Our North Land: being a full account of the Canadian North-West and Hudson's Bay Route, together with a narrative of the experiences of the Hudson's Bay Expedition of 1884 ... Illustrated, etc

Front matter

OUR NORTH LAND OLsewinq SlaTbunm Homeward. Voyaye. 2?ratv/i /;.■/ C /l'7,ul/Ufor"0VH NORTH LAND" TRAGK GHART.-GANADIAN GOVERNMENT HUDSON'S BAY EXPEDITION 1554. OUR NORTH LAND: BEING A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE CANADIAN NORTK-WEST AND HUDSON'S BAY ROUTE, TOGETHER WITH A NARRATIVE OF THE EXPERIENCES OF THE HUDSON'S BAY EXPEDITION OF 1884, INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION OF THE CLIMATE, RESOURCES, AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NATIVE INHABITANTS BETWEEN THE 5OTH PARALLEL AND THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. By CHARLES R. TUTTLL Of the Hudson's Bay Expedition, author of the, "Illustrated History of the Dominion? Etc.j etc. flhtetrateh faith Jttap0 mxb ©nijraUings. TORONTO : C. BLACKETT ROBINSON, 5 JORDAN STREET. 1885. Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada, in the Year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-five, by C. Blackett Robinson, in the office of the Minister of Agriculture.

Preface

. i ■MS^/HERE is no portion of the Dominion of which so little is generally Wp km a J g||l NjL known as " Our North Land," a term which I have applied to that * °J f vas* expanse of territory stretching from the Atlantic to the <r^"') Pacific, and from the fiftieth parallel to the Arctic Circle ; and yet I venture to say that there is no other part of the continent which presents a greater variety of interesting features — features interesting to the student of natural history ; to the lover of travel, romance, and adventure ; to the man of business, on the look out for opportunities of profitable trade and commerce j to the miner and prospector ; to the promoters of railway and steamboat lines ; to the student of meteorology ; and especially to the young, who should improve every opportunity of extending their knowledge of the physical geography of their own country.

The following pages are founded chiefly upon the experiences of the Canadian Government Expedition to Hudson's Bay and Strait ; Mr. Klotz's overland Expedition to Hudson's Bay ; Dr. Bell's Hudson's Bay Explorations ; the Travels and Explorations in the North-West of Dr. Selwyn, Mr. Marcus Smith and many others, and the Travels and Experiences of the Author. I have endeavoured, from the information thus obtained, to give an account of the vast resources of the region in question, to describe the industries now in active operation, and to point out the possibilities of their future development. The export from the products of the oil-bearing animals of the waters of Hudson's Bay alone amounts, at the present time, to over $150,000 annually, and may be increased to five times that amount ; in many districts the' fur trade is yet in its infancy ; and the cod, salmon, and trout fisheries offer large and sure returns to almost any extent that capital and labour can be found to develop them.

Preface. VI In a description of the habits and customs of the native inhabitants, and an account of the adventures of traders, whalers, navigators and missionaries, I have not avoided a certain degree of romance, with which these narratives are necessarily interwoven. But the reader must not mistake this for fiction, which has been rigidly excluded. In a discussion of the question of the practicability of the proposed Hudson's Bay route as a commercial highway, I have brought to bear upon the subject all the evidence obtainable, and left the reader to judge for himself, whether or not, in the near future, the necessities of trade will find a successful channel of transportation from China and Japan to Europe across the American Continent by way of the waters of Hudson's Bay and Strait ; and whether or not these waters will become a successful outlet for the products of the Canadian North-West.

I have been actuated by the belief that the information conveyed in these pages will be a contribution, more or less valuable ; that the, work will aid in bringing the vast resources and future possibilities of the Dominion to the attention of the world ; and serve, also, to entertain and amuse, as well as to extend, in a limited degree, the knowledge of the reader. Chas. R. Tuttle, Winnipeg, January, CONTENTS. Chapter I. THE ATTRACTION OF THE NORTH. PAGE. The North- Westerly Trend of Civilization — A Question of Transportation — The Canadian Pacific Railway and tho North-West — Proposed New Transcontinental Line. 17 Chapter II. the Hudson's bay expedition. The Question of the Hudson's Bay Route in the House of Commons — The Select Committee — The Evidence — Departure of the Expedition 26 Chapter III.

THE LABRADOR. Blanc Sablon — The Icebergs — The People and Pursuits of the Labrador — The Neptune in a Wind Storm 37 Chapter IV. THE MORAVIAN MISSIONS. Ford's Harbour — The Lone Fisherwoman — Religion and Business — The Christianized Eskimo — A Curious Burial Ground — The Moravian Church —The Village of Nain 43 Chapter V. THE WONDERS OF NACHVAK. The Eternal Snow-crowned Hills of Nachvak — A Desolate Hudson's Bay Post — Grand Natural Scenery — Skynner's Cove vs. Rumford's Cave 51 Chapter VI. CAPE CHUDLEY. — PORT BURWELL. In Hudson Strait — Discovery of a Magnificent Harbour — The Grandeur of McLelan Strait— The Ruins of Newnango— The Eskimo— An Eskimo Chief and Princess 55 Chapter VII. IN HUDSON STRAIT. Geography of the Strait — Looking" for a Harbour in Heavy Weather— A Blinding August Snow Storm — Resolution Island Temporarily Abandoned — Running the Ice-floes near Big Island Contents.

VIII Chapter VIII. NORTH BLUFF — ASHE'S INLET. PAGE. Visit from Huskies— Strange Account of a Shipwreck— Getting Information Through an Interpreter — Trading with the Natives — Ice Jams— Bad Weather — A Monster Iceberg 72 Chapter IX. PRINCE OF WALES SOUND. Interesting Interview with an Eskimo— The Marriage of a Native Beauty — Trading with the Huskies— The Romance of Love-Making — How a Brave Wins a Bride in the Far North 77 Chapter X. stupart's bay station. Characteristics of the Eskimo— Description of the Kayak — The Difficulties of Inland Travel— The ',' American Man"— Eskimo Villages— Articles of • Trade 86 Chapter XL OBJECTS OF OBSERVING STATIONS Meteorological Work to be Done — Movements of Ice, Tides, etc., to be Recorded — Terrestrial Magnetism — The Variation of the Compass — Dip of the Magnetic Needle, etc 03 Chapter XII.

FIGHTING FIELD-ICE. No Sunshine — Ramming Ice Pans — Laying to in Field-ice All Night — Approaching Salisbury and Nottingham Islands — The Neptune's Propeller Broken — Desolate Appearance of Nottingham 08 Chapter XIII. across Hudson's bay. Fighting the Ice at Nottingham — An Unsuccessful Attempt to Find a Harbour on Mansfield Island — Also on Southampton Island — A Pleasant Voyage — Singular Formation — Arrived at Marble Island 105 Chapter XIV. THE STORY OF MARBLE ISLAND. A Desolate Grave-yard — Monuments with Histories — Wreck of the Ansel Gibbs — A Tale of Suffering and Death — The Loss of Six Whalers in the Welcome — Curious Ruins — Writing on the Rocks 110 Chapter XV. FROM MARBLE ISLAND TO CHURCHILL. Rain, Wind, Fog and Heavy Seas — Rolling and Pitching, and Waiting for Fine Weather— Sea-sickness— Arrival at Churchill— Cheering Prospect.

Contents. IX 135 145 159 173 Chapter XVI. SUNDAY AT PORT CHURCHILL. n . PAGE. Preparations for Church— The Rev. Mr. Lofthouse— A Curious Courtship by Photograph and Letter— An Intended Bride Starts from the Old Country to Hudson's Bay to Become the Wife of a Missionary— The Church and the Sermon — The Dinner at Churchill, etc 126 Chapter XVII. CHURCHILL PEOPLE AND INDUSTRIES. The Half-breeds of Churchill— Their Condition, Habits, etc. — Uncle Sammy and Granny Gray— Description of Churchill Village— The Commerce and Industries of Churchill— Old Fort Prince of Wales Chapter XVIII. THE ATTRACTIONS OF YORK FACTORY. An Anchorage in the Open Water — A Voyage in a York Boat — The Streets and Buildings of the Ancient Metropolis of York — The Cree Settlement — Great Kindness of the Hudson's Bay Company's People — Sickness — Death — A Murder Trial Chapter XIX.

AN EXCITING POLAR BEAR HUNT. From York to Cape Digges — A Pleasant Voyage Across the Bay — Establishment of an Observing Station at Digges — A Glance at Cape Wolstenholme — Capture of Three Polar Bears — Departure from Digges — Arrival at Port DeBoucherville — Weather Notes Chapter XX. ON THE ROCKS OF RESOLUTION. The Homeward Journey — Visit to Ashe's Inlet — Stupart's Bay and Port Burwell — Attempt to Make a Landing on Resolution Island — Fast on the Rocks — Arrival at St. John's, N. F. , and Halifax, N S Chapter XXI. PERSONAL AND IMPERSONAL. Brief Personal Sketches of Lieutenant Gordon, Captain Sopp and Dr Bell — Their Peculiarities and Characteristics 180 Chapter XXII. GAME OF THE HUDSON'S BAY REGION. The Ptarmigan or Arctic Partridge — The Wild Ducks and Geese — Other Wild Fowl — The Characteristics of the Reindeer or Caribou — Singular Traits and Characteristics of the Polar Bear 186 Chapter XXIII.

NORTHERN WHALES AND WHALING. An Exciting Vocation —Harpooning a Whale — The Appearance and Habits of the Whale — The Swivel Harpoon-gun — The Man in the Crow's Nest "A Fall!"— A " Flurry " — Incidents of Whaling— Value of Our Northern Waters Contents. X Chapter XXIV. THE PORPOISE, THE WALRUS, THE NARWHAL AND THE SEAL. PAGE. Character and Value of these Animals— The Porpoise Fisheries— The Walrus- Hunt— Peculiarities of the Narwhal— Probabilities of a Seal-Breeding Ground hi the Strait— Great Opportunities of the Oil Industry 202 Chapter XXV. THE ECONOMIC FISHES OF HUDSON'S BAY AND STRAIT. The Wonders of the Common Codfish— The Beauty, Tact and Skill of the Salmon — Delicious Trout— How Fortunes May be Made in the Hudson's Bay Fisheries 210 Chapter XXVI. FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. The Silver, Blue, Grey, Red, and White Foxes— The Ermine— The Marten —The Otter— The Varying Hare— The Lynx— The Wolf— The Wolverine —The Sable— The Musk ox— The Polecat— The Badger— The Musk-rat —The Racoon— The Fur Trade 216 Chapter XXVII.

THE ESKIMO INHABITANTS. Their Origin — Their Country — Appearance and Dress — Dwellings — Occupation — Implements — Food — Moral Character — Religion — Language — Population — Marriage, Courtship, etc 230 Chapter XXVIII. NAVIGATION OF HUDSON'S BAY AND STRAIT. The Discovery and Exploration of Hudson's Bay — Hudson Strait — The Tidal and Other Currents — Winds and Wind Storms — Meteorological Data — Fogs — Temperature of the Air, etc 238 Chapter XXIX. NAVIGATION OF HUDSON'S BAY AND STRAIT. — Continued. Ciimate —Temperature of the Water — Vegetation — Comparative Temperatures 254 Chapter XXX. navigation or Hudson's bay and strait. — Continued. Icebergs and Their Origin —Various Kinds of Ice Found in Hudson Strait — Local Ice — Its Thickness, Movements and Interference with Navigation — The Fox Channel Ice — Its Thickness and Frequency of Appearance in the Strait — The Season of Navigation 259 Chapter XXXI. navigation of Hudson's bay and strait. — Continued.

Character of the Ice in Hudson's Bay — Neither Icebergs nor Arctic Ice — Opinions Favourable to the Practicability of the Route by Dr. R. Bell, of Ottawa — Extent and Productivenesses the Hudson's Bay Basin — Future Great Importance of the- Hudson's Bay Route as a Commercial Highway. Contents. XI Chapter XXXII. the Hudson's bay route. pp PAGE. Contemplations at Churchill — The Transcontinental Short Line — Port Simpson to Churchill— The Calgary, Prince Albert and Hudson's Bay Line— The Winnipeg and Hudson's Bay Road— Roads from Winnipeg to the Pacific Coast— The Future of Canada and the North-West- Government Control of Railways 279 Chapter XXXIII. FROM THE PACIFIC TO HUDSON'S BAY. From Port Simpson to the Pine River Pass— The Harbour of Port Simpson—The Valley of the Skeena — The Forks of the Skeena— Lakes Barbine, Stewart, McLeod, etc.— The Pine River Pass —Temperature — Railway Advantages— Resources, etc 286 Chapter XXXIV. from the pacific to Hudson's bay. — Continued.

From the Pine River Pass to Churchill -A View of the Great Fertile Plains of the North-West — The Peace River Country — The Alluvial Plains of the Athabaska — The Five Future Provinces of the North-West — Transportation— The Hudson's Bay Route — Distances 310 Chapter XXXV. THE KLOTZ OVERLAND HUDSON'S BAY EXPEDITION. The Great Saskatchewan Country — The North and South Saskatchewan — The Proposed Calgary. Prince Albert and Hudson's Bay Railway— Distances as Compared with the Canadian Pacific Railway- Advantages of the Route 318 Chapter XXXVI. THE KOLTZ OVERLAND HUDSON'S BAY EXPEDITION. — Continued. From the Forks to Lake Winnipeg — Fort a la Corne— Cumberland House — The Pass— Chemahawin — Grand Rapids— The Characteristics of the Saskatchewan 324 Chapter XXXVII. FROM LAKE WINNIPEG TO HUDSON'S BAY.

The Nelson River Route— The Dashing Rapids of the Nelson — Norway House— The Lakes and Islands of the River — The Timber— The Mouth of the Nelson as a Harbour — Characteristics of the Country 343 Chapter XXXVIII. dr. bell's Hudson's bay explorations. The East Main Coast of Hudson's Bay —Vast Tract of Agricultural Lands Lying Between the Great Lakes and James's Bay— The Climate of that Country — Minerals of the East Main Coast — General Features of the Country— Timber, etc Contents. Chapter XXXIX. THE INDIANS OF THE NORTH. PAGE. The Crees and the Chippewayans— The Sioux and the Blacks eet —Their Homes, their Haunts and their Habits— Slaves of the Hudson's Bay Company 375 Chapter XL. THE GREAT NOTRH-WEST. Extent of the great Fertile Areas— The Five Future Provinces of the North- West— Probable Future of the Central Portions of Canada — Railways — The Hudson's Bay Route— Cause of the Agitation and Discontent in Manitoba 382 Chapter XLI.

THE GREAT NORTH-WEST - MANITOBA. The Central Province of Canada —Soil and Productions of the Province —Climate— The Hudson's Bay Route— The Growth and Probable Future of Winnipeg and Manitoba 392 Chapter XLII. THE GREAT NORTH-WEST — THE TERRITORIES. Boundaries and Areas of the North West Territories — Testimony of Travellers and Eminent Men on the Extent and Great Fertility of the Canadian North-West — The Climate of the High Latitudes — The great Bread and Meat Producing Country 403 Chapter XLIII. the great north-west — Continued. Testimony as to the Suitableness of the North-West for Agriculture and Stock-raising from the Settlers themselves — The " Discontent " Explained — The Resources of the North- West 420 Chapter XLIV. THE NORTH-WEST AND THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. The Elementary Steps in Canadian National Progress — The Advantages of the Canadian Pacific Railway to Canada — The Monopoly Clause and the People of Manitoba— Blunders of the Manitoba Premier — The Hudson's Bay Route 435 Chapter XLV.

FEDERAL RELATIONS OF THE NORTH-WEST. Acquisition of the North-West Territories — Services of Sir George Cartier and Honourable William McDougall— The Red River Rebellion — Restoration of Peace — Formation of the Province of Manitoba 443 Chapter XL VI. FEDERAL RELATIONS OF THE NORTH-WEST Continued. Manitoba Rights under the British North America Act — The Canadian Pacific Railway and Disallo svance — The Manitoba Agitation — The Farmers' Convention -Propositions from the Federal Government — Their Refusal by the Legislature — The Hudson's Bay Question Contents. XIII Chapter XLVII. NEEDED RAILWAY COMPETITION IN THE NORTH-WEST. PAGE. The Railway System that ought to be Encouraged — Lines Competing with the Canadian Pacific Railway Required — The End of Monopoly 468 Chapter XL VIII. PROVING THE HUDSON'S BAY ROUTE.

Inefficiency of the Stationary Parties to Determine the Period of Navigation — The Period of Navigation to be proved only by Navigating the Straits —True Value of Observing Stations 471 Chapter XLIX. A PROPOSED TWO YEARS TOUR. The Best Method of Settling the Question of the Navigation of the Hudson's Bay Route — Necessity of Erecting Beacons and making a Survey of the Coasts — A Winter Expedition Necessary 477 Chapter L. opening the Hudson's bay route. Cost of the Proposed Enterprise — The Lines from Winnipeg and Prince Albert to Churchill — One Thousand Miles — Twenty Wooden Steamships — Twenty Millions of Dollars — Proposed Land and Cash Subsidy — A Hudson's Bay Syndicate Wanted 481 Chapter LI. commercial importance of Hudson's bay. i The Hudson's Bay Basin— The Principal Rivers — Lumber, Minerals, Oil-bearing Animals, and Other Productions — Practicability of the Hudson's Bay Route — Commercial Advantages of the Route 486 Chapter LII. the Hudson's bay route supported.

The Debate in the House of Commons — Speech of Mr. Royal, Mr. Watson, Mr. Casey, Dr. Orton, Mr. Dawson, Sir John A. MacDonald and Hon. Mr. Blake — Faith Expressed in the Route — Its Advantages to the North-West — Its Importance to Canada — Proposed Expedition 499 Chapter LIU. the Hudson's bay route opposed. The Enterprise and Opposition of the Toronto Mail Newspaper — Misstatement of Facts Contradicted and Explained — Why the Ocean Nymph was Detained — Strange Detention of the Prince of Wales — The Cam Owen finds the Strait Open Late in October Contents. XIV Chapter LIV. THE QUESTION OF IMMIGRATION. PAGE. The Exodus from the Countries of Europe — Canada Getting Ready to Receive a Population — Political and Commercial Union — Millions in the Old World yet to Come to the New — British Columbia as a Field for Immigration — The North-West .".... 528 Chapter LV. a nobleman's view of the north-west.

A Graphic Description of the Vast Prairie Region — Future Homes of Millions of People — The Canadian Zone and Transcontinental Trade — Opinions of the Marquis of Lome — The Future of Canada 536 Chapter LVI. immigration and the Hudson's bay route. Contrast between Travelling from Europe to the North-West by the St. Lawrence and the Hudson's Bay Route — The Advantages of the Latter — The Distance Saved and the Pleasures Enjoyed — Proposed Special Immigration Steamships 554 Chapter LVII. THE GROWTH OF CANADA AND IMPERIAL FEDERATION. Growth in Population, Trade and Commerce — Extension of Territory — Consolidation — Confederation Cemented by the Means of Interprovincial Commerce— The Era of Nation-building — The Great Railroads — The Hudson's Bay Route — Its Advantages to Canada and Great Britain — Imperial Federation INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Map of Hudson's Bay Region frontispiece.

Map of the Dominion facing 279 " Apostles' Creed "— Chippewayan 131 " Barns," The, Lake Nipegon ■ 363 Beaver 217 Black Whale t 194 Chippewayan Syllabarium 379 Cod, Labrador : 39 Cree Indian Church, York Factory 149 Cree Indians forming for a Dance — York Factory 153 Cree Indian Syllabarium 376 Cumberland House 332 Dead Man's Island— Marble Islaiid 115 Ducks, Wild (Eider, etc.) 188 Ducks, Wild (" Howdens ") 188 East Main Coast of Hudson's Bay 369 Entrance to Richmond Gulf, East Main Coast of Hudson's Bay 371 Ermine 227 Eskimo Grave, An 61 Eskimo Snow Huts 58 Eskimo Syllabarium 236 Fort a la Corne 327 Foxes, Blue, Grey, and White 219 Harpooning a Whale 195 Hudson's Bay Company's Post, Grand Rapids 341 Hymn, " Knocking, Knocking," etc.— Eskimo 236 Inside of Stockade, Norway House 346 Kayak, The 88 Ku-killia-ke-a-kum 82 Labrador Goat 38 Lord's Prayer — Eskimo <■ 236 Marten 220 Mottled Seal 208 Mouth of the Saskatchewan Index to Illustrations. xvi PAGE Narwhal and Porpoise 205 Nelson River — Missinaibi River 354 Neptune, The, Steaming through Field-ice 101 Norway House 344 Ocean Nymph, Arrival of — York Factory 147 Old Fort Prince of Wales 141 Old Fort Prince of Wales, Ground Plan of 143 Otter 221 Polar Bear 163 Polar Bears 192 Porpoise (White Whale) 202 Ptarmigan — Grouse 187 Red Fox 218 Reindeer 189 Robinson Portage 358 Salmon 213 Scene on the Nelson River 351 Seals, A Bevy of 206 Stupart's Bay 78 Walrus 203 White Mud Falls, Nelson River 348 Wolf .' 225 Wolverine 226 York Factory — Side View 151 York Factory — Front View 155 PORTRAITS. Lieutenant Andrew R. Gordon, R.N 180 R. Bell, M.D., LL.D., F.G.S 183 Alfred R. C. Selwyn LL.D., F.R.S 287 Otto J. Klotz, D.T.S 319

Appendix

. Lieutenant A. R. Gordon's Report of the Hudson's Bay Expedition, with Comments.

Chapter I

The Attraction of the North. THE NORTH-WESTERLY TREND OF CIVILIZATION — A QUESTION OF TRANSPORTATION — THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY AND THE NORTH-WEST — PROPOSED NEW TRANSCONTINENTAL LINE. The world's march of Commerce, and Science, and Skill, In errands of blessing, their work to fulfil, Move in the same course — north-westerly still. \W»g^W'HE directive magnetic force that controls the mariner's vfm1 \<& needle is not a more attractive problem than is the not *^JJ:/° less unerring north-westerly trend of human progress. Westward and northward have the marching orders been, until the people of the present generation must look southward and eastward for the homes of their ancestors. The greatest deeds have always been accomplished in high latitudes, because the highest latitudes produce the greatest men.

And yet, strange as it may seem, the north is always underrated. Go to the Eastern Hemisphere for examples of this. Half a century before the birth of Christ, Cæsar concluded a mighty series of north-west conquests, by subjugating the hardy inhabitants of the then far north, the British Isles ; but the act was regarded by the Romans more in the light of erecting the Imperial standard on the utmost confines of the north, than as a conquest of valuable territory. A few short centuries and the island camping-ground of the Roman conqueror became the mistress of the world. Upon those far northern shores a mighty commerce began to develop, and vast industrial enterprises grew up, until, in every part of the earth, England was hailed as the greatest nation under the sun. But there was no prophet to foretell England's glory, nor was there anything in the general appearance of the country upon which a high degree of future greatness could have been predicted.

Lati tude is one of the secrets of Britain's importance. History is ever repeating itself, and the political transforma tions of the Old "World may yet, to a great extent, be re-enacted in the New. Here on this continent the trend of all material progress is north-westerly. The flow of immigration is north-westerly, and the Great Creator, as if to make way for the advance, has pushed back, as it were, the cold of the Arctic nearer to the Pole, and spread out the vast fertile belt of the North Temperate Zone from the Great Lakes to the Mackenzie River ; so that may not this England of the New World yet become to the Western Hemisphere all that the England of the Old World is to the Eastern ? For many years Canada has held an obscure place among the countries of the globe. Our borders have been pictured as the abode of perpetual snows, and our people as indifferent, easy-going, indolent.

But a change is taking place. The narrow, little, rugged country on the margins of the St. Lawrence has extended its borders from Atlantic to Pacific, and to the Arctic Circle of the north; the harvest-patches of Western Ontario, once the pride of United Canada, have blossomed into boundless fertile prairies, stretching away toward the setting sun, and pushing their golden fields far above the fifty-fifth parallel. With these changes have arisen national questions of trans-Pacific and transcontinental trade, and Canada is putting on the garment of preparation to enter the race of nations. Canada's progress is but another evidence of the strength and productiveness of the north, but another development of power and commercial importance in high latitudes, and it will probably achieve the greatest advancement to which the .race has yet attained.

Canada has soil enough for the happy homes of a hundred millions of people. Bread and beef may be produced within her boundaries to feed a hundred millions more ; and, aside from all this development of husbandry, the resources of the Dominion will sustain the most gigantic industrial enterprises. Commerce, the sure passport to national greatness, is destined to set up a throne of universal empire in Canada, because the immense volume of transport traffic passing from the eastern shores of China and Japan to the western shores of Europe, which has hitherto cast its wealth into the coffers of the United States, will soon seek the shorter and less expensive routes about to be opened up across the continent through Dominion territory. It is probably by solving the one question of transportation that Canadians will overcome the last obstacle to their material progress, and a solution of this is already at hand.

I will submit a few figures of distances in this connection, that will explain to some extent the northward inclination of latitudinal transportation, and give you the reason why, just now, so many eyes are turned toward the north; why the Canadian Government Expedition was sent out to Hudson's Bay and Strait, and why our north land is destined to attract so much attention in the future. These figures are given in respect of transcontinental lines and of lines proposed as direct outlets from the fertile prairies of the North-West. If we take Yokohama, a central point in Japan, and Liverpool, the great commercial centre of Europe, it will be an easy matter to find the shortest lines between the two. LINE NUMBER ONE. Yokohama to San Francisco (nautical miles) 4,470 San Francisco to New York (statute miles) 3,390 New York to Liverpool (nautical miles) 3,040 Total navigation and railway distance 10,900 LINE NUMBER TWO.

Yokohama to Port Moody (nautical miles) 4,374 Port Moody to Montreal, C.P.R. (statute miles) 2,885 Montreal to Liverpool (nautical miles) 3,000 Total navigation and railway distance 10,259 LINE NUMBER THREE. Yokohama to Port Simpson, B.C. (nautical miles).. 3,865 Port Simpson to Churchill, Hudson's Bay (statute miles) M50 Churchill to Liverpool (nautical miles) . 2,960 '■> Total navigation and railway distance 8,275 Route No. 1. — Total nautical and statute miles 10,900 Route No. 2.— Total nautical and statute miles. .. . 10,259 Route No. 3. — Total nautical and statute miles 8,275 Difference in favour of No. 2 over No. 1 641 Difference in favour of No. 3 over No. 1 2,625 Difference in favour of No. 3 over No. 2 1,984 These figures speak for themselves. But look also at the altitudes. The railway portion of route No. 3, which is by the Pine River Pass, Peace River country, Hudson's Bay, etc., will have for its highest point, above the level of the sea, an altitude of but 2,3.50 feet, nearly 1,000 feet lower than the highest point of the Canadian Pacific Railway (route No. 2), and .5,800 feet lower than the highest point on route No. 1.

But let a comparison be made between the railway portions of these routes : — Miles. No. 1 — San Francisco to New York (Union and Central Pacifies) 3,390 No. 2— Port Moody to Montreal (C.P.R.) 2,885 No. 3— Port Simpson to Churchill 1,450 J Difference in favour of No. 2 over No. 1 505 Difference in favour of No. 3 over No. 1 1,940 Difference in favour of No. 3 over No. 2 1,435 ■> Before referring to the proposed Hudson's Bay route as a direct outlet from the prairies of the North-West, it will be in keeping with my purpose to consider the transportation issue as an inter- Provincial question. There is probably no other country under the sun which furnishes a parallel to Canada in this respect. With a territory stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and from the International Boundary on the south to the Arctic Circle, Canada contains very divergent interests — interests predicated upon the physical geography and natural resources of the country, which, even under the best conducted parliamentary rule, must frequently clash, setting Province against Province, and section against section; or, perhaps, more properly speaking, the Provincial against the Federal authority.

Nova Scotia was the first to apprehend this danger and to raise this cry. Before Confederation was an accomplished fact, in 1867, and while the scheme was being agitated, some of the people of that Province looked upon the promised Intercolonial Railway as an effort to change the natural channels of commerce. If built as a Government measure, tbey reasoned, the Government would be in duty bound to sustain it by encouraging in every possible way such inter- Provincial commerce as would enable Montreal and Toronto in a great degree to supplant New York 'and Boston in their trade relations with Halifax and St. John. The one was a natural channel of commerce, the other artificial. Both were advisable, but the latter could become self-sustaining only under a tariff sufficiently protective to cut off a great portion of the shipping trade between the United States and the Maritime Provinces — a policy which the people down by the sea have not yet been able to fully reconcile with their geographical position.

But Confederation was accomplished, the Intercolonial was con structed, and the days of the high tariff were inaugurated, not to protect the railway, but resulting in such protection all the same. Immediately Nova Scotians began to trade with Montreal and the cities of Ontario, and in such proportion as this was done the Inter colonial reaped a benefit and the shipping trade between Nova Scotia and the United States suffered loss. All this was probably in the interests of the Dominion, as a whole, and possibly for the ultimate welfare of Nova Scotia, but many of the people did not, for a long time, readily accept the new situation ; in fact they do not accept it yet. History again repeats itself. The case of Manitoba in 1880 and 1881, in respect of the Pacific Railway, was very much the same in many ways as that of Nova Scotia touching the Inter colonial at, and subsequent to, Confederation.

For that matter the respective positions of the two Provinces remain unchanged, and are likely to continue in the same way for years to come, unless Nova Scotia finds more than her due in receiving the Atlantic terminus of the Canadian Pacific, which is improbable. The parallel, how ever, is not without its disagreements. Manitoba, in 1878, had but a small population, and the Province was only beginning to be thought of as a field for immigration. The Canadian Pacific Rail way, undertaken to connect British Columbia, commercially, with the Dominion, to which it had been united by political ties, seemed to open up the vast fertile prairies of Manitoba and the North- West to settlement and cultivation. The expenditure of large sums of public money, and the richness of the soil in that region, together with the prospect of early railway communication between Manitoba and the Eastern Provinces over Canadian territory, caused a rush of immigration.