e occasion
Macdonald was moved to bring certain accusations against Brown's
personal character. These, however, he failed to establish to the
satisfaction of the special committee of parliament appointed to try
the charge. This was the only time, as far as I know, when Brown got
the better of his rival.

While the Liberal-Conservative forces were being consolidated under
Macdonald and Cartier, a similar process was taking place in the Reform
ranks under Dorion and Brown. Dorion was a distinguished member of the
Montreal bar and a courtly and polished gentleman of unblemished
reputation. He had become the leading member of the _Parti Rouge_ on
Papineau's retirement in 1854, and was now the chief of the few French
Radicals in the Assembly. In like manner Brown assumed the leadership
of the Clear Grits, the Radicals of Upper Canada.

While the politicians were thus busy, Canada continued to develop, if
not at the rate to which we are accustomed in these later days, still
at a fair pace. In 1851 the population of Upper Canada had been
952,000 and {48} that of Lower Canada 890,000. Of the cities Montreal
boasted 58,000, Quebec 42,000, Toronto 31,000, and Kingston 12,000. By
1861 these figures had grown to 1,396,000 for Upper Canada, 1,111,000
for Lower Canada, and the cities had correspondingly increased.
Montreal had now 90,000 people, Quebec 51,000, Toronto 45,000, and
Kingston 14,000. The total revenue of Canada in 1855 amounted to
$4,870,000, not half that of the single province of Ontario to-day, and
the expenditure to $4,780,000.

Much had already been spent on the improvement of inland navigation,
and the early fifties saw the beginning of a great advance in railway
construction. The Intercolonial Railway to connect the Maritime
Provinces with Canada was projected as early as in 1846, though
inability to agree upon the route delayed construction many years. In
1853 the Grand Trunk was opened from Montreal to Portland in Maine.
The Great Western (now a portion of the Grand Trunk system), running
between the Niagara and Detroit rivers, was opened during the following
year; and 1855 witnessed the completion of the Grand Trunk from
Montreal to Brockville, and the Great Western from Toronto to {49}
Hamilton. The Detroit river at that time marked the western limit of
settlement in Canada. North and west stretched a vast lone land about
which scarcely anything was known. The spirit of enterprise, however,
w