, 1859-09-26
29rfss 4 Triithiti;ti:tte.
The Transit Tru&.r sr:;Il t.:s 1.vhteru
States of .Ats:rricss. "+' :

/ IF4on tho Lirer1~".t Ecu r;i, s.,,.*j
When Sir !. Pakingsou aauouaccd that the
navy would hare to be Reconstructed, ,'the term
| was considered at the time far.fetched and IN
| -c1agGera'ion; subsequent reveiation*, hover
| cr, prove that he, correctly appreciated tic
changes which wero required to lie, made to
meet tue iwauts Of The agr, arising from tue i'm
provelnent III steam, Eunncry uud naval con-
strucli0n. 4 similar Reconstruction Of our
ocean t,su4t must shortly fo!low, and also
Of goods and passenger tran.it between Europe
and the Great Western States Of Ap1erjca. IN
undetstaa id tile question: in ill its bearings ii
will be ndccssary to 80 back q aquarter Of :, CEN
tury to trace the changes that have taken p}ncc
since the rstab'ishinent Of steamships aud rail-
ways: Prior TO the Opening If tic Erie Can.1,
IN 1s2s, the produce. of the States bordering M
the Llkes passed Gown the st. Lawrencc, wl1i;h
was the OILY outiettn the seaboard ut 0ueLcc:
hntiF,' soouer was the Erie Canal opened, :l=
though only having depth .af. four. feel, ttr.n
the trade; was intercepted at Dugalo, and Ill
yerted to the Hudson and New York, this rart
being open all the ycar ~ound, while the puts
Of the st! Lawrence were closed for six mon,ls
The rnl I'D rise Of the commerce Of New Yotk
dates fro1fl this period, and which was afterwasd
gre tty accelerated by the progfess Of rniiways
towAra the Western States. The whole OF TIE
imports then went to New York, ready to he
Forwarded on tue opening Of the canul and lake
navigation. The New York packet slips, oncc
ocean, mud the tioa,ing palaces. on the nuds.u
mud Lake Eric we're lie admiration uf all, uu'il
the oceari steamers anl ruilways took away
their trufiic, and they now no lonEcrexist. Tie
Erie CuuH has hGen annually losing its tr;a:,..
aud It is now proposed to sell i, rs was done n
The uase Of tue PENNSYLVANIA State canals.
The REPEAL uf the cotn laws, and subsequently
ihe nasisati"u laws, gave an impetus To the
New 1ork! Central Railway, and to the ship
ping Of Naw York. which was tic tina blow. 4.
tie st. laurence route. Great disconfcrt 1rzz.
vailed Id Cauada in consequence, md it wss
conceded by all that tie oulY way 10 regain tie
vast trade nf the West wss TO CONSTRUCT a tr,,nl;
railway frqm SaInia: to Quebec aud Portland. |
Towards fhis s3.11l,5o we're subscribed
aud in November next it il cxpcc;-
cd tie line, with the Victoria bridge,
will be opened from Portland to Detroit and
Chicago. without break-a distance Of on,
thousa'ld ono hundred and thirty eight miles
with II weekly line Of mail steamers to Quebrc
and Portland from liverpool.
The geographical advantages Of the routearo
nprarent, Quebec being some. ti.c hundred
miles nearer than New York, witt, the raiwuy
witt. shipping at Quebec, Portland
and SKrnla, which saves carriage and time.
At Three Rivers, .bovt ninety nuies above
Quebec, the tidal How grasses, aud steamers have
70 cQufend: against ssron., current, requirin.
tho aid of greet power to overcome tile resist
nuce, especially ut the rapids below Montreal;
above Mon,reat tue st. 14awreuce cauais have
to be passed before entering Lake 0ntario,
and the Nclland Canat before 1euchius Lake !
Erie, in all sixty-ninc miles of canal, aud dctcn-
ion in the passage Of the iifty-four locks, it,
rUleing heavy tolls On goods, tlarinc insurance
&C., d.; from Lake Erie tie transit over. tie
shoal wuter Of tie st. Clair River 10 Lake Hu. |
'un lsattcuded with considerable danger, shown
y the ANIMAL casualties. 1T Sarn1a, tie en-
rance to Lake Huron, the current runs ut the |
'atc Of seven miles all hour; in short, to over
.oIne tbe current the propclters arc compelled |
% be equipped with powerful plachincrr, nlld az
he seasen barcly lasts six months, tile forward
ng companies have been one by one retiring
rom 1''e Unequal competition; aud next tho
ine passenger steamers which are still runniu.
,etwcen Toronto and Montreal will become
natter Of history, like the sister vessels on the
Hudson aud Lake Eric.
Nc are among these who consider steam &c. |
n its infancy. We believe thnt steamships Of |
en- thousand ions will become common, ttut |
ron saiiOS ships OF one thousand tons will su: |
persede wooden; .and that the principle Of the |
Of the Great Eastern will become |
general.
We have thus briefly given history Of tue |
,rtiticia! means by which great trade has been
1irerted from its natural c!iaur,e aud the means
adopted to restore it to its old course. Portland
md Qnebec;can atlinit tic Great Eastern at]oat |
1t the wharte*, while New York bArely alor.is
he required depth Of water for the Persia Il |
Fill be- curious to trace the effects Of steam on
shipping anl trade connected with Canada aud |
he Western States. The financial Operations
}! merchants and contractors in the Western !
Suites arc conducted ut Ncw York or Montreal; |
hese again are in correspondence with Liver |
mol or London. The question Of transit, say |
III 10000 tons Of iron to Chicago from Liy-
.rpool. depends, therefore, OH the ocean
iejg',t, insurance and railway. or railway and !
vater transit combined, whether New York OF