The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-09-24
THE WASHINGTON UNION.

small an equivalent, Is not to be forgotten In this
connection Since the date Of that treaty has
been constructed the great line of railroad from
Montreal to Portland by British enterprise. with
British gold for British advantage TO cut off the
circuitous transit by the outlets OF 81. Lawrence.
SINCE then the Weaud canal around the Falls of
Niagara has been enlarged to capacity which will
admit the largest lake and ocean vessels Of Transport
tation and lines of railroad and water navigation
direct from Montreal to Lake superior have been
actively prosecuted Ere long, if it is not already
the case, continuous line Of British railroad from
the head of Lake Superior to Portland, Name will be
completed, where the proposed arrival of the Great
Eastern steamer to that port will have significance
not usually given il on our side of the Atlantic
Then nothing will be wanting to the completion of
Great Britains western route to China from Liver
pool, but railroad about seventeen hundred
miles in longth from the head OF Lake Superior via
Frasers river to Puget Sound over route which
has been ascertanod to be OF easy grades, aud to
promise unrivalled cheapness OF cost Compare the
length Of this route from Liverpool to China with
those now pursued by the British from London to
China.
From Shanghai by rahama, % uays, lo,ooo miles,
From Shanghai by Cape of Good Hope, 70 days,
$4,000 miles.
From Shanghai by Montreal, 80 days, loooo
miles.
Thus the western route over this continent through
the British possessions and by Fraser river Is from
$500 to 5000 miles shorter than those now pursued
All that was wanted for this great project was an ac
tive, trading population on the western shore OF our
continent, to support and protect the western por-
ton of the overland railroad. That will be supplied
by the gold emigration, from which VIII be de-
rived the money, the energy OF VIII, ana inc pohe
and sinew, to construct the work.
The region between Minnesota and Fraser river
is represented to abound in districts Of wewatered
and fertile land as fine as can be found on the con-
tinent. Proceeding west from Minnesota the climate
becomes milder, until, on arriving upon tho Pacific
coast it corresponds to a temperature ten degrees
lower of latitude in the valley of the Mississippi
Simultaneously with the commencement of the emf
grafton to Fraser river and this vast region of
inviting lands lying for the most part in the British
jurisdiction. the possessions Of the Hudson's Bay
Companv have been surrendered to free and gen.
eral colonization.
Behold the result that will be achieved by the
accomplishment Of these great enterprises of Eng
land From the granary of the world around the
great lakes of America will stretch forth two great
lines of transportation one of them towards the
hungry populations of Europe on the right the other
towards the teeming hives of population in Asia,
where millions of men exc out starving existence
upon rice.
Leaving the hackneyed subject of the Atlantic
telepranb out of mind. it cannot be disguised that
all these circumstances concur in pointing to great
CHANGES and events upon our continent It has
been the habit of the people of the United States to
look to California as the destined centre of population
an tho Pacific and to the Isthmus transits or to rail
roads projected upon the lower parallels of latitude
mon our own territory as the destined highways of
Pacific emigration and trade But il is not improb-
ablo that the locomotive will be whstling along
so,,e northern parallel Of latitude, upon railroad
constructed by British enterprise, to the Pacific,
bafore anv scheme for an American Pacific railroad
sbal he even organized. In that case, Puget Sound
instead Of San Francisco, will be the entyepot of the
Pacific inst as New York instead of Norfolk or
Charleston. is that of tho Atlantic
There are those who suppose that the flood of
EMIGRATION which has set in with sosstrong tide to
AZ from,
OIL th,t