The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-21 00:00:00

CHRONICLE.—We have been hitherto prevented,
b.
y the necessity of attending to other topics of more
immediate importance, from noticing an attempt which
has lately been made, by Mr. Enderby, to support the
view taken by Lord Grey and the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany with respect to Vancouver's Island, and its capabi-
lities for colonization. That gentleman, it may be well
to observe, has lately received a grant of the Auckland
Islands, in the South Pacific; and his main object is the
establishment of a whaling station upon his new posses-
sion. It appears, however, that it is desirable for his
interests to secure also a branch station in the North
Pacific. With this view, Mr. Enderby fixed his eyes on
Vancouver's Island and having ascertained that the
transaction between Lord Grey and the directors of the
Company was completed, and that the latter had been
constituted lords paramount over the 'territory in ques-
tion, he proceeds to apply to them for the permission
and co-operation which
he requires in making his
" branch station." Mr. Enderby begins by stating his
conviction that Sir John Belly (Governor of the Hud-
son's Bay Company, to whom his letter is addressed)
" is in error in supposing that Vancouver's Island
would ever be made a place of resort by Ameri-
can whalers, or that it is :the most desirable ren-
dezvous for ships engaged in that trade ;" and pro-
ceeds to say, " that his reason fur suggesting that it
should be made a branch station for whalers from the
Aucklands s not because it was most favourably
situated for that purpose, but because its colonization
would be thereby insured, and a British, instead of a
foreign country, would reap the advantage of attending
on the visit of the vessels." And again, he says, Sir J.
Pelly " will perceive that, except from a desire to pro-
mote a great public object, he has no interest to desire
the establishment of a branch station at Vancouver's
Island, as it would be more to his advantage that the
ships should refit at some settlement in the China or
India sea." Now, putting aside the absurdity of
proposing that a station should be placed, by a mer-
cantile company, in an unfavourable place, with
a purely patriotic motive, and in hopes (as
we must presume) that the whalers, actuated by simi-
larly high-flown sentiments, would go systematically
out of their way "in pursuit of a great pub-
lic object "—putting aside, we say, the absurdity of
supposing that the public will set any value on such
professions and proofs of disinterestedness—we are
happy to say that we do not, by any means, " perceive,"
as Mr. Enderby expects we should, that Vancouver's
Island is " not a desirable rendezvous for whalers," or
that it would be " more to his advantage that they
should refit elsewhere"—i. e. either in the China seas, at
the Sandwich Islands, or in California. We are told that
the northern fishery extends from 30 deg. to 60 deg. N.
lat., and from 110 deg. to 180 deg. W. long., and that the
habitual rendezvous of the American whalers is now the
Sandwich Islands, but will henceforth probably be some
port in their new province of California. Now, we ob-
serve that the harbours of Vancouver's Island range
from 47 deg. to 49 deg. N. lat., and from 125 deg. to 130
deg. W. long., a position which a glance at the map will
show to be more nearly central, with respect to 'the
fishery, than any other spot of land whatever; while
the fact that the whalers, according to Mr. Enderby,
do not now find it for their advantage to go to the
China Seas, but to the Sandwich Islands, over-
throws his own position that it would be " to his
advantage" that they should go to those seas
rather than to Vancouver's Island, a spot more easily
available (as we have shown) than their present rendez-
vous. Whatever, therefore, may be Mr. Enderby's
motive for dwelling at such length on the natural disad-
vantages of the locality which he proposes for his station,
we are happy to " perceive from his statement," in the
absence of any further information on the subject, that
he is likely to enjoy the pleasure of gratifying his
patriotism without sacrificing his fortune, and we trust,
accordingly, that, in addition to its other recommenda-
tions, Vancouver's Island may, ere long, become the
natural rendezvous for the whalers of the North Pacific.
The latter part of Mr. Enderby's letter is directed to
prove (notwithstanding " that it is by no means his
desire to discourage settlers from proceeding to Van-
couver's Island") the extreme improbability that it will
be colonized, the almost certainty of failure if its coloni-
zition be attempted, and, consequently, the desirableness
of entertaining his scheme, as the only one by which the
professed objects of the Government and the Company
can be secured. We are folly convinced that the
publication of the letter, by Sir J. Belly—a pro-
ceeding which, if it were really the object of the com-
pany to colonize, would be unaccountable enough—is
altogether duo to that part of it in which the island
is studiously disparaged; and we wish that attention
should be directed to a circumstance so remarkably cha-
racteristic of the whole proceeding. Viewed, however,
without reference to the animus displayed, we must say
that the arguments by which the attempted disparage-
ment is supported are most curiously ill selected for the
purposes of Mr. Enderby and the Company. That gen-
tleman affirms that " to say that Vancouver's Island
possesses a fertile soil, a good climate, fine timber, and
excellent coal, obtainable with little labour, is to say,
probably, all that can be said about it." Considering
that the island is as yet unoccupied, undeveloped, and
even unexplored, we think this is pretty well; nor can'
we recollect any one region, similarly circumstanced, of
which " more could be said." Mr. Enderby goes on
to contend that " the harbours have no ships to
frequent them, that the climate and soil yield pro-
duce for which their is no demand, and that the same
may be said of timber and coal, which, without ex-
ternal intercourse, would not enable colonists to pay
for tools, clothing, and other necessaries." Now, we
should like Mr. Enderby to tell us how, if these were
valid objections to colonization, any unoccupied country
could ever be settled. Every one of his observations
would apply with still greater force to the eastern coast
of North America, to Australia and to New Zealand;
where, until the resources of those regions were disco-
vered and developed, and an export trade in their pro-
ducts created, there was, and could be, no " external in-
tercourse, demand, or ships." The fact is, that, consi-
dering the trade already existing and rapidly increasing
between North-Western America and North-Eastern
Asia, and the probability of an entirely new and most
important line of communication being opened forthwith
between the Atlantic and the Pacific, Vancouver s Island
has advantages which not one of the countries we have
alluded to had when first colonized. Far from being
in
an inferior position as regards export trade, it is
absolutely the only one which begins with an ewhxpich
ort
it alone is known to possess in the whole region of the
trade ready-made—we allude to that of coal,
Pacific, and which, as we have before stated, is now
procured in England for the steam service lately esta-
blished by the Americans between Panama and Oregon.
Besides this, there is sufficient reason for believing that
copper is to be found in the island (large quantities bei▪
ng
found in the possession of the natives), and it is needless
wit the
to point out the peculiar advantage derivable from.thhe co-
existence of that mineral in the same locality
coal required for smelting it. In short, we have no
doubt that the same steps which created an export trade
in wool from Sydney, in cotton from Charleston, and in
copper from Adelaide, will, if taken in earnest, lead to
similar results in a country of, at least, equal promi▪
se.
That no such steps will be taken, we have too much rea-
son to believe; for in this case the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany have the means of realising their own and Lord
Grey's prophecies—and the more we see of their pro-
ceedings, the more reason we have to conclude that they
eoffgencisted
masrr.igHhutdisaonth, them-
selves, determined that their predictions. shall. be true..
ADVERTISER.—The suggestions which this journal
has so often thrown out respecting the-best. way of im-
proving the management of railway affairs,. are at length
beginning,aeives,
but tnot b onlye c
en railway directors
railway king, is very appropriately setting an example
In the adoption of those means by which alone the rail-
way companies can be put on
.a footing of permanent
prosperity, For more than six months, we have, at
r carried d b e
into rec.
short intervals, sought to impress
that they were squandering the property of the share-
holders, while they were rendering no service to the
public, by the frequency with which they run their
trains. We are glad to enrol the name of Mr. Hudson
on the list of converts to our views. In all the morning
papers of Tuesday there was an announcement from
the Eastern Counties Company,
.to the effect that
some of the trains running on their line are to be dis-
continued, while alterations in the hours of starting in
the case of others, are to take place. The remaining
companies must follow the example. Many of them,--
indeed, are already preparing to do so. In this way, an
enormous sum will be saved. From calculations which
have been made, there is ground to believe that from
this source alone of savi▪
ng in the working of lines, an
addition of from Ito 1 per cent. will be made to future
dividends. The result will be that the Eastern Coun-
ties, instead of only paying 5 per cent. on the original
161. shares, will yield a profit of more than 6 per cent.
It is to be remembered that trains filled. with passen-
gers are but a mere trifle more expensive than those
which are all but empty. will the public
convenience be in any way diannishe4 ,
by the re-
duction in the number of trains which daily run
along the Eastern Counties line. So great a num-
ber of trains as ten was not needed. The most
ample accommodation will be given to the public by
running seven trains. To do the public justice, they
have never been so unreasonable as to ask for the run-
ning of trains with such frequency. They have, on the
contrary, expressed thei▪ r regret that
them that the dividends of
those proprietors who have provided with railway
accommodation, should be unnecessarily diminished.
This then is one step towards the restoration of confi-
dence in railway property. There are various other
steps which Mr. Hudion has determined on adopting on
the Eastern Counties, and all the other lines under his
control. Such alterations are to be made in the hours
and frequency with which third-class trains are to run,
as will prevent those who ought to travel by first or
second-class carriages, from travelling by the third-class
conveyances. When the Legislature passed a law emu-