Tender for Improving the Rapids of the St. Lawrence.

In conformity with the advertisement of 29th June last, emanated from the Department of Public Works, the undersigned hereby offer to open and permanently to define a navigable Channel through the Rapids of the St. Lawrence, from Prescott to Montreal. Such Channel to be not less than 200 feet in width, and of a depth sufficient to admit the passage of a vessel drawing 10 feet, at ordinary low summer water, for the sum of £30,000, the work to be completed within two years from the date of the contract, on the following conditions

First,-In Mr. Samuel Keefer's Report of 25th May last, our only guide, it is stated, that in order to obtain a Channel of the desired width and depth, works of improvement are required only at the "Coteau," "Cascades" and "Lachine Rapids," and also that further survey and examination of these places must be made before the works of improvement can be commenced.

We cannot but agree with Mr. Keefer, in regard to the necessity of a great many more soundings at the above mentioned places, especially inasmuch as no soundings have been made across the Channel, but only in the direction thereof; consequently the width of the Channel has never been defined, and we possess no information whereupon to base an estimate of the work to be performed, in order to give a Channel of 200 feet width and of the required depth. In order therefore to obtain the information, the want of which has thus been stated, we hereby offer to make a minute marine survey of such parts of the above mentioned Rapids, where an improvement is wanted and contemplated, and thus to find out and to define the location of a good navigable Channel of 200 feet width, and to take a sufficient number of cross sections, thereupon to base a proper estimate of the quantity of work to be performed, and to commence the necessary preparations for such survey immediately, and to carry out the survey in the course of next year's spring and summer-season ; we further propose, in connection with this survey, to fire fifty heavy sub-marine charges with a view of testing the practicability and probable cost of removing the works and boulders forming the obstructions, by means of sub-marine blasting; the cost of this survey, &,c., not to exceed the sum of £1250, according to the following estimate, submitted as No. 1.

Second,-That in case the above mentioned survey should prove the deepening of the Channel as required, not to be practicable for the sum above named, we shall be allowed to give up the contract, in which case we expect the Government to pay the expenses incurred in making that survey, on our returning to them all the coots, anchors and other material which shall have been furnished and prepared by us for the purpose, and that in case the contrary should be proved by the survey, the contract shall become binding for us, and the amount expended in making the survey be paid by us.

Third,-We expect to be allowed the use, fox the above named survey, as well as for the performance of the whole work, of whatever scows, anchors, chains, boats, rigging or other material proper for such use, belongs to the Board of Public Works. In submitting the above proposals we beg to say that we are prepared to furnish ample and bona fide security, and to enter into a contract as soon as you will notify us that our proposals are accepted.

Our plan of operation towards the required improvement of the Rapids will be to deepen and widen the Channel, by removing out of it the boulders, solid rock and other material which now obstruct it, and that we do not intend to build piers across any part of the river or the purpose of narrowing it, and thereby to increase the depth of eater in certain parts thereof, and that if we build any pier or piers n the river, it will be for the purpose of guiding and thereby improving the direction of the current, and of facilitating the operations of removing the obstructions out of the Channel, which will essentially consist in the blasting of rocks under water without drilling, a new method of removing rocks which has been eminently successful in the United States, especially in Hell Gate near New York.

The deepening of the Channel, by the removal of obstructions, offers, in our opinion, the following advantages:

The improvement thus produced is essentially permanent, where the bottom is rock, as in this instance.

It serves to increase the discharge of water, and consequently can under no circumstances cause any overflow of land above, which, on the contrary, it tends to prevent.

Its beneficial effect is certain and unquestionable, and it can never be of an injurious influence upon the direction of the current, which on the contrary it tends to keep in the direction of the Channel; nor does it deprive the public of the use of any of the other Channels, which, though of inferior qualities in some respects, are, however, eminently useful and necessary for rafting and other purposes, and therefore cannot be shut up without serious injury to the main Channel, by making it liable to be overcrowded.

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