In 1851 to the value of £1,718,992 17 2 In 1850 1,355,108 6 4" These imports from the United States are not composed either exclusively or mainly of produce of that country. A portion of them are foreign products, such as sugar, tea, &c.; and the rule is to enter them as belonging to the country where they are purchased, unless they are sent under bond. The want of an independent route to the Canadian provinces, and the necessity for their imports being made to pay a toll to the United States, have been a serious hindrance, not only to the growth of this portion of our colonies, but to the prosperity of the British and North American shipowners. Unfortunately our colonists have been behind the citizens of the United States in laying out and perfecting railways and canals, to enable them to overcome the difficulties which the climate offers to the navigation of the St Lawrence. They possessed a Welland. route for their products through the United States. They had provided very superior accommodation for the traffic via the St Lawrence through the great lakes; but there were wanting facilities by railway and canal for carrying on their growing internal traffic, and these have only been in course of being supplied within the past few years. The capability of the country, when perfect means of accommodating its traffic shall have been completed, may be estimated by the following returns of the receipts on the canals in connection with the great lakes:— CANAL TOLLS. Gross receipts. 1848, £38,214 1 3 46,192 8 3 1849, 1850, 1851, Nett receipts. £30,259 1 9 39,479 13 8 1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, Tons. With respect to these canals, which are so remarkably promoting the trade of Canada, we may explain that the Welland and St Lawrence complete a continuous inland navigation to Chicago on Lake Michigan, a distance of 1587 miles from tide-water at Quebec. Properly constructed vessels, conveying 4000 barrels of flour, or from 350 to 400 tons of freight, can pass through them. They possess an advantage over the United States' route, by the Erie Canal to New York-the great rival route from the West-inasmuch as the latter is not capable of transporting vessels of more than 75 tons burthen. The Chambly Canal connects Lake Champlain with the river Richelieu, which enters the St Lawrence at Sorel. This canal has of late had to contend against the competition of a neighbouring railway. The enterprise of her population, 109,0402 110,726" however, has prepared the way for a vastly increased prosperity for Canada, and for the western province especially. The great grain-growing country of this province, so far at least as it is at present cultivatedfor it is almost without limit-extends along the banks of the St Lawrence, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie, to the town of Windsor, opposite Detroit, in the State of Michigan, U.S., and within a short distance of the confluence of lakes Erie and Huron, with a vast expanse of country to the westward. A powerful company-the Great Western Railway Company of Canadahave formed a line from Montreal to Windsor, passing through the important towns of Kingston, Hamilton, and Toronto, with a branch line to Lakes Simcoe and Huron, and an intended continuation to Quebec. Of this line, 228 miles are now open, con structed at an expense of about £10,000 per mile, with a single line of rails-the large works, however, being formed for a double line; and the receipts since its opening show a traffic not only most remunerative to the shareholders, but promising results calculated to promote the prosperity of the colony. It was first open throughout in January last; and in the week ending the 20th, the receipts were £3000. On the 27th they were £2366; and it must be remarked that winter will always tell considerably upon the traffic of Canadian railways. In March the receipts reached £5130 per week, and they have fluctuated from about this amount to about £4500 down to May last. The Great Western Railway must therefore pay an excellent per-centage upon the capital invested in its construction, were it even dependent upon its local traffic. It is not so, however, as it forms an important link in the chain of communication between the St Lawrence, the New England States of the American Republic, the great grain-producing States of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, south of the lakes, and the rich mineral districts of Upper Canada in the north. A still more important accession to it, and one which must give a vast impulse to the prosperity of the whole of British America, will shortly be furnished by the carrying out of the magnificent scheme of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. This scheme, which may with complete propriety be regarded as a national one, has its eastern terminus on the Atlantic at Portland, in the State of Maine, to and from which in the winter months, when the navigation of the St Lawrence is closed, a line of powerful steamers has been established from the port of Liverpool, with which, very shortly, Canada will have a weekly communication. At the town of Richmond, about half-way between Quebec and Montreal on the east side of the St Lawrence, and in Canadian territory, a line is intended, -although not for the present in course of construction—to branch off to Quebec, and to run along the bank of the river to Trois Pistoles, where it will ultimately be joined by other lines through New Brunswick to St John's, [July, other line, and what may be consi- The tourist, or the tion of the province, inhabited by communities essentially British in habits and pursuits. Well-stocked farms, upon which the log-hut has given place to the substantial brick or stone dwelling, diversify the landscape on every side; and what may appear strange at first to the European observer, the occupants in almost every case are privileged to call the soil which they till their own. Amongst the yeomanry of Upper Canada there are thousands who went originally into the woods with little beyond their axe and a few months' provisions, and are now the comfortable possessors of ample incomes, owners of a few hundred acres of the finest land in the world, and of a thousand or a couple of thousand pounds in money, wherewith to meet any emergency, or to push forward any enterprise. This population are universally reaping a rich reward for their past struggles, and temporary sacrifices of what, in an old country, are regarded as the comforts of life. The value of land is increasing rapidly, as new communications are formed with the markets for its produce. Civilisation, educational and religious institutions, are being brought into every district as rapidly as it is cleared for the cultivator; and what is a most desirable feature in a new country, every such district affords sources of profitable employment for the industry of its population of every class and sex by their own hearths. This is a leading feature in the condition both of Upper and Lower Canada, but especially of the lower province. We find every available opportunity of employing the vast water-power of the country for useful purposes promptly seized. Grist-mills offer themselves upon every stream and canal, to enable the cultivator to convert his grain into the more marketable commodity of flour. Fullingmills assist him in the conversion of his wool into cloth, manufactured by his own spinning-wheel and loom. Asheries enable the woodman to prepare his refuse timber into a valuable commodity; and tanneries, founderies, and other similar works, are readily accessible throughout both provinces. The religious statistics of the country are especially evidence of an advanced state of society. Upper Canada has 1559 churches for 952,004 adherents. Of these churches 226 belong to the Church of England, 135 are Roman Catholic, 471 Methodist, and 148 Presbyterians, the remainder belonging to other denominations. There is thus in the province one place of worship to every 612 inhabitants, and it is estimated that there is accommodation for 470,000 persons. In Lower Canada there are 610 churches for 890,261 adherents746,866 being Roman Catholics. There is in the province one place of worship for every 1459 inhabitants. Upper Canada, moreover, can now boast of a number of thriving towns, which are progressing in population and commerce at an unexampled rate, and must increasingly progress as the result of the completion of the railway facilities which are being provided. The following table gives the value of the imports from all parts of a few of these towns during a period of four years: quences must result therefrom to Great Britain herself, and especially to her shipowners. We have at present going on from this country, and from Europe, via British ports, an emigration which takes off upwards of a thousand persons per day to people the soil of the United States and British America, yet of this vast number a mere fraction only proceed direct in British ships to British American ports. We have shown above that a large portion of our shipping enters those ports in ballast, thus enhancing the cost of their homeward cargoes of timber, bread-stuffs, and other produce. By-and-by the advantages afforded by the St Lawrence route, not only to Canada, but also to the western territory of the United States, will become more extensively appreciated; and the British and colonial shipowner will be enabled to compete successfully in a trade from which the Americans, during the past ten years, have been profiting extensively, and almost exclusively. The diversion of the passenger-carrying traffic to British American ports will at the same time exercise an important influence in improving the model and build of our colonial ships. A considerable improvement has been effected in this direction within the past few years, and especially since emigration has increased so rapidly to the gold districts of Australia. The builders in the ports of St John, N.B., and Quebec have of late been producing ships whose perform ances at sea have not been surpassed by those either of the mother country or of the United States, which pride themselves upon the qualities of their clipper vessels. Some of the fastest vessels in our Australian merchant fleet are of colonial build; and this branch of industry promises to become one in which a far greater amount of labour and capital will be employed, than was the case when the colonial builders studied only to secure great carrying capacity at the lowest possible cost of construction. We must, however, withdraw our observation now from Upper Canada, and direct it to what are commonly called the Lower Provinces of British America, the recent development of which has been very rapid, and which afford most profitable fields for the ex ercise of British enterprise and energy. And in noticing these we shall glance first at the province of New Brunswick. With respect to this province, the following remarks are contained in a Report recently made by a Railway Commission to the British Legislature: "Of the climate, soil, and capabilities of New Brunswick, it is impossible to speak too highly. There is not a country in the world so beautifully wooded and watered. An inspection of the map will show that there is scarcely a section of it without its streams, from the running brook to the navigable river. Two-thirds of its boundary are washed by the sea; the remainder is embraced by the large rivers, the St John and the Restigouche. The beauty and richness of scenery of this latter river and its branches are rarely surpassed by anything on this continent. "The lakes of New Brunswick are numerous and most beautiful; the surface is undulating-hill and dale, varying up to mountain and valley. It is everywhere, except a few peaks of the highest mountains, covered with a dense forest of the finest growth. The country can everywhere be penetrated by its streams. In some parts of the interior, by a portage of three or four miles only, a canoe can float away either to the Bay of Chaleur or the Gulf of St Lawrence, or down to St John's and the Bay of Fundy. Its agricultural capabilities and climate are described by Bouchette, Martin, and other authors. The country is by them-and most deservedly so-highly praised. For any great plan of emigration or colonisation there is not another British colony which pre sents such a favourable field for trial as New Brunswick. On the surface is an abundant stock of the finest timber, which, in the markets of England, realises large sums annually, and affords an unlimited supply of fuel to the settler. If the forests should ever become exhausted, there are the coal-fields underneath." The growth of the province in cultivation and population, although it falls much short of that of Upper Canada, has been very rapid for a country whose soil has to be cleared by the axe. In 1840, the quantity of land improved and under cultivation In 1851, the was 426,611 acres. quantity was 643,954 acres, showing an increase of 50 per cent. The population, in 1834, was 119,477; in 1840, 156,162; and in 1851, 193,800, although a portion of territory, con taining, in 1840, 2162 souls' had been ceded to the United States by the Ashburton Treaty. These figures, however, form a very imperfect basis for estimating the probable future growth of the province. The extension of the railway system to New Brunswick is only a question of time; and when this is done, the route both to Upper and Lower Canada by the port of St John in the Bay of Fundy must become a favourite one. The harbour of St John's is described as spacious, with sufficient depth of water for vessels of the largest class, with a tide-fall of from twenty-one to twenty-five feet, which effectually prevents its being frozen over or impeded by ice during the winter. When connected by railway with the Canadian and United States lines, and with the navigation of the great lakes, we shall see a much larger amount of tonnage entering New Brunswick direct from British ports, with cargo, than at present; and the 100,000 tons, valued at 600,000 dollars. 20,000,000 5,000,000 15,000 m., 5,000,000 pieces, Total value, The total imports of New Brunswick were, in 1849, 3,467,835 dollars, and in 1850, 4,077,655 dollars. Of these amounts the colony took from Great Britain direct, in 1849, 1,507,340 dollars, and in 1850, 1,988,195 dollars. The exports were, to all countries, in 1849, 3,007,310, and in 1850, 3,290,090 dollars. To the amount of exports, however, we have to add the value of the ships built in the colony, and sold principally in Great Britain. This branch of business is largely increasing in the province, the St John's builders, especially, having recently furnished us with some of our finest clipper ships, and now possessing a deservedly high reputation. More attention is being paid to the finish of their productions than formerly; whilst the excellent timber which they ... 70,000 300,000 1,945,000 dollars. possess enables them to secure superior Total, 87 ships, 34,350 tons. Being an average of nearly 400 tons to each vessel. There is no portion of our North American colonies, as we have already stated, which affords a finer field for the British emigrant than New Brunswick, unless, perhaps, we except the valley of the river Ottawa in Lower Canada. To the sturdy labourer, not possessed of capital, it offers a home and an independent settlement as a landholder in return A species of larch much valued for ship-building both in the colonies and the United States. Ships built of this wood rate first-class for seven years, whilst those built of spruce or pine are only first-class for four years. |
