THE FUTURE OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 27 April 1881, Page 2

THE FUTURE OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

# A very interesting paper under this healding bas been read at a meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute by Sir Alexander Gait, G.C.M.G., tbe High Commissioner for the Dominion in London. He commenced by a brief allusion to the confederation, stating that the Dominion only became territorially complete in 1873, and described the mixed character of the population, which had tended to bring about excellent results The country was described as stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific occaD, its southern extremity reaching to the parallel of the south of France, possessing the finest forests in the world, widely spread coalfields, extensive and productive fisheries, the most remarkable Datur.il distribution of lakes and rivers ; enriched with all v;iriet : es of minerals, and known to contain an enormous area of fertile prairie lands, destined to become the future granary of England. Particular stress was laid upon the central or prairie divisim, wbich

m^^ m^ mmm^ m^^mi^tmmmmr»Ammmmmmmmtmmmmimmmm includes the new province of Manitoba and extends from the densley wooded Atlantic regions to the Rocky Mountains, This vase fertile district has sraany hundreds of miles of navigation •and is also fertilised by tributary streams issuing from tbe Rocky Mountaics. Last year tbe export and import trade of the Dominion amounted to over 35 millions sterling, the shipping registered and owned in the Dominion represents a total of 1, 332,094 tons, and the fisheries yielded nearly three millions sterling. The public debt only represented £8 per head, and had been utilised on the magnificent railway and canal system, ' on lighthouses for navigation, on the acquisition of the great North West and other public works. Vessels can no at pass, by means of the canal system, from the Western lakes Mon«* treal and tbe ccean, and when the en" ' Jarged locks are completed, iu two jyears, vessels of 1500 tons will pas* from Chicago and Lake Superior to Montreal, a distance of considerably over 1000 miles, placing the Western i States of America and Canada 500 miles nearer to England than by the present water route to New York. The Pacific Railway already has 260 miles in operation. 500' additional are expected to be completed in a year, and within four years communication by water and railway will be complete through Can da, opening up 1000 miles of the North-West prairies. Jn conclusion, Sir Alexander Gait said:— 'l know not what fate may, in distant years, be reserved for my country, but of tbis I am well assured that a people capable of calmly and resolutely devoting their entire energies to such a bigh and noble work as the colonisation of British North America, with its attendant blessings to the suffering poor of Europe, cannot fail to achieve a destiny which will make , Tbe future of the Dominion Canada* worthy of the great nation from which it has sprang.'