92 



llE VIEWS, 



[1852. 



p:irt of tlie Report relating to tlie constiuctiou of a Caual to connect 

 Lake Cliamplain wiUi tlie St. Lawrence. 



" The object of a Canal," tliey submit, " to connect Lake Cliamplain 

 •\vitli the St. La-nrence, is to fmiiish a cheaper, quicker and (nom 

 reduced transliipments) a more desirable route to the great ti'ade which 

 passes between tide-water in the Hudson River — the Raihoads of New 

 England, and the city of New York, on the one hand ; and the Western 

 States and Canada, on the other — and by so doing to bring traftJc and 

 tolls to the St. Lawrence Canals, which, by the completion of the 

 Oswego and Erie Canals, and Ogdeusburgli and other RaUi-oads, and 

 the want of an efficient connection between them and Lake Chaniplain, 

 obtain scarcely any of the transit ti'ade between the Atlantic and the 

 Western States, or Canada. For tliis transit trade, this Caniil would 

 compete with the Erie and Oswego Canals ; the Erie, New York, 

 Centi'al, Ogdeusburgli and Cape Vincent Railways," and in this com- 

 petition the Commissioners submit it would be successful ~ 



They argue that whilst such a Canal would open the great lumber- 

 ing Disb-icts of the Ottawa, and of the Upper and Lo\\'er St. Lawrence 

 to the greatest lumber market in the world — that of Albany and Troy 

 — it would afford to the Distiicts on Lake Champlain a shelter and 

 cheaper route for imports of coal, iron, salt, fish, oil, ifec, which, in 

 consequence of tonnage entering inwai'ds in ballast can be laid do^Ti 

 cheaper in Quebec than in any port of the Union. 



Independently, however, of these items of ti'affic, the b'ade for which 

 it would contend is stated to be — 1st. "Through tonnage down" ai-riv- 

 ing at the Hudson from the Western States or Canada, via Buffalo. 

 Oswego and Whitehall, which collectively amounted in 1851 to 1,047,684 

 tons of the value of £7,096,494. 2nd. " Through tonnage uj." leaving 

 the Hudson for the Western States or Canada, by the same inland ports 

 collectively, in the same year, 192,023 tons, of the value of, say 

 £j 15,742,460. Upon this ti'ade of com'se it is fail' to calculate a rise, for 

 it has more than trebled during the last six years, and the consti'uction 

 of 1000 miles of Railway per annum in the North Westei'n State.'-, 

 (tending as it does to the direction of the Ohio and Mississippi tradu 

 to the Lakes in preference to New Orleans) cannot but exercise a 

 powei'ful influence in its favour. 



It is found that the traffic of the WeUaud Canal has increased in a 

 greater ratio than the Erie Canal, as tlie Oswego route has progressed 

 more rapidly than that by Luffalo, simply because the Boat Caual 

 navigation has thereby been shortened 154 miles, but this Canal would 

 dimiui.sh the Boat Canal navigation 297 miles. 



In point of ibne, a fi'eight steamer fi'om Cleveland would deliver her 

 cargo in i}4 days at Whitehall, whence it would reach Albany in l}^ 

 daj's more, making six days time against nine days by Buffalo and tlie 

 Erie Canal. 



In point of expense, the whole cost of the carriage of a barrel of flour 

 from Hamilton to New York, is 3s. 3d., via Ogdensburgh and Whitehall. 

 By this canal it would be 23. 9d. The cost of a barrel of flour from 

 Cleveland to New York via Buffalo and Albany, is 3s. Od., by this canal 

 it would be 2s. 5d. 



As in competition with the Raili'oad route, one transhipment is saved, 

 and as in competition with the Erie Caual, a length of 297 miles of 

 boat navigation is avoided. 



In convenience, expense, and time, therefore, the Commissioners 

 claim for the Champlain Canal the superiority over all its rivals, even 

 without referance to tlie enlargement of the caual from Vfliitehall to 

 Tro3'. If, however, this latter should be effected, the " thi'ough tran- 

 sport" ^Ihout transhipment from the Upper Lakes to New York in 

 DOO ton steamers would be secured, ])lacing the route above all rivalry 

 as an unequalled chain of inland navigation iuwards A'cui luri. 



The cost of the work is estimated at £ 160,000, — but no sooner do 



the Commissioners make this annoimcemcut than they drop the subject 

 After the pains they had taken to prove the case, we were prepared for 

 a strong recommendation that the work should be undertaken, but we 

 find that they only intended to submit "theii' views and suggestions" 

 ■ft'ithout any effort to give them a practical application. 



Favom-able, however, as is the view which they have taken of this 

 subject, in connection, and indeed solely in connection with the ti'ade 

 of the Hudson River and New York, we cannot help thinking they 

 might with some advantage have turned their eyes towards the Lower 

 St. Lawrence. Whilst most anxious to divert the carrying trade from 

 the Erie Caual and the RaUi'oads of the State of New York to the St. 

 Lawrence, they only indulge that river as iai' as Lake St. Louis, whence 

 tlic trade is again to be diverted /rom it, and thro-mi into the lap of 

 the city of New York, that on the way it may swell the revenues of 

 the Champlain CanaL The St. La-svi'ence might be dammed at Lake 

 St Louis fur all they seem to care. No mention made or hope expressed 

 of the lower waters, no Gulf! no Ocean! except indeed, where ■with 

 great complacency they remind us (as an argument in favour of their 

 project) that "tonnage citlers inwards at Quebec in ballast! Colonel 

 PhiUpots in 1839* was bold enough to declare " tliat when once the 

 inland navigation has been so far improved as to render it possible to 

 bring the ti'ade of the west by this route," (the Welland and St. Law- 

 rence) "the westei'n merchant and fai'mer would find as good a market . 

 at Mouti'eal and Quebec as at New York or elsewhere." And again, 

 ■ there can be no doubt that a very hirge portion of this vast trade (the 

 westei'n) will pass this waj', — the cheapest and most convenient route 

 to the Atlantic, and that Montreal and Quebec will become two of the 

 greatest emporiums in North America."( !) 



A more recent writer,t himself a stienuous advocate of the Cham- 

 plain and St. Lawrence Caual, (for which, in one part of his essay, he 

 claims this trade, and therefore, in some degree, damages the value of 

 hisojnnion) asserts that on view of all the rival routes he " sees no 

 leasoii to believe that the trade will leave the St. Lawrence for the 

 American routes," declaring that it cannot be supposed "that the 

 main body of western exports will leave tlie broad bosom of our river 

 to climb over the table lands of New York ; a respectable portion of 

 it will exude through the Gulf of St. Lawrence." 



We may smile at the enthusiasm of Col. Phillpots, but the snmmil 

 of the ocean trade by the St. Lawrence has not yet been reached, and 

 his prophetic errors may be errors only in dates : — we may reject the 

 double reasoning of Mr. Keefer and satisfying ourselves with OLe of 

 his opinions, that " the trade will exude through our Gulf," make a 

 present of the otier to the Commissioners ; but we are not prepared 

 to accept the foreign pilotage of these gentlemen, and after travelliug 

 with tliem (as we do heartily) f.om the far west to the foot of Lake 

 St. Louis, there turn our backs on the St. Lawrence, and having just 

 brushed, as it were, the borders of tide water, clamber with them oyer 

 the green mountains in seai«h of the seaboard 1 



We could Lave wished to have seen the Commissioners treat this 

 project -ft ith less manifeat partiality ; they have put a case as advocates 

 which they should have argued as judges, and this is the more unfor- 

 tunate as they coquet with and would gilt the St. Lawrence to wed 

 the Hudson. 



The Report of the Commissioners in relation to "A rrovincial Line 

 of Ocean Steamers" is most satisfactory and unexceptionable. The 

 contract provides for fourteen fortnightly summer trips from Liverpool 

 to Quebec and MouUeal ; and five monthly winter trips to Portland in 

 the State of Maine, connecting there with the Portland and Montreal 

 Railroad. This service is to be performed by a Line of Screw Steamers 

 of not less than 1500 tons burthen, capable of carrying 1000 tons of 



• The Canal Navisalion of the Canadas ; by Lieut. Col. Phillpots, R. E. 

 Weale— London : 1S40. 



t The Cnnals of Canada ; by Thomas C. Keefcr. C. E, Akmouk— To- 

 jiitu: ISOO. 



