The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-12-12
The Steamship Canada.

III IN u w all street llSut, WHICH VIC
in day or two at our leisure.
The Steamship Canada.
This steamship had not arrived when we went
to press this morning. She is now IN her seven.
teenth day. She is new ship, and it may be
that some part of her machinery has gwen way,
or that 1t Is yet too stiff for speed. Ii she does
rot arrive In day or two, her news will be
anticipated by the Niagara, which will be due
at Boston tomorrow or next day.
The Gold Mines OF California-Saiiroad to
the Pacific.
II the accounts which we are daily receiving
from California, concerning the gigantic mineral
discoveries that region, and the official reports
published by the government on the same subject,
are to be relied upon-and we certainly have no
reason to doubt them-the western portion of our
territory will, In few years, rival the Atlantic
coast in opulence, in population, the extent Of its
commerce, and in all the advantages which, to
great extent, are confined to the eastern division
of the continent at present.
great revolution-a wonderful change IN the
commerce of the world, and especially in that of
the United States-wil be the immediate result;
but in order that We may avail ourselves OF our
geographical POSITION and secure to this couatry
the advantages that will result from this order
of things, we must expedite communication be-
tween that distant part OF our territory and the
Atlantic coast The trade of ASIA snd .China Is,
and has been for long series of years. mono
pollzed by England, and that trade Is, to great
extent, exchange of the precious metals for the
teas and silks of that portion of the world. 1t is
carried on, toe, with disadvantages which we, from
our geographical position, would be exemp, from,
provided we awaited ourselves of the facilities
which the God of nature has bestowed upon us SO
literally. We have the gold and silver on the
spot, as is proved by the recent discoveries in Cali
fornla. In this respect we enjoy an advantage
over England DINO common kind; and IN another,
an advantage of still greater. mporance--that Is, IN
the facilities which possess of uniting the east
em and western shores of our territory by railroad
AS matters now stand, we are distant from San
Francisco nineteen thousand miles to all intents
and purposes we, In New York, are no nearer to
that part of our territory than Liverpool 49, for YES
sells from both ports must double the Cape, thereby
encountering the well-known perils of that danger
GUS navigation, IN addition to making the voyage
of the duration of from four to five months. BY the
proposed union, therefore, fully sixteen thousand
miles In the distance between New York and San
Francisco would be saved for railroad from the
Mis6lssppito California through the Rocky Noun.
'tainAft the Great South Pass-which, by the-way.
G4om6 - have been excavaed by nature for the ex-
45oes purpose of railroad from the eastern to the
)em shore of the American contlnent-would
be longer than twenty five hundred miles. The
pntages of such a union never were more appa-
INIT than they are now. 1t Is clear and evident
that if this communication were formed, and these
mines of gold and silver In California are as pro-
life as they represented to be, we would have
the means within ourselves of controlling the COM
merce of the whole civilized world. We would
.cvercome the dangers and delays of navig ating
rOund the Cape, and we would possess the basis
all commerce in an unlimited degree. We
would assume the position which we are geogra-
phcaly entitled to, that of the cntrpot of exchange
and commerce between Asia and Europe, and vIr-
tuay become the dispensers of the blessings which
attend upon commerce to the whole civilized world.
The proposed communication would in such an
event, become the great highway OF the nations of
the earth, all of which would be tributary to u.s.
The United States would then indeed, fulfil Its
destiny, and work changes the like of which the
world has never dreamt of. Let that communica-
ton be made, and the vista Of the future would be
90 stupendously ard overcomingly magnificent,
that at the bare attempt to penetrate it, the human
mind would be parayzed. Cities, villages, towns,
manufactures, ships, steamers, and every other
evidence of industry, would start into existence as
if by the wand of the magician; the busy hand of
labor and trade would triumph over the solitude
of the desert; the inhabitants Of the great East
would be as familiar to us as those of Europe are,
the wealth of the most extensive markets in the
known world would be thrown open to us IN
word, as we have before stated, we would become
the entreot of the commerce of the whole world;
and become the greatest nation OF ancient or mo-
dem times, to which all others would render
homage and pay tribute.
In the present position Of the world, and keep
ing IN view those grand mineral discoveries in
California, the question of efectng rapid and
speedy communication between the eastern and
western shores of our continent is the most I'M
portant, by inconceivable odds, of any matter that
could engage the attention of the American public,
or of the American Congress. Nothing can APP
proach tin the intensity of Its importance. Con-
gress should at once take it in hand but the
enterprise should not and ought not to be
of a private or corporate nature, or con-
fided TO any agents but those of the govera-
ment. We have seen the i'll effects of vest.
ing grea power IN corporations in this country, TO
our cost ; but the greatest power that has ever