New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-07-21
European and North American RAILWAY


European and North American Railway.
Since we wrote late article upon the
subject Of the European and North ATnerl-
can Railway, We have perused the cor
respondence between Earl Grey, the English
Secretary of Colonial affairs, and Joseph
Howe. special agent sent TO England last
Winter by the Province of Nova Scotia to
obtain the aid of the British Government III
constructing this work.
Mr.. Howe performed the duties OF his
mission with great faithfulness and ability,
and his efforts were crowned with signal
success His exposition Of the condition,
capacities and claims of the Provinces Is
singularly neat, lucid and comprehensive
and the arguments he addresses to the Brit
ish Government in behalf of the enterprise
are apt. forcible and convincing. Nothing
could be done better His two dispatches
to Earl Grey have won for HIM repuia-
ton second to that of no public man in the
Eastern Provinces They show him to be
a man Of most excellent parts, and refresh
ing example of Intelligence. energy. hope
fulness and industry. If either the Halifax
and Quebec, OF the North American and
European Railway or both, are speedily
constructed, (of which there now seems to
be strong probability Mr.. Howe must be
set down as the man who has breathed into
those enterprises the breath Of life.
The British Government has had before
it for many years the project of Railway
from Halifax to Quebec. The result OF It's
deliberations was some time since formally
communicated to the Provinces, IN re-
fusal to afford any aid to the project. Such
was the state of things when Mr. Howe
went over His dispatches to Earl Grey
reused the attention of the Government
anew to the subject, and have constrained
a reversal of its former decision. The re-
suits of his mission are, that the British
Government now Offers to guarantee the
bonds of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New
Brunswick, for a loan of sufficient sum 10
construct Railway from Halifax to Que
bee, with branch from it to the State of
Maine, on the line OF the projected North
American and European Road and the
money is offered by British capitalists, on
these bonds. so guaranteed, at an interest Of
81 per cent. Shortening the proposed line
of the Quebec and Halifax Road, by maxi
ING it ascend the valley of the st. John,
which is its most feasible route, the united
length of the two Roads, supposing them
to diverge at the head of the Bay of Fundy,
would be not far from 700 miles and the cost
about four millions sterling. What IS now
wanting to secure the early completion of
both Roads, and all that is wanting, is the
decision of the Provincial Governments to
90 on in their construction. They have
only to say they will take the money to
make the Road on the proposed terms, aud
they can have it.
The question now is, will they do 1t :!
Acting under the advice of Earl Grey, Mr..
Howe has recently visited New Brunswick
and Canada to consult the Governments OF
those Provinces In regard to the enterprise.
Nova Scotia is ready and earnest to embark
in the project, and only awaits the action OF
her sister Provinces.
We observe that Earl Grey does not
favor the expenditure on the ground of the
work being a money making investment
On the contrary. he considers that the
Quebec and Halifax road will do no more
al first than pay its working expenses. He
places his advocacy on the score OF It's I'M
portance in public point of view. II will
connect the two principal military stations
Of England on this continent. And by cone
Meeting these political and commercial capl-
tails, il will tend to the consolidation Of her
American possessions. Ii will essentially
reduce the present distance between Canada
and the mother country and it will make
that Province at all seasons easily accessi-
bic. whereas she is now shut out from III
torcourSc with the parent State for almost
half the year, excepting across American
territory. 1t viii open the vas, forests of
New Brunswick TO the settler. They viii
be sought by the ovcr-crowded population
at home, and at the same time that emigra-
ton viii afford relici to the mother country,
the Province will reap the advantage of the
lahoss of the cmigrants in subduing the
wilderness and ia adding 10 itS revenues
The ideas OF the British Government and
Mr.. Howe, on this point, partskc of the