78 



BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 



nundred tons' burden, without breaking bulk, from 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence or the harbor of New York 

 to Chicago or Superior. At present the Superior canal 

 is alone sufficient, as the Welland can only pass a 

 vessel of 400 tons, and the St. Lawrence canals can 

 pass a vessel of only 300 tons. The New York canals 

 are of less capacity. 



In this connection the report brings forward numer- 

 ous figures showing the trade between Chicago and 

 the lake country on the one hand, and the East and 

 Europe on the other; and finally adds that expe- 

 rience has proved that freight charges from Chicago 

 often cover seven-eighths of the value of a bushel of 

 corn, and more than half the value of wheat at Liver- 

 pool. It is believed that the enlargement of the 

 Welland and St. Lawrence canals would reduce the 

 cost of grain transportation between the two points 

 fully one-half. 



The International Railway project is also discussed, 

 though but briefly. Mr. Taylor believes that a St. 

 Lawrence and Pacific road, even if aided by liberal 

 allotments of land along its line, will require at this 

 time a Government subsidy of at least $100,000,000 ; 

 and he does not anticipate that England would as- 

 sume any material portion of such an obligation j 

 while the Province, even if confederated on the plan 

 somewhat agitated within the last two years, would 

 be utterly unable to undertake such a work during 

 this century. 



This abstract brings the report down to the " politi- 

 cal views," upon which the Secretary does not now 

 express an opinion. They are summed up in a sin- 

 gle sentence, as follows: "I cannot resist," says 

 Mr. Taylor, "the conclusion that events have pre- 

 sented to the people and Government of the United 

 States the opportunity let me rather say, have de- 

 volved the duty of interposing by an overture to 

 the people of the English colonies on this continent, 

 of course upon the fullest consultation with the Gov- 

 ernment of Great Britain, to unite their fortunes with 

 the people and the Government of the United States." 

 This is followed by the draft of "An act for the 

 admission of the States of Nova Scotia, New Bruns- 

 wick, Canada East, and Canada West, and for the 

 organization of the Territories of Selkirk, Saskat- 

 chewan, and Columbia." This is, word for word, 

 the annexation bill with which the name of Gen. 

 Banks has become connected. The Secretary's re- 

 port, embodying this act, was sent to the Committee 

 on Foreign Att'airs, of which Geu. Banks is chair- 

 man. He was directed to report the bill and have it 

 recommitted, simply to get it before the committee 

 and the country. That action neither commits him 

 nor his committee to the annexation project, nor to 

 the scheme of this bill. What, now, is the scheme 

 as developed in this bill? 



It proposes twelve articles, on the adoption of which 

 the Provinces shall become members of the Federal 

 Union. These define the limits of the new States 

 and Territories, fix the Congressional representation 

 of the States till the census of 1870, convey to the 

 United States all public property of the Provinces, 

 bind the Government to assume and discharge their 

 funded debt and contingent liabilities to the amount 

 of $85,700,000, guarantee $10,000,000 to the Hudson 

 Bay Company in full discharge of all claims to terri- 

 tory or jurisdiction, require a survey of the public 

 lands according to our system, etc. Of course its 

 principal feature is the internal improvement project 

 suggested in Mr. Taylor's letter. This lies in the 

 three following articles : 



ARTICLE VII. The United States, by the construction of 

 new canals, or the enlargement of existing canals, and by 

 the improvement of shoals, will so aid the navigation of the 

 St. Lawrence Elver and the great lakes that vessels of fifteen, 

 hundred tons' burden shall pass from the Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence to Lakes Superior and Michigan : Provided, That the 

 expenditure under this article shall not exceed $50,000,000. 



AKTICLE VIII. The United States will appropriate and 

 pay to " the European and North American Railway Com- 

 pany of Maine " the sum of $2,000,000 upon the construction 



of a continuous line of railroad from Bangor, In Maine, to St, 

 John, In New Brunswick: Provided, "The said European 

 and North American Railway Company of Maine" shall re- 

 lease the Government of the United States from all claims 

 held by it as assignee of the States of Maine and Massachu- 

 setts. 



ABTICLE IX. To aid the construction of a railway from 

 Truro, in Nova Scotia, to Riviere du Loup, in Canada East, 

 and a railway from the city of Ottawa, by way of Sault St. 

 Marie, Buyfield, and Superior, in "Wisconsin, Pembina, and 

 Fort Garry, on the Red River of the North, and the valley of 

 the North Saskatchewan River, to some point on the Pacific 

 Ocean north of latitude 49 degrees, the United States will 

 grant lands along the lines of said roads to the amount of 

 twenty sections, or 12,800 acres per mile, to be selected and 

 sold in the manner prescribed in the act to aid the construc- 

 tion of the Northern Pacific Railroad, approved July 2,1862, 

 and acts amendatory thereof ; and in addition to soid pants 

 of lands, the United States will further guarantee dividends 

 of five per cent, upon the stock of the company or compa- 

 nies which may be authorized by Congress to undertake the 

 construction of said railways: Provided, That such guar- 

 anty of stock shall not exceed the sum of $30,000 per mile, 

 and Congress shall regulate the securities for advances on 

 account thereof. 



The Bed Ewer Settlement. -The Red Rivei 

 settlement now contains a population of about 

 10,000, distributed over a territory whose ra- 

 dius is about sixty miles. The centre of busi- 

 nes$ is at the town of Winnipeg, which is the 

 seat of government of the Hudson Bay Com- 

 pany, and their headquarters; Fort Garry is 

 also there. The settlement was represented 

 last summer to be in a prosperous condition, the 

 farmers being much morte independent and com- 

 fortable than in the newer settled portions of 

 Canada. Many of them cultivate 300 or 400 

 acres, and have 80 to 100 head of cattle and 

 horses. All the teaming and transport business 

 is done with carts and cattle. Over 4,000 cart- 

 loads of English merchandise came into the 

 Red River country by way of St. Pauls (Minn.) 

 last summer, returning with furs as soon as 

 loads could be obtained. Specimens of the 

 agricultural and mineral resources of the coun- 

 try were sent to the Paris Exhibition. Much 

 interest was felt throughout the settlement in 

 the success of the confederation scheme, and a 

 public meeting was held in Winnipeg in Decem- 

 ber, to memorialize the Imperial Government in 

 behalf of that measure, and also to express a 

 desire to act in unity and cooperation with the 

 neighboring colonies of Vancouver and British 

 Columbia to further British interests and con- 

 federation from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 



The Copper-Mines of Canada." Hunt's 

 Merchants' Magazine" for October, 1866, con- 

 tains an account of these mines. The Bruce 

 mines, Lake Huron, owned by the Montreal 

 Mining Company, have yielded, since their 

 opening, in 1847, about 9,000 tons of 18 per 

 cent, copper. In 1861, 472 tons of 17 per cent, 

 were taken out. The deepest working is 50 

 fathoms from the surface, and the number of 

 men employed 34. The Acton mine, lot 32, 

 range 3, had yielded, up to 1861, about 6,000 

 tons, averaging 17 per cent. During the first 

 four weeks work, in 1859, about 300 tons of ore, 

 containing nearly 30 per cent., were quarried in 

 open cuttings, and without making much im- 

 pression on the quantity in sight. The ground 

 has been worked on the general slope of the 

 bed to the depth of abon 4 - 10 fathoms. The 



