as possible of salmon, and hence they destroyed much more fish than the Indians could do with the limited means they had for taking these fish. And, moreover, under the present system, the rich were favoured to the injury of these poor people. Glancing at the Report of the Fisheries Department for 1876, it would be seen that, despite the means that had been employed for the purpose of protecting salmon, the number caught annually had not increased. For instance, in the division which extended from Point Lévis to Cape Chatte, in 1868, the number taken was 4,545; in in 1869, 5,758; in 1870, 9,574; in 1871, 4,432; in 1872, 3,379; in 1873, 4,726; in 1874, 3,342; in 1875, 4,171; in 1876, 5,436. Hence, the returns showed that about the same number of salmon were there taken at the present time as were taken in 1868. Again, i he River Rimouski was selected for illustration, it would be found that in 1869, 57 salmon were taken in its waters; in 1870, 18; in 1871, 68; in 1872, 47; in 1873, 43; in 1874, 73; in 1875, 27 ; in 1876, 35, and in 1877, 40. As to other rivers, the most important was the Godbout, where, in 1870, 390 salmon were taken; in 1871, 509; in 1872, 275; in 1873, 130; in 1874, 273; in 1875, 210, and in 1876, only 21s. And in the River Moisie, 281 were caught in 1873; 256 in 1874; 97 in 1875; and 68 in 1876. He could continue to furnish such illustrations, but, to do so, would only weary the House. If the introduction of salmon into, and the increase of salmon in, our rivers was to be encouraged, the present system was not the one which should be adopted in order to effect this object. Its effect was rather to enable a few gentlemen to amuse themselves by angling; for our rivers, so favoured, were not numerous. It was all very well to provide this very agreeable sport for these gentlemen; but, nevertheless, in order that this might be done, and in order that sport might be furnished for a few rich people, it was not advisable to deprive these poor mountaineers of their supply of food. In 1873, the

attention of the House had been drawn to this subject by the Hon. Mr. Fournier, who then made some very judicious observations, which, unfortunately,

had not been carried into effect. And this year, he (Mr. Fiset) considered it to be his duty to again call the attention of the House to this very important matter, and he hoped that the hon. the Minister of Marine and Fisheries would see that justice, in this regard, was done the poor population in question, and above all, the poor Indians who lived on the north shore of the St. Lawrence. He had occasion, last year, to visit that locality; and be had then had opportunity to hear the very bitter complaints which these people made in this relation. He trusted that these remarks would receive favourable consideration, and induce the hon. the Minister of Marine and Fisheries to amend the laws which in this respect to-day existed.

MR. SMITH (Westmoreland) : I do not understand the French language well enough to appreciate the observations of the hon. member; I will take the opportunity, at a very early day, to secure all the information possible with respect to this subject.

Motion agreed to.

CANADA SOUTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY.

MOTION FOR RETURNS.

MR. MACDOUGALL (East Elgin) moved for copies of the annual returns of the capital, traffic and working expenditure for the two last financial years of the Canada Southern Railway Company, required to be made to the Minister of Public Works under chapter 25, 38 Victoria and chapter 14, 39 Victoria, Statutes of Canada.

MR. MACKENZIE said his impression was that the general report of the Superintendent of Railways contained the largest amount of information the Government could furnish. They could, of course, apply to the company for such information, but he was afraid it would not reach the

House for two or three weeks to come.

If the hon. member would state the exact information required, he would endeavour to give it as soon as possible.

MR. MACDOUGALL said the object of his motion was to ascertain why the

WINDSOR AND ANNAPOLIS RAILWAY. MOTION FOR PAPERS.

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD, for Mr. TUPPER, moved for copies of all papers, correspondence and Orders in Council, connected with Windsor and Annapolis Railway, the Windsor Branch and the Western

the

Counties Railway, and all papers and Orders in Council and correspondence in connection with the purchase of an annuity by the Western Counties company, or the guarantee of an annual sum of money to that company for a special number of years.

MR. MACKENZIE said he supposed the hon. gentleman (Mr. Tupper) only required those which had not been published. He would recollect that, in October, 1873, Orders in Council were passed by the late Administration affecting the Windsor Branch of that railway, and that, based upon these Orders in Council, an Act was passed in the Session of 1874, to confirm the agreements entered into with the Western Counties Company for the transfer of the Windsor Branch to that Company upon certain conditions. They had no other correspondence, except with reference to carrying out the statute of 1874. He was aware of no correspondence with reference to the purchase of an annuity by the company.

Motion agreed to.

LAPSED APPROPRIATIONS OF 1876-7.

MOTION FOR ORDERS IN COUNCIL.

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD, for Mr. TUPPER, moved for a copy of all Orders in Council relating to balances of appropriations of 1876-7 which may have lapsed, and been car ried over to the following year in accordance with the 35th section of the Act 31st Victoria, chapter 5.

MR. CARTWRIGHT said he believed the whole of the information asked for would be found in the Public Accounts. Motion agreed to.

There was Mr. Debrowski's, and,

finish the remaining part of this road, when the Government decided to Mr. Whitehead was directed to pro. ceed with it at the prices which he

The

had for the balance of the road. reason for proceeding with it at that particular time was because the rails for the main line were at St. Boniface, or thereabouts, and it was impossible to get them down the river without great labour and expense, and it was deemed best, therefore, to have the entire branch finished, so that they might get the rails down by the line to the crossing place at Selkirk. They had no objection to the motion passing, and they would bring down other papers connected with the matter. Motion agreed to.

THE NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE AND THE INDIANS.

MOTION FOR COPIES OF TENDERS.

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD, for Mr. TUPPER, moved for returns of all tenders received, and contracts let, for the supplies furnished the Indians and Mounted Police in the North-West; also, for those furnished the public works at Battleford and the Fort Frances Locks and Canals; also, for all tenders received and contracts let for freighting all the above supplies; also, for returns of the accounts, giving quantity, quality, for the supplies of all kinds purchased description and expenditure incurred and freighted, otherwise than by public tender, for the above works; also, for returns of all labour and superintendence employed either by the day, month, or year, on all works in the

North-West, Manitoba, and on the Fort Frances Canals; also, for the returns of all accounts showing the expenditure that was incurred owing to the non-arrival of the supplies at the different points in the North-West for the Indians, as the latter had to be fed by supplies purchased at retail prices at those places during the time they had to wait.

MR. MILLS said he had no objection to the motion; but some of the matters there referred to were still matters of correspondance, which it would not be advisable to bring down in their present state.

Motion agreed to.

EXPENDITURE ON PACIFIC RAILWAY.

MOTION FOR STATEMENT.

MR. RYAN moved for a statement showing the amount of moneys disbursed up to January 1st, 1878, upon contracts Nos. 13, 14, 15, 23 and 25 of the Canada Pacific Railway. Motion agreed to,

MAIL BETWEEN QUEBEC AND

CHICOUTIMI.

MOTION FOR CORRESPONDENCE.

MR. CIMON moved for copies of all correspondence in relation to the carrying of the mail between Quebec and Chicoutimi, since the 1st January, 1877. In making this motion, he said he would ask if the hon. the PostmasterGeneral had taken into consideration the complaints of the people of Chicoutimi relating to the system of carrying the mails between Quebec and Chicoutimi last year, during the season of navigation, whereas that system had been very defective. The hon. the Postmaster-General would remember that, during previous years, there had been a daily delivery of the mails between these places; but, under the system which the hon. gentleman had adopted last summer, the mails had been delivered between the places mentioned only three times a week. With the previous system, which was in operation for a number of years, the population generally, and commercial men were well satisfied. He did not know to what influence was due the

order from the Department, that henceforward, during the season of navigation, they should be treated in the manner he had mentioned, in order to meet the views of certain strangers from Toronto and the Province of Ontario, who passed the sultry portion of the summer at Malbaie, but, to satisfy the demands of these people, the interests of the population in question had been set aside and disregarded. The mails, last year, had been de spatched by the Grand Trunk Railway to St. Denis, whence they were con. veyed by steamer to Malbaie. As far as Malbaie was concerned, this was all very well, because there the mails were delivered daily, but the result of this system had been, that the people of Chicoutimi, in lieu of being supplied with a daily mail, were furnished with their mails only three times a week, as the mails were taken from Malbaie in vehicles which arrived in Chicoutimi two days after their arrival at Malbaie. The hon. the Postmaster-General would perceive how inconvenient this system was; and he trusted that the hon. gentleman would have it remedied next year.

MR. LANGEVIN said he was led to take this opportunity, the first that had presented itself, to make the fol lowing statement:-The other day, he had said that, this year, the mails stopped at Baie St. Paul every day or four or five times a week; and the hon. member for South Bruce (Mr. Blake) had then stated that he was in error, and that the boat only stopped at that place twice a week for mail purposes. He had since written to Quebec, and, having ascertained that the hon. gentleman was right, he wished to take this opportunity for saying so.

MR. HUNTINGTON said he could only give the hon. gentleman about the same answer that he had given to the hon. member for Charlevoix (Mr. Langevin) on this subject the other evening. There was no disposition on the part of the Department to sacrifice the interests of one portion of the population in order to suit the convenience of another portion. He had given orders, and he was sure that the hon. gentleman would not object to it in this

were

case, that, when the papers brought down, the returns should show the actual trips made. When these were in his possession, he would see where the difficulty lay; and, in case such existed, he would have it removed, if this were possible.

MR. LANGEVIN: The trips made all the way from Quebec to Chicoutimi?

MR. HUNTINGTON: From Murray Bay below, because we know that, from Quebec to Murray Bay, the mail is delivered daily.

MR. LANGEVIN: I think it would

be better, and more satisfactory to all interested, to furnish a complete statement. There are probably five or six way offices.

Motion agreed to.

COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, PORT OF RIMOUSKI.

MOTION FOR REPORT.

MR. FISET moved for a copy of the report for the year 1877, of J. P. Gauvreau, Esquire, in his character of Collector of Customs for the Port of Rimouski.

Motion agreed to.

LAKE HURON INDIAN LANDS.

MOTION FOR RETURN.

MR. BOWELL moved for return shewing what sales were made of timber on Indian Lands on the North Shore of Lake Huron or on the Islands in the Georgian Bay or elsewhere, since the 1st day of January, 1873; the names of the parties to whom such sales were made; the amount paid or agreed to be paid for such timber; the quality of the timber cut upon said lands; the amount paid on such purchases; by whom paid; the amount now due and by whom due; together with copies of all correspondence

between the Dominion Government and the Government of Ontario, relating to said sale of timber upon said

Indian Lands.

Motion agreed to.

MOTION FOR RETURN.

MR. BOWELL moved for a return of all fees paid by the Government of Canada to, and the names of all counsel, solicitors or attorneys employed in connection with the Royal Commission appointed to enquire into the affairs of the Northern Railway; also the names of all counsel, solicitors or attorneys that have been employed by the Dominion Government, or by any Department or head of Department of said Government, and a statement of all fees paid to such persons by the Government, or received by them for services in connection with the business of the Government of Canada.

Motion agreed to.

showing the nature and quality of work done and material furnished under such contract and reported by the Engineers to the 31st January, 1378, together with the amount paid to the contractors up to said date and the date of such payments; 2nd. Copy of all recommendations by the Engineers as to the mode of making payments to the contractors for the different works on said contract number Fifteen; 3rd. A copy of all the reports, correspondence, Orders in Council and other documents having reference to any change in the gradients or in the location of the line covered by. contract number Fifteen, sinee the letting of the work, together with an approximate estimate of the additional cost of such change or

MOTION FOR PAPERS.

Mr. BOWELL moved for, 1st. A copy of the progress estimate or estimates of work done under Contract Twenty-five of the Canada Pacific Railway, showing the nature and quality of work done and material furnished under such contract and reported by the Engineers to the 31st January, 1878, together with the amount paid to the contractors up to said date and the date of said payments; 2nd. A copy of all recommendations by the Engineers as to the mode of making payments to the contractors for the different works on said contract number Twenty-five; 3rd. A copy of all reports, correspondence, Orders in Council and other documents having reference to any change in the gradients or in the location of the line covered by Contract number Twenty-five, since the letting of the work, together with an approximate estimate of the additional cost of such change or changes. Motion agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

CARRONBROOK AND CLINTON BONDED WAREHOUSES.

MOTION FOR CORRESPONDence.

MR. HORTON moved for all correspondence respecting the establishing of bonded warehouses at the village of Carronbrook and town of Clinton, in the county of Huron.

Motion agreed to.

REMOVAL OF NEW CAMPBELLTON CUS

TOM-HOUSE.

MOTION FOR PAPERS.

MR. CAMPBELL moved for papers and correspondence in connection with the removal of the custom-house from the port of New Campbellton, Great Bras D'Or, to the Island of Boularderie, in the county of Victoria, Province of Nova Scotia. He said that he could not comprehend why the custom-house should have been removed, placing the people who had invested their money in buying land or building in close proximity to it at so great a disadvan

RAILWAY.

MOTION FOR PAPERS.

MR. BOWELL moved for, 1st. A copy of the progress estimate or estimates of work done under Contract

bonded warehouses had been there for fifteen or sixteen years, but now it had been removed to an island five or six miles away, and property in the neighbourhood had been very much depreciated.