Colonel Macdougall attended, and was examined as follows:
By the Hon. Mr. Holton:
Be pleased to state to the Committee your views of the importance, in a military point of view, of connecting the waters of Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinté by a Canal, navigable for vessels of the largest class in use on Lake Ontario?—I am aware that the Defense Commission sent to Canada in 1862, to report on the general defenses of the Province, strongly recommend the formation of a Naval Station in the Bay of Quinté. The natural features of that bay render it, in my opinion, admirably adapted for such purpose. In the event of the Naval Station being formed in the Bay of Quinté, it would be of great importance to have a short and secure entrance direct from Lake Ontario to the head waters of the bay. This is especially the case in view of the fact that the stretch between Presqu’isle Harbour and Kingston is the most dangerous and difficult on the Lake. Judging by the map, and in ignorance of local peculiarities, it appears to me that the best means of obtaining such a short and secure communication as is above referred to, would be by cutting a Canal between the head waters of the Bay Quinté and Weller Bay. The mouth of the Canal would be covered and protected by the perfectly land-locked harbour of Weller Bay, the entrance to which, from Lake Ontario, is susceptible of being very easily defended against a hostile flotilla. If the case is considered of Canadian vessels running before a superior naval force of the enemy from the general direction of Toronto, it is obvious that if the first were obliged to weather the peninsula of Prince Edward, in certain winds they would run serious risks of being driven ashore or captured before they could make the entrance to the Bay of Quinté, whereas the same vessels, with the same wind as would expose them to destruction in the first supposed case, could enter the harbour of Weller Bay under full sail, and reach the head of Bay of Quinté without molestation. Even though it may not be in contemplation to establish a regular Naval Station in the Bay of Quinté, that bay would, in the case of war, afford an admirable harbour of refuge, which would be made perfectly secure in a military, or rather naval sense. Again, in case of war, the proposed Canal would supply the means of far safer communication by water, without the sacrifice of time between Kingston and Toronto, than could be afforded by the open Lake.
In the Hallowell Free Press, of February 1, 1831, is a communication from “A country lad,” who says, “there are several new roads required, but the one of most essential benefit to the inhabitants would be that which would lead from Wellington Village, Hillier, across the peninsula to Belleville. But, while improvements of this description are in contemplation, it must not be forgotten that the period is not far distant when the East Lake in Hallowell must be cleared out, and a canal suitable for the passage of the Lake Ontario steamboats, cut from thence to Hallowell Village. Such an improvement as this, would, in our opinion, not only lessen the distance from Kingston to York, and make the navigation less dangerous, but would afford a safe and commodious harbour.”
Railways.—At the present day Canada, in addition to the unsurpassed water ways through her vast extent, has the greatest number of miles of railway according to inhabitants in any part of the world. In 1832, the Liverpool and Manchester Railroad was completed, which was “the great precursor of all railroads.” Fourteen years later, 1846, a movement was initiated at Kingston to build a road from Wolfe Island, through Kingston to Toronto, and a survey was ordered to be made. A part of the “Report of the Preliminary Survey of Wolfe Island, Kingston and Toronto Railroad,” is now before us, signed by James Cull and Thomas Gore, Civil Engineers. In addition the engineering results of the Preliminary Survey, they give in an appendix, the grounds upon which they form their opinion as to the probable cost and revenue. It would be interesting to give their statements in full did space allow.
“Another scheme.—The Picton Sun is advocating the building of a railroad, running through the County of Prince Edward, and terminating at Long Point, whence freight and passengers could be shipped to the United States.”
THE INCREASE OF POPULATION.
It is a common belief among the Americans, a belief which is shared in by the few Annexationists living in Canada, that increase of population, productiveness of the soil, and general advance of civilization, are very much greater in the several States of the Union than in Canada. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Upper Canada especially, has quite outstripped, even the most prosperous of all the original States of the Union. A comparison of the statistics of the two countries shows this to be undoubtedly the case. The following paragraph, taken from a valuable little work by Dr. Lillie, affords some idea of the relative progress of the two countries.
He says, “The rate at which Canada West is growing, and has been for the last twenty or thirty years, equals, if it does not more than equal the growth of the very best of the Western States. It will be seen from the United States census, that the three States of Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, contained in 1830, 1,126,851. In 1850, they contained 355,000, a little over 320 per cent. in twenty years. Canada West contained in 1830, 210,473, in 1749, it contained 791,000, which is over 375 per cent. of the same period of twenty years. So that increase in the three choice States was 55 per cent. less than that of Canada West during the same time.”
And with respect to the products of the two countries, there is found the same proportion in favor of Canada. So also with regard to vessels, “in proportion to population the tonnage of Canada more than equals that of the United States.” And if we look at the various internal improvements as to canals, railroads, we find that Canada stands pre-eminent in these things.