This
Railway gave us communication, not only with Canada and with 10,000
miles of American railways, but with the vast tract of British
territory extending across to the Pacific. The consequence of making
this Railway would be, that two days would be saved in going from
England to the northern continent of America, including the great corn-
growing district of the West.
"If the House had seen, as he had seen, the Canadian volunteers turn
out in bitter winter to repel a threatened invasion, without a red-coat
near them, they would think that the right hon. gentleman's taunts
might have been spared.
"The British Provinces had taxed themselves 360,000_l_. a-year for
the execution of these works, which Lord Durham had proposed in 1838,
with the object of binding together, by the means of physical
communication, the varied sections of the Queen's American dominions.
"The evidence of every military man, including Sir John Michell, the
present Commander-in-Chief in Canada, was that this Railway was
absolutely necessary for the military defence of the Colonies. It was,
however, to be defended not only on that ground, but upon the ground of
its great commercial advantages.
"There were now in the Government offices memorials from many of the
large towns in the three kingdoms, concurring in the commercial
necessity and advantages of the measure which the House was now asked
to agree to.
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