New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-13
CANADA.

nv" OrEpgc. Tsur.day, Dee. Z, leoi.
p,ov;ons % the Jure session Of Parliament
..cnr,tsly predicted the defeat OF taa Aa'n'h''
,-.,;on I mish. row, with almost equal GER
t.intv pyeaio. the ultimate defeat OF the feuah
Tcsurc Abolition bill. 1, will pass through me
legislative Council, bu. no, without inoacofao'e
,mende,snts ard me chances are tAa' when "
come. back 20 the Legislative Assereiy " VIII DC
DEBATED. TIC Upper Canadians ere gsoersny
not able TO eote intelligently rfcn the SUBJECT
from want Il sufficient scqssirznce with I've h's'
torv .nd.,resert position, ard many Of tbe Lower
Canada representatives iflve by no means mas
tered sse question. 'ircifIerent p'r'' Of Lower
Ca,s7s very different -ates of rent are pa'd; ana
those in the Distr;cs of Montreal are genefauy
,or,b HIGHER than fose in the District OF que
Doc. But Notwithstanding this the eersHc"ts
generally ere mere anxious TO get III OF the rent
than of any cfler feature OF the tenure. ine
eepsitaires Of f.e district OF Quebec carrnd 'u',
feeling to SUCH an absurd length that they forced
The Government TO propose t0reddce the rents TO
ID instead Of Cd. per arpent, - ..'-' 'aias "a
The excees-.o be paid out OF pubic sources. Ihey
forgot 10 take into account that tIc excessive
rents in the district of Montreal would absorb the
Greater part If not the whole OF TIC Indemnity OF
f4Oo. coo provided by the Legislature In the DIS
frict of Quebec where the rents ere not generally
over Id. per arpent little 10 advantage would be
derived from the indemnity provided By the Legs
Iature This the censtaireS Of the district OF Que-
bec. as rcpreseated in Parliament, are beginning
tounderstand, and they also beginning 70 listen
TO new plans for distributing the indemnity
in a way that will spread the advantages OF IL
over all parts Of the country where the feudal
tenure prevails. pamphlet has just made us
appearance on the subject, which has fallen like
bomb.shell among the supporters OF the Govern
ment bill. The argument OF the pamphlet, which,
by the way is attributed to the pen Of Member
Of the late and general supporter of the pres
ent Government, is that rents arc generally no
grievance inasmuch as persons buying land SUP.
iect to rent-chage get it for less sum THAI II It
were free from such charge that he VINO pays
more rent pays less capital in the shape OF pur-
chase-money; and that in point OF fact, 1t makes
no difference whether the amount be paid IN one
shape or another. Rent not being an Odious fea-
ture of the feudal system, why SHOULD it be re-
deemed before the mutation fines, which consu
tute the most intolerebe grievance of this tenure
Such is the argument of the pamphlet, which Is
sinking deep into the minds of the Lower Cana
dams, and which bids fair, ultimately, to defeat
the bill But whatever may be the fate OF the
bill, the feudal-tenure will not long escape aoo-
litiOn.
The House was i'm committee on the estimates
last night and great merriment was created on
the item: "CompensatiOn TO 1hos Rigney, ESD
"[of New-York in full of all disbursements, ex-
"penses &c, in disseminating information re-
"spectng Reciprocity of Trade with the United
/ /" States during the last six years, i3UUO.
/ When the Inspector. General moved the adop-
ton of the item, the leader, of the opposition
J. S. Macdonald got up and said, every
Government must have q certain latitude In
expenditures Of this kind /; and signhed his belief
that it was a good investment. Mr.. ex-lnspector-
General Hincks, with as much gravity as he could
muster, entered into sort of an explanation on
question on which nobody expected explanation;
saying this item was legacy left by the late Gov.
ernmcnt to their successors; that Mr.. Rigney had
been authorized by the late Government 10 con-
tinue his expenses which, he assured the House had
been satisfactorily accounted for by proper rOuerS.
Mr.. Mackenzie ventured to hint something about
oyster suppers, and the ct ceteras; when a voice
from the Treasury benches suggested that he
must be out of order; and he, yielding willing
and unwonted obedience, said if that were the
case, he would sit down, sutiDg the action to the
word. The House was cOnvused with laughter
during the whole time; the general impression
being that it was good investment, and that it
was Just of those matters which, so far from
requiring explanation, derive their principal
charms from the mystery that surrounds them.
The mode Of crossing the It. Lawrence Mt this
point during winter is the most primitive kind.
The river is not filled with, but contains large
quantities of drift ice, which is foated up aud
down by the tide in large patches, gener-
ally some acres in size, at the rate of six
miles an hour. The distance across is about
mle-Quebec being situated on the north
shore" and the terminus of the Quebec and
Richmond Railway being the other side. Be-
tween the railroad and the city lie the river and
the ice. The mode Of crossing is by canoes, which
are alternately dragged over the masses Office and
plunged into the intervening spaces of open water.
The passenger is now in the canoe between
two formidable masses of ice; now walking over
the floating mass Of CONCEALED water drfted up
and down at the caprice of the tide; at one moment
getting down into the canoe, atanother scrambing
up shifting and uncertain bridge flee. 1t often
happens that the passage is not made without
boat, boatmen and passengers being carrieda mile
or two up or down the river out of their course;
and occasionally they are drifted down for thirty
or forty miles. The enterprise of crossing has
exceedingly perilOus look; but it very rarely hap
pens indeed that accidents occur. The Canadians
are cautious race; and whenever there is real
danger nothing will induce them TO attempt to
cross. The Railroad Company will be compelled
to take some step to get over the difficulty. The
construction of an ice bridge, some nine miles
above Quebec, affords the easies. means of doing
il.