New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-02-27

southwa ard and seuthwestward, undu'y dwarhns
aid submergng our interest in what lie transPirng
northward OF our frontier British America this I
day exceeds in area, in wealth, in enterprise in
intelligence and about equals in population, the
Thirteen United Colonies that, little more than
eighty years ago, de,lared Themselves independent
Of Great Britain and, through seven years strug
gle, maintained and established that independence.
Her population, exclusive Of ssyages, can hardly
fall below Three Millions having doubled within
period Of eas than twenty years while her Com
merce, Wealth and means OF IntercOmmuncation,
haze increased with even greater rapidly. The
severity, in the main, Of her climate, is great
drawback; bat the extent and richness Of her for
ests. the grandeur and utility Of her Lakes and
Rivers, and the very considerable though undeve-
oped value and variety Of her Minerals, go far to
atone for it. Probably the child is already born
who will see British America peopied BY Twenty
Millions of civilized human beings
Great "a her actual resources undoubtedly are
the settlement and growth Of Upper Canada
especially have of late been materially fastened BY
heavy expenditures of British capital invested in
Canadian Railways. Probably Ten Millions Ster-
ling or Fifty Millions of Dollars, have thus been
pianted-to the great benefit Of the country thus
chequered with lines of finished or nearly finished
railroads, though the chance of their paying even
three per cent interest on their cost seems at pres
emf slim one. If we assume that half this cost is
represented BY funded or other debt bearing six
per cent interest, the average value of the stock
NAV be set down at zero. And yet, assuming these
railroads TO have been wisely located, they may safely
be pronounced worth TO Canada far more than their
entire cost.
The extensive and rapid investment in Canada of
such vast amounts of European capital has doubt
less given her preternatural Development. Labor,
timber, food, with nearly every product of human
industry, have found in consequence, ready
markets at liberal prices. The Provinces have
paid for their Fabrics and Metals in work at their
own DOORS or in supplies to iubOrers 80 employed,
which is far easier process than paying for them
in food or timber exported to Europe. Canada has
thus been douby benefited by her railroads-frst,
in having them constructed in the main at foreign
cost; second, in the extensive and advantageous
home market thereby created for the products of
her regular industry.
But change is now to be experienced. Euro
pean capital will soon cease to be advanced for the
further prosecution of her railway system. Her
long Winters cannot be adyantageously devoted to
farm labor exclusively, while the cutting of timber
for export, which afforded employment to all her
surplus labor while her population was counted by
scores or at most hundreds of thousands, cannot
be expected to do so after that population has been
swelled to several millions How, then, shall this
labor be henceforth employed! How shall British
America continue to pay the mother country for
the Fabrics aud Metals which che will continue to
want and for which the Fictitious thrift and Pc
cunary abundance of the last ten years have 80
largely increased the demand!
The clearest and best minds in the Canadas are
now bordering these questions and are severauy
attaining the conclusion that broader develop
ment further dversifcatiOn of their industry, has
become, or must soon become, indispensable.
Csnada cannOtexport asufficiency of Grain, Timber
and Furs to pay for the many millions worth per
annum of textile and metallic Manufactures which
have become indispensable to the comfort of her
people. Her climate renders a liberal supply Of
thick, warm clothing indispensable, while the re-
cent and still rapid Improvements in Agricultural
machinery call for larger and eyer-ncreasing sup
plies of Iron and Steel. To import these almost
or quite exclusively, henceforth is to doom her
farmers to chronic dependence on European
markets, and to the necessity Of selling their pro-
ducts at European prices, less the always serious
and often ruinous cost Of carriage to the seabOard
and expectation; is to DOOM also, large share
especially of the female labor of the Canadas to
months Of annual idleness and tOrpOr; is TO in
sure constsnt and increasing balance of trade
against British America, with corresponding
unanmity of complaint from the British Isles
ofCansdian insolvency and dishonesty TOavert and
guard against these evils, some concerted aud far
reschng action is felt by increasing thousands to
be indispensable.
What shall be the nature of that action
A considerable but We think now decreasing
lumber have looked to Annexation to the States as
their safest recourse. closer scrutiny of our
politics and our tendencies has induced thousands
to Iepudiste this e1pedient. The Tariff policy
established By Congress in 1916, which looks to
distant instead of home msrkets-to the eIporta-
ron Of Grain and Meat and the importation OF
Metals and Fabrcs-is felt to be lily adapted to the
presept and future wants of Canada; while the
contemporary development and inauguration Of slave
hunting through the Fugitive Slave Law and Its
copeemtauts, have rendered AnnexationS rePug-
Liant to the feelings as the Tariff reduction made
unay ailiDg to the interests of the CanadI,ns' We
msy consider Annexation as indefinitely postponed
by the consequences of the Polk triumph IN ioH'
Annexation being rspudiated, what then
The substitute which seems at present most