Excerpt from The Economic Development of Canada

Much of the early enterprise towards America may be attributed to the search for a North-west Passage to the East, as an alternative route to that by way of the Cape from which Portugal and Spain jealously excluded all other nations. If you look at the map you will observe that the orientation of the continent of North America is most pronounced towards Europe. The two greatest breaks in the Atlantic coast-line north of Florida, are the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Hudson's Strait and Bay. They lie right in the course of vessels sailing to the west from the United Kingdom and from France. The early English and French navi gators were not slow to explore these openings, and, following them for days, fondly believed that they had come upon the great object of their search - the short route to the East by the West. They were doomed to disappointment; but they had unwittingly discovered Canada's domain, vaster and more valuable than any they dreamed of. They did not dis cover the North-west Passage; and yet, in one sense they did. But it was left to the genius of the British and French races, whom these navi gators represented, to convert, three centuries later, their discovery, with the assistance of a great trans-continental line of railway, into the true north-west passage of the present day.

I suppose it is impossible to over-estimate the influence which the fur trade has exercised on the destiny of Canada. At the outset, the exploita tion of the fur trade was the sole raison d'e'tre of the early occupation of the country on behalf of France by the chartered company of the Hundred Associates. It was the cause also of the occupation of the northern and western interior by the Hudson Bay Company. Colonisa tion had no place at first in the French scheme, and was only encouraged, within limits, later on, after the assumption of the affairs of New France by the Crown. Even then, the prosecution of the fur trade was found to constitute a real impediment to settlement; the life of excite ment and adventure it offered demoralised the younger men in the colony, leading them to abandon the work of clearing and to neglect agriculture. But throughout the French regime furs were the most im portant source of revenue upon which the economic existence of the colony rested. The St. Lawrence, with its wonderful series of lakes, and subsidiary rivers and streams, afforded admirable opportunities for pro secuting that trade over an immense extent of country. By its means also exploration was facilitated, and the French obtained at a very early date a much more accurate knowledge of the geography and resources of the interior than would otherwise have been possible, in view of the vast and impenetrable forest that covered the Atlantic division of Canada, and which barred the approach to the fertile prairie regions of the west. The fur trade was also instrumental in opening the eyes of the French to the advantages to be derived from their strategic position in America for securing control of the whole continent. It trained, moreover, large numbers of men in the qualities of courage, endurance, and resource, a circumstance which proved of the greatest value to France in her sabse quent struggles with England for the mastery of the continent. Similarly.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com