is less than one hundred miles, and the fall less
than one hundred feet. To dig it will be child's play; you may read the
reports of the engineers; they show how advantage may be had of a Lake
Simcoe, and of a little river. Here also are letters and guarantees from
eminent men of Canada that their parliament will permit and protect the
canal. Less than one hundred miles long; and yet that canal will cut off
seven hundred."

Once in Lake Ontario at Toronto, Storri's boats, by way of the St.
Lawrence--which might have to be dredged in places--were to make a
straight wake for St. Petersburg, touching at English, French, and
German ports. The ships were to clear in Duluth for St. Petersburg; and
in St. Petersburg for Duluth. They were to fly the American flag; that,
too, should mean a subsidy. Besides, there must be an American
commission to confer with a Canadian commission touching the canal.

Once in St. Petersburg, Storri would have the aid of his own country in
whatever might be necessary to carry him to the western terminus of his
Chinese railway. He had writings in French from the Czar's government
which set this forth. Only, the Russian assurances were made contingent
upon a standing army of "Ifs." "If" Storri _should_ throw a railway
across China; and "if" he _should_ launch a line of steamships across
the Pacific--the same fostered by the Washington Government with a
subsidy--and "if" all and singular the railway from Puget to Duluth, the
Canadian Canal, and the line of steamships from Duluth to St.
Petersburg--also with a subsidy--_were_ once extant and in operation,
then the Czar would step graciously in and see what might be done in
forging those final Russian railway links required to unite the ends of
this interesting chain.

"And you are to know," went on Storri, "that my government, the St.
Petersburg Government, is paternal. It will give whatever, in the way of
land rights and loans, is demanded by the exigencies of the project.

"And there," cried Storri in conclusion, as he shoved maps, papers, and
concessions, Russian, Canadian, and Chinese, across to Mr. Harley, "is
an idea the magnificence of which the ages cannot parallel! It is
simple, it is great! We shall have three-score small companies--that is,
small compared with the grand one I am to name. We shall have land and
banking and lumber and mining and railway and steamship and canal
companies. We shall have companies owning elevators and factori