Year: 1868

roads, railways and telegraphs. A royal commission
wss nos required TO obtain niormaon or we pos
Inere was select committee In 1857, which recon-
mended l that the interests and wishes or Canada
shoud oe Immediately consulted about steps being
taken 10 settle the Red River colony. Then there
were tne elaborate reports Of Dr. Hind to the cana
uan goverhment and OF Captain palliser VINO inade
scehlinc observations for the British government,
80 that we had all the information we could desire.
Inc negotiations would certainly be pressed 10
guine that the result OF them h Would be 10 promote
the important object the honorable baronet had In


Lord MILTON felt bound to say IL was no longer q
question Of more or less di,iculty with regard to
making and maintang road, as the time had ar
wished to keep In their present state or LOYALTY the
colonies on the Pacific. Hear, hear.j He was very
much astonshed At the remarks Of the right honor.
humble judgment, II anything were TO be done in
regard to establishing through communication from
the Atlantic 10 the Pacific, we ought TO look to
the Pacific colonies rather than to Canada The
right honorable gentleman (Mr. Aldereyl had very
much understated the value OF the territory which
was the subject OF this discussion, for he was in a
position to state that the Fertile Belt was at least
equal TO Minnesota, OF the finest OF the United
States. The British Pacific colonies had no direct
means OF communication with one another. but de-
rived even their food from the United States although
the interior OF the country was well calculated TO
supply their wants. There was every year a great
inf1ux OF Americans, who went to the gold mines
during the fine season, and while we IN this country
had been pondering and wastng time the staple COM
modify Of the colony had been to great extent
worked out and deprecated. The gold went out OF
the country never to return, and no labor or i'm
provement could replace It's value He had reason TO
know that there was growing desire on the part OF
the colonsts to join the UDited States and he, for
one, could not blame them for entertaining such
o wish under the circumstances OF the case. They
derived their living from the United States and paid
for 1t with the gold which was obtained in the
colony. With regard to native woods, he might say
that he had not been through them himself, but he
knew the Hudsons Bay Company always found it
practicable TO pass through them as did the Indians
q few years ago. The right honorable gentleman,
however stated that such thing was impracticable


MI. c. FORTEsCUE remarked that he had said


Lord MILTON said 1t was clear then, that II was
practicable and this was all he desired to show.
lHear, hear) The more southern road had been
That State joined the Red River settlement, which
was at present dependent upon Minnesota for its
supplies, America having, unlike Canada, opened
communications to Its territory The consequence
was that there was growing up in the Red River set
tlement feeling similar to that which was gen.
cussion would not terminate in vague promises, for
the time had come for something more substantial to
be given: Hear hear,l Much as he disagreed with
many things in the United States, 1t was but Just to
say that great deal OF the limited amount Of pros
perity in our Pacific colonies was due to the energy
and enterprise OF individual Americans. The vari.
GUS accounts sent home showed that the interior OF
British Columbia was one Of the most promising aud
most fertile regions owned by her Majesty, and II
should be taken without delay, for Otherwise the
country would be developed BY the Americans.
(1cdI, ucdI.1


Mr. CARDwELL had listened with the greatest In.
terest to the discussion and was very glad to learn
that the government had no intention Of issuing
commission from this country to inquire into the
subject Not only was inquiry already exhausted but
fresh investigation would reverse the policy settled
Sy @ the committee Of lsS1 whose neutrality-suspicious.
last year with 30 much unanimty. The proposed
inquiry, therefore, would be retrograde step and
would be fatal indication Of vaciilating policy on
our part 1t would lead to false expectations and do
great deal OF mischief, and he was glad to hear,
therefore, that was not about TO be sanctioned by
the government In conclusion he said he had
learned with great pleasure that negotiations had
been entered into with the Hudson's Bay Company.
Hear hear.)


Sir II. vERNEY, in reply, said he would not ask for
o commission If the Colonial Department thought
they could effect what was desirable by better
mode. He trusted, however, that the subject would
receive immediate attention.


The motion was then withdrawn.