Lord Durham’s Plans for Development, Lord Durham’s Report on the Affairs of British North America

Buller, Charles

[Charles Buller described Lord Durham’s desire to help Canadian merchants.]

. . . When from the Canadian shore he looked across the entrance of Lake Erie, and saw the noble buildings and crowded harbour of Buffalo, he longed to divert the stream of commerce to the British shore, and by means of the Welland Canal to give to Canada the trade between the Great Lakes and the sea. With this view he wrote that despatch in which he impressed on the Home Government the necessity of contributing a large sum of money to complete the great plan of internal water communication which the Assembly of Upper Canada had commenced, but had found beyond its powers of completion. This proposal was not, however, adopted by ministers. Lord Durham subsequently proposed by means of such provincial resources as he could command to aid in the improvement of the navigation of the Ottawa, the most important tributary of the St. Lawrence, and hardly inferior in importance to the main branch of the river. But his abrupt departure prevented his taking any steps for this purpose.