The Growth of Canada and Imperial Federation. 579 



But I delight most to think of the future of Canada, and its 

 advantages to the United Kingdom, and its possible future greatness 

 in connection with the Hudson's Bay route. When this channel of 

 communication shall have been opened England, and the central 

 portions of the Dominion will be brought fifteen hundred miles 

 nearer to each other. A good deal that has been said concerning the 

 Canadian Pacific highway receives additional force when applied to 

 the Hudson's Bay route. The Hon. Mr. Caron, Minister of Militia 

 of Canada, speaking at the banquet last referred to, said : " I believe 

 that Canada has done a great deal for the Empire in undertaking 

 and vigorously prosecuting that great work, the building of the 

 Canada Pacific Railway. If we can be assured, and I believe we 

 can, that England is getting, through the Canada Pacific Railway, 

 the shortest military route to its colonies in China, and the shortest 

 possible route that can be traced on paper, I believe we point to a 

 work for the completion of which Canada is entitled to be regarded 

 with greater interest in the Mother Country. The distance from 

 Montreal to the Pacific terminus by this route is two thousand nine 

 hundred miles. Troops can be conveyed through by special train 

 over this distance in four days, and not more than twenty-four hours 

 will be required to go from Halifax to Montreal, so that five days, 

 or five and one-half days at the outside, would be sufficient time to 

 transport men from Halifax to Vancouver. Artillery, ordnance, 

 and stores, when carried in freight cars, would require from seven 

 and a-half to eight days to go from Halifax to the Pacific coast. By 

 the use of fast Atlantic steamships between Liverpool and Halifax, 

 and such steamships on the Pacific as the Canada Pacific Railway 

 are now planning for the transport trade on that ocean, infantry, 

 with the usual arms and accoutrements, may be transported from 

 Liverpool to Yokohama in less than twenty-seven days ; and to 

 Hong-Kong in less than thirty days, and three days' additional time 

 would suffice for the transport of any materials of war. As far as I 

 can make out, the time which is now required over the old route is 

 about forty days." 



Not long since the London (England) Morning Post newspaper, 

 speaking in the same strain, and opposing the position taken by Mr. 



