Cane, James

CANE, James, fl. 1842-49, was known primarily as a civil engineer, surveyor, and map maker in Ontario and Quebec. He formed a partnership with Thomas Young in Toronto in March of 1842 but their association was abruptly dissolved just two months later (Toronto Herald, 17 March 1842, 16 May 1842). He prepared a Topographic Plan of the City of Toronto later that same year and approached Toronto City Council to ask for assistance in the printing and publication of the map (City of Toronto Archives, City Council Papers, RG1, letter of 1 Aug. 1842). By 1844 he had moved to Montreal and with Henry H. MacFarlane and Goodlatte R. Browne he founded the firm of Cane, MacFarlane and Browne, Surveyors, Civil Engineers and Architects (Montreal Transcript, 2 March 1844, 2, advert.). They submitted a design in the competition for the Bonsecours Market Building (Montreal Transcript, 30 April 1844, 2) and designed '...some very handsome cut stone houses' on Sherbrooke Street West, at Bleury Street, MONTREAL, QUE., for Mr. Henderson (Montreal Transcript, 1 June 1844, 2). Their best known work was the City Bank, Place d'Armes, MONTREAL, QUE., 1844-45, a project begun in June of 1844 and completed in 1845 by Goodlatte R. Browne (Montreal Transcript, 1 June 1844, 2; 6 July 1844, 2; see list of works under MacFarlane & Browne). The partnership which Cane had helped to form was terminated in late June of 1844 (Montreal Transcript, 29 June 1844, 2, advert.) and he continued to work alone as a civil engineer and surveyor in Montreal until after 1849.