Volume Ii Part 15 (1/2)
It is now supposed, upon competent authority, that the British possessions north of New York contain not fewer than two millions and a quarter of inhabitants, a fixed and floating capital of seventy-five million pounds, a public revenue of a million and a quarter, with a tonnage of not less than two millions and a quarter, manned, including the lake craft, steam-boats, and fis.h.i.+ng-vessels, by one hundred and fifty thousand sailors; and this Western Britain consumes annually seven millions of pounds sterling of British goods.
The Inspector-General of Revenue for Canada alone gives us the following data:--
1845.
Revenue of Canada 524,637 Expenditure 500,839.
Now let us see what the Standing Army and Militia of the United States are in 1845:
Standing Army--7,590 officers and men, including all ranks.
Militia--627 Generals, 2,670 Staff-officers, 13,813 Field-officers, 44,938 Company-officers, and 1,385,645 men.
Naval Force--11 s.h.i.+ps of the line, 14 first-cla.s.s frigates, 17 sloops-of-war, 8 brigs, 9 schooners, 6 steamers: with 67 captains, 94 commanders, 324 lieutenants, 133 pa.s.sed mids.h.i.+pmen, 416 mids.h.i.+pmen, and 31 masters.
The crews being formed of European sailors chiefly, no estimate is given of sufficient authenticity to depend upon as to the native citizens employed afloat in the services of the State.
The Militia appears a fearful Xerxian force, but it is really of no consequence whatever except as a protective one for the purposes of invasion, being quite met by the militia of the British provinces, as no larger army than 20,000 men can be effectually moved or subsisted on such an extensive frontier as Canada, and that only by an immense sacrifice of money.
Having thus given a glimpse at the state of affairs, I must leave my readers for the present, after a little talk about the city of Kingston.
Kingston, instead of suffering, as predicted, by the removal of the seat of government, having been thrown on her own resources, is rising fast.
Her naval and commercial harbours are being strongly fortified. The public buildings are important and handsome.
The Town Hall is probably the finest edifice of the kind on the continent of America, and cost 30,000, containing two splendid rooms of vast size, Post-office, Custom-house, Commercial Newsroom, shops, and a complete Market Place, with Mayor's Court and Policeoffice, and a lofty cupola, commanding a view of immense extent.
There are three English churches, built of stone, a Scots church of the same material, several dissenting places of wors.h.i.+p, and a magnificent cathedral, almost equal in size to that at Montreal, for Roman Catholics, with a smaller church attached, a seminary for educating the priests, a nunnery, and an Hotel Dieu, conducted by Sisters of Charity; also an immense building for a public hospital, extensive barracks for troops, and several private houses of inferior importance, with four banks.
There are ten daily first-cla.s.s steamers running to and from Kingston, and about thirty smaller steamers and propellers, with a fleet of two hundred schooners and sailing barges. The navigation is open from the 1st of April until late in November.
To show the trade of this rising city, now containing near twelve thousand inhabitants, I append a table of its Exports and Imports, for 1845.
IMPORTS AND DUTIES, AT KINGSTON, FOR 1845.
-----------------------+----------+---------------+--------------+-------------- Articles Imported.
Number
Value at the
Amount of
Remarks.
or
place of
all Duties,
quant.i.ty.
importation,
Currency.
Currency.
-----------------------+----------+---------------+--------------+--------------
s. d.
s. d.
Animals--Cows and
Heifers No.
12
54 10 0
14 12 0
Horses, Mares, } ”
Geldings, } ”
13
231 5 0
23 14 6
Colts, Fillies &} ”
Foals }
21
222 10 0
. . .
Of travellers.
Lambs ”
70
16 0 0
3 5 2
Oxen, Bulls, Steers
262
1,514 0 0
406 19 6
Pigs (sucking) ”
1
0 5 0
0 0 7
Swine and Hogs ”
1,212
3,474 10 2
368 13 0
Sheep ”
337
90 8 9
41 0 0
Anchovies and Sardines,
in oil
.
3 0 6
0 7 10
Ashes barrels
67
279 7 9
13 9 8
Bark
.
99 16 0
4 17 8
Berries, Nuts,
Vegetables, for dying
.
156 16 5
12 13 9
Biscuit and Crackers
.
111 11 10
10 4 5
Books
.
1,329 6 1
150 12 9
Private Do.
.
20 0 0
. . .
library Candles--Sperm lb.
3,770
310 6 10
84 13 3
from Europe.
Wax ”
3,457
163 11 10
28 19 3
Bonded for Other kinds ”
13,800
856 11 3
. . .
lower ports.
Carriages, Vehicles No.
28
220 0 0
18 13 5
Of travellers.
Do.
20
256 5 0
. . .
Clocks and Watches
.
1,046 7 1
167 7 2
Coals tons.
373 0 76
514 12 11
23 17 1
Cocoa cwt.
1 20
1 16 0
0 2 11
Coffee--Green cwt.{
288 8 1
625 17 10
247 2 4
Remov'd under {
27 1 9
66 0 0
. . .
bond to Roasted ”
13 1 1
30 10 10
19 1 11
Hamilton.
Ground ”
8 0 20
15 19 9
21 1 8
Coin and Bullion
.
22,500 0 0
. . .
Cordage ”
193 0 13
535 6 8
61 16 1
Corks gross
1086
80 11 8
9 6 0
Cotton Manufactures
.
1,728 16 1
200 1 0
Cotton Wool
.
236 0 0
11 16 0
Drugs
.
327 13 6
17 0 10
Extracts, Essences and
Perfumery
.
92 1 3
12 0 0
Fanning and Bark Mills
10
33 16 6
4 18 11
Fins and Skins, the
produce of creatures
living in the sea
.
33 13 9
7 11 0
Fish--Fresh, not
described
.
260 11 3
6 11 7
Oysters, Lobsters and
Turtles
.
1,100 14 9
7 11 0
Salted or dried cwt.
154 0 19
127 4 0
20 1 4
Pickled barls.
30
54 11 4
7 16 11
Flour, Wheat, {
8,396-1/2
9,296 18 3
1,276 16 9
Supplied barrels {
204
224 8 0
6 4 1
H. M.
of 196 lb. {
44,151
54,919 7 6
. . .
Commissariat.
Fruit, Almonds ”
15,115
137 17 6
31 8 7
Apples bushels
13,966-1/2
1,300 3 7
424 16 7
Do. Dried ”
163
36 14 7
11 7 4
Currants cwt.
47 3 2 4
105 10 9
18 2 1
Figs ”
20 2 20
53 7 2
8 8 1
Nuts lb.{
9,421
140 17 1
29 10 4
{
610
6 2 0
. . .
Bonded for Pears bushels
421-3/4
59 12 8
25 12 6
removal to Prunes lb.
543
20 12 6
3 11 6
Hamilton.
Raisins in boxes ”
34,411
788 9 8
205 19 6
Do., otherwise than
in boxes lb.
7,990
127 6 6
25 7 10
Unenumerated ”
.
999 12 7
95 18 9
Fur Skins, or Peltries,
undressed
.
22 16 6
1 2 5
Gla.s.s Manufactures
.
860 3 11
168 0 1
Grain, &c.--Barley qrs.
373-3/4
369 4 9
68 4 2
Maize, or Ind. Corn,
quarters, 480 lb.
2,617-1/2
2,717 13 9
477 15 9
Oats quarters
87-1/2
43 13 9
10 12 11-1/2
Rye ”
69-3/4
51 19 7
12 13 6-1/2
Beans ”
2
4 8 0
0 7 3
Meal of the above grs.
and of Wheat not
bolted, per 196 lb.
10-1/2
4 10 0
. 15 6
Wheat quarters
2,597-1/4
4,647 17 4
474 0 0
Bran & Shorts cwt.
4 0 0
3 7 3
0 1 3
Gums and Resins
.
181 1 5
9 3 3
Hardware
.
3,883 2 10
466 11 4
Hay tons
34-1/2
56 1 3
12 11 10
Hemp, Flax, & Tow {
4,879 1 18
2,188 12 7
21 17 9
cwt.{
1,540 2 0
838 10 0
. . .
Bonded for Hides, Raw No.
755
338 3 9
3 7 8
lower ports.
Hops lb.
936
26 0 6
15 5 6
India Rubber Boots &
Shoes pairs
1,197
218 1 7
45 6 6
Leather--Goat Skins,
tanned, or in any
way dressed doz.
4
6 12 0
1 9 7
Lamb and Sheep
Skins doz.
172
117 9 10
30 19 8
Calf Skins, do. lb.
857-1/4
90 18 5
29 13 10
Kid Skins, do. ”
1,024
92 18 9
10 6 11
Harness Leather ”
12,641-1/2
347 1 0
141 18 3
Upper Leather ”
4,109-3/4
271 7 11
51 9 3
Sole Leather ”
74,931
2,561 5 3
672 4 6
Leather not described
334 16 5
28 17 6
Leather Manufactures
Boots, Shoes, Calashes
Women's Boots,
Shoes, & Calashes
of Leather doz. prs.
52-1/2
116 1 3
29 12 9
Girls' Boots, Shoes,
and Calashes, under
7 in. in length.
of Leather doz. prs.
38
38 12 3
8 14 6
Girls' Boots & Shoes
of Silk, Satin, Jean
or other stuff, Kid,
Morocco doz. prs.
14
20 14 7
3 12 2
Men's Boots of Leather