The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-14 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

Lord STANLEY presWitea—;;Cral petitions against
Papal aggression..
RAILWAYS IN BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.
Lord MONTEAGLE presented a petition from the
Province of New Brunswick on the subject of railways
in British North America. He believed his Noble
Friend, the Secretary for the Colonies, was desirous of
giving every facility for the improvement of rail-
way communication in British North America.
It was peculiarly important to establish a rail•
way communication between Halif. x and our other

great military posts in North America, which should be
free from all danger of hostile interference by foreigners.
He thought that Parliament would hardly hesitate to
undertake the consideration of this important question.
At present communication between Canada and New
Brunswick was almost interrupted during half the year,
and great difficulty had been experienced in moving
troops from New Brunswick to Canada during the Ca-
nadian rebellion. Almost all those in authority in
those colonies, and more particularly the military
authorities, had recommended the construction of;a mili-
tary road between New Brunswick and Canada. In
1847 the necessity of making a railway communication
from Halifax to Quebec was brought under the atten-
tion of the Government. Two officers of the Royal
Engineers, Major Robinson and Captain Aitchen were
employed to survey the ground, and on the perusal of
their report the Colonial Secretary expressed his opinion
as to the importance of establishing such a communication.
A great road of communication through 700 miles of
uncultivated country could not be undertaken by private
enterprise. If it could be profitably undertaken the
aid of the State would not be asked; but it was because
it was a great State question, and not a question of
commercial speculation, that he asked for the assist-
ance of the State. The Rideau Canal had been un-
dertaken as a mutter of State necessity, not
of commercial profit, and upwards of 1,000,0001. of
public money had been expended upon it. In the pro•
vince of New Brunswick there were several millions of
ungranted and uncultivated acres, and which had no
chance of being granted or cultivated, unless this rail-
road should be constructed. It was most important
that the resources of New Brunswick should
be developed in order to attract emigrants there.
whereas, under the present system, not only were emi-
grants attracted to the United States in preference to
New Brunswick, but upwards of 5,000 persons had left
New Brunswick to settle in the United States. In Ca-
nada West, on the; contrary, where State as-
sistance bad been given to public works, set-
tlements, houses, and inhabita❑ts had increased, and the
value of assessed property had increased from 5,000,0001.
in 1839, to 8,000,0001. in 1847. They were extending
assistance to Canada where the inhabitants had re-
belled against the royal authority, and re-
fusing it to those colonies which like New
Brunswick had remained loyal. The emigrants
from this country, when they had a free choice,
preferred the United States to our own colonies,
and that because they found they had not those a•ivan-
tages extended to them in our colonies which they found
in the United States. In the last year 41,000 emigrants
only went to the British colonies, while 219,000
went to the United States. Now, it should be
remembered that those who went to our colonies
became better traders with ourselves than those who
placed themselves under the rule of a government that
was jealous of the extension of our trade. The colonies
were ready to do everything to promote this rail-
way that they could do consistently with their
financial condition. The United States wero aware
of the importance of rapid communication, and
were doing all they coutd to make Canada depen-
dent on the United States. The United States proposed
to cmistruot railroads to place Canada in communication
with the seaboard of the United States, and they were
presaring to do the same with regard to Halifax and the
colony of New Brunswick. The proposed line would got.' orn
Halifax to Quebec. Tne whole lay through British ter-
ritory, and it wouid not be expedient to leave the com-
munication beta eels those important colonies, Canada
and Now Brurvisclr, solely in the hands of a United
States proprietary. There was a gentlemen in this
country of the name of Howe, a member of the Legis-
lature of the colony, who had furnished much useful
and important information on the subject, and who was
equally distinguished by his intelligence, his desire to
benefit the colony, and his loyalty. He hoped that all
papers relating to the subject would be laid on the table.
Lord STANLEY was not disposed to underrate the
importance of our North American colonies, and much
importance as he attached to the value of Canada,
he was not sure that New Brunswick was not
more important to this country than even Canada
itself. It was of the utmost importance that steam