CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty March, 1874

London: William Clowes & Sons, 1874. First Edition. Hardcover. Poor. First printing. Folio boards. 266pp. Stiff marbled endpapers. An important collection of documents/messages relating to the proposal of the building of a trans-Canadian railway, the documents from and to the Earl of Dufferin, who was the third Governor-General of Canada. A trans-Canadian railway was promised to British Columbia in exchange for it joining Canadian Confederation, but it was rocky going politically in the first few years, and Lord Dufferin comments on the rancour between the political parties in Ottawa. This copy has written on the verso of the stiff flyleaf, in pencil, "Ex Lord Duifferins Library" (from Dufferin's library). I can establish no provenance for this and it is not signed by Dufferin. The copy was purchased in Ontario. This copy is DISBOUND but with the marbled boards present. The spine is half present in three broken sections, but still includes the title. Pages 127-130 are torn, but a somewhat large torn away piece is present. A couple of adjacent pages are torn but not in pieces. The balance of the text is in good condition and the pages are flexible, not brittle. An ideal project for a conservator but can be read on a table on in the lap with careful attention. Very scarce and important. The government of Prime Minister MacDonald fell over charges of United States influence and money in the early proposals to build the railway. Of course, he later recovered, and the railroad was built.