an
article contributed to the _United Service Journal_ in 1832 by Henry
Fairbairn.[1] The author proposed the two chief projects which for
half a century were to engross the attention of the Maritime Provinces:
a road from St Andrews to Quebec, which should 'convey the whole trade
of the St Lawrence, in a single day, to Atlantic waters,' and another
line from Halifax through St John to the border of Maine, which should
command for Halifax 'the whole stream of passengers, mails, and light
articles of commerce passing into the British possessions and to the
United States and every part of the continent of America.'

St Andrews was the winter port in British territory nearest to the
upper provinces. If the territory in dispute on the Maine boundary
fell to New Brunswick and Quebec, a road not more than 250 or 300 miles
long could be built from this port to the city of Quebec. In 1835 a
Railway Association was formed in St Andrews, an exploratory survey was
made, and the interest of Lower Canada was enlisted. {58} In the
following year New Brunswick gave a charter to the St Andrews and
Quebec Railroad, and the Imperial government agreed to bear the cost of
a survey. But the survey was speedily halted because of protests from
Maine; in 1842 the Ashburton Treaty assigned to the United States a
great part of the territory through which the line was projected, and
the promoters gave up. Then in 1845 the railway mania in England
brought a revival of all colonial schemes. Sir Richard Broun took up
the plan for a line from Halifax to Quebec, along with other grandiose
projects connected with his endeavour to revive the lost glories of the
baronetage of Nova Scotia, but did not get past the stage of forming a
provisional committee. This discussion revived the flagging hopes of
St Andrews, and, as will be seen in detail later, a beginning was made
by a railway from St Andrews to Woodstock, the New Brunswick and
Canada, for which ground was broken in November 1847.

The provincial legislature early concluded that it would be impossible
to induce private capitalists to build an intercolonial road unaided.
They were unanimous also, not yet having emerged from the stage of
colonial dependence, in desiring to throw the burden {59} of such aid
as far as possible on the British government. In the absence of a
colonial federation the United Kingdom was the main connecting-link
between the colonies in British North America, and wa