Scottish geographical magazine . e, Avas tAVofold—connection north-Avard Avith Quebec to unite them Avith the Upper Piovinces of Canada,and connection Avestward from the Ncav England States. The fluctua-tions of success and failure, Avhich Avere many, need not be told here—it is enough to say that by 1867 Ncav BrunsAvick had about 250 milesin operation, and NoAa Scotia something less than tAvo hundred. But the political events AA^hich led up to Confederation in 1867Avidened the horizon of the provinces in this as in other respects, andmade possible a larger scheme for Avhich they had before Aa
Scottish geographical magazine . e, Avas tAVofold—connection north-Avard Avith Quebec to unite them Avith the Upper Piovinces of Canada,and connection Avestward from the Ncav England States. The fluctua-tions of success and failure, Avhich Avere many, need not be told here—it is enough to say that by 1867 Ncav BrunsAvick had about 250 milesin operation, and NoAa Scotia something less than tAvo hundred. But the political events AA^hich led up to Confederation in 1867Avidened the horizon of the provinces in this as in other respects, andmade possible a larger scheme for Avhich they had before Aainlystruggled. The Intercolonial.^ The construction of this raihvay Avas pail of the compact madebetAveen the old provinces of Canada Avhen they confederated in 1867. 1 This line is to be seen on the folded map illustrating the Canadian Pacific system. THE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT OF CANADA. 233 Witliout it Confederation couM not have been made a reality. A longtract of wilderness separated the maritime from the inland provinces,. forbidding intimate intercourse, social, political or commercial. Therewas danger lest the mere force of commercial gravitation should draw theMaritime Provinces, in their isolated condition, towards the American 234 SCOTTISH GEOGRAPHICAL MAGAZINE. States with Avhich they were industrially and geographically very closelyconnected. This isolation also prevented common action between thedifferent proA-inces for national defence, at that time an important con-sideration. The mother country itself was deeply interested in theconstruction of this line. The Trent affair in 1861 had drawn GJ-reatBritain and the United .States to the A^erge of a Avar of Avhich CanadaAvould have been the chief battle-ground, although she had nothing to doAvith the cause of quarrel. The Albama difficulty had accentuated thehostile feeling and the Avar cloud hung long on the horizon. The troopssent out in the Avinter of 1861-2 had to be transported some hundreds ofmiles on sledge
Size: 1400px × 1786px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectgeography, bookyear18
