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The territory comprising Canada was originally discovered by Sebastian Cabot in 1497, but its history dates only from 1534, when the French took possession. The Dominion of Canada includes the various provinces of North America formerly known as Upper and Lower Canada (now Ontario and Quebec respectively), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, and the extensive regions long under the quasi-government of the Hudson Bay Company now styled Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon Territories, and Ungava (a strip of coast from Ungava Bay to the Straits of Bell Isle); in fact, the whole of British North America except Newfoundland and Labrador. This territory, nearly as large as Europe, stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and is estimated to contain a total area of 3,653,946 square miles, and a population of 5,371,315 souls, which, notwithstanding its diversity of origin, is fast being welded into one harmonious and homogeneous whole. The first settlement, Quebec, was founded by the French in 1608. In 1759, Quebec succumbed to the British forces under General Wolfe, and in 1763, the whole territory of Canada became a possession of Great Britain by the treaty of Paris, of that year. Nova Scotia was ceded in 1713, by the treaty of Utrecht, the provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island being subsequently formed out of it. British Columbia, previously a part of the Hudson Bay Territory, was formed into a Crown colony in 1858, and was united to Vancouver Island in 1866. The Dominion of Canada was created in 1867, by the British North America Act, which provided for the admission at any subsequent period, of the other provinces and territories of British North America. In 1870, the Province of Manitoba was formed, and with the remainder of the Hudson Bay Territory, now called the Northwest Territories, was admitted into the Dominion. British Columbia followed in 1871, and Prince Edward Island in 1873, Newfoundland alone remaining a separate colony. The descendants of the French colonists reside chiefly in the Province of Quebec, and the majority of them still very generally use the French language. A religious census of Canada was taken in 1901, showing the number of Roman Catholics to be 2,229,600; Methodists, 916,886; Church of England,680,620;Baptists, 316,477; Congregationalists, 28,293; Presbyterians, 842,442; and Lutherans, 92,524. The executive government and authority are invested in the King, and exercised in his name by the Governor General, aided by a Privy Council. The legislative power is a Parliament, consisting of an Upper House, styled the Senate, and a House of Commons. The Senate consists at present of 81 members, distributed between the various provinces, thus: for Ontario, 24; for Quebec, 10; for Nova Scotia, 10; for New Brunswick, 4; for Prince Edward Island , 3; for British Columbia, 4; for Manitoba, 4; and for the Northwest Territories, 2. The members of the Senate are appointed for life by the Crown, on the nomination of the ministry for the time being. Each nominee must be 30 years old, a resident in the province for which he is appointed, a natural-born or naturalized subject of the King, and the owner of property amounting to $4,000. This body is also composed of natural-born or naturalized subjects of the King. No property qualification is required, and its members are elected upon a very wide suffrage. For electoral purposes, each province is divided into districts, each of which returns a member on a vote taken by ballot. The members of the House elect their Speaker, and twenty, including the Speaker, form a quorum. Justice in Canada is administered, as in England, by judges, police magistrates and justices of the peace, of whom the first named are appointed for life by the Governor General, from among the foremost men at the bar of the several provinces. The Supreme Court of Canada is composed of a chief justice and five puisne judges, and holds three sessions in the year, at Ottawa. The only other Dominion Court, namely—the Exchequer Court of Canada—is presided over by a separate judge, and its sittings may be held anywhere in Canada. The provincial courts include the Court of Chancery, Court of King's Bench, Court of Error and Appeals, Superior Courts, County Courts, General Sessions and Division Courts. The present Governor General of Canada is the Right Honorable, the Earl of Minto, appointed in 1898, for five years, at a salary of £10,000 per year. Other interesting matter pertaining to Canada may be found under specific headings in this volume. CANADA'S LONG BRIDGE SPAN The bridge recently completed across the St. Lawrence river, six and a half miles south of Quebec, has the longest span in the world. THE GREAT ST. LAWRENCE.
The length of the structure, including abutments, is 3,300 feet. The substructure consists of two main piers, two anchor piers and two abutments. One of these anchor piers is founded on solid rock, and the other on hard blue clay. The sinking of the main caisson was a great engineering feat. At low tide the water is only ten feet deep around the two main piers. The caisson was sunk through a compact mass of granite bowlders, bound together with cobble stone and fine gravel. The penetration of the caisson was so slow that on some days the distance could not be recorded; on other days it was scarcely more than four inches, although it bore a load on its roof of more than 20,000 tons. Owing to the immensity of this load, and its attendant danger, this method was finally abandoned, and concreting in the working chamber was begun. Progress by this method was rapid, and in 17 days the pier was built. The caissons for the two main piers are each 150 feet long, 49 feet wide and 25 feet high. They are of southern pine. The caisson for the north pier was built on the north shore, about 4,000 feet east of the pier site; it was successfully launched, towed into position, and made fast in a berth previously prepared, in the short space of 70 minutes. THE GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE |
