arrsnmx. xxvii

-ear, because although he believed that they had exhausted he evidence, and carefully examined the bearings of every uestion, still another year might have been well spent in eviewing the whole ease, and in giving to the language of he Report greater condensation and precision. But the ? ommissioners had felt from the first that every hour’s de- ay was fatal or injurious to some existing interest. They ' ad, therefore, not only given to the Commission all their eisure hours when separated, but when together had labor- d most assiduously. At Rothsay be was rarely in bed after our o'clock, and the daily labours of the Commission never losed till six. He trusted, therefore, that all parties would 'ce satisfied that there had been no unnecessary delay.

Upon another point it was due to all parties that an ex- .lenation should be made. When the Commissioners were -1 ere last summer they held an open Court for weeks to- ether in all parts of the Island, and heard everybody. -ither personally or by delegate. A vast body of testi- uony was thus accumulated, but as almost everybody yas a witness for himself, or gave testimony under strong ‘arty or personal bias, it became indispensable that the = ommissioners should be in a position to check the state- nents by returns and information collected by a competent erson whose errand to the Island nobody knew. To perform his service Mr. George Wighlman was selected, and as that gentleman was perhaps not much known here, it might ‘ue satisfactory to the people to know something about him. . eorge Wightman was born on the banks of the Shubena- adie, and has been familiar with farms and farming from i: is boyhood. Having a natural turn for science, he taught aimself engineering, and when Sir James Kempt came to or Province from the battle fields of the continent, where i e had seen Napoleon’s great roads, he brought with him lIcAdam’s Treatise, and began to turn the public attention ’0 the improvements suggested. At that time all our great oads ran over the hills. Wightman was employed to re- urvey them. and many of the best roads of our country we nwe to his skill and to that of the young men who he rained in this service. When the St. Andrew’s Railroad as commenced he sought employment on that work, ‘ here he learned and taught a good deal. When the line roxn St John to Shediao was commenced, Mr. Light, who new Wightmun’s value, took him there, and has assured he that in the completion of that great work Wightman’s ractical knowledge and experience were of the utmost alue. A man so trained was just the man we wanted, -articular1y When we knew that his character and simple abits placed him above all temptation. The value returns fables, and observations, appended to their report, would