IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 lii 1.1 ■tt lii |2.2 Ul i IB IIIM Ii4 < 6" ► ^ ^ Scaences Corporalioii ^^•x ^ \ ,v <^ ^^ 4s\. ^r\\ 23 WEST MUM STREET VVBUTER,N.Y. I4SM (71ft)t72-4S03 .<^<^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques T«chnic«l and Bibliographic Notas/Notas taehniquaa at bibiiograpliiquaa Tha Inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availahia for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha reproduction, or which may aignlflcantly changa tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chackad baiow. 0Colourad covara/ Couvartura da couiaur [~~| Covara damagad/ n D D D D Couvartura andommagte Covara raatorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raataurAa at/ou paiiiculAa I I Covar titia mlaaing/ La titra da couvartura manqua |~~1 Colourad mapa/ Carta* gAographiquas an couiaur □ Colourad ink (i.a. othar than biua or black)/ Encra da couiaur (i.a. autre qua blaua ou noira) r~| Colourad plataa and/or illuatratlona/ Planchaa at/ou illuatratlona an couiaur Pound with othar material/ RallA avoc d'autrea documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La r9 liura aerr6e pout cauaar da i'ombre ou de la dlatordon la long de la marge intirieure Blank laavea added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II ae pout qua certalnas pagea blanches aJoutAes lors d'une restauration apparaiaaant dana la texte, mft^s, lorsque cela 4tait poaaibia, cea pagea n'ont paa 4tA fiimAaa. Additional comments:/ Commentairas suppltofientalres: L'Instltut a mIcrofllmA la mellleur exemplaire qu'll lul a 4t* poaalble de ae procurer. Lea dAtaiia da cat exemplaire qui aont paut-Atre unlquae du point de vua bibllographiqua, qui peuvent modifier une image raprodutte, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dana la mAthode normale de fllmaga sent indiquis ci*dessous. D D D D D Coloured pages/ Pagea de couleur Pagea damaged/ Pagea endommagAea Pagea restored and/or laminated/ Pagea "astaurAas at/ou peliiculAes Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pagea dAcolorAes, tachetAes ou piquAea Pages detached/ Pages dAtachAes Showthrough/ Tranaparence Tl tc I I Quality of print varies/ Quality inAgale de i'impreasion Includes supplementary matarial/ Comprend du material aipplAmantaire Only edition available/ Seule Adition diaponible Pagea wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refiimed to ensure the best possible image/ Lea pagea totalement ou partieliement obscurcies par un feulllet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont M filmAes A nouveau de fapon A obtenir la mailleure image poaalble. Tl P< o1 fll O b< th 8i( ol fh all Ol Tl sli Tl wl M dl1 ar bfl rij re m Thia hem ia filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document eat film* au taux de rAduction indiquA cl-deaaoua. 10X 14X 18X 22X 2SX 30X / , 3 12X lex 2DX 24X 28X TX TtM copy filmad Iwr* hat bMn raproduecd thanks to tho gonorosity of: Library of tha Public Archivas of Canada L'axampiaira fllm6 f ut raproduit grica i la g4n4roslt4 da: La bibiiothAqua das Archivas pubiiquas du Canada Tha Imagaa appaaring hara ara tha baat quality poaalbia conaMaring tha condition and laglbility of tha original copy and In kaaping with tha filming contract spaclflcatlona. Original copias In printad papar covara ara fllmad baglnning with tha front covar and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or lllustratad impras- sion, or tha iMck covar whan approprlata. All othar original copiaa ara fllmad baglnning on tha first paga with a printad or llluatratad Impraa- sion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad or lllustratad Imprassion. Tha last racordad frama on aach microfiche shall contain tha symbol — ^> (moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol ▼ (moaning "END"), whichovar appiias. Laa Imagaa suhrantas ont 4t* raproduitas avac la plus grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattat* da l'axampiaira film*, at an conformKA avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. I.aa axamplairas orlginaux dont la couvartura an papiar aat ImprimAa sont filmte an commandant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant salt par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'Impraaaion ou d'iliustration, soit par la sacond plat, salon la cas. Tous laa autras axamplairas orlginaux aont filmis an commandant par la pramiAra paga qui comporta v.tw amprainta d'Impraaaion ou d'iliustration at an tarminant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta unii taiia amprainta. Un daa symbolas suhrants apparattra sur la darnlAra imaga da chaqua microfiche, salon ia caa: la aymboPa — ► signifia "A SUIVRE", la symbols ▼ ?$jnifia "FIN". IMaps. platas, charts, ate, may ba filmed at different reduction ratios. Thoaa too large to be entirely included In one expoaure fire filmed beginning in the upper left hand Corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams iiluatrate the method: Lee cartae, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmte A dee taux da rMuetion diffArants. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un soul ciichA, II est filmA A partir da I'angle aupAriaur geuche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en baa, en prenant le nombre d'Imagas nAcessaire. Lae diagrammes suivants iiluatrant la mithoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 •37 zz xa STAPLE TRADE OF CANADA. DELIVERED IN THE TEMPERANCE HALL, OTTAWA, ON TUESDAY. 18th MARCH, 1862, BEFORE THE MECHANICS' INSTITUTE AND ATHENJJUM, Br GEORGE H, PERR!, Esq,, C.E., Vice-President of Association of Provincial Land Surveyors, Institute of Civil Engineers and Architects of Canada. -•-^ OTTAWA: PRINTKD AT THS "VKION" CALORIC ENGINE FOYER PRESSES, CORNER OF SUSFSC AMD \ORK 61SEETS. LECTURE. Mr, President J Ladies and Gentlemen : Agriculture, commerce and manufactures, are the primary con- ditions on which our social system is based. Without the first, mankind must speedily assume the savage state m which the characteristics of the mere beast of prey would predominate : where the softer and more humanising ties of our nature are relaxed, and where, failing the supply of wild beasts of chase, the genus homo would display the propensities of all carniverous ani- mals, and prey upon its kind. Causes similar to these have pre- vented the increase of savage nations, and compelled, by mere intuitive reason, the first step of advance, in the social scale, by banding the tribes of mankind together for self-defence. On the other hand, agriculture without commerce produces, as far ys the diffusion of population is concerned, a nearly similar effect. That simple pastoral state so lauded by poets is the sole creation of a fervid imagination, unrestrained by practice and untrammelled by the common-place contingencies of actual fact. A nation solely devoted to agricultural pursuits will fail to expand into a great people. The history of God's chosen race is an exemplification of this fact ; their approximate census on their Exodus from Egypt was probably 3,000,000 of souls, and on their final disper- sion, 1600 years afterwards, that number had not sensibly increa- sed. One of the great causes of their isolation from the rest of mankind was the absolute necessity imposed by their law of judi- cial purification, which it would be impossible to observe to the letter if the nation had been a commercial people. When in the course of events the tribes became scattered abroad, the depar- ture from the precepts of those Divine institutions, and the lament- able consequences to themselves, are to be found in the pages of their great Historian, Josephus. All writers have endeavoured to discover in what country com- merce w&s first practised. The oldest of all written records, the Bible, speaks of it as an act of every day life ; and the first autbec- tic description of its operations discloses the melancholy fact that the Midianititl) merchantmen, coming '' from Gilead, with their ** camels, bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it " down to Egypt," also dealt in the bodies of men. In fact, the first distinct notice we have of commerce is in connection with that most detestable of all traffic, the slave trade. The conntction between commerce and manufactures is suffi- ciently obvious, as the merchant must necessarily require the labour of the artizan to construct his roads, make his camel furniture, or pack saddles ; in a more advanced stage, build his boats, ships, and other modes of transmitting the productions of one country to supply tb« defiriences of another. The great centre of ancient commerce appnrs to have been in Egypt. That long narrow valley traversed for nearly a thousand miles by its noble river, abounding in the production of those cereals so necessary to the sustenance of man, was yet wanting in those luxuries which a high state of civilization demands. Active and diffusive as ancient commerce may have been, it was a mere fraction of that witnessed by mod- ern days. Its great expansion is due to the invention of the mari- ner's compass, to the improvement in the method of propulsion, and to the discofery of steam power^as applicable to modern pur- poses. It is quite possible and more than probable, that the trade of this Province exceeded (onsiderably the traffic of all the nations of the civilized world in the days of Solomon, and that the four million of tons annually shipped from, or arriving at our ports was beyond the utmost powers of the Phcenecian, Egyptian, Roman, or Carthaginian navies. As the object of commerce is to supply the defi- ciencies of one country, by the surplus productions of another, it is evident thig consideration of the connection of the primary principles on which ali social order is founded naturally brings us to the sub- ject of the lecture this evening. It belongs to the second of those necessary conditions mentioned, and has become an important item in the social condition of this country. The Staple Trade of this Province, generally known as the Lumber Trade, is a very ancient element of commercial importance. The Sidonians, or Ancient Phcenecians, were the great Lumber Manufacturers of their day ; and th« Forests of Lebanon furnished the Cedars and Firs which Hiram, King of Tyre sent by sea, " in Flotes to Joppa," thirty- eight miles from Jerusalem, for the building of the Temple. Its connection therefore with the infancy of commerce is not only beyond all conjecture, but we are told that the Sidonians excelled all other people in their skill at hewing Timber. It WAS then, as it is now, an essentially necessary feature of the profitable prosecution of this Trade, that it should be carried on where water communication was easily attained. The many rapid rivers rising in the Lebanon range, and passing into the Mediter- ranean Sea, on the Syrian Coast, furnished the necessary facili- ties for this purpose, and no doubt the Fhucnecian raftsmen ot that day were as well posted in all the mysteries of the drive, as his Canadian successors. This ancient Lumber traffic had other elements in connnon with that ot more modern days. Though carried on under the burning sun of Syria, the lofty mouhtain range of Lebanon experiences all the rigors of a Canadian winter, and to this day il is no uncommon thing to find the sites of the ancient forest inaccessible in the month of June, in consequence of ti.-' quantity of snow still on the ground. The trade in Lumber has always been of importance. Ancient Egypt, the Granary of tiie then known world, consumed large quantities of Wood, and as it docs not produce Timber, the great proportion of iis supplies were imported. Italy, the next centre of civilization, dealt largely in Timber, and in fact it may be said to have been a large item in the commerce of civilization, in an- cient as well as in modern times. The variety of Timber which constitutes the Staple Trade of Canada is known as the Pine or Fir. It is widely diffused over the surface of our Globe, and is common al'ke to the wilds of Si- beria, the slopes of the Himalayas, the isles of the South Sea, the plainsof South America, the acclivities of the ^'olden Sierras of Cal- ifornia, and the mountains of Canada. It is common in Northern Europe, widely diffused over Asia, constitutes the principal Forest tree of America, and some of its varieties are to be found in Africa. In point of utility, the Pine, as a Forest tree, ranks next, if it is not superior to, the Oak. At any rate it is more extensively used, both in the arts and as an economical production. There are about twenty varieties of Pine ; each marked by distinctive and well Lnown peculiarities, but all having strongly defined affinities, so that it would be no easy matter to mistake that species furthest removed from the true Pine, for any other variety of Forest tree. One of the principal characteristics of the Pine family arises from the fact that they do not bear flat leaves, but a species of spices, which are however real leaves. They are chiefly, but not all evergreens, and the appearance of the tree, as well as the quality of the Timber, varies with the species, and also with the situation 6 in which it is found. Generally speaking, the Timber is hardest and best in exposed, cold situations, and when its growth is slow. The greater number of the species are tail and lofty trees, and they all yield an essential oil, well known as Turpentine ; and Kesin, or Gum. The rine Tamily have been divided by Botanists, into thirteen Genera, containing a considerable number of species. The Gen- era are : rinus , The Fir. Abies Spruce. Larix Larch. Sliuberiia Deciduous Cypress. Cuprcssis Cypress. Timja Arbor A'itoc. Jiiniperius Juniper. Araucarius New Holland Tine. Belis Javelin Slinpcd. A!2;athus Dammer Pine. Exocarpus Cypress Like. Podocnrpus Chinese Pine. Taxus Yew. The general name Pine has been derived from the Celtic, which, like all, original languages, is highly descriptive, and the proper names of all natural productions of the countries inhabited by that race were always explanatory of some prominent quality in the subject designated, or some peculiarity of the locality in which it was placed. Thus in this case, the topographical pecu- liarity of the country producing this Timber has given its name and distinguishing title to the whole family of which it is composed. Pin or Pen, in the ancient Celtic, signified a Rock, and, as is well known, a rocky soil is the chief favourite locality where those trees are to be found. In the enumeration of the different species of this tree, the Scotch Pine (Pinus Sylvestris), generally stands first in the list. It is commonly called the Scotch Fir, and ap- pears to be indigenous to Scotland, but it is common to all parts of F irope, from the Alps to the Baltic, and from the shores of the German Ocean to the Ural Mountains. It attains in favour- able situations, a height of 80 feet, and 4 to 5 feet in diameter. It is doubtful whether any portions of the aboriginal Pine Forests exist m England. In Scotland, the Forests of Invercauld and Eothiemurchess exhibit the finest specimens of this tree extant in ■if, knd m the T3riti<4l» I^lfs, wliilc llie sole rcprcscnlalircsof the mngnificent Forests wliicli once covered llie r2,()00,000 acres of waste land in Ireland, nre reduced to two venerable trees on the Kstate of lUchard Nugent, Ksq., near \Vcodfoi(l,in the County of Galway, both of wi ieh had lost their powers of reproduction, through ex- treme age. The other European species are the Corsiean Pine (Pinus Laricio), whicii is nearly allied in character to the Scotch Pine, but is a much liner tree. It grows wild on the summits of the highest mountains of Corsica. The Cluster Pine (Pinus Pinaster), is an ornamental tree peculiar to Switzerland and the Italian Mountains ; its principal use is in the formation of shingles for house rooBng, in Switzerland, and its chief value arises from its beauty as an ornamental tree. Of the same character is the Stone Fine (Pinus Pinea), of Southern Italy ; its seeds, as well as those of the Cluster Pme, are eaten by the inhabitants of that country rich and poor ; they are as sweet as almonds, but partake slightly of a Turpentine flavour, — the tree can only be considered for its eflect in the landscape. The Siberian Pine (Pinus Cumba), grows higher up the Alps than other Pines, and is found at eleva- tions where Larch will not grow. The wood is very soft, aD(} having scarcely any grain it is much used by the peasants of the Tyrol, where it abounds, lor carving. The Canary Pine (Pinus Canariensis), grows in the high mountains of the Canary Islands, at an elevation corresponding to the coldest parts of Scotland ; the wood is resinous, highly inflammable, and is well adapted for building material, as it lasts for ages. Michaux enumerates ten species of American Pine, the principal of which are the Red Pine (Pinus Rubra), sometimes called the Norway Pme. It is found in Canada, Nova Scotia, and the Northern parts of the States. It generally occup :s small tracts of a few hundred acres, either alone or single with AVhite Pine. It grows in dry and sandy soils to the height of seventy or eighty feet, and about two feet in diameter. It is chiefly remarkable for the uniform size of its trunk for two-thirds of its length. The bark is of a clearer red than that of the other species. The wood has a fine compact grain and is very resinous. It is gene- rally employed in Navai A.rchiteclure, and affords masts for the largest ships. The Yellow Pine (Pinus Mitis), is widely diffused through North America. It is a beautifjl and symmetrica! tree^ the branches fornriug a pyramid at the summit. It rises to a height 8 of fifty or sixty feet, having a diameter of about eighteen inches. The leaves are rather short, of a bright green color, and united in pairs. The cones are oval, armed with fine spines, and of very small size. The concentric or annual circles of the wood are six ♦imes as numerous in a given space as those of Pitch Fine. The heart is fii;e grained and moderately resinous, which renders the wood compact, without great wtiglit. Long experience has pro- ved its excellence and durability. The Long Leaved Pine (Pinus Australis), is known as the Yellow Pitch, Broom and Georgia Pine. It is diffused through the Slates of Virginia, the Carolina?, Georgia and Florida, occupying dry sandy soils, called Pine bar- rens. The mean height which it attains is about sixty feet, with a uniform diameter of eighteen inches, for two-thirds of its length. The leaves are a foot long, of a beautiful green color. The cones are also very large, being seven to eight inches long, and four inches thick when open. They are armed with retorted spines, and the seeds are in general very abundant. The kernel is of an agreeable taste, and is voraciously eaten by *' wild turkeys," squirrels, and the swine that live almost wholly in the woods. In some unfruitful yea.s, whole Forests of hundreds of miles in extent will not yield a single cone. This latter fact may explain the phenomena, to some extent, attending the visit of wild turkeys and other migratory animals to the Western parts of this Province. The wood of the Pinus Australis is compact, fine grained, dura- ble, and susceptible of receiving a fine polish, advantages which give it a preference over every other species. Those qualities are much influenced and modified bv the nature of the soil. It is from this tree that the principal supply of Pitch, Hesin and Tur- pentine is obtained. The Pitch Pine (Pinus Rigida), is common throughout the Uni- ted States, but is most abundant on the Atlantic Coast. It is a very branchy tree, and the wood is consequently knotty. Tt is very Resinous and affords a large quantity of Pitch. The bark is thick, of a dark colour and deeply furrowed. The concentric circles of the wood are far asunder ; and three-fourths of the larger stocks consist of sap. On high ground and light gravelly soils, the wood is heavy and full of Resin ; on low, humid soils it is the reverse, and unfit for use. The White Pine, Weymouth Pine, or in Botanical language, the Pinus Strobus, one of our most important Forest trees, and from which our Staple Trade is drawn^ is a native of North JJ 9 America, is the most valuable and interesting of the species, and attains its greatest physical development in Canada. Its name is derived from the perfect whiteness of its wood when freshly expo- sed. The leaves are tive-fold^ four inches m length, numerous, slender, and of a bluish green colour. The cones are four or five inches long, and composed of thin, smooth scales, rounded at the base. It grows extensively between the parallels ol 43*^ and 47® North Latitude, in almost all varieties of soil, but it attains its greatest dimensions North of the St. Lawrence, principally in the Ottawa Valley. • This ancient and majestic inhabitant ot the British North Ameri- can Colonies is still the loftiest and most valuable of their produc- tions ; and its summits are seen at an immense distance, aspiring towards hea-^en, far above the heads of the surrounding trees. The trunk is simple for two-thirds or three-fourths of its height, and the limbs are short and verticellate, or disposed in stages one above the other to the top of the tree, which is formed by three or four upright branches. On young stocks, not exceeding forty feet in height, the bark of the trunk and branches is smooth and polished. As the tree advances in age it splits and becomes rug- ged, but does not fall in scales like that of other Pines. The trunk also taper;;) and lessens from the base to the summit more than those of the others of the same tribe. The wood is soft, light, free from knots, easily wrought, and very durable when ex- nosed to the air and sun. Tlis tree is the foremost in takinsr possession of barren districts, and the most hardy in resisting the impetuous gales of the Ocean. The wood is not resinous enough to furnish turpentine lor commerce, nor would the labor of ex- tracting it be easy, since it occupies tracts separate from each other, and is mixed in diflerent proportions with other trees. The White, Black and Red Spruces, or Abies A!ba ; Abies Nigra, and Abies Rubra belong to another genera of the Pines called Firs or Abies. They differ from the Pines in the form and position of their leaves, as well as in the general a>pectofthe trees. In the Firs, the leaves are generally shorter than in the Pines, and placed solitarily instead of in pairs. The varieties enu- merated are natives of America, and nearly resemble in their gen- eral properties those of Europe. The Black Spruce is reckoned the most durable. In America it is used for knees for ship build- ing, when neither Oak or Tamarac car. be obtained. The Timber of the Red Spruce is universally preferred throughout the States hi 10 for sail-yards, and imported for that purpose from Nova Scotia. It is chiefly from the decoction in water of young shoots of the Black Spruce, and not exclusively from those of the White spe- cies, that Spruce Beer is prepared, by fermentation with sugar or molasses. The Essence of Spruce, of the dealers, is prepared by evaporating the decoction to the consistence of honey. The Silver Fir (Abies Picea) is one of the most beautiful of this family. When standing alone and developing itself naturally, its branches which are numerous, and thickly garnished with leaves, diminish as they approach the top, and thus form a pyramid of perfect regularity. The upper surface of the leaves is of- a beautiful vivid green ; their under surface has two white lines running lengthwise, on each side of the mid rib, giving the leaves that silvery look from whence the common name is derived. The cones are nearly cylindrical, about eight inches long, and always directed upwards. The wood is light, slightly resinous, and in- terior to that of the common Fine. The resin of this tree is sold in England and America, under the name of Balsam, or Balm of Gilead, although the true Balm of Gilead is procured from a totally different tree, the Amyris Gtleadensis. The Norway Spruce Fir (Abies Communis), is a beautiful and stately tree. The branches are verticilJate, and spring from a common centre. The leaves are solitary, short, slightly arched, and acute, of u dark green colour, which gives to the tree a som- bre aspect. The tones are cylindrical, five to six inches in length, and contain small winged seeds, which ripen in November, 'i'his is one of the tallest of the European Firs, with a very straight but not thick trunk. It is a native of the North of Gei manv and ¥ Russia, and particularly abundant in Norway, IVoin whenci' it is largely imported into England, both as Spars, and as tlie White Deals of that country and the Baltic. The 'I iutber is inieiior to that of common Pine in durability, but is more prized than any other variety of Pine as Masts or Spars for small craft. Between the banks of the Columbia, and the Rocky Mountains, ^recently discovered species of Pine commands allention. It is called the Pinus Douglasis ', grows to a height of two hundred and thirty feet, and is upwards of fifty feet in circumference at the base. It has a rough corky bark, from one to twelve inches thick. The leaves resemble those of the Spruce, and the cones are small. This Timber is of good quality, and very heavy. In that wonderful gold region of California, where nature has 11 •V ,1 exhibited her powers on so large a scale, the products oii the Forest appear to keep pace with those of the Mine. The Pinus Lara- bertina is a native of Northern California, where it is dispersed ovtT large tracts of country, but does not form dense Forests like most other Pines. It is a very majestic tree, and generally rises to a height of 250 feet, measuring often fifty-eight feet in cir- cumference, at three feet from the root, and eighteen feet at one hundrt'd and forty feet from the ground. The trunk is straight, clean, and free from bunches, for about two-thirds of its height. The bark is uncommonly smooth, and the whole tree has a most graceful ajipeariiiicc. The cones resemble those of the Wcyinouth Pine, but are m^ttii larger, being on an average at least sixteen inches ill length. The tree bears a considerable resemblance to the ^pi'ucc's. But even this great mammoth of the Forest is eclipsed by another member of the same family, found in the same country, and called impressively Pinus Grandis. Specimens of this tree have be«n met with over one hundred and fifty feci in circumference, and supposed to be over 500 feet in height. The Larch (Larix Communis), is after the common Pino, prob- ably the most valuable of the tribe. The name is derived from the Celtic Lar, Fat — in allusion to the resmous juice which it exudes. It is an exceedingly useful Timber, and is a native of the Tyrolege and Dalmatian Alps. The Black Larch of America (Larix Pendula), called by the Indians Tamarack or Hackmatack, is a beautiful tree, resembling the European species both in appearance and in the excellent quality of the wood and bark. The Cedar of Lebanon (Larix Cedris), is a native of the coldest parts of the Mountains of Leb- anus, Amanus and Taurus, but it is not now to be found in any quantity in those situations. The Forest of Lebanon seems never to have recovered the havoc made by Solomon's hewers, so that there are now probably more Cedars in England than in Palestine. This tree, if the rapidity of its growth were at all correspondent with its other qualities, would be the most valuable in the Forest.. Its resistance to absolute wear is not mdeed equal to that of the- Oak, but it is so bitter that no insect will touch it, and it seems to be proof against Time itself. We are told the Timber in the Temple of Apollo at Utica was found undecayed after a lapse of 2,000 years, and that a beam from the Oratory of Diana, at Sa- guntum in Spain, was carried from Zante, two centuries before the Trojan War. Some oi the most celebrated structures of 12 antiquity were formed from this tree. It occupied a principal place in the construction of the great temple of Jerusalem, and furnished the prototype of the trade which we carry on from this country during the present period of the world's history. The ships of Sesostris, the Egyptian conqueror, one of them 280 cubits long, were formed of this Timber, as was also the gigantic statue of Dianna, in the Temple of Ephesus. Some difficulty no doubt exists with regard to the ancient history of this celebrated tree, there being other trees still named Cedars which, though somewhat resembling them, do not belong to the same genus- -as the White Cedar, which is a Cypress, and the Red, which is a Juniper. The Yew Tree (Taxus Barcata), is a tree of no little celebrity, both in the military history and the superstition of England. It is a natire of Europe, North America, and the Japanese Isles. The Cypress (Cupressis Sempervirens), obtains its name from the island of Cypress, where it grows in great abundance. It is supposed to be the most durable of all Timber, excelling even the Csdar ia this quality. The doors of St. Peter's Church at Rome, which had been formed of this material in the time of Constantine, showed no sign of decay, when, after the lapse of eleven hundred years. Pope Eugenius IV. took them down to replace them by gates of brass. In order to preserve the remains of their heroes, the Athenians buried them in coffins of Cypress, and the chests or coffins in which the Egyptian mummies are found are usually of the same material. The White Cedar (Alba Cupressis), is a native of Amerfca, where it grows to a considerable size, but it grows slowly, being eighty years old before it is fit for Timber ; and even then, though it answers well for heops, small boats, roofing and some other purposes, it does not appear very worthy of cultivation as a Tim- ber tree. Arbor Vitae (Thuja Occidentalis), or Canadian Cedar. The wood of this tree, which gives out, when burned, an agreeable odour, was used by the ancients at their sacrifices ; and hence the name, from the Greek word Thuo, to sacrifice. The common Arbor Vitae is a well known tree, and indigenous in Canada. The wood is considered more durable than any other. The Chinese species. Thuja Orientalis, very nearly resembles the American tree. Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria Excelsa), is a splendid tree, often attaining a height of 220 feet. It is a native of Australia, 18 and presents a magnificent object, with its bright evergreen foliage and innumerable waring branches. The leaves are closely imbri- cated, inflexed and pointless. The longitudinal sections of the wood^ with all the distinctive marks of Conifera;, exhibits the peculiarity of three rows of oval disks. From this circumstance, it has been identified as the same species with the famous fossil tree of Craigleith quarry, so familiar to all readers of LyelPs Principles of Geology. The Araucaria Imbricata is another variety of this species, being more hardy, and found in colder countries. The Juniper (Juniperus Communis), is a tutted shrub common to Europe and America ; it is found in Asia. It is chiefly re- markable for its berries, and their use in the manufacture of gm. The Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana), is found in Canada, but flourishes as one of the highest Timber trees in Jamaica. It is not found in large quantities in this country, and its dimensions hardly warrant its being classed as a tree. The beauty of the wood; its high perfume, and freedom from insects, makes it valua- ble as an economical product, wherever it can be found. It will be seen from this enumeration that the Fine family hold a principal place amongst the economical productions of the Forest, both of the commerce of the world in ancient and modern times, and although some varieties may have been more in demand than others, at various periods of the world's history, still the wants of mankind and the progress of discovery in the arts and sciences will undoubtedly bring sooner or later, the varieties least thought of now, into the market. At present, the variety known as the Pinus Strobus or White Pine, occupies the chief position in the Timber trade of the civilized world, and it is destined, from the vast extent covered by its Forests, to maintain that proud pre- eminence for a considerable period. As stated, its greatest de- velopment as a Forest tree, is North of the St. Lawrence ; and the Valley of the Ottawa River the country where it is most pro- fusely distributed. Its commercial history may be correctly said to be co-eval with the settlement of the country where it is found. Previous to the close of the last century, the Ottawa River was only known to those adventurous Voyageurs who following the old highway of the Aboriginal inhabitants, and the track of the adven- turous explorer Samuel Champlain, brought the few bundles of Peltry, which then represented the Staple Trade of the Canadas, to the frontier town of Montreal. It was no exaggerated statement 14 made to Louis XV., by his obsequious courtiers, that the loss of these Provinces was only the loss of a feiv acres of snow, which cost more to maintain than they were worth. Nor was it so senseless a sneer as most people imagine, when they charge that elegant cynic Horace Walpole, with ii pithy exclnmution that England and France Avere at war for a few bundles of Furs. Both expressions were strictly correct. It is matter of astonishment now, that France put forth such efforts to retain so unprofitable a colony, and that those efforts did not result in any conviction of its value, to the mother country, in the minds of those polilicians who tlien guided her destmies, is abundantly evident from tlio fact that no precaution had been taken to avert wliat must have been long known as an inevittible catastrophe, or since to recover what would have been a valuable dependency. To the superficial obst^rver of the politics of Europe, in 1760, nothing. could be n/ore absurd than the contest between two great powers, carried on with circumstan- ces of atrocious barbarity, for the possession of a country only capable of furnishing loading for a couple of annual ships, ami whose whole trade did not amount to greater tonnage than what is now employed by the Hudson's Bay Company. And it is hard to say whether any of the English statesmen who planned the con- quest of Canada, if they could have foreseen the events following thereon, would have meddled with a measure so destructive to the peace of the world. It is a matter of congratulation to us that as we stand now in the same relative position to the people of the late United States as the French stood in 1750, we have the protective arm of a Power stretched over us, whose duty has always been well and effectually done to her own Colonies. The close of the Revolutionary War compelled a goodly number of those brave and gallant hearts who could not foreswear their al- legiance to follow the fortunes of the standard whose cause they had fought to uphold, and to settle in the then wilds of Canada, under the segis of those laws and that form of Government which they had been taught to love and reverence. The associations or connexions left in the country they had abandoned soon opened an intercourse with the exiles. Trade, or purposes of speculation, en- ticed many an enterprising Massachusetts Trader across the bound- aries which their successful revolt had raised between th^ American Provinces of Great Britain, and to one of those active individuals the Lumber Trade of this Province owes its existence. Some time about the year 1790, a Mr. Wright, a native of Woburn in Mas- 15 sachusclls, visited Montreal, then consisting ofa single street, and possibijr fire thousand inhabitants, for commercial purposes. While there, he became acquainted with a party who represented himself as the 'loldcr of a Patent for a large quantity of land on the Otta- wa River, which he was prepared to dispose of on reasonable terms. After some consideration, Mr. Wright became the purchaser under this Patent, but on inquiry, found the document to be a forgery. The then Governor of the Province, willing to encourage immigration proposed to Mr. Wright that he should settle on the lands nevertheless, and that such arrangements should be made as would enable him to acquire the property under reasonable con- ditions. Accordingly, Mr. Wright made the necessary prepara- tions, and some short time before the close of the century, made the Brst settlement on the Ottawa, near where the village of Hull now stands. With our present facilities for travel we cannot re- alize, even in imagination, the hardships endured by those early settlers ; the weary canoe and boat voyages, the frequent porta- ges, the doubtful character of the Indians, for it will be recollec- ted that scarcely thirty years had elapsed since the time when the daring and astute Indian Chief Pontiac had banded the hostile tribes of Aborigines against British Power, and had all but anni- hilated it, with every circumstance of savage barbarity attendant on Indian warfare in Canada. Then came the losses by fire, that scourge of the early settler, and the discouragement consequent on short and scanty crops ; but through all these t .e energy, skill and strong will of the founder carried him triumphantly. The events of the War of the French Revolution had shaken society in Europe to its centre, and not only overturned Established Religion and Government, but also thoroughly revolutionized commerce. The Baltic, and the countries bordering thereon, were closed to Eng- lish merchandise. Already the want of timber and hemp began to be felt by the chief Naval Power of the world, and at this point the almost forgotten and obscure colony stepped forward, to help the country which had acquired possession thereof by right of con- quest. The hour and the occasion had arrived, and the man was there, to take advantage of both. It is probable that Mr. Wright, in his many trips to Montreal and Quebec must have been made aware of the increasing demand for Timber, and for its scarcely less important (in the then state of naval affairs,) adjunct, hemp. At all events, he set himself diligently to supply both. His suc- cess with the latter necessarily terminated with the general Peace 16 in 1815, but the trade created by his enterprise in the former, faa« been still increasing, and is the basis on which the commercial pro&peritj of Canada is established. If great events are to be marked as the epochs on which the history of a country is founded, Canada has already Three re- markable periods to chronicle. The first is her early settlement, the second her transfer to Great Britain, and the third the com- mencement of the Lumber Trade. Previous to the development of that traffic, the condition of this Province was miserable in the extreme. Without trade, without minufactures^ its agricultural products were not more than the scanty population could consume ; and it is within the memory of people still living, that the provisions for the troops quartered in this Provmce, were actually imported from England. Nor is the time so far distant when the battles of rival Fur Traders were productive of more real bloodshed than those of the people and nation beyond our frontier, and equally without the control of the Executive Government. The enter- prise that brought the first raft from the Forests of the Ottawa has changed all this, and metamorphosed the country from being the haunts of iaavage beasts, and scarcely less savage men, into a hive of industry and enterprise, with a rapidly developing commerce, and a corresponding manufacturmg interest. When the short time in which this change has been brought about is taken into account, some astonishment will no doubt be manifested, but the value of the agent will be thereby considerably enhanced. The dawn of the 11th of June, 1806, saw the village of Hull alive with excitement, while the cliffs opposite, on which the Legis- lative Palaces are now built, and the whole site of the capital of Canada, reposed beneath its dark fringe of Pine and Cedars, un- touched by the hand of man. A gieat event in the history of that little isolated community was to come off, aad if the veil of futurity could be pitrced, a great event in the history of the Pro- vince. T\\e first Raft ever floated down the Ottawa, rode at its moorings in the mouth of the great tributary, the Gatineau, and it was the event of seeing it get under way for its adventurous voy- age, that caused this excitement amongst the quiet villagers. More than this, it may be supposed that many anxious hearts marked its departure \ for the mysteries of the great river ; its eddies, rapids and cascades were as yet imperfectly known, but the venture was successful, and before nine years had elapsed, the Lumber Trade of the Ottawa was an established fact. There are many gentle- !7 men now connected with this Trade, whose experience dates from the period mentioned ; and most of those engaged therem have been personally acquainted with its founder, the late Col. Wright. From the 11th of June, 1806, till the Brat legal recognition of this Trade, during the Administration of the Earl Dalbousie, in 1823, by the imposition of a Timber Duty on Exportation, there are now no authentic records. The valuable papers belongmg to the Wright family, in connexion with this Trade, are of ton personal and private a character, to warrant their publication for many years to come ; but it is to b hoped that those in whose hands they remain will preserve them carefully, . . that the future histo- rian may not be »t a loss for facts o** such importance as those papers contain. B(>tween the commencement of this Trade and its first recognition as a fiscal element, during a period of sixteen years, a good many adventurous spirits crowded into it. Many lawless acts were committed, and the strong arm of might was often more freely invoked than the requirements of justice demand- ed. The manufactures connected with the Trade were then in their infancy, and the mode of constructing a raft so rude, as to astonish the navigator on the comparatively mechanical construc- tion of the present day. When it is understood that the mooring apparatus, which is now as complicated and modernised as in a goodly merchant ship of 600 tons burthen, was then represented by wooden anchors ur.d withe cables, some idea may be formed of the difficulties attending the navigation to Quebec ; and the total absence of any propelling power, beyond that arising from the cur- rents, the winds, and the arms and oars of the raft's crew, will explain the reason why two seasons were frequently consumed in a trip which is now generally made in four weeks, and it is now no extraordinary occurrence to have the rafts from Lake Temis- camingue, at Quebec early in July, having traversed a distance of 600 miles, from the last days of April. The wooden anchors spoken of as used in the early days of the Lumber Trade, were made of Oak^ shaped something in the form of a grappling iron, with large chain withes passed through the different forks, encircling a stone of such dimensions as was deemed sufficient to answer the purpose, and could be bandied. This stone was secured within the forks and the chain withes, by interweaving other smaller withes of sufficient dimensions to secure the same, thus continuing until connecting with the main withe cable ; and it is affirmed, that they answered every purpose to the rafts of those early times, 18 that their more durable and powerful successors now serve. The next great event in the history of the Staple Trade was the erec- tion of slides at and above Ottawa. When the Lumber opera- tions extended above the city, in the early period of the history of this Trade, the mode by which the great Falls of the Chaudiere were passed was by floating the Pine Timber, at high water, down through the little Chaudiere, on the &»outh side of the Ottawa, until entering the large bay at Le Breton's Flat above the Chau- diere Falls ; from thence the cribs were towed by a rope and snubbed round a small eddy, until thrown into the current of water leadiug to the Southern edge of the Chaudiere Falls. Without this precaution, two- thirds of the Timber would have taken the direction of the lost channel, passing over the Falls into the great cavern near the Victoria Foundry, from whence it could not have been removed, until low water, and only then with great extra expense. Pine cribs thus passing the Falls were broken up, the de- tached pieces being caught by a boom, extended from the lower end of Victoria Island to the main shore, and re-rafled for the Quebec market. All cribs of heavy floating Timber, and Staves, that could not be secured by the boom, were broken up in the bay above the Falls, drawn past by oxen, etc., and re-rafled. When in low water, this channel was impassible, the cribs were run over the little Chaudiere, through the Mast channel, falling down with the current, untd passing the reef extending from the Island above the Kettle, thence rounding the said reef, were made fast to the Island, where two men with a birch canoe, could place the crib in the best position to pass through the Big Kettle, returning with the canoe for another, and so on, until the whole raft was passed. At this pitch of water it was necessary to boom the Ottawa River from the point at the Hull Landing, to the point above the present steamboat wharf, Ottawa, where they re-rafted for Quebec market. These facilities for trade were the invention of the present Ruggles Wright, Esq., of that Village, the son of the founder of the Trade, and were the first ever built to facilitate the descent of Cribs. In Switzerland and Sweden, single stick slides had existed for a long time, but the construction of one of sufficient capacity to carry through a Crib; was reserved for the development of a trade of corresponding mag- nitude. The first of those slides was constructed by Mr. Wright, in the year 1829, and another by the late George Buchanan, Esq., on the South side of the Ottawa, where the Government slides 19 now stand, in tlie year 1832. Tlie slides al the Cliats were built in f lie same order by the same oartles ; Wright's, wliich v/ere very little u>tHl, in 181'), and Hiicliaiian's, now (iovcrnment property, in tlie same year. 'J'hose at the Calumet were conhtriicted in ISl;), and those at Des Joachim still later. Another important event in the management of the trade was the substitution ol ihe present system of l»jtlm<; Timber Berths. Previous to 1850, the method obtained was to r.i\int n Licenso for whatever cpianlily of Land was apjilied for, ihe Limit holder being simply charged a duty on the Tiiiiher brought to market. After that period, a (Iround Kent of two shillings and sixpence per acre, was charged additional, xvith a proviso to prevent monopoly, of having the aforesaid rent increase in geometrical proportion, each year that the Limits were unoccupied. It is held by those best acquainted with the trade, that this regulation has the effect of stimulating over production. The establishment of a Supervisor's Oftice, by which the Lumber coming to Quebec could be measured and culled, occurred in 184<7. JJoth this measure, and that of the Limit system, as it now stands, are due to the exertions of the inventor of the slides. The next important regulation connected with the trade, was promulgated in 18.')9, by the famous en bloc Ordinance, which threatens its ultimate extinction. Such is the brief history of the rise and progress of a traffic of vast importance to the interests of this Province, and its bearings on the fiscal, commercial, and man- ufacturing interests thereof, will be conceded withoul question. Of the other portions of the Province which furnish a supply of Timber for European markets, the principal, are the Saguenay, the St. Maurice, and the Trent Valleys, but it is limited in quan- tity, and will never attain the dimensions of the trade of the Ottawa. The conuDcrcial importance of Canada may be dated from the day on which the first raft descended the Ottawa llivcr ; and its manufacturing pre-eminence will be attained when the first vessel ascends that stream to carry the produce of its Forests to Quebec. A mighty revtiution in the commerce of Canada has been ef- fected by the development of this trade, and it is destined to pro- duce one of still greater magnitude. The Lumber Trade of Canada is its only available staple, and is drawn principally Irom those Districts referred to. Commen- cing with that of the Saguenay, it occupies an area of 27,000 square miles along the vajlej of that River, wliich is navigable for large ihips for a distance of 75 miles from its junction with the St. so Lawrence. It furnishes several tlioiisaml tuns of ^nwcil TiUinber yearly, and employs a number of sijuare-ngged vessels. Next in point of size, is the St. Maurice territory ; its ari'a is about 21,000 superficial miles, and it is said to contain a vast supply of Timber. The Irado on the 8t. Maurice is limited to the production of sawn Lumber and saw logs. The country drained by the Trent, and its tributaries, does not exceed 0,000 scpiare miles of area, and its supply of sfpiare timber has not n uch exceeded "^,000,000 cubic ft. per annum. From settlement, and other causes, this InlttM* dis- trict will soon be worked out, so that as an element of production, as far as the great Staple Trade is concerned, it is not of as much importance as the St, Maurice or Saguenoy. The area drained by the Ottawa River and its tributaries, is about 77,000 superfi- cial miles. Of this vast space, probably 11,000 miles are under the influence of settlement, and of the remaining 66,000 miles, 11,500 more arc occupied by the manufacturers of Lumber ; consequently, there yet remains r)-l<,r)00 square miles of territory, of which very little is known. To this must be added some 7,000 square miles between the Western ivaters of the Ottawa and the Georgian Bay, and 4,000 square miles for the space in continuation thereof, to i\\e North of French River, and there is a total available area of 65,500 square miles, from which the future Staple 'JVade of this Province must be drawn. Of this immense area, probably one- fourth, or 17,000 square miles is good arable land, the lemainder eminently adapted for Forest purposes, is rich also in mineral wealth, and if judiciously developed, cannot fail to supply to this Province its natural deficiencies in mineral fuel, and to create a manufacturing int2rest which shall take the chief rank on the American continent. The vast extent of country covered by those Pine Forests, from which the Staple Trade of Canada is drawn, is pierced in every direction by what may not inaptly be called a network of water ways. The tributaries of the Ottawa, most of them considerable rivers, are very numerous, and derived, as they are said to be, from a system of waters connecting Lake St. John, the head waters of the Saguenay, on the North East, including those of the St. Maurice, and terminating in the sources of the Ottawa on the North West. Thus the country to the North of the River is one large island, or rather a series of islands, pierced in every direction by streams of considerable magnitude, some of them over 300 miles in length ; while the South presents the ex-' traordinary spectacle of a series of streams running parallel to the ^1 inniii llivor, from tlieir hoiircts, wliicli in some cases is over 1^0 miles, to williin a short ilistancc; of the point of junnlion, uhore they gi'iieially make & sliarp turn to the North, and join thn Ot- tawa at right angles to its course. As a {^cneial rule, the rh)>i- cal aspect of the country, so sitiiateil, is in strict accordance witli the conili'.ions necessary for tin? (hivclopment of its system of in- ternal waters. On the Nnrlli sitio of the River, the numerous trihutarit.'s find their way through the spurs of the Apalachfan chain ol mountains, and take their rise in a ctirious depression be- iween the skirts of those spurs and the watershed of the IIunms which run into the Arctic Ocean, is of very small extent ; indeed in one instance, they ap- proach so closeiy that the ITu I S8 of^tlie Hon. John HamiltOD, at Hawkesbury. These are all large establishments, employing a great number of hands every season, capable of manufacturing an immense amount of Lumber — and sup- pJied with machinery of the most elaborate description. Having described the Lumber trade, as far as its production and manufacture are concerned, it now remains to notice its peculiar value to this Province, and the contrast between the present condi- tion of Canadian trade and the traffic carried on at the commence- 4nent of the present century. The return of vessels entering at the Port of Quebec, in the year 1805, shows the number to be 146 j of a freight capacity equal to 26,136 tons. In the year 1859, there arrived at the same Port, 970 vessels, manned by 17,046 men, and of a freight capacity equal to 510,984 tons; while there cleared from the same Port, 1,051 vessels, manned by 17,834 men, with a capacity of 539,135 tons — and the gross total to all Ports of the Province, Inland and Sea Ports, entered according to the Custom House Returns, was 17,417 vessels inwards, and 16,499 vessels outward bound ; with a tonnage of 4,142,606 tons inwards, and 4,175,957 tons outward, making a grand total of 8,318,563 tons — difference of traffic in a little over half a century as astounding under ordmary circumstan- ces, as any other of the wonderful changes brought about by the developmeni of this trade. Compared with the trado of the Pro- vince in 1805, it is hardly possible to imagine any increase so re- markable. It is to be borne in mind that the whole trade at that period was our import trade, and that the number of vessels inclu- ded Troop Ships and Ships of War. The average tonnage of each was only 172 tons, while the capacity of the vessels of the latter period averaged nearly 530 tons. The value of the ex- ;portsin 1859 was $24,765,981 ; of the imports, $33,555,161, making a total of $58,322,142 ; on which a duty of $4,437,846.12 was levied. Of this sum, $9,663,962 was the produce of the Porest alone, and the value of the ships built at Quebec, $421,566. If to this is added, $487,231, the produce of manufactures indu- ced by this Lumber trade, we have a total sura equal to $10,572,759. To this must be added the money left in the Province, for labour in loading the vessels engaged in this service, and the provisions supplied to the crews ; and the {allowance for full freight of the ships built in the Province ; as well as the dis- bursements on tug steamers, barges, and other vessels engaged in this trade, with the United States, and there will be a total of 29 probably $2,000,000, to be added to the above sum, ^vhich will make it equal to $12,572,759 ; or over 21 percent, of the whole trade of the Froviace, and more than one- half of the value of its exports. In 1805, the probable value of the whole trade of Canada would be $260,000. In the year 1823, the first duty was levied on Timber in Can- ada ; and it was at the sug)2;cstion of Alexander McDonnell^ Esq., of Sand Point, that this trade was subjected to fiscal regulations — his own connexion with it dating back to 1817. The object of thus placing it under the Customs of the country was to give it such legal protection as would enable those engaged in the trade to invest their money with at least a semblance of Government countenance and protection. The duty on Timber was levied during the Administration of Earl Dalhousie, and as it does not appear to have been thought of sufficient consequence^ we have no returns of the sums collected before 1826, and in that year the revenue appears to have exceeded in amount the whole revenue of the Province 30 years previously. The Revenue collected since then, appears by the following table : — Slide Dues. Grouiul Rent. Saw [ ;>taple Trade ds an agent for developing the resources of the Province, isi incolculuble ; it provides cmphvment for the emigrnnt, cither directly, or in the farming operations to which 't\> \TanlN givo rise ; it roquirei' the .services of a large and powerfully manned fleet ; and it gives the first impulse to native manufactures, by the necessity for furnishing its own material, io the shajie of deals, battens, and scantling ; — and the variety and extent of mnchinory re lor fcan, to an alino»l iinit'orm quantity ami ((ualil) . liiil Canada pmscsse*. I.irgtt b'orejits of Timber lap superior t > lln; l»allic I'iiM , iTJjile inl'trior to her own iiiaiketi le Timber. Tlii> «luicription Kan nevjM" been brought to mnrktit, becanno it could not bo proilu- rti] to rlii-aply us to warrant it, when llie tVei»;lil,protll»» ;nul risks were added to first cost, competing with llu; Haltii; Tim- ber in tlin nMrket. Tiio usual charges for ln.*i;;iit from (jnebec. ranges from twenty-live shillings to lhirty-liv«; shillings per ton. At the lowe»t rate that would be about worth the price oi the article in (Quebec, and this would bring it to N. ot* rling per cubic foot ; the cost of insurance, loading and Port dues, with tht profits, make^ up the figure it now stands at. Siitcj 1800, all protective duty has been withdrawn from tin? Canadi:tn Tiuiber in the British market, and that furnishes another reason why wccun- not compete with the inferior varieties ofl'ered for sale th«*ro. The greater part of the Timber fleet arrive here in ballast, or with such small cargoes that they look to the return voyage solely to com- pensate them for the whole trip cut and home — hence the high rates of freight as between (Quebec and IJritish Ports. Now it is evi- dently the true policy of Canada to endeavour to reduce this freight to rates more consonant with the leng'.h of a voyage be- tween their seaports and those of Cireat Britain. \\\' possess very many advantages during the navigable season over (he Ports of tbe United States, and we have been able to accomplish much quicker voyages, whether in sailing or steam craft. This IS to be ascribed, in some measure, to having to traverse less distance, but it also depends on being able to take advantage of prevailing winds and currents which vre derive from the more easterly position of our point of departure. The total distance from Quebec to Liverpool is 2^502 miles ; from New York, 2,980. Taking the paying cost of freight at 1.^ mills per ton, per mile, it will be found that the cost of transporting a ton of any material between the tivo cities, should be onlj $3.75 from Quebec, and $4.4-7 from New York ; but the actual fact is that it is much oftener 13.75 from New York than it is $!) from Quebec. If therefore this trade can be made to compete with other Timber, in European markets, measures must be taken to reduce the freight permanently, one-half at least, pnd also to reduce the cost of production. This latter measure can only beeflected by opening the Ottawa Canals. Then vessels of 600 Ions can load at the mills, and if necessary or advisable, tranship 36 mi H :' .' J'i: m If; at Quebec, with one-half the cost the same cargo tan be now transmitted there. In addition, it opens another market to the westward, where our grain and provision supplies are now concen- trated and drawn from ; and the pork and flour of Chicago could be delivered on the Ottawa, with an average voyage oi 700 miles instead of performing as the^ do now, one of nearly 1,700 miles. The tendency of the Lumber trade is to create manufactories, and to tram a corps of skilled artisans, wherever those establish- ments are situated. Of this fact vre have ample proof, in the de- %'elopment of ihe manufactures of this city. Wherever saw millfi are established, flour mills are sure to be required — the foundry and the machine shop are certain to follow, and the cotton mill becomes a necessity. Every fall on the Ottawa furnishes a site for those establishments, and it would be no exaggeration to say that as far as manufacturing purposes are concerned, the water power of that river and its tributaries is illimitable. One instance I shall quote on this subject is, that taking the actual fall between the level of Lac L e Chtne and the level of the River below the Chaudiere at 67.^ feet, there is conserved in those six miles a motor equal to 185,000 horse power. The consequences of im- proving ibe Ottawa are to be sought for in the expansion of the Lumber trade, and securing a large proportion of the carrying trade of the Western States. This iraile would also rapidly ex- pand by ihe proposed measure, because the demand for cotton, soon to arise, would increase the trdffic between Chicago and the Mississippi, by the exchange of grain for the peculiar staple of the South. The Oitawa River would fulfil all the conditions of a suc- cessful competitor for this carrying trade, because, as it must be manufactured in its descent to the sea-board, it possesses the ne- cessary motive power for that purpose, and a JStaple Trade to keep up the requirement of full cargoes both ways, by which the car- riage can be made profitable at a minimum cost to the consumer. Any one acquainted with the tendency ot commerce to maintain an equilibrium of supply and demand, must be satisfied that the su- perabundant wealth of the Canadian Forests would be much better employed in supplying the wants of the overpopulated countries of Europe, and the treeless Prairies of the Western States, than to be mercilessly overrun for the choice and fancy Timber therein, while really valuable Timber, constituting nine-tenths of the whole mass, is either ieft to rot where it grew, or destroyed by fire, or 37 uselessly expended in endeavouring to get the small proportion novr taken out to market. As detailed, the trade contains within itself the material for its ovrn development, and for the establishment of a commercial and manufacturing power unrivalled on ihi«tts is apparent enough. After the operations of the Lumber hianufacturcr have cleareO tiie land of all the valuable available Timber, its capacity for settlement is better for the Foreign im- Miigrant than previously, because his labour <*ill not be absorbed in operations with which he is unacquiiinted, nor his capital squan- ilsred in clearing lands to put down his crop. It is evidently then the duty of the people of this Province to save the Forests from destruction, by having such regulations enforced as will keep settlement confined to localities especially adapted for that pur- pose, and not force the destruction of the magniticent Pineries of the country, by measures whose only result will be the obstruction of immigration and the hopeless pauperism of the people forced into such localities. The native population or old settlers slum Pine land for purpo- !