The Great War of 189-: A ForecastForbes, Archibald
History
The Great War of 189-: A Forecast
Forbes, Archibald
Imaginary wars and battles; Science fiction
This magnificent steamer has provided us with the most luxurious
accommodation, and has landed us here in less than six days since we
left England. I am just remaining on board to finish this dispatch to
you, and beyond expressing the satisfaction of all on board with the
treatment we have received from officers and men, and with the
arrangements of the company, I have only one remark of any importance to
make. All who have known the inconveniences and delay which have
hitherto attended the voyage to Canada agree that it is a disgrace to
the Empire that no steamers of the class of the _Teutonic_ are available
to complete the circle of our connection round the world. I have just
been on shore and seen the accommodation which is provided for us by the
Canadian Pacific Railway. Nothing can be more perfect than the
arrangements for the convenience both of officers and men. If only
passengers could start from England and sail here through the splendid
scenery of the St. Lawrence up to this quaint old town, and thence pass
by this excellent railway, there can be no doubt that travellers, to the
East at all events, whether for China, Australia, New Zealand, or even
India, would come this way rather than by New York, or any other line.
As it is, numbers now cross to New York, join the Canadian Pacific by
way of Montreal, and complete their journey in that way to the East. I
can only hope, and I express the wishes of all, that no time may be lost
in establishing, with the aid of a Government subsidy, a really
effective line of steamers from England to Quebec. Here the trains were
drawn up by the side of the steamer. The men marched straight into the
carriages, the baggage, for the transhipment of which large gangs of men
were at hand, was put upon the trains within five hours and fourteen
minutes. Precisely at that interval after the steamer had come
alongside, the first of the three trains employed steamed out of the
station amid the cheers of the crowd which had gathered to see the men
off.
It must be remembered that when the party of Marines and Blue-Jackets,
who were the pioneers of this line among the military forces, came here
in December, they necessarily landed in Halifax. We have, therefore,
saved on that expedition three hundred miles of dreary railway travel by
the Intercolonial Railway.
VANCOUVER, _June 5_.
We have finished our journey across the continent, and are all as
thoroughly content with our railway trip as with our voyage to Quebec. I
enclose you several sketches which will show you the accommodation
provided for the men, and some of the scenes on the train. What has
interested us most, both in what we have seen and what we have heard at
the different stations that we have stopped at, is the amazing
development which is taking place throughout the whole of this country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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