The Portland daily press., 1871-10-17
'Ths States" and Can ada United.
MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE COVER
NOR GENERAL.

The European and North American Rail
road, VIII ch is to be opened with due interna
tioual rites on Wednesday, is an enterprise the
importance of which well deserves it's some
what ambitious name. When that. name was
given, to be sure, its purpose was primarily to
furnish the longest possible land route be.
tween America and Europe, and to supply
transportation by rail across the Gut of Cause
10 Cape Breton Island and after the interposi-
ton OF a few miles of water, across Nevfoand-
land. Now the primary purpose is to connect
ST. John and Halifax and the other cities and
towns OF the maritime provinces with the
United States Undoubtedly the wider plan
of the late John A. Poor and other original
projectors of the enterprise will ultimately be
carried out, and meanwhile many hundreds Of
travellers between Europe and America will
save themselves from twelve to twenty four
hours of water transit by going by rail to Halifax
and thence to Europe, instead of starting from
New York. Until the completion next wear
OF that part OF the Intercolonial Road lying be-
tween Amherst and Truro, Nova Scotia. a gan
OF about seventy five miles, ST. John or Sbedi-
&C, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. will he the
rail- terminus for the traveller. But next year
this hia us in the great international work
will be filled, and whoever wishes NAV 90
from Bangor to halifax, about 4SO miles. di
rect. "The Atlantic Ferry as the enthusias.
tic orieinators of the route called it. will ulti
mately be no very serious misnomer, after all.
Already there is a project for road from Hal
flax to the port OF White Haven at the East
ern extremity Of Nova Scotia, that will short
en- the water route between America and En-
rope more than another hundred miles.
1.-THE GENEROSITY OF THE STATE.
1t is only five years since the work on the
Maine division of the European and North
Americanlro ad3was actually begun. The en-
terprise would undoubtedly have Jagged much
more than it has if the State of Maine as we'll
as the Provinces has not granted heavy subsi-
dies. Tn the provinces the aid has been on a
much larger scale than here, but Maine has de-
parted from her customary policy of refusing
railroad subsidies to an extent that can only be
lustiied.by the great importance and the in.
ternational Character of the work. There
'0o"' 20 DC disposition in some quarters to
uuoer'"'e Tue ala'giveu by the State. We
nope 1"at 'his disposition win notbe induced.
au" eudt 'ue cPrporatcn, which has our hest
w'snes ior its prosperity will be held to strc,
VI al ODllRatlOnS to he
ii assumed as part consideration for the ,,a,,
crosby with which it has been treated. II hoe
received the entire remnant of our public
lands, and an assignment of claims against the
general government approx mating to a mill
ion dollars. Such unwonted generosity
should be duly appreciated, and the contract
to take measures to promote settlements along
the line of the road should be ungrudgingly
fulfilled. This will be the more easily done.
since villages and embryo cities are spontane. |
ousy sprlnging up in the wilderness through |
"u'en u passes. Kingman is as wonderful a |
s''W'n In small way as the towns that
grow up in night along new Western ara
nueS o. V'avel A most brilliant futnre.is nra
u'Iru lor Fanoeooro on the frontier and IT,
other towns on the line. ana ior
The following is a concise
HISTORY OF THE Ro.n
The European ard Moth Ama.;
wav per Sc b as It's origin in the aoo Ian Rail
OF 1850 !" a. Portland This copyen,;"ton
calico by Hon. John A. Poor recentlv Twas was
ed, and vas ATTENDED by many distisen' meas,
gentlemen interested in obtaining a romta
which would shortan the ocean travel between
this country and Europe Among these wa,a |