The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-19 00:00:00

TR ESHORTEST ROUTE ACROSS TER

ATLANTIC.

Like the king who cried for a new pleasure, I
should think that many European travellers would
be glad to hear of some new route. I will tell them
something of a very grand one which assuredly has
the merit of being novel to most people. It is across
the Atlantic ferry and up the gulf and river St..
Lawrence. lam not going to write any fancy
sketch, but a simple narrative of what I myself
have seen ; and I will add some indubitable geogra-
phical facts which I have reason to believe are un-
known to many who ought to know them. I start
from Quebec (whence there is railway and water
communication cheap and commodious to all parts
of the North American continent), in one of the
screw steamships of the fortnightly line of the Mon-
treal Ocean Steamship Navigation Company. This
line is essentially Canadian, being principally owned
in Canada, supported by Canadian traffic, and a
small annual subsidy of twenty-two thousand pounds
from the Canadian Government for postal service.
I need not tell you what a magnificent harbour Que-
bec possesses. It is capable'of containing an unlimited
quantity of shipping, and more than a thousand
ships may be seen in it at once. The citadel crests
a high and steep rock, and the city of Quebec and
its fortifications show well from the harbour, while
in every direction around the scenery is magnifi-
cently beautiful. Its background is a mountain
range, while the foreground is dotted with villages
and little white houses of the Canadian farmers.
As the steamship proceeds down the noble river,
Quebec is soon hidden from the view ; but, pano-
rama-like, new beauties open up. First, there are
the Falls of Montmorenci, formed by a small
river being precipitated over a ledge of rock
about three hundred feet high, as I judge by the
eye. The large and thickly settled island of Or-
leans is next an object of interest. On both sides of
the river the houses of the habitans form almost a
continual street for hundreds of miles, while here
and there a group thicker than usual form a vil-
lage, of which the most conspicuous object is a
white church with its spire. Almost every house
or other building is painted white or whitewashed,
and, the effect of this is very beautiful, for the
white fairly glitters in the clear bright air and
sunshine of the Canadian climate. The lines of the
farms may be seen clearly marked out on either
side, and these look peaceful and smiling ; while
behind and above all, a little distance back, the
mountains lift their stately keads towards the sky.
The mountains for the most part are covered with
forest, and islands of various forms and sizes, also
thickly clothed with trees, dot the river here and
there, and they are beautiful objects to look upon.
There are hundreds of miles of such scenery. As
you steam downwards the river assumes more
gigantic proportions, and it is 15 miles from bank
to bank. Now you pass the mouth of the Sague-
nay, the most wonderful river in the world—in-
credibly deep, with perpendicular sides of rock,
which in some places reach to an enormous height
above the surface of the water. As you steam on
the river still becomes wider, and you lose sight of
one of the banks. On the whole no man can sail
down the St. Lawrence, and not admit the truth
of the statement of Mr. M'Gregor, that "this river
and the whole country unfold scenery, the magni-
ficence of which, in combination with the most de-
lightful physical beauty, is unequalled in America,
and perhaps in any other part of the world." The
works of nature here are truly on the grandest
scale, and they serve to make—but not solely—the
Canadian proud of his country. Three days'
steaming, or a fraction over, have taken us through
the Straits of Belle Isle to the.island of this name,
where we hid adieu to land, and stretch out on
the broad surface of the North Atlantic Ocean. At
this point, let it be observed, one-third of the voy-
age is accomplished, and something less than six
days' steaming will bring us in sight of Tory Island,
on the north of Ireland, which is 24 hours' sail
from Liverpool, in comparatively smooth water.
You, sir, will have perceived that I have indicated
the shortest route across the Atlantic Ocean; but as
this geographical fact is of the very greatest impor-
tance, not only to the most considerable of the
British colonies in America, but to the whole of
that continent, as well as important to large inte-
rests in Great Britain—to say nothing of other con-
siderations—l will write some particulars of compa-
rative distances. I copy the figures from Mr.
Keefers's map, which was prepared by the Govern-
ment of Canada for exhibition at the late Paris
Exposition. Any one can verify them on a globe
or accurate map. The distance from Quebec to
Belle Isle is 705 miles. From Belle Isle to Liver-
pool 1,873 miles—in all 2,583 miles. The distance
from New York to Cape Race is 1,010 miles ' • Cape
Rice to Liverpool by Cape Clear, 2,003 miles—in
ail 3,013 ; but the Cunard steamers run round the
north of Ireland, and thus reduce the distance from
New York to Liverpool to 2,930 miles. In either
case, however, it is clear that the St. Lawrence
route has very great advantages in point of distance,
and to this mu-it be added the great advantage
which the river, for one-third of the way, affords
for steaming, to say nothing of the magnificently
beautiful scenery of the St. Lawrence to glad
the eye of the traveller. The distance from Belle
[sle to Tory I:Tlaud is exactly 1,655 miles, which
is all the purely ocean navigation in the sailing
oirele, of which the St. Lawrence forms an arc, of
the route of the Canadian steamships, against
3,013 miles by the route by Capes Race and Clear
from New York to Liverpool, or 2,980 miles by
the route of the Cunard steamships. These figures
require no comments. It may be added that the
distance between Liverpool and Boston is not so
great as between that town and New York, but it
is still very largely in favour of the St. Lawrence
route, and the voyage to Boston is ocean navigation
alt the way. Another mode of putting the case is
thiF—lt is no further to Hamilton, at the head of
Lake Ontario, from Liverpool, than it is from Liver-
pool to New York ; and let it be well borne in
mind that the moment you touch any of the Cana-
dian cities you have railway, water, and telegraphic
communication with the whole continent. Such
being the facts, what is the result of the summer's
experience of the Canadian line of steam-ships which
only commenced to run last spring ? Just that
which might bo expected. They have made the
shortest voyages (the Persia excepted) across the
Atlantic, and furnished regularly the latest news
to the whole American Continent, in advance of
The Cunard and Collins steamships. The Canadian
st.amslinps are nevertheless of less size and power
(although they are beautiful vessels and fast sailers,
and the wants of passengers are well cared for iu
them) than those of the lines just mentioned. Take
one instance : the Baltic left New York on her last
Trip on the same day that the Anglo-Saxon left
Quebec, yet the former arrived in the Mersey 40
hours after the latter. The time made by the
Anglo-Saxon between Quebec and Liverpool was 9,
days and 23 hours. The same vessel, in her outward
voyage,, reached River du Loup (the telegraphic
station below Quebec) in 10 days and 2 hours from
Liverpool, and Quebec and Montreal a few hours
later. She made the passagto e. Quebec in two
days less time than did the Asia or the Atlantic
which sailed nearly at the same. Of course the
Canadian newspapers give the utmost possible pro-
minence to these facts, and they cannot be
.too
widely spread in Great Britain. • An effort is being
made in Canada to induce the British Government to
make Quebec and Montreal the ports at which the
British steam-ships touch which receive imperial
aid for postal service between Great Britain and
North America, and the argument drawn in favour
of the change is very strong. Its drawback is the
winter, for it is only during the summer months
that. the St. Lawrence is open. Portland, how-
ever, has a magnificent harbour, which is always
open, and it is connected by railway with Quebec
and Montreal, and all other parts of the continent.
But my purpose is not to pursue this argument.
I have stated the facts and I have done. I thinkuro.
I have said enough to induce the enterprising E
poan traveller some time to take a trip across the
Atlantic ferry, and see the new world. I must
not, however, omit to add that the Canadian Go.,