Such were the hopes entertained by the Canadians of a modification in the restrictive system. But even the boldest of their Free-traders shrunk for a time from the notion of an unconditional surrender of the natural advantages the navigation of the St. Lawrence conferred upon Canada. Hence they proposed to themselves to reserve their full rights, and confined their advocacy to such changes in the law relating to navigating the St. Lawrence above Quebec as would enable them to make terms with the Americans. They had then no idea of throwing open to foreigners generally the use of their great rivers without an ample equivalent: they contented themselves with asking for powers from the Imperial Legislature to enable them to negotiate from time to time on the subject, and to make the navigation of the river a matter of treaty and regulation; preserving their own sovereignty, with power to resume the exclusive use of it at the conclusion of any agreement. [Sidenote: Improvements of their internal navigation.] Hitherto the enterprise and energies of the colonies had been almost exclusively directed to the important objects of improving the internal navigation of the St. Lawrence from Lake Erie to Quebec, so as to place it in such a state of cheapness and efficiency as would make that route more advantageous as a port of embarkation for a sea voyage than any route through the United States. [Sidenote: Welland Canal.] In the case of the Welland Canal, Canadians could not fail to perceive that the passage of American vessels down and up had contributed to render it profitable. Indeed, the Welland Canal was used extensively by American vessels, as it was a short communication between the two great lakes, and, at the same time, admitted of the passage of large vessels, which, instead of entering the American Erie Canal at Buffalo, proceeded down Lake Ontario to Oswego, where goods are transferred to the canal-boats for transport to New York. In this way a large portion of the revenue from the Welland Canal was derived from the American trade, arising from the free navigation of a part of the internal waters of Canada, and thus Western Canada enjoyed the benefit of a navigation supported to a considerable extent by foreign commerce. [Sidenote: Cost of freight the real question.]