The Portland daily press., 1871-05-02
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND
TUESDAY, MAY, 2, 1871.
More Confederation.

The most important thing done by the DO
,nnlon Parliament before its adjournment
last month was to hold out to the people of
British Columbia on the Pacific coast an ex-
traordinary inducement to enter the Canadl-
AN Coniederacy. 1t is proposed to bulld
railroad through the wilderness separating
Ontario from the Pacific coast, at cost
which. relative to the valuation of Canada, is
immense. To do this, especially when the
,onte will run parallel, at no great dis
lance. TO that along which the Northern Pa
cfic road is now eaping at a wonderful rate,
is to incur obligations that most nations have
considered justifiable only rs the result of
long continued and unavoidable wars. By
midsummer the Red River will be reached
Id a branch line will extend thence to Penn.
bna near the border of the new Province of
Manitoba. The British line will thus be an
ticipated 10y its Yankee rival at this import
ant point-the only one in its entire length
from which it can expect any but the most
meagre returns for many years. But there IS
10 doubt that sci ious effort will be made to
push through the great scheme. Without it,
British Columbia will inevitably gravitate to-
ward the United States, and will probably be
The first fragment of British American terri
tory that sees and accepts the destiny that
las decreed that it shall finally be absorbed in
The Canadians may reasonably cherish a hope
that both British Columbia and turbulent,
restless Manitoba will wait till the whole Ca.
madam Dominion comes in lump. This
road with the great mtercolopial route, which
81 few years ago seemed itself a gigantic enter
prise, bat which will soon be among the
achievements OF the past, will give The Domin-
ion such security and such promise of pre-
serving its territorial integrity as come from
The existence of means of easy and rapid in.
accommodation, social aud commercial, be-
tween all its parts.
Aid the British Parliament is considering
a knew scheme of confede. alton that is
hardly less important than the one we
have just considered. Mr.. Gladstone has in
PRODUCED bill in the House of Commons
providing for union of all the British colon
les in the West Indies and Central America
Iii singular fact that the British West In.
dies alone are now under five separate govern.
ments, entirely Independent of each other
The Islands Of Jamaica and Trinidad are
honored as the seats of two Of these diminu-
tive governments,w hile the Bahama, Leeward
aud Windward groups make up the humber
of British satrapies. Honduras with Belize,
on the main land, is also distinct province,
as well as British Guiana, which from some
reason is not embraced in the scheme for a
West India Contederacy.
There are about five hundl ed of the BAHIA
matislands, the capital being that well remem-
-bered Anglo Rebel nest, Nassau,on New Provi-
dence island. st Kits is the most important
place in the Leeward group and Babadoes oil
the Windward group. The population of
these latter islands is about a quarter of a
~ million.
The entire trade of the proposed confedera.
cy in 1868 was S22, $780, 800 imports and $25,-
242,605 exports.
The following table shows that the united
West Indian provinces will have little less
than the area of the State of Maine with fifty
,1ots-