The picturesque StLawrence . itand it was carried down the stream. Still anotherbridge was presently started, and this timethe fates were propitious. At least, it was com-pleted; but twelve years later it followed in thewake of its predecessors by collapsing intothe river. Communication was thereafter byferry until 1843, when the stream was againbridged. It was to a large degree a matter of chance thatthis particular place became the capital of thedominion. At one time Quebec was thecapital, at another Toronto. In 1840 the Britishgovernor-general effected a union of Upper andLower Canada and m
The picturesque StLawrence . itand it was carried down the stream. Still anotherbridge was presently started, and this timethe fates were propitious. At least, it was com-pleted; but twelve years later it followed in thewake of its predecessors by collapsing intothe river. Communication was thereafter byferry until 1843, when the stream was againbridged. It was to a large degree a matter of chance thatthis particular place became the capital of thedominion. At one time Quebec was thecapital, at another Toronto. In 1840 the Britishgovernor-general effected a union of Upper andLower Canada and made Kingston the Montreal took a turn at being the seat ofgovernment, and while it was enjoying thisdistinction the dominion parliament voted moneyto pay damages to those who had property de-stroyed in the patriots rebellion. This meas-ure was extremely unpopular with many of thepeople, and when the governor. Lord Elgin,signed the bill, he was mobbed in the rioters then went to the House of Parlia-. The Ottawa 121 ment, turned out the members, and burned thebuilding to the ground. That settled Montrealsfate as the capital of Canada. Queen Victoriawas asked to choose a new site which should bethe permanent capital, and in 1857 she selectedOttawa. The place was at that time a moderate-sized lumber town, but the magnificence of itssite weighed strongly in its favor, and its positionin relation to the population of the dominionwas also favorable. The center of interest in Ottawa is the parlia-ment buildings. These are of imposing size andhave not a little dignity and beauty in theirarchitecture. Their attractiveness is much in-creased by their position on the most command-ing bluff overlooking the river and a great sweepof country roundabout. The lumber interests ofOttawa and the city of Hull just across the riverare still of great importance, and there are manyimmense sawmills along the waterside. Hull, in the early days, was merely a landingplace to port
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjohnsonc, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1910
