27 



a braiu-h raihvny. hi a v.-ry inl-riov position coinpuvi'd wilh oth-'V places 

 eqiu'.lly wuil sitUiittd in lii'- otiu'i' I'roviiio's. 



In iv;iv oi'ih-." villiiav :iiul to a loim' disJauc > inland -Ahnxtx tlio river, 

 str>tclit's anisn-ow v:iiirv vvlii^'h nii<j;hi conlaiu ten parisiK's ; th.'re are 

 oiilv twoal pa's,.]. I l)(..ansr lii<' i.irni; vs hav.- no uiavkct i'.tr th.'in^''<'*l^|,'^'-' 

 or lor llM-ir himb-r. Hilu-v <^mld b-' mip' lliai iiivy would ri'ap In-mdits 

 pi..poUiouat.' lo ill, ir lalx.uV, thoy \V(>uld pay oa -li Tor all ih 'iv i)un'h:;.;e«; 

 i(M'al Ivad- would bo ut. •iliv iiK'Voasd ; sio, k niisina' AVouUM)-.;oine a 

 sour-'r ol' woalih; sinuninii' nulls would ])■' * slabhsh.-d and wii.iihe 

 as>i.v1am'c (.itlu' harbour ^vo!■ks, \hr ])oi>uUit;on orMalan/, which is v.ny 

 wiil.-awakc int. Uiuvii! and aclivo, would hav o>vupa;i(.;! and r>:uize 

 l)iHdics Ihronuhoui liii war: not ordy would n be no lonn'M mipov.Misli.Hl 

 and ivdu.ud by omiii'ialioii but it would inrr.'aso rapidly and to a ronsi- 

 d.rabk" d. gi',"/. 



Ilori" also poiatofs s.'lli'or only twenty <-i'nts a biishci, whi! iheY 

 s,d; r.)v libv ■.■ah\ sixiv <'onts alontr'th- hit'-rcolonial and not wilh-^iaudiu^' 

 all !his, ih"' inhabilaiils o!' Mahnh' ui;d<o son::' inoiicy oa ilu-iu. AVhat 

 would happ'n il'tliry could ;- 11 thoa Ibr thr ■. Couv and "Von iivo innes 

 ih<' price a> is done ai Ste. l^'lavic and Stc. l^uce ^ 



While 1 was al Mavaiic. I was g-ivMi one instance, amona- a hundred 

 others, (d'lhe natural woadh whi-h abounds iii the country and which, 

 it suitably utilized, would ionn :! conoid, rabi.- asvurei^'ati'. The ceuntry 

 behi)ul M'aiane cdiuains a nninb-r of lake^ niest of which are lull o\ lish. 

 Lust suniin.T threi' lishernieii went, io lake Ta ou.su'ad v, iwenly hve> or 

 thiiiy mil 'S l);;(dv in.ni theUMver St. Lawreii- , and reiuriied with one 

 hund'ivd andniii' de;<en oi' bir--.- troul eaiiyhl with the rod m the spac^ 

 of three de.ys, Tli-y lill.'d nin- lar.uv sacks and s(dd th-rn a'oim- th- ••oad, 

 as lar as liiuicinki, sixty miles aw^ay. 



This iustanco is. oC course, not (.['very liTeiit importancv, but i! torm,s 

 on- olinaiiv whieli are, in the aii't-Tc^'ate, ol' '>-r Mi iinportane- audit i^ not 

 inadvisable to add to more weiuhty con-^id' rations certain oih'i.s oi a 

 secondary ra.iuv, calculated to sin .w the pil'li"' ^v'i=>'^ unempmyed, 

 disdaiui'd and even unknown ^ou,v■.s ol \v,aliii are pe>sess d !)y oiir 

 country, decimated as it is by a pl.inue whi 'h u-overnm.'nis th Mii-elves 

 have (it''ii di>n ■ theii- best to .si)r-.'ad. 



I h.ive now iinish d •••ivinu' n\ detail th" many decisive reasons in 

 hivonr orcoiislruclinu-. as rapidly as p .ssibl-, a branch railway IVoni the 

 Intercolonial, !.. twcen St. Ociave. deMetisand Matane. Notwithstanding- 

 the repeat. (I ellorts ol' Dr. J. U. R. Fiset, the m-mber for th county in the 

 House or<'ommons, and a petitiim sig-ned by t ieas! one hall the mem- 

 ])ers ol' I'ariiamcnt, both conservatives and lib rals. the 1' •-• 'ral doyern- 

 meiM has ,,, variably turned a deal'ear and has :ioi hilh-rto thought prop«T 

 to do more in t'ayoiir of the Maiaiie !?raneh then !'» acknowledge, on the 



