A Letter from Major Robert Carmichael-Smyth to His Friend, the Author of 'The Clockmaker'Carmichael-Smyth, Robert
History
A Letter from Major Robert Carmichael-Smyth to His Friend, the Author of 'The Clockmaker'
Carmichael-Smyth, Robert
Great Britain -- Colonies -- America; Haliburton, Thomas Chandler, 1796-1865; Railroads -- Canada; Transportation -- Canada
(54) "So long however as the empire's heart is overburdened by a surplus
multitude, it should be remembered that most fertile and lovely tracts
of country, many times larger than England, exist in the body of that
empire, which never yet within the knowledge of man have yielded their
fruits to his service. A manifold-multiplied value also is given to
every part of the connected communication between it and the Atlantic,
and thereby also to every part of British America, when once the goal of
the Pacific is attained."--_Lieut. Synge._
(55) An officer whose character stands high both in the navy and in the
army--whose talents have long been exercised in the North American
Colonies--who is acquainted with their value, and who well understands
their naval and military defences.
The writer of this letter sailed from Cork on board H. M. frigate Pique,
in January, 1838, with a wing of the 93rd Highlanders, under the command
of Lieutenant-Colonel Macgregor, and he is happy in having this
opportunity of publicly thanking Captain Boxer, the officers and crew of
the Pique, for the great kindness received by every individual of the
regiment. And he cannot do otherwise than refer particularly to the
officers of the gun-room, who must have been exceedingly inconvenienced
by having a large party of officers joined to their mess, and who yet
had the tact and politeness to show they never felt it. It was a long
and stormy passage of six weeks from Cork to Halifax, but it was a happy
and a merry one; although a damp was at first thrown over us by the
sudden death from accident of a serjeant of the Light Company, and
another poor fellow was washed away from the chains during the passage.
(56) "We have now enjoyed more than thirty years peace, and when it was
proposed to invest the Capital, which we could so readily throw away on
arms and gunpowder, upon actually productive works, the cry was raised
of impending ruin and bankruptcy. The lodging of deposits with the
Accountant-General was to result in 'ruinous, universal and desperate
confusion.' The money was lodged, and no ruinous confusion took place.
The Acts were obtained, and ruin was again predicted; 'where was all the
money to come from?' The money has been got, L112,100,639 has been
raised in the course of three years, involving, it is true, much
suffering to some classes, but not to the nation at large."--_S. Smiles
on Railway Property._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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