MY DEAR FRIEND,

Often have I looked back to the pleasant hours we passed on board the

good brig Tyrian, when, in the spring of 1838, we were quietly floating

over the waves of the broad Atlantic.[see Note 1] Never do I remember to

have crossed them so smoothly, and never certainly with more agreeable

companions. One of our party has long since departed for that country

from whose bourn no traveller returns. Poor Fairbanks! you knew him well

and valued his friendship--knew him to be a kind and a good man, and

that he loved his country well. Had he been as anxious to introduce

Railways into it as he was zealous about his Shubenacadie Canal, he

might perhaps have served it more effectually.[see Notes 2 and 37]

Another of our party, a true and hearty lover of his country, is still

amongst you; may his powerful mind so direct his great abilities as to

enable him to use them for his country's good; for much may yet be done

for Nova Scotia. Both he and you, I know well, have a friendly feeling

towards me, and you may perhaps have sometimes regretted, though not so

warmly as I have done (living as you both have been for years in the

midst of political excitement), that we have been so completely

separated. With this short preface, as an excuse for introducing your

names, I will now proceed, by recalling that moment so full of

excitement at the time and never to be forgotten,--when, to our

astonishment, we first saw the great ship Syrius steaming down directly

in the wake of the Tyrian. She was the first steamer, I believe, that

ever crossed the Atlantic for New York, and was then on her way back to

England. You will, I dare say, recollect the prompt decision of

Commander Jennings to carry his mail bags on board the steamer, and our

equally prompt decision not to quit our sailing craft, commanded as she

was by so kind and so excellent an officer. You will, I dare say,

recollect how soon flew the question through the captain's trumpet,

"Will you take charge of the mail?" "Yes, but be quick;" and the

trembling anxiety with which we watched mail bag after mail bag hoisted

up the deep waist of the Tyrian; then lowered into the small boat

below,--tossed about between the vessels, and finally all safely placed

on board the Syrius. It was a bold measure; for had one mail bag been

lost, our gallant commander would in all probability have been severely

censured, if it had not cost him his commission: as it was, I believe,

he received the thanks of the Admiralty. You will also, no doubt,

remember well the lively discussion the sight of this great steam ship

caused amongst us, and how earnestly I expressed my wish, that the

people of Halifax should bestir themselves, and not allow, without a

struggle, British mails and British passengers thus to be taken past

their very doors.[see Note 3] And now that we have lived to see

established what we then discussed (and about which the pen of the

Clockmaker's companion was not idle),[see Note 4] the great steam ship

road from and to Liverpool and Halifax, you will not perhaps be

astonished that (like the fly on the wheel) so humble an individual as

your old fellow passenger should have fancied when steaming (as he has

since often done) over the waves of that same Atlantic, that he too[see

Note 5] had had something to say in creating all the smoke he saw rising

before him. Of one thing, however, he is certain--that his companions,

Fairbanks, Howe and Haliburton (no insignificant names), had determined,

before leaving the Tyrian, that as soon as they reached London they

would wait upon the Colonial minister--point out to him the necessity

and importance of a steam communication from the mother country to her

children in the west, and plead the cause of Halifax;[see Note 6] and,

if I am not mistaken, Fairbanks and Howe proceeded first to Liverpool to

make some inquiries about expense, &c. &c. Be this however as it may, it

is all now matter of no consequence--the great nautical high road

between England and her North American Colonies has long been

established beyond a question, and the enterprising Cunard has shown by

his splendid steam vessels, that it may be depended upon beyond a doubt,

as a regular, a safe and an easy communication.[see Note 38] To him,

therefore, are due the thanks of the public, and the credit of

accomplishing this much wished-for route.

"Whilst others bravely thought, he nobly dar'd."

But, my dear friend, in an age like the present, shall such a victory

content us? most assuredly not! The time has come when our great

Colonial land route of travelling must reach from Halifax to Frazer's

River, from the Atlantic to the Pacific--and there is still a grand and

a noble undertaking that must yet be accomplished--must be performed by

Great Britain and her colonies--an undertaking that will open a mine of

wealth to all concerned[see Note 7] (not the wealth of gold, but of

commerce and trade). But to proceed--and here again I must tax your

memory. You will, no doubt, recollect, that after the King of Holland

had given his decision in the year 1831 as to our disputed boundary with

America, which had been referred to him, and that all eyes were fixed

upon that question,[see Note 65] which had become very serious and

difficult to settle, his Grace the Duke of Wellington, in speaking on

the subject,[see Note 8] alluded to another very important boundary

question (then little thought of by the public),[see Note 9] and his

Grace pointed to the Oregon.[see Note 33] The discussions and

difficulties that afterwards arose before the final disposal of that

dispute, most assuredly marked its importance, and proved that the

ever-watchful talent of the Duke had not been attracted to that spot,

without cause.

"We thank the gods

Our Rome has such a soldier!"

Montgomery Martin says, "But for the Hudson's Bay Company, England would

probably have been shut out from the Pacific." Be that as it may, we had

at all events, one statesman's watchful eye upon that ocean, and the

very important question is now disposed of for ever, leaving open to

England another most valuable high road, with the making of which we

(again like the fly on the wheel) think we must have something to do; at

all events, we may discuss and talk about it,--as in the Tyrian we

formerly did about the great Steam Line from and to Liverpool and

Halifax. But to proceed seriously. Did his Grace, let it be asked, when

pointing to our North-Western boundary line, look forward at that time

to the shores of the Pacific as being "the end of the West and the

beginning of the East?" Did his Grace's imagination picture to his

mind's eye swarms of human beings from Halifax, from New Brunswick, from

Quebec, from Montreal, from Byetown, from Kingston, from Toronto, from

Hamilton, the Red River Settlement, &c. &c. &c., rushing across the

rocky mountains of Oregon with the produce of the West in exchange for

the riches of the East? Did his Grace imagine the Pacific Ocean alive

with all descriptions of vessels sailing and steaming from our

magnificent Colonies--New Zealand, Van Diemen's Land, New South Wales,

New Holland, from Borneo and the West Coast of China, from the Sandwich

Islands, and a thousand other places, all carrying the rich productions

of the East, and landing them at the commencement of the West,--to be

forwarded and distributed throughout our North American provinces, and

to be delivered in THIRTY DAYS at the ports of Great Britain? Did his

Grace foresee that steam would bring Halifax within ten days of

Liverpool? That a Railway would make Halifax only ten or fifteen days

distant from the north-west coast of North America, (and that the

Sandwich Islands would not be ten days further off?) whence steamers

might be despatched with the mails from England for Pekin, Canton,

Australia, New Zealand, &c. &c. &c.; and did his Grace look forward to

the rolling masses of treasure that would be sure to travel on such a

girdle line of communication as that? Did his Grace then weigh and

consider that "to the inventive genius of her sons England owes the

foundation of her commercial greatness. We will not go the length of

asserting that she retains her proud pre-eminence solely upon the

condition of keeping twenty years ahead of other nations in the practice

of mechanical arts. But there is no question, that _a fearful proportion

of our fellow subjects hold their prosperity upon no other tenure_, and

quite independently of what may be done by our rivals it is of vast

importance to our increasing population that the conquest over nature

should proceed unchecked?" [_Quarterly Review, December, 1848._] And did

his Grace look forward and foresee that between the north-eastern and

north-western shores of America, and through our loyal, long-tried and

devoted North American colonies,[see Note 10] there might be undertaken

a great, a noble, and a most important work, that would give

remunerative employment to the population, to the wealth, and to the

inventive genius of England? Did his Grace, in short, look forward to a

_grand National Railway from the Atlantic to the Pacific_?[see Note 60]

If not, let his Grace do so now! Let the people of Great Britain do

so!--let her colonial minister. Startling as it may at first appear, a

little reflection will show that England and her children have the power

to make it; that it must be done; and will become valuable property--for

it would increase our commerce and trade to an extent not easy to

calculate.[see Note 11] But such a noble work must not be looked upon

merely as a money question,--although if only considered in that

light,--England must reflect that if she wishes and intends to retain

her high pre-eminence amongst the nations of the earth, she must most

assuredly pay for it. No country can have all the blessings and

advantages of England and have them for nothing, nor can she retain them

without great exertion. Her accumulated wealth cannot be allowed to

remain idle--nor will it.[see Note 12] No one will deny for a moment

that every economy that will make the poor man richer and happier ought

to be practised;[see Note 39] but let us take care that we do not, from

too strong a desire to retain that wealth which Providence has thrown

into the lap of England[see Note 13] even in the midst of war,[see Note

14] deprive her labouring children of legitimate employment and just

remuneration, (all that the industrious classes of our fellow-countrymen

require.) But the undertaking proposed has even a higher claim to our

attention. _It is the great link required to unite in one powerful chain

the whole English race_. Let then our Railway Kings, and our Iron

Kings, our princely merchants, and our lords millionnaires--let the

stirring and active spirits of the age--the great reformers and the

modern politicians, many of whom are now proclaiming through the land

that economy alone can save the country--[see Note 15]condescend for a

short time even, to consider the undertaking here proposed; and say, if

they can, that (even should it be executed at an immense expense) it

would not produce a great and beneficial forward movement, and be a

present happy employment, and a future perpetual source of wealth to

England and her children. Let them consider also that "the social

advancement which the modern improvement of Railways is calculated to

effect has added a new faculty to man in the facilities which it affords

of communication between province and province, and between nation and

nation. Nor does it seem too much to say, that it will be the means of

binding all the nations of the earth into one family, with mutual

interests, and with the mutual desire of promoting the prosperity of

their neighbours, in order that they may enhance their own, and forming

thereby the most powerful antagonistic principle to war that the earth

has ever known." [_Bradshaw's Almanack, 1849._] Again, what says the

Quarterly: "We trust our readers of all politics will cordially join

with us in a desire, not inappropriate at the commencement of a new

year, that the wonderful discovery which it has pleased the Almighty to

impart to us, instead of becoming amongst us a subject of angry dispute,

may in every region of the globe bring the human family into friendly

communication; that it may dispel national prejudices; assuage

animosities--in short, that, by creating a feeling of universal

gratitude to the powers from which it has proceeded, it may produce on

earth peace and good-will towards men." And where, let it be asked, can

this wonderful discovery, this great power of steam,[see Note 16] be

called into action so effectually and so usefully, not only for Great

Britain, but for mankind in general, than in that parallel of

latitude[see Note 17] in which (_all barrier difficulties and all cause

for war being now removed_) would naturally flow in full tide the

civilization, arts and sciences that invariably follow in the wake of

Englishmen? Then as to the difficulties of the undertaking, let us

recollect that an eminent engineer, previous to the construction of the

Liverpool and Manchester Line, said, "No man in his senses would attempt

a Railroad over Chat Moss:" his calculation was that it would cost

L270,000. Yet the genius of George Stephenson afterwards surmounted the

difficulty at a cost of L40,000, though the work was commenced when

engineering science was less understood than now. Let us also listen to

the Quarterly, "Steam as applied to locomotion by sea and land is the

great wonder-worker of the age. For many years we have been so startled

by such a succession of apparent miracles, we have so often seen results

which surpassed and falsified all the deductions of sober calculations,

and so brief an interval has elapsed between the day when certain

performances were classed by men of science as among impossibilities,

and that wherein those same performances had almost ceased to be

remarkable from their frequency, that we might almost be excused if we

regarded the cloud-compelling demon, with somewhat of the reverence

which the savage pays to his superior, when he worships as omnipotent

any power whose limits he cannot himself perceive." With such a

power[see Note 18] (so eloquently described) at our command, and such

magnificent results to be obtained from it, shall England hesitate?

shall the expenditure of a few millions check such a noble work? shall

the Rocky Mountains be a barrier? mountains never yet properly explored,

and of which almost all we know is that (as my friend Colonel Bloomfield

observed) we nearly went to war to be allowed to cross them. And what

are the expenses of war? Between the years 1797 and 1815, 630 millions

of money were expended for carrying on war. Again, the very magnitude of

the undertaking and length of the Railway is in its favour, for--listen

again to the Quarterly: "We believe it may be affirmed without fear of

contradiction, that the working details of a Railway are invariably well

executed in proportion to their magnitude. A little Railway--like a

little war--is murderous to those engaged and ruinous to those who pay

for it." Now if in England experience has taught all this,--shall the

good people of Halifax, New Brunswick, Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, &c.,

be allowed, perhaps encouraged, to go on slowly endeavouring (at an

immense expense and outlay for such young communities) to make a variety

of small Railways,[see Note 40] thus acknowledged to be ruinous, and the

mother country remain quietly looking on when she has now the power of

greatly assisting them, and to her own advantage, by planning and

arranging one grand route and system of Lines throughout the whole

country,[see Note 19] and under Providence the means of opening that

route in an incredible short space of time? Let then England, her North

American colonies, and the Hudson's Bay Company, join heart and hand,

and with the great power of steam which it has pleased the Almighty to

place at the command of man, there will soon arise a work that will

be the wonder and admiration of the age--and such a mercantile and

colonizing road will be open to Great Britain, that at no future period,

(at least within the imagination of man,) will she ever again have to

complain of too great a population on her soil, and too small a market

for her labour.

Let us now then proceed, my dear friend, to consider how this great

work might be commenced, and its probable results when accomplished. In

the first place let us look a little to the immense annual cost to

England for her prisons and her convicts,[see Notes 47 and 50]--much of

that crime arising probably from the want of employment, and consequent

poverty.[see Note 20] Even at this moment five millions are spoken of as

a sum required to be expended in new prisons for a favourite system.[see

Note 41] In 1836 it was suggested "as well worthy of consideration,

whether it would not be advisable to cease transporting convicts at so

great a cost to distant settlements, and instead to send them to a

nearer place of exile, where their labour might be rendered in so great

a degree valuable, as speedily to return to the Mother Country the whole

of the charge incurred for their conveyance" [_The Progress of the

Nation, by A. R. Porter, Esq._];[see Note 21] and where could England

better employ her convict labour, than on a work that would be of such

vast and lasting importance to herself, to her colonies, and to mankind

in general? It was also observed, by the same author, "If gangs of

convict labourers were placed a little beyond the verge of civilization,

and employed in clearing and enclosing lands, constructing roads,

building bridges, the land thus prepared and improved would meet with

ready purchasers at prices which would well repay the Government their

previous outlay." It may be objected by some, that the expense of the

troops necessary to guard the convicts would be very great, and would be

a heavy burden to this country. To them I must use the words of the

"Times," when suggesting the grant of colonial lands to be annexed to

the performance of military duties. "Subsidiary to and connected with

this arrangement might be devised another, by which soldiers of good

character might be discharged after ten years service, and rewarded with

small freeholds in the colonies. They might be bound to appear on duty

at certain periods, and for a certain duration of time, as our

pensioners are at present." And if soldiers of six or eight years

service were sent out in charge of the convicts, that unpleasant duty

would be of very short duration before they would meet with their

reward. Added to which, it has been suggested by my friend Captain Wood,

of the Hon. East India Company's service, that the Indians might be very

usefully employed on this duty,[see Note 48] somewhat in the same manner

as the natives in India are encouraged to look after European soldiers

who desert their colours. In alluding to the pensioners of Great

Britain, it is only due to Lieut.-Col. Tulloch to render our honest

thanks to him, for the introduction through his indefatigable exertions

of this most important feature in a new military system. Not only has he

added to the respectability, comfort, and happiness of many a worn out

old soldier, but he has also provided a very imposing force of veterans

ready at any moment to support the laws of their country; and, should

unfortunately such an occasion ever arise, of opposing all feeling of

disloyalty to their beloved sovereign.[see Note 42] Lieut.-Col. Tulloch

may well feel proud of the result of his labours. This system of

pensions alluded to by the "Times" would become extremely applicable to

the troops employed in guarding the convicts on the proposed Atlantic

and Pacific Railway, and small villages, and ultimately cities, would,

no doubt, arise from such a source: but even the first outlay caused by

the employment of the convicts on such a work cannot be considered as

any extra expense to government; for these convicts must be fed, must be

employed, and must be guarded somewhere: and it will be shown hereafter

that government will be reimbursed not only her expenditure on account

of the convicts, but also her expenditure on account of the troops

required to guard them. In making his suggestions for the employment of

the convicts in 1836, Mr. Porter says, "There is unhappily but too much

reason for believing that the whole number of labourers who could be

thus profitably employed might be furnished from the criminal population

of Great Britain." And by a return given at the same time, it is shown

that the number of convicts from 1825 to 1833, both years inclusive, was

22,138, and that return did not include all the penal settlements. The

"Times" of the 18th January, 1848, in speaking of the expenditure of the

country, says, "Convicts at home and abroad have mounted from L111,306

to L378,000; certainly the law of increase is strongly marked on the

expense of crime." "If any body will cut down this figure, he will earn

the gratitude of the nation." This last expression of the Times has more

particular reference to the expense incurred for Ireland, but will no

doubt be acknowledged to be equally true as bearing upon the enormous

general increase of convict expenditure; and the more I reflect on this

subject, the more do I feel convinced that the employment of convict

labour in the Rocky Mountains,[see Note 22] and at several other points

of the Line of this proposed great National work, would produce a most

beneficial result, as a means of reducing the amount of crime, as even

an immediate saving of transport expense to England (unless indeed all

distant penal settlements are to be finally abandoned),[see Notes 21 and

45] and as an ultimate great advantage both to her own commerce, and to

that of her colonies; and here let it be recollected, that there is a

feeling abroad "to force upon government and the legislature a bold and

manly course in dealing with crime in general:" that the magnificent

prisons now built are considered "unjust to the labouring poor, whose

humble dwelling, with coarse and scanty food, is mocked by the grandeur

and beauty of the prison, as well as by the idle and comfortable

entertainment within its wall;" and it has been remarked by a public

journal in a warning voice, "to make prisons palaces is the way to turn

palaces into prisons."[see Note 34] But enough has been said on this

subject at present, and we will now consider again the working out of

this great undertaking. We will suppose, in the first place, active,

intelligent, and scientific young men to be sent to the Rocky

Mountains,[see Note 49] to ascertain the best spot at which to cross

them, and the best port (if the mouth of Frazer's River will not

answer), on the western shore of North America, within, of course, the

Hudson's Bay Company's territory, for a great commercial harbour and

railway terminus. Then let a grand line of Railway be marked out from

Halifax to that spot, and let all local towns or districts that have

sufficient capital and labour to undertake any part of that Line, have

the benefit of the profits of the whole Line, in proportion to the parts

they may finish. No convict labour need interfere with them. But in such

districts as are at present so thinly inhabited as to have no working

population, and no capital to expend, let the work be commenced by

England, by her capital, and her convicts;[see Note 23] and let

government encourage and facilitate the formation of a great Atlantic

and Pacific Railway Company, by obtaining from parliament a national

guarantee for the completion of the work;[see Note 51] first, of course,

having entered into arrangements with the Hudson's Bay Company, and her

North American provinces, for the security of such sums of money as may

be advanced by way of loan from Great Britain.

To Englishmen we would say then, in the words of the Rev. C. G.

Nicolay, "We have at home a superabundant population,[see Note 24]

subject to a very rapid increase on any reduction of the price, if but

of the necessaries of life,--how can it be better employed than in

seeking, with its own advance in social position, and means of

acquiring its comforts, if not its luxuries, the spread of our free

institutions--equal laws--and holy religion. We desire an enlarged

sphere for commercial enterprise. New markets for our manufactures;

these every fresh colony supplies in its measure. If then the Oregon be

what it appears to be, if its climate, soil, agriculture, and commercial

capabilities be as represented, why leave its future destiny to time and

circumstances?" We would say to the Hudson's Bay Company in the words

of Mr. James Edward Fitzgerald, "You have the power of becoming the

founders of a New State, perhaps of a new empire, or of arresting for a

time, for you cannot ultimately prevent, the march of mankind in their

career of victory over the desolate and uncultivated parts of the earth.

For now nearly two centuries your sway has extended over half a

continent, and as yet you have left nothing behind you in all that vast

country, to bear witness to your power and your riches. Now a new

destiny is before you; you may, if you will, place your names beside

those who have devoted themselves to the noble task of stimulating and

directing the enterprising genius of their fellow countrymen, who have

prolonged the existence of their nation by giving a new life to its

offspring." And we would then call upon England, her North American

provinces, and the Hudson's Bay Company, to employ their wealth and

power to unite in one great unbroken iron chain, the Mother Country with

her distant Children, and, in spite of Nature's difficulties, carry

steam across the Rocky Mountains.[see Note 25]

From childhood I have been accustomed to look upon the power of

England as irresistible,--morally, physically,[see Note 35] and

intellectually,--she has now in this age the command of mind and matter

sufficient to enable her almost to move the earth, and shall the tunnel

under the Thames, the tube over the Conway, and the bridge over the

Menai, be our only wonders? How well do I remember the delight with

which I have listened to the anecdote told of Mr. Pitt, who, when he was

informed that it was impracticable to carry into effect some orders he

had given about heavy ordnance being sent to Portsmouth within a certain

time, "Not possible?" exclaimed Mr. Pitt, "then send them by the

Mail."[see Note 26] With the same feeling of pride and delight have I

heard in later days of the artillery officer's remark, when it was

whispered to him by another that it would not be possible to place their

guns in some wished for position; "My dear fellow," said the commanding

officer, "I have the order in my pocket." Let England only commence the

Railway from Halifax to the Pacific, with the order to cross the Rocky

Mountains in the pocket of her sons, and the accomplishment of the

undertaking will soon reward the labour, courage and skill which would

undoubtedly be exhibited. Sir Alexander Mackenzie inscribed in large

characters, with vermillion, this brief memorial, on the rocks of the

Pacific, "Alexander Mackenzie from Canada by land the 22nd of July,

1794." Who will be the first engineer to inscribe upon the Rocky

Mountains "On this day engineer A. B. piloted the first locomotive

engine across the Rocky Mountains;" and what then will be the feeling of

Englishmen, when even now Steam is considered the "exclusive offspring

of British genius, fostered and sustained by British enterprise and

British capital!" We have seen that on the highest habitable spot of the

Mountains of the Alps stands a monument of war, placed there by the hand

of a powerful man in the pride of victory over his fellow-men, and in

honour of his companion in arms. We trust before long that on the

highest habitable spot of the Rocky Mountains will stand a monument of

peace, placed there by an enterprising nation in honour of the victory

of science over nature, and in memory of some enterprising son.

After all her wars, her victories and her revolutions, in what condition

is France?

What may not England expect to be with all her victories over

nature--her trade and commerce?[see Note 52] May she march forward in

her career of peace as bravely, as nobly, and as proudly as she did in

that of war; and may she now take as great an interest in, and make

the same exertions for, the welfare and happiness not only of her own

people, but of those of other nations in all quarters of the globe, as

she did in former days for their protection from a desolating foe.

What the ultimate consequences of such a link of connection would be,

are indeed far beyond the reach of the human mind to foresee; but its

immediate results stand out apparently to the most common observer. In

the first place, Cape Horn (_the roughest point to weather in the whole

world_) would be avoided. In the next, the long passage by the Cape of

Good Hope to innumerable places in the Pacific Ocean would become also

unnecessary. In both these cases a great amount of time (which in

commerce is money) would be saved. Again, it would be no longer

necessary to send goods by the route of the Hudson's Bay[see Note 27] to

the territories of that Company; and thus _a climate horrible in winter

and summer_, would also be avoided.[see Note 44] Then one view of the

map of the world will show that the proposed terminus of the Atlantic

and Pacific Railway at Frazer's River, taken as a centre, would bring

New Zealand, New South Wales, in fact, Australia, New Guinea, Borneo,

Canton, Pekin, all within fifty days' sail of that point; and taking the

Sandwich Islands as a centre point, (where there is a fine harbour, and

where a depot of coals might be established), which could be reached in

ten days, all the before-named places would be brought within twenty

days for steam navigation, other points, such as the Friendly Islands,

&c., might be selected for further depots of coals. Again, from the

terminus of the proposed railway the mails from England could be

despatched to all the before-mentioned places, and the formation of a

great steam navigation company, with a grant from government in the same

way as a grant was made to the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company to

Halifax, would insure magnificent steamers for the conveyance of these

mails, and would secure also to the Hudson's Bay Company an immense

consumption of their coal. Last, though not least of all, this Railway

route across the continent of North America would ensure to England at

all times a free communication with her East India possessions. It is

true that at present there is no difficulty in that respect, and the

indefatigable exertions of Lieutenant Waghorn and of other enterprising

people, amongst them my friend Major Head, have opened to the British

public and to the East India Company a quick and speedy communication

with India. But let the public reflect, and let the Government reflect,

that, in the event of a European war, we might be called upon to defend

and keep open that communication at an immense expenditure of life and

money, and indeed it might even be closed against us; whereas the

proposed Line across the continent of America would be within our own

dominions, and would not oblige us to interfere or meddle with any

continental wars to enjoy its free use. No time ought to be lost in the

commencement of this national undertaking.

If then Government took the initiative, it might obtain the consent of

Parliament, and proceed to appoint a Board of General Arrangement and

Control, consisting, say, of fifteen Commissioners: three on the part of

Great Britain, three to be named by the Hudson's Bay Company, three to

be appointed by the Government of Nova Scotia, three by that of New

Brunswick, and three on the part of Canada; all these latter of course

with the approval of their respective Governors. It may appear that

the North American Provinces would thus have a greater proportion

of Commissioners; but as each of these Colonies have Governments

independent of each other, they may be considered as separate Companies,

although we take them as one when considered as the North American

Provinces. These fifteen gentlemen might be all Members of Parliament;

thus the system of representatives from the Colonies, so often suggested

and spoken of, could be commenced, and the Colonists thus made

practically aware that they are _an integral part of this country_.

These Commissioners could be authorized to make all the necessary

arrangements for the security of the monies proposed to be advanced by

the Government of Great Britain, and should be instructed to draw up the

general Articles of Agreement between the high contracting parties; and

Government might be authorized by Parliament to open an account with

these Commissioners, who as a Body might be called "The Atlantic and

Pacific Railway Board of Control," and under its auspices a public

Company might be formed, refunding to the Government all previous

outlay.

Our North American provinces are close at hand, and during the

approaching summer all the necessary arrangements might be made for the

reception of a great number of convicts in different locations; and, in

the first instance, they might be sent to Halifax and Quebec,[see Note

53] where they could be received immediately, not certainly in palaces,

but in very good wood huts; at both these places they could also be at

once set to work in unloading the vessels sent from England with the

necessary stores for the commencement of this great national work, and

in preparing and levelling the situations of the respective termini; for

of course at both these stations great government as well as private

wharfs would be established. Again: another portion could be sent at

once from New South Wales to the port fixed upon on the north-west coast

of North America, in the Hudson's Bay Company's territory:[see Note 67]

there they could be put to work in the same way--to unload vessels

bringing in stores, to cut down and prepare timber, level and get ready

the site of the terminus. And it appears very necessary that preparation

should be made for the reception of a large body at the Red River

Settlement, that point being a very important spot in the Line proposed.

Let us see what Montgomery Martin says about it.[see Note 28]

The Bishop of Montreal, in 1844, says, "The soil, which is alluvial, is

beyond example rich and productive, and withal so easily worked, that,

although it does not quite come up to the description of the Happy

Islands--reddit ubi cererem tellus inarata quot annis--there is an

instance, I was assured, of a farm in which the owner, with

comparatively light labour in the preparatory processes, had taken a

wheat crop out of the same land for eighteen successive years, never

changing the crop, never manuring the land, and never suffering it to

lie fallow, and that the crop was abundant to the last; and, with

respect to the pasture and hay, they are to be had ad libitum, as nature

gives them in the open plains." Again, speaking of import goods: "All

these articles are brought across from Hudson's Bay, a distance of

several hundred miles, in boats, and these boats are drawn across the

portages on rollers, or in some places carried upon waggons; hence those

articles which are of a heavy description are charged at a price

seemingly out of all proportion to that of many others which may be

obtained at a moderate price: a common grindstone is sold for

20_s_."[see Note 29]

Now read again the description of Hudson's Bay, discovered by John

Hudson in 1610,[see Note 27] then look upon that picture, and upon

this; look upon that country that will give eighteen successive crops of

wheat, and look upon the difficult, dangerous, and tedious navigation of

that bay, whose _climate in summer and winter is horrible_, and through

whose waters the stores of this fine country are obliged to travel;

look at that picture, then look at this,--the easy, safe, and rapid

communication of a Railway,--and say if the time, health and money that

would be saved by its construction is not worthy the consideration of

Englishmen, and would not repay the constructors, even if that was to be

its last terminus.[see Note 54]

But when it is considered that the Main Line of Railway, in passing

through our own colonies, would skirt the shores of Lake Superior--rich

in mines of silver and copper[see Note 36]--and that the Red River

Settlement[see Note 30] would only be one of the many valuable towns and

districts that would be opened to trade and commerce, and only

contribute its mite to the profits to be obtained from the passage of

the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, it appears to me impossible that

such a powerful and wealthy Company as the Hudson's Bay, such

magnificent colonies as our North American provinces, and such a power

as Great Britain, can balance for one moment in their minds whether loss

or profit must attend the undertaking and completion of such a Railway.

But, vires acquirit eundo, our argument is stronger as we proceed; for,

crossing the Rocky Mountains, where the real terminus would be, let us

pause for a moment to consider the mine of wealth we should open--not

the wealth of gold and silver--but wealth, the reward of commerce and

industry.

"The land," Nicolay says, "affords, even now, exports of cattle, wool,

hides, and tallow, as well as salted meat, beef, pork, wheat, barley,

Indian corn, apples, and timber. Of these all are sent to the Sandwich

Islands, some to California, and hides and wool have been sent to

England. The woods of the Oregon present another fertile source of

national wealth. The growth of timber of all sorts in the neighbourhood

of the harbours in the De-fuca Strait adds much to their value as a

naval and commercial station. Coal is found in the whole western

district, but principally shows itself above the surface on north part

of Vancouver's Island. To these sources of commercial and national

wealth must be added the minerals--iron, lead, tin, &c. The mountains

and seacoast produce granite, slate, sandstone,--and in the interior

oolites; limestone is plentiful, and to the north most easily worked

and very rich in colour."

Again: look to the whale fishery.[see Note 31] And, in conclusion, we

may say that the Hudson's Bay Company's territory in the Pacific, that

is, New Caledonia, "will be found to fall short of but a few countries,

either in salubrity of climate, fertility of soil, and consequent

luxuriance of vegetation, and utility of production, of in the

picturesque character of the scenery."

But, my dear friend, I have been led on by my excitement on this subject

to make quotations and enter into particulars and details far beyond my

original thoughts, which were chiefly to draw the attention of your

powerful and active mind to a great national undertaking, knowing well

your love of everything English, and at the same time your devoted

attachment to the North American colonies. You have travelled far, and

seen much, and have shown in your works how clearly you have observed

and appreciated the power and manly spirit of England;

"Dear for her reputation through the world;"

and although you have felt, as a colonist, that her provinces of North

America might have been better governed, and that they have had even

much justly to complain about, still you have always upheld the

connection with England, and argued its value. In writing to you, the

thoughts of old times have returned, and reminded me of our happy

meetings and friendly converse in your lodgings in Piccadilly; and, thus

thinking, I have written on, as in fancy I have imagined we should have

chatted together,--and now I cannot do otherwise than continue in this

freedom of communication, and endeavour to excite you to entertain my

thoughts, and to canvass them among your fellow-countrymen.

To return, then, to our subject, and to the necessity for England to be

up and stirring. It has been remarked, that "a person who is already

thriving seldom puts himself out of his way to commence even a lucrative

improvement, unless urged by the additional motive of fear lest some

rival should supplant him by getting possession of it before him."

Truly, indeed, has it been said by the Spectator, "that England is not

bankrupt, nor poor, nor needy. In every quarter we see immense additions

to material wealth; we observe, too, on all hands a vast extension of

luxurious enjoyments among the middle classes; every thing attests a

huge growth in the wealth of the nation." It may be fairly considered,

then, that England is thriving--a lucrative improvement of vast

magnitude is open to her--and if the additional motive of fear of

rivalry is necessary to excite her in so noble an undertaking, let her

reflect on what is said in an American paper:--

A Boston paper of the day says, "the finding of these gold mines is of

more importance than any previous event for 300 years. The prosperity

of Queen Elizabeth's reign was mainly owing to the stimulus given to

commerce by the increase of the precious metals; but the field now to be

acted upon is at least fifty times greater than during that period.

Within five years there will be a Railroad from the Atlantic Ocean,

across the great American Continent, through the gold regions, to the

Bay of San Francisco, said to be the finest harbour in the world. The

people of San Francisco will then communicate by telegraph in a few

minutes, and the mails will be taken to Canton on the one side in

fourteen days, and to London on the other in nine days; so that

intelligence may be conveyed from the one end to the other in the short

period of twenty-three days. This will be witnessed under five years."

It is evident, then, that the people of the United States are quite

aware of all the advantages to be gained by a quick communication across

the Continent of America. Let us consider now, for a moment, what the

consequences of a railway would be as regards your own valuable and

fertile colonies.[see Note 43]

You have no doubt already pictured to yourself the town of Halifax alive

with all the bustle and excitement of a great commercial community, and

her noble harbours full of every description of vessels, from the

magnificent English steamer to the small colonial coasting craft; for

soon, not merely one steamer a week, as now, would touch from England on

her way to New York, but Nova Scotia herself, from the increasing wealth

and importance of her towns, would require the use of many steamers to

enable her to carry on the numerous commercial duties that would fall to

her lot; and when we reflect that at Halifax would rest the terminus,

whence could be embarked for England at all seasons of the year our

highly valuable colonial produce, including the rich exports from the

Southern Pacific Ocean (not sent round Cape Horn or the Cape of Good

Hope); and when we reflect that this long neglected seaport town could

equally receive at all seasons of the year the various exports from

England, for her numerous Colonies; and when we consider that there is

abundance of coal at hand, with wood and stone for building, who can

hesitate for a moment to acknowledge that Halifax would soon become one

of the most important ports, and one of the most noble cities of the

world; add to this, that the connection and attachment of Nova Scotia to

England would be cemented for ever--and that the dream of the Clockmaker

would be realized. "This is the best situation in all America--is Nova

Scotia, if the British did but know it. It will have the greatest trade,

the greatest population, the most manufactures, the most wealth, of any

state this side of the water. The resources, natural advantages, and

political position of this place, beats all." Then again, look to the

city of Quebec; no sooner would the river navigation be open than

thousands of vessels from England would be seen dropping their anchors

at the foot of her proud citadel, carrying out vast cargoes of English

exports; then picture to yourself the railway terminus, alive with all

the consequent bustle, the steam up, and the railway carriages ready to

convey all these articles of commerce to every town and district in the

North American Colonies; away also to the far west, whence they would be

forwarded to our colonial possessions in the Southern Pacific, and to

numerous other places; then again, behold these ships reloading quickly

with the timber and other exportable articles from our then

firmly-linked-together valuable Colonies, sailing away for England, and

repeating their visit two or three times in the season; the difficult

navigation of the Hudson's Bay avoided; the territory of the Hudson's

Bay Company daily increasing in value, from the ease with which its

inhabitants could procure articles of commerce, before almost forbidden

to them; and Quebec, being their nearest port for embarkation for

England, would necessarily become even a much more important city than

she is at present. The land in her neighbourhood would become highly

valuable, and, as a matter of necessity, the fine country to the north,

with even better soil and better climate, would soon be opened and

peopled. I cannot cease referring to Quebec without recording my

gratitude for many kindnesses there received--particularly from the

family of Captain Boxer.[see Note 55] Then again, look to New Brunswick,

connected as it would of course be both with Halifax and Quebec, thus,

having a free and direct communication with those cities, and enabled to

export or import at any season of the year, (should she wish to avoid

the navigation of the Bay of Fundy); then think what strength she would

bring to the union of the Colonies by such a link of connection, and how

many more opportunities her inhabitants would have of encouraging and

fostering that strong attachment to their English brethren we all so

well know to exist amongst the people of New Brunswick.

But, my dear friend, I might go on this way for ever, pointing out town

after town, and district after district, showing how the wealth and

prosperity of each would go on rapidly increasing. I cannot, however,

quit the subject without a passing word on Montreal, in which city I

have passed many happy days, and from whose inhabitants I have received

much kindness and civility. That noble city has already made some

steady advances to a great capital, and the time cannot be far distant

when she will rival even the most flourishing on the North American

Continent. To her this proposed Railway would be highly important. She

has shown that she already understands the value of such things; for not

only has she a small one of her own to La-Chine, about seven miles up

the river, but she has also, I understand, finished about thirty miles

towards the Atlantic in the direction of Portland. The interest of these

Companies would not of course be lost sight of, but their profits taken

into the general calculation. The great Trunk Line of Railway would

naturally, I conclude, go through a country some distance to the north

of Montreal; but one of the most important termini must of necessity be

at that city where the business of the Government is carried on, and

where of course a general Railway Communication with every town and

district would be established. Toronto would naturally be considered in

the manner in which so loyal and devoted a city ought to be, and where

was held, even to a very late period, the parliament of a great country,

surrendered only to her sister Montreal on public considerations and for

the general good;[see Note 62] and the Main Line of Railway should be

brought as near Toronto as the communication between the Atlantic and

Pacific (its great object and principal view) would permit. Hamilton,

Kingston, Byetown and several other places must not consider themselves

neglected, if not herein specially mentioned; but in fact as regards

these Colonies, the song of your friend, the Clockmaker, about them

cannot be sung too often. "Oh Squire! if John Bull only knew the value

of these Colonies, he would be a great man, I tell you,--but he don't."

Truly do I hope that I may now sing to them with confidence,--

"There's a good time coming yet,

Wait a little longer."

In your conversation with the Clockmaker you have observed, "it is

painful to think of the blunders that have been committed from time to

time in the management of our Colonies, and of the gross ignorance or

utter disregard of their interests that has been displayed in treaties

with foreign powers. Fortunately for the Mother Country, the Colonists

are warmly attached to her and her institutions, and deplore a

separation too much to agitate questions, however important, that may

have a tendency to weaken their affections by arousing their passions."

Should the Government of Great Britain, upon whose consideration will be

forced the present situation of her Colonies, consider it right to give

their support to this proposed Atlantic and Pacific Railway for the

reasons herein explained, or from any other cause,--the great benefit

that Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Canadas will derive from having

open to them a free and easy access to the Atlantic and the Pacific,

will, I trust, occasion such an activity of mind and such an employment

of matter, that in the general good arising therefrom, all thoughts of

former ill treatment or unkindness from the Mother Country will soon be

forgotten.

The great question, however, is, and will be on all sides, Where is the

money to come from?[see Note 56] and that question I am weak enough to

fancy is easily answered. Let us consider this subject a little. Let us

remember, first, that England expended 630 millions during nineteen

years in war, and, notwithstanding which expenditure, the country got

richer and richer every day;[see Note 14] and if the country is not

poorer now than it was in the years when it was able to raise the sum of

150 millions in a single year--the greater part of which it could afford

to expend in one year in war, and grow richer all the time--surely such

a country can afford to expend some few millions for the benefit of

those colonies on account of whom she was lately ready to go to war, and

on whose account she did actually expend about two millions, caused

merely by the rebellion and disturbance of a few discontented spirits.

But the money that England would be called upon to advance in the

proposed undertaking would secure to her not only the attachment of her

children in the North American provinces, by making it as well their

worldly interest, as it is their natural feeling and wish, to remain

Englishmen; but that money, and the interest of that money, could be

secured to her by proper arrangements being entered into with the

Hudson's Bay Company, and with the North American provinces, and be

ultimately reimbursed to her by the formation of the proposed Company.

Up to the present moment England has, I believe, only expended the

sum of L148,000,000 on her Railways, and, I believe, nearly 5000 miles

are finished; and on an average these Railways are said to give a return

of about four per cent., and "with the increase of the national

wealth and population, and with the increase of habits of social

inter-communication and the transit of goods, the traffic on Railways

would increase, and the profits and dividends would not be less but

greater; and in the case of some of them, no man would pretend to say

how great might be the increase of dividends from the improved and

economical modes of working Railways, which, there is every reason to

believe, will day by day be freshly discovered." [_Bradshaw's Almanack,

1849_]. And who will say that L200,000,000 expended (even should such a

sum as that be required) in making a Railway Road from the Atlantic to

the Pacific through our own territories, and therefore completely under

our own controul, would not increase by a tenfold degree the value of

that property already expended in England? When the Railways now in

contemplation at home are finished, their total length will, I believe,

be about 10,000 miles, and the expenditure between 200 and 240 millions.

The length of the Railway proposed to go through our colonies may be

spoken of roughly as at about 4000 miles; but when we take into

consideration the relative value of land in England and our colonies,

and a thousand other Railway contingencies in a highly civilized

country, creating enormous legal, legislative and other expenses, we

naturally come to the conclusion that the outlay per mile must of course

be considerably diminished in the colonies. Taking it, however, at the

English expenditure of L24,000 a mile on the average, it would only cost

L96,000,000;[see Note 32]--L5,000,000 has been estimated as sufficient

for six hundred miles of Railway from Halifax to Quebec. But calling it

L100,000,000, and supposing the work to be five years completing, that

would only be at the rate of L20,000,000 a year, the interest of which

at five per cent. would be L1,000,000. Surely, then, such a sum as that

could be easily raised, even by the Hudson's Bay Company alone, upon the

security of their extensive and valuable territory. For so great a

difference would soon arise between the value of that territory as it

is now--merely the abode of Indians and hunters--and what it would be

then; with its clearings, its improvements, its roads, its trade, its

manufactures, and its towns, that any amount of debt almost might be

incurred. But our loyal colonies would no doubt equally enter into

securities to England, and be glad, in fact, to share their chance of

the profit; for these colonies, as well as the Hudson's Bay Company,

would be immense gainers. Still it may be argued, that unless it can be

shown that England herself would be a gainer, she would not be justified

in advancing any money on such an undertaking. Let us, then, consider

this point a little. Mr. Cobden has asserted (what some of our public

journals confess to be true), "that if the revenue had fallen off, it

was because the balance sheet of the merchants and the manufacturers had

fallen off likewise." If then we show by the undertaking of such a

work as is now proposed, the balance sheets of the merchants and

manufacturers must increase immensely, we surely make out a case for

the good of the country generally, as far as revenue is concerned.

Let us then first consider, that "So interwoven and complicated are the

fibres which form the texture of the highly civilized and artificial

community in which we live, that an effect produced on any one point is

instantly transmitted to the most remote and apparently unconnected

parts of the system." And again--"The exportation of labourers and

capital from the old to the new countries, from a place where their

productive power is less to a place where it is greater, increases by

so much the aggregate produce of the labour and capital of the world."

Now, with regard to the first remark, the effect that would be produced

by the necessary exportation of all the machinery for the making and

working of this Atlantic and Pacific Railway, would of course produce,

even in England, a very great increase both to the productive power and

to the consumption of a variety of articles apparently unconnected with

the affairs of the Railway; and when, again, we look to the necessary

exportation of labourers and of capital to the towns on the Line of the

Railway where there is less productive power at work, by increasing that

dormant power we shall increase the aggregate capital of the world, and

consequently that of England. Again--"Could we suddenly double the

productive power of the country, we should double the supply of the

commodities in every market, but we should by the same stroke double

the purchasing power--every body would bring a double demand as well as

supply--every body would be able to buy twice as much, as he would have

twice as much to offer in exchange." Also--"A country which produces for

a larger market than its own, can introduce a more extended division of

labour--can make a greater use of machinery, and is more likely to

make inventions and improvements in the progress of production."

Again--"Whatever causes a greater quantity of any thing to be produced

in the same place, tends to the general increase of the productive

powers of the world." Now it surely will not be denied, that the

undertaking of this National Railway would cause in England a greater

quantity of machinery to be made and exported to the North American

provinces, thus producing for it a larger market than the home, and

causing a greater quantity to be made--thus a general increase of the

productive powers of the world must be produced; and as "wealth may be

defined as all useful or agreeable things which possess exchangeable

value," it necessarily follows that the immense increase that would

be given to the productive powers of England, to those of her North

American provinces, and of the Hudson's Bay territory, by an undertaking

on such an extensive scale, if it did not completely, would nearly

double these powers; and as whoever brings additional commodities to

market brings additional power to purchase, it follows that the

inhabitants of our North American provinces, and of the Hudson's Bay

territory, would be enabled to take nearly twice the quantity of our

manufactured goods.

Lord Stanley, in moving an amendment to the Address from the Throne,

says: "the exports of the six principal articles of British industry,

cotton, wool, linen, silk, hardware and earthenware, exhibit a

diminution as compared with 1847, of no less than four millions, and as

compared with 1846, of five millions;" such being the case, it becomes

highly important to consider the cause of this falling off, with a view

to a remedy, and some great measures must be adopted towards our own

colonies that will enable them to receive a greater quantity of

manufactured goods from the mother country,--and this great Railway is

suggested as one that would increase the productive power and population

of our North American colonies, and a consequent increasing necessity

for hardware and earthenware, to say nothing even of the other articles

of British industry, or of the facility of communicating with our other

Colonies.

These few remarks will suffice to show that the balance sheets of the

merchants, and consequently of the revenue of England, as well as the

capital of individuals, must increase immensely during the construction

of and at the completion of the proposed undertaking. Mr. Montgomery

Martin has stated that "Railways are the very grandest organization of

labour and capital that the world has ever seen:" that "the capital

actually invested in Railways advanced from L65,000,000 in 1843 to

L167,000,000 in 1848--no less than L100,000,000 in five years." And

why should we not look forward to an equal--aye--and to a much larger

investment--on such a magnificent Line of Railway? joining, as it would,

all the northern dominions of the old world--crossing, as it would, the

northern territories of the new, and making an easy opening to the rich

and thriving world that may be considered of the present day. For "the

word has been given, an active and enterprising population will be

poured in, every element of progress will be cultivated, and the

productive countries on the shores of the Pacific, heretofore isolated,

will be brought into active and profitable intercourse. It may truly be

said that a new world has been opened.

"Our fathers watched the progress of America, we ourselves have seen

that of Australia, but the opening of the Pacific is one of the greatest

events in social history since, in the fifteenth century, the East

Indies were made known to Europe; for we have not, as in America or

Australia, to await the slow growth of European settlements, but to

witness at once the energetic action of countries already in a high

state of advancement. The Eastern and the Western shores of the great

Ocean will now be brought together as those of the Atlantic are,

and will minister to each other's wants. A happy coincidence of

circumstances has prepared the way for these results. Everything was

ready, the word only was wanted to begin, and it has been given.

"The outflowings of Chinese emigrants and produce, which have gone

towards the East, will now move to the West; the commercial enterprise

of Australia and New Zealand has acquired a new field of exercise and

encouragement; the markets which Chili and Peru have found in Europe

only, will be opened nearer to their doors; the north-west shore of

America will obtain all the personal and material means of organization;

the Islands of the Pacific will take the place in the career of

civilization for which the labours of the missionary have prepared them;

and even Japan will not be able to withhold itself from the community of

nations.

"This is worth more to our merchants and manufacturers, and to the

people employed by them, than even the gold mines can be; for this is

the statement of certain results, and the working of the gold mines,

however productive they may prove, must be attended with all the

incidents of irregularity and uncertainty, and great commercial

disadvantages."--(_Wyld's Geographical Notes._)

Surely then there would be no difficulty with Parliament to encourage

and facilitate the formation of an Atlantic and Pacific Railway Company,

by obtaining its sanction to the loan of L150,000,000 in such sums as

might be required (to be issued under the sanction of a board appointed

for that special purpose), particularly when it is recollected that the

expense of the greater part of her own convicts could be provided for by

that advance.

It will easily be seen that it would be impossible to complete this

Atlantic and Pacific Railway, without at the same time giving great

encouragement to the emigration of labour; and this "is only practicable

when its cost is defrayed _or at least advanced by others_, than the

labourers themselves. Who then is to advance it? Naturally it may be

said, the capitalists of the colony, who require the labour, and who

intend to profit by it. But to this there is the obstacle, that a

capitalist, after going to the expense of carrying out labourers, has no

security that he shall be the person to derive any benefit from them."

To those who would object to Government interference in a case like the

present, we can only say, in the words of Mr. Mill, that "the question

of Government intervention in the work of colonization involves the

future and permanent interests of civilization itself, and far

outstretches the comparatively narrow limits of purely economical

considerations; but, even with a view to these considerations alone, the

removal of population from the overcrowded to the unoccupied parts of

the earth's surface, is one of those works of eminent social usefulness

which most require, and which at the same time will best repay, the

intervention of Government." "No individual or body of individuals

_could_ reimburse themselves for these expenses." Government, on the

contrary, _could_ take from the increasing wealth _caused by the

construction of this Railway and consequent great emigration, the

fraction which would suffice to repay with interest the money advanced_.

These remarks apply equally to the governments of the North American

provinces as to those of the Hudson's Bay Company and Great Britain.[see

Note 57]

Let us now personify our Atlantic and Pacific Railway, and endeavour

more immediately to apply some of the reasoning as regards colonization

to the money part of the question as regards the Railway. As regards

colonization the question--Who is to advance the money? has, I think,

been very clearly answered by Mr. Mill. As regards the undertaking of

this Railway, and the answer to the question, Where is the money to come

from? let us first suppose then that "there is an increase of the

quantity of money, caused by the arrival of a foreigner in a place with

a treasure of gold and silver; when he commences expending it, he adds

to the supply of money and by the same act to the demand for goods. If

he expends his funds in establishing a manufactory, he will raise the

price of labour and materials; but, at the higher prices, more money

will pass into the hands of the sellers of these different articles; and

they, whether labourers or dealers, having more money to lay out, will

create an increased demand for all things which they are accustomed to

purchase, and these accordingly will rise in price, and so on, until the

rise has reached every thing." Now let us for a moment suppose this

foreigner to be represented by our friend the Atlantic and Pacific

Railway, (imagined, for the sake of our argument, to be completed),

and we will no longer consider him a foreigner, but a brother. This

brother, on his arrival in England finds that he has unfortunately

forgotten to bring with him his purse, that in fact he has neither gold

nor silver, the representatives of wealth, and here, be it remembered,

that wealth is any thing useful or agreeable, and that money is a

commodity. We will then suppose this North American brother to say, My

good brother of England, I am here without gold or silver, or without

any kind of wealth; the commodities I have left behind me are of such a

nature, that without much labour I could not put them in such a shape as

would enable me to bring them to this country, nor could I obtain silver

or gold enough to represent them; unless, therefore, I send some

labouring people and machinery to my country, I am afraid I cannot

obtain all the commodities I wish to have. Now you have plenty of spare

labourers, and plenty of spare machinery and other useful materials, and

for which you would be glad to receive valuable commodities in my

country; and if you will only send the labourers and machinery out, I

will order that in return you shall be allowed to bring away all the

useful and agreeable things, that is, all the wealth that may be found,

and have the use of such things as you may prefer to keep in my country.

Now if you will make this agreement with me, I will return with you to

my native land, and will not only assist you to obtain all these

commodities, but I will engage also to pay you a certain annual income

out of my saving; and I will show you the short way to the most

extensive region of wealth ever known to any nation in the world; and

you can then travel that road, so that at no future period (at least

within the imagination of man) shall you ever again complain of too

great a population on your soil, or too small a market for your labour.

Then the good brother of England says to this Atlantic and Pacific

brother,--We believe all you say of your wealth, and we see the great

advantage it would be to us to partake of it, and to have the command of

the road you point out, but what security are we to have that when our

labourers and machinery are sent to your country they will be employed;

and if you have neither gold nor silver nor other commodities ready to

give us in exchange for the work and the articles, how are we to pay the

people to prepare the machinery, and all our other labourers, whose

wages would in England of course become higher, as they would be less in

number, and there would be a greater quantity of work to be done. The

brothers, in talking over this matter, discovered that "credit is

indispensable, for rendering the whole capital of the country

productive. It is also the means by which the industrial talent of the

country is turned to most account for purposes of production. Many a

person who has no capital of his own, or very little, but who has

qualifications for business, which are known and appreciated by some

person of capital, is enabled to obtain either advances of money, or

more frequently goods, on credit, by which his industrial capacities are

made instrumental in the increase of public wealth." The Pacific and

Atlantic brother observed,--This is exactly my case. Only give me

credit, and I will bind myself on my own personal security to give up

whatever portion of my annual income you may consider necessary; and I

will also secure the money advanced by you on my land, on the minerals

thereof, and in any other way that may be deemed necessary. My brother

of the Atlantic and Pacific Railway, says the Englishman, you have

nearly convinced me; we will immediately appoint friends to draw up all

the necessary agreements between us, that will enable me, if possible,

to advance you such labour and machinery as may be required; and we will

also proceed to appoint other friends, who shall take into

consideration, in the first place, the expense incurred from your birth

to a state of manhood, and the annual income that is derived from your

business and your property; and leaving you sufficient to maintain

yourself as a gentleman, we shall appropriate to ourselves whatever may

remain, as a reward for our exertions and the risk to be incurred, and

as a security for the interest of the money expended upon your account.

The brothers having thus agreed in a general way, proceed immediately to

appoint friends and to call upon their good old mother, Great Britain,

to advance the money required, and their North American relations, Nova

Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada, and Hudson's Bay, to come forward and

make a general family treaty for the security and payment of such

advances. The brothers were then congratulating themselves on what they

considered the success of their project, when it was whispered to them

that something of a similar plan had been proposed for their relation

Ireland, by one "whose loss is too great to be slighted, and too recent

not to be felt;" and it had been suggested that for every L100 expended

on Railways in that country, L200 should be lent by Government; upon

which occasion it had been observed by one who has greatly influenced,

whether for good or evil, will be hereafter known, the destinies of the

British Empire, that "the public credit of the State is one of the

elements of our financial strength, and that it was not possible to

appropriate a great portion of that public credit to the encouragement

of commercial enterprises, without, to the same extent, foregoing the

power to apply that public credit in another direction, in the event of

the national exigencies requiring you to do so." The brothers replied,

this is certainly true; but the proposed undertaking is not a commercial

enterprise, although no doubt it would produce great commercial and

colonizing results; but it is a grand national work,--a desideratum that

has been wished for, looked for, and cared for, ever since the new world

was discovered--that has repeatedly called forth great expenditure of

money, great suffering, and loss of life in searching for it, to the

north. It is, in short, the great high road between the Atlantic and

Pacific--the expense of making which you are called upon to consider.

As regards Ireland, another bold measure has been suggested for that

country; without giving any opinion upon it, I cannot help asking why we

should not be as bold in peace as we were in war. Must we wait until

"The news is, sir, the Voices are in arms;

_Then indeed_--we shall have means to vent

Our musty superfluity?"

"Without raising one shilling out of the Exchequer," says Lucius (see

_Morning Post, Jan. 31st_), "boldly apply the national credit to relieve

the national distress; at once authorize the Bank of Ireland, or a bank

to be created for that purpose, to issue twenty or thirty millions in

aid of the landed proprietors; secondly, for the judicious encouragement

of emigration, transplant those who cannot earn a subsistence at home to

a comfortable settlement in our colonies, and to promote such mercantile

or other undertakings, let the notes issued be made legal tenders for

all payments whatever, and let the entire soil of Ireland be pledged for

their ultimate security." Far be it from me to give any opinion on what

is best to be done for Ireland, but certain I feel that what is here

proposed and suggested regarding an Atlantic and Pacific Railway could

not interfere with any plan Government might think right to adopt for

the regeneration of Ireland, unless indeed by greatly facilitating all

emigration plans and permanent employment.

But, independently of all this money question, "there is the strongest

obligation on the government of a country like our own, with a crowded

population and unoccupied continents under its command, to build as

it were and keep open a bridge from the mother country to those

continents." Let us reflect that "the economical advantages of commerce

are surpassed in importance by those of its effects, which are

intellectual and moral. It is hardly possible to overrate the value, for

the improvement of human beings, of things which bring them in contact

with persons dissimilar to themselves, and with modes of thought and

action unlike those with which they are familiar. Commerce is now

what war once was--the principal source of this contact. Commercial

adventurers from more advanced countries have generally been the first

civilizers of barbarians, and commerce is the purpose of the far greater

part of the communication which takes place between civilized nations.

It is commerce which is rapidly rendering war obsolete, by strengthening

and multiplying the personal interest which is in natural opposition to

it."--(_Mill, Polit. Econ._) In whatever point of view, therefore, we

regard this subject--whether as one of duty by providing the means of

healthy and legitimate employment to our numerous artificers and

labourers now in a state of destitution--a domestic calamity likely to

be often inflicted upon us--unless new fields, easy of access, are made

permanently open to our continually increasing population--and "it would

be difficult to show that it is not as much the duty of rulers to

provide, as far as they can, for the removal of a domestic calamity, as

it is to guard the people entrusted to their care from foreign

outrage"--will they "slumber till some great emergency, some dreadful

economic or other crisis, reveals the capacities of evil which the

volcanic depths of our society may now hide under but a deep crust?"--or

whether we view it as a means of assisting any general system in the

penal code--or whether we view it as a point of individual or government

interest, by turning all that extra-productive power, now idle, in the

direction of our own colonies, and thus connecting and attaching them

more strongly to the mother country--increasing their wealth, their

power and our own:--or whether we consider it in a moral and religious

point of view, as affording greater and quicker facilities for the

spread of education and the Gospel of Christ[see Note 58]--or whether we

look upon it as an instrument for the increase of commerce, and (as an

important consequence) the necessarily directing men's minds, with the

bright beams of hope from their own individual and immediate distress,

as well as from the general excitement and democratic feeling and spirit

of contention showing itself amongst many nations (an object greatly to

be desired) for--

"The times are wild....

....Every minute now

_May_ be the father of some stratagem;"

--or whether we look at it in a political point of view, as keeping

open to us at all times, without the necessity of interference with

other nations or of war, a great high road to most of our colonial

possessions, and particularly to India--viewing it then in any one of

these points, who can doubt for a moment the beneficial results that

must attend such an undertaking. But when all these considerations are

taken together, we must repeat what we said in a former page, that it

is a grand and a noble undertaking, and that it must be accomplished by

Great Britain and her colonies.

Let us reflect, lastly, my dear friend, that "the world now contains

several extensive regions, provided with various ingredients of wealth,

in a degree of abundance of which former ages had not even an idea."

Your native land, and the other North American provinces, have, even by

their own exertions, made rapid advances in wealth, accompanied by moral

and intellectual attainments, and can look forward at no very distant

period (if even left to their own exertions) to be enabled to take a

very prominent position in the affairs of the world. But the Hudson's

Bay Company's territory is still nearly in its primitive state, and much

indeed is to be expected from its advancement, when it shall have taken

its proper station in the general trade and commerce of mankind; the

position of Vancouver's Island is such that there is little reason to

doubt its wealth and consequence will place it high in the scale of

England's offspring.[see Note 59]

But, my dear friend, unless your mind has become as fully impressed as

my own with the vast importance of this great Railway undertaking, I

shall only tire you the more and detain you to no purpose by dwelling

longer on the subject; and indeed even should your mind be satisfied

with the importance of the work, it may yet conceive it to be of an

impracticable nature. "Who (I have been asked) in the living generation

would be reimbursed for the outlay? and without that, who will undertake

a national work, however grand or remunerative to future ages?" To this

I answer fearlessly, that thousands of human beings of the present

generation would benefit by the outlay; that the employment would be a

quite sufficiently lucrative one and visibly so, as to induce the

English capitalist to come forward and undertake the formation of a

Company; for even at this moment Railways are in contemplation,[see

Note 40] if not actually commenced, from Halifax to Quebec and from New

Brunswick to Halifax; and how much more would these Lines be paying

Lines when they had also an opening to the Pacific! But no individual

nor combination of individuals could have sufficient influence with, or,

if they had the influence, could have the necessary power to induce, the

Hudson's Bay Company to open its territories, and to enter into all the

arrangements and all the agreements that would be necessary to be made

with that Company, with England, and with the North American Colonies,

before a work affecting the interests of so many could be commenced.

It is necessary then that Government should take the initiative, and it

is not uncommon for her so to do in all great national works, such as

roads, surveys, expeditions either for the objects of science or

commerce; such as those sent to discover the north-west passage, upon

which thousands have been spent,[see Note 44] and on account of which,

at this very moment, England has to deplore, in all probability, the

loss of many a noble son, whose relatives have been for so long a time

kept in all the agony of suspense. Upon no other description of work

would Great Britain be required to advance a single penny; but the very

fact of her undertaking what may be considered legitimate expenses of a

government, the survey and marking out the whole Line, the entering into

treaties with her Colonies and the Hudson's Bay Company for the general

security of the money, and for the interest for a certain number of

years of the capital of the Company, would give such a confidence to the

public mind, that a very short time would bring into full operation in

that direction, sufficient of the power and wealth of England to

accomplish the work; and when accomplished, Government would still hold

a lien upon it until she was reimbursed every penny. And, let me ask,

are there not a thousand expenditures that have been undertaken by

Government for which no reimbursement has ever taken place; and are not

individuals every day risking their capital and their accumulation of

savings, in speculations in foreign lands,[see Note 61] when the result

of those past connections have been such as to lead the Minister of

Foreign Affairs, even in his place in the House of Commons, to hold out

as it were a threat to the whole world, if England's children did not

receive their due. Surely it would be more prudent, more politically

wise, and more economical, for Government to encourage the expenditure

of our own capital in our own Colonies.

Sitting in his arm chair, in his office in London, the Minister of Great

Britain can now convey his thoughts, his wishes, his commands, in a few

moments to every part of England and Scotland, and will soon be enabled

to do so to Ireland.[see Note 66] He can send the soldiers, horse and

foot, as well as the artillery of Great Britain, flying through the land

at almost any rate he wishes. And all heavy stores and goods of the

merchants can be easily forwarded at about twopence, and even, I

believe, a penny a mile per ton, and at about twenty miles an hour; and

a penny a letter now enables every individual in England to communicate,

at almost every hour, with his distant friends and relations; the post

office itself travelling at a rate and with an ease little to be

comprehended by those who have not witnessed it. The result of such

immense wealth and such enormous power is more than is required for

England, and would necessarily carry with it its own destruction, was

not her empire one which encircles the world.

Let the minister then who guides and directs the wealth and power above

described, and in whose hands the destinies and happiness of thousands

are placed, picture to himself the encouragement that would be given to

British industry and British enterprize, if, at ten days distance from

her shores, a port was established from which he would be enabled to

send across the Continent of America his thoughts, his wishes, and his

commands, with the same speed at which they now travel throughout

England; and if these thoughts, wishes and commands would reach every

one of our own Colonies in the Pacific in about fifteen days after

leaving the western shore of North America; and if from the same port

(ten days distance from England) could also be despatched the troops of

Great Britain, if unfortunately necessary, travelling at the rate before

described; if heavy stores and merchants' goods could also be enabled to

cross the Continent of America, at the same price and at the same speed

as they now travel in England; if the post office system could also be

introduced, and if letters at a penny each might pass between relation

and relation, between friend and friend from England to her most distant

Colonies--if her children gone forth to colonize could then either

return or communicate their every wish to England in less than a month;

and reclining in his own arm chair, reflecting as he ought to do and

must do upon the power and wealth of England, let him not say that all

here described is not easily within her reach. Let him rather consider

the subject with a view to become the Leader of the Country in such a

noble work. If it is a bold work, let him remember that fortune favours

the brave.--"Si secuta fuerit, quod debet Fortuna, gaudebimus omnes, sin

minus, ego tamen gaudebo."

And now, my dear friend, whose patience I have so long taxed, it is time

that we should part--

"Whether we shall meet again I know not;

If we do meet again--why we shall smile.

If not, for ever and for ever farewell."

Believe me,

Ever your's,

Sincerely and faithfully attached,