor- 
 thern Transportation Company. They are rival lines. I learn that 
 you are now receiving cargoes of freight from Chicago, by way of the 
 lakes, Manchester and New Market Junction, a distance of 434 miles— 
 twenty-eight miles further than by the Grand Trunk r6ad. 
 
 You are not satisfied with these roads. You want to reach two ports 
 west — Ogdensburg and Buffalo; Ogdensburg for freight, Buffalo for 
 passengers. And you want the shortest and best rbutes to those 
 places. 
 
 Your object should be the best route, regardless of the wishes of 
 
37 
 
 private individuals. It is hard to force vrater up hill or freight over 
 high summits, when it is nearer to run through the valleys. 
 
 If there are parallel lines, on a straight route with light grades and 
 easy curves — the other high grades and short curves, the low grade 
 road has the advantage over the other. 
 
 The Vermont Central shows the folly of building roads for the per- 
 sonal interest of private individuals. 
 
 The late Gov. Paine, of Vermont, resided in Northfield, and he w^ant- 
 ed the road built through Northfield, while there were many who 
 wanted it through Barre. To the east the grade was much higher 
 through Northfield, than through Barre, and the road five or six miles 
 longer, like the Notch road, compared with the Ossipee valley, but not 
 one third as much difference as m between the Notch and Ossipee 
 routes. But Gov. Paine had personal influence sufficient to carry it as 
 others now are trying to carry the Notch route. Gov. Paine carried it 
 by the engineers making gi-eat mistakes in the distance and grades, 
 which are now fully admitted by the managers of the road. This build- 
 ing through Northfleld cost the road about $1,000,000 more than through 
 Barre, and it costs its thousands every year more to run it on account 
 of the grades and exti-a distance. 
 
 We also got the road laid into Burlington in the wrong place, against 
 the will of the chief engineer, at the cost of half a million, and after 
 running it a few years, at great expense, they tore up the track and 
 built it where it should have been built in the first place. 
 
 They now have to divide their trains and send extra engines to get 
 to the summit above Northfield. .They would now save money to tear 
 up the track and build forty miles of road through Barre, than to run 
 on the present route. Every additional mile of road adds more to the 
 exp'ense of the road than many suppose. 
 
 Suppose you run twenty trains each way, daily, (and I think the 
 Vermont Central runs more than that number,) and the saving on the 
 Central of six miles would be 240 miles or one train saved daily or 
 more than one train from Montpelier to Boston — calling 313 days to 
 the year, it would save 75,120 miles, or more than one train three times 
 round the world. 
 
 The citizens of Portland should take warning from the Vermont 
 Central road. 
 
 We have not come here to oppose any road. We have come to pre- 
 sent the merits of our route, and to convince you, if possible, that we 
 have the shortest route, the least curves, and the lowest grades. To 
 do this we must compare it with the other routes, that you may judge 
 its merits. If this is opposing other roads, then we are opposing them. 
 
 I will give you the distances by the different routes as I understand 
 them. Where I have been able to get the true data, I have done so ; 
 where not, it is from my best information. 
 
88 
 
 I will give you the distances from Portland to Swanton, Vt., where 
 the different roads will connect as I understand them. I give the data 
 so you can correct any portion that may be erroneous. 
 
 MILES. 
 
 Portland to Rochester, (20 miles to be built,) - - - - 48 
 Rochester to Alton Bay, (built,) -------18 
 
 Alton Bay to the Weirs, (to be built,) * 16 
 
 Weirs to Wells River, (built,) - - 60 
 
 Wells River to Montpelier, (to be built,) ----- 38 
 Montpelier to Swanton, (built,) --------66 
 
 Total,- - -^ - . - - - - 246 
 Seventy-four miles to be built. 
 
 OSSIPEE ROUTE. 
 
 MILES. 
 
 Swanton to Wells River, 104 
 
 Wells River to Fogg's Station, - - 52 
 
 Fogg's to Portland, 65 
 
 Total, 221 
 
 About 100 miles to be built on this route. 
 
 The friends of the Portland and Ogdensburg route claim tlie distan- 
 ces as follows : — 
 
 MILES. 
 
 Swanton to West Danville, -------- Tl 
 
 West Danville to St Johnsbury, -------17 
 
 St. Johnsbury to Dalton, --.20 
 
 Dalton to the Notch, ---------- 24 
 
 'Notch to Portland, 84 
 
 Total, 222 
 
 Being one mile farther than the Ossipee route if it is sixty-five miles 
 only through the valley. 
 
 But I claim when the line is surveyed the" distance will exceed the 
 following: — 
 
 MILES. 
 
 Swanton to West Danville, -------- 85 
 
 West Danville to St. Johnsbury, -------18 
 
 St. Johnsbury to Dalton, 24 
 
 Dalton to the Notch, 30 
 
 Notch to Portland, 90 
 
 Total, 247 
 
39 
 
 I think the Notch route has no advantage over the Lake Shore road 
 in distance, but the Ossipee route has a great advantage in distance 
 over all others. 
 
 The distance from Swanton to Wells Kiver, and from Swanton to St . 
 Johnsbury, are about equal, as will be shown hereafter, and a glance at 
 the map will show you that in an air line, Wells River is at least ten 
 miles nearer Portland than is St. Johnsbury. Try it by taking any map 
 of the United SttJtes, and setting one point of your dividers at Port- 
 land, and the other at Wells River, then turn it towards St. Johnsbury, 
 and it will not reach it by more than ten miles. Therefore, unless the 
 Ossipee is more circuitous than the Mountain road, the Ossipee route 
 is the shortest by at least ten miles, and I think more than twenty. 
 
 But suppose you go through the Notch, then it is better to go by way 
 of Montpelier than St. Johnsbury. 
 
 MILES. 
 
 It is by measure from Swanton to Wells River, . . . . 104 
 
 Wells River to Littleton, 20 
 
 Littleton to the Notch I do not beheve to be over 20 miles, but call * 
 it all they claim, . 24 
 
 Total, *. ... 148 
 
 By their estimate, it is from Swanton to the Notch, 138 miles, a gain 
 of ten miles. By my estimate, which I believe will b'e found most cor- 
 rect, 157 miles, a loss of nine miles. 
 
 The St. Johnsbury route is to be built. The other route is all built 
 but 62 miles. A saving in building of at least 76 miles, and a saving of 
 rise and fall of at least 1000 feet. But if you wish to go by the La- 
 moille valley and the Notch, it is by their estimate from Hardwick, in 
 the Lamoille valley, to the Notch 81 miles, as follows : 61 miles from 
 the Notch to West Danville, and 20 from West Danville to Hardwick — 
 making the 81 miles aforesaid. 
 
 By my estimate it is 74 miles from the Notch to West Danville, and 
 20 miles by measure to Hardwick ; total 94 miles. 
 
 By their estimate it is 44 miles to Wells River from the Notch, and 23 
 by measure to Marshfield, and less than 14 to Hardwick. Total route 
 extending 81 miles. 
 
 This, I think, is too long by at least five miles. Twenty miles of this 
 road is now built and in operation. This road, I think, will save at 
 least 1000 feet in rise and fall over the other. 
 
 Grades. 
 
 The road from Swanton to Montpelier has very easy grades. The 
 capitol at Montpelier, by Hall's history of Vermont, taken from the ge- 
 ological survey, is 540 feet above the ocean. The capitol is about 50 
 
40 
 
 feet above the railroad, leaving the railroad track about 490 above the 
 ocean. The rise from Montpelier to the summit by the survey, is 868 
 making the summit by this estimate 1348 feet in 19 63-100 miles, with 
 no grade higher than one foot in one hundred. 
 
 By the same history, the Connecticut River at Newbury, four miles 
 below Wells River, is 420 feet. At Mclndoe's Falls, eight miles above 
 Wells River, it is 440 feet. Divide this and Wells River is 430 feet above 
 the ocean. 
 
 The rise from Wells River to the summit, by the survey, is 910 feet, 
 which added to the 430 feet, would make the summit 1,.340 feet, a va- 
 riance of only eight feet. This end of the route is 18 62-100 miles, with 
 no grade of over 60 feet per mile. 
 
 In 1850, this route was carefully surveyed by A. Knowles, the late 
 chief engineer, on the Central Road, who had just been dismissed from 
 the road, because he would not lay the track into Burlington, which has 
 since been torn up. He worked from the first of May to September, 
 with a proper corps of engineers, and made a thorough surveywith 
 *plans and estimates for the route. We now have all the books, plans, 
 maps and reports, except the report on th&west end of the route, which 
 has been lost in the eighteen years since the survey. 
 
 The following is^iis report on the east half of the route distance, 
 
 18 62-100 
 
 Curvature. 
 
 MILKS. 
 
 Straight line, 7.0007 
 
 1 degree radius 5,730 feet, 1.7424 
 
 2 " " 2,865 feet, ........ 2.7840 
 
 3 " " 1,910 feet, .....'... 5.5965 
 
 4 " « 1,432 feet, 1.0890 
 
 Total, 18.62-100 
 
 The straight line, as to cui-ve, is 41 to 68. 
 The 4th curve will run on light grades. 
 
 Grades. 
 
 Level grade, 0.9450 
 
 9 feet per mile, 1.0000 
 
 20 « " " 1.0000 
 
 25 " " " 0.5203 
 
 27J " " " 0.7565 
 
 50 " " " .......... 2.8941 
 
 60 " " " 11.2830 
 
 Total, 18.3989 
 
41 
 
 Excavation. 
 
 Earth excavation, 896,333 cubic yards. 
 
 Solid rock, 16,590^. " 
 
 Loose rock, 3,100 " 
 
 SUPEKSTRUCTTJEE. 
 
 Bridge masonry, ..... 10,025 cubic perch. 
 Culvert masonry, . . . . ' . 2,669 " 
 
 Bridging, 600 feet. 
 
 No bridge required over thirty feet long on this section. 
 
 The west half is about one mile longer, but a trifle more excavation 
 and some more bridging. There will be one bridge about 100 feet and 
 one of 60. No other bridge required over thirty feet, unless you change 
 the survey. The expense may be $75,000 on the west end over the 
 other end. 
 
 The road is all the way so high that there is no danger to be appre- 
 hended from floods. 
 
 The road from West Danville to Hardwick, I think, cannot pass- 
 lower than Lyford's pond in Walden, which the geological survey says 
 is 1692 feet above the ocean. ♦ 
 
 That pond is 344 feet above the summit, on the Wells river route, 
 calculating from Montpelier ; and 352, calculating from W^ells river. 
 
 TliTere is a high summit in Concord, between St. Johnsbury and Dal- 
 ton. I cannot ascertain the height. I learn they follow up Moose 
 river nine miles, then cross it and pass over the summit. I think this 
 cannot be less than 600 feet, and may be 1000 or more high. Call it 600 
 feet, arid you have about 950 feet more rise to draw up your loads go- 
 ing east, than if you go by Wells river. 
 
 But it is claimed that the fall in the Connecticut, from D^lton to 
 Wells river, is at least, 600 feet. Therefore, if you have to draw your 
 freight up 600 feet from St. Johnsbury to get on to Concord summit, 
 you do not fall but little to the Connecticut, and it helps to reach the 
 Notch. This may be true in part, but not in the whole. 
 
 The Connecticut at Newbury, four miles below Wells river, is 420 feet 
 above the ocean, and the same river at Guildhall, about fifteen miles 
 above Dalton, is only 835 feet. How much of this 415 feet fall is above 
 Dalton and below Wells river, I don't pretend to know. 
 
 The Notch in New Hampshire, it is said, is 1920 feet above the ocean, 
 and the highest point in the Ossipee Valley is only 500 feet, making a 
 difference of 1420 feet in rise and fall. 
 
 Making, when you have deducted this fall in the Connecticut from 
 Dalton to Wells river, and made all other reasonable deductions, about 
 2000 feet more rise and fall on the P. and O. road,, than the Ossipee or 
 Lake Shore road. 
 
42 
 
 t 
 
 The curves will be much worse on the Portland and Ogdensburg road 
 than on the other. The summit is sojiigh between St. Johnsbury and 
 Hardwick, that they run, at least, 37 miles to get about 21 by the trav- 
 eled road. In one place in Walden, going over seven miles to get one. 
 In order to get down to Lamoille river, they turn back up the river and 
 go up about three miles, before they get low enough to cross the stream. 
 In the town of Danville, they go so crooked that they run far enough 
 to more than twice cross the town. 
 
 High grades and short curves are very injurious to the rolling stock, 
 and are injurious to the roads, and it requires a great amount of motive 
 power to pass them. 
 
 I found here, that the line on the side of the mountain, run by Mr. 
 Lindsley, is not deemed practical by other engineers. They go far)higher 
 grades in places, and not try to get an even grade, and refer to the 
 Pennsylvania Central road as an example, that it is better to keep 
 nearer the river, and have high grades in places, than to have the rail- 
 road high up on the side of the mountain. I am informed they reconi- 
 menced a grade of not over sixty feet to the mile, till within ten miles 
 of the top of the mountain. There will then be a summit of 1000 feet 
 to overcome in ten miles. They then recommend that the road shall 
 be built with no grade over 125 feet, and accommodate the grade to the 
 ground as well as you can. 
 
 There are various other objections besides grade to the road tlyough 
 the mountains. 
 
 1st. If the road is made by excavating into the side of the Moun- 
 tain, there will be great danger of removing the support from the rocks 
 above, thus causing slides in the spring, when the frost is coming out 
 of the ground, or in heavy rains. 
 
 2d. The greater amount of snow in the gorges of the mountain than 
 in the valleys. 
 
 3d. The road bed must be bjiilt high, so that the water will run 
 under the track ; or when the snow melts during the day, it will run 
 down the mountain under the snow, and every night spew over the 
 track, so as to render it nearly impossible to keep the track in running 
 order. 
 
 4th. Running the track over so high a summit, it will be so much 
 colder that the rails will be covered with ice every rain. Spring and 
 Fall, so that it will make it difficult to run the road, when it would not 
 eflfect lower grades like the Portland and Rochester, or thjB Ossipee 
 valley. 
 
 I am told that the great object in going through the mountains is to 
 keep out of the net work of Boston railroads. This is as idle as it? 
 would be to build a wall on the south side of the line to keep the Bos- 
 ton roads from crossing their track at any point. They cannot keep 
 
43 
 
 away from the Boston roads. By the time you reach Conway, if it is 
 any object, the Great Falls and Conway road will be there to meet you. 
 Before you reach Whitefield the White Mountain road will be across 
 your track to compete with you for the lumber of that region. The 
 Passumpsic is already across your track at St. Johnsbury, and before 
 you reach the Lamoille valley, by St. Johnsbury, the Boston, Concord 
 and Montreal road will meet you in the valley at Hardwick, and be 
 ready to take the freight over a lower summit either to Boston or to 
 Portland ; and when you reach Swanton or Georgia, you are on the 
 Vermont and Canada, a Boston road, and must pass the whole length 
 of the Ogdensburg road to Ogdensburg, which is apother Boston road. 
 You canot get out of the Boston net work. You may for a time, while 
 you are in the mountains, but when you reach any business place you 
 must come -into the net. Your only way to get business is to make it 
 for their interest to come here, and not by trying to compel them to 
 come. 
 
 Which road will furnish the most local freight and business to Port- 
 land ? Will the barren Mountains of New Hampshire furnish more 
 business than the valley of the Ossipee, filled with its water power, or 
 the Portland and Rochester road ? This is a matter for you to investi- 
 gate. 
 
 It will require a vast amount of power to run a freight train over the 
 summits in Walden, Concord and the White Mountains. 
 
 It is my belief that the same power at least will be required to move 
 200 tons over the St. Johnsbury road to Portland, from Swanton, that 
 would move 300 tons between the same places by Montpelier; and the 
 injury to the rolling stock and wear of the rails would be double on 
 the first to what it would be on the last named route. 
 
 But it is said that Vermont will build the P. & O. road through the. 
 State — that she will raise forty per cent of the stock and bond for the 
 rest. 
 
 If the P. & O. road runs to Swanton, the road in Vermont is a piece 
 of patch work, consisting of four independent charters. The first is a 
 charter of the Essex Railroad Company, extending from St. Johnsbury 
 to the Connecticut River. My impression is, the votes of the town for 
 this road are half stock and half bonds. Then comes the Montpelier 
 and St. Johnsbury. On this, St. Johnsbury and Danville have voted 
 aid. I think one half stock and the other bonds. These two roads are 
 organized. Then comes the Lamoille valley road that covers the same 
 track as the Montpelier and St. Johnsbury road to West Danville, 17 or 
 18 miles. I do not learn that this last road has been organized, and I 
 have not learned that Danville or St. Johnsbury have voted any aid for 
 the Lamoille road. They must therefore go as far as West Danville on 
 the Montpelier and St. Johnsbury charter, or abandon the subscription 
 they now have. 
 
44 
 
 Tlie Lamoille valley road is chartered to go down the Lamoille val- 
 ley. It cannot turn off to Swanton. The charter gives them no pow- 
 er to leave the Lamoille valley. If they go to Swanton, they must go 
 on the Missisquoi Railroad charter. That they have the right to do, 
 but that road must first be organized ; they must raise at least $100,000 
 to organize. The towns on this]routs have no power to vote aid to this 
 road. If Shelden, Highgate or Swanton vote aid to the Lamoille val- 
 ley road, it must be expended in the Lamoille valley. They cannot 
 use it for the purpose of organizing or building in the Missisquoi val- 
 ley. 
 
 The charter of the Missisquoi road allows them to inin from Berk- 
 shire to the Lamoille valley, but the towns cannot vote aid to this road. 
 You have therefpre four separate and distinct charters on the route, 
 with different rights and privileges. The towns of Swantqn and High- 
 gate may vote to aid the Lamoille road, and then raise money and build 
 their own. 
 
 It may be said that the charter of the Lamoille valley road author- 
 izes them to consolidate with any other road. This may be true, but I 
 think there is no law authorizing the Missisquoi, or the Essex or the 
 Montpelier ami St. Johnsbury route to consolidate with any other 
 road. Therefore they must act as four independent corporations until 
 after the next session of the legislature, unless the M6ntpeher and St. 
 Johnsbury corporation abandons its charter and goes into the La- 
 moille valley corporation, in which case they will have to trust to a 
 new subscription. That would leave three corporations with no right 
 of consolidation. 
 
 It is said that the Lamoille valley is one of the richest valleys' in the 
 State. There is some good land in this valley, and many good water 
 privileges. In point of wealth it is not.on an average ^vith the other 
 valleys in the State. 
 
 You test the riches of a town by its grand list But other things 
 than nxoney make up the grand list of Vermont The real estate is 
 appraised at its just value in money, and is placed in the list at one 
 per cent. The personal estate consists of money, bank stock, debts, 
 cattle, horses, &c., from which the debts owing are deducted and the 
 balance goes into the list at one per cent. 
 
 Each poll goes in at $2.00, equal to $200 of money, and each dog $1.00, 
 equal to $100. The whole grand list of Lamoille County is made up as 
 follows : — 
 
 Polls 2,952, $5,904 00 
 
 Dogs 478, 478 00 
 
 Personal Estate, $575,011—1 per cent, .... 5,750 11 
 
 Real Estate, $2,319,771—1 per cent, .... 23,197 71 
 
 Total, $35,329 82 
 
45 
 
 From .this you must deduct Stowe, wliich is as near the Central as 
 Lamoille, and nothing is expected from it. 
 
 Polls 510, $1,020 00 
 
 Dogs 75, . 
 
 Personal Estate, $92,874, . 
 
 Real Estate, $505,475, ..... 
 Deduct Cambridge, wliich voted more than two to one not 
 to aid. 
 
 Polls 397, • . 
 
 Dogs 86, . . . ... 
 
 Personal Property, $161,090, ..... 
 
 Real Estate, $402,129, 
 
 Balance, ....... .f21,7S9 14 
 
 That is such spunky Lamoille has after deducting 8to\ve and Cam- 
 bridge to build this road. 
 
 2,045 Polls, 
 317 Dogs, 
 $3,210.47 Personal Estate, 
 14,120.67 
 
 75 00 
 
 928 74 
 
 5,054 75 
 
 $794 00 
 
 86 00 
 
 1,610 90 
 
 4,021 29 
 
 $13,590 68 
 
 $1,733,454 
 Now compare the county with the town of Rutland. 
 
 1686 polls at $2, . . . . . . . 8,866 00 
 
 278 days, ' . . 278 00 
 
 $2,111,246 real estate, 21,112 46 
 
 795,759 personal estate, ..... 7,957 58 
 
 Total, $33,714 04 
 
 Even Montpelier, with only 4419 acres of land, has personal property 
 to the amount of $465,209, being $144,159 more than the personal prop- 
 erty in Lamoille county, deducting the two towns aforesaid. 
 
 I think it cannot be less than 110 miles from Dalton to Georgia, which 
 at $40,000 per mile, will be $4,400,000. This is less than Vermont roads 
 have cost, when labor and material was about one-half what they now 
 are. The appraised value of all the personal and real estate in all the 
 towns, touched by the road from Dalton to Georgia, is as follows : 
 Real estate . ... . . . . $4,860 318 
 
 Personal estate, ....... 1,494,620 
 
 Total, ....... $6,354,938 
 
 Deduct cost of road, . . . . . ♦ . 4,400,000 
 
 Balance, $1,054,938 
 
 I 
 
46 
 
 Taking more than two-thirds the property to build the road. But 
 suppose you go to Swanton, then you add about twenty miles to the 
 length of the road to be built. This would cost $800,000, making 
 
 $5,200,000 
 And the 110 miles in New Hampshire at the sum, . . 4,400,000 
 
 Total, $9,600,000 
 
 The towns east of Walden are more wealthy than spunky Lamoille. 
 But even St. Johnsbury, with the vast riches of the Fairbanks, has not 
 so much wealth as the old town of Montpelier, now comprising Mont- 
 pelier and East Montpelier. 
 
 Montpelier and East Montpelier, real estate, . $1,116,604 
 
 Personal estate, ..... 569,498 
 
 Total, $1,680,102 
 
 St. Johnsbury, real estate, .... $924,982 
 
 Personal, ...... 539,451 
 
 Total, . . . . . . $1,464,433 
 
 In favor of Montpelier, .... $221,669 
 
 The distance from West Danville to Georgia, is about 65 miles. The 
 population of the towns touched by the road, was in 1860, 14,549. 
 
 Real est-vte in 1867, $2,864,048 
 
 Personal, ....... 706,785 
 
 $3,570;833 
 Cost of road at $40,000 per mile, .... 2,600,000 
 
 $970,883 
 Being personal property per mile, .... 10,873 
 
 Real " " " . . . . 44,092 
 
 Total, $54,965 
 
 If the towns should vote twelve per cent on the value of the per- 
 sonal and real estate and $24 on each poll, and $12 on each dog, it will 
 require a tax of nearly a dollar on each dog, and two dollars on each 
 poll yearly to pay the interest. 
 
 If you leave the Lamoille and go to Swanton, you lose Cambridge, 
 Fletcher, Fairfax and Georgia. 
 With real estate, ....... $1,276,104 
 
 Personal, ....... :335,296 
 
 Total, $1,611,400 
 
 You gain Fairfax, Sheldon, Highgate and Swanton. 
 
 Real estate, $1,645,110 
 
 Personal, ....... 273,861 
 
 Total, $1,918,971 
 
47 
 
 A gain of i;eal estate, . : . . . . 369,006 
 
 A loss of personal, ...... 61,433 
 
 Net gain, . . . . . . $307,571 
 
 With twenty miles more road to build. 
 
 They can get but little help of the towns off the line of the road. If 
 it goes to Georgia, they will not get anything from Swanton, etc., and 
 vice versa. 
 
 WELLS RIVER ROUTE. 
 
 The distance from Montpelier to Wells river, is 38 miles. 
 
 Property in the towns of Montpelier, Berlin, East Montpelier, Plain- 
 field, Northfield, Grotan, Ryegate and Newbury. 
 
 Real estate, . . , , . • « . . $2,920,729 
 
 Personal, 1,225,799 
 
 Total, $4,046,572 
 
 Personal per mile, . . . . . . $29,621 
 
 Real estate per mile, ...... 76,861 
 
 Total, ....... $106,482 
 
 Add towns in the valley of the Winooski, west of Montpelier, through 
 which the Central road runs to Burlington, 40 miles. 
 
 Real estate, • . $3,452,900 
 
 Personal, . 1,844,.392 
 
 $5,295,292 
 Total for the Winooski Valley, 78 miles, 38 to be built, . 9,341,862 
 Lamoille and St. Johusbury, 110 miles, . . . 6,354,938 
 
 Nearly 3,000,000, the most in the Winooski Valley, with only 38 miles 
 to build. 
 
 I have thus far advocated the advantages of the Ossipee and Lake 
 Shore roads over the P. & O. road, for the purpose of reaching Ogdens- 
 burg, but there are other interests of importance to state. 
 
 The road from Halifax to Portland will soon be completed. Also the 
 Pacific railroad ; and when that is done, the mail and express business 
 between Europe and China, will pass across the continent, and will go 
 where it will go the quickest. 
 
 Draw a line from Portland to Buffalo. It will very nearly strike Rut- 
 land. If you pass through the Ossipee Valley, you will be nearly on 
 the line, while if you go on the P. & O. route, at Rouse's Point, you 
 will be more than 100 miles north of it. One glance at the map will 
 satisfy you the Rutland loute is much the shortest. 
 
48 
 
 I think the following are very correct estimates of the distances on 
 the two routes : 
 
 MILES. 
 
 From Rutland to Dalton, . . . . . .110 
 
 Dalton to Swanton, ...... 125 
 
 Swantbn to Rouse's Point. ...... 14 
 
 Rouse's Point to Potsdam Junction, .... 93 
 
 Potsdam Junction to Watertown, . . . . .76 
 
 Watertown to Centerville, ...... 32 
 
 Ceuterville to Oswego, ....... 30 
 
 Oswego to Rochester, ...... 75 
 
 Rochester to Buifalo, ....... 69 
 
 Total, 624 
 
 Portland to Buffalo by Rutland. 
 Portland to Danbury, ....... 87 
 
 Danbury to Rutland, ...... 81 
 
 Rutland to Saratoga, ....... 63 
 
 Saratoga to Schenectady, ...... 22 
 
 Schenectady to Buffalo, . . . . . .281 
 
 Total, 534 
 
 Difference, 90 miles. 
 
 This difference in length, with the difference in grades, will save a 
 vast amount of motive power in operating the road. 
 
 When the road is completed from Halifax to Portland, and from 
 Portland to the Pacific, as the cars run twice the speed of the boats 
 the mails and express between Europe and China, etc., and fast passen- 
 gers will leave the boats at Halifax, and before the boat reaches Port- 
 land, the mail, etc., will be far past Vermont Now, if both the P. & O. 
 and the Portland & Rutland roads were built, which would they take ? 
 Would they take the straiglit road with low grades, or would they go 
 100 miles further, over high mountains, to keep away from Boston rail- 
 roads ? The emigrants and freight would be landed at Portland, and 
 follow the route taken by the mail. 
 
 But it is said by some, that Ogdensburg cannot rival Montreal for 
 freights from the West to Portland. 
 
 The distance from Prescott^ opposite Ogdensburg, to Monti-eal, is 
 113 miles. Portland to Montreal, by the Grand Trunk, 293 miles. Port- 
 land to Ogdensburg, by Montpelier, is as follows : — 
 
 MILES. 
 
 Portland to Fogg's Station, . 66 
 
 Fogg's to Montpelier, 90 
 
 Montpelier to Ogdensburg, 200 
 
 355 
 
49 
 
 Sixty-two miles further than to Montreal by the Grand Trunk, and a 
 saving of 51 miles over the Grand Trunk to Ogdensburg. 
 
 If Monti^eal is your freight depot for Portland, then by the Grand 
 
 Trunk it is from Portland to Montreal, 293 
 
 Portland to Montpelier, 155 
 
 Montpelier to St. Albans, .57 
 
 St. Albans to Montreal, 65 277 
 
 A saving of 16 miles. 
 
 What advantage will that give the Grand Trunk over the Ossipee 
 route ? 
 
 By building the Ossipee route you build a trunk line that will be the 
 shortest and best for every port West. The building of this line gives 
 you all the advantages of the several lines. At the junction with the 
 B. C. & M. road, you turn slightly to, the South to Rutland and the New 
 York Central, you reach Buffalo by the shortest and easiest route. 
 Following the B. C. & M. road to Wells River, thence to Montpelier 
 and Ogdensburg and Montreal. If you wish to pass through the La- 
 ^moille valley, you can at Marshfield turn a little North, and pass 
 through that valley on a shorter route than by the P. & O road. Then 
 you have not half the road to build on this route that you have on the 
 P. & O. road. You will gain nearly all these advantages by complet- 
 ing the Portland and Rochester road. The distance is about 15 miles 
 greater by this route, and the cost to Portland much less. Either of 
 these roads will satisfy Montpelier, and they will be satisfied with any 
 action of Portland in the matter. 
 
 Should you build the P. & O. and P. & R., could the first named road 
 compete with a road through the Ossipee, by Montpelier, either for the 
 Ogdensburg or Montreal market ? 
 
 If you build only the Notch routp, the man who is traveling for 
 pleasure to view your mountain scenery, would admire the courage 
 and skill of your engineers in building a road through the wild gorges 
 of the mountains and over the lofty summits of Walden, Concord and 
 the White Mountains. But the man of Business, with his cars loaded 
 with the products of the West, thinking only of dollars and cents, will, 
 while listening to the panting and groaning of the engine, as it crawls 
 up the mountain side, wonder what made your people leave the beau- 
 tiful valley, with its easy grades and gentle curves, and go twenty miles 
 out of the way, over high mountains, to reach the prairies of the West. 
 
 If you should inquire the cause, would your answer be, — That like 
 the hunted deer you were running over the highest mountains and 
 through the wildest glens to keep out of the net work of the Boston 
 railroads. 
 
 4 
 
50 
 
 Hon. Roderick Richardson, of Montpelier, Vt:, next ad- 
 dressed the convention, advocating the most direct connection 
 between Montpelier and Portland, via Wells river and Center 
 Harbor, as follows : 
 
 Mb. CHiLlRMAN AND GENTLEMEN : 
 
 Before we left Montpelier we had a railroad gathering in which the 
 propriety of sending delegates to this convention was discussed. 
 Some of our people thought that inasmuch as this meeting was intend- 
 ed for and called hy the corporators of the Portland and Rutland road, 
 we should be regarded as interlopers. On the whole we concluded to 
 come to your beautiful and enterprising city, and if invited to seats in 
 your convention, to occupy them as hearers rather than speakers. 
 
 But inasmuch as you have called upon me personally, I will state to 
 you the position that Montpelier occupies in relation to a connection 
 with your city by rail, and when I have said that, I have done. ^ 
 
 Last year an effort was made to bond the towns througli the con- 
 templated route from Montpeher to St. Johnsbury, there connecting 
 with a road through the White Mountains to Portland. Several of the 
 towns, and perhaps all through which the road was to pass between 
 Montpelier and St. Johnsbury, agreed to bond for difl'erent sums, ac- 
 cording to their ability and interest in the proposed route. The mat- 
 ter was submitted by the inhabitants of MontpeUer to a committee of 
 twelve, and I had the honor to be one of that number. The subject 
 was fully and I believe faithfully investigated, as the turning point 
 seemed to hang upon the action of Montpelier. The result was that 
 the committee reported unfavorably to the raising of the necessary 
 sum by bonding the town. The conclusion was not arrived at because 
 we were ftnfriendly to St. Johnsbury, or to Portland ; on the other 
 hand, we regarded the citizens of both places as our friends ; we had 
 long been on intimate terms of friendship with the citizens of St. 
 Johnsbury, and would be glad to perpetuate that friendship by kind 
 acts, and a more direct communication by rail. But when we looked 
 upon our maps we found St. Johnsbury north of us, and Portland south 
 of us. We also found the distance longer to St. Johnsbury by several 
 miles, and the grades harder, over this route, than from Montpeher to 
 Wells River. In addition to these advantages, by going to Wells River 
 we could avail ourselves of another route to Massachusetts. We have 
 for a lon^ time been taxed with an extravagant tariff from Boston to 
 Montpelier on freights. The rates have been so high that we could 
 send freight over the Fitchburg and Rutland roads to Burlington, and 
 from thence, near forty miles, back to Montpelier, at a less expense 
 
51 
 
 than from Boston to Montpelier direct. We have lumber, cattle, sheep, 
 hogs, horses and other articles of freight that for the present must find 
 a market in Massachusetts : articles that you have in abundance, but 
 which they need to use and consume. These articles of freight are 
 not confined to the vicinity of Montpelier, but are abundant in all of 
 the north-eastern portion of Vermont, and the north-western part of 
 New Hampshire; and whether the road shall be built through St. 
 Johnsbury or Wells River, all of this class of freight from the Lamoille 
 valley and the north-eastern part of Vermont and north-west New 
 Hampshire must seek Massachusetts for a market. You would regard 
 it impracticable and a piece of folly for us to think of sending hem- 
 lock bark and hemlock lumber via Portland to Manchester, Nashua, 
 Worcester or Boston. By going to St. Johnsbury, we would have tq 
 send this freight down the Connecticut river, by the Passumpsic road, 
 or over the Concord and Montreal road from Wells River. By going 
 to Wells River, we connect direct with both of these roads, which gives 
 us the advantages before named, and a better route to your city. We 
 are benefitted by this connection, and you by no means injured. Tak- 
 ing this view of the question, the committee appointed by the citizens 
 of Montpelier, could not in good faith recommend the heavy burden 
 upon our town necessary to build to St. Johnsbury, when a more feas- 
 ible and advantageous route might be secured for less money. Mr. 
 Wing has laid before you the statistics embracing distances and grades 
 by which I think you will find that this is the least expensive, and the 
 best route to reach the great water communication to the West. If you 
 shall come to this conclusion, we will do what we can towards the 
 completion of a road to Wells River, and at no distant day we shall ex- 
 pect to see you again in Portland and to recognize your pleasant faces 
 at the capital of the Green Mountain State. 
 Adjourned to meet at this place to-morrow at 10 A. M. 
 A true record. 
 
 Attest: Allen Haines, 
 
 Clerk of the Corporators. 
 
52 
 
 Portland & Rutland Railkoad Co., 
 
 Portland, April 30, 1868. ) 
 
 Hon. Frederick Robie took the chair at 10 o'clock and 
 called the meeting to order. The clerk being absent, John 
 Neal, Esq., was appointed clerk and duly sworn. 
 
 The Convention was then addressed by Cyrus H. Latham, 
 Esq,, Civil Engineer, who reported a reconnoisance between 
 Danbury and Center Harbor. 
 
 Mr. Latham had been engaged originally in the construc- 
 tion of the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad, and des- 
 cribed the characteristics of the proposed route. A line from 
 Center Harbor to Danbury would not attain an elevation of 
 over 100 feet above lake Winnipissioge, which is 501 feet above 
 tide water. By this line you avoid the heavy summit on the 
 northern road between Franklin and Danbury, and the heavy 
 grades on the Boston, Concord and Montreal railroad at War- 
 ren, between Plymouth and Wells River. He thought the 
 chance to build was an easy one, and the expense would be 
 as small as the average of New England roads, and it would 
 also be an easy and cheap road to operate. 
 
 Mr. Latham would continue the work of his survey and 
 finish it about the 15th of June. 
 
 Mr. Elias Towle, of Freedom, N. H., said : 
 
 I am c€ the opinion that the route for the Portland and Rutland 
 railroad, through the Ossipee Valley, is decidedly the best. There is 
 a large amount of lumber in the county of Carroll, N. H., that would 
 be manufactured and freighted over the road when built, and a plenty 
 of valuable water powers on this route. There is also a very extensive 
 amount of wood that would be making its way to market. 
 
 I was a few days since traveling over a ridge of land, some fifteen 
 feet above the level of the river, near the State of Maine line, and I 
 could see through the valley nearly twenty miles west, and ten miles 
 east. It would be a very easy road to grade and but a few bridges to 
 build. It would pass through the towns of Freedom, Effingham, Madi- 
 son, Ossipee, Tamworth, Sandwich, Moultonborough and Center Har- 
 bor in Carroll County ; and in addition, there is Eaton, Conway, Bart- 
 let [and Jackson, that would contribute much by way of freight and 
 passengers over this route. Now, if you will build a road through the 
 
53 
 
 White Mountain Notch, you would go north of the greater part of 
 business in Carroll County, and the road would receive but a small 
 part of the business of that county. If you go by the Portland and 
 Rutland road, you will send a large amount of business to Boston, 
 that otherwise might be saved for Portland by the O'ssipee Yalley 
 route. This is, in my judgment, decidedly the route that will be for 
 the interest of the business men of Portland, and Portland is the 
 market that we want. 
 
 Mr. Elias Towle, of Freedom, made some encouraging re- 
 marks concerning the excellent facilities for a road from the 
 lower Ossipee Valley back through the country which he 
 represents. He concurred with the gentlemen who spoke 
 yesterday in regard to the importance of the trade of the 
 towns along this proposed line. 
 
 Mr. E. S. Ridlon, of Parsonsfield, next addressed the Con- 
 vention, as follows : 
 
 We of the Ossipee River Valley base our arguments in favor of the 
 Portland & Rutland Railroad enterprise mainly upon two points, namely: 
 the feasibility of the route and the resources of the " Great Ossipee Val- 
 ley." I do not propose to make any extended remarks in relation to the 
 resources of the Ossipee Valley, but would rather refer you to the memo- 
 rial which my friend Stacy will present to this Convention, signed by sev- 
 enty of the inhabitants of the village which we represent, for a more 
 accurate and complete statement in this respect than I am able to present. 
 From the city of Portland to New Hampshire State line, via Great Ossipee 
 Valley, is comparatively a smooth level route throughout the entire dis- 
 tance, with no grades of any consequence, and even as far as Meredith, N. 
 H., we find no natural obstructions that will militate in the least against 
 ■(jhe proposed road. In fact, we believe from careful observation and study 
 of the geography of our State that no line of railroad within its broad 
 limits can be built with less expense for the same distance than that por- 
 tion of the Portland & Rutland Railroad from Portland to New Hamp- 
 shire line. Indeed, we think it will fall far below the general estimate of 
 the cost per mile of railroads in Maine. Without desiring to detract any- 
 thing from the merits of the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad enterprise, 
 we are quite sure that the cost of laying a track through the Ossipee Val- 
 ley as compared with the Saco River route through the notch of the White 
 Mountains, will not exceed fifty per cent of the cost of the latter route. 
 Again, in relation to the amount of business that either of the proposed 
 routes can command within our own State limits, we are of the opinion 
 that the Ossipee Valley route has decidedly the advantage. Our numer- 
 ous water powers and extensive timber tracts as yet unimproved and un- 
 
54 
 
 touched, will be the means of contributing a large amount of business to 
 a road traversing this line. In conclusion, let me say that the good people 
 of the Ossipee Valley are sanguine in their expectations that the Portland 
 & Rutland Railroad will be built at an early day, and fully aware of the 
 great benefits to be derived from such an enterprise, are anxiously waiting 
 with outstretched arms to receive their portion of Ihis great thoroughfare, 
 and are ready to do all in their power to aid it to an early completion. 
 
 Mr. L. D. Stacy, of Porter, next addressed the Conven- 
 tion. Mr. Stacy read a paper in the form of a memorial 
 signed by Edward Gibbs and others, of Keazer Falls. 
 
 Voted, That said memorial be entered at full length with the published 
 Tjroceedings of the Convention, and that copies be furnished the city Press 
 for publication, as follows: 
 
 PORTLAND AND RUTLAND RAILROAD MEMORIAL. 
 
 To the Corporators of the Portland and Rutland Railroad Company in Con- 
 vention at Portland, on Wednesday, the 29th day of April, A. D. 1868 : 
 
 The undersigned interested in the construction of the Portland and Rut- 
 land Railroa<i, herewith communicate our views on the subject matter of 
 the entei-prise. 
 
 The Portland & Rutland proposed railroad would be on a direct line 
 from Portland to Rutland and Whitehall at the head of Lake Champlain, 
 where it would intersect with the great railroads and canals opening to the 
 "Western States and the great lakes, and when the Pacific Railroad is com- 
 pleted to the Pjvcific ocean. 
 
 The advantages that Portland would derive from Aid road when put in 
 operation would be almost incalculable. 
 
 Portlajjd being the nearest seaport on the whole route to the Western 
 States, we see no good reason why Portland should not compete with all 
 rivals for a large share of the immense western trade. 
 
 Whitehall in a direct line to Portland is about 145 miles. Whitehall to 
 New York city by the canal to Albany (72 miles) thence by the Hudson 
 river (160 miles) would be 232 miles, making Portland nearer Whitehall 
 than New York city is by 87 miles. 
 
 To connect Portland and Rutland by railroad it would be necessary to 
 build a road from Portland to Center Harbor, a distance of 64 miles, where 
 it would intersect with the New Hampshire railroads, and by supplying a 
 few connecting links, the road would be complete to Whitehall. 
 
 The distance of the road in Maine from Portland to New Hampshire 
 State line would be 40 miles, from State line to Center Harbor 24 miles. 
 We are decidedly of the opinion that the cost of grading a road from Port- 
 land to Center Harbor, via the Ossipee valley, would be much less and a 
 much easier grade than on any other proposed route for the same distance. 
 
 The towns in the Ossipee valley which the road would pass through or 
 
56 
 
 come in close proximity with, would be Cornish, Hiram, Parsonsfield, 
 Porter, Freedom, Effingham, Ossipee, Tamworth, Sandwich, Moultonhor- 
 ough, and Center Harbor, These towns comprise a population of about 
 25,000 inhabitants, and all of them contain valuable water powers, and 
 immense forests of wood and timber. There are on the Ossipee and its 
 tributaries 22 water powers now improved, and about an equal number 
 unimproved. 
 
 The water power at Keazer Falls is sufficient to carry all machinery placed 
 upon it for a distance of 600 rods, even in the driest seasons. 
 
 It is our decided opinion that there cannot be a railroad built from the 
 city of Portland in any direction whatever, that will be of so much advan- 
 tage to Portland, considering the cost of building, as the Portland and 
 Rutland road. 
 
 The inhabitants of the Ossipee valley are deeply interested in the con-- 
 struction of the road, and would in our opinion contribute liberally to tha 
 construction of the same. 
 
 Edward Gibbs, 
 Samuel Stanley, 
 John Moulton, 
 Wm. S. Weeks, 
 Samuel Parker, 
 John Call, 
 Geo. Milliken, 
 John C. Mason, 
 Paul Hussey, 
 
 F. Foss, 
 Oren Taylor, 
 J. M. Davis, 
 Chas. Davis, 
 Geo. Stacy, 
 James Garland, 
 T. H. Brooks, 
 Samuel Stanley, 2d, 
 Geo. F. Dow, 
 David Smith, 
 Jacob Dearborn, 
 Tobias Libby, 
 
 G. W. Wadleigh, 
 E. S. Eidlon, 
 
 J. F. Ridlon, 
 J. S. Edgecomb, 
 E. T. Edgecomb, 
 W. T. Sargent, 
 
 C. H. Randall, 
 Andrew Maryfield, 
 M. Ridlon, 
 Daniel Pilsbury, 
 E. H. Newbegin, 
 Thos. Chick, 
 Clark Stanley, 
 
 L. D. Stacy, 
 G. A. S. Fowler, 
 S. S. Weeks, 
 J. W. Chapman, 
 Randall Libby, 
 J. R. Milliken, 
 W. H. Stanley, 
 M. G. C. Durgin, 
 J. M. Maryfield, 
 Samuel Ridlon, Jr., 
 
 D. D. Ridlon, 
 John Weeks,* 
 Thos. E. Fox, 
 
 Wm. W. Went worth, 
 John S. Wentworth, 
 IMoses Stanley, 
 S. Clemons, 
 Sutton Edgecomb, 
 Wm. S. Stanley, 
 H. B. Pike, 
 J. L. Fox, 
 Geo. L. Norton, 
 Wm. Towle. 
 A. H. Mason, 
 John F. Towle, 
 Major Edgecomb, 
 Horace Stanley, 
 Stephen Martin, 
 John Taylor, 
 S. C. Randall, 
 Geo. Mason, 
 L. W. Pendexter, 
 Jordan Stacy, 
 Jonn S. IsTewbegin, 
 Otis Banks, 
 John Stanley, 3d. 
 
 Keazer Falls, Me., April 28, A. D. 1868. 
 
56 
 
 Mr. Jere B. Davis of Parsonsfield, and Samuel Tyler of 
 Brownfield, also addressed the convention. Jabez C. Wood- 
 man, Esq., of Portland, in response to a call, addressed the 
 meeting at length as to the corporative advantages of the 
 proposed route to Rutland in contrast with the route to St. 
 Johnsburj via the Notch of the White Mountains. 
 
 Mr. Tyler excused himself from a speech from the fact that 
 the road will not go by his house ! a statement that caused 
 some merriment. 
 
 At the close of the speaking the corporation proceeded 
 
 with their business, and 
 
 Voted, That terms of subscription to the capital stock of said Company 
 shall be as follows, viz: 
 
 Subscription to the Portland and Rutland Railroad Company. 
 Capital, 20,000 shares of 8100 each. 
 
 TERMS OP SXTBSCRLPTION. 
 
 The subscribers hereby agree to take and fill the number of shares in 
 the stock of the Portland and Rutland Railroad Company, set against 
 their names, respectively, on the terms and conditions following, viz: 
 
 1. The advance payment on each share shall be five dollars. 
 
 2. The shares shall not be assessed more than five dollars each, payable 
 at one time, nor t^ a greater amount in all, than one hundred dollars, in- 
 cluding the advance of five dollars. 
 
 3. Whenever the whole amount of one hundred dollars shall be assess- 
 ed, and the road put iu operation for the whole or any part of its distance, 
 the holder of the stock upon which assessments shall have been paid in 
 full, shall receive interest at the rate of six per cent on the sums paid on 
 his or her share or shares, computed from the days of payment up to the 
 time the last assessment shall become due and payable. If any stock- 
 holder be delinquent, after said time, interest shall be charged on his as- 
 sessment from said time till payment. 
 
 4. Whenever the directors shall call for any assessment, every stock- 
 holder shall be at liberty to pay such sum over and above the amount 
 actually assessed, as he or she may see fit to pay, not exceeding one hun- 
 dred dollars on each share, and interest shall be allowed and p:&d thereon 
 as provided in the third regulation. 
 
 5. If the whole number of shares subscribed for shall exceed twenty 
 thousand, such excess shall be disposed of by reducing pro-rata the sub- 
 scriptions which are over twenty-five shares, without making fractions in 
 the apportionment of the excess. 
 
57 
 
 Voted, That a Committee consisting of 18 be now appointed to have 
 charge of the books of subscription, with all the powers incident to the 
 corporators, whose duty it shall be to secure subscriptions to the capital 
 stock, and to call a meeting of the stockholders for the choice of Directors 
 as soon as the amount of stock subscribed shall be sufficient for the cor- 
 poration, with authority to take all measures necessary for this purpose, 
 to fill any vacancies that may exist or add to their number at their discre- 
 tion. 
 
 Voted, That said Committee shall consist of the following persons, viz: 
 
 John Mussey of Portland, 
 John A. Poor, " 
 
 John B. Carroll, 
 Wm. Deering, " 
 
 K C. Eice, " 
 
 Francis Macdonald, " 
 Wm. W. Woodbury, •* 
 A. K. Shurtleff, " . 
 
 Geo. W. Woodman, " 
 
 Jas. L, Farmer, of Portland, 
 Fred. Robie, of Gorham, 
 John Jameson, of Cornish, 
 Horatio J. Swasey, of Standish, 
 Newell A. Foster, of Portland, 
 John M. Adams, " 
 
 Tobias Lord, of Standish, 
 James M. Kimball, of Portland, 
 Samuel Hanson, of Buxton. 
 
 Voted, That said Committee have authority to cause a survey of the 
 route, and to procure the necessary charter in New Hampshire, and take 
 such other measures as may be necessary to raise the money to build the 
 said road, and any and all sums of money advanced for these purposes, 
 shall be allowed and credited on account of subscriptions to the stock. 
 
 Voted, That for the purpose of receiving subscriptions to the capital 
 stock of said Company, books of subscription shall be opened under the 
 direction of said committee on Monday, the sixth (6) day of July, 1868, in 
 the following cities and towns, and at the places and with the persons fol- 
 lowing, in accordance with the provisions of the 2d section of the Charter 
 of the Portland and Rutland Railroad Company, to wit : 
 
 In Portland at the office 
 
 " Westbrook " " 
 
 " Gorham " " 
 '• Standish 
 
 " Baldwin "* " 
 
 ** Limington " " 
 
 " Cornish " " 
 
 " Parsonsfield " " 
 
 " Limerick " . " 
 
 " Newfield " " 
 
 " Hiram " 
 
 " Porter " " 
 
 " Brownfield " " 
 " Freedom,N.H." 
 
 " Ossipee " " " 
 
 of Treasurer of the city. 
 " Sjynuel Jordan, Esq. 
 " Hon. John A. Waterman. 
 " H. J. Swasey, Esq. 
 " Daniel T. Richardson. 
 " Col. Wm. McArthur. 
 " John Jameson, Esq. 
 " E. S. Ridlen, Esq. 
 " Wm. Swasey, Esq. 
 " Gen. D. Chellis, Esq. 
 " Randall Libby, Esq. 
 " Moses S. Moulton, Esq. 
 " Thomas P. Cleaves, Esq. 
 " Elias Towle, Esq. 
 " H. J. Banks, Esq. 
 
58 
 
 In W. Ossipee at the office of J. Q. Roles and S. B. Carter. 
 " Tamworth" " 
 " Moultonboro " 
 " Sandwich " " 
 " Center Harbor" 
 '* Meredith " 
 
 " N.Hampton " 
 " Bristol " 
 
 •^ Alexandria " 
 " Hill 
 
 •* Danbury " 
 
 " Chicago, 111. •' 
 
 N. Hubbard and O. G. Hatch. 
 
 Dr. W. Mason. 
 
 I. Adams and J. Wentworth. 
 
 J. L. Huntress, Esq. 
 
 J. P. Plummer. 
 
 J. S. Piper. 
 
 Cyrus Taylor. 
 
 Schuyler Walker. 
 
 John H. Emmons. 
 
 Timothy E. Clous'h. 
 
 Hon. John Wentworth. 
 
 Which hooks shall remain open for five successive days at the times 
 and places, and with the persons named above, and said Committee shall 
 cause books of subscription to be opened with such other persons and at 
 such other places as they may deem expedient. 
 
 Voted, That in case the whole number of sliares subscribed for within 
 the period above named, shall not be equal lo the number of shares re- 
 quired for the organization of the company, the books of subscription shall 
 remain open at the office of City Treasurer in the city of Portland under 
 the direction of said Committee, until the number of shares subscribed for 
 shall he sufficient to secure the organization of said company, and the 
 Committee aforesaid shall be authorized to continne their labors until the 
 subscription to the capital stock shall be equal to the sum required by law 
 for such organization. And thereafter said Committee shall be authorized 
 to call a meeting of the stockholders for the choice of Directors and the 
 organization of said company as required by law. 
 
 Voted, That the committee in charge of books of subscription be author- 
 ized and requested to publish a report in pamphlet form, of the doings of 
 the Convention, including the report of C. E. Latham, Esq., Civil Engi- 
 neer, of his survey of the line from Danbury to Center Harbor, with all 
 such facts and reports as they may be able to gather as to the character of 
 the route, the business upon the line, and its connections with other rail- 
 roads. 
 
 Hon. O. F. Fowler of Bristol, N. H., informed the Con- 
 vention that a meeting of the fi-icnds of Portland & Rutland 
 Railroad would hold a meeting at Center Harbor on Wed- 
 nesday, the 27th day of May next, at 10 o'clock in the fore- 
 noon, whereupon it was voted that notice of said meeting be 
 given to the Portland papers. 
 
 Judge Fowler here announced that he was authorized to 
 pledge the town of Bristol for the eight miles of road from 
 Danbury to Bristol. 
 
59 
 
 On motion of John A. Poor, it was 
 
 Voted, That when the Convention adjourned, it be to meet at this place 
 on Monday, the 13th day of July, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 On motion of J. B. Carroll, Esq., 
 
 Voted, That the thanks of the Convention be tendered to Hon. Freder- 
 ick Eobie for the agreeable and satisfactory manner in which he jiresidedi 
 over the deliberations of this Convention. 
 
 On motion of N. C. Rice, Esq., 
 
 Voted, That the Convention now adjourn, 
 
 A true copy. 
 
 Attest: John Neal, Clerk, 
 
PEOCEEDOGS 
 
 I]SrTERN_A.TIO]NrA.L 
 
 HELD IN THE CITY OF PORTLAND, ME., 
 
 August 4th and 5th, 1868. 
 
 EEPORTED BY J. M. W. YERRINTON. 
 
 PORTLAND: 
 
 B. THURSTON AND COMPANY, PRINTERS. 
 
 1868. 
 
International Commercial Convention. 
 
 At a meeting of the Committee of the Corporators 
 of the Portland and Rutland Railroad Company, held 
 at the office of the Ocean Insurance Company, in 
 Portland, on the 4th of June, 1868, Messrs. John A. 
 Poor, J. B. Carroll, Frederick Robie, N. A. Foster, and 
 William Deering were appointed a committee to take 
 into consideration the expediency of inviting a Con- 
 vention, to be held in the city of Portland during the 
 present summer, for the purpose of concentrating 
 public attention upon Portland Harbor, as the cheap- 
 est port for the exportation of Western produce — and 
 the advantages of a direct line of railway a'cross the 
 continent at its widest part, connecting Halifax, Port- 
 land, Rutland, Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, and San Fran- 
 cisco by one connected chain of railways from the 
 Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 At a meeting of the said corporators held at the 
 Mayor's Office in Portland, on Saturday, June 20, 
 1868, with other parties in consultation as to the 
 
measures now required to enlarge the business of 
 Portland, it was 
 
 Voted, *' That, as the sense of this meeting, a call for a Convention should 
 be issued, inviting all those friendly to public improvements and favorable 
 to the increase of the means of intercourse and trade across the continent, 
 and the adjustment upon liberal terms of the regulations of trade upon the 
 continent of North America, to be held at the City Hall in Portland, in 
 July or August next, at such time as shall be fixed by said Committee; 
 signed by the Corporators." 
 
 . At a meeting of said Corporators, June 29, 1868, 
 Mr. Poor submitted, in behalf of the Committee, the 
 form of a call for the Convention, which, after vari- 
 ous amendments, was agreed to, signed by the Cor- 
 porators, and printed in the form of a note of invi- 
 tation, as follows : 
 
 CALL FOR THE CONVENTION. 
 
 To- 
 
 Yon are respectfully invited to take part in an International Commercial 
 Convention, to be held at Portland, Maine, on Tuesday, August 4, 1868, 
 to take into consideration the various measures and plans now before the 
 countty, to increase facilities of intercourse and trade betweeiU;lie Atlantic 
 sea-board and the interior of the continent,— to adopt measures to secure a 
 line of railway across the continent at its widest part, from the Atlantic to 
 the Pacific seas, connecting Halifax, Portland, Rutland, Buffalo, Detroit, 
 Chicago, and San Francisco in an unbroken line ; and the completion of a 
 direct line from the St. Lawrence waters to Puget Sound; the adjustment, 
 on liberal terms, of the regulations of trade on the continent of North 
 America; — and such arrangement of lines of Ocean Steamers, sailing at 
 fixed hours daily from each side of the Atlantic Ocean, and between China 
 and San Francisco, as shall secure lines of communication by this route 
 between Europe and Asia, as regular and as convenient as those now 
 existing between city and city upon the same continent; — on the completion 
 of the lines of railway now built, in progress, or proposed, between the 
 eastern shore of the Atlantic and the harbor of San Francisco. 
 
 From Cape Canso, Nova Scotia, latitude 45 deg., 17 min., longitude 61 deg., 
 to Cape Lookout in Oregon, in latitude 45 deg., 30 min., and longitiide 134 
 deg., the distance across the continent is 63 deg.— 2,773 geographical miles, 
 
5 
 
 or 3,191 statute miles— along which line, or slightly south of it, railroads 
 are being constructed and already in progress between Halifax and San 
 Francisco. The only link remaining to be provided for, is the distance from 
 Portland to Rutland, upon the same parallel of latitude. 
 
 For a portion of the distance,— from Portland to the Ossipee Valley, 
 thirty miles or more, — two charters exist; to the Portland and Ogdensburg 
 Railroad Co., and to the Portland and Rutland Railroad Co. 
 
 The charter of the Portland and Ogdensburg Road was granted in 1867, 
 and the city of Portland has authorized a subscription of $750,000 to its 
 stock. This sum will secure the building of a line in the direction of the 
 White Mountain Notch, and on the direct route to Rutland. 
 
 The friends of both enterprises will, it is believed, unite upon this common 
 line, leaving but sixty-one miles of new line to be provided to complete the 
 chain from Portland to Rutland, and all the* West. 
 
 The friends of the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad believe, that the 
 completion of a line of railway to the navigable waters of the St. Lawrence 
 at Ogdensburg, in connection with the proposed Niagara Ship Canal, will 
 insure an outlet for western produce of great commercial value. Large 
 subscriptions are already secured to the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad 
 Company from municipal corporations, and individuals in Northern New 
 HamjDshire and Vermont. 
 
 From Halifax to Chicago, a distance of 1,G50 miles, 134 miles lie in Nova 
 Scotia, 214 miles across New Brunswick, 286 miles across Maine, 84 miles 
 across New Hampshire, 66 miles across Vermont, 352 miles in New York' 
 230 miles in Canada, 219 miles in Michigan, 52 miles in Indiana, and 13 miles 
 in Illinois. 
 
 From Chicago to San Francisco, by the Union or Central Pacific Railway, 
 the distance is 2,338 miles, making a total of 3,988 miles, or, in round 
 number, 4,000 miles of connected railway across the continent at its widest 
 part, by the most direct possible line, from the Atlantic to the Pacific 
 Ocean. 
 
 The expected completion of the line of the European and North American 
 Railway from Bangor to Halifax, simultaneously with the completion of 
 the Union or Central Pacific Railway, from Chicago to San Francisco, has 
 concentrated public opinion upon the necessity of filling in the links in the 
 great continental chain of railways, destined to span, the continent at its 
 widest part, forming iii the whole the grandest line of railway intercom- 
 munication the world can ever reach,— more than realizing the dream of 
 Columbus, who sailed West to reach the East, shortening the transit 
 between the Orient and Occident to its lowest possible limit of time and 
 expense by means of the Atlantic and Pacific Raihoay. 
 
 By extending a line due west from Portland to Whitehall, and from 
 thence to Rome, on the line of the New York Central Railroad, the distance 
 from Chicago to Halifax can be reduced to about 1,600 miles, over favorable 
 grades, easily condensing the time between Chicago and Liverpool to 
 
twelve days, and reducing the transit between San Francisco and London 
 to seventeen days, by way of Halifax and Liverpool ;— and many entertain 
 the belief that the railway, now reaching as far east as Pictou, will be 
 finally extended to Canso, if not to Louisbourg or Miray Bay in Cape 
 Breton, 200 miles nearer to Europe than Halifax. 
 
 The probable completion of the Pacific Railway already attracts attention 
 in China and in Australia, and it is contended by the promoters of the 
 Panama and Australia line, that a distance of seven hundred miles will be 
 saved by running from Wellington, the great shipping port of Australia, to 
 San Francisco, over the line to Panama. The distance from Wellington to 
 San Francisco, atlopting Tahiti as a coaling station, is 5,864 geographical 
 miles, equal to 6,748 statute miles only. 
 
 Mails could be carried from Wellington to San Francisco in twenty-five 
 days, from San Francisco to Portland in six days, to Halifax in seven days 
 and in ten days more from Halifax to London, or in forty-two days' time 
 from London to Australia, instead of the sixty or seventy days now 
 required to accomplish the distance from Wellington to Loudon. 
 
 No one can doubt that the mails, gold and silver treasure, and tl^ more 
 valuable articles of merchandise will take this route from the East, the 
 shortest in distance, and vastly more economical, by the use of the rail for 
 4,000 miles between Halifax and San Francisco; on the completion of the 
 Portland and Rutland, the European and North American Railway, and of 
 the Central Pacific line. 
 
 The completion of the Northern Pacific Railway, from Chicago to Puget 
 Sound, will save, as is supposed, eight hundred miles between Hong-Kong 
 and London. It was stated by the late Governor Stevens of Oregon, that 
 every seat of commerce upon the Atlantic coast, would be nearer to Puget 
 Sound by the route of the Northern Pacific Railway, than to San Francisco 
 by the Central Pacific line; and it is believed that the distance between 
 Portland and the Pacific coast, counting in the more favorable grades over 
 the Northern route, will be equal to the saving of five hundred miles of 
 land carriage, and shortening by several hundred miles the ocean transit 
 from Shanghai to Puget Sound. 
 
 The cordial manner in which all plans for extending railways from the 
 St. Lawrence waters to the Pacific Ocean have been met by the Govern- 
 ment and people of Canada, lead us to expect that a route to the Pacific 
 from Montreal harbor, by the valley of the Ottawa, and on the south shore 
 of Lake Superior, may yet unite suflicient capital and influence from the 
 Imperial Government and the British Colonies of North America, in 
 co-operation Avith those of the United States, to secure the shortest line 
 between the na\'igable waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 
 
 The harbor of Montreal, in latitude 45 deg., 30 min., and in longitude 
 73 deg., 36 min., would, in the summer months, be the natural terminus of 
 the trans-continental line by the most direct route. This will secure to 
 Portland, in the winter months, the same advantages. 
 
The line from Puget Sound east, will naturally embranch at, or near, 
 the head of Lake Superior — or between Superior and Huron, at the Straits 
 of St. Mary. All lines coming east, from the Mississippi waters, will 
 naturally unite at Portland harbor with those from the north-west, and 
 form a common trunk-line east, to some good harbor on the farthest 
 Atlantic shore. 
 
 It will be recollected that the Postmaster-General of Great Britain 
 recently intimated that the time had come when the Imperial Government 
 should consider the question of a line of steamers across the Atlantic 
 sailing at fixed hours DAILY, connecting Liverpool and Halifax, and 
 eventually the nearest ports on each side the Atlantic Ferry, as the lines 
 of railways are finished to the nearest ports on each side of the ocean. 
 
 Travel across the Atlantic Ocean has increased more rapidly than the 
 business of Railroads,— great as that has been on the leading lines. In 
 1850, when the European and North American Railway was proposed, as the 
 means of shortening the transit between New York and London, two lines 
 of steamers, or only two steamers per week, at that time crossed the Atlan- 
 tic. In 1867, the number of weekly steamers to and from Europe had in- 
 increased to seventeen each way, carrying over 200,000 passengers a year. 
 In 1864, 135,317 crossed by steamers,— 30,303 eastward, 105,014 coming west- 
 ward,— showing that 60,000 at least were first class passengers that year, 
 business or pleasure travel, that always seeks the shortest and most agreea- 
 ble routes. The number of passengers that crossed the ocean by steamers 
 in 1867 has not been reported, but a very large proportion has been of 
 that class that would leave the steamers at Halifax, bound westward, or 
 take the rail to Halifax in order to shorten the sea-voyage to » Europe. 
 Estimating the number of these passengers at 100,000 per year, and divid- 
 ing that number by one-half, it would give 50,000 through passengers yearly, 
 or 80 passengers daily each way upon this line, from Portland to Halifax, 
 for the 313 business days of the year, a greater through business than on 
 any other line of equal extent in the world. 
 
 It was a belief in this, that has procured the means for constructing this 
 long line from Bangor to Halifax. 
 
 A large portion of this European travel comes from Canada and the 
 West, which would seek the shortest route without being compelled to pro- 
 ceed to New York, the great port at this time of ocean travel. New Hamp- 
 shire, Vermont, Canada, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and all the Western 
 States are interested alike in this matter. Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Chi- 
 cago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Milwaukee passengers would seek the 
 nearest European port by rail, which would become the port of call for all 
 steamers sailing to Europe. By this line from Rutland to Portland, the 
 most direct one to the West is completed. Beyond the Hudson, stretches 
 the great West, the granary of the earth, where human food, produced 
 more cheaply and in greater abundance than on any other soil, presses 
 to the sea-board for a market, like the waters of a vast lake that cannot 
 contain its accumulated masses, it will force new channels to the sea. 
 
The following table shows the intermediate distances on the line across 
 the continent, from Halifax to San Francisco, as follows: 
 
 Total No. Feet above 
 rnou Miles. Miles. Tide Water. 
 
 Halifax to Truro 61 
 
 Truro to New Brunswick Line 73 184 
 
 New Brunswick to Moncton 36 170 
 
 Moncton to .St. Jolin 92 262 
 
 St. John to Maine Boundary 86 348" 882 
 
 Boundary to liangor 110 458 
 
 Bangor to Portland 138 696 
 
 Halifaxto Portland 696 
 
 Portland to New Hampshire Line 88 
 
 New Hampshire I^ine to Vermont Boundary 84 122 331 
 
 White Kiver. Junction to Rutland 46 163 630 
 
 Kutland to .Schenectady 85 2.53 
 
 Schenectady to Suspension Bridge 287 64<) 566 
 
 Suspension Bri<lj.'e to Detroit 280 770 589 
 
 Detroit to Chiciijro 284 1,054 626 
 
 Portland to Jiiicago 1,054 
 
 Chicago to .Mississippi River at Clinton 138 
 
 Mississippi Ki ver to Missouri River at Omaha 356 494 968 
 
 Omaha to Summit of Rocky Mountains, fivans Pass. . .547 1,041 8,842 
 
 Summit to Hridgers Pa.s8 142 1,183 7.534 
 
 Bridgera Pass tu Salt Lake 880 1,563 4,290 
 
 Salt Lake to San Francisco 775 2,388 
 
 Chicago to San Francisco 2.338 
 
 Portland to .San Francisco 3,388 
 
 HalifkxtoSan Francisco 3,988 
 
 That the Transatlantic travel will prefer railway transit to ocean navi- 
 gation is no longer a question, since the Canard line have made Cork a 
 port of call. Much of the pleasure and busines.s travel leaves the steamer 
 at Queenstown in the outward passage, and joins the steamer at that port 
 on their western trips by means of the rails between Cork and Dublin, 
 and between London and Holyhead, using the short ferry across the Irish 
 Channel. 
 
 Lines of railway communication heretofore have been subordinate to 
 local wants, jmshed out into the interior from commercial centers, with a 
 view to the enlargement of local or domestic trade. Larger purposes and 
 broader views now engross the public mind. The building of railways to 
 the Pacific is destined to change the course of trade between the old world 
 and the new, which must work an entire revolution in the habits and busi- 
 ness of our people. And in carrying out the railroads in question, this 
 leading idea should be kept constantly in view, conforming to the enlarged 
 notions demanded by the progress of the age. 
 
 The undersigned, Corporators in the Portland and Kutland Bailroad 
 Company, take the liberty of inviting your attention to this enteriirise, 
 and respectfully invite the friends of public improvement to meet in 
 Convention at Portland, on Tuesday, the 4th day of August 
 KEXT, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon, at the City Hall, to take into consider- 
 ation the various measures and plans herein named — and now before the 
 country — to increase facilities of intercourse and trade by canal and rail- 
 way, between the interior and the Atlantic sea-board ; and the adoption of 
 such other measures as shall relieve commerce of unnecessary burdens, 
 quidcen commercial intercourse, and give to each and every section of this 
 
broad Continent that unrestricted freedom of trade, that shall make us 
 one people, in everything that tends to the elevation and advancement of 
 the race. 
 
 John A. Poor, 
 
 H. J. LiBBY, 
 
 "Wm. Deering, 
 John Lynch, 
 A. E. Stevens, 
 G. W. Woodman, 
 A. K. Shultleff, 
 R. M. Richardson, 
 John Neal, 
 John Jameson, 
 Samuel Jordan, 
 John Mussey, 
 Wm. W. Woodbury, 
 Joseph Howard, 
 J. C. Woodman, 
 J. M. Kimball, 
 
 Wm. Willis, 
 Wm. H. Fessenden, 
 J. B. Carroll, 
 J. L. Farmer, 
 Fred'k Robie, 
 Tobias Lord, 
 Charles Fobes, 
 Jonas H. Perley, 
 l. d. m. swett, 
 John M. Adams, 
 Allen Haines, 
 Enoch Knight, 
 N. C. Rice, 
 N. A. Foster, 
 N. L. Woodbury, 
 Samuel Hanson. 
 
 P. S. In case of inability to attend, parties are respectfully invited to 
 present their views in writing, at or before the assembling of the Conven- 
 tion. 
 
 Municipal bodies and Commercial organizations are respectfully request- 
 ed to report, in advance, the names of Delegates to represent them. 
 
 ^^A reply to this communication is respectfully requested, on or be- 
 fore the 28th of July. 
 
PROCEEDINGS. 
 
 Agreeably to the call previously issued and circu- 
 lated, a large number of merchants, bankers, railroad 
 officials, and others interested in the various projects 
 to increase the facilities of intercourse and trade 
 between the Atlantic sea-board and the interior of 
 the continent, as well as with ^e Pacific coast, 
 Australia, China, Japan, and other countries of Asia, 
 assembled in the city of Portland, Maine, on Tuesday, 
 the 4th day of August, 1868, to consult upon the 
 most feasible methods of securing the objects sought 
 to be attained. The two extremes of the continent 
 were represented, and very many of the prominent 
 intermediate places, by gentlemen of eminence in 
 their several communities, thus giving to the Con- 
 vention the broad and general character contemplated 
 by its projectors. 
 
 The Convention met in the City Hall, and was 
 called to order at eleven o'clock by Hon. Geo. W. 
 Woodman, of Portland, who said : 
 
 I have been requested, in the absence of the Mayor of the city, to call 
 this Convention to order. I need not tell you that it gives me pleasure to 
 see so many distinguished gentlemen present from all parts of the country 
 It would be out of place for me to occupy any time in addressing you, and 
 I will therefore take the liberty to nominate, as temporary chairman of 
 this Convention, one of our own well-known citizens, John Neal. 
 
12 
 
 Mr. Neal was unanimously elected temporary 
 chairman, and, on taking his seat, said : 
 
 Let me say to you, my friends, that this is a somewhat unexpected 
 honor; but as I am charged with the duty of welcoming you here, delegates 
 from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, I think I can at least do that. I do 
 not make speeches, and as you are men of business, and mean business, 
 you will not expect me to make any speech. I will invite the Rev. Dr. 
 Harris, of Brunswick, Maine, President of Bowdoin College, to invoke the 
 Divine blessing upon our deliberations. 
 
 PRAYER BY REV. SAMUEL HARRIS, D. D. 
 
 Our Father who art in Heaven, we humbly acknowledge our dependence 
 on Thee in all our enterprises; we humbly offer Thee our praise that Thou 
 art our Father — that all the affairs that interest us are of interest to Thee. 
 Thou carest for us, and we may come to Thee with our undertakings, great 
 to us, so easy to Thee; and we look to Thee for a Father's blessing, We 
 come acknowledging out obligations, in all our business, to Thee. Help us 
 to consecrate ourselves, our pawers, and all that we undertake to 
 accomplish for the development of the resources of our country and the 
 advancement of the interests of society, to Thee, our God. The abundance 
 of the earth and the fullness of the seas are Thine; the powers of nature 
 are Thine. Help us in all we attempt to do to acknowledge our dependence 
 and our obligations, that we may do all things for the honor of God and 
 the welfare of man. May thy blessing be upon this Convention. May thy 
 wisdom guide in all our deliberations, and may thy blessing attend all our 
 undertakings. And we humbly ask that thy blessing may be upon this 
 State, upon all the States of this Union, and upon all the nations with 
 which we are connected in the relations of commerce and of busine.ss. 
 May thy blessing be upon us in our deliberations to-day, to enable us so to 
 act as shall result in advancing the spirit of fraternity and harmony among 
 nations, in restraining war, in developing the powers and resources of the 
 earth, in extending the comforts of life among men, and in bringing the 
 nations nearer to each other,— always in obedience to the principles of 
 justice, of truth, of right, and of human brotherhood. May thy blessing 
 be upon this nation, and upon all the nations of the earth, opening before 
 them a career of prosperity in the exercise of justice and the arts of peace 
 We humbly commit ourselves, and our meeting, and all our interests 
 into thy hands, and invoke thy blessing, through Christ our Lord,— Amen. 
 
13 
 
 ADDRESS OF THE TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN. 
 
 Mr. Neal then addressed the Convention as follows : 
 
 Having obtained, as I trust, the blessing we ask iij^on our deliberations, 
 it may be well for us to know who we have here. I am informed that 
 we have representatives present from the shores of the Pacific as well as 
 from the farthest Atlantic, many from the different States of the West, from 
 the neighboring Provinces, — portions of the outlying Dominions of the great 
 British Empire, — leading men in their respective localities, who rejoice 
 with us to look upon each other's faces, and to deliberate together upon 
 the great questions likely to arise here. We look upon this city of Port- 
 land as a sort of half-way house, and we claim that we are together, not 
 as a congress of communities, not even as a congress of Boards of Trade, 
 but almost as a congress of nations ; and that if our deliberations be blessed, 
 as we hope they will be, the result cannot be otherwise than favorable. 
 We are proud of our little city. We have been working with great zeal 
 ever since the fire, and if we go on in our enterprises, as contemplated in 
 the call of the Convention, there is no knowing what we may not do, or 
 what we may not hope for, for ourselves. One thing is certain, the great 
 Eastern world, Japan, China, and the Indies, and all Northern Europe (that 
 Europe with which we are best acquainted) must be brought together by 
 a system of railroads and ocean navigation, which must pass by the most 
 direct line, or over different lines, from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific. 
 In this Portland will take her share, for there will be business enough for 
 all. 
 
 I will not take up your time with any lengthy speech, knowing you to 
 be, as I said at the outset, men of business and meaning business, and 
 therefore I wait the action of the Convention. 
 
 John A. Poor, of Portland, moved the appoint- 
 ment of two temporary secretaries. This motion 
 was carried, and Hon. Frederick Robie, of Gorham, 
 Me., and Hon. 0. F. Fowler, of Bristol, JST. H., were 
 elected. 
 
 James L. Farmer, of Portland, moved that a com- 
 mittee of five on permanent ofiicers and on credentials 
 be appointed, and the following gentlemen were elect- 
 ed as such committee : 
 
 J. L. Farmer, of Portland ; P. S. Hamilton, of Hal- 
 
14 
 
 ifax ; W. J. Patterson, of Montreal ; W. H. Craig, of 
 Detroit ; H. T. Blow, of St. Louis. 
 Mr. Poor then said : 
 
 AVhile the Committee are engaged in their labors, I have no doubt the 
 delegates present would be happy to listen to some gentleman from 
 some part of the continent in relation to the objects, purposes, and plans 
 which have called us together. I will, therefore, take the liberty to call 
 upon the Hon. J. W. Taylor, of St. Paul, Minnesota, — not from the extrem- 
 ity, but from the heart of the continent, — to address us, I know he is in 
 attendance, for he has come all the way from St. Paul to take part in the 
 deliberations of this Convention. 
 
 Mr. Taylor not being in the Hall at the moment, 
 the Chairman requested Mr. Poor to suggest the 
 name of some other gentleman, and Mr. Poor called 
 upon Senator Corbett, of Portland, Oregon. 
 
 Senator Corbett came forward to the platform, and 
 was received with hearty applause. He addressed 
 the Convention as follows : 
 
 SPEECH OF HON. H. W. CORBETT. 
 
 Oentlemen of the Convention, — Being a business-man, and not a man elect- 
 ed for my speaking qualities, my remarks will be very brief. I am but little 
 acquainted with the objects of this meeting, except so far as I have seen 
 them set forth in the circular which has been forwarded me, and which I 
 have examined, and approve. The object of this Convention, as I under- 
 stand it, is, to bring the people of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts nearer 
 together by railroad communications, and to turn the ijreat tide of trade 
 from the Pacific Ocean, from China and Japan, to the nearest point of 
 shipment on the Atlantic coast; and as I understand that Portland, Maine, 
 lies at that point where that trade should diverge ui)on the Atlantic or to 
 the most direct line to the Pacific, I have come here as a representative 
 from Portland, Oregon, in order to shake hands with the peoi)le of 
 Portland, Maine. (Applause.) Our place was named after Portland, 
 Maine. It is a point in which I feel a very great interest. I have been a 
 resident of that place nearly eighteen years. I went there as a young 
 man from New York. Born in Massachusetts, a child of New England, I 
 went there in order to develop the resources of that great State, and of 
 that portion of the continent where lies the hidden wealth of mountains 
 
15 
 
 of iron, of coal, of gold and silver, and all the precious metals that 
 contribute to the wealth of a great nation, — to say nothing of our agricul- 
 tural products, "We claim it as one of the greatest States of the Union. 
 Our cereal products have drawn the attention of the world. We are now 
 shipping from the Pacific coast large quantities of breadstuffs, perhaps 
 larger, in proportion to our population, than any other part of our country. 
 Our exports of grain from the Pacific nearly equals in value the products 
 of the gold-fields of California, Oregon, and Idah?). Some of the finest 
 cereals in the world are now shipped from Oregon to Europe and China. 
 "We are opening a large trade with the six hundred millions of people in 
 China, who have been practically excluded from our Pacific coast until 
 within the past few years. We have now, on the Pacific coast, a population 
 from China of fifty or seventy-five thousand. We have lately concluded a 
 treaty with that nation which will secure the confidence and regard of the 
 people, open the country to commerce, and bring that vast empire into 
 the family of nations. I have no doubt that it will also lead to an extensive 
 emigration, not only to the Pacific, but to the Atlantic coast. 
 
 We, on the Pacific side, have a vast country, quite as large, or exceeding 
 in area, that upon the Atlantic. We are thinly settled as yet; our means 
 are limited, but we are doing all we can to advance the interests of that 
 coast, — putting our little means together, and building our railroads as fast 
 as we are able. But we cannot hope to accomplish great results without 
 the help of the older States; and, therefore, I felt that I might contribute 
 some little to the interest of this Convention by coming here and explain- 
 ing, as far as I could, the wants and necessities of that country. We have, 
 as you are all aware, one of the finest harbors in the world. Puget Sound 
 is not excelled by any harbor. The largest class of vessels can enter there. 
 It lies directly in the line of trade between China and Japan and the main 
 seaports of the Atlantic. A railroad, built directly to that point, will 
 shorten the time between China and Japan and the Atlantic coast some 
 three days, and that is a very important point in directing the trade of that 
 great empire which is now being opened to the Atlantic coast, and 
 through this country to Europe. It will bring us to the notice of those 
 countries, and attract the emigration and travel that are constantly pass- 
 ing from China to Europe, and from Europe to China, through this coun- 
 try, and will have the effect, I have no doubt, to bring the entire trade of 
 those countries through that portion of our territory. We have a railroad 
 already constructed through a pass in the Cascade range of mountains, 
 where the Columbia Eiver breaks through, the grade of which does not 
 exceed thirty feet to the mile, and about five hundred feet above the level 
 of the sea, corresponding to the grade of the Sierra Nevada, of eight thous- 
 and feet, which is covered with snow up to May, and sometimes into June. 
 This pass through the Cascade range is never obstructed. There has never 
 been a time, to my knowledge, when the railroad was obstructed since it 
 was built. The country, through which this road passes, is well wooded 
 
16 
 
 and watered, and the land of the finest quality for agricultural purposes 
 It is for you to determine whether this country shall be developed ; whether 
 we shall be able to build a line across to Puget Sound, and thus bring our- 
 selves into communication with Portland here, some three or four days 
 earlier than we can be brought by any line now being constructed, — there- 
 by creating a competition which will make our freights cheaper between 
 the two oceans, a competition which will be healthy, and which will build 
 up cities in that portiorf of the country corresponding to those here in New 
 England. 
 
 I trust that we shall bear from other gentlemen who are members of this 
 Convention, and who know more of this subject than I do. I can only 
 say to you, that we in Oregon have a country as large in extent as all New 
 England. Oregon, Washington Territory, and Idaho, are as large as New 
 England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and perhai)ssome other 
 State in addition. You can realize by this fact the vast extent of that 
 country. It is the choicest agricultural land; the finest grain-growing 
 region; there are iron and timber in abundance; there are gold and silver 
 mines. All these are to be developed, and it is for you, gentlemen of the 
 Convention, to determine what steps shall be taken to develop these great 
 resources. I will, therefore, give way for other gentlemen of the Conven- 
 tion to explain to you more fully its objects. (Applause.) 
 
 The Chairman. Of course you must all have been 
 very much struck with the testimony given by 
 Senator Corbett. We begin with Portland here, 
 and end with Portland there, so that Portland 
 becomes, not the terminus merely, but the terminii, 
 and by hearing gentlemen from the intermediate 
 points, we shall become acquainted with the resources 
 of the country all along the line. There are gentle- 
 men here representing Boards of Trade, men engaged 
 in railroad enterprises, commercial men, bankers and 
 others, who must, of course, furnish us with the facts 
 we are looking for, which will tend to confirm us in 
 our conviction that there is a passage-way now 
 opening from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and that 
 we are upon that route. Many of you, too, represent 
 portions of the country through which this line of 
 
17 
 
 railroad must pass, and of course you must feel a 
 corresponding interest in regard to the movement 
 here, which is but the beginning. 
 
 Gen. P. T. Washburne, of Woodstock, Yt., said, — 
 There is a gentleman here who has given the various 
 subjects embraced in this call long and careful study, 
 and I have no doubt that every delegate present will 
 be instructed and interested in listening to the results 
 of his labors. I refer to the Hon. E. H. Derby, of 
 Boston. 
 
 The Chairman. We shall be very glad to hear from 
 Mr. Derby. (Applause.) 
 
 SPEECH OF HON. E. H. DERBY. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, and Gentlemen,— I am indebted for the honor of this call 
 to the courtesy of the gentleman from Vermont, with whom I had an early- 
 acquaintance ; and I presume he has called upon me because I represent, 
 on this occasion, to some extent, the State of Vermont, as well as the States 
 of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, for I come here as a delegate from 
 the great line of communication which, on Monday next. Mill be opened 
 between Portland and the city of Troy, N.Y., by which the journey from 
 this city west will be shortened forty miles ; diverging from one of your 
 present routes at Lawrence, touching at Lowell, intersecting at Groton, and 
 passing, by the way of Greenfield, on to Troy by the new line ; without 
 surmounting the summits of the Green Mountains or Adirondac's, but 
 passing under a mountain, makes the most easy and direct communication 
 with the West. It is a line which is not to terminate at Troy, but which is 
 eventually to run to Oswego and along the level shores of Lake Ontario, 
 onward to the Susi>ension Bridge, and by it the distance from Portland to 
 Lake Ontario will be but four hundred miles. The distance from Portland 
 to Suspeusion Bridge will be but 525 miles, and we shall thus make as 
 direct and easy a route as can be made for communication with the great 
 Lakes. That i.s the interest I have the honor to represent. (Applause.) 
 It is true, a little difficulty still intervenes,— about three miles of the 
 mountain remain to be removed. But "faith removes mountains;" they 
 bow their heads and give way before the persevering spirit. Massachusetts 
 is the mother not only of her fair daughter, Maine, but of the railroad 
 2 
 
18 
 
 system of the country. We built the first line of railroad in Quincy long 
 before the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad or the Albany and Schenectady 
 Bailroad was built. We built the first railway, as we built the first canal; 
 and to-day Massachusetts, having loaned her money to the Western 
 Railway and to other great enterprises, exults in what she has done. She 
 plumes herself upon all her daughters, — upon her daughter Maine, and 
 not less upon her railways, by which she secures communication with 
 that daughter. To-day, her average railway return is 818,000 a mile of 
 gross income upon her investment. She lent her bonds at five per cent, 
 and to-day she receives an average net revenue of nine or ten per cent 
 upon her investment, besides the benefit of the millions of dollars that 
 have been added to the wealth of the State. To-day, she has one hundred 
 millions invested in railways in the State, and still more invested outside 
 the State. Her investment outside of Massachusetts is larger than that 
 in it, and by means of her investment in railways, she has become one of 
 the strongest States of the Union, for the savings banks of Massachusetts 
 to-day alone have an amount of deposits which exceeds the whole 
 valuation of the State of South Carolina. (Applause.) Dropping the 
 hammer and the hand-drill, the miner grasps the four elements of air, 
 earth, fire, and water to perforate the mountain, and will finish her task 
 before your great line is completed. 
 
 But, gentlemen, I did not come here to-day to eulogize my own State; I 
 came here to represent the great line of railway to which I have referred, 
 and to wish God-speed to the enterprises of the State of Maine,— all of 
 them. Wliether they point to Vermont, or whether they point eastward 
 to the British Provinces, I bid them all God-speed ; yes, every one of them. 
 And, first, let me say a word for the European and North American 
 Railway. We consider that almost a Massachusetts enterprise. Our 
 State has made its contribution to that road, — has given it a lift. I trust it 
 is to succeed. We regard it not merely as a local enterprise, to connect 
 the Penobscot with St, John, but as a line to connect the United States 
 with Canada, with New Brunswick, with Nova Scotia, with Cape Breton 
 and Newfoundland, and as the great highway of nations. They talk of an 
 "intercolonial" or "international" line. The great international, the 
 continental line, is the European and North American Railway, com- 
 bining many lines of traffic and many lines of travel, and, when completed, 
 forming a link in that great chain which eventually, commencing at Heart's 
 Content or Placentia Bay, or some other point on the remote island of 
 Newfoundland (and those names are appropriate for the triumphs of peace, 
 if not of war), is to come onward by Shediac and St. John to Bangor and 
 Portland. The passenger, who shall have passed in five daj-s from the 
 Cove of Cork to Placentia Bay, in one day more will reach Portland. 
 Diverging here, he will go to Montreal by the Grand Trunk Railroad 
 (which I hope to see resuscitated and improved), or to Rutland by the 
 inland line -which I trust you will build, or onward, by Lawrence and 
 
19 
 
 Lowell, to Groton and Greenfield, and thence to Lake Ontario, or in that 
 direction. In one day from Placentia Bay he reaches Portland; in another 
 day, some point near Suspension Bridge; and so passing onward, by the 
 Central or North Pacific line, he will reach California or Oregon, or, beyond 
 Oregon, the Straits of Fuca, at the harbor which the gentleman from 
 Oregon has depicted here [Puget Sound]. Thus, in five or six days, the 
 passenger passes from Portland to the shores of the Pacific. In fourteen 
 days more, he will land in Japan, and in two days more, in that great 
 nation which our Mr. Burlingame, another son of Massachusetts, is to-day 
 uniting with the great family of nations. (Applause.) This is the object 
 we desire to accomplish. 
 
 Now, gentlemen, I want the European and North American Railway 
 built, and I hope that the resolutions which will be passed by this Conven- 
 tion will subserve that end; audi feel to-day that I am addressing, not 
 merely the State of Maine, or Massachusetts, or Vermont, so well repre- 
 sented here by my distinguished friend. General Washburne, but I feel 
 that I am addressing the continent of North America. (Applause.) I go 
 for a continental line. We had an old continental line years ago which 
 rendered signal service to the country; I go for a continental line to-day. 
 That is the enterprise which I am here to advocate ; and, sir, the European 
 and North American Railway is a part of that continental line. We hear 
 it intimated that it is the policy of Great Britain to have a military road 
 down by Miramichi, or somewhere near the borders of the Gulf of St. 
 Lawrence ; that she avows it to be her policy, in her arrangements with 
 her colonies, to raise twenty millions, by the joint credit of both, for the 
 construction of a military road. I am not an advocate for political roads. 
 I go for the roads which commerce and peace demand; and that does not 
 seem to me to be a route which either commerce or peace requires. And 
 when I think what might be accomplished by twenty millions of dollars, 
 at three or four and a half per cent interest, in perfecting the improve- 
 ments we have planned, or already have in operation, I feel a strong solici- 
 tude that the voice of this continent shall be heard in England, and that 
 we should speak here, in loud and strong terms,as representing North Amer- 
 ica in this continental convention, to secure the appropriation to continental 
 lines of that twenty millions of dollars. I had occasion, not very long 
 since, to make the passage to Halifax with one of the ministers of Canada, 
 with whom I discussed this question. Said I, " My friend, I beg you, when 
 you land in England and go to the Court of St. James, to remember that 
 you speak not merely for Canada, but that you speak for the continent; 
 for whatever we may think to-day, or whatever may happen to-morrow, 
 there is no man, I presume, on this continent, who has not come to the 
 conclusion that at some day the two countries will be merged in one ; that 
 either the Canadas will take us, or we shall welcome the Canadas. 
 (Laughter and applause. ) Recollect," said I, " when you discuss this great 
 question of the railway loan on the other side, that you are not merely a 
 
20 
 
 Canadian, but an American; that you speak for the whole continent; and 
 that, if this money is to be raised, on the joint credit of England and her 
 provinces on this continent, it should be so applied as to benefit this conti- 
 nent. And why will you not say to the lady who presides on the other 
 side of the water, who is our friend, and the friend of the human race, that 
 if she wishes a military road, she should assume its construction, and the 
 Provinces will guarantee her note? Because, if you sign the note, and she 
 builds the road, if she makes a mistake, you may have to pay the amount, 
 and I prefer that America should be the indorsee rather than the princi- 
 pal." It was in this jesting way that I spoke to the Canadian minister, but 
 you know a true word may sometimes be spoken in jest A military road is 
 not wanted. What American wishes for it? If Canatla ever unites with 
 this country, it must be a union of hearts; it mu.st be a connection of affin- 
 ities, a confederation of commerce and trade. A Canadian gentleman said 
 to a meeting in Boston, some years ago (I refer to Hon. Joseph Howe), 
 " You have attempted to invade Canada, and have not been successful. 
 You have made a mistake. Let me advise you, when you try it again, to 
 put the ladies in front; you will then be sure to conquer." I prefer, as a 
 citizen of the United States, that we should follow the advice of Mr. Howe. 
 When the Provinces extend their hands, we will grasp them, and then, 
 " whom God has joined, let no man put asunder." (Applause.) 
 
 I will detain ydu, gentlemen, but a moment or two longer. I have one 
 or two general suggestions to make, which I make with pleasure. I would 
 have the voice of this convention heard over the whole United States. I 
 would have it heard in England. We want the aid, in our various enter- 
 prises, not merely of Maine, not merely of Massachusetts, we want the aid 
 of the United States, we want the aid of the Provinces, we want the aid of 
 Great Britain, whose coffers are overflowing. The European and North 
 American Railway is to connect Great Britain and the Provinces with the 
 United States. While the military road, to which I have alluded, may 
 answer in time of war, for a special and momentary purpose, the road I 
 have the honor to support will answer the daily purposes of peace. It 
 combines not only the traffic of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and 
 Prince Edward Island ( that fair i.slandof the ocean which ^e all admire), 
 it combines not only the traffic of these places with Maine and Massachu- 
 setts, but it connects the continent of Europe with the great West. We are, 
 gentlemen, to see the passengers who are now landed at New York, land 
 at Newfoundland or Nova Scotia, — perhaps at Louisbourg, with which Mas- 
 sachusetts was, in her early history, an honorable connection, — we are to 
 see these passengers landed there, and passing onward by this great line 
 to the West. And Europe is interested in this, for she sends out her hun- 
 dreds of thousands of emigrants every year, for whom we provide farms 
 in the wilderness. This great tide of travel is to be turned upon this rail- 
 way, and for this we invoke not only the aid of States and provinces, but 
 of England, for it will benefit her commerce and her subjects if we facili- 
 
21 
 
 tate intercourse between the two countries. I desire, therefore, a portion 
 of the twenty millions for the completion of that line which is placed 
 where it is wanted. Then, if a canal is wanted across the head of the Bay 
 of Fundy, across the isthmus, I ask a portion for that. And then, more 
 than that, I ask for a ship canal which shall turn the waters of the St. 
 Lawrence and the Ottawa, through Canadian territory, into Lake Cham- 
 plain, there to connect the railway system of Massachusetts, which has 
 already struck the shores of the lake, with Boston and Portland. You all 
 know, that by the great steamers on the lake, freight and passengers can 
 be carried at lower rates even than by railway, and I would have those 
 great steamers meet the railways on the shores of Lake Champlain, as 
 well as Ontario, and send their freight to New York, Boston, or Portland; 
 and for that purpose we must have a canal from Lake Champlain to the 
 St. Lawrence. We want it to bring the timber from Canada down to Bos- 
 ton and Portland. Then we want to deepen the canals of the St. Lawrence 
 and enlarge its locks, to facilitate that communication. And then we must 
 have a ship canal around the falls of Niagara, for which Vermont, Massa- 
 chusetts, and New Hampshire will all lift their voices, and give to it their 
 cordial support. We want, then, the North Pacific Railway, which has 
 been alluded to this morning, in order to connect with Oregon, and also 
 with the Red River and Saskatchawan, our new acquisition of Alaska. 
 It is already in progress. And, in this connection, I have the pleasure of 
 saying to you, that the morning papers announce the discovery, near 
 Sitka, of a vein of anthracite coal, twenty feet in thickness. It is 
 fortunate that the title to this territory has passed to the United States, 
 and that the money has been paid, for I venture to say, that such a coal- 
 bank will pay the whole purchase-money, and fully warrant the 
 acquisition. 
 
 These, gentlemen, are the great improvements which we require. But 
 before I leave the platform, permit me to say there is something more than 
 all this which we require. We require the restoration of amity between 
 the British Empire and the United States, (^.pplause.) We require that 
 the different questions which have sprung up, growing out of the late war, 
 shall be wisely settled. We require redress trom England, and I trust 
 that redress will be given cheerfully; and then, gentlemen, we want free 
 trade with the Provinces. I hope that you will not understand me as 
 speaking ofl&cially here, because I have had an ofiicial connection with 
 the Government in regard to the question of reciprocity; but I speak as a 
 citizen, as a delegate from a line of railway, ahd in that capacity only. 
 But I trust to live to see the day when every frontier post and every 
 custom-house along our northern frontier shall be obliterated (applause); 
 when no question of the protection of coal or iron in Pennsylvania, or of 
 lumber in your forests, will serve to restrict our intercourse with the 
 British Provinces. Coal and lumber, the natural products of our country, 
 require no protection, they protect themselves. Agriculture requires no 
 
22 
 
 protection. In a country like ours, where we donate farms, charging 
 neither for the rent nor the fee, agriculture requires no protection. I hope 
 to live to see the day when there shall be free trade and free commerce 
 between the British Provinces of North America and the United States. 
 (Applause.) That, sir, is the doctrine I advocate; and I tell my friends on 
 the other side the water, that the sooner they settle their questions with 
 the United States, the sooner that happy time will arrive. We are all 
 for it. 
 
 I hope, before I leave this meeting, to submit a few resolutions in which 
 we shall advocate the results I have ventured to picture in this off-hand 
 speech. 1 wish to present the idea that we are not to be content until our 
 great works are finished. So far as the railway I represent is concerned, 
 we ask no aid. Massachusetts has put her hands into her pockets and 
 taken out five millions, and appropriated them to the completion of our 
 enterprises; and she will have her rewarti ten-fold for that act of magna- 
 nimity, performed in spite of local opposition. All these great enteri^rises 
 meet with local opposition. This line, which I represent, has encountered 
 bitter opposition, because its tendency will be to build up the town of 
 Greenfield, to move Springfield up to Greenfield. The people of Spring- 
 field are averse to the change. They are reluctant to see a great 
 commercial center spring up at Greenfield, some forty miles beyond 
 them. So you hear from them, through the Boston papers, that the 
 tunnel will never be comjileted, that the State has been corrupted. If so, 
 it has corrupted itself, for it alone has had money to spare when it guaran- 
 teed the five millions. This pitiful local opposition will die away. A 
 similar opposition may assail your enterprises; but have courage; be of 
 good cheer. I entertain the belief that every railway, wherever it has 
 been built, will eventually be successful. It is only a question of time. 
 That has been the experience of the last thirty years, during which period 
 I have been identified, to a greater or less extent, with railway enterprises. 
 I have entire faith in their eventual success, and I believe it ^\nll be the 
 polity of Maine aud New Hampshire— I believe it should have been the 
 policy of Vermont, and ought now to be her jKJlicy — to advance her five 
 per cent bonds in support of these enterprises, and trust for her recom- 
 pense to the development of the resources of the State. 
 
 Thanking you for the courtesy with which you have listened to these 
 very desultory remarks, I hasten to conclude. 
 
 Mr. Farmer, from the Committee on Credentials and 
 Permanent Organization, reported that there were 
 delegates and invited guests present from the British 
 North America Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Bruns- 
 wick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Ontario ; 
 
23 
 
 and from the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Ver- 
 mont, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, 
 Iowa, lUinois, Missouri, Oregon, and Minnesota, and 
 from the District of Columbia, and that 205 had 
 already been entered upon the books as entitled to 
 seats in the Convention. Thereupon, it was voted 
 that the Committee have leave to report further as 
 additional delegates shall arrive. 
 
 The number of delegates entered upon the books 
 of the Convention as being in attendance, and entitled 
 to take part in its proceedings, was rising three 
 hundred, the list of which is as follows : 
 
 Adams, John M. 
 Ayer, Caleb R. 
 Anderson, John F. 
 Almy, James F. 
 Alley, John B. 
 Arnold, Isaac N. 
 Anderson, R. H. 
 Adams, N. W. 
 Allen, Thomas, 
 Brown, John B. 
 Boynton, Amrai, 
 Blazo, Eben'r, 
 Bell, Samuel N. 
 Boynton, Henry, 
 Brooks, Erastus, 
 Blow, Henry T. 
 Blackadar, H. W. 
 Beede, John W. 
 Baker, S. C. 
 Bingham, A. W. 
 Berry, W. A. 
 Babbillion, John, 
 Brown, James S. 
 Bemis, Loren, 
 Brewster, Eli V. 
 
 Portland, Me. 
 Cornish, " 
 Windham, " 
 Salem, Mass. 
 
 Lynn, " 
 Chicago, 111. 
 Detroit, Mich. 
 Porter, Me. 
 St. Louis, Mo. 
 Portland, Me. 
 Cornish, " 
 Parsonsfield, " 
 Manchester, N. H. 
 Woodstock, Vt. 
 New York. 
 St. Louis, Mo. 
 Halifax, N. S. 
 Meredith Vil., N. H. 
 Ashland, " 
 Bristol, " 
 
 Detroit, Mich. 
 Plymouth, Vt. 
 << (( 
 
 Dover. N. H. 
 
 Brecken, Fred. Charlottestown, P. E. I. 
 Bradbury, H. K. Hollis, Me. 
 
 Bailey, Hon. B. C. Bath, " 
 
 Blake, Hon, Samuel H, Bangor, " 
 
 Betts, William, Esq, 
 Baker, D. W. 
 Baird, H. 
 Bingham, C. W. 
 Benson, Hon. S. P. 
 Banks, Henry J. 
 Baker, James M. 
 Blanchard, C. B. 
 Bennett, John, 
 Carroll, John B. 
 Clapp, A. W, H. 
 Clark, Lewis W. 
 Cilley, Col. B. P. 
 Clarke, John B. 
 Chapman, Geo. R. 
 Corbett, Hon. H. W. 
 Carey, Theophilus, 
 Crawford, Geo. T. 
 Carleton, S. L. 
 Converse, Jos. H. 
 Carpenter, George O 
 Craig, W. H. 
 Carr, S. T. 
 Chase, Thomas, 
 Carter, Buel C. 
 Corser, S. T. 
 Cutting, Amos, 
 Cook, John, 
 Cain, John, 
 
 Montreal, P. Q. 
 Boston, Mass. 
 Chittenden, Vt. 
 Pittsfield, " 
 Brunswick, Me. 
 W. Ossipee, N. H. 
 Meredith, " 
 Sandwich Center, " 
 Parsonsfield, Me. 
 Portland, " 
 
 Manchester, N. H. 
 
 Woodstock, Vt. 
 Portland, Oregon. 
 Houlton, Me. 
 Bristol, N. H. 
 Portland, Me. 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
 Detroit, Mich. 
 Jackson, " 
 Nashua, N. H. 
 Ossipee, " 
 Portland, Me. 
 St. Louis, Mo. 
 Rutland, Vt. 
 
24 
 
 Clark. Cyrus S. PorUand, Me. 
 Chellis, Gen. David T. Newfield, " 
 
 Carter, S. B. Ossipee, N. H. 
 
 Clough, Timothy E. Danbury, " 
 Coe, Curtis S. Center Harbor, " 
 
 Deering, William, Portland, Me, 
 
 Dana, Charles, Woodstock, Vt, 
 
 Dwinal, Rufus Bangor, Me. 
 
 DoUoff, A. Bristol, N. H. 
 Dyer, William, New Hampton, " 
 
 Davis, J. M. Kezar Falls, Me. 
 
 Dewey, Albert G. Hartford, Vt. 
 
 Dup>ee, James A. Boston, Mass. 
 Derby, E. H. 
 
 Deane, Henry P. Portland, Me. 
 
 Davis, Hon. Woodbury " " 
 
 Dunn, Reuben B. Waterville, " 
 
 Drake, Geo. S. St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Dana, Woodbury S. Portland, Me. 
 Dow, F. N. 
 
 Davis, Geo. T. .. «< 
 
 Ellis, J. V. St. John, N. B. 
 
 Eaton, 8. W. Gorham, Me. 
 
 Edgar, J. C. St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Edmunds, L. Chittenden, Vt. 
 
 Emmons, John H. Hill, N. H. 
 Emerson, Samuel, New Hampton, " 
 
 Farmer, James L. Portland, Me. 
 
 Fessenden, Hon. Wm. P. " " 
 
 Fobes, Charles, " " 
 
 Foster, N. A. " " 
 
 Fling, Henry, " " 
 
 French, Warren C. Woodstock, Vt. 
 
 Foote, Caleb, Salem, Mass. 
 
 Fowler, O. F. Bristol, N. H. 
 
 Fisk, C. B. St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Folsom, Hon. Geo. New York. 
 
 Fisher, Hon. Chas. Fredcrickton, N. B. 
 
 Fling, Lewis W. Bristol, N. H. 
 
 Fellows, E. Q., Sand^vich, " 
 
 French, James Moultonboro, " 
 
 Gayle, E. F, W. Salem, Mass, 
 
 Gibbes, Hon. T. M. Oshawa, Ontario. 
 
 Gray, Joel, Embden, Me. 
 
 Godfrey, John E. Bangor, " 
 
 Gilman, C. J. Brunswick, " 
 
 Glasgow, E. J. St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Gould, Moses, Portland, Me. 
 
 Hatch, Freeman, " " 
 
 Haines, Allen, " " 
 
 Hersey, T. C. Portland, Me. 
 
 Howard, Joseph " " 
 
 Hanson, Samuel, Buxton, " 
 Harrington, Hon. E.W. M'nch'ter, N. H. 
 
 Haven, Edwin, Woodstock, Vt. 
 
 Hersey, S. F. Bangor, Me. 
 
 Harris, Samuel, Brunswick, " 
 
 Hamilton, Pierce S. Halifax. N. S. 
 
 Heard, Mr. P. E. Island. 
 
 Hoyt, G. G. Meredith, N. H. 
 
 Hughes, Thomas N. Ashland, " 
 
 Hatch, I'hilo, Woodstock, Vt. 
 
 Hatch, Alvin, " " 
 
 Hall, Joshua G. Dover, N. H. 
 
 Hill, Hamilton A. Boston, Mass. 
 
 Hubbard, T. H. Biddeford, Me. 
 
 Hutchins, W. F. Boston, Mass. 
 
 Huntington, W. M. Rochester, Vt. 
 
 Hoskinson, R. Mount Holly, " 
 
 Hoskinson, J. R. " " 
 
 Haskell. C. H. Portland, Me, 
 
 Hubbard, N. Tamworth, N. H. 
 
 Hatch, O. G. " " 
 Huntress, J. L. Center Harbor. " 
 
 Hubbard. J. P. Hiram, Me. 
 
 Jameson, John, Cornish, " 
 
 Jose, Horatio N. Portland, " 
 
 Jones, John S. Salem, Mass. 
 
 Jones, Thomas R. St. John, N. B. 
 
 Johnson, Edwin F. Mlddletown, Conn. 
 
 Johnson, Jamos Sherburne, Vt, 
 
 Jordan, Samuel, Westbrook, Me. 
 
 Knight, Enoch, Portland, " 
 
 Kimball, James M. " " 
 
 Kidder, Joseph, Manchester, N. H. 
 
 King, Hon. Horatio, Washington, D.C. 
 
 Keyes, J. F. Ashland, N. H. 
 
 Kinnicutt, F. H. Worcester, Mass. 
 
 Kellogg, F. B. St. Louis, Mo. 
 Knight, Aug. 
 
 Kilburn, J. B. Rutland, Vt. 
 
 Kingsley, C. .... 
 Kingsley, L. G. 
 
 Kimball, Chas. P. Portland, Me. 
 
 Lord, Tobias, Standish, " 
 
 Lynch, John, Portland, " 
 Libby, H. J. 
 
 Libby, Randall, Porter, Me. 
 
 Ladd, Geo. W. Bangor, " 
 
 Lockwood, A. D. Lewiston, " 
 
25 
 
 Lyman, J. D. Farmington, N. H. 
 
 Latham, C. H. Lowell, Mass. 
 
 Laflin, S. H. St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 LeProhon, E. P. Portland, Me. 
 
 Loomis, Peter B. Jackson, Mich. 
 
 McLellan, JacoD, Portland, Me. 
 
 Messer, F. G. " " 
 
 Miller, N. J. " " 
 
 McArthur, Wm. Limington, " 
 
 McKenney, Freeman, " " 
 
 Mussey, John Portland, " 
 
 Macdonald, Francis, " " 
 
 Merrill, Albert, " " 
 
 Morrill, H. K. Gardiner, " 
 
 Manning, 11. C. ' Salem, Mass. 
 McDonald, Hon. A. A. P. E. Island. 
 
 Mudgett, Ambrose H. Holderness, N. H. 
 
 McCraig, Wm. Detroit, Mich. 
 
 McKenzie, Justin T. Hartford, Vt. 
 
 Moore, Thomas, Plymouth, " 
 
 McDuffee, John, Rochester, N. H. 
 Morgan, Jas. Appleton, Racine, Wis. 
 
 McNaughton, A. M. Jackson, Mich. 
 Merrill, Hon. Samuel, Desmoines, Iowa. 
 
 Morse, E. A. Rutland, Vt. 
 
 Marshall, B. W. " " 
 
 Moore, M, J. " " 
 
 MiUiken, Chas. R. Portland, Me. 
 
 Morris, Chas. J. " " 
 
 Manson, B. T. " " 
 
 Moulton, Moses S. Porter, " 
 Mason, W. H. H. Moultonboro, N. H. 
 
 Marshall, Wm. C. Meredith, " 
 Merrow, M. H. New Hampton, " 
 
 McGoon, Benj. H. " " 
 
 Mason, Larkin D. Tamworth, " 
 
 Mason, S. K. Bristol, " 
 
 Mason, J. M, Limerick, Me. 
 
 Moore, C. K. Parsonsfleld, " 
 
 Newbegin, E. H. " " 
 
 Neal, John, Portland, " 
 
 Nash, John D. Halifax, N. S. 
 Nealley, John, Meredith Vil., N. H. 
 
 Nason, Charles, Ossipee, " 
 
 O'Brion, John, Cornish, Me. 
 
 Perley, Jonas H. Portland, " 
 
 Poor, John A. no 
 
 Paul, Norman, Woodstock, Vt. 
 
 Pratt, Lewis, " 
 
 Prentiss, H. E. Bangor, Me. 
 
 Pierce, Benj., LL.D., Cambridge, Mass. 
 
 Phillips, VVillard P. Salem, " 
 
 Putnam, George F, " " 
 Plummer, J. P. Meredith Vil., N. H. 
 
 Parker, J. C. Hartford, Vt. 
 
 Penney, E.G. Montreal, P. Q. 
 
 Patterson, W. J. " " 
 
 Pierce, Col. George H. Dover, N. H. 
 
 Pringle, Eugene Jackson, Mich, 
 
 Palmer, W. J. St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Paine, H. H. Rutland, Vt. 
 
 Perry, John D, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Pratt, Eben G. « .. 
 
 Pierpoint, E. Rutland, Vt. 
 
 Putnam, Wm. L. Portland, Me 
 Perkins, J. W. 
 
 Pierce, Lewis, " '• 
 Piper, J. 8. New Hampton, N. H. 
 Plummer, Lane, Meredith Center, " 
 
 Richardson, R. M. Portland, Me. 
 
 Rice, Nehemiah C. " " 
 
 Robie, Frederick, Gorham, " 
 
 Ridlon, E. S. Parsonsfleld,' " 
 
 Richmond, Lorenzo, Woodstock, Vt. 
 
 Rich, William D. New York. 
 
 Ridlon, Samuel, jr. Porter, Me. 
 
 Raymond, Charles S. Bridgewater, Vt. 
 
 Rice, Hon. Richard D. Augusta, Me. 
 
 Rice, " John H. Bangor, " 
 
 Randall, J. J. R. Rutland, Vt. 
 
 Rich, M. N. Portland, Me, 
 
 Richardson, Daniel T. Baldwin, " 
 
 Roles, J. Q. Ossipee, N. H. 
 
 Stevens, Aug. E. Portland, Me. 
 
 Shurtleff, A. K. " " 
 Sweat, L. D. M. 
 
 Swasey, H. J. Standish, " 
 
 Stacey, L. D. Porter, " 
 Straw, Hon. E. Manchester, N. H. 
 
 Smyth, Hon. F. " '' 
 
 Sayward, Charles W. Woodstock, Vt. 
 
 Stetson, George Bangor, Me. 
 
 Safford, James O. Salem, Mass. 
 
 Simpson, J. E. New York. 
 Sanborn, John S. Meredith Vil., N. H. 
 
 Scribner, Frank S. Ashland, " 
 
 Scribner, Ambrose, " " 
 
 Standish, J. D. Detroit, Mich. 
 
 Stanley, Moses N. Porter, Me. 
 
 Slack, E. H. Woodstock, Vt. 
 
26 
 
 Sawyer, George Y. Nashua, N. H, 
 
 Stevens, Lyman D. Concord, " 
 
 Sabine, Hon. Lorenzo, Boston, Mass. 
 Smith, John, jr. Meredith Vil., N. H. 
 
 Sturgeon, Isaac H. 
 Sturdivant, Cyrus, 
 Swasey, William, 
 Stone, William B. 
 Spring, J. H. 
 Towle, Ezra, 
 Tyler, Samuel, 
 Tobin, Stephen, 
 Taylor, Cyrus, 
 Tufts, Charles A. 
 Thompson, T. M. 
 Talbot, Hon. George F, 
 Taylor, George R. 
 Taylor, Hon. James W 
 Taylor, Charles H. 
 Taylor, D. W. 
 Twitchell, Thomas E. 
 Thurston, Josiah, 
 Thurston, Benj. E 
 Wood, Rufus E. 
 
 St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Portland, Me. 
 
 Llmeriok, " 
 
 Danbury, N. H. 
 
 Hiram, Me. 
 
 Cornish, " 
 
 Brownfleld, " 
 
 Halifax, N. S. 
 
 Bristol, N. H. 
 
 Dover, N. H. 
 
 Montreal, P. Q. 
 
 Portland, Me. 
 
 St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
 Sherburne, Vt 
 
 Portland, Me. 
 
 Freedom, N. H. 
 
 Moultonboro, " 
 
 Portland. Me. 
 
 Woodman, George W. 
 Woodbury, N. L. 
 
 Woodbury, William.W. 
 Willis, William, 
 Woodman, J. C. 
 Waterman, John A. 
 Weston, James A. 
 Washburn, Peter T. 
 Wheatland, Henry, 
 Willis, Edward, 
 Wheeler, A. D., D.D. 
 Workman, William, 
 Wadlelgh, G. W. 
 Wards worth, Samuel D 
 
 Portland, Me. 
 
 Gorham, " 
 
 Manchester, N. H. 
 
 Woodstock,Vt. 
 
 Salem, Mass. 
 
 St. John, N. B. 
 
 Topsham, Me. 
 
 Montreal, P. Q. 
 
 Kezar Falls, Me. 
 
 Porter, •• 
 
 Wallace, E. G. Rochester, N. H. 
 
 Woodwell, C. H. Boston, Mass. 
 
 Ward, George L. ■< .« 
 
 Wallbridge, H. D. New York. 
 Workman, Hon. Thos. Montreal. P. Q. 
 
 Whitmore, H. R. St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Weston. T. H. Portland, Me. 
 
 Winslow, James N. " " 
 
 Weed, William M. Sandwich, N. H. 
 
 Walker, Schuyler, Alexandria, " 
 Woodman, Dana, New Hampton, " 
 
 Whipple, Thomas J. l^couia, ". 
 
 Young, £. Meredith, " 
 
 Mr. Farmer, on behalf of the Committee, further 
 reported the following for permanent officers of the 
 Convention : 
 
 President: 
 His Excellency SAMUEL MERRILL, Gov. of Iowa, of Desmoines, Iowa. 
 
 Vice-Presidents : 
 
 Hon. Stephen Tobin, Mayor, 
 " Thos. R. Jones, M. L. C, 
 " A. A. McDonald,. . . 
 " Wm. Workman, Mayor, 
 " T. M. GiBBS, M. P. P., . 
 
 J. D. Standish, Esq., . . . 
 
 Hon. Thomas All,en, . . . 
 " JAME.S W. Taylor, . . 
 " Wm. Pitt Fessenden, Senator 
 ** Eli V. Brewster, Mayor, . . 
 
 Gen. Peter T. Washburn, . . . 
 
 Halifax, N. S. 
 St. John, N. B. 
 Charlottestown, P. E.L 
 Montreal, Canada. 
 Osbawa, Ontario. 
 Detroit, Michigan. 
 St. Louis, Mo. 
 St. Paul, Minn. 
 Portland, Maine. 
 Dover, N. H. 
 Woodstock, Vt. 
 
27 
 
 Hon. Amasa Walker, North Brookfield, Mass. 
 
 " George Folsom, New York. 
 
 " Horatio King, Washington, D. C. 
 
 " Isaac N. Arnold, Chicago, 111. 
 
 " H. W. CoRBETT, Senator Portland, Oregon. 
 
 Secretaries. 
 
 Hon. Frederick Robie, Gorham, Maine. 
 
 " O. F. Fowler, Bristol, N. H. 
 
 James A. Dupee, Esq., Boston, Mass. 
 
 H. W. Blackadar, Halifax, N. S. 
 
 E. G. Penney, Esq., Montreal, Canada. 
 
 John Cain, Esq., Rutland, Yt. 
 
 These officers were elected, and, on motion, a com- 
 mittee of three was appointed by the chair, consisting 
 of Messrs. Poor, Derby, and Washburn, to wait on 
 GoY. Merrill, and conduct him to the chair. 
 
 The committee haYing discharged this duty, Goy. 
 Merrill said : 
 
 Gentlemen of the Convention,— I thank you for the distinguished honor 
 which you have done me this morning, unexpected as it really is. I accept 
 it, not only as an honor to myself personally, as a sdn of Maine, but as an 
 honor to my State, the great State of Iowa. (Applause.) 
 
 As it has not "been ray habit to make public speeches, I know you will 
 excuse me at this time from further addressing you, and I wait, therefore, 
 your pleasure. 
 
 Gen. P. T. Washburn moYcd the appointment of a 
 committee to consider and report to the ConYention 
 the order of business. 
 
 This motion was carried, and it was Yoted that the 
 committee consist of thirteen. The chair announced 
 the following gentlemen as the Committee on 
 Business : 
 
 Hon. Peter T. Washburn Woodstock, Yt. 
 
 " Henry T. Blow, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 " James W. Taylor, St. Paul, Minn. 
 
28 
 
 "W. H. Craig, Esq., Detroit, Michigan. 
 
 W. J. Patterson, Esq., Montreal, Canada. 
 
 Hon. John A. Poor, Portland, Me. 
 
 Hamilton A. Hill, Boston, Mass. 
 
 Hon. H. W. Corbett, Portland, Oregon. 
 
 John D. Nash, Esq., Halifax, N. S. 
 
 Hon. Charles Fisher, St. John, N. B. 
 
 " F. Brecken, Charlottestown, P. E. I. 
 
 " F. Smyth, Manchester, N. H. 
 
 On motion, it was voted, that when the Convention 
 adjourn, it be to meet at three o'clock, p.m. 
 
 On motion of Hon. John Neal, the Convention then 
 
 adjourned. 
 
 AFTERNOON SESSION. 
 
 The Convention met at three o'clock, the President 
 in the chair. 
 
 Hon. Frederick Robie, one of the Secretaries, read 
 letters sent in response to the invitation to be present 
 and participate in the proceedings of the Convention. 
 
 Letter from the Governor of Maine, 
 
 ExBcunvE Depabtment, 
 
 Augusta, Aug. 3, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 My Dear Sir,— I much regret that the necessity of my going to Bangor 
 to-day to meet a public appointment with the Executive Council will 
 deprive me of the privilege of participating in your important and most 
 interesting conference of the friends of commercial enterprise and interna- 
 tional comity. 
 
 The objects of the Convention, and the topics with which you will be 
 chiefly concerned, are matters which have greatly interested me, and which 
 I have already, on every occasion, sought to commend to the attention of 
 our people. 
 
 I would be glad to be present, and extend a welcome in behalf of the 
 State to the distinguished gentlemen assembled to consult upon measures 
 which so closely affect her interests; but finding this impossible,! offer you 
 
29 
 
 this assurance of my most cordial sympathy and co-operation, so far as my 
 ability or opportunities will permit. 
 
 I am, with high respect. 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 J. L. CHAMBERLAIN. 
 
 Letter from the Governor of Vermont. 
 
 Rutland, Vt., Aug. 1, 1868. 
 Hon. JoHisr A. Pooe: 
 
 My Dear Sir, — I regret that I am not able to be with you on the 4th inst. 
 Some engagements that I had hoped to put off, required my attention, and 
 it is impossible for me to leave Vermont during the coming week. You 
 must not infer from my absence that I have lost any interest in the Port- 
 land and Rutland Railroad ; on the contrary, we feel much encouraged in 
 regard to its prospects, and believe that it needs only energetic and united 
 efforts to secure the building of the links wanting in this important line of 
 road. 
 
 We send a large delegation to your meeting, and have surveyed the 
 Rutland and Woodstock Railroad, a link in the Portland and Rutland, 
 and find the route as favorable as w€ expected. 
 
 We have procured the subscriptions of stock necessary for organization, 
 and the directors are to be elected as soon as the legal notices can be given. 
 
 Hoping your meeting will prove a success, and tend to promote the ob- 
 jects for which it is held, 
 
 I remain, truly, your obedient servant, 
 
 JOHN B. PAGE. 
 
 Letter from the Secretary of State. 
 
 Department of State, 
 
 Washington, July 18, 1868. 
 To Messrs. John A. Poor, and others: 
 
 Gentlemen,—! have received the circular which you have issued calling 
 an International Commercial Convention to take into consideration the 
 various measures and plans now before the country to increase facilities 
 of intercourse and trade between the Atlantic sea-board, the interior of 
 the continent, and the new States and Territories upon the Pacific coast. 
 
 The paper is so attractive, that it seduced me for a moment into the be- 
 lief that it would be possible for me to accept the invitation which you 
 have so kindly extended to me. Upon further reflection, however, I find 
 that it would be impossible for me to avail myself of so great an indul- 
 gence. 
 
 Thanking you very sincerely for your attention, and hoping that the 
 
 patriotic labors of the Convention will be crowned with a large measure 
 
 of public favor, 
 
 I remain, very respectfully, your humble servant, 
 
 WILLIAM H. SEWARD. 
 
30 
 
 Letter from the Secretary of the Interior. 
 
 Depaetment of the Interior, 
 
 Washington, July 17, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq: 
 
 Sir,— I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 11th inst., 
 inclosing an invitation to attend a meeting of an International Conven- 
 tion, to be held at Portland, on the 4th of August next, for the adoption of 
 measures to increase the facilities, by means of Railways and Canals, for 
 carrying on trade and commerce between the Atlantic States and those 
 lying on the Pacific coast. 
 
 Although my official duties will not permit me to avail myself of the 
 invitation of the Committee, I shall confidently indulge the hope that the 
 action of the International Convention will be calculated to subdue un- 
 reasonable sectional prejudices, and to promote the great commercial, 
 agricultural, and manufacturing interests of our country. 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 O. H. BROWNING. 
 
 Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury. 
 
 Treasury Department, 
 
 Washington, July 31, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq. : 
 
 Dear /Sir,— Your favor of the 11th inst. was duly received. Sympathiz- 
 ing as I do with all proper efforts which are being made to "increase the 
 facilities of intercourse and trade" between the diflerent sections of the 
 United States, and between the United States and the Canadas, I regret to 
 be under the necessity of saying that my official duties are of such a char- 
 acter as to prevent me from accepting your kind invitation to be present 
 at the International Commercial Convention, to be held at Portland on 
 
 the 4th proximo. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 HUGH Mcculloch. 
 
 Letter from the Secretary of War. 
 
 War Department, 
 
 Washington, July 23, 1868. 
 John A. Poor: 
 
 My Dear Sir,—1 regret exceedingly that attention to matters connected 
 with my Department renders it impossible to accept your polite invitation 
 to attend a meeting of the "International Commercial Convention" at 
 Portland. 
 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedt. servant, 
 
 J. M. SCHOFIELD, Sec. of War- 
 
31 
 
 Letter from Senator Edmands. 
 
 United States Senate Chamber, 
 
 Washington, July 17, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 Dear Sir, — I have yours of the 11th, inviting nie to attend the Interna- 
 tional Commercial Convention to be held at Portland, on August 4th. I 
 very much regret it will be impossible for me to be present on that 
 occasion. 1 sympathize heartily in the great objects which your meeting 
 is intended to promote. Every well-managed line of railway stretching 
 over wide areas of the country, not only adds to the material prosperity of 
 the country, but it is an imperishable bond of union. I wish them all 
 
 success. 
 
 In haste, yours truly, 
 
 GEO. F. EDMANDS. 
 
 Letter from Senator Sherman. 
 
 Committee of Finance, U, S. Senate, 
 
 Washington, July 18, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 My Dear Sir,— Yonv note of the 11th inst., inviting me to attend and 
 take part in the proposed International Commercial Convention at Port- 
 land, Maine, was duly received. I heartily approve of the general objects 
 of your Convention, and would be delighted not only to visit the city of 
 Portland, but also to join you in your effort to increase her commercial 
 intercourse with the interior of the continent ; but this long and exhausting 
 session leaves me in no condition to assist you. I must go home and rest. 
 
 I am, very truly yours, 
 
 JOHN SHERMAN. 
 
 Letter from Senator Drake. 
 
 United States Senate Chamber, 
 
 Washington, July 20, 1868, 
 John A. Poor, Esq. : 
 
 Dear Sir, — I have received your letter of 11th inst. , inviting me to be 
 present at an International Commercial Convention to be held in your 
 city on the 4th of August. 
 
 Cordially sympathizing in any effort to promote railway communication 
 between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, I should be pleased to attend the 
 Convention if circumstances were favorable ; but when Congress adjourns, 
 other things will claim my time and attention, so as to make it inconvenient 
 for me 'to be present there. I shall, therefore, have to deny myself the 
 pleasure of meeting with you on that occasion. 
 
 Very respectfully yours 
 
 C. D. DRAKE. 
 
32 
 
 Letter from Speaker Colfax. 
 
 House of Repeesentatives, 
 
 Washington, July 17, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 My Dear Sir,— I have only time to reply, amid multiplied duties incident 
 to the approaching close of the session, that, at the time you indicate, I 
 shall be on the road to the Rocky Mountains with my family, and -will 
 therefore have to deny myself the pleasure of attendance at your Conven- 
 tion. 
 
 In great haste, yours truly, 
 
 SCHUYLER COLFAX. 
 
 Letter from Senator Harlan. 
 
 United States Senate Chamber, 
 
 Washington, July 28, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq. : 
 
 Dear Sir,— I am in receipt of your communication of the 11th inst., invit- 
 ing me to attend the International Commercial Convention to be held at 
 your place on the 4th proximo. Press of business incident to the closing 
 up of Congress, preparatory to taking a recess, has prevented my apply- 
 ing earlier. 
 
 I regret to say, my engagements are such that I cannot possibly be with 
 you on an occasion of so much interest. Movements of tliis character, 
 having in view the adoption of measures to increase the facility of inter- 
 course by railway and canal, and the adjustment, on the most liberal 
 terms, of the regulations of trade upon our continent, never fail to meet 
 with a hearty response from Western men. 
 
 With the hope that your deliberations may be crowned with the success 
 
 you desire, I remain. 
 
 Yours, very truly, 
 
 JAS. HARLAN. 
 
 Letter from Eon. Charles Upson, of Michigan. 
 
 House of Representatives, 
 
 Washington, July 18, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq.: 
 
 Dear Sir, — I an» in receipt of copy of Call for an International Commer- 
 cial Convention, to be held at Portland, Maine, on the 4th of August next, 
 and, in reply to your request accompanying the same, will say that while 
 recognizing the great importance of the objects and measures to be consid- 
 ered and acted unon by said Convention, as set forth in said Call, yet the 
 nature of my engagements is such that it will be impossible for me to be 
 
 present and participate in its proceedings. 
 
 Truly yours, \ 
 
 CHAS. UPSON. 
 
33 
 
 Letter from Gen. Eaton, U. 8. A. 
 
 Office Commissary-General of Subsistence, 
 Washington, July 23, 1868. 
 Messrs. John A. Poor, and others : 
 
 Gentlemen, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a printed 
 copy of your invitation to take part in an International Commercial Con- 
 vention, to be held at Portland, Maine, on Tuesday, August 4, 1868. Had 
 I the exi^erience and ability requisite to afford you any substantial aid in 
 perfecting your great design, I would endeavor to attend the proposed 
 Convention. 
 
 It does not require inspiration — statistics, arithmetic, and a study of the 
 year past are sufficient— to forecast for the people of the United States of 
 America a near future of such transcendent prosperity, accompanied by 
 such an unequalled increase of population, as will require for their use, by 
 the time you are ready, not only your contemplated trans-continental rail- 
 road, but many others. I do not think you are in the field any too early. 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 A. B. EATON, Com. Genl. 
 
 Letter from Paymaster Harris. 
 
 U. S. Navy Yard, Boston, 
 
 Paymaster's Office, July 28, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq., and others: 
 
 Gentlemen, — I thank you for an invitation to the International Commer- 
 cial Convention at Portland, on the 4th proximo. 
 
 The last quarter of a century has so clearly demonstrated the economy 
 of travel and transportation by steam, both afloat and ashore, that the 
 propositions which you suggest are undoubtedly practicable. 
 
 It is always safe to build our philosophy on the foundations of experience 
 and history. 
 
 We have seen that railways produce their own sustenance, making 
 travel and transportation where none existed before, developing the 
 resources of the districts which they traverse; and as they have become 
 more and more profitable every year, it is safe to assume that no invest- 
 ments are less hazardous for capitalists. 
 
 My profession, for many years in the naval service afloat — carrying me 
 entirely round the world and up and down the globe's surface, almost as 
 far as the oceans are navigable — has not particularly qualified me to 
 appreciate all the details of your contemplated great shore- works ; but I 
 do not fail to discover the vast scope of its national and individual benefits, 
 and its most evident feasibility. 
 
 Nor will its benefits be confined to our own country or continent, but 
 will enure to all the principal nations of the earth; contribating to give a 
 3 
 
34 
 
 more lively impetus to the best elements of enlightened civilization 
 throughout the world. 
 
 Regretting»that engagements prevent me from sharing the honor and the 
 privilege of taking part in your inauguration of this great work, 
 I am, gentlemen, very truly yours, 
 
 I. GEO. HARRIS. 
 
 Letter from Hon. J. F. Forbes. 
 
 Liverpool, N. S., July 22, 1868. 
 To John A. Poor, Esq., and others: 
 
 Gentleme7i,—ia answer to your courteous invitation to attend the meeting 
 to take place in your city on the 4th proximo, to consider the subject of 
 " extended intercourse over this continent," I am very sorry to feel obliged 
 to decline taking a part in the deliberations necessary to so gigantic and 
 patriotic a scheme as the one to be brought before the Convention. To say 
 that I do not take a deep interest in the question, would not be consonant 
 with my feelings, for it is one in which every dweller on this continent 
 should feel a personal concern, as it will draw those bands of commercial 
 interest around our people, and tend to cement them into the one great 
 family, which God and nature intended should be the case, as regards the 
 Anglo-American people on this continent; that we may see the same flag 
 floating over a united people at no distant day, is a sentiment largely per- 
 vading this ancient and once loyal province no one can deny; and that the 
 ** wish is father to the thought " is patent to the w^hole of a dissatisfied and 
 an insulted people, and a people who will never rest easy until such time 
 as they have escaped from the serfdom of an appendage to Canada, and 
 found safety and contentment under the protecting wings of your noble 
 eagle. 
 
 Feeling sorry I shall not be with you to express in person my feelings 
 upon the important question to be considered by the many able and 
 influential gentlemen assembled on the occasion, I can only further say, 
 it is my sincere hope and wish, that whatever may be the result of the 
 consultation, it will be of a nature to increase the attraction which is so 
 strongly drawing us together. 
 
 My absence is unavoidable, owing to previous public engagements, or I 
 should certainly be with you. And now, gentlemen, wishing you a success 
 commensurate with the magnitude and utility of the undertaking, 
 I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, 
 
 J. F. FORBES, M. P. 
 
 Letter from Hon. Mr. Killam, M. P. P. 
 
 Yarmouth, K. S., July 16, 1868. 
 To THE International Commercial Convention: 
 
 Gentlemen,— Y OUT circular-invitation to the International Commercial 
 Convention is at hand, and contents noted. Previous engagements pre- 
 
35 
 
 vents my having the pleasure of meeting you, which I much regret. The 
 subject to come under your consideration is world-wide, and its magnitude 
 beyond the stretch of my imagination ; yet to men that have been en- 
 gaged in great enterprises, nothing appears to be too large to be under- 
 taken. I hope and trust your deliberations will enable you to agree on 
 measures that will tend to advance the prosperity of your country and its 
 adjoinings. At present. Nova Scotians are so unfortunately situated politi- 
 cally, that little material aid can be given, but we wish you every success, 
 and trust the day is not distant when our connection with the United 
 States will be a closer one than a railroad can give. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 THOMAS KILLAM. 
 
 Letter from Hon, W. H. Townsend, M. P. P. 
 
 Yarmouth, K. S., July 24, 1868. 
 To John A. Poor, Esq., and others: 
 
 Gentlemen,— Y OUT circular dated June 29th, inviting me to take part in an 
 International Commercial Convention to be held at Portland, Maine, on 
 Tuesday, the 4th of August next, was duly received. I regret exceedingly 
 that the meeting of our Nova Scotian Legislature, on the 6th of August 
 will deprive me of the privilege of being present at this Convention. The 
 grand programme that you have marked out is certainly worthy the cor- 
 dial co-operation and support of every friend of commerce, and I trust 
 your deliberations will result in the full consummation of this magnificent 
 enterprise. 
 
 I have the honor to be, gentlemen, your obedt. servant. 
 
 W. H. TOWNSEND. 
 
 Letter from Hon. B. B. Dickey, M. L. C. 
 
 Amherst, N. S., July 24, 1868. 
 To John A. Poor, and others : 
 
 Gentlemen,—! have read with interest, as as well as pleasure, your circu- 
 lar invitation, kindly urging my attendance at the International Commer- 
 cial Convention, to be held in your pleasant city on Tuesday, August 4th. 
 
 Owing to engagements sometime since made, and which cannot be post- 
 poned, I very much regret to say it will not be in my power to join you. 
 Cordially sympathizing as I do with the objects of the proposed meeting, 
 and believing that such a gathering may greatly tend to promote these ob- 
 jects', I would have gladly taken a part in furthering the good work, were 
 I not unavoidably prevented from leaving home next month. 
 
 I have a lively recollection of the many pleasing incidents of the past 
 European and North American Railway Convention in the latter days of 
 July, 1850, the precursor of a meeting which I trust may be equally agree- 
 
36 
 
 able and successful. True it is, political exigencies in Nova Scotia have 
 retarded the great work we then met to inaugurate, but the impetus which 
 this international undertaking received has not been thrown away, and at 
 the close of 1870 will witness the realization of the hopes of its founders, 
 among whom I deem it a proud privilege to be classed. 
 
 Believing, as I do, that these international iron bands form the strongest 
 links of kindly feeling and increased peaceful intercourse and good fel- 
 lowship between the great nations of the earth, and that these good ends 
 may be subserved by one or two, or even more iron roads across the terri- 
 tory of both, that shall bear tho rich treasures of the East to the markets 
 of the West, and carry back civilization, with its attendant blessings, to In- 
 dia, China, Japan, and the isles of the Pacific. I greet your meeting with 
 the best wishes of my whole heart for its success. Such a gathering is 
 wortliy of the great American people, among whom it has been initiated, 
 and I trust it may be well attended by their younger cousins from our new 
 Dominion. 
 
 With my renewefl. expressions of regret, and best wishes for your suc- 
 cess, I beg to subscribe myself 
 
 Your faithful servant, 
 
 B. B. DICKEY. 
 
 Letter from Hon. 8. L. Tilley, Minister of CustomSf Canada. 
 
 St. John, N. B., July 24, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq.: 
 
 Dear 5'tr,— Please convey to the Committee of the International Com- 
 mercial Convention my thanks for their invitation, and my sincere regret 
 that I cannot be with them on the 4th of August next, to take part in their 
 proceedings. I will be rejoiced if the deliberations of the Conference 
 result in the adoption of resolutions forming increased commercial inter- 
 course between the United States and the British North American 
 
 Provinces. 
 
 I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
 
 S. L. TILLEY. 
 
 Letter from Hon. J. K. Ryerson, M. P. P. 
 
 Yarmouth, N. "s., July 20, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor, and others : 
 
 Oentlemen,— Your circular concerning the International Commercial 
 Convention about to be convened in the city of Portland came duly to 
 hand, and contents noted. 
 
 Our Local Legislature meets at Halifax about the same time (Aug. 6) as 
 your Convention, and, in consequence, I shall not be able to attend the 
 Convention. However, I fully concur with all that you have laid down in 
 this grand programme, and trust that there will be a large delegation to 
 
37 
 
 discuss this important question, and that they will do all in their power to 
 bring about this grand scheme for facilitating travel, etc. 
 I remain, gentlemen, yours respectfully, 
 
 JOHN K. BYEESON. 
 
 Letter Jrom the Secretary of State of New Hampshire. 
 
 Farmington, July 28, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 Dear Sir,— Flense accept my many thanks for your invitation to attend 
 the 4th of August Convention, and for your paper on railroad matters. 
 Permit me to say that your Convention is to consider subjects worthy of 
 the marvellous decade which has already witnessed the laying of the 
 Atlantic cable, the suppression of the great rebellion, the death of 
 American slavery, and shall yet see the completion of two railroads 
 to the Pacific Ocean, a ship canal across the isthmus of Suez, a more 
 complete and voluntary opening of China to Western commerce and 
 civilization, and, we trust, the realization of the glorious vision of 
 Columbus in a Western route for oriental commerce and telegraj)hic 
 communication around the world. Marvellous decade! Columbus and 
 Washington — the discoverer of a new world and the father of earth's 
 noblest republic — scarcely knew its equal, and they alone, since the 
 Christian era. No decade can claim the invention of printing and of the 
 steam engine. 
 
 Portland is decidedly the most enterprising city east of Chicago, and I 
 pray you -God-speed. Would that I could do something in your great 
 enterprise. Believing in the Suez canal, the supply of fuel for the Pacific 
 steamers becomes of vast importance. It ought to be obtained in southern 
 Asia and west of the Rocky Mountains in North Ameriea. England and 
 Belgium should not hold the fuel for the Pacific-oriental commerce. Your 
 Convention is glorious in its conceptions, and God grant that it may be 
 great in its practical results. I believe in worthies who, like the " three 
 children" of old and the Portlanders, cannot be destroyed by fire. I shall 
 drop into your Convention if possible, of which I am not yet sure. 
 With great respect, yours very truly, 
 
 J. D. LYMAN. 
 
 Letter from John W. Draper, LL. B. 
 
 University New York, Aug. 3, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq. : 
 
 Dear (Sir,— Owing to my absence, your letter did not fall into my hands 
 until now. I suppose your meeting is to take place to-morrow. I earnestly 
 approve of your objects, and regret that I am not able to take part in your 
 
 proceedings. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 JOHN W. DRAPER. 
 
38 
 
 Letter from Hon. Levi Underwood. 
 
 Burlington, Vt., July 27, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Pooe: 
 
 Dear Sir,— Your favor inviting me to the International Commercial Con- 
 vention, to be held in your city on the 4th proximo, is received. I regret 
 that it is quite impossible for me to be present. The importance of the 
 commercial improvements necessary to a cheap transportation between 
 the Western States and Canadas, and the Atlantic sea-board, cannot be 
 overestimated. The feasibility of spring water communication between 
 the Western Lakes, the St. Lawrence Kiver, and Lake Champlain, should 
 be kept constantly before the public, until that all-important work shall 
 be accomplished, and its value, commercially and politically, to the West- 
 ern and New England States and the Canadas, fully realized. 
 
 The construction of railways connecting Portland with Lake Cham- 
 l)lain will be necessary to distribute the produce which will be brought in 
 steam-vessels from the Western Lakes to Lake Champlain at one-half the 
 cost of rail transportation. Lake Champlain can be reached from Port- 
 land most advantageously via Concord, Claremont, and Gasset's, on the 
 line of the Rutland Railroad. This route is shortest, freest from deep 
 snows in winter, and with less railway to construct; and with this, also, 
 you will have the best all-rail route to the West. With the establishment 
 of that commercial convenience,— the Champlain Ship Canal,— reciprocity 
 in trade and commerce, between the United States and the Dominion of 
 Canada, will be a necessity. The political harmony between the Eastern 
 and Western States can only be preserved by increasing commercial facil- 
 ities. People will not harmonize who are compelled to submit to unneces- 
 sary inconvenience in commerce. Nor will they long quarrel vrith their 
 own bread and butter. I trust the work you contemplate will be speedily 
 pushed forward to comi)letion. 
 
 I remain yours, with kind regards, 
 
 LEVI UNDERWOOD. 
 
 Letter from Hon. M. M. Jackson. 
 
 CONSUIiATE OP THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
 
 Halifax, N. S., July 23, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 Dear Sir,—1 thank you for the invitation with which you have honored 
 me, on behalf of the Committee of Arrangements, to attend thfe Interna- 
 tional-Commercial Convention, to be held at Portland on the 4th of August 
 next. 
 
 I deeply regret that official engagements will deprive me of the pleasure 
 of participating in the proceedings of the proposed Convention. 
 
 The objects contemplated by the enlightened and public-spirited citizens 
 who have originated this great movement "for the adoption of measures 
 
39 
 
 to increase the facilities of intercourse by railway and canal, and the ad- 
 justment, on the most liberal terms, of the regulation of trade upon the 
 continent of North America," will, I am sure, commend themselves to 
 the favorable consideration of the people both of the United States and the 
 British North American Provinces. 
 
 Trusting that the beneficial results of the Convention may realize the 
 anticipation of its projectors, 
 
 I am, with great respect, your friend and ob't servant, 
 
 M. M. JACKSON. 
 
 Letter from Hon. George Walker. 
 
 Springfield, July 25, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor, and others : 
 
 Gentlemen,—! beg to acknowledge the receipt of your circular-letter, 
 inviting me to participate in an International Commercial Convention, to 
 be held at Portland on the 4th proximo. I regret that my engagements 
 will not allow me to leave home at that time. 
 
 I am glad tp see the people of Maine moving in the important subject of 
 improving the means of commercial intercourse between the agricultural 
 west and the sea-board, and between our own continent and the rest of the 
 world. There is no truer index of the advance of civilization than the 
 progress which is made in facilitating intercourse between distant 
 sections or countries. The railways and lines of water transportation 
 the expresses, the post-office, and the telegraph are all instrumentalities 
 looking to the same end, the equalizing of the conditions of peoples by 
 annihilating the space and the time which separate them. Theref is, 
 happily, no difference of opinion as to the necessity of these preliminary 
 measures towards the securing of that freedom of trade which all men 
 hope and believe will ultimately prevail, however much they may differ as 
 to the time and manner of applying the principle. 
 
 As a Massachusetts man, I naturally desire to see as large a portion of 
 the Western trade directed to Boston as we can properly control ; but I am 
 fully convinced, that, for many years to come, the principal increase of that 
 trade is to reach us by the avenue of Lake Ontario and the upper St. 
 Lawrence. That avenue is, by nature, as open to you as to us, and though we 
 have the advantage of railway lines already built, the excellence of your 
 harbor and the shortness of the link now wanting to connect your city by 
 a direct route with the lakes, and the great railway system of the interior 
 and the West, present inducements to your capitalists to complete the 
 connection, which, for the welfare of the whole country, and more 
 especially for the good of New England, I hope they will not neglect. 
 I have the honor to be, with high respect, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 GEORGE WALKER. 
 
40 
 
 Letter from Hon. H. O. Kent, 
 
 Langasteb, N. H., July 20, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 My Dear Sir, — I am in receipt of your favor of recent date, notifying me 
 of the proposed Convention on the 4th proximo, and requesting my attend- 
 ance. I should take more than ordinary pleasure in being present, but a 
 prior engagement for the same day will prevent. 
 
 I became much interested in your proposed line across our State, during 
 the recent session, and am entirely satisfied as to its feasibility. It seems 
 impossible that so short a link, in such a magnificent chain, can long be 
 wanting. I shall watch the progress of your corporation with much inter- 
 est, and with confidence in its entire success at no distant day. 
 Meantime I remain, very respectfully, your ob't servant, 
 
 HENRY O. KENT. 
 
 Letter from the Editor of the Chicago Tribune. 
 
 Chicago, July 22, 1808. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 My Dear Sir,—! regret that my engagements will not permit me to be 
 with you July 28th, as I have no spare time in which to prepare anything 
 that would interest j'our Convention. I beg to a.ssure you of the deep in- 
 terest I take in its success. We published a notice of it this morning. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 WM. BROS8. 
 
 Letter from the Editor of the Maine Farmer. 
 
 Bethel, July 30, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 My Dear Sir,—1 exceedingly regret my inability to be present, on your 
 invitation, at the International Commercial Convention to be held in Port- 
 land, August 4th. A previous arrangement to attend the annual meeting 
 of the American Association for the advancement of science, at Chicago, 
 on the 5th, is my only excuse. 
 
 I know of no subject so grand in its conception, so feasible in execution, 
 and so important in its results to the American people, as the plan of di- 
 rect communication by railroad across the continent. Such a road, when^ 
 in running order, will be the great highway, not only of the American peo- 
 ple, but of the nations. "When railroads shall have been built across the 
 Eastern hemisphere, which I hope you will live to see accomplished, the 
 oceans, which hitherto have been the great roads of travel, will be but 
 carrying-places between the nearest points of their opposite shores. 
 
 Hitherto our railroads have been built much in the same way as Boston 
 was originally built, each man acting purely for self, without regard to the 
 
41 
 
 future growth of the town or country. But the time has arrived when 
 more than this should be done. 
 
 The extension of our raih'oad system across the continent will serve to 
 bind together not only the several States of the Union, but to promote in- 
 tercourse between us and foreign powers. The railroad is rapidly be- 
 coming one of the great civilizers of the age. No scheme can hardly be 
 on too extended a scale to bring about these results. Maine herself 
 is especially interested. I have sometimes feared that I might live to 
 see ourselves involved in a war with Great Britain. In such a case, 
 Maine, surrounded on three sides by a foreign power, would be made more 
 the battle-ground for the mastery than ever before. With a direct line of 
 railroad, troops in countless numbers could be poured into the State, and 
 we be comparatively safe. A national railroad, under such circumstances, 
 would be of vastly greater value to us than all our fortifications. 
 
 I hardly need speak here of the value of such a road to the great West. 
 You will discuss its importance at your meeting. But there is a point 
 nearer home, or rather there are three points of interest to us. The one is, 
 the prospect that both the eastern and western portions of Maine will be 
 open to the world by railroads. This will be equivalent to a large acces- 
 sion to our territory, our resources, and our population. The next important 
 point is the prospect of making Portland the great embarking point for the 
 great West. We can hardly conceive what effect this may have on the 
 future of that city. Let the contemplated road be built, and you at once 
 bring a large portion of Kew Hami)shire and Vermont under your interest , 
 to say nothing of the far West. 
 
 I have watched with interest the history of railroads in Maine from the 
 time when it was decided in the newspapers that we could not have a rail- 
 road in this State on account of the roughness of the country. They are 
 all necessary for the growth of the State. 
 
 I trust that the most enlarged views will prevail in your Convention, of 
 which the array of distinguished names in your circular is a guaranty, anql 
 that sectional feeling will give way to the national and international scheme 
 under consideration. 
 
 1 have the pleasure and the honor, to be 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 
 N. T. TRUE. 
 
 Mr. John A. Poor said, — This forenoon, I took the 
 liberty of mentioning that a distinguished representa- 
 tive from the North-west, officially connected with the 
 Treasury Department during the last seven years, 
 
42 
 
 and well known as a gentleman familiar with all 
 questions connected with international intercourse, 
 was present in the Convention, having come all the 
 way from St. Paul, Minnesota, to attend it. He was 
 then in consultation with a gentleman from New 
 Brunswick, and was not at the moment here. He is 
 now in the building, engaged with a committee. I 
 believe there is no public man in this broad land, from 
 the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, more conversant 
 with all questions touching the relations of British 
 America and the United States, and I move that a 
 committee be appointed to wait upon the Hon. James 
 W. Taylor, of St. Paul, and invite him to address the 
 Convention. 
 
 This motion was carried, and Messrs. Neal and Poor 
 appointed the committee, who soon after appeared 
 upon the platform, accompanied by Mr. Taylor, who 
 was greeted with loud applause. 
 
 SPEECH OF HON. J. W. TAYLOR. 
 
 Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Convention,— Out fellow-citizens in 
 the central portion of the Union, surrounded on all sides by the aegis of 
 their own government, hold a situation upon this continent materially 
 different from the border States on the north. The lake States, the frontier 
 States on the east and the west, hold a relation to a large portion of this 
 continent beyond them, which is not the relation of a common allegiance. 
 It is for this Convention, as its designation implies, to take this fact into 
 consideration, and to determine, in the light of our .civilization, of human 
 progress, and of human happiness, that this frontier shall exist only in 
 name (applause); that for all purposes of intercourse, of social influence, 
 of enterprise, of progress, whatever may be the divergence of political 
 allegiance or ties, that frontier shall be obliterated. (Loud applause.) 
 Gentlemen, nature comes forward to aid such an aspiration. Here is the 
 great Mediterranean of the continent— an arm of the ocean reaching far 
 
43 
 
 inland over the mighty channel of the St. Lawrence, ascending rapids and 
 falls, through a vast expanse of inland seas, until, in the far Superior, like 
 an index of nature and of Providence, it points to the Pacific. What that 
 great estuary of Southern Europe, the Mediterranean — with its promon- 
 tories, its bays, its facilities of navigation — has been to the civilization of 
 Asia and Europe and the world, this great expansion of the Atlantic 
 through the heart of the continent ought to be, and will be, in the destiny 
 and development of the States that cluster along its shining margin. 
 (Applause.) You here in Maine stand as an interval between the maritime 
 provinces of England facing the Atlantic, and Canada toward the west, — 
 and the State of Michigan is separated from New York likewise by an 
 interval of English territory. There has been, happily, no discord of 
 material inte rests, and this magnificent harbor of Portland is now recog- 
 nized as a great pivotal centre of the commerce of the interior, because, by 
 international exertions, by an international enterprise, by a combination of 
 English and American capital, zeal, and energy, you are bound by links of 
 iron to this mighty channel of the St. Lawrence (applause); and we of the 
 West are gratified, that, in the true spirit of international amity, the distant 
 port of Halifax, the sentinel and garrison town of England on this 
 continent, is soon to be linked with this harbor of Portland, by an enter- 
 prise properly called European and American, for it is international in its 
 conception and execution, and it will be international in all its results. 
 
 Gentlemen, I»speak for the St. Lawrence. There is an empire of the St. 
 Lawrence irrespective of political distinctions or of political boundaries. 
 Every converging State and Province that looks out upon that mighty 
 stream and its great expanse of seas, is a constituent of the commercial em- 
 pire of the St. Lawrence. From the remote gulf of the name to the far- 
 thest verge of Superior, that whole channel is common to the commerce 
 and intercourse of these people. We who sit upon its sources, feel that 
 by international right, by the law of nations, we are proprietors, almost 
 equally with those States through which the channel of the lower stream 
 passes,— proprietors in its current and its commerce; and it will be the 
 duty of this Convention, probably through a committee raised for that 
 purpose, to bring forward distinctly the idea of the utilization, by the aid 
 of ship canals, of that mighty stream from its mouth to its source. And, 
 sir, we in Minnesota and Wisconsin, who sit upon the tributaries and pri- 
 mal sources of the St. Lawrence, look equally to Ottawa and to Washing- 
 ton, and, in some degree, to England, for all measures of public improve- 
 ment which will pass the flags of all nations, the ships of all the world, 
 from the ocean to the remote heads of Lake Superior. We care not 
 whether it is the Niagara Ship Canal, upon the soil of New York, or the 
 Welland Canal, upon the soil of Ontario. The enterprise that first enables 
 a vessel of a thousand tons burden to pass the Falls of Niagara, whether 
 it be accomplished by the energy of oui- Canadian neighbors, or by that of 
 the American people, shall receive the plaudits of the West. (Loud ap- 
 
44 
 
 plause.) That is the commercial prize which we ask, and we ask it from 
 every government, from every jurisdiction; and, sir, we feel that when the 
 marine of the world can pass, without breaking bulk, through the enlarged 
 locks of the St. Lawrence, through the Welland Canal or the Niagara 
 Canal, through the deepened channel of the St. Clair flats, through the 
 deepened channel of the Superior Canal, to the remotest bounds of that 
 inland navigation, we shall have the leverage by which we shall compel 
 the proud city of New York to join us, by the improvement of her own 
 canals, upon a scale of equal magnificence. (Applause.) I do not look to 
 the nation alone. It is the happy providence of this question, that the co- 
 operation of States with the nation has hitherto been witnessed, and will 
 hereafter be witnessed. It was the empire State of New York that linked 
 the waters of the Hudson with Lake Erie, by which the genius of De Witt 
 Clinton gave an overmastering impulse to the industry of the West. It 
 may be that the enterprising spirit of the same State of New York, when 
 the navigation of the St. Lawrence through all its reaches is brought to 
 the scale I have described, will be eager to meet the people of Canada and 
 the West more than half way, I remember very well the Niagara Ship 
 Canal Convention, held in the city of Chicago in 1863. The man who, 
 since De Witt Clinton, has been more closely identified with the public 
 works of New York than any other,— I mean Mr. Samuel B. Ruggles,— 
 was there, regarding with distrust the demand of the cities of the West 
 for such national measures as should secure to us this great channel of the 
 St. Lawrence, utilizing it, and making it available for our exportations. 
 With patriotic fervor, with sentiments which all respected, he appealed to 
 the men of the West not to encourage the movement of our commerce 
 through foreign territory; and when we remarked, that our object was to 
 get out, to find a great channel for the commerce of the world, and that if 
 Canada, or even England, first came forward and secured such a route, it 
 should receive our first acknowledgment, he said, in a spirit of opposition, 
 " The city of New York, before she will let the commerce of the West go 
 through the channels of the St. Lawrence, will enlarge her canals to ship 
 dimensions, and make them free!" A threat which was by no means alarm- 
 ing to those whom he addressed! So here, my own belief is, tliat this ship 
 canal question, this question of aflfording the facilities to pass a vessel with 
 a tonnage of a thousand tons through to Lake Superior, is not only the 
 key to the canal policy of New York, but is the key also to the railroad 
 policy of the northern frontier. When you see the products of the West 
 steaming by you, along the channel of the St. Lawrence, you, actuated by 
 the same spirit which Mr. Ruggles illustrate<l, will throw out your iron 
 bands, and link the harbors of Boston, of Portland, and Halifax with that 
 channel of the St. Lawrence, with the navigation of the lakes and the far 
 West. And we who look to you from our standpoint, two thousand miles 
 away, must not be expected to know even the designation of the railroads ' 
 by which you exi)ect to do it. We expect to see more than one. I expect 
 
45 
 
 to see the Adirondacks flanked on the south; I expect to see, on the north, 
 a line making a direct communication between the port where we stand 
 to-day and the river St. Lawrence. (Applause.) I expect, also, in com- 
 bination with the European and North American Railway,— the success- 
 ful accomplishment of which is now assured, — I expect to see the Atlantic 
 and St. Lawrence Raih'oad, the old connecting link with Montreal, not only 
 utilized as heretofore, but placed in a position of still greater usefulness, 
 as one of the links in the great chain of communication between this sea- 
 board and tlie teeming "West. 
 
 And now, Mr. President, allow me to pass beyond the limits of those 
 lakes, — this great Mediterranean of the continent. Having thus, by this 
 combination of interests, by these joint efforts of all governments and 
 peoples interested, reached the far interior of this continental navigation, 
 there extends west and north-west, partly over American territory and 
 partly over English territory, a district as large as European Russia, and 
 capable of being developed into an immense wheat-growing domain. 
 There is an area of country equal to all Russia north of the great sea-port 
 of Odessa, which, beyond Chicago and Milwaukee, has but just been 
 touched by the husbandman, hardly reached by the reaper. Yet over that 
 immense district the emigration of two continents is to pass. In that 
 district, extending to the latitude of 55 deg., five or six degrees beyond our 
 present national boundary, east of the Rocky Mountains, and to latitude 
 60 deg. on the Pacific slope, the granary of the world will lie. Its develop- 
 ment has just commenced — it is in the immediate future. The men of the 
 West will assure you, that, looking to what we see all around us there, — 
 to the character of the climate, to all the conditions of industrial progress, 
 — there will, within ten years, be a larger exportation of breadstuffs from 
 Lake Superior than there is now from Lake Michigan. A great interior 
 port is destined to rise upon the western terminal line of Lake Superior, 
 reaching far over this new north-west, this interior, as large as eight States 
 of the size of Ohio. It is through that mighty lake, that inland sea of the 
 north-west, that a large proportion of the breadstuffs to meet your demand' 
 and the demands of Europe, is to pass. And, sir, when we have seen 
 hitherto, a combination of interests and efforts, of an international 
 character, which have produced the development of the East, we ask 
 that by some means there shall be secured a similar co-ordination of 
 agencies to reach and develop the great and teeming North-west. 
 
 So far, I am not conscious of having offended the sensibilities of any 
 gentleman in this hall; but, sir, frankness requires from me, upon this 
 platform, to add some words which may be criticised by our provincial 
 friends. I have thought much whether I should not leave those words 
 unsaid; but I know these gentlemen personally, and my long intercourse 
 with the public and business men of Canada warrants me in throwing 
 myself upon their indulgence in what I am about to say. 
 
 Our sympathies are with any attempt to unite under a common govern- 
 
46 
 
 ment different communities, with different interests. The confederation of 
 Canada, like the organization of our fathers in 1787, is an application of the 
 maxim " in union is strength." But if England, as the imperial mother of 
 States upon this continent, or if Canada, as a confederation of States, with 
 existing relations to the mother country, assume a continental attitude, 
 assume to extend political jurisdiction to the Pacific, it is incumbent both 
 upon England and Canada to rise to the level of the whole argument; it is 
 incumbent upon them to meet and discharge the responsibilities of so com- 
 manding a position. The American Government, in the midst of a great 
 civil war, adopted measures to bind its western territories together by a 
 Pacific Railroad, and carry American institutions and enterprise to the 
 borders of the Pacific, and open a communication with China and Japan ; 
 and we shall look to England and the representatives of England upon 
 this continent to take their great North-west, their moiety of the grain 
 district of the continent, and apply a little of the energy to its development 
 which, under the stimulus of the cotton fam^ine, Great Britain applied to 
 the development of India. England can put five hundred millions of 
 cai)ital into five thousand miles of railway over the peninsula of Hindos- 
 stan, but she seems unconscious of the great empire which she has upon 
 this continent west of the lakes, and puts forth no effort corresponding in 
 magnitude to the interests involved for the development of her resources, 
 her wealth, and her population upon her own territory in North America. 
 Sir, that state of things must not last. We will welcome England side by 
 side with ourselves to co-operate with us, as you have co-operated here at 
 the East, side by side and shoulder to shoulder, in the development of your 
 mutual interests; but she must not lag behind. If England extends the 
 Dominion of Canada to the Pacific coast, she must, in justice to the people 
 over whom that jurisdiction will be extended, lay down a railroad line, 
 must send forth the surveyor, must initiate and develop a policy of inter- 
 communication which, within ten years, shall link the Eastern Provinces 
 with the Pacific coast. It is her manifest duty to do this; and, let me add, 
 if England and Canada will not do it, it will yet be done. (Applause.) 
 Reverdy Johnson sails from the Chesapeake with the good wishes of 
 every American. He avows that his mission to England is peace, and we 
 all sympathize in that mission. But, at the same time, to make that peace 
 permanent upon this continent, England must remove all possible grounds 
 of collision in the north-west. Upon the frontier of my own State, of 
 Minnesota, in the heart of this continent, there is an Engli.sh colony that 
 dates from 1812, which is still under the jurisdiction of a fur-tratling 
 monopoly. To this settlement — the Selkirk settlement — Americans have 
 gone, attracted by its great advantages. Its communications are with the 
 United States, and that community of Selkirk should no longer be 
 neglected. Beyond, is the Province of British Columbia, adjacent to our 
 territories of Washington and Oregon, and our new territory of Alaska,— 
 sandwiched between them,— with a population of thirty thousand (whose 
 
47 
 
 staff of ofl&cials have piled up a debt of two millions of dollars), who are 
 struggling under the difficulties of their isolated and dependent condition. 
 Then there is the flourishing territory of Montana, adjacent to the English 
 territory of the Saskatchewan, and American miners are already moving 
 over the frontier. What is the inevitable duty, policy, and paramotmt 
 interest of Great Britain? To secure the loyalty of her Western com- 
 munities, to secure the attachment and loyalty of Selkirk, of the 
 Saskatchewan, and of British Columbia, by making them parties to the 
 great movement for the development of this continent. If England says, 
 "We cannot do it;" if England says, " We have done as much as we can 
 when we have grudgingly given a guaranty of twenty millions of dollars 
 for an intercolonial road, and that is to be the limit of our efforts for the 
 development of our possessions in America," then let England surrender 
 the territory to the American people, accepting the proposition of the 
 Senator from Minnesota, Alexander Eamsay, now resting in the custody 
 of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. If she deliberately 
 declines to place her North-west possessions in the circle of the world's 
 activities, let her come.forward frankly and repeat the history of Napoleon's 
 cession of Louisiana to the United States. 
 
 But, Mr. President, when I see, as I have seen to-day, the character of 
 the gentlemen representing these provinces, however informally, in this 
 Convention; when I appreciate, as we all appreciate, the imperial pride 
 and spirit of the English people and government; when I look upon her 
 triumphs in India and the world over, wherever her banner has followed 
 the drum-beat of her regiments, I am willing to believe that she will " rise 
 to the height of this great argument," and that she will undertake as much 
 for the development of North-west British America, as she has done upon 
 all the other fields of her activity. (Applause.) 
 
 And now, a few words upon the commercial relations of these Provinces 
 with the States. Here, again, I tread upon delicate ground,— not so much 
 with reference to our friends in the Provinces as with reference to parties, 
 as they are divided in the United States. I take up the Chicago platform, 
 and I see there a pledge to simplify and reduce taxation as soon as the 
 public exigencies will allow. I take up the New York platform, and I find 
 there the same pledge by the rival party, almost in the same terms. The 
 language of both these platforms will bear but one construction, and that 
 is, that in the judgment of both the great parties of the country, the pres- 
 ent taxation is excessive and unnecessary, and that it can be simplified 
 and reduced, not only in regard to the excise, but in regard to the duties 
 on imports. And, sir, let me say, that all through the West, the belief has 
 taken such strong hold of our people, that an average duty of fifty per 
 cent upon importations is unnecessary, is a disadvantage rather than an 
 advantage to the revenue, that we are not prepared for a renewal of the 
 reciprocity treaty of 1854. We feel in the West that New England, if she 
 demand high duties for the encouragement of her manufactures, must at 
 
48 
 
 the same time submit to that uniform and impartial reduction of taxation 
 which the West and South, and the Pacific States will soon demand. I 
 believe that absolute free trade has been indefinitely postponed on this 
 continent by the exigencies of war. The West is not for free trade, but 
 the West is for such a tariff as Henry Clay, in the midst of a great civil 
 commotion, could propose for the country, with entire consistency and har- 
 mony with his own political record. One-half of the present tariff is the 
 standard to which the minds of the American peoi)le are coming as sufl&- 
 cient for the needs of the government, suflScient for every private industry, 
 and demanded for the advancement of the general prosperity. (Applause.) 
 And now, what does your Secretary of the Treasury say? He is a native 
 of Maine, educated in Maine, in full sympathy with New England, although 
 a Western man. He has said frankly, from the beginning of the recipro- 
 city discussion, that the treaty of 1854 is out of the question. We have 
 the duty of preparing an adequate revenue system before us. We have a 
 commission now in existence for the revision of the revenue system, both 
 internal and external. It is the belief of Secretary McCulloch,— he has so 
 said in his report for 18(56, — that when that revision is completed, when the 
 excise is simplified and reduced, when the tariflf is placed where all sec- 
 tions and all interests will be and ought to be satisfied with its terms, then 
 it will have reached a point where Canada, with her interests, can assim- 
 ilate her revenue system to it, and thus conform the systems on both sides 
 of the frontier to the same standard. (Applause.) By simplifying and 
 reducing the taxes, and coming down to the scale of Clay's compromise 
 tariff" of 1833, we relieve the industry of the East and the West, we reach 
 a tariff" which will be the tariff" of the future, or for a generation, at least, 
 and which will therefore be satisfactory to every wise and true frieiid of 
 the manufacturing interests. When "the McCulloch policy has reached 
 that jmint, a thorough revision and simplification of the revenue system of 
 the United States, Can<ada can well accept the same revenue system, and 
 thus the first step towards a commercial union of the two countries will 
 have been secured. (Applause.) 
 
 But I am confronted with arguments on the policy of protection. I am 
 warned that the scale of duties which is sufficient for the Australian 
 province of Victoria, where 600,000 people raise a revenue of fifteen 
 millions by a tariff" of less than twenty per cent, is not sufficient for this 
 country. I am informed that the protective party of this country will not 
 assent to it. Then let us have a compromise. If you so distrust the 
 industry, the skill, and the enterprise of the American people, that you 
 are unwilling to compete with the enterprise, the labor, and the skill of 
 Europe,— if the idea that protection is necessary against tlie overcrowded 
 population of Europe, and perhaps of Asia, still has dominion over the 
 minds of the people,— and I see everywhere evidences of the strength 
 which that idea has attained in the public mind,— then meet the free-traders 
 of the West by the adoption of an exceptional policy in respect to the 
 
49 
 
 countries immediately adjoining us upon this continent. Retain, if you 
 please, the tariff at an advanced scale against foreign competition, hut 
 adopt a simpler and lower revenue standard in regard to Canada, Cuba, 
 Mexico, the South American Republics, and the Sandwich Islands. We 
 can adopt free trade upon this continent, even if we maintain the barriers 
 of protection against the old world. (Applause.) An average horizontal 
 duty of five per cent upon all the products of Canada, Cuba, Mexico, the 
 South American Republics, and the Sandwich Islands, would not only 
 afford ample protection to every well-grounded and well-established 
 interest of the American people, but it would revive your commerce, it 
 would invigorate your ship-yards, it would extend your home markets, it 
 would put the policy of free trade again upon its feet, under favorable 
 conditions to run its race with the opposite policy of protection, and every 
 thoughtful American citizen would be in a situation to take stock of the 
 result, and determine which is the best policy for the final adoption of the 
 American people. And, fellow-citizens, having discussed, at greater 
 length than I proposed, the commercial questions which are said to be 
 strictly international, I venture to predict that Reverdy Johnson, a fitting 
 successor of the noble Adams, and men like him, actuated by the same 
 spirit, will so atljust the future relations of this people with Great Britain 
 and with Canada, that we can go forward hereafter, as we have hitherto 
 done, in the honorable struggle for supremacy and mastery in all the 
 humane arts of Christian civilization. That is our mission, — a mission 
 which will illustrate the conjoint flags of the mother country and of this 
 great Republic of the "West; and we can unite, not only in deepening ship 
 canals, not only in building railways across opposing frontiers, but in dis- 
 mantling the frontier, and in levelling along this whole border of the lakes 
 everything which looks like a threat of aggression, everything which looks 
 like a complication that may lead to war. (Applause.) Here is to be the 
 triumph of peace ; and if Russia can send her diplomatic notes to European 
 Cabinets requesting them to unite in prohibiting the use of explosive 
 bullets, we here can have sufficient faith in ourselves and in our children 
 to dedicate this frontier and the interests of this frontier to peace, — peace 
 present and x^eace future. I look abroad over Europe, — Europe, rocked 
 from immemorial time with the contests of rival powers and rival dynas- 
 ties, speaking different languages and holding different faiths, — and I can 
 see France and England bringing the minds of their best engineers to the 
 question whether a tunnel shall not be constructed under the dividing 
 channel; I can see those immemorial enemies, with Austria and even 
 Turkey conjoined, uniting in a series of measures for the improve- 
 ment of the Danube, making it a great ship canal; I can see France and 
 Italy, although they may, on other questions, have their hands on each 
 other's throats, uniting to build an iron road through the heart of Mount 
 Cenis; and I want to know whether, with the example you have given us 
 of the European and North American Railway, with communication with 
 4 
 
50 
 
 Montreal, partly over English and partly over American territory,— I want 
 to know whether it is impossible for the Cabinets of London and Washing- 
 ton and Ottawa to unite in a policy which shall combine, by a common 
 efibrt of zeal and enterprise, this great empire of the St. Lawrence with the 
 magnificent harbor of Paget Sound, and the rising glories of Asiatic 
 civilization. (Loud applause.) 
 
 Hon. P. T. Washburn, from the committee appoint- 
 ed to consider and report upon the order of business 
 for the Convention, submitted their report. He said : 
 
 I may be allowed to say, before reading the report of the Committee, 
 that Messrs. Fisher, Patterson, Nash, and Brecken, from the British Prov- 
 inces, from motives of delicacy, thought it prudent to decline to act upon 
 the committee, in the present position of certain home questions, and asked 
 to be excused from serving upon it. 
 
 The Committee respectfully recommended that 
 committees be selected to prepare and report resolu- 
 tions upon the following topics : 
 
 Ist. Railroads across the Continent. 
 2d. Lake, Iliver, and Canal Navigation. 
 3d. International Commercial Relations. 
 
 The Commiitee recommend that the first committee 
 consist of nine, and the others of seven members 
 each. 
 
 On motion of Mr. Neal, the request of the gentle- 
 men from the Provinces was granted, and the report 
 of the committee adopted. 
 
 Senator Corbett moved that the President appoint 
 these committees. 
 
 This motion prevailed, and the chair announced 
 the committees as follows : 
 
 On Railkoads acboss the Contikent. 
 
 Hon. H. W. Corbett, Portland, Oregon. 
 
 " Henry T. Blow, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 " Peter T. Washburn, Woodstock, Vt. 
 
51 
 
 Geo. L. Ward, Esq., Boston, Mass. 
 
 John A. Poor, Esq., Portland, Me. 
 
 Hamilton A. Hill, Esq., Boston, Mass. 
 
 Hon. Eichard D. Eice, Augusta, Me. 
 
 Willard P. Phillips, Esq., Salem, Mass. 
 
 Hon. E. A. Straw, Manchester, N. H. 
 
 On Lake and Eivee Navigation. 
 
 lion. James W. Taylor, St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 " Thomas Allen, ' . St, Louis, Mo. 
 
 E. H. Anderson, Esq., Detroit, Mich. 
 
 George O. Carpenter, Boston, Mass. 
 
 Hon. J. B. Brown, Portland, Me. 
 
 John Cain, Esq., Eutland, Vt. 
 
 T. C. Hersey, Esq., Portland, Me 
 
 On International Commercial Eelations. 
 
 Hon. Wm. H. Craig, Detroit, Mich. 
 
 Wm. Deering, Esq., Portland, Me. 
 
 J. H. Converse, Esq., Boston, Mass. 
 
 Gen. TVm. J. Palmer, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Hon. F. Smyth, . . . Manchester, N. H. 
 
 " Amasa Walker, No. Brookfield, Mass. 
 
 " Eugene Pringle, Jackson, Mich. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton A. Hill, of Boston, moved that 
 gentlemen having resolutions to present be requested 
 to hand them to the appropriate committees for con- 
 sideration. 
 
 This motion was carried, and the Convention then, 
 on motion of Gen. Washburn, adjourned. 
 
 Second Day. 
 
 Wednesday, August 5. 
 
 The Convention reassembled at half-past 10 o'clock, 
 and was called to order by the President. 
 
 The committees on business not being ready to 
 report, the Hon. Erastus Brooks, of New York, was, 
 
62 
 
 on motion of Mr. H. P. Deane, of Portland, invited to 
 address the Convention. 
 
 SPEECH OF HON. ERASTUS BROOKS. 
 
 Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Convention,— Althongh. I was invited 
 by one'of your number to be present during the deliberations of this 
 Convention, I must say, in all candor and in all frankness, this was hardly 
 the entertainment I expected. Sir, I came, in good faith, to observe and to 
 listen, and not to attempt to teach or instruct the Convention, if I were 
 able to do so. How far this is a national convention, how far it is an inter- 
 national convention, how far it is sectional or local, has not yet been 
 developed by anything that has transpired. 
 
 Sir, I am in my native State, and I naturally feel all the interest that 
 one attaches to the fact that he stands, as it were, upon his native heath 
 again. I never have forgotten the city where I was born; I certainly have 
 never been indifferent to the interests of this city, or of the State of Maine, 
 and I can say, in all truth and in all sincerity, in the words of the poet — 
 
 " Where'er I roam, whatever realms to see, 
 My heart, untravelled, fondly turns to thee." 
 
 I also remember, sir, that although born here, my interests, my business, 
 my family relations, my present and my future, belong to another State 
 and to another locality— the State of New York and the city of New York; 
 and I do not think, in a great country like this, so vast and so extensive 
 that one can hardly comprehend it« geograjdiical relations or its diversity 
 of interests, that there is any occasion for much jealousy in regard to the 
 superior position or advancement of one section of country over another. 
 There is ample room and verge enough for us all,— for the great West, from 
 which you, sir, come, and from which we heard yesterday ; for the great 
 South-west and the South; for the great central States; for the North-west; 
 and for the New England States especially. I think we may say for all, in 
 regard to material interests as well as in regard to our moral relations, — 
 " The world is all before us where to choose 
 Our place of rest, and Providence our guide." 
 
 Sir, something was said yesterday by the gentleman from Minnesota 
 (Mr. Taylor) in regard to questions looking, as I thought, to a geographical 
 advantage incident to the development of some of the material interests of 
 a part of the country. He was pleased, if he could, to invoke a more 
 general philanthropic spirit, or a spirit of a larger interest, on the part of 
 the people of the British Provinces. Sir, if that gentleman lived where I 
 live, he would see the force and etFect, not only of British enterprise and 
 British men, but of British capital, to an extent which would mortify his 
 . own pride as an American citiaen, however much it may serve to develop 
 
63 
 
 the energy and genius of those who were born under another flag. Sir, it 
 is a mortifying fact to me, as a citizen of New York, that there are fifty 
 British and German and French steamers sailing from the port of New 
 York, attached to the Bremen, the Hamhurgh, the Havre, the Brest, and 
 the British lines, while the American flag does not float from the masthead 
 of a single steamer. That is a very mortifying fact to me; I say it in your 
 presence, and I trust that the time will come, indeed, that it is not very far 
 distant, when some different policy, some higher sense of national duty to 
 the flag, to the interests of the country, to its moral and material power 
 will prevail, to an extent at least which shall afford protection to American 
 ships and American steamers, and to whatever is American. 
 
 Sir, as I have said already, I have no jealousy of the success, or of the 
 enterprise, or of the vigor of other people. I have the natural instinct 
 which every man has. I wish well to all the world, but if there are two 
 men, or two States, or two countries, only one of which is to prosper, I 
 wish that prosperity may accrue to my own country rather than to another. 
 (Applause.) And in that sense, Mr. Chairman, I would say, develop in 
 this country tha^ degree of ekill and judgment and political forecast which 
 will result in carrying out the doctrine taught to me as a boy, years and 
 years ago, when I was a type-setter in this city upon a paper called " The 
 Yankee," and my friend brought out from England that old maxim of 
 Jeremy Bentham, which enjoins the duty of securing " the greatest good 
 of the greatest number of people." There is the touchstone of all true 
 philosophy in politics, in morals, in material enterprise. 
 
 Sir, the gentleman who spoke yesterday (Mr. Taylor) was also pleased 
 to make some remarks in regard to Canada, and in regard to what he 
 thought might be a wise policy in view of the relations existing between 
 the British people of the Provinces and the American people. I remem- 
 ber, sir, that during the bloody civil war through which we have passed, 
 the Congress of the United States, in the exercise, in my judgment, of a 
 mere wanton power, and in a spirit of retaliation (I hope I shall offend 
 no one by the plainness of my remarks, for we are to have here, I suppose, 
 diversity of opinions expressed) the Congress of the United States, I say, 
 actuated, as I believe, by a spirit of retaliation, repealed at the end of the 
 ten years, to which it was limited, unless renewed, the reciprocity treaty 
 made between Great Britain and the United States for the regulation of 
 the trade between the colonies and the American States. I believe that 
 that was an unwise act. I thought at the time that the motive was not a 
 good one which induced Congress to repeal that measure. I think so still. 
 I believe it disturbed not only the amicable relations between the Prov- 
 inces and the United States, but their material relations. I know that the 
 effect was very disastrous upon the trade of my own State; and I know 
 that we have paid a great deal more for British lumber and British com- 
 modities, and for many things that enter into the consumption of the Uni- 
 ted States, since the repeal of that treaty, than we paid before; and, for 
 
54 
 
 one, I would be glad to see that treaty restored, or some better one made 
 between the Provinces and the United States. (Loud applause.) In a 
 word, sir, I believe in that old maxim of Thomas JeflFerson, that he who 
 makes two blades of grass grow where but one grew before, is a public 
 benefactor, and that the effect of that treaty was healthy and beneficial 
 upon the people of the two sections of country. 
 
 Sir, there was another sentiment uttered upon this platform, yesterday, 
 with which I sympathize. I, too, shall be glad to hail the day when all 
 these manifestations of war, such as armed vessels upon your lakes, nomi- 
 nally for the purpose of preserving neutrality, but in reality a threat 
 between the one side of the lakes and the other, shall have passed away, 
 and when the bond of union between the British people on our borders 
 and our own people shall be trade, commerce, interest, self-protection, and 
 not those manifestations which look rather to war than to peace. (Applause.) 
 
 Sir, it is said that 
 
 " Mountains interposed 
 
 Blake enemies of nations, that bad else 
 Like kindred drops, been minf^led into one." 
 
 It is the purpose of conventions like this so to bring down the mountains 
 so to lift up the valleys, so to unite two sections of country by those iron 
 bands which give such quick transit for men and trade, so to dig out canals 
 between different States abd sections of country, as to remove all those 
 jealousies which otherwise belong to States- Sir, I think it is the experi- 
 ence of every man who has traveled, that the more he sees of his country, 
 and the more he sees of the world, the more liberalized he becomes to- 
 ward those not of his own faith and household, and to those not of his 
 own country. In that spirit, I always rejoice when I see a convention called, 
 the object of which is to hold communication between men and between 
 States, and even between different parts of a country, or different countries. 
 Now, Mr. President, I have said a word or two of reciprocity. "We are, 
 perhaps, the youngest nation in the world; and, sir (let the truth be spok- 
 en), we are about the proudest and most boastful people in the world; and 
 the longer we live,— just as it is with childhood passing into youth and 
 manhood,— the wiser we shall grow. We have a great many things to 
 learn of each other, of people who belong to different States, and to other 
 countries. If you should ask me what the best idea of reciprocity was, I 
 should go back to five hundred years before the birth of Christ, and quote 
 a sentiment of old Confucius, of China, which is to be found in his Ana- 
 lects, wherein the disciple puts this question to the teacher, " Is there any 
 word known which expresses a proper rule of action for the government 
 of men? " The answer of the teacher is this, — " Reciprocity ; by which I 
 mean," said Confucius, "that you should not do unto others what you 
 would not that men should do to you." A sentiment embodied by Christ 
 himself, five hundred years later. (Applause.) If, Mr. President, we can 
 be governed by some such sentiment as this, in this Convention, and in 
 
55 
 
 other conventions which may succeed this, there will be no occasion for 
 my friend to be jealous of New York, or for New York to be jealous of 
 New England or the West. 
 
 Why, sir, to speak of the Chinese again, — for I must tell you, that as I 
 advance in years, I become more and more what is called, in derision, 
 sometimes, an "old fogy,"— I will tell you that those old people knew 
 many more things in regard to trade and commerce than we perhaps even 
 supposed they knew. Some of them have occurred to my mind as I have 
 been sitting in this Convention. Eighteen hundred years ago, the Chinese 
 were manufacturers of paper. Nine hundred years ago, they had mov- 
 able types, and printed. Fourteen hundred years ago, they moved their 
 little vessels upon their waters by the aid of the needle; and hundreds of 
 years before Christ poured water into earthen vessels at Cana in Galilee, 
 they had their porcelain vases, as far surpassing anything which succeeded 
 that time for hundreds of years, as the finest workmanship of the present 
 day excels the rude workmanship of a hundred years ago. We have, there- 
 fore, something to learn from olden times and olden people ; and the reason 
 why I have alluded to this subject, and to that old country, in connection 
 with this question of reciprocity, is because there has recently appeared 
 upon this American theatre, an embassy from that country, headed by an 
 American citizen, from New England, to make a treaty with another citizen 
 of America; and thus the oldest country in the old world comes to this 
 new land of ours— for what? Reciprocal and kindly relations of trade. 
 (Applause.) Surely, Mr. President, if this old country, with a population 
 of four hundred millions, who live at less expense than forty millions in the 
 United States,— surely, if China has done this, we may learn something 
 from the far-oflf Asiatic nations. 
 
 I have said, Mr. President,— if I do not trespass too much upon your 
 time,— that there is no occasion in the world for one section of this country 
 to be jealous of the other. I am only jealous when I see such facts demon- 
 strated before me as I have pictured in the city of New York, where we 
 have been literally stripped of one-third of our commerce by that central 
 power, the Federal Government, that should have become the protector of 
 the commerce of the world. Sir, what is commerce? Some people who 
 live upon the sea-board, as I do, regard commerce as merely the sailing of 
 ships across the great Pacific or across the Atlantic, or coastwise between 
 port and port, or State and State. Others regard commerce as merely the 
 carrying of goods from one country to another. Sir, these are but the mere in- 
 cidents of commerce. Commerce relates to whatever grows on the soil of the 
 country ; to whatever is mined out of the bowels of the earth ; to whatever 
 improves mankind; to whatever makes men wiser, happier, better, more 
 thrifty, and more intelligent than they were before. Once we were accus- 
 tomed to say that cotton was king, because two hundred millions of dollars 
 worth of cotton was raised in the Southern States; and when the cotton 
 trade was prostrated by the civil war, we said that corn was king. Well, 
 
56 
 
 sir, these are raonarchs— small types of a great whole— particles in that 
 which makes up the prosperity of a nation. Mifchty, majestic, fruitful, 
 and powerful in their results they may he, but they are but atoms of a 
 mighty whole. Sir, as I have said, commerce relates to that which 
 improves, instructs, and benefits mankind. And then there is another 
 class of people who think that all that is beneficial, all that gives pros- 
 perity, in commerce, relates merely to ships carrying the American flag, 
 and bearing the produce of the United States to Europe — cotton, it may be, 
 to France, to England, or to other ports of the old world. And therein, 
 again, the commercial people of the country greatly mistake what their 
 interests are. Sir, I have been trying to impart to my people the convic- 
 tion, strong upon my own mind for twenty years and more, that the inland 
 commerce of a country is vastly more important to that country than its 
 foreign commerce. (Applause.) Why, sir, the very element of jirosperity 
 in foreign commerce is domestic commerce. We take a thousand bales of 
 cotton to the old world,— where did it grow? It grew upon the plantations 
 and savannas of the South. We take millions of bushels of com and 
 •wheat to England, Ireland, and France,— where did it grow? In the great 
 granaries of the West. We take all the products of our forests and our soil 
 to the old world, and yet the elements of the resulting pro8i>erity were in 
 the soil of the West, the South-west, and the South. Therefore, I say, — 
 and in saying it, I give utterance to a truth which it seems to me rarely 
 impresses itself upon the public mind, — that however im]>ortant foreign 
 commerce may be, the domestic commerce of the country is three or four 
 times more important than the foreign commerce. 
 
 But, apart from all that, the commerce which sails upon your lakes, — 
 Ontario, Erie, Superior, Michigan, — and which sails upon your canals, is in 
 value four times that of the commerce which is borne in ships from the 
 sea-ports of the country to the old world. Therefore, a wise and sagacious 
 statesman, in discussing and considering a question of this magnitude, will 
 remember that the domestic commerce of the country needs protection, 
 needs fostei-ing care, needs railroads and canals, just as much as a sea-port 
 like Portland or New York needs liglit-houses to keep the ships coming in 
 from sea from striking against the rocks and being stranded there. Sir, I 
 often think of the sentiment of John Rowan, of Virginia (I think it was), 
 who, living near the head of the James River, folded his arms and said, 
 with great sorrow, " Would to God that there was some provision in the 
 constitution of the United States that would enable Congress to remove 
 these obstructions from James River!" There being no such provision in 
 the constitution of the United States, those obstructions have remained 
 there, I believe, from that time to the present, and perhaps will until some 
 newer light or greater enterprise settles down upon Richmond, and the 
 people find that there is power somewhere to remove these obstructions to 
 commerce wherever they exist. Nor have I been educated in that school 
 of politics which distinguishes between a great river like the Ohio, the 
 
57 
 
 Mississippi, the Missouri, and the sea-coast of Maine, or the sea-coast of the 
 rest of tlie country. Sir, there are twelve thousand miles of sea-coast on 
 the United States. No man who ever took a seat in Con>i;ress ever doubted 
 the power of the Federal Government to build a light-h'onse there, to place a 
 light-ship there, or to do anything which might improve the commercial 
 advantages of this country; and yet, when the question comes up in regard 
 to a river like the Mississippi, immense in its volume of water, ^ perfect 
 treasure-house to the lands lying on each side of it, there are thousands of 
 intelligent men in our country who think there is no power to remove any 
 obstruction which may exist there. 
 
 But, sir, I wander. I wish to impress upon those to whom it is my 
 privilege to address these few and imperfect words, the truth to which I 
 have already given utterance, that there is no occasion for jealousy 
 between different States of this Union in regard to questions of internal 
 improvement — none whatever. Why, sir, have you ever comprehended 
 he geographical extent of our country? There are one billion, eight hundred 
 and thirty-four millions of acres in the present territory of the United States of 
 America, exceeding, in geographical extent, all the civilized continent of 
 Europe combined. From the foundation of the Government to this time, 
 we have sold one hundred and fifty-four millions of acres, only four-fifths 
 of which have been occupied, and we have granted to colleges and other 
 institutions, to the States and to towns, for various puryjoses, some two 
 hundred and fifty millions of acres more; leaving one billion, four hundred 
 million acres and over, vastly over, to be occupied by those who are to 
 succeed us. Sir, the outside estimate of the population of the United 
 States at the present time is forty millions, and, as I have said, China has 
 four hundred millions. There is room for four hundred millions and twice 
 four hundred millions of people in the United States. The great body of 
 this land is capable of a magnificent production of all the fruits of the 
 earth, with immense treasures beneath the soil. But yesterday, as it were, 
 there was discovered in Alaska one of the richest coal-mines that has been 
 developed in the entire length and breadth of the United States. It is hard 
 for the human fancy, even with the broadest stretch of a vivid imagination, 
 to comprehend what this country is capable of Why, sir, that far-off 
 State of California, young as she is, is to-day one of the great granaries of 
 the world. She sends thousands and thousands of sacks of flour to New 
 York, some of which is used there, much of it sent abroad; and she has 
 more grain to-day for shipment to Europe than there can be found ships to 
 carry it there. California, with a population of 500,000, is capable of pro- 
 ducing all that Spain produces, having about the same extent of territory, 
 and Spain has a population of fourteen millions of people. Or, take the 
 State of Illinois, which, I believe, is represented in this Convention,— a 
 State with two millions and a half of people, and capable of supporting 
 liberally and luxuriously a population of ten millions. Sir, is there any 
 occasion for one State or one section of such a country to be jealous of 
 
58 
 
 another? God forbid that any such feeling should manifest itself anywhere 
 on any part of the continent of America! (Applause.) 
 
 One or two facts more, and I will relieve your patience. Since 1790, we 
 have had an emigrant population in the United States of six million, seven 
 hundred and odd thousand people, and before the close of the present 
 year, that number will exceed seven millions. A majority of them, — a 
 more important fact than the number, — averaged, during the last year, 
 under forty years of age. I must tell you, Mr. Chairman, as the result of 
 my observation, the mortifying fact, that but for these large additions from 
 abroad, the American population must die out. Sir, I have heard recently, 
 in the city of Boston, from statisticians there (what is no doubt true of 
 every New England State), that where American families, fifty, forty, 
 thirty, and even twenty-five years ago, averaged nine children, they do not 
 average three at the present day. What eft'ect is that to have upon the 
 country? But for this very emigrant population to which I have alluded, 
 the American population, I say, would die out. Sir, that is a fact to be 
 considered and studied, perhaps not in a convention like this, but in one 
 of more importance, in some respects, and called for another object than 
 this. 
 
 But whence came these people, and where do they land? I will take 
 the year 1867, to illustrate. 125,000 of them came from Great Britain ; 12.5,- 
 000, nearly (only 250 less), came from Germany; a few thousands from 
 France and from the north of Europe. Where did they land? Some 3,750 
 landed in this good city of Portland. I have no doubt they contributed 
 very much toward building it up from that vast ruin which might well 
 seem to us, who do not live here, would work your certain destruction, 
 rather than, as seems apparent now, your greater prosperity in time to 
 come. (Loud applause.) 10,000 landed in the city of Boston; 9,000 in the 
 city of Baltimore; and 251,0')0 in the city of New York. Now, as a New 
 Yorker, if I were disposed to be jealous at all in regard to the success of 
 other sections of the country, I should always be pointing to such statis- 
 tics as these. But I say to you, as I have said before, there is room, and 
 opportunity, and prosperity for us all. 
 
 And now, to come to some of the practical questions of the day. Sir, no 
 man present will rejoice more than I shall to see a railroad from the city 
 of Portland to the city of New York, or a railroad from the city of Port- 
 land to Halifax, in Nova Scotia. Hasten the day when all these improve- 
 ments will be completed, for you may make railroads and canals until the 
 youngest child in this city becomes gray, and the country will grow faster 
 than your railroads and your canals. (Applause.) The complaint of thou- 
 sands of merchants in New York now is (and the same is true, in a meas- 
 ure, of the merchants of Philadelphia), that they cannot get their goods 
 transported with the speed they wish ; and that becomes a very important 
 practical question, as merchants very well know, in these times of short 
 credits. The custom in old times was to give credits of four, six, and some- 
 
59 
 
 times of eight months; but now, every business transaction is a matter of 
 thirty days, and the purchaser expects to realize something, in the thirty 
 days, upon what he has bought in the city of Portland, New York, or else- 
 where. Speed, therefore, is of the highest importance. And let me say 
 again, in my judgment, railroads are more important to the develop- 
 ment of a country, in an age like this, than any other improvements. If 
 you will look to Belgium and Holland, you will see that they are appar- 
 ently better suited to canals than to railroads. They have had canals there 
 from generation to generation ; all the transit pf goods has been by this 
 means, from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and elsewhere; and yet, 
 sir, since Antwerp entered upon the building of railroads, some twenty or 
 thirty years ago, a greater degree of prosperity has attended Holland than 
 at any time previously. Her railroads have been immensely prosperous; 
 they have paid a larger income there than here; they have paid more 
 interest upon the capital invested there than here, with those canals lying 
 right side by side of the rails. 
 
 I say that commerce— to recur again to that subject— embraces every- 
 thing that contributes to the advantage of man, whether it be farms, plan- 
 tations, ships; whether it be growing corn or cotton: and, therefore, in 
 regard to all these enterprises which have brought you here, whether it be 
 a ship canal round the Falls of Niagara, or the improvement of the Lake 
 Champlain Canal, or the building of a railroad from Portland to the lakes, 
 or a railroad from the St. Lawrence to Puget Sound, or filling in that link 
 which will make a railroad from Halifax to far-off San Francisco,— in re- 
 gard to all these enterprises I say, Go on and prosper! Wise men will 
 help you, far-seeing, sagacious men will contribute freety of their time 
 and money. Thus, in the name of commerce,— 
 
 "Bid harbors open, public ways extend; 
 Bid temples, worthy of the gods, ascend ; 
 Bid the broad arch the rolling flood contain, 
 The mole, extended, break the roaring main ; 
 Back to her bounds the subject sea command, 
 And -roll obedient rivers through the land." 
 
 (Prolonged and loud applause.) 
 
 Sir, my eyes almost contemplated the other day, — certainly it would re- 
 quire no great stretch of the imagination, and you can see it as I can, — 
 eleven thousand Chinese laborers working upon the Central Pacific Rail- 
 road ; and you may see a greater number of Irishmen from the old world 
 working upon the Union Pacific Railroad ; and in the year of our Lord 
 eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, you will see these peasantry of China, 
 and these neighboring people of Ireland, celebrating together the comple- 
 tion of the Union Pacific Railroad on the tops of the Sierra Nevada. (Ap- 
 plause.) It has cost millions of money, but it has been money well laid 
 out. It will enrich a thousand men where it will make one man poor; it 
 will contribute largely to the wealth and the resources of the Government, 
 
60 
 
 and to its material prosperity, by enabling it to obtain taxes from lands 
 and other property which would otherwise have been undeveloped and 
 unproductive. 
 
 Sir, I have detained you too long, and let me merely say, in conclusion, 
 that all this country wants is men (I mean men in public life) fitted for 
 their respective places. I do not mean Democratic men or Republican 
 men ; I do not mean partisans. Sir, statesmanship is higher than parti- 
 sanship (applause), country is more than party, and I feel, therefore, like 
 saying,— 
 
 " God give us men ! A time like this demands 
 Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and steady hands; 
 Men whom the lusts of office cannot buy, 
 Men whom tlie spoils of office cannot sell, 
 Men of opinion and a will, 
 Men of honor, men who will not lie, 
 Men who dare stand above the demagogue, 
 And damn his treacherous flatterings without winking; 
 Tall men, sun-browned, who live above the fog. 
 In public duty and in rpivato thinking." 
 
 Reports of Committees. 
 
 Mr, Pringle, of Michigan, from the Committee on 
 International Commercial Relations, submitted the 
 following i;eport : 
 
 International Commercial Convention, 
 
 Portland, August 4, 1868. 
 
 The Committee, to whom was referred the subject 
 of the reciprocal commercial relations which ought to 
 exist between the United States, the Dominion of 
 Canada and the other Provinces, respectfully report, 
 that the time allotted does not permit a full considera- 
 tion of the subject. A few hours will not suffice to 
 collect the necessary statistics or to examine every 
 bearing of the different policies which have been tried 
 by the two countries. General considerations can 
 only be thought of, and then cannot be discussed at 
 length. 
 
61 
 
 The valley of the St. Lawrence, including the great 
 lakes, lies in the general direction which the commerce 
 not only of this entire valley and of the maritime 
 provinces, but of the valley of the upper Mississippi 
 naturally takes. The people who inhabit all this 
 region for the most part speak the same language, 
 their institutions are mostly similar, the natural pro- 
 ductions, whether of the field or of the forest, except 
 as affected by climate, are alike, and the boundary is 
 an invisible line which must be often crossed by the 
 track of commerce. The advantage of reciprocal 
 intercourse is obvious for the reason that the area for 
 commercial enterprise and the markets for manufac- 
 tured goods and agricultural productions are enlarged. 
 The political relations are different, but the prevalent 
 system of law and the general character of legislation 
 is the same. The financial burden of the two countries 
 in proportion to their resources are probably not very 
 different. Neither power has any reason to be jealous 
 of the other, and it would seem that unrestricted 
 commercial intercourse would conduce to the general 
 benefit. Labor, whether skilled or unskilled, receives 
 about equivalent rewards, and whatever difference 
 there may be in this respect is likely to be rapidly 
 adjusted by reason of the easy transit of those who 
 perform the labor from one country to the other. Ten 
 years of reciprocity have been tried, — from 1856 to 
 1865, — and the sum of imports and exports was much 
 more than doubled. The treaty was abolished, and 
 the commercial intercourse is shrinking to its old 
 
62 
 
 proportions. Why not, then, renew the rule of recip- 
 rocity ? (Loud applause.) 
 
 Some of the objections urged may be briefly con- 
 sidered. That growing out of the depreciated currency 
 of the United States is believed to be but temporary. 
 The hope is universal in the States that this lingering 
 result of a protracted war will speedily disappear, and 
 then our commerce will revive, industry will be 
 organized, and all disturbing questions will be ami- 
 cably settled. A more real difficulty might perhaps 
 arise in adjusting excise and impost duties so as sub- 
 stantially to correspond in the two countries. This 
 would be necessary to prevent the feeling which 
 would arise on one side or the other if manufacturers 
 were attracted to cross the boundary line by the 
 cheaper cost of living or of new materials, in order, 
 by returning the goods, the better to compete in the 
 markets of their own country. The great reduction 
 of American taxation, by which excises are hereafter 
 to be levied almost entirely upon spirituous liquors, 
 tobacco, and a few other articles not of indispensable 
 necessity, and the probability that imposts upon many 
 imported articles can be reduced twenty to thirty per 
 cent, lead to the conclusion that there need be no per- 
 manent material difference if the two governments will 
 in good faith attempt to settle the details upon the 
 basis of equality. 
 
 The objection coming from agricultural districts 
 that the competition of grain-growers will be ruinous 
 to American farmers does not seem to be well founded. 
 
63 
 
 for the reason that the prices of wheat and other grain 
 in European markets, to which both sides of the St. 
 Lawrence have equal access, govern the prices on this 
 continent. This objection, as apphed to the raising of 
 cattle, is even more untenable if made in the United 
 States, for the reason that the difference in climate is 
 in favor of the American produce. The objection, 
 coming from producers of lumber in the States, is one 
 in which the great body of the American people will 
 not sympathize. The American supply is not so large 
 as to make it a leading interest, or to be entitled to 
 ask of the Government a policy which shall have the 
 effect of diminishing it more rapidly than the law of 
 supply and demand would naturally do. 
 
 The objection coming, or supposed to come, from 
 Canada, growing out of the mistaken supposition that 
 the treaty was abolished upon the idea that the com- 
 mercial interests of the Provinces would thereby be 
 compelled to favor annexation, requires the explicit 
 declaration that there is no party or set of men in the 
 United States who demand or would consent to annex 
 the Canadas against the will of the people of that 
 Dominion. Political questions are not to be regarded 
 in this discussion. America has not and will not 
 invest money for political or military reasons in the 
 valley of the St. Lawrence, and will probably continue 
 to laugh at those who do ; but this is no reason why 
 our intercourse, found to be mutually beneficial, should 
 not be again renewed. The reason for giving the 
 notice to abrogate the treaty is believed to have 
 
64 
 
 grown out of the late civil war, the imposition of very 
 heavy duties and excises having become, as was 
 believed, a necessity, and these having produced some 
 inequalities which need no longer exist. An incidental 
 benefit to both countries of renewing the treaty will 
 be the removal of that speck of war which is supposed 
 to be contained in the question of the fisheries. The 
 Committee have, therefore, agreed upon and recom- 
 mend the adoption of the accompanying resolution. 
 
 EUGENE PRINGLE, WM. J. PALMER, 
 
 WILLIAM DEERING, FREDK. SMYTH, 
 
 WILLIAM H. CRAIG, AMASA WALKER. 
 JOS. H. CONVERSE, 
 
 Resolved, That the early attention of Uonsrress to the important measures 
 to secure closer commercial relations with the Dominion of Canada, on 
 the enlarged basis of a free continental trade, is deman<led b3' tlie enlight- 
 ened sentiment and best interests of the people of the United States and 
 the Provinces. That no time should be lost in initiating the necessary 
 measures to secure this object, and that this Convention expresses a 
 confident hope that Congress will, as early as practicable, appoint a special 
 Commission to negotiate with the provincial autliorities for a commercial 
 alliance or Zolverein. 
 
 On motion of Senator Corbett, of Oregon, the 
 report was adopted. 
 
 The President read a note from Capt. John B. Coyle, 
 agent of the Portland and Boston Steamship Co., in- 
 viting the members of the Convention to an excursion 
 down the harbor this afternoon, in one of the boats of 
 the Company. 
 
 On motion, the invitation was accepted, and the 
 thanks of the Convention ordered to be returned to 
 Capt. Coyle for the courtesy. 
 
 Hon. H. W. Corbett, of Oregon, chairman of the 
 
65 
 
 Committee on Railroads across the continent, submit- 
 ted a verbal report with the following resolutions, 
 briefly commenting upon them as read : 
 
 Resolved, That the Convention is profoundly impressed with the impor- 
 tance of the changes which are about to take place in the course of 
 the commerce of the world by the completion of unbroken railway com- 
 munication across the continent of North America, and by the large diver- 
 sion of the traffic of the East from Cape of Good Hope and Eed Sea routes 
 through the United States. 
 
 Resolved, That the interest with which the great nations of China and 
 Japan are regarding the establishment of American steamship lines on 
 the Pacific ocean, and the construction of trans-continental American rail- 
 roads, and the earnest desire which they evince to cultivate more intimate 
 commercial relations with the people of this country, make it incumbent 
 upon us to sustain and to prosecute with the utmost vigor, these national 
 and international enterprises, in order that we may be promptly prepared 
 to avail ourselves of the advantages of our geographical position and of 
 the friendly disposition of the Eastern nations for the extension of our for- 
 eign commerce. 
 
 Resolved, That in the judgment of this Convention, two continental rail- 
 ways in addition to that now under construction by the Omaha route, one 
 upon the line of parallel to the north, and the other upon a line of parallel 
 to the south of that route, should be built with the least possible delay, to 
 meet the requirements of the trade of Asia already referred to, and to 
 open to settlement and to cultivation the interior territories of the country, 
 and to hasten the development of their agricultural and mineral wealth; 
 and, therefore, the Convention respectfully and earnestly urges upon Con- 
 gress the patriotic duty of granting immediate and adequate aid, to perfect 
 our American system by the building of these additional railways. 
 
 Resolved, That the projected line from the head waters of Lake Superior 
 to Puget Sound, which will render available for the purposes of the com- 
 merce of the world our great inland seas, which will give communication 
 between Asia and Europe by the shortest distances on both the Pacific 
 and the Atlantic oceans, and by the shortest distance through the United 
 States, gives promise of great advantage to the entire country, as well as 
 to the States and Territories through which it is to pass. 
 
 Resolved, That the projected line of railway to the Pacific Ocean, which 
 will traverse the country on or adjacent to the thirty-fifth parallel of lati- 
 tude, in view of the climate and of the fertility and mineral wealth of the 
 country through which it will pass, and in view of the commercial neces- 
 sities of the southern portion of the United States, is of no less vital im- 
 portance than that which is to unite the north-east with the north-west, 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 aflfording, as it will, more direct communication to the cities of St. Louis, 
 Memphis, Vicksburg, New Orleans, and Galveston, with the Pacific coast. 
 
 Resolved, That it is of the highest importance that we use the shortest 
 practicable routes between the various cities of our country, between the 
 eastern and western sections, and between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 
 
 Resolved, That this Convention recommends the completion of a line of 
 railroad from Portland to the West, which will connect the Atlantic and 
 the Pacific by the shortest and most practicable route, recognizing at the 
 same time the importance of such proposed and existing routes, as connect 
 tide-water with the lakes, or aftbrd valuable additions to the direct lines 
 of transit between the East and the West. 
 
 Hon. John Neal moved the adoption of the resolu- 
 tions. 
 
 Hon. Amasa Walker, of North Brookfield, Mass., 
 seconded the motion, and said, — 
 
 This report, Mr, Cbairman,,propo8es a magnificent scheme— the construc- 
 tion of two more railroads across the continent of North America. Is not 
 that an astonishing proposition? and to many minds, must it not almost 
 seem perfectly absurd? And yet, what proposition of any importance re- 
 lating to railroads has not been received in precisely the same spirit? The 
 proposition to build a railroad from Boston to Albany was thought a very 
 visionary idea— something that reasonable, reflecting men would not en- 
 courage for a moment It was only a few zealous and earnest young men 
 who dared to contemplate such an undertaking as a railroad from Boston 
 to Albany. And yet it was accomplished at last, and with what results? 
 The business of the road has been tenfold greater than anybody had even 
 anticipated, and in making their arrangements for stations, procuring land, 
 &c., they did not provide for more than one-tenth the accommodations 
 they ought to have secured. Now, sir, that has been the experience in 
 every section of the country from that time to this; and therefore it is that 
 we are not to be startled with this idea of two new railroads across the 
 continent. The country develops with such tremendous activity. that, as 
 was said by the gentleman who preceded me, we cannot keep up with the 
 increase of jiopulation by all the railroads that we can make. So that 
 there is nothing visionary, nothing chimerical in this idea of sending an- 
 other railroad across the continent north, and another railroad south of 
 the one now in process of construction, because we open such vast territo- 
 ries and develop such vast resources by so doing. 
 
 I will not, sir, detain the Convention by any extended remarks. My only 
 object is to remove the impression, if it exists in the mind of any gentle- 
 man present, that this is a mere chimera, a new visionary project, that a 
 few minds entertain, who have not the discretion or the judgment to know 
 what is for the good and for the best interests of the country. 
 
67 
 
 Sir, the x^eople of this country wish for four things; specially, they need 
 four thinjTjs as the conditions of their highest prosperity and most rapid 
 development. In tlie first place, they need freedom of labor, freedom of 
 industry. That we have secured; that is settled. Everyman now has an 
 interest in tlie results of his labor, and that is an essential condition of the 
 greatest production. The next thing that we need is freedom of intercourse 
 — ^freedom of traile ; and hence the proposition that has just been acted upon 
 in relation to reciprocity. "Why, that is the grandest and noblest idea that 
 can be presented to the American people, in relation to their progress, in 
 relation to the development of their industry, and of the resources of the 
 country. I was exceedingly vexed, I will say, when the proposition was 
 made to aV)olish the reciprocity treaty between us and the British Prov- 
 inces on the north; for I foresaw at once, what we now realize, that it 
 would be a very essential injury to both countries. It has proved so. 
 "While our trade and our profits were increasing during recix^rocity, they at 
 once fell off U])on the refusal of this country to renew the treaty. That is 
 a great fundamental principle, and it applies, allow me to say, for one 
 country as well as another. This glorious idea of the universal freedom of 
 trade applies to all countries everywhere. 
 
 I am aware, sir, that by circumstances and by local interests, we have 
 been educat^^d to very false ideas on that subject; but we have got to 
 abandon all those ideas; we have got to realize that we as a nation can 
 compete with all the world, if we can only have perfect freedom of indus- 
 try and trade. That is what we demand, and having that, we are sure of 
 being able to compete successfully with "all the world and the rest of 
 mankind." (Api)lause.) 
 
 I could not allow this occasion to pass away— the meeting of our Inter- 
 national Commercial Convention — without saying this much; without 
 bearing my testimony to the truth of this great principle, namely, that we 
 want universal freedom of trade, and that for the prosperity and welfare 
 of our whole country, of every part of our country, of every great interest 
 in our country, it is essential that we have this freedom of trade. 
 
 Then, again, we want what we have now met here to promote, and that 
 is, the cheapest possible transportation. That is the third thing. After the 
 farmer or the manufacturer or the fisherman has got his product ready 
 for the market, we want the greatest possible facilities for transporting 
 that product to the consumer. "We want, therefore, railroads everywhere, 
 and we want them conducted on such economical principles that the rates 
 for the transportation of freight and passengers may be reduced to the 
 lowest possible point. 
 
 Lastly, we need a correct standard of value. We need a currency on a 
 par with the currency of the rest of the commercial world. (Applause.) 
 "We cannot have prosperity unless we do have a correct standard of value. 
 It is all idle, it is all absurd to suppose that we can secure our own inter- 
 ests and welfare, in competition with the rest of the world, unless we have 
 
68 
 
 the same standard of value that the rest of the world has. The idea that 
 we can have a currency which to-day is worth only sixty-nine cents on the 
 dollar of the currency of the world, and yet he prosperous, entirely suc- 
 cessful, is preposterous. There is no such thing; and I take leave here to 
 say, that that is the greatest difficulty we have to-day, the greatest cause 
 of our suffering and loss, of the falling off of our industry, and the depres- 
 sion of trade. It must he so, and it will grow worse and worse. Why, sir, 
 what has stopped your ship-building in Maine? Your false currency. Eight 
 over the line, our good friends have a sound currency, and they can build 
 a vessel and send it here and sell it, in the face and eyes of your ship-build- 
 ers, for a third less than they can build it. Why? Because everything 
 the ship-builder here uses is measured by this false currency, which is 
 worth only sixty-nine cents on the dollat, and everything there is meas- 
 ured by a currency that is worth one hundred cents on the dollar. That 
 makes a mighty difference. There is no hope of restoring the business of 
 ship-building at all except as you restore the currency. We are sending 
 to-day to Canada for lumber which might be purchased in Maine. ■\\Tiy? 
 Because lumber i)urchascd in Maine is purchased with a fictitious curren- 
 cy, and costs forty per cent more than it otherwise would; and therefore 
 our friends on the other side of the line can sell their lumber cheaper than 
 we can get it out of our own forests. That is the fact, and that is true of 
 every branch of industry in the country. 
 
 Look for a moment at our cotton manufactures. The time has been when 
 we have sent cotton manufactures to the amount of nine millions of dol- 
 lars to the East, — to Bombay and Calcutta. How is it to-day? Look at 
 your returns and see how much you send. You send next to nothing, and 
 you never can send any there, or anywhere else, to advantage, until you 
 have a currency on a par with theirs. (Applause.) 
 
 I fear the attention of the people of this country lias not been directed 
 to that point as it ought to have been. We have talked about free trade 
 and a great many other things here for twenty or thirty years; but we 
 have never paid any serious attention to the results of a currency below 
 the standard of value in the commercial world, and here is the great fact, 
 that we have a currency to-day which is more than thirty per cent below 
 that standard. The people of this country must turn their attention in 
 that direction. They must not be deluded by looking in a certain direc- 
 tion for the remedy. They must demand a return just as soon as a return 
 is practicable, to the true standard of value ; that is, that a dollar shall 
 mean 25 8-10 grains of gold, of standard value, — for that is what is meant 
 by "par;" that is, that our currency should be on a par with gold. 
 
 Sir, I could not forbear presenting this consideration to the Convention, 
 because, important as all other things are as steps towards the realization 
 of our highest prosperity and success, as a business people, it is above all 
 things essential that we should have our currency restored. We must not 
 be deceived by any cry— " Oh, we are coming to it." " Coming to it!" 
 
69 
 
 Coming to what? Coming to destruction. That is what we are inevitably- 
 coming to, financially. Coming to a specie standard by any present 
 process? I deny it, entirely. We are going precisely in the opposite 
 direction, or else I do not know anything about it. "We are going away 
 from it every day. Talk about large crops of cotton and wheat restoring 
 the currency ! It has no tendency that way. That is undoubtedly thought 
 to be very heretical by some who hear me, but it is just so. Then what 
 will restore the currency? Why, what destroyed the currency? It is 
 always best to know that, to start with. What destroyed the currency? 
 The act of Congress making paper legal tender, was it not? Surely, that is 
 •what destroyed the currency. A war measure, necessary, if you please,— I 
 will not debate that point,— but that is what destroyed the currency. What, 
 then, will restore it? Nothing but an act of Congress. Nothing but an act 
 of Congress which shall declare that the currency shall be contracted so* 
 many millions a month, until it is on a par with specie. To pretend that 
 anything else will ever produce this result is to deceive the people. Those 
 who entertain this idea are honest, perhaps; nevertheless, it is a mistake, 
 and a mistake that can only produce distress, that can only postpone relief. 
 We must look to no such thing,— to nothing except the direct and positive 
 action of Congress. When will Congress act upon that subject? When 
 will they take measures to bring about this result ? Do you know when 
 they will do it? I will tell you precisely when they will do it. They will 
 do it when you demand it, and they will never do it before,— never. I 
 assure you of that. Speaking with a very intelligent member of Congress 
 some little time ago, he said, " We ought to contract our currency ten 
 millions a month ; we ought to do this thing and that." I said, 
 "Yes," and "I a^ree with you in that;" and when he got through, 
 I said, "Go on the floor of Congress and say that; go before your 
 constituents and tell them that is what the country needs." Said he, 
 "Walker, I should be defeated by five thousand majority." (Laugh- 
 ter.) There you have it. The idea that your Congress is going to do 
 anything you do not ask for is quite absurd. The idea that they know 
 anything more than you do about these things is equally absurd. You, 
 business men, must be the judges; you must demand what you want. You 
 have only to let your representatives in Congress know what you want, 
 and you will have it; otherwise, we shall float on and on in this miserable 
 sea. 
 
 I ask you, then, in conclusion, to use your utmost exertions to bring 
 about a gradual but certain reduction of our expanded currency. (Ap- 
 plause.) 
 
 Mr. John Cain, of Rutland, Vt., said : 
 
 I do not rise, Mr. Chairman, to make a speech, but I do rise to make a 
 few remarks. I could sit here a week and feel grateful to hear speeches 
 about the Celestial Empire, and stay up in the clouds, where we have been 
 
70 
 
 yesterday and to-day, but I think we had better come down to practical 
 operations. (Applause.) We have heard from gentlemen from Oregon, 
 from Minnesota, from New York, from Massachusetts. I have been very 
 much entertained and glad to hear them. I mean no disrespect to any 
 gentleman in what I have to say, but I do say that it is not the entertain- 
 ment to which we were invited. There are delegates here from a distance 
 —from Oregon, as I have said, probably from Halifax and Montreal, and 
 remote points; but I assure you that the place where a Convention is held 
 generally contributes a large number. "We have heard nothing from 
 Portland. We have been invited here by the people of Portland to an 
 International Convention. They have had two Railroad Conventions 
 within a few months, which I have attended, — one at Center Harbor, 
 janother at Rutland. Although this is called an International Convention, 
 still it is to promote the Portland and Rutland Railroad to the Pacific. 
 That was the intention. I am glad that gentlemen have diverged and 
 taken an international view, so far as they have done; but what 1 protest 
 against is the making of long speeches.— and I hope I shall not be allowed 
 to fall into that fault myself. New Hampshire has not spoken here; 
 Vermont has not said a word. We are about one hundred miles distant 
 from Portland at Rutland, in western Vermont, across the Green Moun- 
 tains. We have come some two hundred and sixty miles to get here by 
 railroad, by the way of Boston. We, on the western side of the mountains, 
 are represented by some twenty delegates from Rutland and neighboring 
 towns; the other side is represented by some thirty delegates from Wood- 
 stock and neighboring towns; and New Hampshire, in the vicinity of 
 Bristol, and along there, is represented by fully that number. Not one of 
 these gentlemen has said a word; and what I rose for was to say, that I 
 hope, as we have accepted the invitation for an excursion down the bay, 
 that we shall have an evening session. Our sessions have been too short. 
 You must know that many of the delegates from the interior of New 
 Hampshire and Vermont cannot stay here for a great length of time. A 
 large number of our delegation would have gone this morning, had it not 
 been that they wished to see this matter out. I do not know how many days 
 you intend to be in session ; I do not know what the programme of this Con- 
 vention is, but what I have risen for is to suggest that the business of the 
 Convention be acted upon first, and that we have the speeches afterwards. 
 For fear that I may fall into the same fault that I have been complaining 
 about, I must conclude. You know what I mean. I hope that when the 
 Convention is in session, no man will be allowed to speak more than ten 
 minutes. 
 
 Hon. John B. Brown, of Portland, said : 
 
 I move that when the Convention adjourns, it be to meet at half-past 
 seven o'clock this evening. In behalf of the citizens of Portland, I will say 
 that we are very glad that the Convention has accepted the invitation to 
 
71 
 
 take a trip down the harbor. We are very desirous to hear our distin- 
 guished friends from the West and the East, and I have no doubt that a 
 large audience will be here this evening. I hope, therefore, that the Con- 
 vention will hold an evening session. 
 
 Hon. R. D. Rice, of Augusta, said : 
 
 I beg leave to remark, that I have been very much interested in the 
 discussion thus far, and desire, particularly, to suggest to my friend from 
 Vermont that there has not been very much time expended, and no time 
 wasted, in speeches. We have hardly yet received the reports of our com- 
 mittees, and those reports, it seems to me, involve matter of very great 
 interest, not only to this Convention, but to the whole people of this 
 continent. I trust, therefore, that we shall take time enough to fully and 
 maturely consider these important questions, and that gentlemen, not only 
 from the far West, from Massachusetts, and from New York, but from Ver- 
 mont and New Hampshire, from Portland and Canada, from Nova Scotia 
 and New Brunswick, and, if there is any person present from across the 
 waters, from England also, will have an opportunity to be heard before 
 this Convention finally adjourns. 
 
 Now that I am up, I will state that I see a gentleman in the hall of much 
 distinction, who has given a great deal of attention to the subject before us. 
 I refer to the Hon, Henry T. Blow, of Missouri. I take the liberty to call 
 upon him for some remarks upon the subject-matter now before the 
 Convention. 
 
 SPEECH OF HON. HENRY T. BLOW. 
 
 Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Convention, — I congratulate you most 
 heartily upon the reports that have been presented to you this morning. 
 Your Convention was called in the interest of the whole country, and I see 
 from the nature of these reports that you have had regard to the whole 
 country. 
 
 But before I proceed to speak upon the particular matter before us, and 
 to which my attention has been directed, I ask leave to protest against the 
 discussion of questions, of the greatest importance to this country, and 
 upon which men differ, before a Convention not called for the discussion 
 of those subjects. (Applause.) We of the West have our opinions upon 
 those questions, and, sir, we will go before the people of this country and 
 discuss them. Here, we come to discuss the question of the construction 
 of trans-continental railroads; to see if we cannot bring the far-off nations 
 of the world together across this magnificent expanse of territory which 
 we own and control. I do not pretend to say that we of the West do not 
 agree, on some subjects, with the gentlemen who have addressed you. We 
 want a currency as solid and enduring as the great principles of Republi- 
 canism. We want, like my friend from Massachusetts, a currency that 
 
72 
 
 will attract the laborer from foreign countries, and upon which the credit 
 of a great nation can securely rest in the eyes of the balance of the world. 
 Bui while we want that, we diflfer very ranch from the gentleman in regard 
 to the manner in which we should get it. A National Commercial Con- 
 vention met not long ago in the city of Philadelphia, and their idea was 
 entirely different from that of the gentleman. The first thing that they 
 thought necessary to resumption was, that contracts for payment in gold 
 should be recognized as binding by act of Congress. (Applause.) That, 
 they believed, yould pave the way to that acknowledgment upon which 
 alone this great revolution or reaction is to take place. 
 
 I differ from the gentleman very much in regard to another matter. I 
 assert that the material interests of this country, the raising of grand crops 
 of wheat and corn, the restoration of the cotton crop, the reduction of the 
 imports and the increase of exports, and the production of gold, is the true 
 way to resumption. (Applause.) Acts of Congress will not convert the 
 currency to gold. It is labor, accommodated to the wants of the people, — 
 it is the labor of men themselves, honest and fair, and thoroughly identified 
 with the loyal, union, progressive spirit of the times, which is to giv 
 vitality to the country and credit to the nation. (Applause.) Pardon me 
 for saying so much upon this subject. 
 
 In the report that is before us, we have designated a road which is now 
 on its way to completion. Six or eight hundred miles from the extreme 
 confines of the States of this Union, reaching towards California, is the 
 Central or Omaha route; an enterprise which alone would give character 
 and dignity to any nation, if it had nothing else to sustain it. Clear be- 
 yond that, on the Pacific slopes, another road is to-day surmounting the 
 Sierra Nevada, and the space of only 900 miles is between them. That 
 space will be annihilated in less than eighteen months, and the iron horse 
 will start from Portland, I hope, by the direct route to which my friend 
 alludes,— for we go for direct routes (applause)— and never stop until it 
 stands by the growing com at the entrance of California. (Renewed ap- 
 jdause.) 
 
 But, gentlemen, the Senator from Oregon made a very good point yester- 
 day before our committee, when he said that we could not haul the pro- 
 ducts of the East and the West over the Sierra Nevada, except at a high 
 cost. "We want competing routes, and justice to this nation, justice to the 
 toiling South, erring as they have been, demands that every portion of 
 the country should be regarded; and here is the place, in the far-off north- 
 east of our country, to show the spirit of American justice, and you have 
 done it. (Applause.) "We therefore designate two other routes; one that 
 is perfectly magnificent, for it accommodates two great nations— the north- 
 ern portion of our own and that English nation which I hope will struggle 
 up until it becomes self-sustaining and independent, and can build its own 
 roads across its own domain to that same far-off Pacific. I heard Thaddeus 
 Stevens, when that bill was brought up in Congress, describe the beauti- 
 
. '^3 
 
 ful country traversed by the Lake Superior and Puget Sound road. We 
 are too apt, living as we do remote from these portions of our country, to 
 lose sight of their great beauty and fertility. I was reminded of both as 
 the Senator eloquently described to the committee, as the gentleman from 
 Minnesota (Hon. J. W. Taylor) did to the Convention, yesterday, the mag- 
 nificence of that country and its enormous producing capacity. 
 
 Then, far to the South, gentlemen, you provide for another road — a road 
 which has its branch through Memj^his, to Savannah and Charleston — a 
 direct route to Memphis already provided to meet it; another branch to 
 Galveston; another branch to Memphis,Vicksburg, and New Orleans. This 
 is not a purely southern route, for if you will look at the map, you will see 
 it is more central than southern, and I believe it is the shortest and most 
 direct route between the Atlantic and Pacific, although it does not termi- 
 nate at either of the cities on the Atlantic slope. I think the committee 
 make a mistake when they^say that the Lake Superior and Puget Sound 
 route is the shortest. 
 
 You have designated, gentlemen, these two national routes, and when 
 you go to Congress and ask Congress to subsidize them as they have the 
 Omaha route. Congress dare not, viewing the matter in the light of justice, 
 refuse your request. (Applause.) Thus we secure across the continent 
 and open to the nations of the world, three competing routes, each one 
 upon American soil, of course, each one of them affording these great 
 privileges, each of which can be used to such advantage in your rapid 
 communication, through Portland and Halifax, with the nations of the 
 world. 
 
 In reply to the gentleman who has last addressed you, I beg leave to say 
 this much; that there is nothing so much desired by the people who inhabit 
 the Mississippi Valley, there is nothing that we so much ask from the en- 
 terprise of others, as that this country shall be brought closer and closer 
 together by the most direct communication that is attainable by the iron 
 rail. (Applause.) We bid you, gentlemen, God-speed in the work. If you 
 can make your route an air-line, do so ; if you cannot, make it as near an 
 approach to an air-line as possible. I look to the far-off" West, and I see 
 Portland, in Oregon ; I look over the city of Utica, over the city of Indian- 
 apolis, and I see St. Louis; I look out to the south-west line of the State, 
 and beyond that I see Galveston. The route is clear from Portland to Gal- 
 veston, and that is one of the connections that will be made. (Applause.) 
 That is something for the people of New England to contend for; for, gen- 
 tlemen, in the course of trade (that course of trade which is alluded to in 
 this report) there is no telling which route the great products of this coun- 
 try are to take in a few years. We want all the communications with the 
 Atlantic sea-board that we can get, and you want all the communications 
 you can get with the crops that are produced at the West, and with the 
 cotton which is raised in the South. 
 
 I congratulate you, gentlemen, in conclusion, that this country is now 
 
74 . 
 
 teeming with wealth raised upon its own bosom. It is a proud thing for 
 us to be able to say that those men who refused, a few years ago, to go to 
 work at the Soutli, because they were still inimical to the government, have 
 this year turned in like men, tilled the soil, and raised a crop of cotton, 
 probably, of three millions of bales, which will decrease their dissatisfac- 
 tion, and make them feel once more that they are American citizens. (Ap- 
 plause.) That is true reconstruction; and the Commercial Convention, 
 whether held in the city of Philadelphia, in the valley of the Mississippi, 
 or in the good city of Portland, that contributes to that end, is a proud 
 Convention, and is truly national and loyal in its spirit and purpose. (Loud 
 applause.) 
 
 The question was then put, and the resolutions 
 adopted, 
 
 Hon. J. W. Taylor, of Minnesota, Chairman of the 
 Committee on Lake, Kiver, and Canal Navigation, 
 presented, on behalf of the Committee, the following 
 resolutions : 
 
 Resolved,— That this Convention deems it the province of wise and 
 prudent statesmanship that the Government of the United States shall 
 co-operate with the States and Provinces interested in such enlargement 
 of existing canals and channels and other improvements of the route of 
 the St. Lawrence as will admit of the passage of vessels of one thousand 
 tons burden from Lakes Michigan and Superior to the Gulf of St Law- 
 rence and the harbor of New York. 
 
 Resolved, That these great rivers of the West, whose channels and com- 
 merce are not exclusively within the limits of a State, have equal claims 
 upon the consideration of Congress, under the constitutional authority, to 
 regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the States, as Ocean, 
 Lake, and Gulf coasts which are the extreme boundaries of the country. 
 
 Resolved, That a judicious system of expenditures for these national ob- 
 jects should be impartially extended to the Pacific as well as the Atlantic 
 coast; to the harbors of the Gulf of Mexico as well as the northern lakes, 
 and to the great interior rivers of the country. 
 
 Mr. G. W. Woodman, of Portland, moved the adop- 
 tion of the resolutions. 
 
 At the suggestion of Mr. Poor, the motion was 
 amended so as to provide for the acceptance of the 
 report, instead of its adoption, and in that form passed. 
 
75 
 
 On motion of Senator Corbett, the resolutions were 
 adopted. 
 
 Hon. J. B. Brown, of Portland, then renewed his 
 motion, that when the Convention adjourned, it should 
 be to meet at 7 1-2 o'clock in the evening. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton A. Hill, of Boston, moved to amend 
 the motion, as follows : That at the close of this ses- 
 sion, the Convention adjourn sine die, and that a pub- 
 lic meeting be held this evening. 
 
 Considerable discussion took place on the amend- 
 ment, and it was finally lost. 
 
 Mr. Poor then moved a reconsideration of the vote 
 whereby the Convention adopted the report of the 
 Committee on International Commercial Relations. 
 
 This motion called forth some debate, which was 
 concluded by a motion to lay it on the table, which 
 was carried. 
 
 Mr. James A. Dupee, of Boston, moved a reconsid- 
 eration of the vote whereby the Convention accepted 
 the invitation to a sail down the harbor. 
 
 Pending this motion, Hon. Erastus Brooks, of New 
 York, moved that the Convention take a recess until 
 7 1-2 o'clock this evening, which motion prevailed. 
 
 Evening Session. 
 
 The Convention was called to order at eight o'clock 
 by Hon. Frederick Bobie, one of the Secretaries, who 
 stated that the President, Gov. Merrill, was necessarily 
 absent. 
 
76 
 
 On motion, a committee was appointed to wait 
 on the Hon. Stephen Tobin, Mayor of Halifax, the 
 first Vice-President, and invite him to take the chair 
 for the evening. 
 
 Mayor Tobin soon appeared upon the platform, and 
 addressed the Convention as follows : 
 
 On assuming the duties of the chair, which devolve upon me as first 
 Vice-President,— a position with which I have been honored by this Con- 
 vention,— in the absence of the Governor of Iowa, who has ably discharged 
 those dutiies hitherto, I beg to express my regrets to the Convention that 
 circumstances have prevented the gentlemen from the British Provinces, 
 who have attended this Convention, from taking a very active part in its 
 deliberations. We felt that it would be unwise to commit ourselves to any 
 position which might imply an acceptance or indorsement of certain views 
 which were enunciated here yesterday morning. But, gentlemen, I hope 
 it will not be inferred from this fact that we take no interest in the 
 proceedings we have witnessed here, or that we are unconscious of the 
 magnificent results which may flow from them, for, I can assure you, such 
 is not the case. On the contrary, we are fully alive to the value of the 
 various measures which have been brought before this Convention; and 
 feeling, as we do, that it is composed of gentlemen representing the wealth, 
 the intelligence, the commercial enterprise, the public spirit, the political 
 and social influences and interests of so many States of this great Republic, 
 we feel that its decisions will be attended with important results to the 
 people of British America. 
 
 The grand scheme of constructing an unbroken line of railroad for four 
 thousand miles across the continent, from the Atlantic city of Halifax, over 
 which I have the honor to preside, to the city of San Francisco, on the 
 Pacific, is a scheme, the magnificent proportions of which are calculated 
 to dazzle those who are unacquainted with the rate of railway progress 
 upon this continent. I am glad to find, by the proceedings of this Conven- 
 tion, that what many regard perhaps as a mere visionary scheme, is almost 
 in fact a practical reality. (Applause, ) I infer, from the statements made by 
 the gentleman who addressed us this morning (Hon. Erastus Brooks), 
 whose eloquence enchained our attention for a long time, and elicited our 
 admiration so justly, that the time is not far distant when the Irish laborer 
 who came from Ireland, and the Chinese laborer who came from China, for 
 the purpose of working on that road, will together celebrate the completion 
 of that great enterprise. (Applause.) I consider that this is a circum- 
 stance which should arouse us all to the importance of the duty devolving 
 upon those who have charge of the intermediate distances between 
 
77 
 
 Chicago and Halifax, and I feel sure that the discussions of this Con- 
 vention, conducted as they have been in the presence of so many leading 
 minds of this continent, will be fruitful of great good, and that each 
 American State, and each British Province, will, at an early day, make up 
 its link in the great chain, and enable us to present to the world the 
 grandest triumph of railway enterprise it has ever seen. (Loud applause.) 
 
 There is another topic which came before the Convention this morning, 
 and which now more immediately attracts our attention, and that, gentle- 
 men, is one big with importance, not only to British America, as some 
 people imagine, but to all America; for I contend that the commercial 
 interests of British America are the commercial interests of the United 
 States (applause); that whatever affects our prosperity affects yours. We 
 are brothers in commerce as well as in blood. (Applause.) I feel, also, 
 gentlemen, that it is impossible to overestimate the importance of the 
 resolution which has been introduced here, and I hope that that resolution 
 will be received with pride and with pleasure by every British subject, 
 and by every American citizen whose heart is in the right place, for it 
 breathes high-minded commercial sentiments, it breathes a noble spirit of 
 peace and good-will to all men, of fraternity to those who have a common 
 origin with yourselves, whose language, whose manners are the same as 
 yours, whose feelings and interests are identified with yours, and especially 
 in everything that tends to the elevation of mankind and the development 
 of civilization (loud applause); a body of people who are your friends now 
 and who, I trust, with the blessing of God, will be your friends to the end 
 of time. (Renewed applause.) 
 
 Gentlemen, we have now before us simply the question of reciprocity, 
 and it is neither my province nor my intention to enter into any details, 
 or to suggest any terms upon which a reciprocity treaty may be based. 
 That matter will rest with the agent delegated by Congress. But I hold 
 that the messenger appointed by Congress for that purpose will be received 
 in the British colonies as the harbinger of perpetual peace and prosperous 
 commercial intercourse to the end of time (applause), and that he will also 
 be the harbinger of commercial benefits as great to the United States as 
 they will undoubtedly be to the British Provinces. 
 
 With these few remarks, gentlemen, thanking you for the attention you 
 have given me, I will assume the duties of the chair. 
 
 Gen. Washburn offereci the following resolutions, 
 which were unanimously adopted : 
 
 Resolved, That the thanks of this Convention be heartily tendered to 
 Hon. Samuel Merrill, its President, for the very able, satisfactory, and 
 agreeable manner in which he has presided over its deliberations. (Ap- 
 plause.) 
 
 Eesolvedy That the thanks of the Convention are hereby tendered to the 
 
78 
 
 Portland Steam Packet Co., to Charles FoBES,Esq.,it9 President, and J. 
 B. CoYLE, General Agent, for the generous tender of the steamer " John 
 Brooks" for an excursion down the harbor this afternoon, and for their 
 personal courtesy and attention on the occasion. (Applause.) 
 
 Mr. John A. Poor, of Portland, moved that the 
 vote qf the Convention adopting the report of the 
 Committee on International Relations be recon- 
 sidered. 
 
 Mr. Poor said he did not make this motion because 
 he dissented from the report, or the views of the 
 Committee, but knowing the importance of the sub- 
 ject, and the deep interest in the question by the 
 people of Maine, he desired a full and free discussion. 
 It was evident there was a misunderstanding on the 
 part of some of the members of the Convention as 
 to the effect of the vote accepting the report of the 
 Committee. According to Parliamentary law, a vote 
 accepting a report had the effect, ordinarily, to bring 
 the matter before the Convention, operating as a 
 discharge of the committee. Such, evidently, was 
 the understanding of several gentlemen present He, 
 therefore, desired a reconsideration of the vote, by 
 which the resolution reported by the Committee had 
 been adopted. He thought it fiiir that the whole 
 matter should come before the Convention, and that 
 gentlemen speaking in opposition to the report and 
 resolution of the Committee should do so without 
 embarrassment. 
 
 The reconsideration prevailed. 
 
79 
 
 SPEECH OF HENRY E. PRENTISS, ESQ., OF BANGOR. 
 
 Those who know that I came from Bangor, and know anything of the busi- 
 ness of that portion of the State of Maine, know that I must either be utterly 
 false to the interests, sympathies, wishes, and feelings of my constituents 
 who sent me here, or else I am under the disagreeable necessity of oppos- 
 ing this report. I am sorry to oppose it, because it has been sustained by 
 some very fine speeches, and because I am perfectly aware that I labor 
 under the embarrassment of speaking to a convention called by Portland 
 people, and organized under Portland influences. Portland is as much 
 bound by its position as the natural sea-port of the Canadas, as the ter- 
 minus of the Grand Trunk Railroad, to go for the Reciprocity Treaty, as 
 Bangor, and almost the entire eastern part of the State, are bound by their 
 business interests to go the other way. I am sorry to speak in opposition 
 to the liberal sentiments which have been expressed by gentlemen on the 
 other side. I believe I have some affinity with the liberal sentiments 
 which they have announced. I admire the splendid pictures that have 
 been drawn of the prosperity of the country that would result from the 
 adoption of free-trade principles. If I could see it as they do, and see no 
 injustice to individual interests, I should most cordially go for it; but be- 
 lieving otherwise, and seeing practical difficulties, I am compelled to sug- 
 gest those difficulties, and to express my doubts. 
 
 Although general principles lie at the bottom of this matter, and are 
 most important, still, inasmuch as I particularly represent the lumber in- 
 terest, I will, with your permission, speak first of that, and state the diffi- 
 culties under which it would labor if the reciprocity treaty were renewed. 
 
 In the first place, the United States Government have sold their timber 
 lands. The government of Maine and all the other State governments 
 have sold their timber lauds. All the timber lands in the United States, 
 of any consequence, are owned by private individuals. They appreciate 
 their value, and of course they ask proportionately high prices for stump- 
 age — four, five, or six dollars for pine, two or three dollars for spruce. On 
 the other hand, it has been the policy of the Crown, in all the Britist Prov- 
 inces, to regard the forests merely as something to be used to promote the 
 business of the country, not as something from which a revenue could be 
 derived for the government. Therefore the cost of sturapage is merely 
 nominal. lu Canada, as I understand it, pretty much all the timber land 
 that is desirable has been leased out to individual lumbermen, at five dol- 
 lars a square mile per annum, with an additional eight cents for standard 
 logs, and some thirty or forty cents a thousand for what they cut oft". An 
 individual who has one of these leases, by paying five dollars a year, con- 
 siders himself as having a perpetual interest in the land, and the right to 
 have the lease renewed from year to year. In other words, all the timber 
 has passed under that system, from the control of the Crown, and the tim- 
 ber is cut by the lumbermen for nothing, or next to nothing. Hence they 
 
80 
 
 have no reason for keeping their timber, economizing it, sending it into the 
 market as it is wanted, and making the most of it, but are under every 
 temptation to waste it. If they can make it pay expenses, that is all they 
 want. Labor is cheaper there than here, taxes are lighter, and the conse- 
 quence is, they would undersell us in the American market, if we were 
 not protected by the high price of gold, which is a forty per cent protection. 
 If a Canadian sends a cargo of lumber to New York, and gets §1,400, he 
 can only carry home $1,000 in gold. This makes the lumber business a 
 fair business, and there is no trouble. But let gold come down to par, as it 
 will sooner or later, and ought to immediately; let the duties be taken off, 
 and the reciprocity treaty carried out, and the lumber business will be pros- 
 trated ; the weak men engaged in it will break down at once, with some of 
 the strong ones, and all the lumber country will feel the effect. There are 
 many interests in the lumber region which depend upon the pro.si»erity of 
 the lumber business. The farmer sells the produce of his farm to the lum- 
 ber-man; the lumber-man hires his teams, himself and his boys, to haul; 
 the country trader and the village trader all depend upon it, and when 
 that is prostrated, the lumber country is prostrated, wherever it is. 
 
 Now this is no small business. We cut 400,000,000 in Maine, worth nearly 
 six millions of dollars; they cut 1,400,000,000 [in Michigan, worth twenty 
 millions of dollars. So much for two States. It is a business carried on 
 more or less in all the States— largely in Pennsylvania and New York, 
 largely in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is one of the great leading inter- 
 ests of the country, and if you prostrate it, by a reciprocity treaty or any- 
 thing else, the whole country suffers with it. It is entitled to considera- 
 tion, and to a fair and equal chance in the world with other departments 
 of industry. 
 
 People talk sometimes of "liberality." Mr. Brooks, in his able speech this 
 morning, said that the internal trade of the country was worth more than 
 all its external trade. That is true, and that is one reason for the great 
 prosperity of the United States. That argument would a])ply to the Can- 
 adas exactly, if they were a part of the United States. They would then 
 have the right to bring in their lumber free of duty, and the lumber-men 
 of the United States would be obliged to accede to it, whether they wished 
 to or not. And they would not suffer much, or, if they did, it would be 
 only for a short time. Why? Because the whole system of things would 
 be changed. Because the lumber interest would be managed differently. 
 The lumber lands of Canada would soon all be owned partly by Ameri- 
 cans and partly by Canadians, who would value them in proportion to 
 their facilities and opportunities, and look upon them as we look upon 
 our timber lands. They would not waste them; they would husband 
 them, su])i)ly the market with lumber as it was wanted, and sell it for re- 
 munerative prices. They would not undersell us and demoralize our 
 markets as they did under the reciprocity treaty. 
 
 There is another reason, and a strong one, why our business would be 
 
81 
 
 injured. It is this. In almost every other busness except the lumber 
 business, the method of conducting it has always been, that the purchaser 
 goes to the seller and agrees upon the price and the measure. But the 
 lumber business, in its infancy, in Maine, and, I belicA^e, in every other 
 State in the United States, has been conducted upon a system exactly the 
 reverse. That is, the lumber is shipped by the lumber merchant to some 
 commission merchant at the place of sale; that commission merchant, 
 somehow or other, gets rid of it to the people who want to buy, at their 
 survey and their price, and sends back to the lumber merchant at Bangor 
 or elsewhere just enough to keep him alive, and no more; he bleeds him 
 just as much as he can without killing him, tor if he killed him, then he 
 could not send him any more lumber next year. The commission merchant, 
 therefore, sends him just enough to enable him to go into the woods in the 
 winter and get another stock of lumber, to sell in the same way. The best 
 pine trees of Maine were got out under that sytem, and did no good to the 
 people of the State. 
 
 Some twenty-five years ago, the lumber-men of Bangor, having acquired 
 a little strength, determined to see if they could not put an end to that 
 method of doing business. Whon they went to Boston after goods, they 
 had to agree on the price and the measure before they could take them 
 away; and they said to the gentlemen with whom they dealt, " You must 
 come to Bangor, and agree upon the price of a pile of boards and the 
 measure before you can have them." The lumber dealers, at first, said 
 they would not come after them, and the lumber-men went into a fight. 
 They mortgaged their lumber to enable them to hold on, and after a while 
 the lumber dealers came for it, and now the business has acquired a species 
 of independence; it is placed on a sort of equality with other business; it 
 has a right to live and a right to thrive like other business; it has a right to 
 stand, and does stand somewhat on its own bottom; it has prospered fairly 
 with other business since that time. 
 
 "What was the effect when the Reciprocity Treaty was passed, and 
 lumber came in free of duty? Why, as they paid no stumpage, and we 
 high stumpage (as labor was high here and low there), they could ship 
 lumber to Boston and all other places where lumber is bought, and sell it 
 for just such a price as people would pay. Of course, if the Boston mer- 
 chant could buy it there at his own survey and price, he would not go to 
 Bangor and buy it at his own survey and price. Let gold go to par, and a 
 Reciprocity Treaty be passed, and our market is demoralized, besides 
 being prostrated by the fact itself that they can produce lumber cheaper 
 than we can. 
 
 Why is labor cheaper in Canada than here? We have got the notion that 
 it is because of our Republican system— the genius of our Republican in- 
 stitutions. Our laboring men have got the notion that they must be paid 
 enough to keep themselves well fed, well clothed, and well housed, edu- 
 cate their children, have some leisure for reading, and the means for occa- 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 sional pleasures. "We cannot get rid of that notion; we have got to 'pay 
 our laborers in that way. The Canadian laborer occupies a somewhat 
 intermediate position between the laborer of Europe and the American 
 laborer, — better paid than the European laborer, and not so well paid as 
 the American laborer. This is our particular ditficulty. 
 
 Now, on general principles, the advocate of reciprocity meets, on the 
 threshold, the American system, — the system of protection to American 
 industry. For instance, at the Commercial Convention in Detroit, three 
 years ago, a resolution was passed recommending a new reciprocity treaty, 
 based on justice to all parties,— to which, if it could be carried out, nobody 
 would object. But immediately after, the Committee on Manufactures 
 reported, and reported the American system of protection, strongly and 
 in full, and it was adopted unanimously, I believe, by the Convention, 
 There we stood, with a declaration in favor of a certain kind of reciprocity 
 treaty, on the one hand, followed immediately by a resolution embracing 
 the full American system, which was directly at war with it. 
 
 In this Convention, every gentleman who advocates reciprocity, meets 
 the American system of protection. Early after the organization of the 
 government of the United States, it was discovered that the easiest 
 way of raising revenue to defray the expenses of the government, was 
 by a tariff' upon foreign goods; and that discovery has, ever since, been 
 acted upon. This is the cheapest, the most convenient, the most popular 
 method of raising money to meet the expenses of the government. Any 
 kind of internal taxation is unpopular. People know what they pay,— see 
 it, feel it. In the case of taxes upon foreign goods, they do not know what 
 they pay, they do not feel it, they do not see it; and, in fact, it is a grave 
 question whether the taxes are paid by the foreign manufacturer or by the 
 home consumer. Practically, it is probably divided; paid partially by 
 one and partially by the other. As incidental to this system, it was also 
 established, that, in adjusting this tariff, protection should be given to 
 American industry. 
 
 These principles were settled, and in practical operation before the 
 war of rebellion. So well were they settled, that although your Demo- 
 cratic orator upon the stump sometimes talked about " free trade," yet 
 when the Democratic party came into power, and assumed the responsi- 
 bilities of power, and had to raise money to carry on the government, they 
 found it necessary to keep the tariflf. They might sometimes correct its 
 evils, correct its inequalities; but they kept the tariff". The gentleman 
 who addressed us the other day from the "West (Hon. J. W. Taylor) said 
 that the West was of the opinion that an average tax of fifty per cent 
 was too high. I think he said the West was in favor of a tariff" of 
 twenty-five per cent, but thought an average tariff" of fifty per cent was 
 too high. Particular interests send lobby members to Washington, and 
 sometimes get their particular branch of industry too much protected, 
 and it is the business of statesmen and legislators to correct these evils and 
 
83 
 
 reduce these excesses; but the fact that there are excesses is no valid 
 reason against the system. 
 
 Now, if a tariff was necessary w^hen we had no debt, or but a very small 
 one, when our army and navy were small, and all the expenses of the 
 government were small, how can we reduce the tariff now, how can we 
 get clear of protecting American industry by collecting our money by 
 taxes upon foreign goods, when our expenses are so enormous, when the 
 amount to be collected to pay the interest on our debt is so great, when 
 our army and navy are so large, and all our expenses are large? It is 
 hopeless, Mr. Chairman; practically, it is hopeless. Those of us, farmers 
 and lumber-men, whose interests are opposed to the Eeciprocity Treaty, 
 need have no fears. Kot only is the principle of protection to American 
 industry so firmly established in the American mind and heart, but the 
 necessities of the Government are so great, that no party can come into 
 power and adopt any system of duties by which they can carry on the 
 Government, which will not act as a proper and sufficient protection to 
 American industry. It is utterly useless, practically, to contend against 
 this. It is inevitable, in the nature of things. The great debt of the 
 United States, the great army and navy, the great expenses of the country, 
 are facts which cannot be got over. Our financiers already find it difficult, 
 even with our present high tariff, to raise revenue sufficient to pay the 
 interest on the debt, and other expemses of the government; and no set 
 of financiers who will get into power in the United States in our day will 
 find any method of getting along without laying sufficiently high duties on 
 foreign importations to afford incidental protection. The present tariff" on 
 lumber is only twenty per cent on the value at the foreign market, and, 
 practically, for the reasons I have given, they do not pay ten per cent now. 
 A level duty of twenty per cent on everything imported into the United 
 States, I apprehend, would not meet the expenses of the government. 
 
 But, aside from this necessity, the great West, which has been relied 
 upon as in favor of free trade, is getting more and more in favor of the 
 tariff" continually. It is getting more and more confident of the wisdom of 
 its great statesman and orator, the father of the American system, Heney 
 Clay, when he told them that the nation which confined itself to produc- 
 ing the raw material, and sent that material to the workshops of Euro^De, or 
 to any other country, to be manufactured, wou^d always be poor, while the 
 nation which did the manufacturing would grow rich. The people of the 
 United States are also aware of his wisdom in telling them that the manu- 
 facturing city, town, or village made a home market better than all foreign 
 markets. They also believe in his wisdom when he told them that they 
 never could be independent, as a nation, while they dejiended upon the 
 workshops of Europe to do their manufacturing, — that to be truly indepen- 
 dent, they must do their own work, manufacture their own raw material. 
 He told them, and they see its truth more and more, that to be rich, they 
 must develop all the resources and bring into action all the talents of the 
 
84 
 
 nation. Some people have a genius for husbandry; others for lumbering; 
 others for the manufacture of this article, others for that; some for one 
 thing, some for another. If we raise the raw material, deriving the proper 
 aid from the mechanic, if we manufacture all our own raw material at 
 home,— and the nearer the place where it is raised the better,— availing 
 ourselves of our great ingenuity in inventions and in machinery, then we 
 can develop all the resources of our people, we can employ at home all the 
 thousand varied capacities of our people, and thus we can grow rich, we 
 can be independent, — a sort of world within ourselves. 
 
 There is another great reason for the necessity of having the American 
 system foimded upon the genius of our people. That is, the high price of 
 labor, which is established, and which can nev^r be altered, essentially. 
 Our people must receive enough for their labor to raise them to indepen- 
 dent circumstances. It is not so in Europe. An American traveller, walk- 
 ing out one morning from the city of Florence, along the macadamized 
 road which led up the valley of t)ie Arno, stopped to talk with an old man, 
 whom he found breaking stone with which to repair the road. " How long 
 have you been in this business? " " Forty years." " How much do you get 
 a day?" "Haifa franc,"— ten cents of our money. "Can you live on 
 that? " " Oh, yes, I can live on that." " What do you have for breakfast? " 
 " A little bread." " What do you have for dinner? " " A little bread." 
 " What do you have fpr supper? " "A little bread." It is true, Mr. Presi- 
 dent, that a single man, with the low prices of Europe, can live on ten cents 
 a day; but how if he has a wife and children? how if his wife or children 
 are sick? Why, then, the poor-house is his only resort. Let me ask the 
 free-traders if they suppose American manufacturers can carry on the busi- 
 ness of manufacturing, without any protection, in competition with the 
 labor of P^urope, paid such prices? True, this man was an unskilled laborer ; 
 skilled labor is i>aid a little better. Still, that anecdote illustrates the 
 comparative cost of labor in the two countries. 
 
 One of two things is true,— either the free-trader must satisfy the people 
 of this country that manufacturing can be carried on in competition with 
 the low-pficed labor of Europe, without any protection, or else he must 
 invent some way to make the American workman come down to the con- 
 dition of the European laborer, or to come down part way,— a good deal of 
 the way. I take it that whoever shall undertake to reduce the compensa- 
 tion of our laboring classes to that of the European laborers will find him- 
 self outvoted. 
 
 Well, what do the friends of reciprocity do when they meet this Ameri- 
 can system, and see the difficulty of getting clear of it? They say, " If, on 
 account of the great debt of the country, or for any other reasons, we must 
 have protection, let it apply only to distant nations, but we must have free 
 trade with our English neighbors, any way." But here is a great difficulty 
 in the way. We have treaties with all the nations of the earth, containing a 
 clause by which we agree to extend to them all the advantages that we 
 
85 
 
 give the most favored nations. How can we have free trade with Canada, 
 consistently with this obligation, contained in every treaty,— the highest 
 obligation, binding on all the people of the nation. Having this obligation, 
 is it statesmanlike to make such exceptions? If protection to American 
 industry is the true doctrine, or if necessity imposes it upon us, is it states- 
 manlike, business-like, or sensible to undertake to except particular nations 
 from its operation? Will it not lead to infinite difficulties with other na- 
 tions, irrespective even of the contract we have made? Of course it will. 
 And why should we make this exception? Is it always safe to assume 
 that our English neighbor is our best friend? Personally I have had the 
 pleasure of meeting with many gentlemen from the Provinces, both upon 
 land and upon water, where I have had opportunities to enjoy social in- 
 tercourse with them ; and having enjoyed that intercourse, I have found 
 them gentlemen of liberal, honorable minds, frank and hearty. I never 
 have had any objection to make to them. I have not now. But, as we 
 are talking about matters of business, it is proper for us to consider every- 
 thing, and I repeat the question if it is entirely safe to assume that we 
 should depart from our general rules of business, for the sake of granting 
 special favors, special indulgencies, special privileges to our English neigh- 
 bors? I met, the day before I left home, a gentleman in the streets of 
 Bangor, who asked me if I was coming to this Convention. I told him I 
 was. "Well,", said he, "I am in the Provinces a great deal. I don't talk 
 politics in the Provinces— I am there for business. They dont't know that 
 I am a Yankee, and I have often heard them say that they don't care any- 
 thing for the Yankees except to get their trade." I do not know how prev- 
 alent this feeling is ; the gentleman says it is entertained by a great many. 
 We all know that during the war the feeling in Canada in favor of having 
 the Union broken up and the rebels prevail was so strong, that it over- 
 flowed into the public press, although they knew that those papers would 
 find their way all over the world. I speak of these things, not to find any 
 fault with the Canadians. They had a right, if they saw fit, to rejoice in 
 the victories of Jeff". Davis, to hope that our government would be de- 
 stroyed, and to mourn over the victories obtained by the government, I do 
 not find any fault with them for that, but that was the fact. The Ameri- 
 can traveller who passed through Europe at that time knows the fact that 
 in the old countries the feeling was against us. It is true, that a portion 
 of the lower classes of England, led by John Bright, had some sympathy 
 with us; Scotchmen had such a hatred of slavery, that when they found 
 out what the true question was, they took our part, led by the noble Earl 
 of Carlisle. (I mention these names with honor and admiration.) But 
 England was opposed to us, France was less opposed to us, Germany was 
 less opposed to us; Russia was the only nation of the earth that boldly 
 announced its sympathy and friendship. I would, therefore, humbly sub- 
 mit, that if we are to depart from our system in favor of any nation, Rus- 
 sia is entitled to free trade with us. If we are to be governed by histori- 
 
86 
 
 cal considerations, beyond all question the Dutchmen are entitled to free 
 trade with us, for everybody knows that to the Kepublic of Holland and 
 the United Netherlands, we are indebted for the able, courageous, bold 
 and persevering manner with which they asserted the right of freedom of 
 religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of government, against that 
 tyrant, Philip of Spain, and the host who supported him, until they finally 
 succeeded in establishing that freedom of thought and freedom of religion, 
 that made republicanism possible to the United States, and possible to the 
 world. As a great Republic, growing out of that grand example, and de- 
 riving benefit from it, I say that, beyond all question, if we are to depart 
 from the rules of business at all, we must grant free trade to the Nether- 
 lands and Holland, in preference to any other country. 
 
 Some gentlemen in their arguments have alluded to the fact that lumber 
 is high in the United States, and that reciprocity will give us low-priced 
 lumber. They say that if we have a reciprocity treaty, lumber will come 
 in free, and that is given as a reason why reciprocity should exist. They 
 do not think of the lumber-men at all; they are only thinking of low- 
 priced lumber. They do not think of justice to the lumber-men. What 
 kind of justice is it to the lumber-meu to have the Massachusetts manufac- 
 turer of woolen or cotton benefited by protection, and enabled to charge 
 the lumber-men of Maine a very high price for his woolen and cotton 
 goods, while at the same time he insists upon having free tratle with the 
 Provinces, so that he may get his lumber low? Is that just? Is that fair? 
 What sort of justice is it to protect the manufacturer, so as to enhance the 
 price of every manufactured article the lumber-man has to buy, and at 
 the same time deny the same principle to the lumber-man himself, and in- 
 sist that foreign lumber should come here free of duty in competition with 
 him, thus demoralizing the market and knocking down prices so that he 
 cannot live? 
 
 The fact is, that when people say they want the Reciprocity Treaty, so 
 that they can get cheap lumber, they are not thinking of the interest of the 
 lumber-men at all, but only of getting cheap lumber. They remind me of 
 the man who was scolded by his neighbor for going over the line on to his 
 land. " The line is plain enough," said he. " Oh," rejilied the man, " I 
 w.asn*t looking after the line; I was looking after lumber." (Laughter.) I 
 can illustrate it in another way. The present Pope is the most illiberal and 
 tyrannical Pope that ever ruled in Christendom; yet, if you should happen 
 to stand under the dome of St. Peter's on any festival day of the Church, 
 when the Poi)o is brought in on the shoulders of sixteen Cardinals, and 
 borne above the crowd in his easy-chair, you would see him smiling, self- 
 satisfied, self-appreciating, evidently without a thought in his mind that 
 he ever did anything wrong in his life, and expecting, when he dies, to go 
 directly to heaven, and that the first convocation of Cardinals will formally 
 enrol his name among the saints. He has violated no law; he has kept all 
 the laws that he himself and his priests have made. Now, these gentlemen 
 
87 
 
 who want reciprocity for the sake of getting cheap lumber would, in effect, 
 rob us just as much as an open robber would do ; that is, they would produce 
 just as bad an influence upon us, injure us as deeply. Yet it is not robbery, 
 because robbery is a violation of law, and nothing is robbery which is not 
 a violation of law. Therefore, if they can manufacture everything that we 
 want, and charge us the high prices which the system of protection enables 
 them to charge, and get a Reciprocity Treaty, so that they can have free 
 trade in lumber, and make us literally " hewers of wood" for them, with- 
 out comjDensation, they are all right. I only say, that I trust they will not 
 get the law. I do not believe they will; and I must appeal to them, as 
 honest men, to look into our position, and see if it is fair or just for them to 
 ask for such privileges. 
 
 To be brief, this is the question : If the principle of protection to Ameri- 
 can industry is the best, or if the interests of the country compel its 
 adoption, is it fair or honest to make it partial, to have three-quarters, if 
 you please, of the interests of the country protected by it, and the other 
 quarter slaughtered by it? Free trade in spots, free trade for me and 
 against you, — is it honest, is it statesmanlike to press it? Is it fair to ask 
 it? The American people, as a nation, are fond of fair play. The Anglo- 
 Saxon spirit is for fair play. I ask you if that is fair play? I protest 
 against it as not being so. 
 
 Mr. Brooks stated a fact this morning which he said was disgraceful, — 
 namely, that there are no American steamers sailing to Europe. Why are 
 these steamers all foreign? For the same reason that we cannot have a 
 Reciprocity Treaty. Simply because foreign labor is cheap and foreign 
 materials cheap in comparison with ours. They can build their steamboats 
 cheaper in Europe than here; they can furnish them with all their supplies, 
 provisions, and everything cheaper in Europe than here ; they can man 
 them cheaper in Europe, and therefore they have them. They can obtain 
 lumber for almost nothing in the Provinces, their labor is cheaper, and, 
 therefore, we could not live and carry on the business with free trade. The 
 two cases are precisely alike, and it is utterly inconsistent for a man to 
 complain that we cannot have any American steamers, and, at the same 
 time, talk about having a Reciprocity Treaty. 
 
 In regard to this report, there is one clause in it which struck me as a 
 little singular. It says it is a mistake to suppose that the farmer is to be 
 injured by a Reciprocity Treaty, and that, so far as regards the lumber-men, 
 they will not have the sympathy of the American people. Why not? 
 Because they are a minority. It is supposed they can be trampled under 
 foot because they can be outvoted. 
 
 There remains but one other subject, and that is the fisheries. It is said 
 that the fisheries are a fruitful source of discord, and that it is necessary 
 for us to make a treaty about the fisheries, for the benefit of our fishermen- 
 Now, the fishermen do not want a Reciprocity Treaty any more than the 
 lumber-men do, and for the same reason,— because it lets into the United 
 
88 
 
 States more fish, and knocks down the price of their product. Therefore, 
 they hate it as badly as we do. If anybody speaks for the fisheries, he 
 speaks for the buyers and not the sellers of fish. 
 
 Again, it is said that there will be trouble among the captains of fishing 
 vessels aboufr bounds. By the treaty of 1818, we have a right to fish oflF 
 the Banks of Newfoundland, the coast of Labrador, and Magdalen Island. 
 With regard to the other Provinces of Great Britain, we have only tho 
 same right that other nations have — to fish until we come within three 
 miles of the shore, I say that there is no danger growing out of that, if 
 there ever was. When Great Britain acknowledged our independence, 
 somewhat reluctantly, we were a weak nation, and it was difficult to vin- 
 dicate our rights; but we have ceased to be weak, we are strong, and all 
 the nations of the world recognize the fact, and know that we can maintain 
 and defend our rights. There is no danger from that quarter now. They 
 respect our rights and our power, and if any difficulty arises about tho 
 fisheries, it will be settled as we have settled other difficulties— by 
 negotiation. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I have occupied some little time, I do not know how 
 much, but, I believe, not more than the gentlemen have occupied on the 
 other side. I am the only person who has spoken on this side, while 
 several have been heard upon the other. I will not, at this late hour, 
 detain the Convention, although, under other circumstances, I should feel 
 it proper to make some few further remarks. 
 
 SPEECH OF EUGENE PRINGLE, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN. 
 
 Mr. Chairman,— Though this is not the subject which I came here partic- 
 ularly to present to the Convention, though this matter of reciprocity is 
 not a matter with which I am especially familiar, yet, as I happened to act 
 as secretary of the committee who made the report, and inasmuch as sev- 
 eral gentlemen have requested me to do so, I will endeavor to say a few 
 words in justification of the report which has been made, answering, per- 
 haps, incidentally, the remarks which have been made by the gentleman 
 from this State who has just taken his seat. 
 
 If gentlemen will take the pains to look at the report again, they will 
 find the considerations there adduced to be mostly general considerations. 
 Here is a great valley, — it was described yesterday as the Mediterranean 
 of this continent, — extending back two or three thousand miles into the 
 interior; one great valley, having upon it a people speaking the same lan- 
 guage as ourselves, having like laws, paying the same sums for their labor, 
 and having like interests, except for the line which divides them from us, 
 — a line as arbitrary as would be one which should divide this city and its 
 trade by the street railroad. (Loud applause.) These people who live on 
 the north side of the St. Lawrence and on the south side, are not merely 
 neighbors, they are residents of the same valley, their interests are alike, 
 and will continue to be alike so long as the St. Lawrence flows. (Ap- 
 
89 
 
 plause.) What ought we to do with reference to people so situated? I 
 might cite several facts, but perhaps one relating to railroads will illus- 
 trate better than any other. 
 
 A census of the United States was taken in 1850, and another in 1860. 
 The law prescribing the manner in which the census should be taken was 
 the same in these two years; the currency of the country w^as the same — 
 upon a gold basis — in those years, and yet, when they figured up, in 1860, 
 the aggregate wealth of the country, they found a striking difiierence. In 
 those ten years, the railroads of the United States had increased from 10,- 
 000 to 31,000 miles, and the aggregate wealth of the country had increased 
 from $7,000,000,000 to over $16,000,000,000. In other words, the commerce 
 of the country, which was opened by its railroads, in those ten years, aided 
 by the labor of the people for those ten years, had added two thousand 
 millions more to the wealth of the United States than had been added to 
 it, as it was in a state of nature, during the two hundred and forty years 
 that it had been inhabited by civilized man, before it was opened to com- 
 merce. Now, what commerce did for the United States in those years, — a 
 free commerce, a commerce untrammeled, — commerce might do for the 
 Northern States, aye, for the Southern States with the rest, and for the 
 Canadas, if it could be free and unrestricted between them. 
 
 It was this broad, general consideration which influenced the commit- 
 tee, more than anything else, in reporting as they did. The fact that the 
 field for commercial enterprise would be enlarged, and the market both 
 for manufactured goods and agricultural products would be enlarged, is 
 the reasons, the self-evident reasons, why there ought to be unrestricted 
 commercial intercourse between these countries. And yet it would be 
 very strange if, under the circumstances in which we have been placed in 
 the various branches of industry that have grown up upon the one side 
 and the other, this interest or that interest might not be detrimentally 
 afiected. The gentleman from this State has had much to say about the 
 lumber interest. I do not live precisely in a lumber district, but I live in a 
 State which manufactures three, four, or five times as much lumber as is 
 now manufactured in the State of Maine. I refer to Michigan. I know 
 some of these manufacturers pretty well. I might classify them. I believe 
 a large share of the lands there are owned by the men who manufacture the 
 lumber. They get out the logs, they build the mills, they manufacture the 
 lumber. Some of these men are among the first in the State. One of them 
 is the present governor of the State. Some of them have large invest- 
 ments in enterprises in which their towns are interested, as well as in their 
 business. I know one firm that has invested, within the last three years, 
 $250,000 in railroad enterprises, and in building up the village in which 
 they do business; and I know other firms that have made similar invest- 
 ments. Now, although I have not talked with them on the subject, I ven- 
 ture to say that these men who are interested in building up their towns, 
 in building up their counties, and in promoting the general prosperity of 
 
90 
 
 the State, if they were consulted, would say, "we are content, for the gen- 
 eral good, for the benefit of the general business of the country, that there 
 should be free trade and reciprocity between the United States and the 
 British Provinces; we shall share in the general prosperity with the rest." 
 (Applause.) 
 
 There is another class of men in our State— there may be fifty or a hun- 
 dred of them — who are mere adventurers in our lumber region. They have 
 some investments in the land ; they build a mill, perhaps ; and they go on 
 with the manufacture of lumber ; but if you talk about public enterprises, 
 you are answered with a sneer. If you look at the income returns, you 
 find they are reported as having incomes of S10,000, §30,000, or $40,000, and 
 yet many of these men are doing nothing for the neighborhoods in which 
 they live, doing nothing to build up the towns or cities or counties in which 
 they reside. They are merely adventurers, speculators in this business of 
 producing lumber. 
 
 These men number in my Stat«, as I have said, perhaps fifty or a hun- 
 dred, as against a million who are interested in buying lumber and the ar- 
 ticles manufactured from lumber. (Applause.) These men, — why, their 
 talk is about lumber ; their thoughts are about lumber ; when they write, 
 they write about lumber, and when they dream, their dreams are about 
 the consistency of the sawdust which they sell to their towns and villages 
 for ten cents a loa<l, to make streets with. (Laughter.) From that class 
 of lumber-men I should expect, under any circumstances, opposition to free 
 trade. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I am one of those who will go as far as any man in the 
 protection of American labor. Make it honorable. Make the condition 
 of the laborer happy. Help him to rise and build himself up. That is the 
 idea, I believe, of those who favor the system of protection which has pre- 
 vailed, to some extent, in this country. I would build them up ; I would 
 help them build themselves up. But this report points out the fact, that, 
 substantially, there is no difference in the price of labor in the Canadas 
 and the United States, or, if there is a difference, it is only temporary, and 
 will soon be adjusted. I do not know how it is in Maine and over the bor- 
 der, but if there is not free trade in labor, in cutting trees, I am very much 
 mistaken. It is certainly so between Michigan and the western Provinces. 
 The men who cut our logs come from Canada ; I know not but that there 
 are men who go from Michigan to Canada to cut timber. There is certainly 
 free trade in this respect, that the laborers alternate from one side to 
 the other. So that upon this ground I think there is no occasion to find 
 fault with this policy. If there is any reason in particular which has in- 
 duced our government to favor the protective system, it has been, not so 
 much to protect manufactures, as to protect American labor ; and the fact 
 shows, that that is not a question as between the United States and Can- 
 ada ; and it not being a question, the protectionist, as well as the free-trade 
 men, may go for free trade upon this continent. (Applause.) 
 
91 
 
 Mr, Chairman, I did not hear, althouf^h I know a great many lumber- 
 men in my State, that during the last ten years between 1856 and 1866, 
 when the Reciprocity Treaty was in operation, the lumber business was 
 depressed. It was a great and growing interest during all that time. 
 
 I do not apprehend, — to refer to another thing to which the gentleman 
 alluded, — I do not apprehend that there is any difficulty in bringing about 
 this reciprocity, growing out of our treaties with foreign governments, be- 
 cause our government has made a treaty which brought it about for ten 
 years, and there was no complaint from any quarter. Our government 
 may, if both parties should be agreed, do this again. 
 
 But why was that treaty abolished? Why was it that a policy which 
 worked so well for both parties, which brought the exports and imports 
 between the United States and the Canadas up, in the ten years, from six- 
 teen millions to thirty-eight millions, — why was it that that policy was 
 abandoned? I shall say nothing as to the position of foreign nations 
 toward us during the war. I do not think it necessary or proper to advert 
 to the sympathy or want of sympathy between our people and our neigh- 
 bors during that time. But there was this fact: our government was 
 driven to make such efforts as it might to sustain its credit and to carry on 
 the war. The price of gold had risen until it took 290 cents in greenbacks 
 to buy a gold dollar; taxes had been jjut on in one shape and another until 
 they attached to everything; there was even an extra income-tax of ten 
 per cent put on one year, in addition to the regular five per cent tax. 
 Every branch of business was aflfected by these taxes; the man who made 
 wagons, or farming implements, or furniture, or anything that is sold in 
 this country, necessarily felt their effect. He could not pay these taxes 
 aud send his goods into Canada, as he had done before the war, under the 
 Reciprocity Treaty, and compete with the Canadian manufacturer. He 
 would labor under a disadvantage, and it was felt that if the Reci^jrocity 
 Treaty continued, something might be done on the other side the line that 
 would be injurious to the American manufacturer. It was upon this 
 ground, as hinted in the report, that the treaty was repealed. The oj^inion 
 is advanced in the report, that these things must be made substantially 
 equal by the two governments, and it is suggested that there will be no 
 difficulty in making them substantially equal at the present time, inasmuch 
 as all these taxes have been lifted, and put upon whiskey and tobacco, and 
 a few other luxuries; that inasmuch as this is so, and these things can be 
 made substantially equal, so that there shall be no material difference in 
 these respects, and inasmuch as the occasion for abrogating this treaty has 
 passed away, we had better renew it again. 
 
 The government does not often have to meet, as it did then, the feeling 
 of the people. Every American will sympathize with me when I state 
 what it was. Drafts had been made, calling upon our young men to help 
 fight the battles of the country ; taxes had been imposed to carry on the 
 war, first one and then another, until they made a mountain, as it were ; 
 
92 
 
 we were determined, with the blessings of Providence, to finish it, at any- 
 cost. It was felt that our relations with the Canadas better be suspended 
 for a time, rather than that we should give up the fight. (Applause.) That 
 was the feeling. It was no ill-feeling towards the Canadas which induced 
 our legislators to give the notice which was given in 1865, and which ter- 
 minated the treaty in April of the succeeding year. 
 
 This is, substantially, the history of the beginning and end of the treaty. 
 It worked well. It built up a great trade, which was of material benefit 
 to all concerned. Now, here is the lumber business. In Bangor, in the 
 State of Maine, perpaps in the Saginaw, Muskegan, Manistee, and Alpena 
 districts in Michigan, there are a few men who would oppose a reciprocity 
 treaty. They consider that it would work to their disadvantage, and would 
 feel some interest in opposing it. Take the figures. The gentleman [Mr, 
 Prentiss] says, they manufacture 400,000,000 in Maine, worth $6,000,000, 
 and that we manufacture 1,400,000,000 in Michigan, worth $20,000,000. That 
 makes 82(),000,000. That, I fancy, is about one and a half per cent of the 
 real wealth of the country. No, it is less than that; it would not represent, 
 I suppose, one and a half per cent, or not more than fifteen dollars in a 
 thousand, of the combined capital invested in the various interests of the 
 American union. 
 
 There are other things that might be said in connection with this subject. 
 I might say that it is wrong here in Maine, wrong in Michigan, wrong 
 everywhere whore lumber is standing, that it should be held, generation 
 after generation, by men as monopolizers. (Applause.) It is wrong in 
 regard to any of the lands which the good God meant men should culti- 
 vate. I know not the character of the Maine timber-lands, but the lands 
 of Michigan upon which the pines stand are about as good as any lands , 
 capable of producing all the cereal crops, and with everything to make 
 them good farms, and much more profitable to humanity when the pines 
 are cut off of them, than while they stand upon them. This may be the 
 case in Maine, and men should not hold these lands, generation after gen- 
 eration, as monopolizers, and keep them from the men who desire to culti- 
 vate them. If there are any men in Maine who hold thousands of acres, 
 and transmit them from father to son for generation after generation, I 
 can say this about it, that the sympathies of the people of my State are 
 not with them in their monopoly; nor, I fancy, are the sympathies of the 
 people of this State. 
 
 The lumber-man has no vested right in the business which he has built 
 up. There was no guaranty, when the government sold him the land, 
 that he should be protected from Canadian or any other competition in the 
 sale of the lumber which grew upon that land. He has no vested rights, 
 no guaranty or agreement from the government, and can plead nothing of 
 the kind. Reciprocity has existed for ten years, and those ten years of 
 reciprocity ought to give him notice, by the way it worked, that there will 
 be reciprocity again, (Applause,) 
 
93 
 
 Again; it is two hundred miles, I suppose, more or less, from here to 
 Canada. It is considerable protection, I fancy/to the Maine lumber-men, 
 that the Canadian lumber must be brought two hundred miles, when that of 
 this State may be brought fifty, a hundred, or a hundred and fifty miles, as 
 the case may be. Distance is in favor of the American, if he will sell in 
 the American market. I fancy that, if this whole subject of lumber were 
 considered, if we should go to the bottom of it, and consider all the in- 
 terests involved, not only of those dealing in lumber, but of those employed 
 by them, selling them goods, and making their little livings in the towns 
 and villages, it would be clearly proved that it is for the interest of the 
 cities and townships that there should be free trade in all things, lumber 
 included, rather than that the present policy should continue. I think this 
 would be found to be the case, and so feeling, not wishing to misrepresent 
 the interests of my own State, having no objection to the prosperity of the 
 lumber business, but wishing to promote every interest in the country 
 generally, and looking to general considerations, and these alone, I, with 
 the rest of the Committee, came to the conclusion to say what we did. 
 
 This claim to a monopoly, this claim to special protection, on the part 
 of luraber-men, is one in which, as the Committee say, the American peo- 
 ple do not sympathize. There are a thousand consumers of lumber where 
 there is one producer. We are all interested in building up our towns, 
 villages, and cities. The lumber-man, unless he belongs to the class of 
 adventurers of whom I have spoken, will have interests of that kind 
 which will be subserved by the treaty, and he will thus be benefited in 
 that direction as much as he will lose in the other. But, as I said at first, 
 it was no part of the Committee's duty to undertake to prove that there 
 was no little interest, or even large interest, taken by itself, but little as 
 compared with the aggregate throughout the country, which might not, in 
 a particular point of view, be injuriously afl:ected by reciprocity; but we 
 believed, that, in a broad, general view, the interests of the country re- 
 quired reciprocity, and hence we were in favor of it. 
 
 SPEECH OF HON. E. H. DERBY, 
 
 The gentleman from Maine has been most happily answered by the gen- 
 tleman from Michigan; the great lumber State of the West has adminis- 
 tered a very proper rebuke to the little lumber State of the East. I would 
 not venture to speak again, having already been favored by this Conven- 
 tion with an audience of some duration, did I not find in the fact that I 
 have been employed by the government in making some investigations on 
 this subject, and been consulted by the committee, a reason for ofiering 
 some suggestions in this discussion. 
 
 I am reminded of a little incident that happened to a friend of mine, a 
 Mr. Walker,— not the gentleman from Massachusetts who so ably address- 
 ed us, but a gentleman who went out to England as an agent of the 
 
94 
 
 Treasury Department. He gave me an account of his visit and said, 
 among other things, that one day he was invited to a dinner party, at 
 which there were many English gentlemen, bankers, and others. In 
 the course of the dinner, there was a discussion as to American affairs, 
 and the suggestion was made that we had a very high tariff, while in Eu- 
 rope they are for free trade. My friend listened some time to the views of 
 the different gentlemen who spoke on the subject of free trade, but at 
 length, having an opportunity to reply, he said, " You speak of your free 
 trade as though we had none in America. Permit me to say, that we have 
 a free trade infinitely more extensive than yours. "We have a free trade 
 that nearly pervades the continent. There is a circle purged by the tariff, 
 but inside of that, we have a commerce eight times as large as our foreign 
 trade, which extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the St. Law- 
 rence to the Gulf, while you on this little Isle are hemmed in by the 
 tariffs that fetter the coast of Europe." Now the wish I have in regard to 
 the subject is, that we may have free trade over the entire continent, and 
 that the Provinces may be brought in to participate in tne benefits which 
 we enjoy. (Applause.) 
 
 Something has been said here with regard to a protective tariff, and gen- 
 tlemen have arrayed themselves more or less on one side or the other. 
 Though the tone of the meeting would seem to favor free trade as against 
 the protective system, I venture to say we have no protective system, per 
 ae, established in the United States of America. Before the war, the aver- 
 age duties of the United States of America did not exceed fifteen percent. 
 We raised upon imi>orts less than $400,000,000, a revenue of $60,000,000, or 
 fifteen per cent, at the commencement of the war. How stands it to-day? 
 Did we create the tariff for the purposes of protection? We created the 
 tariff for the purposes of revenue, and we decided to place the duties upon 
 the luxuries of the country and not upon its necessities. We impo.sed 
 taxes upon our manufactures— we taxed air, light, locomotion, we taxed 
 everything, not to secure a protective system, but to obtain means to carry 
 on the government; and now, having ended the war, do we require this 
 revenue system in time of peace? Having ended the war, havim^ caught 
 Jeff. Davis (if we have not hung him, we have overthrown him), having 
 marched our army to Richmond and taken it, are we bound to continue 
 the revenue system forever? 
 
 What has Congress done at the last and the preceding sessions? They 
 have repealed $200,000,000 of domestic taxes. Is it not time to take off the 
 foreign duties which were put on to counteract this domestic taxation? 
 Are we to go on forever as we do now? What is the condition of the 
 country to-day? I have great pleasure and satisfaction in speaking a 
 moment upon that point. We have reduced the appropriations for the 
 government of the United States the coming year, under the ad^^sement 
 of your representative, Mr. Blaine, who acted as chairman of the Commit- 
 tee on Appropriations, to $289,000,000, and of this, $40,000,000 are for 
 
95 
 
 bounties, and I understand that but $13,000,000 are required for that 
 I)urpose, which will reduce the $289,000,000 to about $260,000,000. The 
 coming year, with the reduction of interest, and its cessation on the com- 
 pound interest notes, we shall bring the expenses of the government down 
 to $230,000,000 or $240,000,000. And how are we going to raise that money? 
 Is it by a tax upon lumber ? We are going to raise it, in part, by a tax on 
 spirits and tobacco. We intend to pay, — I. say it to you, gentlemen of the 
 Provinces, who come here on this occasion to aid us in our deliberations, — 
 we intend to pay the whole interest of the debt, within two years' time, by 
 a tax on distilled and fermented liquors and tobacco. That will relieve the 
 government from the necessity of imposing a tax upon lumber, to which 
 the gentleman has adverted, for the purposes of revenue. We have, then, 
 the whole revenue from customs to meet the ordinary expenses of the 
 government. What has it yielded? It has yielded $103,000,000 directly, 
 and some $46,000,000 in addition, derived from incidental receipts, the sale 
 of gold, &c. Over $200,000,000 have been derived from that source. Now 
 gentlemen, if we require but $250,000,000 in the aggregate, and if we can 
 derive $100,000,000 from spirits and tobacco, ale and beer, as we can, why 
 do we require more than $130,000,000 or $140,000,000 from the tariff? We 
 Lave other taxes; we have a small tax on incomes, we have licences, we 
 have .stamps, and I venture to say that we may reduce our entire tariff 
 one-third, may repeal the tax on incomes, do away with stamps, take off 
 the tax on licences, and place ourselves in a more favorable position than 
 either Great Britain herself or any one of her Provinces to-morrow. (Ap- 
 plause.) We do not require the taxes to which the gentleman alludes. 
 (Renewed applause.) We are in a position of great strength; we are in a 
 position, sir, to dispense with the duty on lumber. 
 
 • And now permit me to say one word for a class in this country which has 
 been adverted to by the gentleman from Michigan — the consumers. What is 
 the effect, gentlemen, of the tariff which is imposed upon Canadian lumber? 
 We draw one-third of our lumber from the Provinces, the other two-thirds 
 from the United States. We impose a tax upon the foreign lumber. What 
 is the efiect of it ? Is it not to add the whole amount, twenty per cent, to 
 the cost of all the lumber to the American who purchases, to triple the tax 
 on lumber? 
 
 We are told that the government of the United States has parted with 
 all its timber lands, and that they have gone into private hands, but that 
 the English Government have not parted with theirs. But is it not the fact 
 that in both cases the lands have gone into private hands ? What is the 
 difference in title? One holds in fee, the other holds by license, — a license 
 to cut, which cannot be revoked, as I understand, or which, in practice, is 
 not revoked. It is equivalent to a title, and the holder can prevent all 
 other parties from cutting on the land. The British land is held by private 
 individuals, and the point the gentleman makes, that here the land is in the 
 hands of private proprietors, and on the other side it is not in the hands of 
 
96 
 
 private proprietors, falls to the ground. The truth is, that the private 
 parties stand on the same footing on each side of the border. 
 
 The gentleman has undertaken to give us an idea of the legislation of 
 the Pope. I have had the pleasure of travelling through Europe, as I in- 
 fer he has done. I traveled through the territories of the Popes over the 
 patrimony of St. Peter, and found it governed very much upon the princi- 
 ple the gentleman would have us adopt in regard to lumber. There are all 
 sorts of restraints upon the people. I saw no new houses. I have no 
 doubt the Pope has a duty on lumber. I did not find that his people had 
 lumber enough to repair the old houses, much less to build new ones. 
 Wlien the gentleman drew his picture of the harsh regulations of the 
 pleasant and agreeable old gentleman, I felt that with his pleasant face 
 and harsh doctrine he was personifying the Pope. 
 
 The gentleman made some allusion to the fisheries. I do not understand 
 that the fishermen have delegated the lumber-men to represent their views 
 in this Convention. I have some acquaintance with the fishermen of 
 Gloucester and other towns in Massachusetts, and so far as I know, they 
 were in favor of a renewal of the tfeaty, if they could be put on an equal- 
 ity with British fishermen. What they desired was, to be liberated from 
 taxes and duties, and that relief, I trust, will be given by Congress at its 
 next session. They wish to be ]>rotected simply by being placed in the 
 same position as British fishermen, by being freed from the restrakita of 
 taxes and duties, as far as the government can possibly free them ; because 
 upon the ocean, they enter into a free competition, where no protective law 
 can help them. The fishermen go for the treaty; they are for it to-day, 
 and in their behalf I ask this assembly to go for the revival of the treaty. 
 
 Now, gentlemen, if the fishermen favor the renewal of the treaty, why 
 should it not be renewed? Look at the configuration of the country. 
 Glance for a moment at the position of the different sections of the co\jn- 
 try and of the Canadas. On the one side of the St. Lawrence is a moist 
 climate, favorable to the growth of lumber. From the Gulf of St. Law- 
 rence, along the banks of the great river, along the western shores of the 
 great lakes, onward to the Slave Lake, to the Peace River, to the Assini- 
 boin, and the Saskatchewan, to the head-quarters of the Columbia River 
 and Frazer's River, away on to the north, the country is full of lumber. 
 Glance at our own country. A little lumber remains in Maine. The pine 
 trees, I understand from the gentleman himself, are nearly exhausted. 
 The little pine that remains is enhanced in value by the duty of twenty 
 per cent, perhaps ten dollars per thousand, and away in the British terri- 
 tory are these interminable forests, these inexhaustible stocks of lumber. 
 Why should we not use of them? Why should we not have the benefit of 
 them when we put up the cottage, or the church, or lay the roof of the 
 shanty for the Irishman who is to work on your railroads? Has not na- 
 ture given us the forests? Has not nature designed that we should draw 
 on the forests for the support of the prairies? Are we not doing it, in 
 
97 
 
 spite of the duty? I believe it is a bountiful provision of nature, that one 
 portion of this continent should produce the lumber and the other con- 
 sume it, and I believe there should be free trade between them. 
 
 Upon what principle of political economy does the gentleman stand 
 when he goes for a tax upon an article of prime necessity like lumber? Is 
 that the policy of the government? The policy of the government to-day 
 is, to tax the luxuries of the rich, not the shanty of the poor man. That 
 is not the policy of the United States. When we deal with spirits, we im- 
 pose the highest duty we can enforce ; when we dfial with tobacco, we im- 
 pose the highest duty we can collect; but when we deal with an article of 
 prime necessity, like lumber, there is no American principle which will 
 warrant us in imposing a tax upon it. Lumber is an essential article. It 
 enters into the barn and house of the farmer, it enters into the shed erected 
 upon the prairie, it enters into the construction of the railroad, it enters 
 into the ship, it enters into almost everything. How are we to restore the 
 commercial marine of this great nation, if we put a tax of twenty per 
 cent upon the lumber used in the building of vessels? I believe we should 
 have no duty of that kind. I believe that the gentleman and his asso- 
 ciates in this State — not numerous — are now sufficiently protected, as was 
 suggested by my friend from Michigan by the element of distance. It may 
 be that they must float the few remaining pine and spruce trees in the 
 State two hundred miles down the Penobscot or Kennebec, but they are 
 protected, even then ; for the Canadian, instead of going two hundred miles, 
 as my friend suggested, has to go four, five, or six hundred miles. Push- 
 ing to the upper waters of the Ottawa, to the upper lakes, even to the bor- 
 ders of Huron and Superior, he floats his lumber down five hundred or 
 one thousand miles, in many instances, to enter into competition with the 
 lumber-men of Maine. The gentleman and his friends are protected by 
 distance; and it is a protection growing daily higher and higher: for as 
 tree after tree is cut, the forest is removed from the borders of the lakes, 
 and the lumber-man goes back further and further into the interior; his 
 lumber becomes more and more remote every year, and higher and higher 
 grows the protection to his American competitor. 
 
 Let me ask if the gentleman and his associates have not already been 
 unduly protected ? Let me ask him whether, when the five per cent tax 
 was put on all other manufactures, it was put on sawed lumber? No 
 answer? It was not taxed. By the sagacity of the lumber-men, they 
 escaped the five per cent tax that was put on clothing and cotton, and the 
 thousand other manufactured articles. 
 
 Mr. Pkentiss. I am not aware that lumber is exempted. "We pay our 
 income-tax upon lumber, as well as upon other things. 
 
 Mr. Derby. I understand that ; but I ask if the five per cent tax upon 
 manufactured articles was collected upon lumber? 
 
 Mr. Prentiss. I don't know that it was. 
 
 Mr. Derby. If the gentleman had paid it, I think he would have known 
 it (Applause and laughter.) 
 
 7 
 
98 
 
 I will detain you but a few moments longer, but I wish to make a few 
 general remarks in regard to the treaty. The only objection made to this 
 treaty, which affects a great many commodities, comes from the lumber 
 interest. The gentleman suggests that we are not to make any distinction 
 between nations, or, if we make any distinction, it should be in favor of 
 Russia. I believe we should " love our neighbors as ourselves," and that 
 our first arrangement should be made with those who live beside our own 
 waters, in our own vicinity. 
 
 But the gentleman has suggested that the newspapers of Canada spoke 
 unkindly of us during the war. I wish to ask who wrote the articles, who 
 prompted them, who paid for them? "Were they not paid for by the agents 
 of Jeff. Davis over the Canadian border? Did they not come from them? 
 If the gentleman thinks the sympathies of the Canadians were against us, 
 let me ask him how it happens that at this very moment large sums of 
 money are paid by our government to the widows and orphans of the 
 volunteers from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Canada, who 
 shed their blood in the service of the United States, in its great contest 
 with secession? That is an off-set for all the agents of secession may have 
 said in the papers of Canada, and for any aid they may have received 
 across the border. The answer to the gentleman's argument is, they shed 
 their blood in defence of the rights of this great Republic, for the preserva- 
 tion of the integrity of this Republic, the great hope of the nations. By 
 the shedding of their blood and the sacrifice of their lives, they have can- 
 celled any amount of injury this country may have received, growing out 
 of the sympathy manifested for the South during our great contest. (Ap- 
 plause. ) 
 
 I will notice but one other point, and that is, the point the gentleman 
 makes, that we are to treat other nations as we treat Canada, — that we are 
 to treat all other nations as the most favored nations are treated. What 
 difficulty is there with regard to that? Does agriculture require protection? 
 What the Provinces require is, that the ruder products of agriculture 
 should be free from tax or from duty. We will liberate wheat, we will 
 liberate oats, we will liberate lumber, as we have done before; we will 
 liberate the ox, the horse, and the mule. We drew upon Canada for the 
 horses and mules to carry on our war. I know not what we should have 
 done without the aid we had from Canada, We will liberate them all, and 
 then if Russia says, " We wish you to liberate our horses and oxen and 
 cattle, and our corn and oats," we will do it. Who will suffer ? Is there 
 any objection to having these products of the earth come in here free of 
 duty ? Have we arrived at such a pass that we require the protection of 
 our agriculture, of our horses, and our forests against Canadian competi- 
 tion? We give away our land; we charge no rent, we charge nothing for 
 the fee, we give the actual settler his homestead, after we have incurred 
 the expense of the survey, and is it necessary for the protection of that 
 settler in the sale of his products, is it necessary for the protection of the 
 
99 
 
 forests, that we shall interdict all other lands and forests from contributing 
 to our comfort and convenience? Have we come to that? Is that the con- 
 dition of the affairs of this great nation? For one, sir, I believe that the 
 position of this nation is stronger to-day than it ever was. I believe we are 
 in the strongest position of any nation whatever. Look at the revenue we 
 collect. We are requiring but $250,000,000 or $260,000,000. Convert that, in 
 the present state of our currency, into pounds sterling, and what does it 
 amount to? It amounts to about one-half the tax levied by England. It 
 is levied upon forty millions of people; the taxes of England are levied 
 upon thirty millions. Look at the income of the people of this country, 
 and compare it with that of the people of foreign countries. The gentle- 
 man has alluded to Italy, and has cited the condition of the laborer of 
 Florence. Let me make a comparison between this country, England, and 
 Italy. By recent statistics published in the English papers, it is shown 
 that one-half the families of Italy have an average revenue of from ten to 
 fifteen pounds per annum. That is to say, the average revenue of half the 
 families of Italy is from $50 to $75 a year, on which to sustain, not only 
 the male, but the female and the children. How is it in England? The 
 average revenue in England is £100 for the family ($500). How is it in my 
 State, Massachusetts, to-day? With 1,300,000 people, and with a wealth, if 
 you count everything omitted by the assessor, equal to at least $2,000,000,000 
 —holding, as she does, $200,000,000 in railroads, $200,000,000 or $300,000,000 
 more in United States bonds, and a vast amount in factories, in commerce 
 in navigation, and in floating wealth, — how is it with Massachusetts to-day? 
 The average revenue of the families of Massachusetts, instead of being 
 $60, amounts to over one thousand dollars in gold (loud applause), twice 
 the average revenue of English families, with all the wealth of England, 
 and much more equitably distributed, and ten or fifteen times the revenue 
 of the family in Italy. 
 
 Inasmuch as the gentleman has made that allusion to the rate of com- 
 pensation for labor in Italy, let me ask you, sir, if the rate of labor in 
 England, or the rate of labor in Canada, or in Kova Scotia, is ten cents a 
 day ? Can you, Mr. Chairman, procure labor in Halifax for ten cents a day? 
 I understand that if I want to hire there, I must pay $1.10 or $1.20, in gold, 
 not ten cents. What does the gentleman mean by ten cents? Are they 
 hewing wood or drawing water in Canada for ten cents a day? 
 
 Mr. Prentiss. I did not say so. I did not speak of Canada, I spoke 
 of Italy. 
 
 Mr. Derby. You spoke of Italy. I ask why it was introduced into the 
 discussion at all? The question is as to the price of labor on this conti- 
 nent, not of hammering stone in Italy. Let me ask you if the Canadian 
 laborer does not cross the boundary? Do not the laborers of Canada come 
 up the waters of Champlain and over the railroads, and toil on the farms 
 and in the forests of Vermont and New Hampshire; and, although we do 
 not work for ten cents a day, do we not get labor as cheap as in Canada, — 
 
100 
 
 the only difference being the cost of transportation, and a little increase on 
 account of the higher cost of living on this side the boundary? The analo- 
 gies of the gentleman are not to be relied upon. The truth is, there is no 
 great diversity in the price of labor on the different sides of the line. 
 
 But, gentlemen, I have trespassed too long upon your patience in this 
 desultory discussion. There are other gentlemen present conversant with 
 this question. All I would say upon this subject is, that this important 
 treaty, affecting a great variety of articles, largely affecting the commerce 
 in the products of the country, — a treaty which, if renewed, will extend 
 the role of our manufactures over a great part of Canada, — is not to be 
 defeated by the opposition of gentlemen who have been unusually favored 
 by the government during the war, and who are not entitled to charge us 
 twenty per cent advance on an article of necessity, and compel us to 
 pay twenty per cent more, or twice that amount, for lumber purchased in 
 this country, compared with that purchased abroad. 
 
 Hon. John A. Poor moved that the Convention 
 adjourn to ten o'clock to-morrow, and spoke briefly 
 in support of the motion. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton A. Hill, of Boston, and Mr. Jones, of 
 Salem, opposed it, and Hon. John Neal, of Portland, 
 spoke in its favor; when it was, on motion, laid on 
 the table. 
 
 Mr. Jones, of Salem, moved the adoption of the 
 Report of the Committee on Reciprocity. 
 
 Mr. Poor expressed the hope that before the ques- 
 tion was put, the Convention might hear from the 
 delegation from Prince Edward Island. 
 
 SPEECH OP HON. MR. BRECKEN, OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 
 
 As a representative of the smallest, and, I must say, the most insignifi- 
 cant of the British Provinces, I feel a very great degree of diffidence in 
 arising to address an assembly of this character; but I am unwilling to 
 see this conference close without acknowledging the kind reception which 
 we have received from the citizens of Portland and the members of this 
 great Convention. We have abstained from entering into the discussion 
 of the various important and momentous questions which have engaged 
 the attention of this Conference, and which have been dealt with in such 
 
101 
 
 a courageous, such a manly spirit; but coming from a little Province, it has 
 been a very great treat to me to listen to the debate. I must say, that the 
 sentiments which have been expressed here have, in the main, commanded 
 my approval and admiration. 
 
 Although we on the island are not directly interested in some of the 
 questions which have been discussed here, yet I hope we are sufficiently 
 cosmopolitan in spirit to see that we are interested to a certain extent, 
 because I hold that no line of steamers or railroad can be established 
 which does not, to a greater or less extent, confer benefits upon mankind 
 in general. (Applause.) 
 
 I have not the good fortune to be a commercial man, consequently I 
 do not feel qualified to attempt anything like a speech upon these great 
 commercial questions; but I should be very obtuse indeed if I failed to 
 perceive the important results which will inevitably flow from these great 
 undertakings, which I have no doubt will be carried forward to comple- 
 tion. When I look at this great country, and consider how young it is, 
 how many years must elapse before it can celebrate its centenary, when I 
 look upon the vast wealth that has already been gathered, and then look 
 upon these great undertakings which have been alluded to, I feel assured 
 that, within a very short time, they will be accomplished. 
 
 The little Province in which I live had the good fortune, for ten years, 
 to hold more intimate commercial relations with this country than at pres- 
 ent exist. As I said, I am not a business man, and I do not intend to go 
 into any details ; but this I can say, that while the treaty existed, it afford- 
 ed satisfaction and pleasure to the inhabitants of Prince Edward Island, 
 and we were aware that the chief cause of the abrogation of that treaty 
 was, as has been stated by the Hon. Mr. Derby and the gentleman from 
 Michigan (Mr. Pringle) who preceded him. You had to pass through a 
 severe ordeal, and I have no doubt that the policy pursued was necessary. 
 But, as the gentleman (Mr. Derby) has stated, these troubles have passed 
 away, you have passed through the trying ordeal, and I suppose those i^- 
 cessities no longer exist. 
 
 Not being a commercial man, as I have said, it does not become me to 
 enter into details, or to specify, or attempt to specify, what the arrange- 
 ments ought to be ; but I can say this, in behalf of the people of Prince 
 Edward Island, that as soon as arrangements are made for the renewal of 
 the treaty, by the people having authority to deal with it, it will afford 
 very great satisfaction to us. We are your neighbors; we fully appreciate 
 the liberality and frankness of spirit which characterize the merchants of 
 America, as far as we have dealt with them. Our trade has not been ex- 
 tensive, for our resources are small; but what we have is of consequence 
 to us, because it is our all, and we wish to increase the facilities of the 
 the country as fast as possible. Since the abrogation of the treaty, we 
 have sent our grain to the northern country, and I can say that we have 
 not sufiered much from the change. The fact is, that last year our grain 
 commanded higher prices than ever before. 
 
102 
 
 I am not prepared with any statistics with regard to the fisheries. I be- 
 lieve that the mackerel fishery round Prince Edward Island is the most 
 valuable mackerel fishery that American fishermen engage in, and I be- 
 lieve, as Mr. Derby has said, that the American fishermen are willing and 
 desirous that their relations with us should be restored to the same foot- 
 ing as they were during the existence of the treaty. I listened with some 
 interest, for I like to hear both sides of a question, to the arguments which 
 were advanced by the gentleman from Maine. We all look at subjects in 
 the light of our own interest, and he looked at this question from that point 
 of view. But I must say that I could not see the force of his argument 
 when he spoke of the three miles. I am not aware that the right to fish 
 within three miles of the coast is any great advantage. Last year, it is 
 true, the fishermen were able to take their fish outside.of that limit, but 
 generally speaking, it is necessary to follow the fish in, and strike them 
 vrithin that distance. I could not understand the argument of the gentle- 
 man. He did not attempt to say whether the privilege to fish within three 
 miles was of consequence or not, but he said that America was a more 
 powerful nation now than when the treaty was brought about in 1818. 
 There is no doubt you are. Your growth has been most extraordinary, 
 and it commands the admiration of every British citizen. But in the next 
 breath, he said that you respected treaties. I suppose he would not be 
 willing to say that " might makes right." If a treaty is in existence, I ex- 
 pect it will be carried out, and that we shall be dealt with upon the prin- 
 ciples of international law; that our interests will be respected. I do not 
 think the gentleman meant much when he said that the treaty was weaker 
 now on account of the great strength of this country. 
 
 However, we are getting along. We would be happy to renew our com- 
 mercial relations with our neighbors. God and nature intended, I believe, 
 that we should live on the most intimate terms with you. You are our 
 nearest neighbors; and we do not forget (as we are reminded on every 
 occasion when we meet a citizen of the United States) the oneness of our 
 orfgin, the oneness of our language and literature, and, I might almost say, 
 the oneness of our political institutions; for while you pride yourselves 
 upon your admirable constitution and republican form of government, and 
 while our constitution and institutions, in some respects, may differ from 
 yours, still, we recognize the one great principle which underlies the insti- 
 tutions of both countries, and that is, that the people are the real source of 
 the governing power. (Applause.) In that principle we are one, and we 
 ought to be one in other things. I believe we are; and while we all pro- 
 perly look to the protection of our own interests, still, we have but one 
 object. Surely, this great and powerful country, a country which has been 
 endowed by God with richer gifts than any other country in the world, a 
 country of which we have been told, correctly, that its material resources 
 are of such an extent that you cannot build your railroads speedily enough 
 to keep pace with its developments, — surely, I say, such a country as this 
 
103 
 
 can afford, notwithstanding the arguments adduced by the gentleman from 
 Maine, to deal liberally with the countries that surround her. (Applause.) 
 "What terms the Colonial authorities would require, I am not prepared to 
 say, but I believe they are ready to deal in the fairest and most liberal 
 spirit with this great country. Of course, as this is a subject-matter affect- 
 ing England, any arrangement that is made must be with the approbation 
 of the mother country. 
 
 I wish again to return my thanks for the kindness which has been 
 extended to us, and to acknowledge the very great privilege I feel it to be, 
 to have been allowed to attend the Convention. Whatever the material 
 results may be, whatever the commercial results may be, the kindness and 
 good-feeling which have been exhibited here cannot fail to have important 
 results in strengthening the bonds of friendship and amity between the 
 two countries. 
 
 SPEECH OF HON. H. E. PRENTISS. 
 
 As there seems to be a disposition to close this discussion to-night, I will 
 ask for two minutes to reply to each of the gentlemen on the other side, 
 and two minutes on the general subject, making eight minutes in all. 
 
 In regard to the last gentleman, he did not understand what I said about 
 the three miles. I say, that by the law of nations, the ocean belongs to 
 mankind, and they have the right to fish in it or do anything else in it, sub- 
 ject to the right of each nation, within a marine league of its own shore; 
 there we have no right to fish. What I meant to say was this, that if any 
 diflBculty arose between two fishermen, as to whether a vessel was two or 
 three miles from shore, the two nations are too powerful, and have too 
 much respect for each other's rights and power, to go to war about it; that 
 they would settle it by negotiation. I do not mean to say that " might 
 is right," but when we took Mason and Slidell from under the British flag, 
 with the intense feeling that existed in this country, the government could 
 not have given them up if the nation had not known that England was 
 right as well as strong. A similar feeling may exist in the Provinces. 
 Knowing that the Provinces are right and strong, we shall respect each 
 other's rights better because we respect each other's strength. 
 
 Mr. Derby says lumber is a prime necessity of life, and therefore ought 
 not to be protected. He forgets that his coat, and every other garment he 
 wears, is an article of prime necessity; but the manufacturers of Massa- 
 chusetts have secured protection for their cotton and woolen goods, and in 
 consequence of that protection, they are enabled to levy upon us lumber- 
 men a tax of fifty per cent more than they otherwise would; and I say, if 
 they are entitled to that protection, we are entitled to a similar protection 
 upon lumber, if it does raise the prices to them. That replies to his whole 
 speech, in substance. 
 
 In regard to the gentleman from Michigan, he complains of the Owners 
 
104 
 
 of timber land, and appeals to popular sympathies and popular passions 
 against them, because they choose to manage their property according to 
 their judgment of what is best for them and for the country. I do not hold 
 anybody responsible for words spoken in the heat of debate, but I say that 
 the spirit of that speech is the same as that of the speech which Caius 
 Gracchus mafle in the streets of Eome twenty centuries ago; and if he is 
 the man I think he is, he is ashamed of it now. 
 
 Again; his argument that it is the duty of the owners of the timber 
 land of Michigan to sell it to the farmers, for agricultural purposes, to cut 
 down the timber and burn it (for that is the argument, and that is what 
 he contends for), shows that he knows nothing about his own State, so far 
 as lumber is concerned, nothing of the relation of supply and demand, 
 nothing of the supply of lumber. I beg leave to suggest that the forest is 
 given by God for the benefit of mankind, and it will all be needed for those 
 houses for the poor, those churches and other buildings that the gentle- 
 man from Massachusetts has so eloquently talked about; and he who 
 wastes the lumber of Michigan or of Maine by cutting it down, twenty 
 thousand to the acre, and burning it upon the land, is a bad economist. He 
 commits a sin against man and against God, destroys one of the best gifts 
 of God to man, and one of the great sources of wealth to this country; 
 and if the gentleman lives to the common age of man, he will lament that 
 so much timber has been cut down and wasted. He will want it, and his 
 children will want it. 
 
 Now, a word upon the general subject. The circumstances under which 
 I closed [the audience manifesting some impatience] prevented me from 
 referring to the free navigation of the St. Lawrence, which, is one of the 
 great arguments always brought forward in favor of reciprocity. That 
 argument was worth something before the experiment was tried; but we 
 have had the right to the free navigation of the St. Lawrence for ten years, 
 and we never used it. The number of vessels that went down the river 
 was so small that they have not dared to give it in their statistics; but, 
 they say, that when the West grows and attains its fullest development, 
 it will want the St Lawrence as well as the railroads. My reply is, that 
 the railroads will always be sufficieut,— always be the nearest and most 
 direct way from the great Lakes of the West to the old world; and Mr. 
 Poor and a thousand other railroad heroes have found out how to build 
 railroads,— have found out that railroads pay, both in money and fame; 
 and they will find new chances for railroads from the great West to the 
 Atlantic coast wherever they ought to be; and they have the capacity to 
 show where it is important they should be built, and they will be built. 
 That is the way the great West is to communicate with the Atlantic sea- 
 board and Europe. The St. Lawrence is frozen up six months in the year; 
 it is too far north ; emptying into dangerous and tempestuous seas, where 
 losses are frequent, and insurance consequently high; it is too far out of 
 the way of Europe, and time is money in this business. For these reasons, 
 
105 
 
 I say that geography is against the St. Lawrence being of any value to the 
 West, — climate is against it, — time is against it, and it is of no weight in the 
 matter. The free navigation of the St. Lawrence is i)ractically worth 
 nothing, for it will never be used. The business of the West will come by 
 railroad. 
 
 Gentlemen, as I said when I commenced, I was perfectly aware of the 
 unfavorable circumstances under which I spoke. I knew then perfectly 
 well, and know now, — I knew before I left home, — those who sent me here 
 knew, how the vote would be upon reciprocity, at a meeting held in Port- 
 land, called by Portland folks, who invited whom they pleased from the 
 Canadas, and invited men known to be in favor of the treaty (laughter 
 and applause); but the lumber-men, my fellow citizens, at Bangor, have 
 so much regard and admiration for Portland, so much regard for the 
 people of the Provinces, that they thought it was only showing proper 
 respect for them to come here and talk a little on the other side. You 
 may do what you please on the subject. There is one thing which consoles 
 me, in some degree, for the reception which my remarks have met, and 
 that is, that I consider it somewhat local. I think the question has got to 
 be settled by Congress. I believe that the State of Maine generally is 
 with me. Although this fine city of Portland happens to be against me, 
 and this particular crowd happens to be against me, there are people 
 enough in Maine who are with me, and I believe that the Congress of the 
 United States, if they hear of tliis Convention at all, will not care much 
 what it said, or what anybody else said, but will dispose of the matter 
 about as they think proper. (Applause and laughter.) 
 
 The Secretary then read the following letter from 
 Hon. Chas. Francis Adams : 
 
 QuiNCY, July 30, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq. : 
 
 Dear Sir, — It would give me great pleasure to attend the proposed Com- 
 mercial Convention to which you have invited me, if I could do so with 
 convenience to myself; but my long absence from home renders it impera- 
 tively necessary for me to devote a few months exclusively to my private 
 aflfairs. * 
 
 I always regretted the manner in which the Reciprocity Treaty was ter- 
 minated, as you may perceive in my printed oflScial correspondence. It 
 might easily have been modified in its defective part, as I knew that the 
 disposition of the British Government was favorable. To make a new one 
 
 will be attended with more difiiculty. 
 
 I am, very truly, 
 
 C. F. ADAMS. 
 
 The question was then put, and the report of the 
 Committee adopted. 
 
106 
 On motion of John A. Poor, Esq., 
 
 Resolved, That Hon. Frederick Robie, of Gorham, Maine, one of the 
 secretaries of this Convention, be authorized to publish tJie records of the 
 proceedings of the Convention ; and 
 
 Resolved, That members of the Convention and invited guests be respect- 
 fully requested, on account of the limited time allowed for discussion, to 
 place in the hands of the Secretary for publication among the proceedings 
 of the Convention, such communications as they may be pleased to make, 
 containing facts, arguments, and suggestions upon the various subjects 
 discussed by the Convention; and that the Secretary cause the same to be 
 inserted in their approjiriate place, and printed as a part of the doings of 
 the Convention, with such documents and other information as he may 
 thus receive. 
 
 In pursuance of the foregoing vote, the following 
 papers are here inserted, selected from the many 
 communications received in reply to invitations to 
 attend the Convention : 
 
 Letter from the Chief Engineer of Northern Pacific Railroad, 
 
 MiDDLETOWN, CONN., July 27, 1868. 
 To Hon. John A. Poor, and others : 
 
 Oentlemen,— As it will not be possible to meet with you on the 4th prox- 
 imo, I comply with your request so far as to give in writing the views I 
 entertain in relation to one of the objects of your Convention, that of 
 adopting measures for securing railway communication across the conti- 
 nent, a subject to which I have given much attention. 
 
 When, in 1834, 1 was intrusted with the survey and report of what was 
 termed the Ontario and Hudson Steamboat Canal, a project which may 
 yet be revived in connection with the Niagara Canal, and which resulted 
 in the enlargement of the Erie Canal throughout to Lake Erie, I had occa- 
 sion to examine into the character of the country north and west of the 
 great lakes. 
 
 In this investigation the gradual amelioration of the climate in proceed- 
 ing west particularly attracted my attention, and its importance in con- 
 nection with the future commerce of the lakes induced me, from such facts 
 as I then could gather in regard to it, to trace the course of the isothermal 
 lines on the map of the lake region which accompanied my report. The 
 position of these lines, in the vicinity of the lakes, was evidently much in- 
 fluenced by the lakes themselves, but to the west of them their northerly 
 trend in their course west was still more marked, and this tendency, I 
 subsequently ascertained, extended all the way to the Pacific. This fact 
 
107 
 
 was obvious from such few meteorological observations as I could gather 
 from the military posts on the Upper Mississippi, the settlements on the 
 Eed River, and on the Lower Columbia and at Puget Sound, and also from 
 the character of the vegetation of the intermediate country so carefully 
 and truthfully described by McKenzie, Harmon, Governor Simpson, Lewis 
 and Clark, Des Smet, Douglass, Dunn, Culbertson, Bonneville, and others. 
 
 The evidences all conspired to show, that, beginning with what is now 
 Minnesota and proceeding west, the climate becomes gradually milder ; 
 this gradual change, although interrupted in part by the mountain region, 
 attaining on Puget Sound, in the latitude of Quebec, to a mean annual 
 temperature corresponding with that of the upper portion of Chesapeake 
 Bay. I found, also, that the mountain range, or main divide of the Atlan- 
 tic and Pacific waters, was greatly depressed, and for a long distance, 
 where the sources of the ^Missouri and of Clark's branch of the Columbia 
 interlock, afibrding many practicable and easy passes, three of which were 
 traversed by Lewis and Clark. 
 
 I found, also, that the snows in these passes were not heavy, but the 
 reverse ; that the range where Lewis and Clark encountered deep snows, 
 was not the Rocky Mountain range proper, but the Blue or Bitterroot 
 Mountains, further west, which would not be passed by a railroad prop- 
 erly located, and I was able to construct, from the very accurate descrip- 
 tions of Lewis and Clark, a map much more full and accurate than was 
 given in the published narrative of those explorers, because, probably, of 
 the decease of Captain Lewis, the principal man of the expedition, before 
 its publication. 
 
 I also extended my researches into the topography and climate of the 
 entire region south to the southern limit of the Union. When, therefore, 
 the advance of our railway system from the Atlantic sea-board west, ren- 
 dered it evident that it must soon pass the Mississippi, and ultimately 
 stretch on to the Pacific, I was quite well prepared to form a judgment as 
 to the eligible routes to be pursued, and to see clearly that the projectors 
 of some of the routes proposed were not masters of the subject, or they 
 would not have made the mistake of placing their routes in impracticable 
 directions. 
 
 None of them, however, selected what is now known as the Northern 
 Route, for as late even as 1851 or 1852, no one save myself, so far as my 
 knowledge extended, believed such a route possible, because of the sup- 
 posed great elevation of the mountains, the severity of the cold, and the 
 depth of the snows. 
 
 My own convictions, derived from my researches, as above stated, were 
 80 strong, not only as to the feasibility of a route in that direction, but as 
 to its superiority, that I then determined to devote such time as I could 
 spare, from the active duties of my profession, to getting upon paper the 
 knowledge I had gathered. This was done, and not long after it was giv- 
 en to the public, in the columns of the American Railroad Journal, of 
 
108 
 
 which your chairman, Hon, John A. Poor, was then the proprietor, and his 
 brother the editor, both of whom were early and most able and efficient 
 pioneers in advancing the cause of railways throughout the Union. 
 
 Subsequently, in January 7, 1854, the articles thus published in the Rail- 
 road Journal were republished in book form, with maps and a profile, the 
 elevations upon the latter being mostly deduced from the flow of the 
 streams, and such other evidence as I was able to collect, and early in the 
 same month I received the first gratifying confirmation of the correctness 
 of my deductions in a letter from Lieutenant,— now General Rufus Sax- 
 ton, — who was despatched with supplies from the Pacific coast to meet 
 Governor Stevens, who was then on his way west trom St. Paul to the 
 mountains. Lieutenant Saxton crossed the main divide of the waters at 
 what is now called Cadet's Pass, and joined Governor Stevens at Fort 
 Benton. 
 
 I had sent to Lieutenant Saxton some numbers of the " Journal," and 
 on the first of Januarj^ 1854, he wrote to me as follows: 
 
 " I have been very much pleased and interested with the portion of your 
 writings on the Northern Pacific Railroad route, which is now being ex- 
 plored by Governor Stevens, that I have had an opportunity to peruse, and 
 surprised at the coincidence existing between your conclusions and my 
 own personal observations. I have not had the pleasure of rea<ling all of 
 your articles, and would esteem it a favor if you would send me one of 
 your books. I think I can discover some errors in location of different 
 points in your sketch, but these do not aflfect the great principles upon 
 which your work is founded, so long as the main facts remain. The high- 
 est point I passed, I think, is south of Lewis Pass, but it is jwssible that 
 they may be identical. My barometer, an aneroid, and of course liable to 
 error, gave the pass an elevation of 4,674 feet above the sea." 
 
 This measurement was the first made of the Rocky Mountain range in 
 that direction, or north of the soutli pass, and was to me the more gratify- 
 ing, as a letter received from Governor Simpson, of the Hudson Bay Com- 
 pany, was not encouraging as to my estimate (5,000 to fi,000 feet) of the 
 elevation, but he added " that wherever my authority is cited, you have 
 fairly represented my opinions, and your descriptions of the soil, produc- 
 tions, and general features of the territory, with which I am personally 
 acquainted, are in accordance with my own observations." Governor 
 Simpson, in conclusion, assured me that he felt a deep interest in the un- 
 dertaking, appreciating as he did " the vast advantages that must arise to 
 the United States and adjoining Provinces in the event of this magnifi- 
 cent scheme of a railroad being carried into execution." 
 
 The aneroid, which Lieutenant Saxton deemed unreliable, was subse- 
 quently found to have given a result considerably at variance with the 
 truth. The profile prepared by me, because of the confidence in its general 
 correctness, was copied into an Essay on the Canadas, which received the 
 prize at the Paris Exhibition of 1855. The elevations of principal points 
 
109 
 
 upon it, as compared with the most reliable measurements since made, are 
 
 as follows : 
 
 Profile. Measurement. 
 
 Take Superior above sea level in feet 630 600 
 
 Divide between Lake Superior and Mississippi 1,334 1,332 
 
 Crossing of 3Iississippi 1,150 1,152 
 
 Divide between Mississippi and Red River 1,706 1,479 
 
 RedRiver 1000 985 
 
 Plateau du Coteau du Missouri 2,300 about 2,500 
 
 Missouri River, mouth of Yellowstone 2.040 2.010 
 
 Fort Benton 2,790 2,780 
 
 Main Summit 5,000 to 6,000 5,400 
 
 Mouth of Hellgate River, at Clark's River 2,800 3,000 
 
 Col. River, mouth of Yakima 400 
 
 Cascade Range, north of Mount Ranier 4,000 3,030 
 
 Upon the large map accompanying my Memoir was traced the isothermal 
 line, of the mean annual temperature nearly of New England, conforming 
 to the latest observations. Its position in the Saskatchewan valley, as 
 since ascertained, was too far to the south by two or three degrees. The 
 descriptions of Harmon and McKenzie, of the vegetation of the Unjigale, 
 or Peace Kiver, justified a more northern location, but, in the absence of 
 positive thermometrical observations, it was placed as described. 
 
 On the publication of the Memoir, letters were received from gentlemen 
 who were acquainted with the country from personal observations, — if not 
 of the whole, of large portions of it, — and from others whose researches 
 had made them acquainted with it; also from men of high standing in 
 science, and from gentlemen of my own profession, all confirming the 
 accuracy of the facts and the justness of the conclusions. 
 
 Minnesota was then alfcerrilory extending west nearly to what is now the 
 eastern limit of Montana. Dr. Thomas S. Williamson, then a resident in it, 
 at Pejutazee, thus wrote in regard to it. May 17, 1854: 
 
 " So far as I am capable of judging, the conclusions at which you have 
 arrived are correct. This country is not inferior for the production of grain 
 or vegetables to any in the United States. The impediments from snow 
 on the northern route will not be found greater, but, so far as Minnesota is 
 concerned, less than you have supposed. It now lacks a few days of 
 twenty years since I firsf came to this territory." 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Parker, for some time missionary to the Spokane 
 Indians, near Fort Colville, Oregon, now Washington Territory, under 
 date of March 9, 1854, confirmed all that was stated in the Memoir as to the 
 mildness of the climate of that region. Then the people of that section 
 (lat. 48" N.) were " making their gardens and sowing their fields, and grass 
 was up some inches high." 
 
 Governor James Duane Doty, of Wisconsin, since iGrovernor of Utah, 
 wrote on the 29th of March, the same year, having just heard from his son, 
 who was making explorations between Fort Benton and Clark's branch of 
 the Columbia, as follows: " I have read with deep interest your Memoir on 
 the railroad routes to the Pacific, and deem your statements and arguments 
 in favor of the northern route conclusive. My son enters warmly into 
 these views." 
 
110 
 
 Hon. H. R. Schoolcraft, who had visited and was familiar with the 
 country west of Lake Superior to the Red River and beyond, and who had 
 made the character of the country and the climate westward to the Pacific 
 a particular study, thus wrote, March 13, 1854: "A road built from Lake 
 Superior or St. Anthony's Falls to the Missouri, and by Lewis' Pass, 
 through the Rocky Mountains, to the Clark's Fork of the Columbia, and 
 down the Columbia, through the Cascade Range, will pass through tracts 
 which are capable of continuous settlement. Much of the soil is first-rate 
 farming lands, which will bear corn and all the cereals, and these lands can 
 be cultivated without irrigation. It abounds in flowing streams which will 
 sustain arts and manufactures, and no part of the world is better suited to 
 grazing." 
 
 From Professor Silliman, sen., of Connecticut; Professor Ren wick, of 
 New York; Professor Lathrop, of "Wisconsin; Professor Thompson, of 
 Vermont; \V. C. Redfield, of New York, and other learned and intelligent 
 gentlemen, letters were received, all of them concurring in the truth of the 
 facts as given in the Memoir, and conceding that the arguments advanced 
 as to the superiority of the northern route were unanswerable. 
 
 From members of the profession of Civil Engineers, many letters wei€ 
 also received of similar import to the following, which is selected for its 
 brevity, written by a gentleman who, for several years, was superintendent 
 of the Boston and Providence Railroads, but who, at the time, was presi- 
 dent of one of the leading railroads of New England: 
 
 • Boston, March 18, 1854. 
 My Dear Sir,— I have received the copy of your "Railroad to the racific," kindly 
 forwarded to me by yourself, rermit me to express the great satisfaction wliich its 
 perusal has afforded. You have performed a most important service to the country, in 
 presenting to it a case of such vital interest, in a manner so conclusive and intelligent. 
 As one of the nation, I desire to thank you for the service, and, as one having some 
 interest in the profession, to congratulate you upon having executed it so well. 
 
 With great respect, 
 
 WM. RAYMOND LEE. 
 
 I will add one more, of a more recent date, for the reason that the writer, 
 who, for many years, had charge of the department of Civil Engineering 
 in Union College, New York, and was author of a valuable treatise on 
 Engineering, was at first inclined to favor a more southern route. It is as 
 follows : 
 
 UjnoN CoLLEOK, New York, March 7, 1866. 
 
 I>ear 5tr,— My attention has recently been earnestly directed to the Pacific Railroad 
 routes, and I have ju8tjt>een re-reading, with great interest, your report of 1853. You 
 were in advance of the times. I could not appreciate then the depth and breadth of 
 your views. I am now disposed to indorse them ftilly, so far as my knowledge extends. 
 A visit from a friend and former pupil, resident for the last ten years all over the 
 ground in question, has cleared up to me many doubtful points. lie thinks the 
 northern route decidedly the best, except for the importance of San Francisco; but 
 you have answered that. 
 
 I am, very respectfully, yours truly, 
 
 W. M. GILLESPIE. 
 
Ill 
 
 These opinions are presented to show the estimate put upon the northern 
 route by men competent to judge of its merits, and to show, also, how 
 thorough was the investigation made into the character of the country by 
 myself prior to 1853. At that time, and before the commencement of the 
 government surveys, the facts were ample, as stated in my Memoir, for 
 pronouncing upon the superiority of the northern route as a great trans- 
 continental thoroughfare. Since then, I have lost no opportunity of adding 
 to my knowledge of the country between the Mississippi and the Pacific, 
 and for the last two years have been in the service of the Northern Pacific 
 Kailroad Company, as Engineer-in-Chief, directing the surveys, and in that 
 period have seen a large portion of the route, and have received reliable 
 reports from assistants upon other portions; and, so far, my confidence in 
 its superiority has not been impaired, but, on the contrary, greatly 
 strengthened. 
 
 At the risk of being considered inimical to a rival project, which I am 
 not, and to exhibit the superiority of the northern route in the most satis- 
 factory manner, I shall make a brief comparison with the route to San 
 Francisco, now occupied by the Union and Central Pacific Railway lines 
 from Omaha, and which is now being rapidly constructed under the very 
 liberal patronage bestowed upon it by the government and the public. A 
 comparison with this route is the more appropriate, as it is not probable 
 that any intermediate line between it and the northern one will, for many 
 years, be attempted. 
 
 1. In actual distance, estimating from Chicago in each case, the northern 
 route to the Pacific is between two and three hundred miles the shortest. 
 
 2. It has much less rise and fall, which, converted into equivalent hori- 
 zontal distance, practically doubles the difterence in its favor from the 
 amount above stated. 
 
 3. It connects with the cheap navigation of the lakes at Lake Superior 
 at a i)oint as near to the Atlantic sea-board, by navigation, as is Chicago, 
 and this connection is nearer to the Pacific at Puget Sound than Chicago is 
 to San Francisco b^ over six hundred miles actual distance, making no 
 allowance for extra rise and fall and heavier gradients. 
 
 4. From Lake Superior to Puget Sound, the northern route has a mean 
 elevation 1,900 to 2,000 feet. For the same distance from Omaha west, upon 
 the other line, the mean elevation is over 5,000 feet, and for five hundred 
 miles of the distance it exceeds 6,000 feet. This diflference in elevation is 
 equivalent, in its efiect upon climate, to a difterence of latitude of ten or 
 twelve degrees, and, coupled with the fact that the more elevated portion 
 of the northern route is nearer to the Pacific, where it is influenced by the 
 warm winds from that region, makes the climate milder by five or six 
 degrees of latitude, probably, than upon the route by Salt Lake. 
 
 5. The more elevated portions of the Salt Lake route, as has been fully 
 proved, is subject to deep snows in winter, rendering that route unreliable 
 at that season. During the last winter a portion of the Central Pacific was 
 
112 
 
 rendered useless from this cause, and San Francisco papers report the snow- 
 sheds to be a failure. The northern route is singularly exempt from any- 
 such obstruction, and from causes now well understood and explained. 
 
 6. There is no portion of the northern route which will require gradients 
 so high, combined with curvature so sharp, as on the Central Pacific, in 
 making the ascent of the Nevada Mountains from Sacramento, and at some 
 other points. At these points, it has been estimated that it will require six 
 to eight locomotives to do the ordinary duty of one on a level track, and to 
 secure ultimately a double-track free from all danger of obstruction and 
 injury from the heavy snow-slides will be attended with an enormous 
 expense. 
 
 7. The northern route is strictly a valley route traversing the great val- 
 leys of the Missouri and Columbia, and passing through a region well 
 adapted from soil and climate for settlement for almost the entire distance. 
 The other route is over a mountain region studded with summits, snow- 
 capped the entire year, sterile and naked of timber, and in general unfit 
 for settlement, and will aftbrd in consequence very much less local busi- 
 ness for a railway. For these reasons, also, it will probably be a more 
 costly route to operate and maintain. Its dry and sandy character during 
 the summer months must add greatly to the wear and tear of car and en- 
 gine machinery. 
 
 8. Puget Sound is distinguished for its numerous and excellent harbors. 
 Its waters are navigable at all seasons and free from hidden danger. Tim- 
 ber and coal are both abundant on its borders, and it is in a most favora- 
 ble position for the Pacific trade, being nearer to the principal cities of 
 Asia than San Francisco, by several hundred miles, and has an extensive 
 and productive back country, watered by the Columbia and its branches, 
 upon the principal of which, and upon the Colombia itself, steamers are 
 now running. 
 
 9. The northern route intersects at some half a dozen points very impor- 
 tant river navigations which extend for long distances into the interior of 
 the country, on either side, and which will form most important tributa- 
 ries to the business of the road when constructed. These navigable rivers 
 are the Mississippi, the Red River of the North, the Missouri and Yellow 
 Stone, Clark's and Lewis' branches of the Columbia, and the Columbia. 
 Upon the other route, on the similar distance from Omaha to Sacramento, 
 no navigable rivers are intersected, and from this cause, aside from the 
 great elevation, sterility, and nakedness of the country, as already stated, 
 will have comparatively less local business. 
 
 10. The northern route to the Pacific is the best and most convenient 
 route for two thirds of the population of the Union, or for all that portion 
 situated to the north of a line drawn from St. Louis to Charleston, South 
 Carolina, the portion which produces relatively, according to its number 
 the most exchangeable wealth. It is the best route for the large and grow- 
 ing population of Canada, and the best and most convenient for the trans- 
 continental travel and trade between Europe and Asia. 
 
113 
 
 It is, in fine, a route lying in a latitude where the greatest strength and 
 intelligence have hitherto been found, and where the race has achieved 
 most and attained its highest phase of civilization. 
 
 In thus setting forth the superior merits of the northern route, I don't 
 wish to be understood as asserting or intimating even that the Salt Lake 
 route will not fulfil the reasonable expectations of its friends and those 
 interested in it. It is removed some four hundred to six hundred miles 
 from the northern route, and should have in consequence a business of its 
 own that will sustain it. But whether this be true or not, it has already 
 become the recipient of the patronage of the government and the public 
 to a degree which will insure its early completion. While the northern 
 route, having far more merit, and vastly more important in a national and 
 world-wide view, is languishing under the poor favor of a land-grant which 
 can have no value until the road is built, and then most valuable, if rightly 
 used, by being made a free gift to actual settlers to bring in a population 
 that will furnish business for the road. 
 
 While, therefore, the government may not be the loser in bestowing its 
 bounty upon the Salt Lake route, as I trust it will not be, it is not wise to 
 withhold similar needful support to a route far more deserving — one which 
 is sure not to be a burden upon the public treasury and the country, and 
 equally sure to aid materially in developing the resources of a region 
 capable of contributing largely to the general wealth of the country, and 
 relieving it from a portion of the burden already resting upon it. 
 
 If I have been as successful in my exposition of the merits of the north- 
 ern route to the Pacific as from its character it deserves, your Convention 
 will see that they have, in pursuance of the objects for which they are 
 convened, a duty to perform in urging the claims of the northern route 
 upon the attention of the public and the government in the strongest man- 
 ner; and in doing this they will not consider it simply as a line, or portion 
 of a line, spanning the continent in the best place for accommodating the 
 world's commerce, or the commerce between the most populous portion of 
 our own continent and Eastern Asia; but as a highway occupying the 
 very best position for developing the richest portion of the interior of our 
 own continent lying to the west and north-west of the great lakes between 
 the latitudes of forty-five and fifty-five degrees north, a portion which 
 when thus accommodated, will swell our channels of inter-communica- 
 tion with its surplus products, and pour into the laps of our inland and. 
 maritime cities incalculable wealth. 
 
 EDWIN F. JOHNSON, Civil Engineer. 
 
 Letter from the Board of Trade of Troy, New York. 
 
 Troy, N. Y., July 28, 1868. 
 To John A. Poor, and others: 
 
 Gentlemen,— The. undersigned, a committee appointed by the Board of 
 
 Trade of Troy, in response to your circular and call for an " International 
 
 8 
 
114 
 
 Commercial Convention" to be held at Portland on the fourth of August, 
 to appear a8 delegates at said Convention; or if unable to attend in person, 
 to present their views in writing to the Convention, would respectfully 
 say, that the Board of Trade of Troy, which they have the honor to rep- 
 resent, as well as the business community of this city, are in full sympa- 
 thy with the objects the Convention have in view, and desire to co-operate 
 in every feasible plan for the enlargement and extension of railroad transit 
 across the continent, as well as the facilities for trade and intercourse be- 
 tween the great "West and the Atlantic sea-ports. 
 
 Although this city is south of the parallel over which you propose to 
 stretch your line of railroad from Portland to the West, still we do not 
 fail to see our own great common benefit with the whole country in the 
 success of your enterprise. 
 
 Regretting our inability to attend the Convention, and with the highest 
 anticipations for the result of your deliberations in promoting the great ob- 
 jects you have taken up, we respectfully subscribe ourselves 
 Your obedient servants, 
 
 JAMES FORSYTH, 
 JAMES R. PRENTICE, 
 E. THOMPSON GALE. 
 
 Letter from the City Council of Oswego, New York. 
 
 City of Oswego, City Clerk's Office, July 28, 1868. 
 
 Gentlemen,— Y OUT communication under date of June 29, 1868, inviting 
 the mayor and common council of the city of Oswego to take part in an 
 " International Commercial Convention " to be held at Portland, Maine, 
 on Tuesday, August 4, 1868, to take into consideration the various meas- 
 ures and plans now before the country to increase facilities for intercourse 
 in trade between the Atlantic sea-board and the interior of the continent, 
 was duly received and contents noted ; and I am directed by said mayor 
 and common council to assure you, gentlemen, that the objects for which 
 the proposed convention is called, as set forth in your communication, is 
 fully approved by them. 
 
 The prospect of au early completion of a railroad to the Pacific, together 
 with the great probability that other lines will soon follow, make it highly 
 important that the best and most direct routes connecting therewith and 
 terminating in the East at the most favorable points of embarkation and 
 shipment should be sought out and opened. The great increase of busi- 
 ness which may be anticipated from the opening of the Pacific Railway, 
 together with the rapidly expanding productions of the Mississippi Valley, 
 will fully employ all the lines of communication and transit which can be 
 brought into use, and the best interests of the comitry can in no manner 
 be better promoted than devising ways by which the thoroughfares of busi- 
 
115 
 
 ness will be opened which will fully develop the wealth and vast resources 
 of the nation. 
 
 I am directed by the mayor and common council to assure you that all 
 measures to complete connecting links in lines of communication between 
 your city and the West, and in establishing new and more favorable ones, 
 if they can be devised, will meet with their earliest co-operation. To one 
 subject I am directed to call your attention as worthy the serious consid- 
 eration of your Convention, a ship canal around the Falls of Niagara dur- 
 ing the entire season at lake navigation, some eight months. Such a work, 
 when constructed, would let the bulk of the commerce of the lakes down 
 into the basin of Lake Ontario, bringing the point of transshipment sev- 
 eral hundred miles nearer the sea-board, and thus greatly cheapening the 
 cost of transit upon all the products of the AYest, or supplies of nearly 
 every nature going to the producers of the West. It is a measure demand- 
 ed by the best interests of both East and West. A bill is now pending in 
 Congress which makes provisions for this great national work. 
 
 A full discussion and enlargement of the importance of this work by 
 your honorable convention will have its due weight with the national leg- 
 islature. 
 
 I am also directed to say, that it will not be possible for the mayor and 
 common council, in a corporate capacity, to meet with your Convention; 
 but they feel a pleasure in stating, that the " Board of Trade of Oswego" 
 will be duly represented by committees. 
 
 I am directed, gentlemen, to thank you for the remembrance as well as 
 for the consideration and courtesy extended to citizens of Oswego on pre- 
 vious occasions of great interest. 
 
 Trusting, gentlemen, that your efforts will lead to the' opening of the best 
 possible avenues of trade across the American continent, by direction of 
 the mayor and common council, 
 
 I remain yours, truly, 
 
 ROBERT S. KELSEY, City ClerTc. 
 
 Letter from City Council of Milwaukee. 
 City Clerk's Office, 
 
 Milwaukee, Wis., July 29, 1868. 
 Report op Committee on Finance. — Your Committee, in behalf of 
 the Common Council, respectfully acknowledge the receipt of invitation 
 to attend the International Commercial Convention to be held at Portland, 
 Maine, Aug. 4, 1868, and fully approve and commend the object, and 
 regret that the subject had not been presented to your Committee at an 
 earlier moment, to make arrangements to represent our city in such Con- 
 vention, which we are unable to perfect at this late moment. 
 (Signed) M. KEEN AN, . 1 
 
 AUG. GRENLECH, [ ^ 
 JACOB VELTEN, ^ ^^^^^"»«^^- 
 JOHN BENTLEY, 
 
116 
 
 Letter from the Board of Trade of Chicago. 
 
 Seceetaky's Office, 
 
 Chicago, July 30, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 (Sir,— The call for the International Commercial Convention to be held in 
 the city of Portland on the 4th of August proximo, reached us at a time 
 •when many of our members are absent for recreation, and those who 
 remain are so much occupied with business, that it is difficult to form a 
 committee to attend said Convention. 
 
 A resolution of the Board, however, directs me to assure you of the 
 hearty sympathy of the Board in all efforts tending to increase railway 
 communication between the sea-board and the interior of the country. 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 E. V. ROB BINS, President. 
 
 Letter from the Board of Trade of Wilmington^ Delaicare. 
 
 Wilmington, Del., July 23,1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq., and others: 
 
 Gentlemen, — Your invitation to the International Commercial Convention 
 received, and considered by our Board. In the absence of our secretary, I 
 reply. While it would give us much pleasure to send a delegation to such 
 a live and enterprising city as yours, we shall hardly be able to arrange it 
 at this season, while so many of our members are from home; if it can, 
 however, be arranged, I will have you duly notified. Wishing you every 
 success in your great enterprise, and that the deliberations of the Conven- 
 tion may be harmonious and useful, 
 
 I am truly yours, 
 
 EDWARD BETTS, President. 
 
 Letter from the Chamber of Commerce of Halifax. 
 
 Halifax, July 24, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq., and others: 
 
 Gentlemen, — I have to acknowledge receipt of your circular announcing 
 the intention of holding a convention at Portland, on the 4th proximo, for 
 the purpose of promoting facilities of intercourse and trade between the 
 Atlantic sea-board and the interior of the continent, etc., and inviting this 
 Chamber to appoint representatives thereto. 
 
 And I am instructed to state in reply, that at a meeting held this day, 
 the Chamber has requested their President, Mr. William Pryor, and Sec- 
 retary, Mr. J. H. Harvey, to act as delegates to the Convention. 
 
 It is not yet decided whether these gentlemen will be able to leave Hali- 
 fax, but I am permitted to avail of this opportunity to convey to you the 
 very great interest your circular has excited in our Chamber of Commerce 
 
117 
 
 and among business men generally, and to assure you that their earnest 
 exertions will be used to promote the objects of your Convention, and that 
 their sincere sympathies are enlisted in its success. 
 I have the honor to be, gentlemen, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 JOHN H. HARVEY, Clerk. 
 
 Letter from the Chamber of Commerce of New York. 
 
 New Yokk, July 21, 1868, 
 Messrs. John A. Poor, and others : 
 
 Gentlemen, — Your communication of the 29th ult., inviting the participa- 
 tion of the Chamber of Commerce in the " International Commercial Con- 
 vention," to be held in your city on the 4th of August next, has been 
 received, and I have been directed by the President to inform you that in 
 consequence of the absence of many of the members from the city during 
 the summer months, no session of the Chamber can be held for the con- 
 sideration^of this subject before September next. 
 
 Very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 GEO. WILSO:^, Secretary. 
 
 Letter from the Board of Trade of Toronto. 
 
 Office of the Boaed of Tkade, 
 
 Toronto, July 25, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor, and others: 
 
 Oentlemen, — On behalf of the Board of Trade of Toronto, I have the 
 honor to acknowledge receipt of your circular 29th June, giving details of 
 the several schemes for facilitating trade and intercourse with the East by 
 transit across this continent; and requesting the appointment of a delega- 
 tion to a Convention to be held at Portland, on 4th August, for the conside- 
 ration of the various measures proposed for obtaining the above object. 
 
 The Board are deeply impressed with the importance of the results 
 which would attend the realization of these projects, and desire me to 
 express their entire concurrence therein. 
 
 Circumstances prevent the sending hence of a delegation (I may observe 
 that your circular was received but a few days since, although dated in 
 June); but you may confidently rely upon our moral support and co-opera- 
 tion when necessary, in any project for advancing the interests of interna- 
 tional commerce. 
 
 I have the honor to be, gentlemen. 
 
 Yours most respectfully, 
 
 CHAS. EOBERTSON, Secretary. 
 
118 
 
 Letter from the Board of Trade of Ottawa. 
 
 BoAKD OF Trade, 
 
 Ottawa, Canada, July 29, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 Sir,— The Board of Trade of the city of Ottawa, having received an 
 invitation to attend the " International Commercial Convention," to be 
 held in Portland on 4th August, regret that, owing to the short time 
 allowed by the notice (having received it on 24th inst.), they were unable 
 to comply with the invitation by sending delegates. 
 
 Wishing this Convention every success, and sympathizing with the 
 motives which have called it together, they forward fifty copies of a pam- 
 phlet for distribution amongst the members, in which their views are 
 expressed. 
 
 I am, Sir, respectfully, 
 
 G. H. PERRY, Sec'y pro tern. 
 
 Letter from Admiral Dams. 
 
 U. S. Flao-Ship Gxjerriere, 
 
 Bahia, Brazll, Aug. 29, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 3fy Dear Sir, — Your in\'itation of July 11th to attend the meeting of the 
 International Commercial Convention in Portland, on the 4th inst., was 
 received by the last steamer. My absence from the United States, on 
 professional duty, will account for my not replying sooner to your kind 
 invitation. 
 
 There are several periods in the history of the world when international 
 intercourse, especially that of a commercial character, has exercised a 
 commanding influence upon the welfare and progress of mankind. 
 
 These periods are so linked with each other, and the influences belonging 
 to them are so uniform, steady, and beneficial; tliey have, moreover, each 
 one of them, been marked by such signal benefits, that it would be a diffi- 
 cult task to contrast them in respect to their results. 
 
 And yet, while my mind rapidly recurs to some of the most conspicuous 
 of these periods, and endeavors to form a just estimate of their importance, 
 I feel persuaded that there never has been an era of international and 
 commercial intercourse more promising in the great variety, as well as in 
 the real value, of its issues than the present. 
 
 If I ventured to indulge in even a hasty reference to the details of this 
 comprehensive question, I should be betrayed into writing an essay, 
 instead of an acknowledgment of your kind remembrance. 
 
 But I must add this much, that the manner in which the abilities and 
 energies recently devoted in a great war to the duty of national self-pre- 
 servation, are now turned into the channels of commerce.-the chief instru- 
 ment of human advancement, and are employed'in promoting international 
 
119 
 
 peace and good-will, presents a most interesting spectacle to the friends of 
 humanity. 
 
 If I had enjoyed the privilege of being present at your Convention, I 
 should, perhaps, have ventured to ask it to take into its favorable con- 
 sideration and recommendation the interoceanic canal through the Isthmus 
 of Darien. This is one of the grand projects of the century; and it is one 
 which will tend as much as any to create and extend the Christian spirit 
 of unity and bond of peace. 
 
 I am, with high respect, very truly yours, 
 
 C. H. DAVIS, Eear-Admiral 
 Commanding U. S. Naval Forces in the South Atlantic. 
 
 Letter from Dr. Lieber. 
 
 New York, August 10, 1868. 
 Hon, JOHX A. Poor, and others: 
 
 Gentlemen,— On my return to this city, the evening before last, I found 
 your invitation, of June 29th, to attend an International Commercial Con- 
 vention on August 4th, at Portland. I regret very much that the invita- 
 tion was sent to me so late. Everything of an international character has 
 a deep interest for me, and I should undoubtedly have attended your meet- 
 ing, had the invitation arrived in proper season. 
 I am, with great regard, gentlemen. 
 
 Your very obedient, 
 
 FRANCIS LIEBER. 
 
 Letter from Hon, David Wilder. 
 
 State House, Boston, July 28, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 Dear Sir, — I have your interesting circular of June 29th, received yester- 
 day, and should, without hesitation, accept the invitation it gives us to be 
 present and discuss the important subject of which it treats, if I could see 
 my way clear to do so. 
 
 I need not say to you, I believe, how much I have always been interest- 
 ed in all legitimate projects for improving communications between differ- 
 ent portions of the world, though I niay add, that I sympathize with you 
 more than most persons do, as to the importance of making provision for 
 the communications in advance, just as we prepare our tools, or instru- 
 ments for any other work, before it commences, rather than wait and then 
 have to do it hastily and imperfectly. 
 
 But the world generally prefers to mait and let others be at all the 
 trouble and expense of preparing the way, while they go on with their own 
 private affairs, ready at any moment to seize your work out of your hands 
 as soon as it has become profitable or creditable. 
 
120 
 
 Is not that true, and very provoking too? And still, you must keep at 
 work. 
 
 If only a few of our leading capitalists could but forget their selfish, per- 
 sonal purposes, and learn that the general good is greater, and better than 
 their own, not only should you have your railroads constructed, and your 
 dreams realized; but I would have honest, equitable resumption of spe- 
 cie payments, and both national and international banking and currency 
 before we are many years older. 
 
 I have faith that we shall both live to accomplish the work we are set to 
 do, and then, perhaps, be allowed to rest a little from our labors. 
 
 I shall pray for your success, and come and meet with you if I possibly 
 
 can. 
 
 Truly yours, 
 
 DAVID WILDER. 
 
 Letter from A. H. Royt, Esq. 
 
 Office of the National- R. R. Transportation Co., 
 
 Boston, July 31, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor, and others: 
 
 Gentlemen,—! am honored with your invitation to be present at the Inter- 
 national Commercial Convention, called to meet in Portland, on the 4th 
 proximo, an«l I exceedingly regret that previous engagements will prevent 
 my attendance. 
 
 It would be especially gratifying to me to meet such a body of men as 
 will undoubtedly constitute that Convention,— repre«e7ifafiye men, actively 
 interested in the development of the commerce of this country; live men, 
 who see with prophetic eye the great changes and national progress imme- 
 diately before us, and, profiting by long observation and experience are, 
 with their quick intelligence, prepared and determined to avail themselves 
 of the vast resources, natural and artificial, now at hand, and such as may 
 be possible in the future, for the development and control of the commerce 
 of this part of the world. 
 
 "We, here in Massachusetts, have long looked with admiration upon the 
 enterprise and zeal that have characterized the capitalists of Portland, and 
 of Maine generally, and we regret (I speak as a humble member of this 
 community) that we here have hitherto failed to adopt and unitedly carry 
 forward a general scheme of railroad or commercial policy, designed to 
 open to us a direct and cheap means of communication between this sea- 
 board and the West, through the lakes. 
 
 Through the energetic labors of a few public-spirited and sagacious men, 
 our last legislature was induced to lend its sanction to measures which it 
 is hoped are to lead to this result. But I fear that we shall be far behind 
 you in this enterprise. 
 
 That city, or section of country, which shall first carry forward to com- 
 
121 
 
 pletion such a railroad and inland water communication between the At- 
 lantic coast and the "West, will obtain the earliest and greatest benefits 
 arising from the vast trafl&c between this country and Europe, — and, when 
 the Pacific railroads are complete, the lion's share of the commerce to and 
 fro between the extremes of the old world across this continent. 
 
 I have carefully read your circular, and have tested most of its state- 
 ments by data at hand. I do not see that you have exaggerated the facts, 
 or erred in the conclusions you have drawn from them. Startling as they 
 may seem to some men, they will be found, I am confident, short of the 
 truth. 
 
 All New England is, and ought to be, interested in your plans; for, cer- 
 tainly, whatever shall benefit Portland and Maine, must directly benefit 
 the rest of the Eastern States. 
 
 I am sure every patriotic and every business man will rejoice in the suc- 
 cess of your projects, and will hope that your Convention will open our 
 eyes to the importance of a prompt, intelligent, and zealous co-operation in 
 efibrts to the same end. 
 
 I have the honor to be, gentlemen. 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 A. H. HOYT. 
 
 Letter from Hon. J. A. Sanborn. 
 
 East Eeadfield, July 28, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor, and others: 
 
 Gentlemen,—! have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your invi- 
 tation to be present at the International Commercial Convention to be 
 held at Portland, Maine, on Tuesday, August 4, 1868. To be present dur- 
 ing the deliberations of the Convention would afford me pleasure, but my 
 engagements are such as to forbid it. The measures to be acted on mainly, 
 how best *' to increase facilities of intercourse and trade between the At- 
 lantic sea-board and the interior of the continent; to adopt measures to 
 secure a line of railway across the continent at its widest part, and the ad- 
 justment, on liberal terms, of the regulations of trade on the continent of 
 North America," etc., are projects of such vital consequence to our State 
 and country, I shall feel a deep interest in the deliberations of the Conven- 
 tion, believing as I do, that if carried into effect, the result will be the 
 uniting the people of our country and those of our neighboring Provinces 
 in closer bonds of sympathy and interest than at present exist, and, conse- 
 quently, the more rapid development of the material resources of all sec- 
 tions of the country than otherwise can be effected. I trust the result of 
 its action will be to harmonize and unite all interests represented in aid of 
 the great objects aimed at. No one that desires to see our country occu- 
 pying the position in the family of nations that Providence has made pos- 
 sible for her, can fail, it appears to me, to feel a deep interest in whatever 
 
122 
 
 is calculated to accomplish the results it will be the object of the Conven- 
 tion to secure. 
 
 I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 
 
 JOSEPH A. SANBOEN. 
 
 Letter from Hon. F. W. Bird. 
 
 East Walpole, July 27, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poob: 
 
 My dear Sir,— I suppose I am indebted to your kind personal recollection 
 of me for the invitation to attend the Convention, to be held for the purpose 
 of increasing railroad communications between Portland and the "West; 
 not to any expectation that a Boston man will assist in such enterprise. 
 Is not Massachusetts "pegging away" at the Hoosac Mountain, having 
 already squandered millions in the fruitless job, and determined, if we are 
 forever to follow the lobby, to squander other millions, and find herself at 
 the end, even if the " tunnel" should be completed, with no better facilities 
 for Western traffic, and with no larger share of that traffic, than she has 
 with her present railroad system! It is very humiliating, but true,—" true 
 'tis pity, and pity 'tis 'tis true." "While Massachusetts is thus postponing 
 for years all increase of communication with the West, Maine is outstrip- 
 ping her in the race, simply because you propose the practical, she the 
 chimerical. 
 
 But, whether you expect us or not, I shall try to visit you, though it is 
 very doubtful. Now I give you my humble but hearty God-speed in your 
 work. I rejoice in any feasible enterprise which aims to develop the 
 resources of any portion of the American- continent. Go ahead, and if you 
 beat us, it won't be the first time nor the last when the child distances the 
 parent; and as a parent, I shall rejoice if my boys get ahead of me. 
 
 "Very truly yours, 
 
 F. W. BIRD. 
 
 Letter from Cyrus W. Field. 
 
 London, England, August C, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 My dear Sir,— I received your letter of the 29th June on my return 
 from Switzerland, and regret that, owing to my absence from America, it 
 was quite impossible for me to attend your meeting. Had I been at home, 
 it would have given me great pleasure to attend. 
 
 I remain, my dear Mr. Poor, very truly your friend, 
 
 CYRUS W. FIELD. 
 
123 
 
 Letter from Hon. Josiah Crosby. 
 
 Dexter, Aug. 1, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor, and others : 
 
 Gentlemen,—! regret exceedingly that I shall be unable to attend the 
 International Commercial Convention at Portland on the 4th Inst. I have 
 read the printed call with much attention, and heartily sympathize with 
 the general purpose of the Convention. Whatever tends to shorten dis- 
 tances, tends to the material and spiritual welfare of the human race. No 
 more eftective means of civilization, with perhaps the excej)tion of the art 
 of printing, were ever invented by man, than steam and telegraphic com- 
 munication. 
 
 I shall look for the published proceedings of the Convention with great 
 interest. 
 
 I have the honor to be, gentlemen, your most obedient servant, 
 
 JOSIAH CROSBY. 
 
 Letter from William Atkinson. Esq. 
 
 Emden, July 27, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor: 
 
 Sir,—1 am in receipt of an invitation " to take part " in an International 
 Commercial Convention to be held in Portland, Maine, Aug. 4, 1868. The 
 objects of that Convention, as stated in the call, are as broad as the conti- 
 nent, in keeping with the spirit and enterprise of the age, in harmony with 
 the demands of commerce, and the necessities of a high civilization. 
 
 It is meet that the sons of the great Republic should come together and 
 take counsel for the consummation of enterprises so vast in their nature, 
 and so comprehensive in its beneficent results, as the construction of the 
 Northern Pacific Railway. 
 
 The Central Pacific Railway, through the enterprise and energy of its 
 projectors, and the wise and liberal aid of the Federal Government, has 
 become a fixed fact, and will shortly span the continent,— will magnify the 
 great Republic in the eyes of the civilized world, and aid in rendering per- 
 manent and perpetual our government with its free institutions; and will 
 make San Francisco the entry-port and gateway of the rich commerce of 
 the East, not only for this continent, but, to some extent, for Western 
 Europe, as ancient Venice was before the Cape of Good Hope route to 
 India. 
 
 The Northern Pacific Railway route has many advantages, as a highway 
 of commerce and a pathway of nations, not only in point of gradients and 
 ease of construction, but from the fact that it will lie nearly in the shortest 
 path from China to the British Channel, reducing that route by natural 
 causes, and four thousand miles of land conveyance, proximately, to the 
 well-known principles of great circle sailing, and confining it to a temperate 
 
124 
 
 It needs no prophet's eye to see, that first-class passengers, the mails, 
 bills of exchange on China or the commercial marts of Western Europe, 
 gold and silver, and the more portable and valuable articles of merchan- 
 dize, V5rill cross this continent by rail on the completion of the routes of 
 travel contemplated in your call, instead of seeking their destination by 
 routes twenty or thirty days longer in point of time, and through torrid 
 climes and dangerous seas. Much of the commerce of the East is destined 
 to reach the Atlantic coast by seeking its debarkation at Puget Sound,— 
 distance, grades, climate, and the Pacific harbors, all point to this result. 
 
 This Northern Pacific route is of such importance to Portland and to the 
 State of Maine, and to the Maine Central and European and North Ameri- 
 can Railroads, that I trust you will pardon me for making an additional 
 statement, namely, five hundred miles of its line east of the Rocky Moun- 
 tains will pass through one of the best grain-growing districts in the 
 habitable globe, and the minerals and timber lying adjacent to its line will 
 aflford an inexhaustible mine of wealth for generations to come. So go on 
 and render sure the construction of your line from Portland to Rutland, — 
 the line from Portland to Halifax is secure,— and bend the vast influence 
 and energy that I know your Convention will contain towards devising 
 ways and means for the construction of the great Northern Pacific Rail- 
 way, and you will give it an impetus that will only stop with its final 
 completion. 
 
 Memorialize Congress for the same aid they have given to the dentral 
 Pacific Railroad, and choose a committee to request of our next President, 
 in behalf of your Convention and of this greatest enterprise of modern times' 
 connecting the great highways of nations, and cementing in closer brother- 
 hood the two great families of the Anglo-Saxon race, to aid this great work 
 to an extent commensurate with its national, political, and commercial 
 importance, and you will get the remaining aid you deserve and need. 
 The regulations of trade between us and the British Provinces should be 
 liberal and reciprocal. 
 
 Truly yours, 
 
 WILLIAM ATKINSON. 
 
 Letter from E. P. Weston, Esq. 
 
 Mount Blue, Avon, July 30, 1868. 
 Hon. John A. Poor, and others: 
 
 Gentlemen, — Your circular invitation to " take part in the Intematiooal 
 Convention " was duly received. No citizen of Maine, however private 
 his position or unimportant his influence, can fail to be interested in the 
 great object of the proposed Convention,— the completion of a line of rail- 
 way across the continent in its widest part; a line that will traverse nearly 
 three hundred miles of our own territory, and bring our own State directly 
 into the pathway of nations. 
 
125 
 
 Gentlemen of eminent ability, from other States as well as our own, will 
 be at your Convention to give this grand enterprise a new impulse toward 
 its accomplishment. I will only assure you of the sympathy and approval 
 of hundreds of citizens, like myself unable to attend the Convention, but 
 who will be ready to second, by all means within their reach, those meas- 
 ures which your wisdom shall devise, toward securing so grand a purpose. 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 EDW. P. WESTON. 
 
 Letter from Ira Gould, Esq., President of Montreal Corn Exchange. 
 
 Montreal, July 30, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq. : 
 
 My dear Sir, — I had hoped to have the pleasure of being with you at the 
 Convention, but the infirmities of age and my business engagements seem 
 to forbid it. I venture, however, to make a few suggestions, such as occur 
 to my mind, as being suitable subjects for the consideration of the dele- 
 gates present. 
 
 Reciprocity. First and foremost this should have your most earnest at- 
 tention, and by reciprocity I don't mean any half-way or one-sided measure. 
 Assuming that the principle itself is right, the nearer you come in practice 
 to the true definition of the term, the better for both parties. I particular- 
 ize as follows: 
 
 Complete free trade in bread-stuffs, no matter in which country grown. 
 The same in all other kinds of food for man and beast. Also coal and iron 
 ore, and, perhaps, i^ig iron and puddle bars, these being considered raw ma- 
 terial for purposes of manufacture, and, finally, wool, hemp, flax, and cotton. 
 For all manufactures made on either side of the line, from material grown 
 or produced in either country, a small duty, say five per cent ad valorem. 
 The same duty applied to furs, and all kinds of oils, lumber, and many 
 kindred articles. 
 
 Free navigation of the St. Lawrence and the lakes, and no distinction in 
 the use of our canals, the same to apply to your canal, should one be built 
 around the Falls of Niagara. In fact, remove all restrictions and distinc- 
 tions on these waters ; use them as one people ; give to every ship-owner a 
 fair field and no favor. 
 
 The Fisheries. I do not feel competent to go into details on this subject, 
 but on the general principles I have assumed, I do not see why a man hav- 
 ing a fishing vessel with the full right of both countries to use these waters 
 and land at any port on the same, might not have the same common right 
 to take their fish and cure and dry them ashore, provided he obtained the 
 right of the party owning the shore, when, by the measures contemplated, 
 his fish would be free of duty. 
 
 I regard anything short of what I have so roughly sketched as not wor- 
 thy the name of reciprocity. For instance, you have no coal nor iron on 
 
126 
 
 your eastern coast. We have a plenty of both on onrs; we can give them, 
 especially coal, to the consumer in your eastern ports, at one-half the 
 expense for carriage it costs from Pennsylvania or Ohio. 
 
 Again, we have no coal in the old Provinces of Canada; you have 
 them all along our border-line of near a thousand miles in length. Why 
 should either party be debarred the nearest and cheapest market? 
 
 We want your cotton, you want our coarse wool. It is true, here you 
 would seem to have the advantage of us, as we are so wanting in factories 
 to work your cotton. But never mind; we have room and water-power in 
 great abundance, and if we don't use them hereafter, no doubt vrith the 
 freedom of action here marked out, your people will; at any rate we (at 
 least I am) willing to take the risk. 
 
 Again, you are the great nation ; we are the new dominion — not to say 
 small, for that would not be true. If you wish to sell to us your manufac- 
 tured articles under a low rate of duties, you must make the advance; we 
 are not as free, under our peculiar circumstances, to make the offer as you 
 are; but once made, it doubtless would be duly considered, notwithstand- 
 ing " the old gent on the other side might make wry faces at us for a time," 
 as Mr. Cobden once said to me, " but they would soon get over it." 
 
 I have one subject more and I have done. Twenty-five years' experience 
 in the milling business and grain tra<le on the St. Lawrence, with a gen- 
 eral knowledge of the canal and railroads of New York, and their mode of 
 doing business there, has demonstrated to my mind, that the great high- 
 way of the lakes and the St. Lawrence is the natural and least expensive 
 route for carrying the products of the West to the Atlantic and the Eastern 
 States and British Provinces. But I am free to confess that this route has 
 not, as yet, practically realized the advantages which belongs to it, nor 
 have we realized our anticipations concerning the railroads from Montreal 
 to the New England States generally, — nor has Montreal become the point 
 of distribution that her natural position would indicate, and what she 
 really should be. 
 
 So long and so far as this great highway of waters leads in the direction 
 you wish to carry your cargo, it is clearly the route to be followed. I there- 
 fore still maintain that Montreal is the point of departure and distribution 
 for supplying the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and most of 
 Massachusetts, besides all the lower Provinces, with Canadian and West- 
 ern i)roduce. 
 
 As the medium of this supply, I hold that the Grand Trunk Railroad has 
 most signally failed ; and I hold further that this failure is attributable 
 to one general cause, and that no management, however skillful or effec- 
 tive, could avert this failure so long as the cause remained. 
 
 This cause is the wide gauge of the track which has no aflBnity or con- 
 junction with the roads of New England. It is a lifeless monopoly; it 
 plays completely the part of the dog in the manger. Instead of being a 
 feeder to your roads, it winds its slow length along to and from Allan's 
 steam-ships, at Portland, calling its duty done. 
 
127 
 
 The remedy for this, in my opinion, is simple if it can he brought about, 
 namely, that instead of your renting your road from Portland to Island 
 Pond to the Grand Trunk, you should rent or purchase of them their trade 
 from Island Pond to the wharves and ware-houses at Montreal, and change 
 the gauge to that of your other roads. 
 
 Suppose this were done, which might be accomplished in one season, 
 the Grand Trunk, ending at Montreal would, with the rolling stock now 
 in use east of Montreal, make a very complete equipment for her road 
 west, and what would be of great interest to the bond, and perhaps share- 
 holders, it would become a paying concern. 
 
 "We should then witness the beautiful spectacle of the cars and locomo- 
 tives of all the New England and lower Province roads loading at the 
 wharves and ware-houses at which the Grand Trunk and shipping from 
 all points west were unloading, and without change of cars, distributing 
 their freight where it is wanted in the above-named States and Provinces. 
 
 As for our road to Quebec and northward, if our people were silly enough 
 to continue the use of the wide gauge (which I do not believe they would 
 be), it would require the third rail only from Montreal to Eichmond, some 
 seventy-five miles. 
 
 As regards our great international or political road, if we are ever fools 
 enough to build it, commercially it would be of little account what its 
 breadth of gauge might be, for as to business purposes it has none. 
 
 Touching the improvements of our canals, I can say that instead of 
 spending money in enlarging our present ones, I would prefer making the 
 Ottawa and Georgian Bay routes navigable; and in this I think I shall 
 have the concurrence of your Western delegates. But we now have the 
 facilities of doing ten times the business offered to us. "Why talk of spend- 
 ing more money in canals until we have fully used what we have. 
 
 Permit me to refer to any contemplated extension of your New England 
 roads having reference to the western trade. Lay aside, I beseech you, all 
 local or jealous feeling, and act from one great patriotic idea, the good of 
 the whole country, and this will result in the gre'atest good to all. Don't 
 make a raile of new road where the roads already made can do the work, 
 nor go a mile further than the nearest point to intersect this great western 
 high-way of waters. 
 
 Thus, my dear sir, I have in a hasty and crude way stated what, in my 
 opinion, are some of the objects that should receive the consideration of 
 the Convention, and which, if I were present, I should endeavor to enforce. 
 Please make my acknowledgment to the Convention, if they should have 
 the patience to listen to the reading of this letter, and assure them that I 
 shall be but too happy in uniting with them in the furtherance of any of 
 the objects here presented, or kindred ones which may originate at the 
 present meeting. 
 
 Faithfully yours, 
 
 IKA GOULD. 
 
128 
 
 Letter from Mr. Simpson, of the Portland Dry Dock Company. 
 
 New York, Sept. 10, 1868. 
 John A. Poor, Esq. : 
 
 Sir,— I intended to be present at the International Commercial Conven- 
 tion, August 4th, and to respond in person to your invitation to make some 
 statements and explanations with reference to the objects and prospects of 
 the Portland Dry Dock and Ware-house Company, but I am prevented 
 from so doing by business which called me away from Portland at that 
 time. 
 
 The resolutions which were passed at the Convention, upon the subjects 
 of railroad, lake, and harbor improvements, and trade with foreign coun- 
 tries and the adjacent provinces, I have examined and approve, and con- 
 sider them as a great advance step in the direction of true progress in the 
 material interests of our whole country. The city of Portland, from her 
 geopfraphical position, is one of the most important points in the whole 
 country, and with reference to an extended and through line of railroad 
 from Xova Scotia to the Pacific Ocean, assumes an importance which can- 
 not well be estimated. The European and North American Railway, 
 now in process of construction, will soon be completed, and the line will 
 thus be complete from Halifax to Portland, and this line must, in a few 
 years, from the necessities of commerce, be so extended as to connect with 
 other roads leading to the granaries of the West, and thence, by the North- 
 ern Pacific Railroad to the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 Convinced of the great natural advantages of Portland, believing that 
 these would insure her certain future growth, I was led to examine into her 
 capabilities in a direction to which I have given my especial attention for 
 many years in different parts of the country. On examination, I found a 
 location and facilities for a dry dock, which induced me to make a pur- 
 chase and commence the work at once. The land and flats which I pur- 
 chased for this purpose, in the summer of 1867, is situated on the southerly 
 side of Portland harbor, and borders the main channel for the space of 
 3,255 feet, measuring from the Portland bridge easterly, and thence extend- 
 ing back to- upland in Cape Elizabeth, embracing an area of about sixty 
 acres. A charter was granted by the legislature of Maine in February, 
 1868, and the company has been organized, and the work is in full progress, 
 and we hope to be able to finish the dry dock, engine house, and piers by 
 the first of April next. 
 
 The plan of the company contemplates not only the completion of the 
 dock, but piers, wharves, ware-houses, elevators, machine-shops, and 
 dwelling-houses for those who may be connected with the work. 
 
 This dock is to be built under the " Simpson Patent," and will be similar 
 to those I built for the " Erie Basin Dock Company," in Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 This dock is four hundred feet long, one hundred feet wide, and twenty- 
 seven feet deep, with a draft of water over the gate-sill of not less than 
 
129 
 
 twenty-two feet, and will be the largest dry dock on the continent, save 
 those at Brooklyn, above alluded to. 
 
 The dock and its pier border the main channel, which has thirty feet of 
 water at low tide, and therefore it has advantages over any other dock in 
 the country, as disabled ships can be taken in with their entire cargo on 
 board, or the cargo can be transferred to the ware-houses adjoining the 
 dock, and re-transferred from ware-house to the ship, without the expense 
 of trucking. 
 
 Another point I must be permitted to refer to in connection with this 
 work of the Portland Dry Dock Company. I cannot believe the time is far 
 distant when the line of railroad will be completed from Portland to the 
 West, and when this is done, it is certain that the grains and products of 
 that portion of our country can be taken to Portland at a less price than 
 to any other port on the Atlantic, and if this be so, all such commodities 
 intended for shipment to Europe, or distributed throughout New England, 
 must be brought to Portland. For the same reason, it is also equally cer- 
 tain that all the lighter articles imported into this country from Asia, by 
 the way of California, and intended for European markets, or even for 
 many portions of this country, must be brought over the line of the North- 
 ern Pacific Railroad, and thence by other roads eastward to Portland. 
 
 Now, when this time arrives, facilities must be found in Portland for the 
 storage, shipment, or distribution by railroad, of all such articles of com- 
 merce as may be brought here. To meet all these requirements, in ray 
 judgment, the Portland Dry Dock has advantages which are unequalled 
 by any other place. 
 
 The lands owned by the Company, and which border the harbor chan- 
 nel, are sufficient not only for the dry dock, but for piers, wharves, grain 
 elevators, store-houses, and freight depots, which can be easily approached 
 by railroad. Merchandise can therefore be transferred direct from ships 
 to cars, or from cars to ships, or from cars and ships to elevators, and thence 
 re-transferred to cars and ships with little or no expence of truckage. 
 
 This statement I have prepared hurriedly, but I trust it is sufficiently 
 full to convey my confidence in the success of the company whose organ- 
 ization I have initiated, and also my belief in the advantages which Port- 
 land possesses over most other places as the connecting port between this 
 country and Europe. 
 
 Y'ours, truly, 
 
 JAMES E. SIMPSON. 
 
130 
 
 TRADE OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 
 
 MEMORANDUM FUENISHED BY HON. MB. HEARD. 
 
 The nature of the trade between tte United States and Prince Edward 
 Island may be gathered from the following data: 
 
 Imports and Exports. For ten years preceding the treaty — from 1844 to 
 1853— the total value of imports and exports amounted to §1,220,910, aver- 
 aging $122,090 per year. For the next ten years, during the operation of 
 the treaty, the imports and exports reached $5,157,391, averaging $515,739 
 per year. During 1865, the last year of the treaty, the amount reached 
 $1,108,820, or very nearly as much as the whole value of the ten years imme- 
 diately preceding the treaty. But in 1867, when the full eflfect of the treaty 
 was felt, the amount had dwindled down to $428,550, a reduction of nearly 
 two-thirds. 
 
 Fisheries. Before the treaty the number of United States vessels em- 
 ployed in the mackerel fishery of the British Provinces, was estimated at 
 250, employing 2,750 men. Averaging the value of the catch at $2,500, gives 
 a total value of $025,000. In 18rj5 the fleet had increased to 000 sail, em- 
 ploying 9,000 men, with a tonnage of about 45,000 tons, valued at $6,000,000, 
 Averaging the value of the catch at $8,000, we have the value of mackerel 
 caught by the United States fishermen alone swollen to nearly $5,000,000. 
 
 Fishing Licenses. The amount received by Prince Edward Island for 
 fishing licenses in 1867, was $1,415, at a tonnage duty of $1 per ton; but in 
 consequence of the increase of the duty to $2 per ton for this year, only 
 four or five vessels have taken out license thus far, e^^dently implying a 
 determination to evade the duty, or run the risk of being caught inside the 
 lines by a British cruiser. 
 
 MINES AND MINERALS OF NOVA SCOTLA. 
 
 ABSTRACT OF A REPORT BY P. S. HAMILTON, ESQ. 
 
 The abstracts, on the following pages, of the results of gold mining 
 operations from 1863 to 1867, inclusive, show the progress that has been 
 made and the aggregate products, so far as official returns can show them. 
 
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 3 
 
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136 
 
 The following figures showing the total amount of coal raised and shipped, 
 in Nova Scotia, in tons and hundred weights, from 1827 to 1867, inclusive, 
 will exhibit the progress of its trade in this particular: 
 
 Years. 
 
 1827 
 1828 
 1829 
 1830 
 1831 
 1832 
 1833 
 1834 
 1835. 
 18:«) 
 1837, 
 1838. 
 1839. 
 1840. 
 1841. 
 1842. 
 1843. 
 1844. 
 1845. 
 1846. 
 1847. 
 
 Tons. Cwt 
 
 11,491 
 
 19,429 
 
 20,252 
 
 25,240 
 
 34,424 
 
 46,585 
 
 59,497 
 
 46,677 
 
 51,813 
 
 98,427 
 
 109,347 
 
 97,938 
 
 133,928 
 
 98,267 
 
 136,110 
 
 119,478 
 
 97,200 
 
 })i>.993 
 
 137,908 
 
 134.393 
 
 183,099 
 
 Years. 
 
 1848 
 
 1849 
 
 1850 
 
 1851 
 
 1852 
 
 la^a 
 
 18.54 
 
 1^55 
 
 1856 
 
 1857 
 
 1858 
 
 1859 
 
 1860 
 
 1861 
 
 1862 
 
 1863 
 
 1864 (9 months). 
 
 1865 
 
 1866 
 
 1867 
 
 Tons. Cwt. 
 
 170,518 
 158,955 
 1(13,728 
 139,976 
 171,821 
 196,935 
 213,250 
 216,338 
 231,934 
 267,808 
 289,618 
 267,496 
 304,129 
 334,545 
 393,631 
 424,425 
 406,699 
 651,256 
 601,302 
 542,127 
 
 1 
 10 
 
 8 
 13 
 18 
 17 
 16 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 17 
 
 15 
 5 
 2 
 
 14 
 2 
 
 The slight falling off during the last two years is to be attributed to the 
 abrogation of the "Reciprocity Treaty" between the Provinces and the 
 United States. 
 
 The only other useful mineral known to exist in quantity in Nova Scotia, 
 of which mention need be made, is iron. A work entitled " Nova Scotia 
 considered as a field for emigration," published in 1858, said: 
 
 The most western deposit of any extent yet discovered occurs at Clements, on the 
 south side of Annapolis basin. The outcrop of the vein may bo traced on the surface 
 for the distance of a mile, with an average thiclcness of nine feet six inches. The ore 
 consists of scaler of specular iron, firmly cemented together ond mixed with silicious 
 and calcareous matter, and it has been in part converted by heat into magnetic iron 
 ore. It yields from thirty-three to forty per cent of cast iron, the quality of which is 
 said to very superior. »**»*♦ A bed of Iron ore occurs at Nictau, also in the 
 county of Annapolis, and is similar to that found at Clements. There are several 
 parallel veins at this place, varying from four to ten feet in thickness. Six of these 
 have been examined and accurately defined, and the ore contains 65.3 per cent of iron 
 of excellent quality. *•***♦*♦♦♦ 
 
 The next great deposit of iron ore which we will mention is found on the southern 
 slope of the Cobequid hills. This deposit, considering its extent and the variety and 
 quality of its ores, may be pronounced the most important in the Province. Tliat part 
 of it to which attention has been more particularly directed lies between the Debert 
 River and a point some two miles westward of the Great Village River, a distance, in 
 all, of about ten miles. Between these points the vein extends nearly east and west, 
 
137 
 
 and at a distance of from five to eight miles from the shore of Cobequid bay. It con- 
 sists of a veinstone of the species of ore called ankerite, associated with spathose iron, 
 surrounding and including a number of other varieties of ore. ♦ * The whole vein 
 is of very irrregular width. At one spot on the bank of the Great Village River it is 
 120 feet wide, whilst at another, not far from the most eastern point to which the vein 
 has been traced, it attains a breadth of over 500 feet. Its breadth is unequal at various 
 intermediate points where measurements have been made. The length of this vein is 
 not yet ascertained ; its continuation may be seen near Five Islands, twenty miles west- 
 ward of Great Village River, so that the vein is known to extend a distance of about 
 thirty miles in length. It is not at all improbable that upon continued examination, it 
 will be found to extend along the whole length of the Cobequid range of hills. * * * 
 The iron made from these ores is found to be equal to any in the world in the rare pro- 
 perties requisite for making good steel. * * * 
 
 A very extensive deposit of iron ore, of a description similar to that of Nictau, is 
 found at East River, Pictou, and within ten miles distance of the Albion coal-mines on 
 that river. The vein at this place is sixteen feet in thickness. The situation of this 
 deposit, like that of the Cobequid hills, affords every lacility for the profitable manu- 
 facture of iron. 
 
 Iron ore, in the forms of red ochre, red hematite, and browji hematite, is found on 
 the Shubenacadie near its mouth. It has also been found in small quantities in several 
 other places, affording good reason to believe that further extensive deposits of that 
 valuable mineral will be discojfered upon a more general research into the mineral 
 wealth of Nova Scotia. 
 
 Recent explorations have fully verified tMs prediction ; yet Londonderry, 
 on the southern flank of the Cohequids, is the only place in the Province 
 where an iron mine is worked. At this place, known as the "Acadian 
 mines," blast furnaces were erected about seventeen years since, and the 
 manufacture of charcoal iron has continued ever since. 
 
 By far the largest proportion of the surface of Kova Scotia, taken as a 
 whole, is yet an unexplored territory. From what has already been dis- 
 covered, it is only reasonable to believe that the country abounds to an 
 almost singular degree in mineral wealth. 
 
 Hon. Erastus Brooks, of New York. Before this 
 Convention separates, as I suppose it will in a few 
 moments, I desire to offer a resolution, which, I am 
 sure, will receive the support of every member not a 
 citizen of Portland. 
 
 Resolved, That the sincere thanks of this Convention be tendered to the 
 citizens of Portland for the courtesy and kindness extended to its members. 
 
138 
 
 The resolution was adopted with great heartiness. 
 
 On motion of Mr. Hamilton A. Hill, of Boston, the 
 thanks of the Convention were tendered to the Mayor 
 of Halifax for presiding at this evening session. 
 
 The Chairman, in responding to the vote of thanks, 
 said : 
 
 I wish merely to thank you, gentlemen, for this compliment, and to 
 assure you that it has given me very great pleasure to preside over this 
 meeting,— a duty which has not been attended with any great diflSculty. 
 It has given me infinite pleasure to come to the city of Portland, at the 
 invitation of the Committee of Arrangements. I have enjoyed the trip 
 very much, and intend to extend it further. When I think, that, two years 
 ago, this fine city was almost destroyed by fire, and see, that, by the enter- 
 prise of its people, it has risen, Phcenix-like, from its ashes; that such 
 buildings as this in which we are assembled, and others that adorn these 
 streets, have arisen, I look upon it as .an example to the world. I do not 
 know that I have seen anything like it. A few years ago Halifax was the 
 victim of a great fi^re, and some of our finest squares were laid low by that 
 element; but I am happy to say that handsome buildings have since been 
 erected in those portions of the city that were destroyed. I congratulate 
 the citizens of Portland upon the enterprise they have exhibited, and the 
 taste they have shown in the new buildings they have erected. 
 
 I thank you, gentlemen, for myself and for the gentlemen with whom I 
 am associated, and, I think I may add, for all the gentlemen from the Pro- 
 vinces, for the courteous reception you have extended to us. 
 
 Mr. John A, Poor then said : 
 
 I am reminded by a gentleman at my side, who served with me upon the 
 committee that called this Convention, and from whom it should have 
 heard (Hon. L. D. M. Sweat), that we ought not to allow it to dissolve 
 without some expression of regard to the many eminent gentlemen of 
 other states, and more especially to friends from the British Provinces, 
 for the distinguished honor they have conferred upon it by their presence 
 in this Convention. I know I speak the sentiment of every citizen of 
 the United States present, when I say, that the fact that so many of the 
 public men of British North America have felt interest in a convention 
 like this, to give it not only their attendance, but their hearty co-opera- 
 tion, is one of the hopeful signs of the times. 
 
 It was with a feeling of pride that I saw representative men from so 
 many sections of this broad land, the best portion of the continent, 
 stretching from the Empire of Mexico to the Northern Ocean, occupied 
 
139 
 
 by one race, — now that the Russian has retired from North America, — 
 covering seven million square miles of territory, occupied by more than 
 forty millions of people, speaking a common language, inheriting the same 
 history, language, literature, and traditions, — I might almost say, the 
 ■same religion, — members of this great family of English-speaking people 
 in America,— coming together, as brethren, to take part in a convention 
 designed to promote the material welfare of all, regardless of political 
 relations or national boundaries. This Convention itself is a significant 
 tact. 
 
 We are accustomed to public gatherings, — to conventions for political 
 objects, for the promotion of public ends, usually confined to some class or 
 profession; but international commerce embraces the world. A convention 
 called in the interest of international commerce is a comparative novelty. 
 Eighteen years ago, in this city, we held a convention not unlike the pres- 
 ent, and its purpose was to establish more intimate relations with our im- 
 mediate neighbors, to carry out the European and North American Railway 
 — the great International Railway — not in opposition to the Intercolonial 
 Railway, but as a vastly more important work than that. 
 
 Both these undertakings are now secured. The Intercolonial Railway, 
 aided by the Imperial Government, will follow the northern route, known 
 as Major Robinson line, looking only to imperial necessity, regardless 
 oi the demands of commerce, — while the European and North American 
 Railway supplies the wants of the Maritime Provinces and brings them 
 in connection with the business of the United States, and makes these 
 Provinces a portion of that commercial union which is hereafter to give 
 law to the world. 
 
 The Portland Convention of 1850 gave us not only the European and 
 North American Railway, but bore other and* more ample fruits in the 
 Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, and the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854. 
 
 This Convention will be regarded as an initial point in the commercial 
 revolution about to take place in the business affairs of the world. 
 
 The railway across the continent, in the direct line from London to 
 Hong Kong, will work as great a change in the ideas and habits of man- 
 kind, as that produced by the discovery of America, and the circumnavi- 
 gation of the globe. 
 
 The Portland Convention of 1850 was the first friendly reunion or fam- 
 ily gathering after seventy-four years of separation. The present Conven- 
 tion, embracing still larger purposes and composed of delegates from still 
 larger portions of the continent than were then in council, has greater 
 aims, seeking to promote railways across the continent, regardless of po- 
 litical boundaries, and such improvements of lakes and rivers, and such 
 regulations of trade, as shall make commerce FREE upon the continent of 
 North America, — not to erect barriers along the frontiers, or encourage 
 hostilities of any sort on this continent, but contrary wise, — those who dwell 
 
140 
 
 under the government of the United States, now that civil war is over, 
 and the necessities which led to the repeal of the reciprocity treaty of 1854 
 have ceased, hold out the hand of fellowship, in commercial sympathy and 
 fraternal feeling to those whose fortune it is to live alongside us, under 
 the protection of a foreign power, — that great government from which we 
 sprang, and to whose people the world is indebted more than to any other, 
 for the great results of human civilization, protection of life and property. 
 
 The protection which Great Britain extends to the people of her colo- 
 nies, leaving to every citizen the enjoyment of personal liberty and the 
 acquisition of property, makes them strong and resolute, and while obedient 
 to the demands of law, free to seek new avenues of commerce and trade. 
 
 The peojjle of British North America, sharing the same traditions, 
 cherishing the same sentiments, and enjoying that large measure of lib- 
 erty which has always characterized the rule of the mother country, have 
 sent their representative men here to unite in this Convention in affiiming 
 the universality of the laws of commerce, and the duty of promoting, in 
 every possible way, material development, and the permanent establish- 
 ment, on the most enlarged basis, of the principle of unrestricted trade 
 upon this continent. (Applause.) Fortunately, the doings of this Conven- 
 tion have been in harmony with that sentiment, whatever differences of 
 opinion have arisen, have been harmonized in committee, or fairly con- 
 sidered in debate, and the record of its doings will go forth to receive the 
 approval or disapproval of that larger tribunal, the commercial public,— 
 the public sentiment of the world. 
 
 No one can rea<l the doings of this Convention without being impressed 
 with the grandeur of the topics considered, and the remarkable combina- 
 tion of favorable circumstances that has made it a success. 
 
 When I saw upon this platform, as its chief presiding oflScer, the distin- 
 guished Governor of the State of Iowa, the great central State of the 
 American Union, midway between the Atlantic and Pacific,— at his right 
 hand his worship, the Mayor of Halifax, the chief commercial city of that 
 most eastern Province, Nova Scotia, the outport of the continent,— on his 
 left hand the representative of the city of Portland, on the Pacific, in the 
 person of the able Senator of the new and rising State of Oregon, upon the 
 farthest Pacific shore, four thousand miles apart, — with the long array of 
 eminent men along the line between them,— all sharing a common 
 sentiment, an earnest desire to promote the welfare of all, — I could not 
 help feeling that the 8i)ectacle presented, almost reached the moral 
 sublime. And when our friend, the representative ()f the great North 
 West, residing in the center of the continent (Hon. J. W. Taylor, of St. 
 Paul, Minnesota), spoke yesterday of the duties of the governments and 
 the people of this common country, and of the mother country to whom 
 we all owe a common homage, no man who had any respect for the land 
 in which he lived, and the race to which he belonged, could fail to feel a 
 
141 
 
 noble pride in this exhibition of human sympathy and generous co-opera- 
 tion. 
 
 Rival races originally contended for the dominion of this broad land 
 Across the border, over which delegates have now come in the spirit of fra- 
 ternal feeling, once moved hostile men in arms. In later days, those of one 
 race, under unwise counsels, made war upon each other, and crossed the 
 frontier in hostile array. The grass grows rank on more than one battle- 
 field whose soil had been moistened with fraternal blood. This spirit, we 
 trust, has passed away, and passed away forever, and that the only strife 
 which shall hereafterbe known among those who speak a common language, 
 and are striving for a common destiny upon this continent, shall be, who 
 can achieve the most for the welfare of all. 
 
 Sir, I will not detain you; I was almost afraid, when I got up to say a 
 word, that I should make a speech, but that would not now become me. 
 whatever might have been the case at an earlier i3eriod of the Convention. 
 Had the motion prevailed to adjourn till to-morrow, I might have felt at 
 liberty to speak upon the practical questions concerning the proposed trans- 
 continental rail way, the details of its line, the means for its accomplishment, 
 and the still more interesting questions of railway management, as affect- 
 ing its probable success. But I cheerfully yield to the desire of those who 
 prefer to terminate our labors to-night. I rose to say, that I think it is due 
 from us, who are citizens of the United States, that we should give three 
 cheers for our friends and neighbors of British North America, and bid 
 them God-speed in all their efforts for the civilization, the advancement, 
 and the highest welfare of the race. (Loud applause, and three rousing 
 cheers.) 
 
 The Chairman. I can only say, in reply to that, that 
 I wish I had a thousand voices, to return the three 
 cheers. 
 
 Hon. John J). Nash, of Halifax, said : 
 
 I feel that I cannot allow this Convention to separate without returning 
 thanks, in behalf of those I represent, for the handsome manner in which 
 we have been received. We came here, we knew not for what. We came to 
 learn. I confess that I have learned much by sitting here and listening to 
 the broad and liberal views expressed by the various speakers, and I shall 
 feel a pleasure in going back to my native place and makir.g known, as far 
 as possible, the character of the views that have been presented in this 
 Convention. 
 
 This is the first time I have had the honor of listening to American 
 statesmen ; more especially, this is the first time I have had the honor of 
 listening to men of such enlarged and expanded views as have been given 
 to us from day to day since we have been together. 
 
142 
 
 I will not attempt to make any lengthy remarks; there is not time, and 
 I have not the ability. But I felt that we should not go away without 
 thanking, with the greatest sincerity, the people of Portland for what they 
 have done for us, and for the handsome manner in which they have treated 
 us while we have been among them. 
 
 On motion of Hon. J. W. Taylor, the Convention 
 then adjourned. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Bancroft Library 
 
PROSPECTUS. 
 
 PORTLAND AND RUTLAND RAILROAD, 
 
 Incorporated by the Legislature of Maine, by an Act approved March 6, 1868. 
 
 CAPITAL, $2,000,000. 20,000 SHAKES, OF $100 EACH. 
 
 The Portland and Rutland Railroad, to run nearly on the parallel of 
 43° 39', or due west between 43i and 44 degrees of north latitude, will con- 
 nect the rich and flourishing town of Rutland, Vt, with the unrivalled 
 harbor of Portland, Maine, passing through a rich and populous country, 
 by a most favorable route, crossing nearly at right angles the series of 
 railroads running north and south in the direction to and from Boston and 
 New York. 
 
 From Halifax, the present eastern outport of the continent, to Portland, 
 a distance of 596 miles, the lines are completed, or in progress. From Rut- 
 land, a line extends west to Whitehall, from thence to Schenectady and all 
 the West, so that, by completing the link from Portland to Rutland, a 
 transcontinental line of railway is secured across the continent at its 
 widest part, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 The completion of the line from Rutland to Portland will connect the 
 California Pacific coast with Portland and Halifax, by the most direct 
 route, practicable or possible. 
 
 This line will be to the railways of this continent what the Suez Canal 
 will be to the navigation of the Old World, avoiding circuitous routes 
 around long-extended sections of the continent. 
 
 Under two charters, but in co-operative action, the citizens of Vermont 
 are constructing their portion of the line from Rutland to White River 
 Junction. 
 
 The Northern Railroad of New Hampshire runs due east from White 
 River Junction ; and thirty-one miles of its line can be used on the most 
 direct line to Portland, which Company has agreed to form impartial con- 
 nections with the lines between Portland and Rutland. 
 
 A charter for a line across Maine was approved March 6, 1868; that for 
 a line across New Hampshire was approved July 3, 1868, authorizing the 
 construction of a railway from the line of the Northern Railroad at Dan- 
 bury, to the boundary of Maine, in the valley of the Ossipee River, so that 
 
 10 
 
146 
 
 charters of the most liberal character are now provided for the entire route 
 from Portland to Rutland. Authority is given in the Maine charter to 
 lease, purchase, or connect with existing lines of railway, or any hereafter 
 built, in this, or in either of said States of New Hampshire or Vennont, so 
 as to form a consolidated line from Portland to Rutland. 
 
 In inviting subscriptions to the stock of the Portland and Rutland Rail- 
 road, the undersigned beg leave to call attention to the fact, that over the 
 entire route from Portland to Rutland, the line passes through a well- 
 populated country, many of the towns having thriving manufacturing 
 villages, so that business, already developed, awaits the advent of the rail- 
 way, which will enter upon a profitable business at the outset, not being 
 compelled, like other lines of railway, to wait for business till the forests 
 are subdued, and farms brought into cultivation, and that a population of 
 60,000 resided in Portland and in the towns immediately on its route in 
 Maine, according to the census of I860,— since increased by more than 20 
 per cent, making a population of over 00,000 in Maine, on its immediate 
 route. The New Hampshire towns, from the State line to Danbury, had a 
 population of 20,072, and a valuation of S5A35,46(), in 1800. With the excep- 
 tion of Portland, Westbrook, and Gorham, and four New Hampshire 
 towns, they are all without railroad facilities. 
 
 There was a population of 71,321 persons, with a valuation of $21,605,521, 
 in 1860, in central New Hampshire, directly interested in this line from 
 White River Junction to Portland, and very nearly an equal number lying 
 north of it in Maine, who would, by this route, have their most direct outlet 
 to the sea. 
 
 A major part of the territory of New Hampshire and Vermont lies north 
 of the line of the proposed railroad to Rutland and Whitehall; the popula- 
 tion of which will naturally seek Portland Harbor as the nearest and best 
 outlet for their trade. 
 
 The building of railroads from Boston into New Hampshire and Ver- 
 mont drew to her their trade. The building of the line now proposed will 
 restore to Portland her lost advantage, and make her the centre of trade of 
 a larger portion of New England than that now dependent upon any other 
 Atlantic seaport. 
 
 By extending a line about forty-five miles, it will intersect with the pro- 
 posed Great Falls and Conway road, already extended to Union village, in 
 Wakefield, — which is to extend northward to Ossipee and Conway. From 
 the proposed point of intersection of the two lines in Ossipee, the distance 
 to Boston, the present market of that country, is 126 miles, so that an out- 
 let at Portland for its products will be had in eighty miles less of distance 
 than to Boston. On reaching Meredith, the line will connect with that of 
 the Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railroad, at a point 113 miles distant 
 from Boston, giving to the trade of that country an outlet to Portland, forty 
 miles shorter than the line to Boston. 
 
 By this route, too, a more direct connection will be made between Port- 
 
147 
 
 land and Concord, the capital of New Hampshire, than by any existing or 
 proposed line, affording a most agreeable route to Boston, New York, and 
 the West. 
 
 From Meredith Village, the line of the Boston, Concord, and Montreal 
 Railroad already extends northward fifty-six miles to Wells River Junction, 
 and twenty miles further to Littleton. This Company, it is understood, 
 have raised the means for extending the line further northward, aiming to 
 connect with the Grand Trunk Railway to Northumberland, a section of 
 which line, from Littleton to Whitefield, is to be put under contract the 
 present year. 
 
 At Wells River Junction, the line connects with the Passumpsic Railroad 
 extending northward to St. Johnsbury, and to the boundary of Canada, 
 aiming for a connection with the Grand Trunk Railway at Lennoxville. 
 All the country lying north of the point of intersection of our line with 
 that of the Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railroad at Meredith, will be 
 brought forty or fifty miles nearer to Portland than to Boston, by the con- 
 struction of the proposed line from Portland. 
 
 At Wells River Junction, the proposed line to Montpelier will extend 
 over a favorable route, thirty-eight miles already chartered, giving a con- 
 nection between Montpelier and Portland in about 155 miles, which, it is 
 understood, will be undertaken as soon as an enabling Act is passed, 
 authorizing the towns on its route to subscribe stock to the same extent 
 as upon other lines in Vermont.* From Montpelier, the line of the Ver- 
 mont and Canada Railroad extends to Rouse's Point, eighty miles, or a total 
 of 235 miles from Portland ; from Rouse's Point to Ogdensburg is 118 miles, 
 or 353 miles from Portland, — the line from Rouse's Point to Montreal is 
 forty-four miles,— making a total of 279 miles from Portland to Montreal, 
 by way of Wells River and Montpelier. 
 
 On reaching Bristol, N. H., the line will connect with the branch to 
 Franklin, fifteen miles, forming a new connection by the Northern Rail- 
 road of New Hampshire to Concord. 
 
 The line of the Northern Railroad of New Hampshire is reached at 
 Danbury, thirty-one miles east of White River Junction, which will con- 
 nect with lines running north and south, and with the Woodstock Railroad 
 west, now in process of construction. From White River Junction to 
 Rouse's Point is 144 miles, by the Vermont and Canada Railroad; so that 
 from Portland to Rouse's Point, by this route, is 26G miles; to Montreal, 310 
 miles, and to Ogdensburg, 384 miles. 
 
 From White River Junction a line extends down the Connecticut valley 
 to Bellows' Falls, where it embranches, one running to Boston by the 
 Cheshire Railroad, the other continuing down the Connecticut valley to 
 Springfield, thence to New York City, and by a line to Albany. 
 
 * Such an enabling Act has since been granted by the Legislature of Vermont, October Session, 1808, 
 idnee the above was written. 
 
148 
 
 On reaching Rutland, the natural terminus of the proposed line, it -will 
 aflford the shortest and most available outlet to the sea for the accumulated 
 business already attracted to this point by its advantageous position, and 
 the center of a vast system of railroads converging to it from all directions. 
 
 Rutland is the center of a large manufacturing district, and the head- 
 quarters of the marble trade already grown into importance, which will 
 be rapidly developed into a leading interest in Vermont. 
 
 This tratle is especially interested in a line to Portland, and proposes to 
 build a ship-canal from Whitehall to Rutland, thereby making Rutland 
 the nearest port of Lake Champlain to tide-water. And it is not antici- 
 pating too much to expect that a ship-canal will, in a few years, connect 
 Lake Champlain with the St. Lawrence, making Lake Champlain the 
 inland basin for the accumulation and distribution of Western produce. 
 
 Probably no interior town of New England has greater elements for 
 success than Rutland, already the largest town in Vermont. 
 
 A new line of communication from Rutland to the St. Lawrence and the 
 West, by means of the steamer Oakes Ames, and the Plattsburg Railroad, 
 has recently been successfully inaugurated. Additional lines of railway 
 have been proposed to Lake Ontario, the completion of wluch, or any of 
 them, will largely enhance the importance of Rutland as a point for the 
 reception and distribution of tra<le; and the more recent movement to 
 build a line from Saratoga to Ogdensburg, by a direct line, promises still 
 greater results to the business of Rutland. 
 
 We have spoken of the Portland and Rutland road mainly as a local 
 enterprise, serving as a spinal coluum, or Grand Trunk line, for the business 
 of the country along its route, or brought to it on either side by connecting 
 lines of railroad; and there seems to be no reasonable doubt, that this 
 local business would be abuntlantly remunerative upon the cost of con- 
 struction, running, as it does, over a favorable route that can be cheaply 
 built. 
 
 From Portland to Danbury the reports of the Engineer show, that no 
 heavy grades are encountered, and that the line can be built at a cost below 
 the average of New England roads. 
 
 But to the.se local advantages already spoken of, must be added the 
 importance of it, as a section of the through line across the continent con- 
 necting Portland and San Francisco. 
 
 The construction of the Portland and Rutland Railroad was recom- 
 mended by the recent International Commercial Convention at Portland, 
 as a necessary link in the great chain of communication around the globe, 
 destined to connect Australia, China, and Japan with London, saving from 
 twenty to thirty days' time over any other practicable or possible route. 
 
 Two facts are necessarily to be established to secure assent to the views 
 embodied in the doings of the Portland Convention. 1st, The superiority 
 in speed of railway transit over water transportation; and, 2d, That the 
 widest part of the continent of North America lies in the direct line 
 
149 
 
 between Hong Kong and London. These two propositions admitted, no 
 one can doubt that the laws of commercial gravitation will force the con- 
 struction of such lines of railway as will reduce the transit between the 
 Orient and the Occident to its lowest possible limit of time and expense. 
 
 Believing that the line of railway from Portland to Rutland has all the 
 advantages suggested; that it will become the channel of a vast trade 
 between the seaboard and the interior; that its line will be a great emi- 
 grant route to the West, as it occupies the most important section of the 
 Transcontinental Railway, and must command a large through travel; 
 and that its construction will add largely to the trade and business of 
 Portland, as the natural shipping port of the North-west, and to the 
 country on its route, — the undersigned, Corporators in the Portland and 
 Rutland Railroad, of Maine, respectfully invite to it the public support, 
 especially of those interested in the prosperity of New England and the 
 North-west. 
 
 JOHN A. POOR, 
 JOHN LYNCH. 
 H. J. LIBBY, 
 WILLIAM DEERING, 
 ALLEN HAINES, 
 JAMES L. FARMER, 
 L. De M. sweat, 
 A. K. SHURTLEFF, 
 SAMUEL HANSON, 
 ENOCH KNIGHT, 
 H. J. SWASEY, 
 WM. W. WOODBURY, 
 CHARLES F0BE3, 
 JOSEPH HOWARD, 
 
 JOHN MUSSEY, 
 
 WILLIAM WILLIS, 
 
 JOHN NEAL, 
 
 N. C. RICE, 
 
 GEORGE W. WOODMAN, 
 
 N. A. FOSTER, 
 
 FREDERICK ROBIE, 
 
 JOHN M. ADAMS, 
 
 JOHN JAMESON, 
 
 W. H. FESSENDEN, 
 
 TOBIAS LORD, 
 
 R. M. RICHARDSON, 
 
 J. M. KIMBALL, 
 
 AUGUSTUS E. STEVENS. 
 
152 
 
 Canal from Bay of Fundj to Gulf of St. Lawrence 21 
 
 Coal in Alaska 21 
 
 Committee on Order of Business 27 
 
 Chamberlain, J. L., Governor of Maine, Letter of 28 
 
 Colfax, Hon. Schuyler, Letter of 32 
 
 Chicago Board of Trade, Letter of 116 
 
 Crosby, Hon. Josiah, Letter of 123 
 
 Canal Policy of New York 44 
 
 China, her early Advancement in Art 65 
 
 Commerce, Value of the Inland Trade 65 
 
 Commerce of the Lakes, its extent 66 
 
 ^Commerce, its extent 69 
 
 Chinese Laborers on Pacific Railroad 59 
 
 Currency, its value 67 
 
 Climate, milder as you go west. 107 
 
 Comparison of Northern and Central Routes to the Pacific. .111, 112 
 
 Coal, Nova Scotia, quantity mined since 1827 136 
 
 Cain, John, Esq., Speech of 69 
 
 T> 
 
 Derby, Hon. E. H., Speech of 17, 93 
 
 Drake, Hon. C. D., Senator, Letter of 31 
 
 Dickey, Hon. R. B., M. L. C, Amherst, N. S., Letter of 35 
 
 Draper, Hon. John W., LL.D., University N. Y., Letter of 37 
 
 Davis, Admiral C. H., Letter of 118 
 
 Darien Canal 119 
 
 E 
 
 4 
 
 European & N. A. Railway, its International Character. .18,35,139 
 
 Edmands, Hon. George F., Senator, Letter of 31 
 
 Eaton, Gen. A. B., Commis.-General of Subsistence, Letter ol. .33 
 
153 
 
 Exportation of Bread Stuflf from Lake Superior 45 
 
 Erie Canal enlargement 106 
 
 English-speaking People, extent of Dominion in America 139 
 
 F 
 
 Farmer, Mr. J. L., Report on Credentials 23 
 
 Farmer, Mr. J. L., Report on Organization 26 
 
 Forbes, Hon. J. F., M. P. Liverpool, N. S., Letter of 34 
 
 Fields, Cyrus W., Esq., Letter of 122 
 
 Fisheries, their importance 87, 88, 96 
 
 Free Trade upon the Continent, the great necessity 139 
 
 Gr 
 
 Gould, Ira, Esq., Letter of 125 
 
 Green Mountains, Line across 70 
 
 Grand Trunk Railway, proposal to end it at Montreal 127 
 
 Gold Statistics of I^Qva Scotia from 1863 to 1867 131 
 
 H 
 
 Harris, Rev. Samuel, D. D., Introductory Prayer 12 
 
 Harlan, Hon. James, Senator, Letter of 32 
 
 Harris, I. George, Paymaster, Letter of 33 
 
 Halifax Board of Trade; Letter of 116 
 
 Hoyt, A. H., Esq., Letter of 120 
 
 Hoosac Tunnel 22,122 
 
 I 
 
 Intermediate Distances across the Continent 8 
 
 Internal Improvements, their true character 56, 57 
 
 Immigration, Extent of, since 1790 58 
 
 Immigration from Germany 68 
 
152 
 
 Canal from Bay of Fundy to Gulf of St. Lawrence 21 
 
 Coal in Alaska 21 
 
 Committee on Order of Business 27 
 
 Chamberlain, J. L., Governor of Maine, Letter of 28 
 
 Colfax, Hon. Schuyler, Letter of 32 
 
 Chicago Board of Trade, Letter of 116 
 
 Crosby, Hon. Josiah, Letter of 123 
 
 Canal Policy of New York 44 
 
 China, her early Advancement in Art 65 
 
 Commerce, Value of the Inland Trade 55 
 
 Commerce of the Lakes, its extent 66 
 
 ^Commerce, its extent 59 
 
 Chinese Laborers on Pacific Eailroad 59 
 
 Currency, its value 67 
 
 Climate, milder as you go west. 107 
 
 Comparison of Northern and Central Routes to the Pacific. .111, 112 
 
 Coal, Nova Scotia, quantity mined since 1827 136 
 
 Cain, John, Esq., Speech of 69 
 
 33 
 
 Derby, Hon. E. H., Speech of 17, 93 
 
 Drake, Hon. C. D., Senator, Letter of 31 
 
 Dickey, Hon. R. B., M. L. C, Amherst, N. S., Letter of 35 
 
 Draper, Hon. John W., LL.D., University N. Y., Letter of 37 
 
 Davis, Admiral C. H., Letter of 118 
 
 Darien Canal 119 
 
 E 
 
 European & N. A. Railway, its International Character. .18,35,139 
 
 Edmands, Hon. George F., Senator, Letter of 31 
 
 Eaton, Gen. A. B., Commis.-General of Subsistence, Letter ol. .33 
 
153 
 
 Exportation of Bread Stuff from Lake Superior 45 
 
 Erie Canal enlargement 106 
 
 English-speaking People, extent of Dominion in America 139 
 
 F 
 
 Farmer, Mr. J. L., Report on Credentials 23 
 
 Earmer, Mr. J. L., Report on Organization 26 
 
 Forbes, Hon. J. F., M. P. Liverpool, N. S., Letter of 34 
 
 Fields, Cyrus W., Esq., Letter of 122 
 
 Fisheries, their importance 87, 88, 96 
 
 Free Trade upon the Continent, the great necessity 139 
 
 a 
 
 Gould, Ira, Esq., Letter of , 125 
 
 Green Mountains, Line across 70 
 
 Grand Trunk Railway, proposal to end it at Montreal 127 
 
 Gold Statistics of JS'pya Scotia from 1863 to 1867 131 
 
 H 
 
 Harris, Rev. Samuel, D. D., Introductory Prayer 12 
 
 Harlan, Hon. James, Senator, Letter of 32 
 
 Harris, I. George, Paymaster, Letter of 33 
 
 Halifax Board of Trade,' Letter of 116 
 
 Hoyt, A. H., Esq., Letter of 120 
 
 Hoosac Tunnel 22, 122 
 
 I 
 
 Intermediate Distances across the Continent 8 
 
 Internal Improvements, their true character 56, 57 
 
 Immigration, Extent of, since 1790 58 
 
 Immigration from Germany 68 
 
154 
 
 Immigration from Great Britain 58 
 
 Immigration into New York 58 
 
 Interest of British America same as United States 77 
 
 Iron in Nova Scotia 136 
 
 Intercolonial Railway, Route of 139 
 
 J 
 
 Jackson, Hon. M. M., Consulate of the United States, Letter of. .38 
 Johnson, E. F., Esq., Letter of 106 
 
 K 
 
 Killam, Hon. Thomas, M. P. P., Yarmouth, N. S., Letter of 34 
 
 Kent, Hon. Henry O., Letter of 40 
 
 L 
 
 Lyman, Hon. J. D., Sec. State of New Hampshire, Letter of. ...37 
 
 Letter of Atkinson, William 123 
 
 Letter of Adams, Hon. Charles Francis 105 
 
 Letter of Browning, Hon. O. H 30 
 
 Letter of Bross, Hon. William 40 
 
 Letter of Bird, Hon. F. W 122 
 
 Letter of Chamberlain, Hon. J. L 28 
 
 Letter of Colfax, Hon. Schuyler 32 
 
 Letter of Chicago Board of Trade * 116 
 
 Letter of Crosby, Hon. Josiah 123 
 
 Letter of Drake, Hon. CD 31 
 
 Letter of Dickey, Hon. R. B 35 
 
 Letter of Draper, John W., Esq 37 
 
 Letter of Davis, Admiral C. H 118 
 
 Letter of Edmands, Hon. George F 31 
 
 Letter of Eaton, General A. B 33 
 
 Letter of Forbes, Hon. J. F 34 
 
155 
 
 Letter of Fields, Cyrus W., Esq 122 
 
 Letter of Gould, Ira, Esq 125 
 
 Letter of Harlan, Hon. James 32 
 
 Letter of Harris, Hon. J. G 33 
 
 Letter of Halifax Board of Trade 116 
 
 Letter of Hoyt, A. H., Esq 120 
 
 Letter of Jackson, Hon. M. M 38 
 
 Letter of Johnson, E. F., Esq 106 
 
 Letter of Killara, Hon. Thomas 34 
 
 Letter of Kent, Henry O., Esq 40 
 
 Letter of Lyman, J. D., Esq 37 
 
 Letter of Lieber, Dr. Francis, LL.D 119 
 
 Letter of McCulloch, Hon. Hugh 30 
 
 Letter of ISTew York City Board of Trade 117 
 
 Letter of Oswego City Council 114 
 
 Letter of Ottawa Board of Trade 118 
 
 Letter of Page, Hon. J. B 29 
 
 Letter of Kyerson, Hon. J. K 36 
 
 Letter of Seward, Hon. William H 29 
 
 Letter of Schofield, Hon. J. M 30 
 
 Letter of Sherman, Hon. John 31 
 
 Letter of Sanborn, Hon. J. A ; 121 
 
 Letter of Simpson, James E., Esq 128 
 
 Letter of Townsend, Hon. William H 35 
 
 Letter of Tilley, Hon. S. L 36 
 
 Letter of True, N. T., Esq 40 
 
 Letter of Troy Board of Trade 113 
 
 Letter of Toronto Board of Trade 117 
 
 Letter of Upson, Hon. Charles 32 
 
 Letter of Underwood, Hon. Levi 38 
 
 Letter of Walker, Hon. George 39 
 
156 
 
 Letter of Wilmington Board of Trade 116 
 
 Letter of Wilder, Hon. David 119 
 
 Letter of Weston, E. P., Esq 124 
 
 Lieber, Dr. Francis, LL.D., Letter of 119 
 
 Lands, extent of those belonging to United States 57 
 
 Lands, Public Sales of 67 
 
 Lumber, a prime necessity 97 
 
 M 
 
 Massachusetts, amount invested in Railroads 18 
 
 Merrill, His Excellency Samuel, Governor of Iowa, Pres't. . .26, 27 
 
 McCulloch, Hon. Hugh, Sec. of the Treasury, Letter of 30 
 
 Maine to be developed, by Railroads 41 
 
 Monopolizers of Timber Lands 92 
 
 Mackerel Fishery 102 
 
 Mines and Minerals, Nova Scotia 130 
 
 N 
 
 Neal, John, Address of Welcome, 12 
 
 New York City Board of Trade, Letter of. 117 
 
 Nova Scotia and United States one People 34 
 
 Navigation of the St Lawrence of no Value 104 
 
 Northern Pacific Railroad, First proposed 107 
 
 Niagara Ship Canal 115 
 
 Northern Pacific Route, Importance of 124 
 
 Neal, John, Speech of 13 
 
 Nash, Hon. John D., Speech of 141 
 
 o 
 
 Oregon, its greatness as a State 15 
 
 Oregon, extent in Square Miles 16 
 
157 
 
 Organization of the Convention 26 
 
 OflScers of the Convention 26 
 
 Oswego City Council, Letter of 114 
 
 Ottawa Board of Trade, Letter of. 118 
 
 Ocean Steam Marine 53,87 
 
 P 
 
 Portland Harbor, cheapest Port for exportation of Western 
 
 Produce 3 
 
 Passengers across the Atlantic .' 7 
 
 Prayer by Rev. Dr. Harris 12 
 
 Puget Sound, excellence of its Harbor 15 
 
 Page, J. B., Governor of Vermont, Letter of 29 
 
 Progress of the United States from 1850 to 1860 89 
 
 Producers of Lumber, few in comparison with Consumers 93 
 
 Prince Edward Island, the sympathy of its People with U. S.. .102 
 
 Profile of N"orthern Pacific Railway 109 
 
 Portland Dry Dock, its capacity 128 
 
 Prince Edward Island, Trade of 130 
 
 Product of Nova Scotia Gold Mines 131 
 
 Portland, Maine, its enterprise 138 
 
 Portland Convention, 1850 35, 139 
 
 Prentiss, Hon. Henry E., Speech of 79, 103 
 
 Pringle, Hon. Eugene, Speech of 88 
 
 Poor, John A., Speech of 138 
 
 R 
 
 Report on Credentials .22 
 
 Report on Organization 26 
 
 Ryerson, Hon. John K., M. P. P., Yarmouth, JS". S., Letter of... .36 
 
158 
 
 Reciprocity the true Policy of Nations 54, 77 
 
 Report on International Commercial Relations 60 
 
 Resolutions on Reciprocal Trade 64 
 
 Report on Railroads across the Continent 64 
 
 Resolutions on Railroads across the Continent 65 
 
 Restoration of the Currency, true method 72 
 
 Report of Committee on Lake, River, and Canal Navigation — 74 
 
 Resolutions on Lake, River, and Canal Navigation 74 
 
 Reduction of Taxes 94 
 
 Reciprocity Treaty, its Abrogation unwise 105 
 
 Rice, Hon. Richard D., Speech of 71 
 
 s 
 
 Seward, Hon. Wm. H., Secretary of State, Letter of 29 
 
 Schofield, Hon. J. M., Secretary of War, Letter of 30 
 
 Sherman, Hon. John, Senator, Letter of 31 
 
 Sanborn, Hon. J. D., Letter of 121 
 
 Simpson, James E., Esq 128 
 
 Speech of Blow, Hon. Henry T 71 
 
 Speech of Brooks, Hon. Erastus 52 
 
 Speech of Brown, Hon. John B 70 
 
 Speech of Breckin, Hon. Frederick 100 
 
 Speech of Corbett, Hon. H. W 14 
 
 Speech of Cain, Hon. John 69 
 
 Speech of Derby, Hon. E. H 17, 93 
 
 Speech of Merrill, Hon. Samuel 27 
 
 Speech of Neal, John, Esq 13 
 
 Speech of Nash, Hon. John D 141 
 
 Speech of Prentiss, Hon. Henry E 79, 103 
 
 Speech of Pringle, Hon. Eugene 88 
 
 Speech of Poor, John A., Esq 138 
 
159 
 
 Speech of Kice, Hon. Richard D 71 
 
 Speech of Taylor, Hon. J. W 42 
 
 Speech of Tobin, Hon. Stephen 76, 138 
 
 Speech of Woodman, Hon. George W 11 
 
 Speech of Walker, Hon. Amasa 66 
 
 St. Lawrence and Champlain Canal 21, 38 
 
 Spirit of Trade 85 
 
 T 
 
 Time saved between London and Hong Kong 6 
 
 True Policy of States .^. 22 
 
 Townsend, Hon. W. H., M. P. P., Yarmouth, :N. S., Letter of. ...35 
 
 Tilley, Hon. S. L., Minister of Customs, Canada, Letter of 36 
 
 True, K. T., Esq., Editor of the Maine Farmer, Letter pf 40 
 
 Troy Board of Trade, Letter of. 113 
 
 Toronto "Board of Trade, Letter of 117 
 
 Taylor, Hon. J. W., Speech of 42 
 
 Transcontinental Railway 6, 33 
 
 Timber Lands of Maine, Yalue of 80 
 
 Timber Lands of Michigan, Value of 80 
 
 Tariff on Lumber 83 
 
 Timber Lands, Owners of, small Kumber of 90 
 
 Tax on Lumber, Effect of 95 
 
 Taxes in England 99 
 
 Tobin, Hon. Stephen, Speech of 76, 138 
 
 U 
 
 Upson, Hon. Charles, Senator, Letter of 32 
 
 Underwood, Hon. Levi, Letter of 38 
 
160 
 
 W 
 
 Width of the Continent 4 
 
 "Woodman, Hon. George W., Speech of 11 
 
 Washburn, General Peter T., Kemarks of 17 
 
 Walker, Hon. George, Letter of 39 
 
 Wilmington Board of Trade, Letter of 116 
 
 Wilder, Hon. David, Letter of 119 
 
 Weapon, E. P., Esq., Letter of 124 
 
 Walker, Hon. Amasa, Speech of 66 
 
^0