The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1861-12-26
what England Would Put AT
Stake 10y q WAR.
From the New York World.

(Which We have not aftronted, and can
easily convince her that we did not intend
to affront1 would be such stupendous
and costly folly that it IS Incredible that
che intends ono. Her power 10 indict in
jury we 90 net dispute; but Ike Samson
at GAIA she would bury herself beneath
the tumbling ruins. In Canada, the most
important and valuable OF her colonies;
On the ocean, which Is covered with her
commerce in the sea-girt island, which
is the seat Of her manufactures on the
continent of Europe, where powerful RI
val, led by the astutest statesman OF the
age, Is aiming Eto supplaut her influence,
a war with this country would be the fore
runner OF disasters which emily necessity
should lead her to incur.
To begin with Canada, which from it's
proximity to the United States would re-
ceive the first blow We will not 60 into
minute details ono or two prominent
facts will illustrate the dangers which
menace her there. /. is q little more
than year since the youthful prince who
is the heir to her throne, was present at
Montreal to witness the completion OF tho
Victoria bridge, miracle OF engineering
achievement which ranks as ono Of the
wonders of tho age. This costly structure
is link IN the Grand Trunk Railway,
the greatest enterprise of the kind on the
globe, there being nothing to equal it,
either in the magnitude OF its physical
proportions or tho commercial purposes IN
the contemplation CT It's proi iectors. That
colossal work was meaat to be q linz In
chain of communication uniting the COM
mercial cities Of Great Britain with the
boundess agricultural riches of our Wes-
tern States. It's main terminus on the
Atlantic side is Portland, and on the other
side Saruia, near the outlet of Lake Hu-
ron, at the gates of the prairies 1t is
mainly dependent tor its value, present
and prospective, on It's United States oon-
nections, and the permission we have ae
corded to it to carry merchandise through
our territory in bond 1t ia owned by a
combination of British capitalists its
length, with all its adjuncts and tributa-
ries, is 2,093 miles, aud the cost of all
these with their equipments was more
than Sl00,000,O00. The British govern
ment is annually expendins $6,000,0O0
nominally in subsidizing steamships for
postal service, but really in maintaining
the connections by which this great work
is intended to be made ono of the main
arteries of North American commerce.
a war with the United States would iso-
late the Grand Trunk from the trade in
reference to which it WAS built, aud strike
a fatal blow at the prosperity of Canada.
Our territory stretches along on the At
lantio in front of that important colony,
shutting it in from any communication
with the coast for six months of the year,
and allowing it access to the ocean during
the other six, only by the eircuitous route
through the st. Lawrence, which runs
far to the north, and is of so little value
for commercial purposes that, since the
reciprocity treaty, our vessels make no use
of it. A country SO dependent on US for
the means of development would soon be
ours by the spontaneous action Of its in
habitants, if we failed to seize and hold it
by military conquest 1t i. q well known
historical fact that the British government
negotiated the reciprocity treaty as
means of quieting the party which were
beginning to agitate the question OF an
nexation to the United States. A war
with this country would cost Great Brit
ain her most valuable colonial possession,
and the toss of all the property her capi-
talists have invested in Canadian public
works.
But Canada is only ono item in the
account Our daring and enterprising
seamen, and the numerous ships thrown
out Of employment by the war, would be
ready to cruise as priyateers against her
commerce, and would drive it from the
ocean except when covered by strong
convoy of men-of-war. If her navy is
larger than ours, her possessions in every
quarter of the world expose SO many vul-
nerable points that she must scatter it,
and weaken it by division. For US to lose
our commerce would only be an incon-
venience; for her to lose hers would be
ruin. Except for articles of luxury, with
which we can dispense, we are self sus-
tanning nation. We have surplus of
food, abundant mineral wealth, and we'll
established manufactures, which the tenn
porary destruction of our foreign commerce
would SO strengthen and extend that Brit
ish goods would ever after be excluded
from our own markets, and we should
come out of the war her most formidable
rival IN those OF other countries. England,
on the other hand, is not selfsustaining
she is dependent on her foreign commerce
for the daily subsistence of her population.
1t Is useless for her to manufacture unless
she can sell but how can she sell when
her commerce is swept from the seas by
our privateers Even if her people coulI