§ MR. GREGORYsaid, he also wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether any engagements have been made by the Imperial Government to guarantee the interest on a sum of money to be raised for the construction of the Intercolonial Railroad; and if so, whether all papers connected with any such engagements will be laid before the House?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUEstated, that his hon. Friend would find the greater part of the information which he desired in certain papers that were laid before Parliament in the course of the last Session upon the Motion of his hon. Friend the Member for London. He would there find a despatch which was written by his noble Friend at the head of the Colonial Office, who declined to accede to a request from the British North American provinces for direct assistance by way of subsidy towards the construction of an intercolonial railroad. But in the course of last year the Government expressed their willingness, on certain terms, to lend the credit of the Imperial Government to the Provinces of British North America to assist them in raising a loan for carrying out that project. Since the last Session of Parliament there had been some further correspondence of no material consequence. A visit had also been made to England by certain Members of the Governments of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, as delegates, to make arrangements with Her Majesty's Government on the subject. Those gentlemen had now returned to America in order to introduce into the Legislatures of the several colonies measures which should form a basis for the carrying out of the project. The further correspondence would, when completed, be laid upon the table in continuation of that which was produced last Session.