The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1858-04-08
Letter from Canada.
CANADA WEsr, March, 1888

EDITOR PERRYsBURG JouRAL: Il see that nv
letter in answer TO Gossip, has neither improved
his manners or his facts, and since he persists
in misrepresenting us on "this side the line
have thought that a letter giving your readers
some information of Canada might not be
wholly unacceptable to you. l shall not pre-.
tend to follow your gossping correspondent in
order TO contradict him. or set him right, that
would be HOPELESS task, bu, will give you
reliable facts something, by the way, that Gossip
never does.
Not long ago, the British North American
Provinces were but weak, undeveloped depen.
denotes of Great Britain their population was
insignificant and their public improvements sim
ply nothing at all worthy ,he name OF improve
mrGts In Lover Canada tn masses of French
inhn nbitants we're the subjrcts-nay the slaves,
of their Segnors. Even now. The Srigniors ex
act an annual rem from those tenanting the
lands Each Segnior has enantry from whom
hr derives an income /; this leuantry on the land
from which he collects an annual rent, by law
gwen to him, averges, perhaps, rra,t ten miles
square. The owner, whoever h" may be, is to
all time subject to these Signoral rents. These
laws. and such us these tend TO retard public
Improvements, and to leave the natural wealth
of the country in an undeveloped ate,--but
the spirit of improvement, for the last ten years
has been awakened aud despite all the arifi
cial hindrsnces which were calculated 10 check
and restrain it, has been gradually developing
the Provinces into great national nation
which is only excslled on this continent by the
United States. Their Increase in population
and in Improvements Of every kind, compares
favorahIy with those of The United States we
are the same in blood-in every thing as the
people OF the Satts-all Anglo Saxon. We
possess in common with the States, the great
chain Of lakes which must in time be source
of imm"nse wealth-and The 81 Lawrence is a
great highway for our vessels To the Atlantic
Already sailing vesse S, loaded at Chicago, have
discharged hir cargoes at Liverpool. But
these are only the ncrm"nt of greatness
the lorpshadowing of what is to be- Efforts are
now being made to unite the British Colonies
| into one conference.-the one constitutional
government. If this union is not eff cted now,
it will br ere long without doubt aud then with
population of three millions of people, and
territory of nearly three millions of square
miles, and possessing not only much of the
natural wealth. common to the United States
but also having the same liberal and republican
laws to govern US, we will rival. if not equal
the United States in all that tends TO make ma
ion great. Our climate may not BE- so genial. or
so inviting TO immigrants; we may not increase
So rapidly in population and wealth, but the
Canadian soil repay those who choose to cult.
vale it, Already manufactures are springing
up in diff f'rent parts of the coun ry, and spirit
of enterprise is being infused into every branch
Of labor. In Hamilton there are two daily ra
pers issued in Toront', the present seat of
government there are three daily papers y in
Montreal, five; aud in QUEBEC, believe, four
These papers compare in size, and in every olhe
respect, favorably with any papers published in
the United States. We are reading people.
and as inIelligence among the masses is the sure
forerunner of enterprise and improvement, we
are advancing rapidly in every thing which
tends TO elevate us in th- scale Of nations.
Oar connection with England is simply nom
lnal and beyond a doubt, the time is near at
hand when we shall sever even this mythical
tie. Let union be- formed by uniting Ctnada
East, Canada West, New Brunswick. New
Foundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edwards
Island into government, and we have secured
to us, beyond prradve rture, a greatness in
point OF national wealth and strength, which
shall compare favoraby with that of any other
nation on the gobs. With an unobstncted
navigation ex ending from one end o the con
ederacy TO The otler, for our largest sea going
vessels, and with chain of railways reaching
from Detroit to Halifax, we may well augur
brilliant inture. What then is the policy of the
Two governm 'nts--the United States and this
contemplated contederacy ?-evidently to culti-
vate spirit OF amity and of reciprocity in
trade--tlo away with every law which restricts
lis trade and intercpurSe between the two GOV
ernments, and rival each other only in every
thing which makes a nation truly great and a
people really happy We in Canada. are not
blind t. the improvements gong on in the
States /; we read your papers, your books, and
we are alive to all that is transpring there
Perhaps ought to say that we pattern after you
IN many things--Inany of your p ,opIe live here
amo US, have become citizens of Canada
many OF our Peoplt also are filling up your vest
ern country; these ties of common blood. of
interest, aud of daily association, bind our pao-
pie in feeling, in sympaty in all things to yours
and these friendly ties should be cultivated in
our relations as individuals and as neighboring
nations.
This prosy letter, Mr. Editor, think will b-
my last to you. for not being accusr, med toI
framing my Thoughts into letter for publica
ton find tlabOrlous, Gossip shall have thr
Held 10 hlmself IN future. unless some of your
more gifted readers should think il worth thri
while TO cultivate his manners. We real your
paper with great interest here. and We wish you
the success which your enterprise merits