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A NEW ROUTE FROM EUROPE

TO THS

\mm\ OF HoRTH America

WITH A OESCBIPTION OT

HUDSON'S BIT AND STRAITS.

/ssutJ by the Nelson Valley Railway and Transportation Comfany^

Montreal,

MONTREAL-
PRINTED BY JOHN LOVELL & SON.

1881.

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THE

NELSON VAIIKV RAiLV. AV ant. TRANSPORTATION

C()^!PAN^'

IN'(^Hi;i'uK\\TK') i:; VIC. CHAP. 57.

1SS(».

BOAHT) C/F PKOVISIOXAL DIHKCTORS.

Chairman ;
The Rv\. THOS. KVAN. Sk.natok, Moxjkeal.

Thk Hon-. .lOHN HAMII/r(»X.SKN\T()i;, - - Mc.ntreal.

ALKX. MrHKAY, Ks(^, I'l-c.^iilont Cutiiuiu Shipiiin^ Co., Montkkal.

PETER KEDl'ATH, E>y.. Muimr Hou.so, Cl.l^elhiu^t. I,ovm(.n.

GEO. A. DKUMMOXl), Est^. President Canada .Suiritr

Retiiiinj: Cmniianv. - . . . . Movthkal.

Dl'XCAX MACAKTHCi;, E.M^. Manager Merdiant.,

Bank otCanada, WivsiPKO.

ALFRED BRUWX. E.-<q., Diroctur Lank of Monlmil, Montrkal.

1 i!KA.MI!fc;U :

GE<J. A. LRL'MMOXD.

Lk<;ai, A|)V|,--ki; :
Th,.. Hon. .1. J. C. ABHOIT, M 1\

SEcltKrAil V :

•J. P. KDW'A !!!'>.

UFFU'i-; :

NO. 39 ST. FKAXrOLs XAVihil ST, .MONTREAL.

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rr.EFACE.

Tho following pa/res contain the latest information with
regard to the route via Hudson's Bay and Straitn to the
great North-West.

The Nelson Valley Railway and Transportation Company
of Montreal has obtained a eharter,an(l during the present and
past seasons has had a corps of surveyors engaged in Inying
out a railroad from Lake Winnipeg to tho harbor of UhurchiU
on Hudson's Bay, and this survey is sutficicntiy advanced to
prove that the line is practicable and indeed easy of con-
struction.

Churchill harbor is excellent, and available to vessels
drawing thirty feet of water without outlay except for the
construction of wharves. It is in the very heart, of the con-
tinent, almost exactly mi'l.vay between the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans, is within 400 miles of the groat wheat and
cattle raising territoi-ies under the British flag, and within
fair reach of the northern portions of those in the United
States.

The voyage from Liverpool to Churchill is G4 miles shoi-ter
than to Montreal, and 114 miles shorter than to- Xew York.

Churchill harbor is rather more southerly than tho
central line of the Baltic, and is open on an avorage for
over six months in summer. Hudson's Bay is oven less
impeded by ice in winter than that sea, though tho Straits
may be closed to navigation during the win i or months.

Why, it may be asked, has this route romaincl so long
unused and ignored? The answer is: for the same reasons
which have untill now kept the fertile lands of tho North-West
unsettled and imperfectly known. The Hudson's Bay Com-
pany have until lately held the whole of the North-West asa

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fiwiK?v!rifffii!aaatiaB^

hunting ground for its Indians, and the interest of that Com-
pany lay in discouraging settlement or intrusion on its
domain. As a consequence it has been the universal belief
that the territory was sterile and the climate Arctic in
its character: these are now proved to be delusions. The
navigation of Hudson's Bay has hitherto been confined to
the regular traders of the Hudson's Bay Company, and to the
American whalers, both of whom had a strong interest in
magnifying its dangers. Its opening to commerce could
not have preceded the settlement of the country, but there
are excellent reasons for believing it entirely practicable now.

Montreal, September, 1881.

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A NEW ROUTE FROM EUROPE TO THE INTERIOR
OP NORTH AMERICA,

Wiih a Description of Hudson's Bay and Straits.

The most conspicuous feature in the geography of North
America is the great inland sea of Hudson's Bay, occupying
an immense area in the centre of the continent. It is about
1,000 miles long and 600 wide, and has an area of '^' >ut
500,000 square miles, or more than half that of the Mediter-
ranean Sea.

The drainage basin of Hudson's Bay measures about 2,100
miles from east to west, and 1,500 miles from north to
south, and its whole area is not far from 3,000,000 square
miles. It extends from the Rocky Mountains nearly to
Lake Superior, and southward far into the United States.
The above figures will give some idea of the importance of
the subject about to be referred to.

It is true that part of the region draining into Hudson's
Bay is barren and unfit for the abode of civilized man, yet
vast tracts possess a very fertile soil, and a climate suitable
for the growth of all kinds of cereals and root crops. Tho
whole region is interspersed with almost innumerable
beautiful lakes, many of them of great size. It is also
traversed by great rivers affording long stretches of navi-
gable water.

The eastern shore of Hudson's Bay is generally high and
rocky, its western side is mostly low, with muddy shores
and level land stretching far into the interior. The shores
of the southern prolongation, James' Bay, are all low, with
level land to the west and south, and rocky ground to the
east.

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Hudson's Bay may be doscribod as a shallow soa whon we
consider its ^reat extent, but the depth of vvuler is very
uniform, and it is singularly free from shoals, reefs or other
impediments to navi<^ation over the greater part of its
extent. The avora^^e depth of the bay is abok^t seventy
fathoms, while that of Hudson's Straits is from 150 to 300
fathoms,

Besidoa innumerable small streams, about thirty rivers of
considerable size flow into Hudson's Bay. The lon<^ost of
those on the east side has a course of about 500 miles. A
number of lar^o rivers flow from the east, south and west
into the southern part of James' Bay. Of those the Moose
is a mile wide for some distance up, but is too shallow for
large vessels. The Nelson, on the west side, is the longest
of all the rivers of Hudson's Bay. It is the great trunk
river which discharges all the waters which have gathered
into Lake Winnipeg from every point of the com])ass, and
has a volume equal to about four times that of the Ottawa at
the capital of the Dominion. Its length is about 400 miles,
in which distance it has a descent of 710 feet from the
surface of Lake Winnipeg. If we add the length of the
Saskatchewan to that of the Nelson we shall have a total of
1,300 miles from the source of the former in the Rockj"
Mountains to the mouth of the latter on Hudson's Bay. The
Churchill, which ranks next to the Nelson in point of
volume, has its sourco between the Saskatchewan and the
MoKenzie, and in its course of several hundred miles it flows
through a succession of large lakes, between which are many
fine falls and cascades. It is considerably larger than the
Rhine, and its water is as clear and bright as that of the
St. Lawrence.

In Hudson's Straits the spring tides have a rise and fall
of about forty feet and neaps of about thirty. The area of
the Bay is so much greater than that of the openings con-
necting it with the ocean that its tides are considerablj''
lower. In passing up the west coast, they decrease from
fifteen feet of spring tide at York Factory to nine or ten

►:•>?';<:< t^«!*^^

feet at Moose Factory, at the head of James' Bay. On the
eoBt cor..:t tides arc still lower.

The straits vary in breadth from forty-five to one hundred
miles, and are about 500 miles in length. The tides are
estimated to have a swing of about twenty miles, and the
currents both ways are necessarily pretty strong. The
effect of this on drifting ice when any is present is very
important, causing it to open out and move about constantly,
80 that a steam vessel would be very little im))eded in
passing the Straits. It should, however, bo here mentioned
that vessels often sail through without encountering any ice.
The delays which sometimes occur to sailing ships are due
to what is called drift or pan ice by the Newfoundland
sealers, and which seems to be most common in July, being
apparently set free by the heat of the spring in the channels
to the north-west of the Bay and Straits. The Bay itself is,
of course, open all winter with the exception of a narrow
margin around the shore. The ice which forms here is,
however, thin, and disappears in the spring, being dissolved
by the heat of the sun. It is doubtful if the ice sets fast
completely across the Straits, oven in the middle of winter,
their width, depth and the strength of the tidal currents
tending to prevent it from doing so. At all events, it is
probable that the Straits would be found comparatively
unobstructed early in the spring before the pan ice of the
more northern latitudes comes down.

In the popular mind tliere is a rather indefinite idea of
the geography and conditions of these regions, and much of
the prejudice which exists in refierenco to Hudson's Bay and
Sti'aits may be due to confounding them with Davis' Straits
and the Labrador coast, which are much encumbered with
ice. It appears that the principal danger to be apprehended
in passing from the ocean into Hudson's Bay is in crossing
the stream of ice which floats past the entrance to Hudson's
Straits at certain seasons. Once througli this the naviga^
tion westward is said to be comparatively easy. Besides
the main entrance, there is, however, another to the north-

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ward around the back of Resolution Island, and a third on
the oppoeite side, south of the Button Islands. Ships have
already passed throutrh both of these, and their existence,
as a means by which stenmships could avoid the drifting
ice, may yet prove of considenibio importance. Navigators
find it best to enter the Straits in the fair way, but after
gaining a certain distance, they keep near the north side,
where it is found that the current runs regularly and the
ebb tides are weakest. Both shores are high and bold, with
deep water in all i)arts. The Straits and the groat body of
the Bay are remarkably free from sunken r jcks, reefs or
shoals.

In connection with a description of the route from the
centre of North America to Europe by way of Hudson's
Bay, it may be proper to glance at some of the resources of
the Bay itself, and of the country immediately surrounding
it. The trade in furs has been the principal business
hitherto carried on in this part of the world, but other
articles have also been exported in comparatively small
quantities. These embrace oil, whalebone, feathers, and skins
of porpoises and seals. The report of the United States
Commissioners of fish and fisheries for 1875-76 states that,
during eleven years preceding 1874, about fifty voyages
were known to have been made by whaling vessels from
New lilngland to Hudson's Bay, and their returns amounted
to at least 81,371,000. Some of the vessels had gone back
repeatedly, showing that the business had been very pro-
fitable. It is still carried on, but no returns of a more
recent date than the above a.e at hand. Large whales are
found in considerable numbers in north-western parts of
the Bay, and the white porpoise is very abundant around all
the shores. Several species of seals are also plentiful at
certain seasons.

Very little is known in regard to the fish resources of
Hudson's Bay and Straits. The cod not being regarded as
an article of commerce in these regions, and as the few
nations who frequent the shores never attempt the sea

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fisherios, nothing dofinito can bo said as to tho occurrence
of thiH fish. Hoarne, however, mentions that ho has Hoon the
jaws of this finh on tho whore at the mouth of the Churchill
River, and a few cod are roporteil to have hoen caught
some years aj^o near tho Litllo Whale River on the oast
side. The conditions as to depth, toinixM-atiire, etc., are so
favorable, and tho IVmxI of the cod, including the capolin, is
so abundant, that it is probable that, on proper trials being
made, this valuable fish will be found plentifully in Hudson's
Ba}'. The common salmon abounds in the rivers flowing
into Hudson's Straits, and another species is met with in
the streams in the northern part of the Bay. Other kinds
offish more or less valuable are also caught in tho rivers
and around tho coasts.

Part of the country to tho southward of James' Bay,
which is in the latitude of the south of England, even
along its eastern side, is likely to pi-ove available in the
future for stock raising. Kast of Hudson's Bay proper the
country is barren and rocky, but on tho west side it is level
and underlaid by a groat depth of clay. Still, tho climate
is too severe for farming, until wo come about half way from
the Bay to Lake Winnipeg, where barley may be produced,
and wheat ripens well along the upper part of the Nelson
River. But the most important point, in connection with
the consideration of the adjacent country, is the fact that this
region offers no engineering difficulties to the construction
'*" a railway through it to tho magnificent and almost
iJimitable fiarraing lands beyond.

Valuable timber is found over a very largo tract of coun-
try about the head waters of the rivers flowing towards
James' Bay from tho south and west, and some day this will
no doubt prove valuable for export, owing to the rapid
exhaustion of the available timber in other parts of Canada.

The mineral resources of Hudson's Bay may, however,
eventually prove of more importance than any of tho others.
On the different branches of tho Moose River, rich iron ores,
lignite and gypsum are found in large quantities. Indica-

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tionH of ^old, Rilvei*, copjior and inolyhdonum havo boon re-
corded at diffbrerit [)oiril.H on the EaHtrnain Coast. J)r. Boll
of tlio (Jeolo^ieal Survey has found valiiahio depoMitn of
galena at Richmond fJulf, and inexha«istil»lo qnantilioH of
rich mani^aT\if'eronH iron ores on the Nastapoka Islands on
the east side. Lar^o qnantitins of iron ])3'riteH and sheet
mica are reported to occur in the north-western part of the
Bay, and of ])Iumba/^'o on th" north side of the Straits. A
Bj'Htcniatic search for minerals on some parts of these coasts
would no doubt bo rewarded l)y valuable discoveries.

Wo now come to consider the practicability of tho navi-
gation of Hudson's Straits and Bay i\n' tho ordinary ])ur-
poses of commerce. And, first, wo must premise that, while
tho experience of sailing vessels in tho past cannot bo taken
as evidence of what may bo accom])lishod by propei'ly
o<juippcd Hteamshi]is in tho future, still that such evidence,
fairly considered, is upon tho whole, very favorable. Since
Hudson's discovery of the bay in 1 GOD- 10, about 780 round
voyages (all by sailing ships) have been made into it, up
to the ])resent year. The ships have belonged to the Hudson's
Bay Company (or been chartered by them), the British and
Frencii navies, expeditions of discovery, and Amei-ican or
other whalers. Out of this largo number there have boon
remarkably few losses, and none at all in the Straits. Con-
sidering that tho coasts are quite unsurveyed, the want of
charts, beacons, light-houses, pilots, etc., it must be admitted
that this is a remarkably favorable record. In 1864, two
ships belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company were run
ashore at tho same time in daylight on Mansfield Island.
But this was owing to gross carelessness, as tho sea was
8m<oth and the vessels had their studding sails set. The
captains were said to have been " visiting " on boara two
American whalers in company with them, but which judi-
ciously kept behind the others, and, seeing their mishap,
steered off. At York Factory the dates of the annual
arrivals and departures of the Company's ships have been
noted for the last 92 years, and at Moose Factory for the past

140 years. Tlioy hIiow an almost unintorniptod record, ex-
tending lliroii/^li those lon^ periods. When so miudi couUl
bo afcornplishcil hy old-fashionod Hlow-suilin^ ships for the
Hakoot'ii litnitod trade in ]>oltrios, what may wo export a»
possible to he done in order to Hecure the carr3in^ business
of a continent ?

The hmd is hit(h and hold all alon^^ both sides of Fliidson's
Straits, withd(!ep water near tlic shores. In ])la('os it risoa
to a height of 1,000 feet and upwards, iramwiiately overlook-
ing the shore. A few sii^nal stations could bo placed upon
these heights so as to command a view of the entire surface
of the watei'. By moans of the tolei^raph between those
stations they could bo onabUvl to communicate to vessels
the ])osition of driflin/^ ice when any was present, which
TTiii^ht, in tho absence of such information, interfere with
their movements. It is believed that steam vosnoIs would
thus be able to jiass through the Straits without diltiuulty
durini^a sufficiently lont^ period of tho year.

The len^^th of tho season durini^ which it is possil)Io to
navigate Hudson's Straits by steamships is utd<iiown. Tho
Bay mi^ht bo navigated during tho whole 3'oar, wore it not
that the harbors are frozen up. The whole region is by no
means of sucli an Arctic character as is popularly 8Uj>j)o.sed.
Moose Factory is south of London, so that a groat part of
the Bay lies in tho same latitudes as the British Islands. It
is sufficiently far removed from tho cold ocean current,
which passes down tho oast coast of America, to oscaj)o its
prejudicial infli'^ncc ; while the region on tho west side of
tho Bay l)egins to enjoy the benefit of the moderate climate
of the great Norlh-West Territories of Canada. Al Martin's
Falls, on tho Albany River, a record of tho weather extend-
ing continuously over fifty years shows tho open season to
last for six months, Tho dates of tho opening and freezing
of Hayes' Jiiver at York Factory have been piosorvod for
fifty-two years, and the average period of open water is there
found to bo rather more than six months. Nelson iiivor.
which is much larger, remains open for a considerably
longer time each year.

l—rtJrrn-Tfliinnn ,?a^^n-^^-.^ff nWKlJ CT:

Tho ships of tho HudHon'w Hay (company, having to mako
only ono voya^o a yonr, nuturnlly ehooHo tho noason moHt
convonictjt for thomsolvoM. 'Mio Now Knylatid whnloiH pans
in and out of tho Hay at other Hoasons. 'I hoy no doubt
carry on a Hiiccossfiil and profitahlo buf^inoss, but it appears
to be ditllcult to ol)tain infonnatioti in this quarter in
ro^^ard to the navigation of the Straits, as tho parties
interested wish to retain tho advantages of their exporienco
for (heir own benefit. Messrs. .job Bros. & ('o., prorninont
merchants of St. John's, Newfoundhmd, writin/^ in reply to
an etujuiry from VV. N. Fairbanks, Esq., of Emerson,
Manitoba, state that they havo no doubt of tho practicabi-
lit}' of navi/^atin/^ tho Straits and Hay with proper steamors
<lurin^ the months of June, July, Aiii;uHt, September and
October. Conntini^ tho timo necessary to mako tho ocean
passatfo outward in tho H|)rin^ and homeward in tho
autumn, tins would represent nearly six months of naviga-
tion. From all that can be learned on tho subject, it apjwars
probable that the Straits and Bay are navigable for steam-
8hij)s for at least four months of tho year, or from tho
middle of June till the middle or end of October, or say five
months, incluilirig tho ocean ])assa<jje in the first snrin<^ and
tho last autumn voyagoi This will boar comparison with
the navigation of tho St. " vwronco, which is by no moans
free from the ice diHicuhy, either in the spring or fall.

When the shores of the Straits and Bay shall havo been
surveyed, so that good charts may be obtained, and the
signal stations referred to erected, those waters may bo
navigated with much greater ease and still more successfully
than they have boon in the past. With respect to depth of
w.'iter and freedom from shoals and rocks, the Hudson's
Bay route is unsurpassed. The portion of the Bay to bo
passed through is also free from islands, and is absolutely
unimpeded. The harbor of Churchill, on the west side,
which lies directly opposite tho western outlet of tho
Straits, offers a free and unobstructed approach from tho
open sea. This splendid harbor, which is just within the

moutli of tlio Cluirchill Rivor, in tlio Hnost ono on llio wcMt
ni<le of tlio Hay. h is ontcn-d l»y a rhnriiu'l al»()til half u
niilo wide niid twclvo fathoniH (\^^op. Tlu! (I(»)>lli insido in
from wix to oi^lit IhthoniM, with oxcidlont li(ddini^ j^roiuul.
The ojiHt nido nttords the beHt HJto for the construrtion of
wharves. A point on tho west side apju^ars as if forriiod hy
naturu lo cotninand tho ontranco (othe rivor. and upon tluM
the Hudson's Hay ('ompany, about tho middlo of last
century, orootod Fort l*rin<o of Walos, ono of tho largest
Htru(^tures of iis kind in North America. It measured about
300 feet on each of its four sides, was about twenf}' feet hi^h,
laced with lar^e blocks of cut stone, and mounted some forty
lar^o ^uns. It was captured and partly destro3'ed by tho
French Admiral Jm Ferome in 1782.

A glanco at tho accompanyini; map will show that tho
route from Liverpool, by way of Hudson's Bay, is by far
the Bhortost one to tho North- West Territories of Canada.
Churchill harbor is situated near tho cerjtro of tho North
American continent, and yet, owing to the convergence of
the moridianH towards tho north, it is actually nearer to
Liverpool than either Montreal or Now York. The distance
from Churchill Harbor to Liverpool, via Hudson's Ht raits, is
about 2,926 miles; from Montreal, via Capo Race, it is
2.990, and from New York, via Capo Clear, 3,040 miles,
showing 64 miles in favor of Churchill as compared with
Montreal, and 114 miles as compared with New York.

The fact of a seaport existing in tho very heart of the
continent more than 1,500 miles nearer than Quebec to tho
centre of the North- West Territory, has scarcely begun to
be realized by tho public; yet its importance can hardly be
over-rated. Churchill Harbor is only four hundred miles
from the edge of the greatest wheat-fiold in the world, or
not 80 far as from Quebec to Toronto. Tho lands of the
North-West capable of supporting an agricultural popula-
tion exceed 200,000,000 of acres in extent. An available
seaport, which will, as it were, bring this enormous tract
80 much nearer the markets of the world, may become the

.t.-tp'satit.vi'i:.'-!--.

means of developing it in a way which cannot be accom-
plished by lon^ railway lines. Should the route indicated
be established, not only this vast region, but part of the
United States to the south, would send their lieavy fi-eight
over it, and a railway to Churchill Harbor, from Luke
Winnipeg (the centre of a vast S3'stein of inland navigation),
or connecting in its neighborhood with other railways
from the intei'ior, would secure the business of almost half
the continent. Churchill Harbor is some two buiidrod
miles nearer the Facitic, at the mouth of the Fraser River,
than to the Atlantic at Halifax, so that a ti-anscontinental
railway starting from the former port would not bo half as
long as from the latter.

At the moutli of the Churchill, in latitude 58° 49',
potatoes and turnips are the only crops cultivated, but in
the interior wheat is grown in the McKenzie Valley up to
latitude 60°. The warm summer weather enjoyed by the
vast region east of the liocky Mountains and north of the
United States line is partly due to the warm winds from
the south ; still it can be shewn that during the growing
and ripening season of wheat, lasting, say, for about 100
days, or from May to September, the sun's heat between
the parallels of 5U° and ijO'^ is nearly as great as it is in
the ten degrees south of 50", while the days are consider-
ably longer, and the additional sunlight appears to com-
pensate, in promoting the growth of plants, for the slightly
diminished quantity of lieat.

The distance from the central part of the agricultural
lands of the North-West Territories, say from a point
between the North Saskatchewan and the Peace Eiver, to
-Churchill Harbor is about the same as to the City of Win-
nipeg. Now, as the sea voyage from the Ibrmer to Liver-
pool is rather shorter than from Montreal to Liverpool, it
follows that, by adopting the Hudson's Bay route, tlie whole
distance from Winn^jeg to Montreal is saved. By way of
Lake Superior, this amounts to 1,291 miles, and by way of
Chicago to 1,698 miles. The total distance from Winnipeg

mmm

1)1, it
Ihole

iy of
jy of

to Liverpool, via New York, is still greater than by Mon-
treal. Thus a coiiHignmeiit of ^'rain or beef, nont from the
Sankatchewan or Peaee River districts, by way of Churchill,
might bo in Liverpool as soon as it could arrive in
Montreal, if sent by the St. Ijawrence route. Even <rom
Winnipeg, in the south-eastern part of the great fertile area,
the distance to Liverpool is at least 800 miles less by
Churchill than b}' Montreal.

Of course, if this route were once opened, the above
immense saving in distance, and consequently in time and
passenger and freight rates, would secure for it the prefer-
ence over all others. The establishment of such an outlet
would at once considerably increase the value of all kinds
of farm produce througliout the North-West, and con-
sequently of the farms themselves. Indeed some of the
cheaper or more bulky kinds of produce, which would not
bear the cost of transportation at all by the longer land lines,
might be profitably exported by this route. On account
of the cool temperature by this northern route, grain, meat
and dairy produce could be sent with much greater safety
than by any of the more southern outlets.

The question as to whether the grain crops of the North-
West can bo exported the same year as harvestei-l is a very
important one, and awaits solution. The harvesting of
these crops occupies nearly the whole of the month of
September. The season of steam navigation in Hudson's
Bay and Straits may prove long enough to enable the oai'.'er
part, if not the most of thecroj), to be sent out. The harbor
of Churchill does not freeze up until November. This fact is
recorded by the Danish Captain, John Monck, who wintered
here in 1619-20, or 261 years ago, and it has been verified by
observations extending up to the present year. More than
100 years experience of the Hudson's Bay Com]>any have
shown that the average duration of the voyage of a sailing
ship from York Factory to London is four weeks, or to the
Land's End about three weeks. From Churchill, the time
required would be a little less.

;^w'«*it;wji>uw;;-;tr-'

•5-H^>.-^;rt-sHri;'.«ir;'t~THtJSfi»

If the grain crop of the North-West cannot be sent to
Europe via Hudson's Bay the yeur it is harvested, neither
can it be by the St. Lawrence ; and if sent by rail to Halifax,
St. John or New York, the price which could be paid for
the grain would necessarily be so low that it could with
more profit be stored in elevators and exported the next
summer by way of Churchill. Owing to the coldness of the
climate, there would be no risk of damage to the grain by
thus storing it over winter. Even should grain in the North-
vVest prairie country always bring lower prices than in the
older provinces of Canada, it may still be grown at greater
profit, owing to the saving of years of time and the great
labor necessary to clear the land of timber in the latter;
and, as Colonel Dennis remarked in his pamphlet : " Should
there prove to be even a four months navigation on this
(Hudson's Bay) route, and especially should such period
extend sufficiently into the fall to permit of moving to
market the preceding harvest, it would be difficult indeed to
take an over-sanguine view of the future of the magniticent
territories now lying dormant in the North-West.'

The comparatively new business of exporting live stock
to Europe may in future be K.rgely carried on in the North-
West, but, in order that this may be successfully accom-
plisheH. an easy route to the seaboard is almost indispen-
sable. The great system of inland navigation formed by
the rivers and lakes of the Winnipeg basin seem as if they
had been destined by nature for earn ing down live stock to
the head of the Nelson Valley, from which the animals
could be driven along a common road, or carried by a com-
paratively short railway to Churchill Harbor. This business,
or even the export of dead meat by the cool northern route,
is probably destined to give great additional value to the
north-western prairies and the stock-raising country north-
ward of the region in which wheat may bo grown. Apart
from the difficulty as to the great distance for sending live
stock to Europe through the older provinces or the United
States, should any of the diseases which occasionally afflict

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these animals be prevalent in these counli-ieH and not in the
North-WoKt. the Ili.dson's Bay route might '-c uvailablc when
all otherf< were closed.

For heavy or bulky impoi-tH. the short route by lIudHon'n
Bay would stand unriv;Jle<i. For example, mobt of the rail-
way and other iron and of the coal required in the North-
West would be brought in by tins route, the vessels taking
back agricultural produce, of which in the future vast
quantiticH will be seeking an outlet. Experience shews that
the price of coal in any part of the world depends not so
much upon distance as upon the exigencies of trade. Coal
from Britain might be laid down cheaper in the North-West
pr "ries than from any other source.

The increase in the value of such immense tracts of land,
which would be due to cheapened transportation, is a matter
well worthy of the consideration, not only of the Govern-
ment, but of all parties interested in real estate in tlio North-
West.

For immigriints to the Canadian North-West this route
presents advantages ottered by no other. To say nothing of
the saving in time and money, it is really the only inde
pendent route to these territories which we j)0sses8. The
original colonists and traders of Manitoba came this way,
and it .las been found throughout America that the course
of trade and travel pointed out I :y nature, and tirst adopted
by the pioneers, is sure to become eventually the great high-
way of the region. Immigrants destined for our North-
West Territory, in passing through the United States, as is
well known, are induced in large numbers to abandon their
original intention and settle in that country. They are be-
set by these ag'^nts with equal freedom in passing through
Quebec and Ontario, and even on board ship on the voyage
out ; and there is no means of preventing this great lose ex-
cept by bringing the immigrants direct to the land of their
adoption. There is every probability that a great emigra-
tion to oar North-West Territories will take })laco in the
necir future. We see, on the one hand, most of the countries

• [ • :< - m 'i'i- i >' i *i';'i*ittH^i^.'i'i*7Hf*m

in Europe ovorcrowdod with redundant populations, and on
the other almost uidiniited quantities of lino land ready for
the plough, inviting them to come over and takepoBHension.
All that Ih now wanted is a cheap and direct means of trans-
portin*^ the people to the laud. By the proposed route
iramiij^rants from Europe may reach their destination on the
Saskatchewan or Peace River almost as soon and as cheaply
as they could reach Western Ontario via Quebec, and much
more cheaply and expeditiously than they could arrive in
the Western States /;/« New York

This independent route may also prove of value for mili-
tary pur] loses. Troops have already been sent to the Red
liivcr Settlement on two or three occasions by way of York
Factory, traversinu^ in safety the intervening wilderness.
Hy the aid of a railway from Cluuchill to the foot of Lake
Winnipeg", a whole army might be transported easily and
expeditiously'.

Genera' Sir J. 11. Lefroy, President of the Geographical
Section of the British Association, ''n his address at the
Swansea meeting (1880) said: " Hudson's Bay itself cannot
fail at no distant tlate to challenge more attention. Dr. Bell
reports that the land is i-ising at the rale of tive to ten feet
in a century', tha< is possibl)' an inch a ye:ir. Not, however,
on this account will the hydrograplier notice it, but because
the natural seaports of that vast interior now thrown open
to settlement, Keewatin, Manitoba and other provinces un-
born, must be sought there. York Factory, which is nearer
Liverpool than New York, has been happily called by Prof.
11. Y. Hind the Archangel of the west. The mouth of the
t.'hurchill, however, although somewhat furthci- north, olfers
far superior natural advantages, and may more fitly chal-
lenge the title. It will undoubtedly be the future shipping
port for the agricultural products of the vast Norih-West
Territory, and the route b}' which immigrants will enter
the country." Sir Henry Lefroy is a well-known authority
on niatt(n-s relating to these regions, having resided in the
interior of the country, and being also ijersonally acquainted
with Huilson's Bay,

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[n the spring of 1880 the Parliament of Canada granted
a very liberal and comprehensive charter to the Nelson
Valley Eailvvay and Transportation Company, which was
ibrmeil for the purpose of opening up the Hudson's Bay
route. This charter gives the (Vjmpany power to construct
a railway from Churchill Harbor to the foot of Lake Winni-
peg, with a branch, or continuation, south-westward to con-
nect with tiie Canadian Pacilic Railway ; also power to con-
struct telegra])li lines and common roads, to run steamers on
the lakes and rivers and ships on the sea, together with
various other privileges. During the summer of 1880 the
Company sent out an engineer to run a line over the route
of the proposed railway. His report and profile show the
country U) be very favorable as far as tested. The whole
lengtii of the lino will be about 350 miles. The ground
has a general and gradual descent of 710 feet from Lake
Winnipag to the sea-level, or about two feet in the mile.
The Company's chief engineer and a staff of assistants arc
again in the field the present summer, and it is expected
that tlie preliminary survey of the whole line will be com-
pleted before the close of the season, when the project will
be brought before the public in a practical shape.

.i''.«fisi:iriv'/'v