New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-12-12
CANADA.
Mercantile Failures-Death among Emigranfs
Suspension Bridge at Quebec-Eiecuons

-Suspeusion Bridge at Quebec-Elections
IN Upper Canada.
Correspondence Of The N. Y. Tribune
TORONTO Monday, Dec 3, lo5l
The failure of two or three commercial
Arms has recently taken place in Western Canada,
but the liabilities were not very heavy 1t is not I'M
nrobable that we are on the Of financial crlsls
that will be pretty generally felt Certain IL is tha'
during the last two years, we have been Importing
far beyond our ability OF payment The imports ana
the duties paid thereon exceed by several millions OF
dollars any available means OF paying. There is a
chain of Indebtedness, some OF the Inks OF winch
may possibly give way. The country storeAeepers
are largely indebted to the wholesale merchant IN
the cities the latter being indebted to foreign houses
and our own banks which latter have for some time
past been doing business rather cautiously contrast
ing their issues which, last year. had been expanded
to a perhaps unwarrantabe extent The last h ar
vest however, was a good one Western Canada is
splendid agricultural country, and In the oIder set
Elements the farmers are sufficiently rlcn 10 De aole
to keep back the produce from market, winch Ihey
are now doing in the expectation Of better prices.
will examine more infinitely into the question OF
over. importation and make you acquainted with the
results.
There has been great deal of desttutlon among
the emgrants who landed late In the season. at the
head OF Lake Ontario. Many of them being IRISH
laborers, made their way to the Great Western Rail
w.
in state of restitution, and the disasters OF ei7 re-
CURED on diminished scale In that fatal year,
over seventeen hundred Irish emlgrants were burned
in grave in this city In the present season some
seventy died in very short time, in the village of
Dundas The shanteS erected for the laborers along
the line OF the Great Western Railroad were crowded
with these unfortunate beings, seventy OF Them on
one occasion, being slowed INTO one shanty. ne
men would attempt TO work in few hours they
would be compelled 10 desist through sheer exhaus-
ton, and next day they were sure to fall SICK Inc
destitution and mortality were very considerable
though strange say the facts have not reached the
public ear through our own journals, except IN the
most general terms.
The Municipal Council of the city of Quebec have
it in contemplation to build a suspension bridge over
the st. Lawrence River, near that city. With this
view an examination of the river has been made.
The point where 1t is contemplated TO construct the
bridge, six miles from the city, between Victoria
Cove and Cape Rouge, said to be the mario vest be-
tween Orleans and Montreal The banks of the river,
at this site, at high water line, are 2,ilo feet apart
at low water, $50 feet The banks are steep and
rocky the tops OF the immediate banks On the north
side beng l65 feet above high water marx ana on
the south side, l40 feet. II would be practicable,
however to build the piers OF the bridge twelve feet
in the water each side, at 10 tide, which would
give the bridge a span of l,600 feet The line OF
roadway would be 100 feet above high water.
The Parliamentary elections IN Upper Canada, so
far they have gone have resulted fayoraby to the
ministerial party. 1t is now evident, as predicted
time ago, that there will be large LIBERAL and
ministerial majority. The three members of the
Government, Rolph, Hncks and Richards, who re.
Quire 10 be returned TO Parliament have secured
their elections. singular occurrence took place
in MontIeal-the election passed of without any
breach Of the peace Thraa hundred srectai peises-
men were appointed, and ~ 900 voted Dy tne Oouh-
Gil for their pay. Affdavits were alleged TO nave
been made that the navvies on the St. Lawrence and
Atlantic Railway had been hired TO go into the city
to fight but this was denied by the President OF the
Company. Mr.. Papineau, who after all ana not vol
unfairly retire from public llfe was one OF the de-
feated candidates in Montreal. Strange TO say, he,
a Democrat an Annexatlonlst, consented 10 run III
couples with Mr. Badgey, High Church Tory, and
his defeat was therefore not wholly unccseryed.-
The Tories sold him before the contest was over
hence his defeat. In Quebec the election did not
pass off without some fighting, and the military was
called ont though it does not appear that any very
serious consequences followed. The contest. now
going on in the constituencies, Is pretty much about
the disposal of three hundred and thrty-three tuns
of silver that being the value of the Clergy Re
serves, TO the secuariz1Don of which every Reform
candidate III Upper Canada is distinctly pledged
This is an important question but not word is
said about far more important question no one
asks If il be right TO continue to compel onehali OF
the population to submit to laws In the making OF
which they have no voice, directly or indirectly, 10
which no opportunity is allowed them of asserting.
Not word has been said upon this question,
from Gaspe TO Goderich, during the whole contest
and yet IL involves more Of political liberty than all
the other questions that have been raised put toge
her.
Some wag played strange hoax upon our Mayor
the other day. Cards of invitation 10 dine with the
Mayor sent to all the principal persons IN the
place The first that His Worship knew Of the mat
ter was the receipt of bushel of notes accepting
the invitation. lie.