Chapter XCVIII: Appendix: COMMITTEE ROOM, Tuesday, 24th July, 1866

Colonel MACDOUGALL attended, and was examined as follows:

By the Hon. Mr. _Holton_:

Be pleased to state to the Committee your views of the importance,
in a military point of view, of connecting the waters of Lake
Ontario and the Bay of Quinté by a Canal, navigable for vessels of
the largest class in use on Lake Ontario?—I am aware that the
Defense Commission sent to Canada in 1862, to report on the general
defenses of the Province, strongly recommend the formation of a
Naval Station in the Bay of Quinté. The natural features of that bay
render it, in my opinion, admirably adapted for such purpose. In the
event of the Naval Station being formed in the Bay of Quinté, it
would be of great importance to have a short and secure entrance
direct from Lake Ontario to the head waters of the bay. This is
especially the case in view of the fact that the stretch between
Presqu’isle Harbour and Kingston is the most dangerous and difficult
on the Lake. Judging by the map, and in ignorance of local
peculiarities, it appears to me that the best means of obtaining
such a short and secure communication as is above referred to, would
be by cutting a Canal between the head waters of the Bay Quinté and
Weller Bay. The mouth of the Canal would be covered and protected by
the perfectly land-locked harbour of Weller Bay, the entrance to
which, from Lake Ontario, is susceptible of being very easily
defended against a hostile flotilla. If the case is considered of
Canadian vessels running before a superior naval force of the enemy
from the general direction of Toronto, it is obvious that if the
first were obliged to weather the peninsula of Prince Edward, in
certain winds they would run serious risks of being driven ashore or
captured before they could make the entrance to the Bay of Quinté,
whereas the same vessels, with the same wind as would expose them to
destruction in the first supposed case, could enter the harbour of
Weller Bay under full sail, and reach the head of Bay of Quinté
without molestation. Even though it may not be in contemplation to
establish a regular Naval Station in the Bay of Quinté, that bay
would, in the case of war, afford an admirable harbour of refuge,
which would be made perfectly secure in a military, or rather naval
sense. Again, in case of war, the proposed Canal would supply the
means of far safer communication by water, without the sacrifice of
time between Kingston and Toronto, than could be afforded by the
open Lake.

In the Hallowell _Free Press_, of February 1, 1831, is a communication from “A country lad,” who says, “there are several new roads required, but the one of most essential benefit to the inhabitants would be that which would lead from Wellington Village, Hillier, across the peninsula to Belleville. But, while improvements of this description are in contemplation, it must not be forgotten that the period is not far distant when the East Lake in Hallowell must be cleared out, and a canal suitable for the passage of the Lake Ontario steamboats, cut from thence to Hallowell Village. Such an improvement as this, would, in our opinion, not only lessen the distance from Kingston to York, and make the navigation less dangerous, but would afford a safe and commodious harbour.”

RAILWAYS.—At the present day Canada, in addition to the unsurpassed water ways through her vast extent, has the greatest number of miles of railway according to inhabitants in any part of the world. In 1832, the Liverpool and Manchester Railroad was completed, which was “the great precursor of all railroads.” Fourteen years later, 1846, a movement was initiated at Kingston to build a road from Wolfe Island, through Kingston to Toronto, and a survey was ordered to be made. A part of the “Report of the Preliminary Survey of Wolfe Island, Kingston and Toronto Railroad,” is now before us, signed by James Cull and Thomas Gore, Civil Engineers. In addition the engineering results of the Preliminary Survey, they give in an appendix, the grounds upon which they form their opinion as to the probable cost and revenue. It would be interesting to give their statements in full did space allow.

“_Another scheme._—The Picton _Sun_ is advocating the building of a railroad, running through the County of Prince Edward, and terminating at Long Point, whence freight and passengers could be shipped to the United States.”

THE INCREASE OF POPULATION.

It is a common belief among the Americans, a belief which is shared in by the few Annexationists living in Canada, that increase of population, productiveness of the soil, and general advance of civilization, are very much greater in the several States of the Union than in Canada. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Upper Canada especially, has quite outstripped, even the most prosperous of all the original States of the Union. A comparison of the statistics of the two countries shows this to be undoubtedly the case. The following paragraph, taken from a valuable little work by Dr. Lillie, affords some idea of the relative progress of the two countries.

He says, “The rate at which Canada West is growing, and has been for the last twenty or thirty years, equals, if it does not more than equal the growth of the very best of the Western States. It will be seen from the United States census, that the three States of Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, contained in 1830, 1,126,851. In 1850, they contained 355,000, a little over 320 per cent. in twenty years. Canada West contained in 1830, 210,473, in 1749, it contained 791,000, which is over 375 per cent. of the same period of twenty years. So that increase in the three choice States was 55 per cent. less than that of Canada West during the same time.”

And with respect to the products of the two countries, there is found the same proportion in favor of Canada. So also with regard to vessels, “in proportion to population the tonnage of Canada more than equals that of the United States.” And if we look at the various internal improvements as to canals, railroads, we find that Canada stands pre-eminent in these things.

Yet, in the face of these facts we can find persons to say, and so believe that Canada is behind the States in enterprise.

If we regard Lower Canada, it is found that the growth of population is vastly greater than the States of Vermont and Maine, lying along her border. Taking Canada as a whole, it is seen “that as compared with the States, which in 1850 had a population as great as her own, the decimal rate of increase was greater than in any of those States, with one solitary exception.

“That in nine years to their ten, she lessened by two the number of States which in 1850 had a population exceeding hers.

“That she maintained a decimal rate of increase greater than that of the whole United States, not including the Western States and Territories, but including California and the other States and Territories on the Pacific.

“That Upper Canada maintained a decimal rate of increase greater by one-half than that of the whole United States and Territories—more than double that of all the United States, excluding the Western States—and only falling short of the increase in the Western States and Territories by 7 per cent.

“That in nine years to their ten, she passed four States of the Union, which in 1850, had a population exceeding hers, leaving at the date of the last census only five States which exceeded her in population.

The population of French Canada at the time of the revolution, did not much exceed 70,000. Since that time the increase of population in Lower Canada has been steady; not from immigration, so much as from early marriages. In the year 1783, there were by enumeration 113,000. In 1831, the French had increased 400,000. As we have said this was due to their social habits.

The loyalists and soldiers that settled in Western Canada in 1783–4–5, were estimated at 10,000. It has been stated that when Canada was divided into two Provinces in 1791, the inhabitants had increased to 50,000; but this is doubted by some. It is said that the number did not exceed 12,000. McMullen puts it at 20,000. The increase of population up to the time of the war of 1812, was by no means rapid, at that time they numbered about 70,000; 1822, 130,000; in 1837, 396,000. The number of inhabitants in 1852 was somewhere about 500,000.

Coming to the Midland Districts, the townships around the bay, it is found that here advancement was greater than elsewhere for many years.

Robert Gourlay sought information from the several townships of the Province in 1817, in response it is stated, among other things, that “the number of inhabited houses now is about 550; population about 2,850. This enumeration includes the town of Kingston, which contains 450 houses, and 2,250 souls. Thomas Markland says, 26th November, 1818, “The reports from this district (Midland) being few in proportion and several of these irregular, I cannot give an exact estimate of the population, but the following will not be far wrong:—Kingston, Ernesttown, Adolphustown, and Thurlow, contain 7,083. Fredericksburgh, Marysburgh, Hallowell, Ameliasburgh, and Sidney, 5,340. Pittsburgh, with Wolfe Island, Loborough, Portland, Camden, Richmond, and Rawdon, will not average above 300 each, a total of 1,800. In Huntington, I heard only of five settlers—say 24. Total white population 14,855; Indians 200. Total number of houses in Midland district was 900 Thomas Markland. A report before me made in October 1826, by John Portt, says the total number of white inhabitants of Tyendinagua is 27.

DIVISION XII.
THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS—THE FATHERS OF UPPER CANADA.