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18 I N T R O D U C T I O N
The policy of exclusion was to cease, i m m i g r a t i o n was to he
encouraged, and a telegraph l i n e b u i l t through the T e r r i t o r i es
to the Pacific coast. The wire for this was actually shipped,
and l a y i n Rupert's L a n d for years, u n t i l made use of by the
Mackenzie A d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n the b u i l d i n g of the Government
telegraph line, w h i c h followed the r a i l w a y route defined
by S i r Sandford Fleming. The old Hudson's B a y Company's
shares, of a par value of h a l f a m i l l i o n pounds sterling,
were increased to a m i l l i o n and a h a l f under the new adjustment,
and were thrown upon the market i n shares of twenty
pounds sterling each. Sir E d m u n d Head, an o l d ex- Governor
of Canada, was made Governor of the new company. The
Stock Exchange was not altogether favourable, and the
remaining shares were only sold i n the W i n n i p e g l a n d boom
of 1881.
The alien element i n the new company seemed to inspire
the politicians of the U n i t e d States w i t h surpassing hopes
and ideas. A n offer to purchase its t e r r i t o r i a l interests was
made i n January, 1866, by A m e r i c a n capitalists, which was
not unfavourably glanced at b y the directorate. It was capped
later on. The corollary of the proposal was a b i l l , actually
introduced into the U n i t e d States Congress i n J u l y following,
and read twice, " p r o v i d i n g for the admission of the States
of Nova Scotia, N e w Brunswick, Canada East and Canada
West, and for the organization of the T e r r i t o r i e s of S e l k i r k,
Saskatchewan and C o l u m b i a . " The b i l l provided that " The
U n i t e d States would pay ten m i l l i o n s of dollars to the H u d son's
B a y Company i n f u l l of a l l claims to t e r r i t o r y or j u r i s d
i c t i o n i n N o r t h A m e r i c a , whether founded on the Charter
of the Company, or any treaty, law, or usage." The grandiosity,
to use a m i l d phrase, of such a measure needs no comment.
But though it seems amusing to the Canadian of
to- day, it was by no means a joke forty years ago. As a
matter of fact, the then almost uninhabited Territories, cut
off from the centres of Canadian a c t i v i t y b y a wilderness of
over a thousand miles, would have been invaded by Fenians
and filibusters but for the fact that they were a part of the
Object Description
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| Title | Page 21 |
| OCR | 18 I N T R O D U C T I O N The policy of exclusion was to cease, i m m i g r a t i o n was to he encouraged, and a telegraph l i n e b u i l t through the T e r r i t o r i es to the Pacific coast. The wire for this was actually shipped, and l a y i n Rupert's L a n d for years, u n t i l made use of by the Mackenzie A d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n the b u i l d i n g of the Government telegraph line, w h i c h followed the r a i l w a y route defined by S i r Sandford Fleming. The old Hudson's B a y Company's shares, of a par value of h a l f a m i l l i o n pounds sterling, were increased to a m i l l i o n and a h a l f under the new adjustment, and were thrown upon the market i n shares of twenty pounds sterling each. Sir E d m u n d Head, an o l d ex- Governor of Canada, was made Governor of the new company. The Stock Exchange was not altogether favourable, and the remaining shares were only sold i n the W i n n i p e g l a n d boom of 1881. The alien element i n the new company seemed to inspire the politicians of the U n i t e d States w i t h surpassing hopes and ideas. A n offer to purchase its t e r r i t o r i a l interests was made i n January, 1866, by A m e r i c a n capitalists, which was not unfavourably glanced at b y the directorate. It was capped later on. The corollary of the proposal was a b i l l , actually introduced into the U n i t e d States Congress i n J u l y following, and read twice, " p r o v i d i n g for the admission of the States of Nova Scotia, N e w Brunswick, Canada East and Canada West, and for the organization of the T e r r i t o r i e s of S e l k i r k, Saskatchewan and C o l u m b i a . " The b i l l provided that " The U n i t e d States would pay ten m i l l i o n s of dollars to the H u d son's B a y Company i n f u l l of a l l claims to t e r r i t o r y or j u r i s d i c t i o n i n N o r t h A m e r i c a , whether founded on the Charter of the Company, or any treaty, law, or usage." The grandiosity, to use a m i l d phrase, of such a measure needs no comment. But though it seems amusing to the Canadian of to- day, it was by no means a joke forty years ago. As a matter of fact, the then almost uninhabited Territories, cut off from the centres of Canadian a c t i v i t y b y a wilderness of over a thousand miles, would have been invaded by Fenians and filibusters but for the fact that they were a part of the |
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