"to push that portion of railway on to complotion with the utmost vigor and in the shortest practicable time." What was that a portion of, if not a portion of the Pacific Railway?

Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE-It means

to-day would not exist. The people of that Province are as reasonable as any others, and they would have agreed that the work should be undertaken and prosecuted with the prudence the affairs of the Dominion demands at this moment. We had to construct the

aimo.

Mr. MASSON—Oh, then the railway from Nanaimo to Esquimalt is a portion of the railway from Nanaimo to Esquimalt? The people of British Columbia understood this question as he did, but there were other things which confirmed the impression that the Government were not anxious to keep faith with the Province; there was no greater enemy of the railway than the hon. member for Montreal West, but the hon. First Minister had helped that gentleman in his candidature, knowing him to hold the views he did on the question. There was still stronger proof; as soon as the Hon. Premier passed his Bill in 1874, it was said in the Province of Quebec that the plan was such an ingenuously contrived one that it would ruin the Pacific Railway entirely. The organ of the party in Quebec, whose editor would probably before long have a seat in the Government, in another chamber said: "The resolutions relating to the "Pacific Railway will be discussed on "Tuesday. The resolutions have been "prepared with the greatest care, and "the arrangements to protect the pub"lic interest have been so well taken "that I think the enterprise will be "smothered in the narrow meshes tightened together by the hand of Mr. Mackenzie; the misfortune would not "be very great." This was the position taken by the Liberals of Quebec, and did the hon. gentleman mean to say that the public opinion of that Province did not pass over the Rocky Mountains into British Columbia? He knew the opinions of Conservatives penetrated that far. Such utterances, together with the general attitude of the Ministry, justified him in saying the people of British Columbia had no faith that the road would be constructed. If they had seriously thought there was an intention on the part of the present Administration to build the road, the difficulty of

and had to proceed with caution; but if British Columbia had confidence in the Administration they would not press that anything should be done until the completion of the surveys. He thought the policy of the Hon. Premier on that point was wise, and would be so recognized by the people of the Province. The majority of the people of the Dominion were determined that the road should be constructed, if not in ten or fifteen years, in twenty years, but not to burden the country thereby. British Columbia would understand that their interests and ours are welded together, and would not press for too much; the pound of flesh would be taken from their breast as well as our own. A few days ago, as everybody remembered, the Hon. Premier announced the grave fact of the cancellation of the Georgian Bay Branch contract. If there was any enterprise entered into recklessly and in spite of the remonstrances of engineers and all interested in the work, it was the Georgian Bay Branch. To-day we were reaping the result of that improvident and reckless conduct. Mr. Foster had given up his contract, and required 26 miles of water-stretches to be used for the railway; they were at the end of the Session, but had not received any information from the Government on this matter. Why was this? Because it had been found dif ficult, if not impossible, to reach the mouth of French River: at any rate, they had found it was much easier to reach the French River 26 miles above its mouth. The contractors required other alterations, and it had been proved that the road could not be constructed according to the terms of that contract. He called the attention of the House to a resolution he submitted last year. That motion, however, was lost, and he bowed to the decision of the House; but what was the position taken by hon. gentlemen opposite.

He was

taunted by an hon. gentleman opposite who held a high position-and his views were re-echoed by his supporters that he was animated by sectional feeling, and that he was only looking to the interests of Quebec. He, however, merely asked fair play for the Province, and the result of the effort of the Government proved that the hon. gentleman had recklessly changed the policy of the late Administration; in changing that policy, they stated that the course that they intended to pursue would be just as favorable as that of the late "Government, and that lines would be subsidized in Ontario and Quebec to join the terminus of the Pacific Railway. It was said in this House last year, by the Hon. Minister of Justice, that the plan which had been propounded by the Government at the polls and in the Lambton address, had been conducive in carrying the elections; therefore that should be the policy of the Government, and that the Government had no right to alter that policy. He maintained that the duty of the Government, before proceeding with the Georgian Bay Branch, was to have had the surveys thoroughly completed, in order that they could give the contractors some idea of what was before them. Unfortunately this had not been done, and the result was, as he had anticipated. He (Mr. MasHe (Mr. Masson), has accompanied a deputation to the Minister of Public Works, in 1874. The hon. gentleman said that deputation went away satisfied. He (Mr. Masson), could prove they did not, and they would have been very foolish if they had, because they were refused everything they asked. They stated that Mr. Legge, an engineer of the greatest ability, had informed them that by adopting another route the road could be built for $30,000 per mile, whereas, by the height of land route, it would cost at least $40,000. When the Premier came to the House, he said the engineer did not know what he was speaking about; that the route by Burnt Lake was the very best that could be adopted and had the easiest grades. It was only necessary to look at the map to see where the height of land was, and when the deputation pointed it out

as the place where the Bonnechere, Madawaska, Muskoka and other rivers took their rise, the Premier turned round and said they did not know what they were talking about. The hon. gentleman did more; when he (Mr. Masson), in this House, cited the opinions of Sir William Logan and Mr. Shanly, and said these gentlemen knew more of the subject than Mr. Hazlewood, who was stopped by the smoke and only made a cursory survey of the greater part of the route, the hon. gentleman was discourteous enough to say it was not true. Here Mr. Masson quoted from page 528 of Hansard.

Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE-I am quite sure I never was guilty of the discourtesy, of saying that the hon. gentlehad been, I would have apologised to man's statement was not true, and if I the hon. gentleman for doing so.

Mr. MASSON said he was happy to hear the hon. gentleman say so, and he (Mr. Masson) withdrew the charge of discourtesy. The hon. gentleman now informed the House the route was to be changed, and French River was to be utilized for 26 miles from its mouth. Under the circumstances, that was a step in the right direction; but would it not be wiser and better to improve the navigation of French River up to Lake Nipissing? Mr. Shanly, who surveyed the river with a view to reporting as to the feasibility of the Ottawa Canal, estimated the cost of the entire work from Georgian Bay, on the lower Ottawa, at some twenty odd millions, but did not give an opinion as to what sum would be required for the improvement of French River; but Mr. Clarke, the engineer who made the survey in 1860, reported the cost at about $860,000. No doubt a larger sum would be required at this day, but it could not exceed $1,500,000. By this outlay the Georgian Bay Branch would be rendered unnecessary. While it would be a commencement of the great Ottawa Canal, it would enable lake craft to reach the south-east, corner of Lake Nipissing, the original eastern terminus of the Pacific Railway. The question would then naturally rise whether the Premier should subsidize existing and projected lines in Ontario and Quebec to reach that

82

Lachine Canal, was 49 miles, and the canal on French River one mile in length; while Mr. Clarke estimated that the whole length of the canalization would only amount to 20 miles, and 82 of a mile for the canal on French River. Mr. Shanly estimated the canal on French River as 1-49th part, and the distance according to Mr. Clarke was 1-25th part; the cost as estimated by Mr. Shanly doubled the estimate of Mr. Clarke. He thought that it would be readily seen by any person that the cost of improving French River would not be doubled by Mr. Shanly's calculation compared with that of Mr. Clarke; but if it were, it would be found that a saving would be secured, by this plan, compared with the cost of building the road from the eastern terminus to French River over 1,000,000, and from thence to Cautin's Bay, $950,000. It had been stated by the leader of the Government that it was not the intention of the Government at present to undertake this work-the improvement of the navigation of the Ottawa and in view of the large extent of the Public Works undertaken by the Administration, and the present state of our finances, he did not blame the Government for refusing at this particular juncture to undertake a work of such great magnitude; but if any part of the scheme be broached, could it be extended by the present Aministration without involving the country in any undue expenditure it should be done.

AFTER RECESS.

The following Private Bills were read the third time and passed :To amend the Act of Incorporation of the Banque St. Jean Baptiste.

To amend the Act Incorporating the London and Canada Bank.

To Incorporate the British Canadian Loan and Investment Company.

SUPPLY.

On motion of Hon. Mr. Cartwright the House went into Committee of Supply.

Mr. WHITE (North Renfrew) resumed the debate. He stated that the question of Ottawa navigation was one which must engage the attention

of the Government of this country, as it had engaged the attention of former Governments. In 1858 a report was made by Mr. Walter Shanly in which he made a comparison between the cost of transportation from Chicago to Montreal by the Ottawa route and by the Lachine Canal. He made the distance 368 miles in favour of Ottawa; in time the difference was 44 hours, and in cost 373 cents per ton. He had heard the hon. member for Monck state during this debate that there were very great impediments in the way of obtaining an entrance to the mouth of French River, and that there existed at that point no good harbour. He also stated that there were other harbours on the shore of the Georgian Bay which were much preferable to that harbour. He might, perhaps, be permitted to quote from the opinion of Mr. Shanly with reference to the harbour at the mouth of French River :-

"The Indians of Lake Nippissing in going to and from their homes and Shibe whenaning, on the Sault Ste. M rie, commonly enter or descend the French River by the Mouth,' so designated by Bayfield, that route affording the best shelter for their canoes; in going to or returning from Penetanguishene they as commonly choose the passage by the Key,' the waters of which, although they do not belong to the French River, approach so near to it at some distance up as to render it accessible for canoes: by an asy portage In pursuing my exam. ination of the coast I placed myself entirely in the hands of my pilot, a sagacious Algonquin of Lake Nippising, perfectly familiar with every rocky island and inlet of the myriads that stud and indent the inhospitable Coasts of the Georgian Bay, merely giving him to understand that my desire was to enter the river by its widest and deepest outlet. Passing the 'key,' which he indicated as the short. est route to Nippising, my guide bent his course for the Bustard Islands; and from thence steered directly for the large river' already referred to, the way into which from the Island being perfectly clear and unem, barrassed. It thus for the first time became known to me, that the French River had at least one outlet independent of those assigned to it by the chart, and that the large river which was most probably considered by Bay、 field as a distant stream, is in reality that arm

of the former by which, if ever it is to be adapted to the purpose of modern commerce, vessels will have to enter it. As for the other mouths, I have ascertained that they were rightly pronounced to be inaccessible, save, as before observed, by the Indian in his canoe. On reaching the mouth of the river I landed, and looking back upon the bay over which 1 had just passed, it certainly did seem to fulfil

all the conditions of a noble habour. The Bustard Group completly protects it on the south and south-west, while a heavy sea, grinding angrily against a projecting headland of granite on the north-west seemed to an nounce some shelter against the violent gales which so frequently assail the lake from that quarter. The bay within was perfectly smooth and unruffled, while without the water was still heaving and swelling from the effects of a night of storm."

"The entrance to the harbour is studded across from the Bustards towards the main shore on the north by a few rocky islets, great broad channels between which give every in dication of very deep soundings."

"A vessel of whatever class, steamer or sailing craft, once within the Georgian Bay, could in any weather at least as easily make the Bustard Islands as any of the more southerly ports, Owen Sound, Collingwood or Nottawassaga, while in the sweeping gales from the North-West, the scourge of LakeHu. ron, the run from Cape Hurd to to the Bustards having the shelter of the Great Manitoulin Island, would assure ily be far safer than that to any of the three lower harbours named. Under the lee of the Bustard Orange, vessels could anchor or moor in the most complete safety, blow the wind from what quarter it might, and to drop thence into the river, the depth and directness of the channel being assomed as sufficient, would be practicable under any condition of weather short of actual storm."

He thought that settled the question as to whether a good and available harbour was to be obtained there. It was also stated that there was no land fit for settlement in the locality which would be opened up by this railway. He was not prepared to say what the quality of the land might be in the immediate vicinity of the Georgian Bay, but it was a well known fact that in the vicinity of Lake Nipissing, and especially north and west of the Lake, large tracts of arable land existed. Mr. Walter Shanly made a report to this effect in 1857, and he had in his hand a letter from a gentleman employed for many years by the Government of Ontario surveying this country. He referred to Mr. Bell, the Provincial Land Surveyor, who said:

"Along the Amable du Fond River and several miles west of it, there are extensive flats of rich loamy soil, thence, westward, a beautiful uudulating country extends to Lake Nipissing and South River, and a considerable distance west of that river. The soil is generally a sandy loam on the higher lands and clayey loam on the flats. In some parts the timber is pine, mixed with hardwood, and in

many places hemlock, hardwood and balsam. From Lake Nipissing the country ascends gradually to the south, and at a distance of 15 miles from the lake in that direction, extensive ridges of maple, birch and beech occur, mixed occasionally with hemlock and balsam, pine being seldom met with. The soil is a sandy loam. The whole country described above is fit for settlement. On the south side of Lake Nipissing and Mattawa River a large tract of country extending northerly to Lake Temiscamingue is covered chiefly with hard balsam and spruce. Pine is most abundant near the Ottawa, but a few miles west of that river it becomes scarce. Over a large proportion of this tract the soil is a clayey loam of good quality, and nearly all of it is suitable for settlement. In my opinion there is no part of the unoccupied lands of the Crown which affords so large an unbroken tract of country suitable for settlement as the terri tory described herein."

That was the opinion of a practical land surveyor who had explored this country year after year. By adopting the suggestion of the hon. member for Terrebonne and locating the terminus of the road on the shore of Lake Nipissing, a large tract of country suitable for settlement would be opened up, and a large quantity of valuable timber now inaccessable would also obtain an outlet to the markets of the world. In discussing this question it was his desire to do so entirely free from party ties and without any wish to do and say anything which might tend to embarrass the Government. It had been said in a discussion 'which arose upon this question in another place, that the result of the election which recently took place in his county was a condemnation of the Government policy in reference to the opening up of the communication with the eastern terminus of the Pacific Railway. denied that proposition, but admitted that there might have been some colour for the statement. It had also been stated that the people of North Renfrew desired to have the communication made by way of Pembroke, because the people of the South Riding desired it should be made by way of Renfrew. In discussing this scheme he did so without reference to this means of communication. Much could be said in favour of the Pembroke route, but he had carefully avoided discussing that particular line, as the Government had given no indication

He