1852.] REVIEWS. 



Romance published in Tankeedom. A " State paper" of so much and 

 such permanent importance and value as this deserves more rare in its 

 issue : a collection of these Reports embodies the history of all the 

 public -works of Canada, and is therefore, and will always be, of the 

 highest interest. This, however, does not seem to be appreciated by 

 the parties entrusted with the pubUcation, for the same meanness which 

 characterizes the mechanical execution of this Report — for which by 

 the bye neither the Board of Works nor the printer can be held respon- 

 sible — seems to have been allowed to coutroul its distribution, so small 

 a number of copies having been printed, that to obtain one, even as a 

 matter of pubhc business or of personal favour has, from the first day 

 of its publication, beeu extremely difficult. Documents of this class, 

 as for instance, Mr. Logan's invaluable Geological Reports, Reports on 

 Railway Enquiry and Legislation, on Prison ilisciphne, on Provincial 

 Surveying, aud the like — are public property, and are to a large class 

 of persons of great practical value, and ought to be widely circulated 

 for public information. Not one copy, however, as far as we can leam, 

 can be obtained for any public libra-y, unless indeed a member of 

 parliament claims gratitude by generously foregoing his privilege in 

 its favor. This woidd not be of so much jmportance if the documents 

 in question could be purchased, but immediately that the small " regu- 

 lation" number has been struck ofi^, the printers' devil distributes the 

 type, hungry libraries and scientific societies to the conti'ary notwith- 

 standing, and therefore they are not to be obtained for love or money. 

 We ti'ust that this wiU speedily be amended by the authorized dislribn- 

 tion of all parliamentary papers having any scientific bearing, to the 

 respective public libraries and scientific corporatioils throughout the 

 Province. We commend the subject to the consideration of our parlia- 

 mentary fiieuds — an order of the House, or even the Speaker's order, 

 would effect the desired object. 



We proceed 'now to consider the Report, which bears date August, 

 1852, and refers first, to the WeUaud Canal, recommending with great 

 judgment the lighting by gas the locks on that part of it between St. 

 Catharines and Thorold, which includes twenty -thi'ee of the locks, and 

 other improvements calculated to facilitate its use. 



The revenues are reported as steadily "continuing to increase^" 



In 1849, the gross toUs amounted to - - - £34741 18 8 

 In 1850, do. do. 255 days navigation, - 37925 17 7 

 In 1851, do. do. 261 do. do. - 50460 6 8 

 Shewing an increase of about 10 per cent, in 1850 over 1849, and of 33 

 per cent in 1851 over 1850, while the receipts up to 1st August in 1852 

 amounted to £23,352 7s. 5d., and to the same period last year, 

 £21,154 lis. 5d. 



The expenditure on this canal in the year 1851, was £30,968 10s. lOd. 

 The vote now required is £33,046 Os. Od., which, with an unexpended 

 balance fi'om last year of £29,360 4s. Id., gives a present contemplated 

 outlay of £62,406 4s. Id., for what purposes however does not clearly 

 appear, the items of the service not being given, but the well-known 

 voracity of the " deep cut" has not yet, we suppose, been satisfied, 

 since we see that " the conti'actor Mr. French is steadily progressing 

 with his dredging operations" to effect the deepening of that poi"tion 

 of the work so as to adopt Lake Erie as the summit level. 



The canal, it seems, is to be crossed by two Railways now in pro- 

 gress, — the Brantford and Buffalo, and the Great Western. Of course 

 the Commissioners give a mysterious hint of some threatened "obstiuc- 

 tion of the navigation." Every Railway that was ever proposed over 

 any canal or navigable river has appeared as " an obsti'uction of the 

 navigation," Icoming in the future in the prophetic vision of some 

 merciless official authority. Poor Stephenson and his seven hundred 

 thousand pounds worth of tubular bridge was a victim to this sort of 

 tiling — a fartunaie one ti'uly, if the b'iumph of his skUl rather than the 

 cost of its exercise may be taken as the standard. 



matters ; — as in duty bound they have teazed the Engineers a little 

 about " the obstruction," but have eventually "adjusted the difficulty." 



The St Lawi-ence Canals are reported as having been opened 

 throughout on 25th April, and closed on 25th November, thus affording 

 215 days for the season of 1851. The Tolls during that year are net 

 specially alluded to in the body of the Report, but by appendix No. 1 

 they appear to have been £52,812 lis. 6d., reduced, however, by the 

 cost of repairs, collection and management to £10,901 Is. 8d. 



The " movement" on these Canals, up and down ccllecliveli/, has suf- 

 fered a diminution in 1852 as compared with 1851 of 13,630'2' tons ( f 

 " all property moved ;" and of 10,266 in " the tonnage of vessels." In 

 the tonnage of steamers on the contrary there was an increase of 25,354 

 tons, and in the number of passengers of 8059 ; we infer, therefore, tlu t 

 the decrease is due to the removal of the tug boats rather than to any 

 other depreciation of the route, which iu connection with steam is 

 evideutly growing in favour. The above statement however cannot be 

 taken as stnctly illustrative of the comparative business of the two 

 years, for it has been made up to an arbitrary date, 1st July, in both, 

 whereby 1851 obtains an advantage of 10 days over 185?, iu conse- 

 quence, probably, of an earlier opening. The Commissioners, indeed, 

 claim a rise in the " movement," reckoning by the average daily traffic. 

 But this manifestly gives an incon-ect resnlt, since the property in 

 ti'ausit doubtlessly accumulated previous to the later opening in 1852, 

 and was pushed forward with gi'eater despatch so as to increase the 

 daily movement in the commencement of the season of navigation. 

 To make the comparison good the business of a like number of days 

 from the opening in each season should be given. The amount ex- 

 pended on these canals in 1851, was £36,702 6s. Od., the vote now 

 required is £39,827 18s. 6d., which, with an unexpended balance from 

 last year of £31,464 Is. 6d., gives a present contemplated outlay of 

 £71,292 Os. Od. 



The clauses of the Report referring to River Lights, Slides, Roads 

 and Bridges, demand no special comment ; in the matter of the 

 '■harbours," and "piers below Quebec," however, we perceive this 

 contrast, — that whilst the ■' Whitby, Dover, and the Rondeau Harbours 

 have been sold," and the interests of navigation and commerce in 

 connection with such works thus left in Upper Canada (we do not say 

 unwisely) to local care and private enterprize, a lai-ge expenditure is 

 being incuiTed on the banks of the St. Lawrence below Quebec in the 

 consb-uction of piers, with reference to which the Commissiouers assert 

 " no reasonable doubt can be entertained but that they wiU be of infit 

 nite importance towards the improvement of their several respective 

 localities, aud tend materially to the accommodation und convenience of 

 the shipping navigating the river." There seems to be an inconsistency 

 of principle here scarcely traceable to any but a geographical basis. 



Referring to " Public Buildings," the Commissioners Report a total 

 past expenditure on Govemmeut buildings in Toronto of £ 19,4 1 9 1 9s. 4d , 

 and a contemplated outlay there of £10,000 on a Government House, 

 and £2183 2s. 8d. on the Post Office, making a total of £31603 2s. Od. 



The past expenditure on similar service at Quebec appears to have 

 been £17,427 4s. 9d., and the further outlay is estimated at £38,047 

 13s. lOd., making a total of £55,474 18s. 7d. 



The Architectural legacies bequeathed to the Commissioners by 

 their predecessor, seem to have been more embarrassing than profitable. 

 The suspension of the Montoeal Court House " iu consequence of grave 

 errors of design in arrangement^" ti-oubled them in that citj', wliilst 

 " the total abandonment during progress of the original plans for the 

 Parliament buildings and the substitution of oUiers," with such mis- 

 takes at Spencer Wood as have led them to " regret that th|first step 

 taken was not that of puUing it down," would appeal- to hav^otliered 

 them at Quebec. 



Happily our Commissioners are not so difficult to please in such We come now to the consideration of that important and intercstmg 



