would be found to be extremely incon- | If an order of this kind were made venient, and, instead of promoting the they would be able to dispose of the business of the House, he was satisfied business in much shorter time than that it would retard it very much. was now the case; and, if there could There was no doubt a general desire on be any obstruction thrown in the way the part of hon. gentlemen on both of the Opposition as to the discussion sides that the House should rise, under of motions which might be brought ordinary circumstances, at an early before the House, he thought that the hour, and he thought that the practice rules of the House might be fairly so which was pursued for a very consider altered that the rights of the Opposiable portion of last Session to a very tion would not be infringed upon. He considerable extent met that desire. knew that, if they had a motion pendThere was then an effort made to rise ing, and the House should determine at an earlier hour than usual, and that this motion should pass from the until the latter portion of the Session, position in which it stood on when hon. members on both sides the paper, it might be said that if this found it important to push forward as were in the hands of an Opposition rapidly as possible the public business, member he might be thereby injured; there were very few late sittings. The but there could be no difficulty in effect, however, of a resolution of this altering the rule of the House, and kind would be, he believed, not to pro- ordering that, in a case of that kind, mote the public business; it would the motion then pending before the rather have a contrary tendency, and House should remain on the motion he was sure that no Government and no paper, and come on first in the list for party possessing the support of a the following day. He could not see majority of the House, would like to that any other circumstance could see a rule introduced, if a change was arise under the rules of the House made, that would give an arbitrary con- whereby the Opposition could be trol to the Government of the day injured in the slightest degree by it. supported by a majority, which control If it was desired, as apparently was the could be used most unfairly in reference case with the majority of the members, to the conduct of the public discussions that this motion should not be pressed, and the public business of the House; he was quite satisfied to withdraw it; and the effect of the rule proposed but he would do so again on this would certainly have that tendency. express understanding, which some If it was the determination of the day would probably be reduced to an House to fix an hour for adjournment, he order of the House-that the House, thought it would be found to be attended on all occasions when business with almost insuperable objections; and permitted it, would adjourn not later he saw no alternative but to so fix the than eleven o'clock in the evening. hour of adjournment that power of Upon that understanding, he was satisdealing arbitrarily with the rights of fied to withdraw his motion. members on both sides of the House, which were supposed to be equal, would not be placed in the hands of the Government of the day, to whichever party it might belong. He quite concurred in the remarks of the hon. the First Minister with relation to this question-that, whatever was done regarding it must be taken up very seriously and deliberately by parties who would look at it from every possible standpoint. MR. BLAIN said he was not at all convinced that a positive rule of this kind would in any way retard the business of the House. It would, in his opinion, have the opposite effect. Motion, with leave of the House, withdrawn. THE "NORTHERN LIGHT." MOTION FOR ACCOUNTS. be MR. PERRY moved for copies of amount of expenses incurred in running accounts and vouchers, showing the the steamer Northern__Light, tween Georgetown and Pictou up to date; also the cost of repairs of said steamer during the summer of 1877. He desired to say that an experience of nearly two winters had been had in connection with the running of the steamer Northern Light, which was built two years ago, between Prince Edward Island and the mainland. Last winter the enterprise had succeeded very well, and the average number of trips then made from the first week of January to the last week of March, was about two per week. This, in his opinion, was a very good exhibit; but this winter, although the weather had been unusually fine, she had not been so successful. On two different occasions she had been caught in the ice, in which, the first time, she stopped for over a week, during which period the people of Prince Edward Island were completely deprived of their mails. The cause of this was as follows:-The old crossing between Cape Traverse and Cape Tormentine had been partly abandoned by the Government, and the steamer ran between Georgetown and Pictou, N.S.; consequently, during all that time the mails had accumulated on the one side at Pictou and on the other at Georgetown. But, when the Department found that the steamer was likely to remain in the ice for a long time, an order was at last given for the mails to be carried by the old route. And as soon as this was done, the mail had passed daily to and from the Island, to his certain knowledge. Ten or eleven days ago, the steamer was again caught in the ice, and he believed that she was there for nine or ten days before the Depart ment ordered the mails to be taken by the old route; and during all this time the members from the Island were in Ottawa without any mail from the Island, while the people on the Island —and they were anxious to secure their mails promptly, and were very tender on this point, he knew-were without their mails. He did not know that the Government were to blame for the mistake; but they should have seen that the old route was not abandoned before it was evident that the steamer was perfectly successful in making her trips between Georgetown and Pictou. Experience taught that there would always be a time in winter when these crossings must be affected at the old place between Capes Traverse and Tormentine; and he believed that, unless means were taken to use both the route between Capes Traverse and Tor mentine, and that between Georgetown and Pictou, as occasion required, they would never have efficient and uninterrupted communication with the mainland in winter. He considered that the only possible way of maintaining such communication would be to keep the steamer on the route between the two Capes, and when it was possible for her to cross, to effect it; at the very time when it was impossible for her to cross, the ice was solid, and then iceboats crossed without difficulty. One crew could work both the steamer and these ice-boats. It must be apparent to all that the crossing between the Capes must be the shortest and easiest, being only nine miles by water in summer, and seven miles, besides ice, in winter, while the distance between Georgetown and Pictou, or from any other point on the main land, was not less than 35 or 40 miles. It was impos. sible for him to think that it was not easier to cross seven or eight miles of water or ice than forty miles. His impression, consequently, was, that the Government should concentrate their whole force at one crossing-place. If it was impossible to bring the steamer to ply between the two capes, then she should be used to run between some other place on the Island and the mainland, as late as she possibly could in the fall, to commence again as early as possible in the spring. There would always be a time, in his opinion, in winter, when no steamboat whatever could cross the Straits, and this period would last for, perhaps, two Οι two-and-a-half months, or six weeks, according to the kind of winter they might have. The great trouble experienced with boats, in crossing, was in connection with floating ice, or weak ice. When such ice was met with on the route, the steamer would have no difficulty in making the passage; and when the ice was solid, the boats could perform the service without difficulty. There was no necessity for forcing the steamer though the ice and wrecking her as she was wrecked last winter, entailing a cost of nearly half as much money to repair her as she cost when built. He believed that, if the steamer was so run during two or three years, she would be past service. The only way to save her from destruc- | matter of great importance to the tion was to concentrate the force in one Province of Prince Edward Island. place, and then, when the steamer This question had, from the outset, was unable to effect a crossing, the been brought before the Government, ice boats would perform this service. and he, for one, had not changed his They knew very well that between views regarding it. He had considerCapes Traverse and Tormentine a ed that the trial of the route between separation of the tide took place, and, | Georgetown and Pictou would be a when this was the case, an opening failure in winter, as the distance was was effected in the solid ice, and the too great, as the steamer had to run steamer could then effect a crossing. over a course of between 40 and 45 No doubt, the Government's objection to miles. When this steamer was built, in this scheme would relate to the cost almost every harbour of the Island the of building piers; but a wharf already inhabitants maintained that their existed on the Prince Edward Island harbour was the proper place for her side, which would be very nearly to run from. Some said she should sufficient for the purpose. He was run between Souris and Cape George ; unable to form an estimate as to others, between Georgetown and Pictou; what the cost of building a pier on the others, between Murray Harbour and Nova Scotia side would be; but they Pictou; others, between Pugwash and had a right to expect from the Govern- Victoria; others, between Seacow ment the fulfilment of the terms of head and Cape Tormentine; and others, union. He was not prepared to say between West Cape and Richibucto. that the Government had not done all In fact, there was hardly a point on they could in this regard. He was either side of the Straits which had not well aware that the Government had its supporters in this regard. He was expended a large amount of money on fully convinced that the only proper this service; but he had argued from connecting link for daily communicathe first, in common with other repre- tion between Prince Edward Island sentatives from the Island, that the and the mainland during the winter route between the capes was the only season lay between Capes Traverse and one by which crossings could be con- Tormentine. He thought that any veniently affected. Experience had person who had a thorough knowledge proved this opinion to be correct, and, of the place would agree with him on the sooner the Government drew their this point. The Government had done attention to that particular point, and all that could be done, he believed, to adopted this route, the better. This secure efficient service on the present settlement of the matter was only a route; they had not spared any expense question of time, and, if this was not in running the steamer, or repairing done by this Government, it would be her when she was injured; and an exdone by another Government. He press train was placed upon the railway regretted being obliged to make so for transmitting mails to and from many representations on this subject to Georgetown. All this was found to be the House, but this was the only insufficient to accomplish the object in way in which they could make their view. When they looked at the way wishes known to the Government. in which the mails were now carried Prince Edward Island had no longer a in winter between the Island and the representative in the Cabinet, and, in mainland, they would see what inconorder that he might be heard regarding venience it caused-an express leaving this matter, he was obliged to address Charlottetown for Georgetown, with the House to inform the Cabinet as to the mail-bags for the steamer, and she, the views of the people whom he had when perhaps half way across getting the honour to represent. fast in the ice, remaining there a week, with the mail-bags on board, while no person could get near her. Business men on the Island, and in other parts of the Dominion, suffered greatly from this state of things, as any one who knew how important it was to receive MR. SINCLAIR said he was pretty much of the same opinion as the hon. member for Prince (Mr. Perry). He wished to have this question ventilated in the House, as the regular conveyance of the mails was a business correspondence without delay would understand. Mails were thus sometimes detained on the steamer for a week or ten days. While the steamer plied in any other part of the Straits of Northumberland but between the capes the result would be the same. He was positive that, if the steamer, with ice-boats assisting her, was placed upon the route between Capes Traverse and Tormentine, daily mail communication would be secured throughout the whole of the winter, save, perhaps, during a snow-storm, or in consequence of stormy weather; but this would be the case from similar causes at any season of the year. It was not his intention to say much more about this matter, because they had had an interview last year with the Government, whom they had memorialised to show clearly what their views regarding this question were; and he believed that the Government were pretty well aware of the real state of the facts. He would just say that the conveyance of the mails by steamer during the winter was a treaty obligation, and he consequently considered that the Government of the day were bound to accomplish this duty, if at all possible. He believed the steamer would be as successful at the capes as at any other place in the Straits; and when it could not be done there by the steamer it could be effected by means of ice-boats, that was, if the whole force was placed on the route between the capes, and the steamer need not be driven through so much ice under these circumstances as was now the case. She now went out perhaps twenty miles, and there met with heavy ice, through which she could not pass, and became imbedded in it, as had been the casc lately when she was crossing. It was then believed that she could work through the field ice, but when she had entered about three miles and a half, still heavier ice was encountered, and she remained fast, the passengers having to be landed a distance of four miles, and driven by sledges to Pictou. The steamer remained there about six day's, though the mail-bags were brought ashore; but at times she was caught fast in the ice without being able to land mails or passengers for several days. He considered that the Government should understand that the sooner the route was changed to the capes the better. This was an interprovincial question, and should not be influenced by local partiality. It was no use to talk of conveying the mails from this point or from that point, for the only connecting link for winter communication between the mainland and Prince Edward Island lay between Capes Traverse and Tormentine, and he saw no difficulty in keeping up daily communication between these points, if both the ice-boats and the steamer were placed on the route. The expenditure that this selection would cause would not be very heavy on the Island side. A good pier existed at Cape Traverse, and, if this was repaired and extended into deeper water, with a branch road from the Island Railway to Cape Traverse, it was all that was necessary at present on the Island side. However, this was an interprovincial question and a matter which ought to be settled by the Dominion; and whatever expenditure it might entail he considered that the Government were bound to see that the mails were regularly conveyed between Prince Edward Island and the mainland. MR. TUPPER said he did not rise for the purpose of censuring the Government at all with regard to their efforts to carry out this mail service. It was a part of the terms of union with Prince Edward Island, and the Government of Canada was bound to accomplish, if this were possible, that communication which had been attempted to be made by means of the Northern Light. The fatal mistake which he thought the Government had made in relation to this matter was, not that they had not made the best effort in their power to secure a proper boat for the purpose, but in having undertaken to force that communication between certain points. He quite agreed with the hon. gentleman who had just taken his seat, in his judgment, that the time had not arrived when it should be attempted to force communication between any two points, situated on Prince Edward Island and the mainland respectively. He thought the mails should be carried, as formerly efficient communication; and this was a matter of the greatest importance to the Island as well as to other Provinces. The mistake which had been made―and he thought it would only be continued. if it was decided to abandon the route hitherto attempted, and to put her on any other specified route-was caused by using the Northern Light at present for any service but that of discovering the best route. At present, the business in hand was purely experimental and the Government should set to work to discover whether there were any means of keeping up communication by such a vessel between the Island and the mainland, and, if these were found out, where that communication might be kept up. was the case, and as they had been | ticable to keep up regular, thorough, and regularly carried for a great many years, by means of ice-boats running from Prince Edward Island and crossing to Cape Tormentine. In the meantime, the Northern Light had been. constructed to solve the problem because it was an unsolved problem as yet, and the efforts that had been recently made in this regard had proved extremely unsuccessful. This was a very important problem, and the way in which it should be solved, he believed, should be by placing the Northern Light, not between any two points, and by forcing her to ply on such route irrespective of difficulties, but by devoting her exclusively to experimental investigation to discover between what points on Prince Edward Island on the one side, and the mainland on the other, such communication could be kept up. He was informed by parties who had paid attention to this question that, during the whole of last winter-he did not know how it was this winter-there was open water between Crapaud on Prince Edward Island and Oak Island at the mouth of Wallace Harbour on the mainland, and no obstruction to communication during the entire winter to prevent trips being regularly made between them. It was said that the formation of the land on both sides was such as to cause the ice, which jammed in the Gulf, to give way there and thus keep an open passage. He would not undertake to say that this could be done; but he did say that, if it was the intention of the Government to endeavour to accomplish the work of securing such communication by a vessel like the Northern Light, between Prince Edward Island and the mainland, she should be devoted to the one object of finding the best route, and the mails should not be carried as was now the case. She should not take the mails, to be frozen up for weeks together; but she should be devoted to the experimental service of discovering between what points the communication desired could be kept up; and, when it was found that unsuperable difficulties were met with in connection with one route, she should be devoted to the investigation of another route, to see whether it was not prac He MR. BLANCHET said he would not discuss the route question, but, as the Northern Light had been built at the expense of the Dominion, he thought he had better say a few words in this relation. The question before them was this: Was that vessel fit for the service she had to perform? Two years ago, the sum of $55,000 had been voted for the construction of this steamer, and she was built at Quebec, on the Lévis side of the river. He had had no practical experience in regard to these matters; but he could say that her machinery and engines were of the first quality. could not speak with respect to the other portions of the vessel; but he was sure that the Government had obtained all necessary information on that subject, and the Government ought to know what she could do. Last year $16,000 had been voted to repair the Northern Light and these repairs had been executed, he was informed, in Pictou. The sum that had been voted and expended on this steamer had been large, and, if the Government was convinced, from the information it had obtained on the subject, that she was not capable of performing the service required, they ought to adopt some other means of accomplishing this service, because the terms that had been agreed upon between Prince Edward Island and the Dominion, on the entry of the Island into the Confederation, must be carried out under any circumstances. Very probably, the |