Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-11-06
The Future Before Us 49, Important
Movements Of British Capitalists to
Open Up the Northwest.

1Ao iooPcCtuS vi IIlc NOrtn- w eSC transport
tation, Navigation and Railway Company"
Incorporated by the Parliament of Canada,
and embracing amongst its projectors and
managers many of the principal public men
and capitalists of that Province.
This prospectus is commencement toward
opening up the far North West to trade and
emigration particularly looks towards
opening up direct overland route through
British America to reach the gold region on
Fraser River in British Columbia.
The project cannot but have the warmest
sympathies Of everybody in this region for,
though it may be doubtful whether the pro-
posed Portage Roads between Lake Superior
and Red River are practicable, there is no
doubt that, when the Red River is once reach
ed, the country beyond it is one of the best in
the world for making roads through it clear up
to the Rocky Mountains; and that any road
this company may assist in making westward
from Red River, is equally a road for the ben
eft and convenience of st. Paul and Minneso-
ia as for Canada!
1t is with much satisfaction that we observe
the public men and capitalists of Canada d.
recting their attention to the means of partici-
pating in the lucrative trade which the regions
on the North Pacific and on the great Saskatche-
wan river must afford when opened for settle
ment and colonization by the construction Of
Railroads or other means of intercommuni-
cation, to- from, or through them.
Ware here ikewise alice to the Importance
Of the subject!
And we can assure our Canadian brethren
that we are by no means idle in earnest action,
in addition to our earneStness and enthusiasm
in words.
Already the present fall, committee Of
energetic, enterprising men have visited the
North West and the Red River, and the Can
adam Railway Association will have to bestir
themselves or us Yankees will surpass them,
by placing Steamboats, on Red River at a
point acithi@ $50 miles Of st. Paul, to run
into Lake Winnepeg, and perhaps boats on
the AssineJOin md tile iSrshatcheDan-and
this, too, ere sic months more shall roll
around!
So obvious are the advantages to be grasp
ed by the early pioneers in this business, that
individual enterprise, without the aid of any
elaborate company, will probably accomplish
this much.
The great Hudson's Bay corporation are
understood to have already concluded tc
abandon "the practice of carrying their goods
around by Hudson's Bay" and to have made
partial arrangements with an American house
in st. Paul to hereafter transport their goods
from the seaboard via ST. Paul to the Rec
River country; and it is rumored also, thai
here at st. Paul next spring an extensive
Bank-to be organized under the Minnesot;
laws-will be started by British Capitalists
belonging to the company!
Nor is this ALL For sometime past it has
been whispered around in knowing circles
that Mr. EDMUND RICE was not hobnobbine
with Lord NAPIER, in magnificent parlors al
the st. Nicholas in New York City, all fol
nothing or merely for show 1t has been
whispered, that the determination of the
British to construct Railroad through theil
own country, as far as practical, to the North
Pacific, was forced and unalterable; but that
the conviction had been fixed upon them from
an examination by competent engineers OF
the nature of the country between Superior
md the Red River that it was not practicable
to construct Railway across the continent
entirely upon their own territory; that in
truth, their lines must defect, or bend South-
acard, so as to avoid the broken country north
of Superior and north of the heads of the
Mississippi, and this more especially, as it was
desirable to connect their country immetli-
ately with the Tropics and the Gulf of Mexico
through the medium of the Great Mississippi
1t has been further aledged that upon these
premises the conclusion come to by the British
capitalists, to say by the British govern
ment as well,-is substantially the same as
that at which the Hudson Bay Company
managers sometime before arrived, viz: that
the true poi.t of departure for their Pacific
Railroad was St PAUL, ut the head otndgiga-
ton Of tile capacious canal called tue Missis-
aRpi!
The natural corollery from all this was plain
the possession of and control of the charter
Of no nd d. ~
pany, Of which Mr. EDMUND RICE is President
became an object of the first Importance and
hence it is said the mission of the aforesaid
President to New York, aud hence his associ-
alton and alleged conferences with Lord Ma
PIER
And, appropos to all this, as we write
our eye happens to glance over the Milwaukee
Free Democrat of the 29th ult, in which pa
per we find the following article exactly in
point:
eve understand that the grant of lands
made by Congress to the Minnesota and Paci-
fife Railroad Company, on the portion extend
ing from ST. Paul to the British line at Penn
bina, will be offered to those owning the great
railway lines through Canada. This will give
those companies a route through our territory
to the British possessions on the Pacific. This
road is entitled to near two millions of acres
along the Valley of the Mississippi and Red
Rivers, said to be very valuable, worth with
the road built, it is estimated, at least S. per
acre. Allowing the road to cost $25 900 per
mile, it will leave for our Canadian cousins
the sum of SIG, 100000 over the cost of con-
struction and equipment. 1t is important
from other stand-points." 1t affords those
roads an outlet through. three of our most i'm
portant grain growing States-Michigan, Wis
consin and Mlnnesota-traversing their very
centres, thus draining their surplus products
by their Canadian routes to the Atlantic"
Need we say any more? With the fru-
ton of all these projects-the embarkation of
British capital literally in all these projects to
open up The empire Of the great North West
If British America-who can doubt the mag
lificent destiny of st. Paul % al 30