86 H.AX,rBUllTON— ON COAL TRADE OF THE NEW DOMINION. 



commerce and trade. Neither of these yet exist, nor is it easy 

 to create them suddenlj- in the face of geographical barriers. 

 True it is that we might imitate our neighljours and " make 

 history," by having some of our towns burned by an enemy and 

 our people cut oif on the battle-field, and our minister of war 

 might in time become a famous personage ; but it is far loetter 

 with our small population, that we should reap oats rather than 

 glory, and it is probable that, until we have a surplus popula- 

 tion, our people can be more profital^ly employed in cultivating 

 than in fertilizing the soil. Our bond of union, then, must 

 depend on a community of interests, on an interchange of com- 

 modities between the East and West. How is this to be attained ? 

 We must not shut our eyes to the fact that our commercial 

 system must be adapted to the geographical difficulties of the 

 Dominion. Nature would seem to have intended Ontario to 

 trade with New York, Ohio and Vermont, and has placed Nova 

 Scotia and New Brunswick at the doors of Massachusetts, that 

 intercourse might spring up between us. But the natural course 

 of events has been retarded by artificial obstructions. A hostile 

 tariff cuts off the eastern part of the Dominion from the natural 

 outlet for its productions, and the question arises whether this 

 very policy on the part of our neighbours may not be turned 

 to good account in a national point of view, and be made the 

 means of building up an intercolonial trade, and of uniting these 

 provinces by common interests. 



When the repeal of the reciprocity treaty was notified to our 

 Government, Mr. Buchanan, in an able pamphlet, showed that 

 immediate steps must be taken to open up the Lower Provinces 

 as a home market for the flour of Western Canada, for even a 

 limited mart near at hand is far more profitable than a more 

 distant one however extensive, and he gave some curious 

 statistics to show ho\v, previous to the treaty, a barrel of flour 

 was worth one-fifth more on the American, than on the 

 Canadian side of Niagara, The American had his home 

 market to fall back on, as well as his foreign market; whereas 

 the Canadian wheat grower, having only a distant market open 

 to him, found his Avheat depreciated in value. With these facts 

 Mr. Buclianan argued, that unless this hoiire market could be 



